We open Raw with the Rowdy One and Luis Gonzales talking about Hulk Hogan with the Iron Shiek in a parody of an SNL opening skit.

“LIve from New York, it's Monday night Raw!!”

I like the new RAW theme song. It’s “Burn it to the Ground” by Nickelback. Good stuff there. There are 20,538 fans in attendance at MSG, and the King and Cole promote the main event featuring DX vs. Jeri-Show vs. The Undertaker and John Cena.

We start with the Miz entering the arena. It’s an interesting “throwback” short ramp setup here to allow more people to view the show live. The Miz takes up a mic to address the crowd, talking about how he’s the US champ, and he says the Yankees are also champs, but they didn’t win their title, they bought it. Predictable crowd response ensues. He then cracks that Piper, who couldn’t differentiate the Iron Chef from the Iron Sheik ordered him to defend his title. He waits for his opponent.  MVP runs out to his music sporting a Yankees cap, and the match gets underway.

Match One:  WWE United States Championship Match: The Miz© vs.  M.V.P.

Miz takes control early with MVP retaliating. Miz ducks outside, and MVP follows, throwing him back in. Miz takes out MVP’s knee as he is getting back in the ring, and now Miz throws MVP back in. Cover for 2. Rest hold by Miz, and MVP fights out, then hits a big flapjack and some elbows, setting up the “Ballin’” elbow drop. MVP tries the Playmaker, but Miz counters it, however MVP is quick and hits the big kick for 2. Miz kicks out and sends MVP to the corner, then hits the Skull Crushing Finale for the pinfall win.

Match Results: Winner: The Miz© @ 3:46 via Pinfall (Skull Crushing Finale)

Match Rating: **1/2*

Too short for these guys. They could do more.

Commercial

We return to a recap of Ricky Hatton vs. Chavo Guererro last week, which Chavo lost. We then cut to the ring to see Chavo awaiting his contest this week. Cue Santino Marella’s music, and he comes to the ring in a bulky looking New York Rangers Hockey Jersey.

Match Two: Chavo Guererro vs. Santino Marella

Santino waves Chavo off and removes the Rangers jersey to reveal a Giants jersey then a Knicks Jersey followed by a Jets jersey, Mets jersey, a Phillies Jersey, and finally a Yankees jersey. The crowd responds accordingly. Finally, Chavo has had enough, and hits the Three Amigos on Santino. He goes to the top to set up the Frog Splash, but Santino rolls across the ring, still laying down. This ensues twice more before Hornswoggle comes out and distracts Chavo in his DX garb. Santino rolls up Chavo for the 3 count.

Match Results: Winner: Santino Marella @ 2:48 via Pinfall (Schoolboy Rollup)

Match Rating: 1/2*

Bad match, and the comedy didn’t carry it.

“Break it Down” hits and DX comes out to a thunderous ovation.  HHH plays the crowd and says they’re not here to have fun, or to plug merch. Michaels then plugs their book, and they say they’re not here to do that. They hype their match at Survivor Series. HHH says DX won’t implode. They will be a unit, unlike Jericho and Big Show. It doesn’t matter which member of DX wins the match at SS, but the title will come home with them. Now HBK addresses Hornswoggle. HHH says Hornswoggle won’t listen to logic or legal threats. So they invite Hornswoggle out to be considered for membership in DX. Hornswoggle comes out, chops and all.

Are you ready? Hornswoggle looks ecstatic. “Llllllllet’s get ready to—“ HHH hits Hornswoggle with a pint-sized pedigree! And if you’re not down with that, we got two, words, for ya!! DX has a mini stretcher with a DX logo on it to haul out Hornswoggle.

Commercial.

We come back to RAW.  Plug for Jay-Z’s new CD. A nice History of Wrestlemania Montage plays. Good Montage there.

Piper is backstage when he’s approached by Chris Jericho. Well, at least we got 40 minutes into the show before the obligatory Jericho-guest Host interaction. Jericho says Piper should have a picture of Jericho in his pit, and he never asked Chris for advice. Piper has something special for Jericho though. He fetches Chris Masters, who makes his pecs dance to some music. Divas title match is next.

Commercial.

We’re back and there’s a special guest Ring announcer. Judah Friedlander, “The Greatest Athlete in the World” of 30 Rock fame is in the ring.

