• 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.    Last Man Standing match: Randy Orton vs. CM Punk

Interesting, but strong choice to open the show. Both guys circle each other at the start before Orton starts on offense with some punches, a clothesline, and a kick to the chest before he sends Punk to the outside. Orton hits an uppercut on the outside before they head back into the ring, where Punk is able to hit some punches and a knee drop, only for Orton to retake the advantage with a kick, snapmare, and a knee drop of his own. They return to the outside, where Punk hits Orton with a kendo stick before tossing Orton back into the ring and grabbing a second one. Punk stays on offense and hits a back suplex, but Orton is eventually able to make a comeback, hitting Punk with a kendo stick and a clothesline. Orton tries for a spike DDT, but Punk is able to counter it and catapult Orton into an exposed turnbuckle, which Punk uncovered before the match began. The ref counts but Orton gets up as Punk sets up a chair in the corner. Punk hits a high knee in the corner, but Orton is able to avoid a bulldog into the chair. Orton counters the Go to Sleep, Punk counters the RKO, and Orton counters the GTS again before throwing Punk face first into the chair, sending Punk to the floor. Punk gets up at 6, but Orton rams him back first into the apron and powerslams him on the floor.

Orton takes apart the announce table, but Punk hits him with a roundhouse kick. Orton gets up, slams Punk face first on the announce table, and hits a nasty Angle Slam on the barricade. Punk is up at 6 and gets into the ring, where he counters the RKO and hits the GTS. Punk slides a chair into the ring and hits Orton with a Russian leg sweep on it. Orton is up at 8 and Punk sets up the chair on its legs, but Orton hits an RKO. Punk is up at 9 and bails to the floor, but Orton clotheslines him into the crowd. Orton tries for a spike DDT off the barricade, but Punk counters and rams Orton back first into the ring post. Orton gets up at 9, but Punk wraps a chair around Orton’s throat and rams him throat first into the post. Orton gets up at 9 and Punk hits a ton of punches. Both guys end up on the announce table, where Orton hits a sudden RKO. Punk gets up off the table at 8 but stumbles to the floor. Orton tries for the punt but Punk catches him and drops him face first on the steel steps. Orton gets up at 9 and goes into the ring. Punk heads to the top rope with a kendo stick in hand, but Orton pummels Punk with the other kendo stick and hits an uppercut. Both guys are up top and Orton hits a super RKO into the ring. Orton gets up at 9 but Punk doesn’t, and Orton gets the win. Very good match with some really nice spots. What kept it from being even better were the excessive amounts of counts whenever anyone would hit a move, which tends to happen a lot in WWE last man standing matches. Still, a huge improvement on their Wrestlemania match. Match Time: 20:10     Star Rating: ***1/2

In a quick backstage segment, Teddy Long informs Sheamus that he will defend his United States Championship in a Tables match against Kofi Kingston. I wish they announced this ahead of time.

2.    Tables match for the United States Championship: Sheamus(c) vs. Kofi Kingston

For a last minute add-on, this was pretty good. Kofi hits some punches and kicks in the corner at the start, and Sheamus responds with kicks of his own, only for Kofi to take him down and hit some more punches. Kofi goes to the floor to get a table from under the ring, but Sheamus throws him into the barricade. Sheamus gets another table but Kofi knocks him down. Kofi sets up a table on the floor and puts Sheamus on it, but Sheamus rolls off and tosses Kofi into the barricade. Sheamus teases a High Cross through a table on the floor, but Kofi escapes, only for Sheamus to hit some punches and put him back in the ring. Sheamus ends up on the apron and Kofi hits some strikes, but Sheamus hits a slingshot elbow strike over the ropes into the ring. Sheamus gets another table from under the ring and yanks Kofi’s arm over the top rope. He hits Kofi in the gut with a table from the outside, then drops the table on top of him in the ring. Sheamus stands on the table (and Kofi), then steps on Kofi’s face. Sheamus sets up the table in the corner and slams Kofi’s face on it, but Kofi is able to hit a sunset flip and a double stomp. Kofi ends up crotched (sort of) on the table, but is able to escape the High Cross. Kofi ends up on the apron and eats a bicycle kick, but the impact causes him to overshoot a table on the floor. Sheamus sets up a table in the ring and teases a powerslam off the top, but Kofi hits some punches, only for Sheamus to knock him down. Sheamus teases a suplex over the ropes through a table on the floor and Kofi hits the Trouble in Paradise, but Sheamus takes a bump on the apron and misses the table. Sheamus gets to his feat and winds up on the table, and Kofi jumps off the top rope onto Sheamus, putting him through the table for the win. It was expected that Sheamus would lose his title since they can’t have both the US and Intercontinental titles on Smackdown. Good match here with a nice story of Kofi’s constant escapes from potentially devastating moves from Sheamus. Match Time: 9:12     Star Rating: ***

3.    Country Whipping match: Jack Swagger and Michael Cole vs. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

While this wasn’t dragged out as much as their Wrestlemania match, it was still atrocious. Cole cut a promo putting himself over before the match and was wrapped in bubble wrap, to protect against the whips. It was basically a no DQ match, with tags, where straps were provided as weapons. Lawler whips Swagger with the strap at the start before Cole comes in. Lawler tears the bubble wrap off Cole, but Swagger enters and whips Lawler several times. Cole whips Lawler himself and tags out to Swagger, who beats on Lawler but misses a Vader Bomb. Lawler comes back with punches and Cole begs him off, but Swagger hits a chop block and applies the ankle lock. Ross whips Swagger from the apron, allowing Lawler to hit a DDT and tag in Ross. It got ugly as Ross was visibly stiff, nervous, and sloppy. Cole was tagged in, and Ross tosses him into the ring, sends him into the corner, and hits a very weak shoulder block. Ross whips him with a strap and applies the ankle lock, but lets go in order to hit Swagger with a low blow, who was trying to interfere. Cole got a roll-up immediately after for the win. Why can’t they just let the faces win to end this incredibly ridiculous storyline? The match was all whipping and no wrestling, and the wrong guys won. There’s not much more you can say. Match Time: 7:05     Star Rating: *

4.    Falls Count Anywhere match: Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio

The show got back on track with another Wrestlemania rematch which was better than the first encounter. Cody hits some punches at the start, but Rey slides underneath him and hits a head scissors that sends Cody to the floor. Rey then slides under the ropes with another head scissors, but Cody scores a near fall on the floor. Cody punches Rey as they go up the ramp, but Rey slams Cody’s head into the titan tron. Cody ends up on the floor beside the stage, and Rey hits a seated senton off the stage to Cody on the floor. They then brawl into the crowd. Cody crotches Rey on the barricade but Rey sends Cody into a wall. They fight up the stairs in the crowd with both guys throwing punches. Cody applies a Boston Crab with Rey’s body trapped in the railing, and hits a head butt. They fight into the arena concourse, where Rey throws a crate on Cody for a near fall. Cody hits some punches and a nice rebound kick springing off a wall for a near fall. Rey hits a knee to the head and knocks down Cody as they head back into the crowd and down the stairs. Mysterio hits a kick but Rhodes is able to hip toss him over the barricade into the ringside area. Mysterio hits some punches and tries for the flip up bulldog, but Rhodes counters and slams him face first on the steel steps. Mysterio is able to recover and hit a top rope flying head butt to a standing Rhodes in the ring for 2. Mysterio misses a top rope guillotine leg drop, and Rhodes is able to hit some kicks to the groin and an Alabama slam. Rhodes sets Mysterio up in the corner, but Mysterio hits some punches and blows mist in Rhodes’ face (channeling the Great Muta?). Mysterio hits the 619 and a springboard splash to get the win. This was a fun match with some innovative spots and solid effort from both men. Mysterio getting the win was fine as he got revenge after Rhodes beat him at Mania. Match Time: 11:43     Star Rating: ***1/4

5.    No Count Out, No Disqualification match (Loser Leaves WWE): Layla vs. Michelle McCool

This turned out a bit better than most WWE women’s matches. McCool takes control early and sends Layla to the outside. Layla sends McCool into the announce table, but McCool knocks her down, kicks her, and gets a near fall in the ring. Layla ducks a big kick and hits 2 of her own. McCool begs off, but Layla hits some punches. McCool hits a belly to belly slam and they go outside again.  McCool misses a kick and is hung up on the barricade. Both girls end up standing on the barricade and crash to the floor. Both girls go back in the ring, where Layla hits a flip over stunner out of the corner for 2. McCool gets a near fall, but Layla escapes the Faith Breaker and hits her neckbreaker. McCool gets her foot on the ropes and soon after is able to counter a sloppy roll-up attempt into the Faith Breaker. McCool goes for the cover but Layla suddenly rolls her up for the win. McCool cries in the ring afterwards. All of a sudden, Kharma (aka Awesome Kong from TNA or Amazing Kong on the independent circuit) makes her WWE debut and gives McCool the Implant Buster in the ring, which was awesome. As for the match, they tried, but Layla is such a terrible worker that it wasn’t much more than average. But average is more than you can say for most women’s matches in this company. Match Time: 5:07     Star Rating: **

6.    Ladder match for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship: Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian

Unsurprisingly, this was the best match on the whole show. They do some back and forth early on, with Christian reversing an irish whip and knocking Del Rio down, only for Del Rio to come back with a kick and a scoop slam. Christian hits some punches and chokes Del Rio against the ropes, and then hits a back body drop and a diving uppercut off the second rope. Christian goes to get a ladder but Del Rio goes to the floor to stop him. Del Rio stomps Christian, kicks him in the head, and rolls him underneath the ring with his foot. Del Rio picks up a ladder, but Christian appears on the other side of the ring and does a baseball slide dropkick that sends the ladder into Del Rio’s face. Christian gets a big ladder and climbs in the ring, but Del Rio sends him to the mat before climbing himself. Christian pushes the ladder over, but Del Rio is on his feet and hits an enzuigiri. Del Rio stomps Christian and chokes him with his boot, only for Christian to dump Del Rio over the ropes to the floor. Christian is holding a ladder in the ring, but Del Rio takes his legs out from under him and Christian lands face first on the ladder. Del Rio takes a ladder and bridges it from the apron to the announce table. Christian tries to catapult Del Rio into the ladder bridge, but Del Rio blocks and hits some kicks. Christian puts Del Rio on the ladder bridge and goes to the top rope. Del Rio pushes Christian off, but Christian is able to land on a standing ladder on the floor and spring off with a cross body to Del Rio to the floor.

Christian ascends a ladder in the ring, but Del Rio knocks him down and sets up a ladder against the corner. Christian counters the cross-arm breaker and Del Rio counters the killswitch, but Christian is able to flapjack Del Rio onto the ladder. Del Rio ends up on the floor and Christian tosses a ladder on top of him. Christian climbs a really tall ladder in the ring, but Del Rio comes back in and throws a very small step ladder at him. In a really cool spot, Del Rio stands on the step ladder, holds Christian, and gives him a jumping double knee armbreaker off both ladders. Del Rio applies the cross-arm breaker for a bit before he sends Christian into a ladder in the corner. Del Rio charges but Christian avoids him and sets up the SUPER ladder. Del Rio tries to powerbomb Christian off the ladder, but Christian counters with a head scissors and Del Rio is on the apron beside the ladder bridge. Del Rio teases a suplex on the ladder bridge, but Christian backdrops him onto another ladder laying flat in the ring. Christian goes to the top rope and holds onto a ladder, but Del Rio hits an enzuigiri, causing Christian to fall to the mat and land on the ladder. Del Rio climbs a ladder and Christian knocks it over, only for Del Rio to send Christian out to the floor. Ricardo Rodriguez hands Del Rio a chair, but Christian sends Del Rio into the ring post.