Match Three: WWE Divas Championship Match: Melina© vs. Alicia Fox

Judah announces that the match will be a “Lumberjill” Match. The “lumberjills” surround the ring, and the match officially starts. Alicia takes control and tosses Melina out of the ring, only for the “lumberjills” to toss her back in promptly. So she tries again with the same result.  Alicia covers quickly for 2. Melina then takes over with some clotheslines but then she gets hit by a Tilt-a-whirl Backbreaker when coming out of the corner for 2. Alicia goes for another backbreaker, but Melina counters into the Last Call for the 3 count.

Match Result: Winner: Melina© @ 1:38 via Pinfall (Last Call)

Match Rating: 1/2*

Complete waste of time. As bad as Chavo and Santino.

After the match, bedlam ensues, with Team Mickie standing tall.

Roddy Piper will be live in the ring, next!

Commercial. Survivor Series will be live on Pay Per View next Sunday.

We’re back and Cole and Lawler announce that USA Network just signed a contract extension through 2013 with the WWE.

And as promised, here comes the Rowdy One. He’s very happy to be in front of a live crowd in MSG, and he plays to the fans. He made a career on not being nice, and only New Yorkers would tolerate it. He took on legends like Lou Albano, Bruno Sammartino, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, and if you mess with Piper you'll be bald or dead. He is the reason Hulk has no hair. Piper has one more dirty nasty job to do. He wants a match with Vince. He knows Vince is a big fan of his because when he did “Real Sports” with Bryant Gumble, Vince was watching, and he fired Roddy the next day in MSG. The fans boo, and Roddy says his kids said the same thing. Cue Vince McMahon.

Vince and Roddy stab back and forth with age references, and Vince says his ancestors would be ashamed if he faced Piper. Vince is officially retired.

Hot Rod says officially retired is synonymous with coward. He's been in 7000 car crashes and 30 matches, no, reverse it. He's beaten cancer, he can beat Vince. Vince should be accountable to the people who made him a billionaire. Roddy says Vince will come down and tell these people he's retired, and Piper will be there to retire him in full.

Commercial. 3 Hour Raw Thanksgiving special next week. Jesse Ventura  is hosting.

We’re back. Here comes Sheamus. There’s a recap of Sheamus retiring Jamie Noble. Now he talks about how he already retired someone in 4 weeks on Raw. He makes an open challenge, but no one answers. So he goes and picks on the timekeeper, throwing him across the commentators’ table. Lawler stands up, and catches a pump kick in the mouth for his troubles. Sheamus leaves as some refs check on Lawler and the Timekeeper.

Commercial

We’re back now and Michael Cole is paired with Matt Striker. They review the Survivor Series card.

Evan Bourne enters the arena. There’s a recap of Swagger getting beat by Bourne with Miz’s distraction. Speaking of Swagger…

Here he comes!

Commercial.

Match 4: Evan Bourne vs. Jack Swagger

The match is joined in progress as Swagger is in firm control in a waistlock. Bourne gets free to be hit by a clothesline. Bourne hits a quick roll up for 2, followed by a sick jumping knee.  Swagger is backed to the corner, and Bourne charges, but Swagger counters, however, Bourne lands on his feet and hits another flying knee. He tries for a springboard moonsault, but Swagger catches him and turns it into the Gutwrench Powerbomb for the 3 count.

Match Results: Winner: Jack Swagger @ 2:00 via Pinfall (Gutwrench Powerbomb)

Match Rating: **

Again, too short for quality workers.

Next up Piper will confront Vince (again)

Commercial.

We’re back again and Piper is in the ring in Jeans and a Hot Rod shirt. Cue Vince—No, It’s Randy Orton’s music, and here he comes. He tells Piper that he doesn’t know if Vince is coming, but Piper has a bigger problem because Orton is here. He can’t think of a better way to relieve his recent stress than to put Piper down tonight. Orton attacks Piper, who retaliates only to be knocked down and stomped. Orton lines up the punt and stops inexplicably, then Kofi’s music hits and Kofi chases Orton from the ring. Kofi follows and they spill into the crowd for awhile, exchanging punches and then they go back into the ringside area, with Orton in control, hitting Kofi on the steps. They end up in the ring, and Orton takes the boots to Kingston and lines up the punt, only to be countered by Kofi. Kofi follows Orton outside and they spill into the sound producer’s area. Refs finally try and fail repeatedly to split them up. Kofi smashes Orton on a table, then hits him in the head with a folded metal box. Kofi tries to jump on Orton from the rail above the table, but the Refs stop him. But not for long as he lands the Boom Drop through the table. Kofi stands menacingly on the railing over a broken Orton.