Christian gets in the ring, waits for Del Rio, and hits a big spear. Christian climbs a ladder, but Del Rio pulls his legs through the rungs and he’s stuck (channeling the finish of the Edge vs. Jeff Hardy ladder match from Extreme Rules 2009) as Del Rio climbs on the other side. Christian gets free and pushes the ladder over. Del Rio kicks the step ladder in Christian’s face and sets him up on the ladder bridge. Del Rio goes up top for an elbow drop, but Christian moves and Del Rio crashes into the ladder bridge. Christian sets up a ladder in the ring and gets to the top, but Brodus Clay comes down to interfere and pushes the ladder over. Christian is left dangling in mid air, but ends up on the mat and pushes Clay into a ladder in the corner. Christian hits him with the step ladder and Clay ends up on the outside. Del Rio kicks a ladder in Christian’s face and applies the cross-arm breaker with Christian’s arm through a ladder. Del Rio sets up the SUPER ladder and climbs slow, but Edge appears in a Jeep by the stage and honks the horn. Del Rio is distracted and Christian pushes the ladder over, causing Del Rio to fall out of the ring onto Rodriguez and Clay on the floor. Christian sets the ladder back up, climbs, and grabs the title as Edge comes into the ring to celebrate with him. Amazing moment with Christian winning the title and the crowd went INSANE. This has been a long time coming and I couldn’t be happier about Christian winning a world title in WWE. He’s easily one of their most skilled performers and he’s very over with the fans. Aside from the memorable moment, the match itself was great. The psychology was awesome with Christian climbing to win during the whole match. This got a ton of time, Del Rio did a great job working the arm, and they mixed in some very good spots. Excellent stuff. Match Time: 21:14     Star Rating: ****

7.    Lumberjack match for the WWE Tag Team Championship: Kane and The Big Show(c) vs. The Corre (Ezekiel Jackson and Wade Barrett)

This match was not announced in advance, and was just a buffer between the two major title matches. Show hits a punch and a couple chops to Barrett before tagging in Kane, who hits a low dropkick, a corner clothesline, and a sidewalk slam. Barrett is able to send Kane to the floor, where the lumberjacks ambush him. Show beats up a bunch of the lumberjacks as Jackson works over Kane with some clotheslines, stomps, and punches in the corner. Barrett stomps Kane and gets a near fall, but Kane hits a few strikes on Jackson before both men are down after a double clothesline. They tag their partners and Show is all over Barrett, hitting a corner back splash before he’s sent to the floor via Jackson pulling the rope down. The lumberjacks beat up Show and Jackson hits him with a scoop slam in the ring, but Barrett tags himself in. He can’t do the Wasteland and Show hits a chokeslam for the win. Pretty much a Raw match, but fine for what it was. Match Time: 4:19     Star Rating: *1/2

8.    Triple Threat Steel Cage match for the WWE Championship: The Miz(c) vs. John Cena vs. John Morrison

This really surprised me and ended up being nearly as good as the ladder match. Miz has the advantage early, hitting some clotheslines and tossing both Cena and Morrison into the cage. He tries to toss Cena into the cage again, but Cena blocks it and hits some punches and a fisherman’s suplex. Miz and Morrison end up on the top rope and Morrison tries to climb out, but Miz pulls him back in. Miz and Cena then fight on the top rope and Miz hits some punches, but Cena hits a big bulldog off the top rope into the ring. Cena hits his shoulder blocks, side suplex, and the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Morrison, but falls victim to a Skull-Crushing Finale from Miz. Morrison tries to climb out again, but Miz pulls him in and they slug it out on top of the cage. Morrison and Cena are on the top rope and double superplex Miz (who was hanging by his feet from the top of the cage) into the ring. Morrison again tries to escape but Cena pulls him back in, only for Morrison to send Cena to the mat. Morrison tries for the flash kick, but Cena ducks and Morrison just hits Miz instead. Morrison hits a Flux Capacitor to Cena for a near fall and climbs again, but Miz stops him and powerbombs him into the side of the cage before hitting a knee strike to the head. Cena catches Miz in the STF and Miz calls for the door to be opened as he crawls to it. Both Cena and Miz almost crawl out and are pulled in by their feet, and Cena hits a gutwrench suplex to Miz back in the ring. Morrison and Cena trade punches on top of the cage as Miz tries to escape out the door, but Morrison swings the the door into Miz’s face with his foot. Morrison ends up crotched on the top of the open door, and Miz pulls him by his leg back into the ring.

Morrison kicks off Miz, but Cena gets a near fall on Morrison. Miz hits a DDT for a near fall and follows it up with a clothesline and some kicks to Cena’s head. Miz presses Cena’s face against the cage with his leg, but has to stop as Morrison tries to escape over the top. Morrison dangles over the edge and Miz pulls him in, then Morrison does the same to Miz. Morrison sends Miz to the mat and kicks away Cena, then hits a crazy corkscrew splash off the side of the cage onto both men in the ring. Morrison tries to crawl out the door, but R-Truth runs down and hits a knee to the side of Morrison’s head. Truth enters the cage, kicks Morrison several times, hits an axe kick to Cena, and hits a Paydirt to Morrison. Truth then climbs over the top of the cage to leave, showing he could have won the match if he was in it. Miz ascends the cage, but Cena pulls him back in and they have a slugfest on top of the cage. Cena tries to escape but Miz pulls his foot and both guys end up on the top rope. Miz tries for the SCF, but Cena hits a jumping Attitude Adjustment into the ring and covers Miz for the win. Cena winning was anticlimactic but Miz’s title reign was really lackluster and they needed to take the belt off him. It’s a huge mistake by WWE if they don’t give Morrison the title this year because he’s crazy over and always puts on an outstanding performance in his matches. This was a great cage match with a lot of drama, and everyone was working at a breakneck pace right from the get go, which was stunning seeing as the match was going 20 minutes. Awesome stuff all around with a lot of great spots, and Morrison and Truth were put over strong. Great match to end a great show. Match Time: 20:00     Star Rating: ****

Overall PPV Rating: 8/10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4.    Bully Ray vs. Brother Devon

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

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

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

6.    Rob Van Dam vs. Matt Hardy

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

7.    MMA Exhibition: Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overall PPV Rating: 5.25/10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

7.    Lethal Lockdown match: EV 2.0 vs. Fortune

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

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

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

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

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

Overall PPV Rating: 6/10

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

1.    Intercontinental Championship: Dolph Ziggler(c) vs. Kofi Kingston

The show kicked off with Ziggler and Kingston squaring off for the IC title. Kofi is all over Dolph at the start with punches and kicks, then clotheslines him over the top rope. He tries for a suicide dive but crashes into the barricade. Ziggler hits a neckbreaker back in the ring and puts on a sleeper hold. Kofi gets up but Ziggler puts him down and chokes him against the bottom rope. Kingston lands a few kicks but Ziggler sends him into the middle turnbuckle and puts on a rear chin lock. Kingston gets to his feet eventually and fights out of the hold, hitting a bunch of strikes and a dropkick. Kofi hits a Thesz press, some punches, and then the Boom Drop. Ziggler hits a Famouser for a near fall and Kofi hits a diving double sledge off the second turnbuckle. Kofi tries for the Trouble in Paradise but Ziggler avoids it and puts on the sleeper. The Nexus then comes out and attack both men and it’s a no contest. This was a really stupid way to book this match, which was finally picking up steam. The opening match of SummerSlam ends in a no contest just to put over Nexus, who had already performed an insurmountable amount of beat downs prior. Just an okay match with a terrible finish. Match Time: 7:03     Star Rating: **

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

Things didn’t get much better with the next match. The girls lock up, back up into the corner, then lock up again. Alicia takes Melina down with a headlock takeover and holds on, but Melina gets up to break the hold. Melina hangs Alicia up in the ropes and hits a double knee drop. Melina drives Fox face first into the mat and acts like she injured her knee, but stops selling and hits a big kick to the face. Fox works the arm with an arm bar but Melina fights out and makes a comeback. She hits some strikes and a double knees to the back before getting the win out of nowhere with a facebuster that looked like The Stroke. After the match LayCool come out to cut a promo no one cared about and proceeded to taunt Melina. Eventually they beat up Melina and Alicia. Typical Diva fare, very boring and the crowd couldn’t care less. Match Time: 5:25     Star Rating: *1/2

3.    Handicap match: The Straight Edge Society vs. The Big Show

Lackluster continued to be the name of the game as SummerSlam chugged along with the next match. This is a match that would have been better suited for an episode of Smackdown. Big Show gets his cast taken off to show that his hand is healed. Show swats away Joey Mercury and Luke Gallows at the start, tossing Mercury over the top rope onto Gallows. Show hits CM Punk with a chop before the action moves to the outside. The SES swarm Big Show and start pounding away at him. Gallows splashes Show back in the ring before him and Mercury hit some elbow drops, followed by a Punk leg drop. Show makes a comeback after some triple teaming, but Punk kicks Show in the face and hits 3 high knees in the corner. Punk and Mercury try for a double bulldog but completely botch it. Show kicks out of the cover and dumps Punk over the top rope. Punk bails up the ramp, and Show gets the win by chokeslamming Mercury onto Gallows. Just a TV quality match, but some nice spots. Best match so far. Match Time: 6:51     Star Rating: **1/4

Before the next match, The Miz came out to cut a very good, but long, heel promo about how everyone wants him to be the 7^th man for Team WWE in the match against Nexus, and how he was the key to victory. Miz ends the promo by saying that he will join Team WWE and lead them to victory. Not bad considering they had a lot of time to kill with the way the undercard was so rushed.

4.    WWE Championship: Sheamus(c) vs. Randy Orton

After a truly unspectacular undercard, the main event matches began with the first of those being the WWE title match. This was a very long match but I thought it was definitely one of Sheamus’s better matches in his short WWE tenure. Sheamus backs Orton into the corner on each of the first two lock ups, and then poses, allowing Orton to kick him in the stomach and work over his midsection with more kicks. Orton hits a few clotheslines, the last of which sends Sheamus to the outside. Orton slams Sheamus’ head into the announce table before clotheslining Sheamus into the crowd. Orton beats on him for a bit before they reenter the ring to beat the count. Orton stomps away at Sheamus and hits a knee drop, followed up by more stomps. He slingshots Sheamus into the bottom rope, but Sheamus rolls to the outside and slams Orton into the barricade. Orton sends Sheamus into the barricade, but when he tries to send Sheamus into the steps, Sheamus reverses and Orton goes into them. Sheamus stomps away at Orton back in the ring, hits a short arm clothesline, and a knee drop for a near fall. Sheamus puts on a rear chin lock, but Orton fights out and then reverses a suplex attempt by Sheamus. Orton tries for the spike DDT but Sheamus fights out and tosses Orton to the outside, where he slams him into the barricade repeatedly. He rolls Orton into the ring and tries for a pin but only gets two. Sheamus hits a running forearm before applying a modified rear chin lock with an arm bar.