Segment Rating: ****

While not an official match, this action went on for about 10 minutes and REALLY made up for some of the weak action earlier.

Main Event up next.

Commercial. Hulk Hogan has a new DVD out. Didn’t he sign with that other company? Also a plug for Nickelback.

Cena is backstage, talking about MSG and hyping the Main Event Tonight. He doesn’t like the handicapped match with DX, but then he’s told it’s not a handicapped match, but a Triple threat. He’s never backed down from a fight. If DX asks if he’s ready, he says yes, cause the Champ is Here.

Jeri-Show enter the ring.

Commercial

We return to DX entering the ring, followed by Cena. Taker has druids with torches.

Match 5: Triple Threat Tag Team Match: DegenerationX vs. Jeri-Show vs. John Cena and The Undertaker

Cena, Michaels and Jericho start. Brief exchange and everyone tags out. Taker, Show and HHH square off.  Taker and HHH gang up on Show, Taker takes Show out of the ring, exchanges moves with HHH, and a tag to Michaels. Taker and Michaels exchange blows, and Michaels goes to the ropes. Show spears Taker and smashes Michaels, then tags in Jericho. Jericho with a Lionsault but Michaels blocks, Jericho goes for the Walls, goozle by Taker, then tag Cena in who bulldogs Jericho. Cena and HHH exchange rights, then Show Chokeslams  them both before Taker takes out Show. Jericho covers Cena for 2. HHH tags HBK. Michaels hits the flying elbow on Jericho, and, then tries the SCM on Cena, who counters into shoulder blocks, then the protobomb, and 5 Knuckle Shuffle. He goes for AA, but HHH tags in blind, hits a Spinebuster on Cena, then finishers all around, and Cena gets the win!!

Match Result: Winners: John Cena and the Undertaker @ 7:06 via Pinfall (Attitude Adjustment)

Match Rating: ***1/2

Good Main event saved the show.

Taker then Tombstones Cena in the ring and celebrates by himself.

Show Rating: ***

Average show with less than 18:00 wrestling overall. Good segments saved it from being a complete waste.

Well ladies and gentlemen, I’ve finally been promoted to a show that makes a difference on the landscape of the WWE.  This time I get to get to talk about ECW.

I know a few of you might say that ECW’s barely better than Superstars, but this past few months has seen some of the recent ECW graduates start on the road to superstardom.  Kofi Kingston’s Boom Dropping Randy Orton through tables, The Miz really is awesome (and US Champion), John Morrison’s better in the ring, not as good on the mic, but definitely a champion of the future.  Jack Swagger and Evan Bourne are finally getting some pushes into the limelight, and I can see Swagger v Miz being a great match, even if it’s going to be heel on heel, it’ll certainly be one worth watching.  I can only assume it’s going to come from something that’ll happen at Survivor Series.

However, ECW’s only contribution to Survivor Series itself is Christian and Regal being on opposite sides of the Team Kofi vs. Team Orton traditional elimination match.  Personally I don’t think this is a bad thing, when you look at all of the talent on that show that’s come up from ECW in the past couple of years.  Yes, ECW’s no longer a great show, but it’s a vital one to the WWE machine, which I believe has started running again.  RAW at Madison Square Garden was probably the best overall show I’ve seen this year, every match (bar the lumberjill match) did exactly what it needed to, and was entertaining throughout.  Anyway, on with this week’s ECW, where we’ll see whether the Burchills are heading elsewhere or The Hurricane loses his mask.

For some reason CM Punk’s here in a segment, and he’s even competing later.  Notice, I left him off the list earlier, as he’s been a half-decent heel but nowhere near ready for a top belt.  His character’s just not that interesting.

Zack Ryder and Rosa Mendes are out in the ring to a mixed reception, and Ryder introduces us to ECW’s newest Diva, with his big puppy-dog eyes going.  I like the way this has been going so far, the WWE’s been taking itself too seriously lately, and his daydreams where he and Rosa are skipping down corridors just lighten the mood.  Unfortunately, Rosa goes off on a tangent about shoes while Zack’s telling her how great she is, and then another one about margaritas when Zack tells us he’s after a 2^nd rematch with Shelton Benjamin.