Orton fights out but gets sent into the middle turnbuckle with a drop toe hold. Sheamus hits a reverse DDT into a backbreaker and an Irish hammer, but only gets a two count. Sheamus puts on another rear chin lock but Orton gets up and hits a back body drop. Orton connects with his signature backbreaker and gets a near fall. They engage in a slugfest, with Orton getting the advantage and hitting some clotheslines and a powerslam. Sheamus charges Orton in the corner but goes shoulder first into the ring post, which is followed by Orton putting him up top and hitting a superplex. Sheamus hits the uranage backbreaker (which he stole from Roderick Strong and called the Irish Curse) for another near fall, but ends up going to the outside when he tries for the bicycle kick. Orton hits the spike DDT and gets set for the RKO, but Sheamus pushes him off and tries for the Irish Curse. Orton fights out of that and tries for the RKO, but Sheamus shoves him off and hits the bicycle kick. Orton kicks out of the cover at two and Sheamus gets pissed. Sheamus grabs a chair from the outside and struggles with the ref over it in the ring, leading to a disqualification. What a bad way to end a match that was going along really well. Sheamus tries for a chair shot after the bell, but Orton avoids it and low blows him. He beats up Sheamus and takes him to the outside, where he RKOs him on the announce table. Good match but had a crap finish that left a bad taste in the mouth. Still the best thing on the show at this point but the DQ finish was definitely a really bad way to cap it off. Looks like these two are headed for a lengthy feud. Match Time: 19:01     Star Rating: ***

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

Instead of just a crappy ending to this world title match, we got a crappy match altogether (for the most part). YAY. Kane and Mysterio never had any chemistry together and this match showed why. Kane goes after Rey right at the start and pounds at him in the corner, but misses a splash. Kane hits a slam but misses a leg drop, and Mysterio tries to come back. Kane lands some punches but Mysterio hits a dropkick and goes for the 619. Kane avoids it and tosses Rey to the outside, but Rey does a roll and lands on his feet. Kane follows to the outside, then Rey runs off the ring apron with a seated senton to Kane. Kane catches Rey off the top rope back in the ring and puts him down before hitting a low dropkick. Kane slams Rey into the ring post on the outside and rolls him back in the ring to go for a cover, but Mysterio kicks out. Kane sends Rey into the corner and picks him up for a lengthy bear hug. Mysterio fights out but Kane picks him up for another bear hug. Rey fights out again and hits a dropkick and a hurricanrana, but Kane hits a clothesline when Rey tries for the 619. Kane tosses Mysterio out of the ring and big boots him off the apron when he tries to come back in. Mysterio sends Kane into the barricade and hits a diving headbutt back in the ring, but Kane hits a tilt a whirl backbreaker. Kane hits a backbreaker and stretches Rey out over his knee, and then hits a big sidewalk slam. Both guys end up on the top rope where Rey tries a super hurricanrana, but Kane holds on and Rey crashes to the mat. Kane tries for a diving clothesline but Mysterio avoids it. Mysterio hits a tilt a whirl DDT, a springboard leg drop, then a big kick to the head for a near fall. Kane opens up the casket he brought to ringside and tosses Rey in when he tries for the 619. Mysterio hits a springboard dropkick, setting up Kane for the 619 on the other side of the ring, but Kane counters. Rey finally hits the 619 and tries for a roll up, but Kane gets up and hits the chokeslam for the win. After the match Undertaker returns by popping out of the casket. He acts like he’s going to attack Rey but comes after Kane. Both try to chokeslam each other and Kane ends up hitting the Tombstone. Not a good world title match at all, but the ending sequence was pretty good. The first 11 minutes however, were really boring and better suited for TV. Match Time: 13:37     Star Rating: **1/4

6.    Elimination match: The Nexus vs. Team WWE

An amazing development occurs before the start of the main event. The Miz comes out last for Team WWE, but John Cena announces that he took too long to make his decision and that they found someone else to be the 7^th member who hates Nexus as much as they do. DANIEL BRYAN. YES, DANIEL BRYAN HAS RETURNED TO THE WWE. At this point I am freaking out and marking out like crazy. I think I had the chills the entire first 10 minutes of this match. This was a good main event that saved the show from being completely atrocious. Daniel Bryan starts the match with Darren Young of Nexus. Bryan takes Young down with a kitchen sink and some kicks to the back, then puts on a guillotine which he transitions into a crippler crossface to force the quick submission and first elimination of the match. Bryan kicks Justin Gabriel in the chest before tagging in Chris Jericho. Jericho hits a big suplex before tagging in R-Truth, who hits Gabriel with some right hands before hitting the suplex lift into a stunner. Gabriel tags in Michael Tarver, who pounds away at R-Truth. John Morrison gets a tag from Truth, and hits a ton of kicks to Tarver. Morrison hits the Starship Pain and Tarver is eliminated. Morrison squares off with Skip Sheffield, who tosses Morrison across the ring. Morrison hits some punches but Sheffield slams him down. Sheffield hits Morrison in the back before sending him into the corner. Sheffield hits several suplexes in a row, then eliminates Morrison after a huge lariat that came after Gabriel landed a kick to Morrison’s head. Sheffield instantly hits another lariat to R-Truth for another elimination. Sheffield hits a gorilla press slam to Jericho before tagging in Wade Barrett, who stomps at Jericho along with David Otunga as they tag in and out. Barrett puts a submission on Jericho, but Jericho fights out and hits a dropkick. Both men make tags to Bret Hart and Heath Slater respectively. Hart pounds away at Slater, landing an elbow drop and hitting a bunch of punches. Hart puts Slater in the Sharpshooter, but Sheffield made a tag. Hart uses a chair on Sheffield and gets disqualified, so he’s eliminated. Jericho comes in with a Codebreaker to Sheffield, then makes the tag to Edge who eliminates Sheffield after a spear. Gabriel is in and Edge hits him with a big boot and a spear. Edge gets a near fall before Gabriel gets one of his own after a big kick. Slater gets the tag and stomps at Edge before tagging in Barrett.

Barrett chokes Edge against the bottom rope, slams him face first into the turnbuckle, hits a backbreaker, and puts on a rear chin lock. Edge fights out of the hold but Barrett hits a neckbreaker and tags in Otunga. Otunga tries for the chokelift spinebuster, but Edge hits the Impaler DDT. Edge tags in Jericho, who hits some shoulder blocks, a running bulldog, and a Lionsault. He almost botches the Walls of Jericho but locks it in, forcing Otunga to tap out. After Otunga is eliminated, Jericho beats on Slater outside the ring, slamming him into the announce table before hitting a flying elbow off the top rope back in the ring. Jericho accidentally runs into Cena, allowing Slater to capitalize and hit a jumping neckbreaker to eliminate Jericho. Edge and Cena argue in the corner of the ring, leading to Slater rolling up Edge for another elimination. Edge and Jericho then beat up Cena on the outside, allowing Barrett to beat on him in the ring once they leave. Barrett hits a sidewalk slam but eats a suplex from Cena. Slater gets the tag and takes down Cena before sending him into the corner. Cena eventually makes the tag to Bryan, who hits a series of kicks to Slater. Bryan sends Slater to the outside where he hits a suicide dive. Bryan hits a missile dropkick and forces Slater to tap out to the crippler crossface for another elimination and it’s 2 on 2. The Miz then runs into the ring and nails Bryan with his briefcase while the ref wasn’t looking. Barrett covers and Bryan is eliminated. Barrett tags in Gabriel, and Cena hits his signature moveset, ending with the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena tries for the Attitude Adjustment but Barrett gets a tag and breaks it up. Barrett and Gabriel stomp at Cena before sending him to the floor, where they expose the concrete. Barrett DDTs Cena onto the concrete and rolls him into the ring before tagging in Gabriel. Gabriel tries for the 450 splash but misses and Cena covers him for the elimination. Barrett is then instantly caught in the STF and taps out after hanging on for a few seconds, so Cena wins. Very good main event that put Daniel Bryan over strong but ended with another Super Cena victory. This should make for some interesting Raws in the future, however. Match Time: 35:16     Star Rating: ***3/4

Overall PPV Rating: 5.25/10

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

1.    Ultimate X/Submission match for the TNA X Division Championship: Douglas Williams(c) vs. Brian Kendrick

The show opened up with a match that had Vince Russo written all over it (as did the following two matches): an Ultimate X match where submission rules also applied. Williams goes to climb the X structure at the start but Kendrick stops him, only for Williams to send him back into the ring and put on a cravat. Kendrick fights out and hits some mounted punches in the corner, but Williams regains the advantage with a chancery. Kendrick again fights out, hits a dropkick from the middle rope, and tries for the cobra clutch, but Williams hits a diving uppercut. Williams does a headscissors submission but Kendrick fights out and pounds away at Williams. Williams locks in a Gory Special but Kendrick fights off, hits a few forearms, and tries for the cobra clutch. Williams fights off but gets back body dropped to the outside. They fight on top of a turnbuckle where Williams hits a super back suplex. Kendrick locks in the cobra clutch and Williams rolls to the outside to avoid tapping out. Kendrick tries to climb the X structure but Williams follows him up and they fight on one of the steel beams. Williams knocks off Kendrick, who hits the ring apron and then the floor. Williams drives Kendrick into the ring apron before putting on a pair of climbing gloves. Williams climbs the X structure and Kendrick follows. Kendrick wraps his legs around Williams while they are hanging from one of the cables and they fall to the mat. Williams puts Kendrick in a cobra clutch and the ref calls for the bell after Kendrick passes out. Terrible ending and a bad match. Easily the worst Ultimate X match ever. They did like two spots with the X structure. Match Time: 10:08     Match Rating: 4.5/10

2.    3-Way match: Brother Ray vs. Jesse Neal vs. Brother Devon

The match begins as a singles match between Ray and Neal because Devon has been locked in a room backstage. What? Ray beats down Neal in the early going, hitting a big clothesline, an elbow drop, and some punches. Ray hits a couple chops and a bodyslam before Neal attempts a comeback, only to walk into a back body drop. The ECW crew then walks out into the crowd, distracting Ray. Neal hits a big spear but only gets a two count. Neal hits some mounted punches but Ray responds with a clothesline. Shannon Moore comes down to ringside but only ends up distracting the ref, who for one reason or another did not hear Ray hit Neal with a steel chair. Moore gets sent to the back and Devon comes out, instantly having a staredown with Ray. They come to blows and Neal accidentally spears Devon. Ray hits a Bubba Bomb for the win. Horrendous match with awful booking. An exercise in pointlessness. Match Time: 6:01     Match Rating: -2/10 (negative 2/10)