Thank you, o ECW gods, for Shelton’s out to interrupt something that was getting a bit tedious, and immediately gets to work hitting on Rosa, and calls Ryder a ‘power-tool’, a nickname that even briefly gets its own chant.  Ryder decides to stall on the rematch, and gives Benjamin a cheap shot before escaping. 

Hurricane – Burchill promo, going over the ins and outs of the rivalry, followed by a blonde girl telling us the stipulations.  It’s billed as ‘Mask vs. Career’.

Paul Burchill (w/ Katie Lea) vs. The Hurricane

Byron Saxton and Josh Matthews haven’t really hit up much of a rapport yet, there are a couple of awkward silences already.  I forgot to mention Striker in my list of guys from ECW who have moved on to bigger and better things, with him filling in on both Smackdown and RAW recently.  A very slow start to the match, but Hurricane livens things up with a headscissors that sends Burchill to the outside, followed by a vaulting somersault.  Hurricane maintains control until Katie Lea causes a distraction, allowing Burchill to hit his tight back suplex, which sets us up for the ads.

Burchill’s got a submission locked in as we return, before flattening Hurricane with a clothesline as he tried to shift the momentum.  Rinse, and repeat, as the same thing happens again, with an even more vicious clothesline.  Finally Burchill misses a turnbuckle splash, and they trade blows with crowd playing their part, and Hurricane hits the Lou Thesz press, followed by a huge European uppercut from the corner.  The Eye of the Hurricane is reversed, and Burchill hits a moonsault kick to the face.  Burchill reverses a second Eye attempt into a Northern Lights suplex for a second 2-count.  Hurricane pulls out a top rope hurricanrana and signals for the Shining Wizard, but Katie Lea causes the distraction and Burchill hits the Dangerous Buster, but Hurricane kicks out at the last second!  A second Dangerous Buster is countered, and the Eye of the Hurricane lands, but Hurricane’s slow to cover... and it’s another 2.  Burchill catches Hurricane on the top rope, but Hurricane gets the better of him and hits a top rope swinging neckbreaker, and picks up the 3 count, meaning the Burchills have to leave ECW.  They both end up crying their little eyes out in the middle of the ring.  I’ll be interested to see what happens to them though, I’ve enjoyed Burchill’s performances recently.

Rating:  7/10 – Very good performance from both, plenty of excitement and the crowd got into it.  Probably the best that could have been asked of these 2.

CM Punk talks to Tiffany about her love for a drink.  She likes to party, and tells Punk to loosen up for once and try being a human being.  Apparently ECW was watched by more men than Larry King Live, whoever that is.

Here comes another Vance Archer squash match.  Hope this one lasts longer than 4 moves.  Might as well do it as a checklist:

1.       Big slap

2.       Hard irish whip into the corner

3.       Stomps

4.       Kick to the chest from the outside

5.       Mounted punches to the back

6.       Swinging faceplant-type thing, don’t know what it’s called yet

7.       Scoop slam into Reverse DDT

No point rating a squash really, but he looks decent enough.  Only a matter of time until they misuse Goldust against him, I guess.

Christian and CM Punk talk ECW title and straight edge.  He asks if Punk’s allowed to hold hands with a girl and if he gets grounded if he misses curfew, and calls him a nerd.  Fun little exchange.

CM Punk and William Regal vs. Christian and R-Truth

I do love a bit of Killswitch Engage...  and Christian’s music’s pretty fun as well.  I guess this is their match to promote Survivor Series, but there are only 2 ECW stars on that card so they have to draft some Smackdown stars in.  Christian and Punk start off, but as soon as Christian gets Punk down he drags Regal into the ring, tags in R-Truth and they hit stereo missile dropkicks, setting us up for an early ad break.

R-Truth hits a running headscissors on Regal who tags in Punk, who gets the splits-spinning calf kick treatment, and is knocked out of the ring.  Christian baseball slides Regal and Truth hits a vaulting body press on Punk.  Lots of high flying early in this one.  Regal pulls Truth off the apron as the ref’s distracted with Christian, and Truth picks up a knee injury.  Punk and Regal go with the quick tags working on the leg for a while.  Truth hits an enziguiri after about 3 minutes’ worth of that, getting the hot tag to Christian.  Tornado DDT to Punk for 2, second rope uppercut and goes for the Killswitch, reversed into the GTS, and back into the Killswitch, but Christian’s pushed into the corner and Punk hits the running knee, but the bulldog’s reversed into the Reverse DDT.  Regal breaks up the count and Truth hits a spinning kick but lands badly.  Christian locks in the Killswitch again but Regal hits the Knee Trembler and Punk hits the GTS and picks up the win.  Both men stand victorious as the show ends.