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

For the third straight month, Rayne’s opponent has put her career on the line for no good reason. This match has an added stipulation that if any of the Beautiful People interfere, Rayne loses the title to Love. Both girls start off brawling before Love hits a big spear. Rayne goes to the outside but Love hits a clothesline, rolls her into the ring, and gets a near fall. Love hits another spear and goes for a fall away slam, but Rayne rakes the eyes to prevent it. Rayne chokes Love and slams her into the turnbuckle before hitting a botched neckbreaker for a near fall. Rayne hits a scissor stomp and goes for a neckbreaker but Love hits a clothesline. Love hits a jawbreaker and a flying lariat but Rayne puts her down. Rayne grabs a chair but once she comes back into the ring, Love kicks it into her face. The ref sees this yet does not disqualify her. All of a sudden someone dressed in all black and wearing a dark helmet comes into the impact Zone on a motorcycle. Love gets tossed to the outside where the mystery woman attacks her and shoves the ref, causing a DQ. The ref says the Love is the champion due to outside interference by the Beautiful People, even though he had no way of knowing who the biker was because he never checked. And if he can assume that was the Beautiful People, he couldn’t have assumed that Ray hit Neal with a chair in the last match? This whole thing was just a mess. Awful, awful booking. Match Time: 4:43     Match Rating: DUD (0/10)

4.    AJ Styles and Kazarian vs. Rob Terry and Samoa Joe

Terry and Joe have got to be the most random tag team I have seen in years from any wrestling company. That being said, this ended up being a very fun match, and foreshadowed good things to come on this show. Styles quickly tags in Kaz, opening the match against Terry, who squeezes Kaz’s head. Terry sends Kaz to the outside for Joe to go to work on him, and AJ tries to attack Joe to no avail. Joe gets a tag and hits some punches and stomps to Kaz before tagging in Terry, followed by Styles getting the tag. Terry tosses both of the heels out, and Joe does an outside dive onto both of them. Joe hits a corner splash back in the ring and an enzuigiri, before Styles gets a cheap shot on Joe and double teams him with Kaz. Kaz gets a tag, hits a dropkick, then tags in AJ, who hits some punches and a snapmare before locking on a rear chin lock, which he then transistions into a front face lock. Styles unsuccessfully tries for the Styles Clash and hits a Pele, sending Joe into the corner. Joe catches Styles with a uranage and tags in Terry, who starts to clean house. Terry hits a back body drop to Kaz and a gorilla press slam to Styles, then delivers slams to both of them. Everything breaks down as Desmond Wolfe comes out to attack Joe, which the ref does not notice. Wolfe gets clotheslined by Terry, but AJ and Kaz double team Terry, culminating in Styles hitting a springboard 450 for the win. Solid match that set up Joe vs. Wolfe. Match Time: 8:12     Match Rating: 6/10

5.    Steel Cage match: Matt Morgan vs. Hernandez

This was a very generic, poor cage match but it did have some nice spots. Hernandez starts off by sending Morgan into the cage twice, crotching him on the top rope, and hitting a big dropkick. Hernandez splashes Morgan twice against the cage but misses a third one and goes head first into the cage. Morgan slams him head first against the cage twice and hits a big clothesline. Hernandez prevents him from going out the door but Morgan hits the rapid fire elbows in the corner. Hernandez pulls himself up but Morgan hits the Carbon Footprint. Morgan opens the door and considers leaving but walks back in. Morgan slams Hernandez into the cage and grinds his face against it before choking him in the corner. Hernandez mounts a comeback and hits a big shoulder block. He tries for a Border Toss but can’t really get Morgan up and botches by dropping him. He tries again and it comes out like a botched powerbomb. Hernandez goes to the top of the cage and dives off but crashes to the mat. Morgan handcuffs Hernandez to the cage and tries to climb out over the top, but Hernandez breaks free and dives out headfirst through the door to win the match. Bad cage match with a weak ending and the botches hurt it as well. Match Time: 10:52     Match Rating: 4/10

6.    Jay Lethal vs. Ric Flair

Luckily, the bad stuff was over with on this PPV beginning with this match. This actually over delivered and ended up being way more entertaining than anyone would have expected. The two lock up and Lethal takes Flair down with a side headlock. They get up and do it again, this time with Flair doing the side headlock. Flair hits a shoulder block but Lethal hits a dropkick and a back body drop before clotheslining Flair over the top rope. Lethal reverses a suplex attempt by Flair on the outside, then hits a missile dropkick for a near fall. Flair gets a thumb to the eye and hits some chops in the corner, but Lethal turns it around and hits some chops of his own. Flair takes his goofy bump before going up top, where Lethal is there to meet him with a superplex. Flair avoids a moonsault and stomps away at Lethal’s leg. Flair eventually puts on the figure four, but the ref catches him using the ropes for leverage and forces a break. Flair and the ref argue, allowing Lethal to score a near fall with a roll up. Flair hits some chops but Lethal hits some of his own and they go back and forth. Lethal hits a handspring back elbow and taunts Flair before doing a sunset flip and grabbing Flair’s tights, exposing Flair’s 61 year old dairy air on PPV. Yikes. Lethal fights off a sleeper and hits a springboard cross body, then a chop block followed by a figure four to force Flair to submit to his own hold. Fine match that was better than expected. Match Time: 12:06     Match Rating: 6/10

7.    TNA World Tag Team Championship (titles are vacant): Beer Money Inc. vs. The Motor City Machineguns

This was by far the match of the night and TNA’s best tag match of the year behind the Ultimate X match from Destination X. Storm and Shelley start things off with a lock up, and Storm breaks after backing Shelley into the corner. They lock up again and Shelley hits some quick offense followed by an inverted atomic drop and a head scissors. Roode gets a tag and works over Shelley’s arm before Sabin gets tagged in. Roode hits some punches but Sabin lands a kick and the Guns send Beer Money to the outside following a blind tag. Shelley and Sabin take turns working Roode’s arm and hit a double team move for a near fall. Shelley sends Roode out but Storm punches him in the face. Roode crotches Shelley against the ring post and Beer Money tag in and out to work over Shelley, with Storm using a rear chin lock. Shelley fights out but gets put back down and eats a double suplex. Roode beats on Shelley and sends him from corner to corner before hitting a gut buster. Roode works over Shelley’s midsection before tagging in Storm who does the same. Shelley fights out and tags in Sabin, who comes in with a bunch of offense. Storm accidentally elbow drops Roode, and Sabin hits a cross body for a near fall. Shelley hits a standing sliced bread but Roode breaks up the pin attempt. Sabin hits a hurricanrana to Storm but doesn’t get it on Roode, allowing Storm to recover and hit Sabin with the Eye of the Storm. Beer Money hits a double knee drop and tries for the DWI, but the Guns break it up. Storm hits a double clothesline to the Guns, but the Guns rebound with some double team moves. Sabin hits a cross body to Storm on the outside, then Roode and Shelley follow suit with dives. Storm accidentally spits beer into the ref’s eyes, and Earl Hebner comes down as the Guns hit a double team move for a near fall. Roode rolls through a cross body from Shelley but only gets two. After a bunch of quick offense, Sabin and Storm both score simultaneous pinfalls (remember there are 2 referees) and the bell rings. Borash announces that since there’s no decisive winner, the match will continue. Bell rings and Beer Money are all over the Guns. Shelley avoids a splash and the Guns make a comeback. The Guns hit a cross body/reverse DDT combo for the victory and at long last become TNA World Tag Team Champions. This was a really special moment as the Guns winning the titles has been long overdue. It’s great that TNA finally pulled the trigger and this was a great match. Match Time: 15:50     Match Rating: 8/10

8.    D’Angelo Dinero vs. Kurt Angle

The anticipated encounter between Angle and The Pope was a bit disappointing but still a very good match. Angle takes Dinero down after a couple lock ups, but Pope transitions into a hammerlock. Angle tries for a few submissions but Pope fights out each time. Angle puts Pope down with a side headlock takeover and Pope gets up, only to be met with a shoulder block. Dinero hits a few hip tosses, the last of which sends Angle to the floor. Dinero holds the ropes for Angle to reenter, but Angle quickly hits a buckle bomb, a snap suplex, and puts on a rear chinlock with a knee to the back. Angle with a back drop suplex and another chinlock, but Pope fights out and puts on a sleeper. Angle does a sleeper of his own but Pope hits a back suplex. The two go back and forth with Pope hitting an inverted atomic drop and elbows to the head, but Angle hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Angle hits a big uppercut but Pope hits a German suplex and a heel trip/lariat for a near fall. Dinero sets up for the DDE but Angle moves and hits the three Germans in a row. Pope counters the Angle Slam and sets up Angle up top, but Angle hits a belly to belly off the top for a near fall. Pope counters the Ankle Lock and hits a Codebreaker for another near fall. Angle hits the Angle Slam but Pope kicks out at two. Angle goes for the Ankle Lock but Pope counters into a roll up. He goes for another but Angle counters back into the Ankle Lock, grapevining the leg and forcing the submission. Very good match but it felt a bit too short. Match Time: 12:10     Match Rating: 7/10

9.    4-Way match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship: Rob Van Dam(c) vs. Mr. Anderson vs. Abyss vs. Jeff Hardy

This was a good main event but it felt like it was lacking and suffered from a short run time and a mostly dead crowd. After some circling, the three faces attack Abyss when he walks onto the apron. They triple team Abyss, with Anderson and Hardy hitting splashes and RVD hitting a monkey flip. Hardy jumps onto Abyss, and Anderson tries for a quick roll-up. Van Dam goes for rolling thunder on Anderson, but Abyss pulls him out and slams him into the barricade. Abyss enters the ring and teases a double chokeslam, but Hardy and Anderson hit a double shoulder block. Anderson suddenly goes for a cover on Hardy, which is broken up by RVD. Hardy hits Van Dam with a back kick and a front suplex for a near fall. RVD and Hardy each dive onto Abyss on the outside, and Anderson follows with a diving double sledge. RVD hits a split-legged moonsault on Anderson back in the ring but only gets two. Van Dam and Hardy go at it, with Van Dam hitting a big kick before squaring off with Anderson in the corner. Anderson crotches RVD up top and tries for a superplex, but RVD fights it off. Hardy tries to make it a double superplex on RVD, but Abyss comes in and they do a Tower of Doom with Abyss hitting a double powerbomb to Hardy and Anderson, who double superplex RVD. RVD blocks a chokeslam attempt and hits a bunch of kicks to Abyss. Anderson shoves Van Dam off the top rope, sending him onto the ramp. Hardy hits Abyss with the Whisper in the Wind but Anderson breaks up the pin. Anderson hits a Mic Check but Hardy breaks up the pin. Hardy tries for a Twist of Fate but Abyss hits a Black Hole Slam. Anderson and Hardy go at it, with Hardy hitting a Twist of Fate and a Swanton Bomb. Abyss chokeslams Hardy onto Anderson, but as he goes for the cover, RVD hits a Five Star Frog Splash to all three of them. RVD covers Anderson for the win, and Abyss starts wildly swinging with the nail covered board after the bell, yelling at RVD as the PPV goes off the air. Solid main event but a bit disappointing. Match Time: 12:31     Match Rating: 6.5/10

Overall PPV Rating: 7/10

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

1.    Kazarian vs. Kurt Angle

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

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

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

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

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

4.    Brother Ray vs. Jesse Neal

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

5.    Matt Morgan vs. Hernandez

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

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

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

7.    AJ Styles vs. Jay Lethal

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

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

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

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

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

Overall PPV Rating: 5/10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6.    Submission match: Samoa Joe vs. Bobby Lashley

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

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

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

8.    Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan

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

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

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

Overall PPV Rating: 8.25/10

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