Match rating – 5/10 – A lot of submissions really slowed everything down after a fast-paced start.  I know they can’t go at that pace all match, but this one seemed to stop the flow of the match entirely.  All well executed enough, but wasn’t exactly edge of your seat stuff, even with all the finisher reversals.

Show rating – 5/10 – A good match between Burchill and Hurricane, an Archer squash and a mediocre match with borrowed talent. 

At the moment I’m struggling to see who Archer’s supposed to be aiming for.  The face guys he’d have to beat – Hurricane, Benjamin, Goldust and Yoshi Tatsu – all merit a push in my opinion.  Goldust’s been simply excellent since his return, but I get the feeling he’ll be the first one sacrificed.  I suppose they could feed him Tyler Reks, also known as ECW’s Superstars-fodder, but beyond that I can’t see any major feud that he should be winning.

I’ve been The General, and I’m picking Kofi, Morrison, McCool, Undertaker, HBK and Batista for Survivor Series.  This has been ECW. Consider yourself debriefed.

“The Monster” Abyss v. Dr. Stevie w/. Daffney | If Stevie loses, he leaves TNA

As soon as Abyss gets into the ring, he nails a big boot on Stevie for a near-fall. Abyss does a little showboating before charging at Stevie in the corner, but he misses. Stevie tries to charge as well, but also misses and Abyss turns the move into a School-Boy for another near-fall. Abyss goes for the Shock Treatment but Stevie counters and clips Abyss at his knees. After a few near-falls, Stevie hits Abyss with a Stevie-Kick for another near-fall. Abyss grabs Stevie by the throat after Stevie starts talking to him, and despite Stevie’s attempt to fight back, Abyss hits a Black Hole Slam. As Abyss goes for the pin the lights go out, and when they’re back on, both men are down. Stevie’s able to roll over and get the three-count for the win.

Winner: Dr. Stevie | Rating: 6/10

Dr. Stevie tries to attack Abyss after the match, but Foley comes in for the save. Just as Foley goes to hit Stevie with a steel chair the lights go out again. While the lights are out, fire is seen thrown into someone’s face. When the lights come back on, Raven’s seen in the ring and Foley’s rolling around covering his eyes. Raven, Stevie and Daffney all leave the ring together, leaving Abyss shocked and Foley stunned.

Alyssa Flash v. Traci Brooks

After a quick lockup by the two, Flash ends up choking Traci in the corner. Flash goes on attacking Traci’s arm whilst delivering forearms at the same time. After some Elbow shots to the arm, Flash hits a Shoulder Breaker for a near-fall. Flash hits a Flatline before slamming Traci’s now injured arm into the mat. After Flash applies the Arm Bar, Traci gives in and taps out.

Winner: Alyssa Flash | Rating: 1 /10

Yawn, that match was too one-sided for me … I hope that those that were watching seized the moment to go get that treasured refill!

After the match, Traci seemingly recovers and attacks Flash. Amongst swearing heard being said in the commotion, Traci says she’s going to “kill” Flash just before commercial.

Jim Neidhart v. Jay Lethal | Legends Challenge

Neidhart starts off in command with a big Back Body Drop. But, after Neidhart misses a charge in the corner, Lethal takes control and hits a Double Axe Handle from the top turnbuckle. Lethal goes for a clothesline, but it turns into a double clothesline sending both men to the ground. Lethal jumps out of the ring while driving Neidhart’s neck into the ropes for a near-fall. Lethal misses a running elbow, and as he goes for a Crossbody, Neidhart catches him and hits a Powerslam for the win.

Winner: Jim Neidhart | Rating: 6.5/10

After the match, a promo that was taped earlier is shown. Lashley is seen with Lauren talking about Steiner. Lashley’s mad that Steiner brought Krystal into their business, and he’s looking to get Steiner back. A clips of Steiner is shown, and he’s talking about how a husband’s the last to know when his wife’s in love with another man. Steiner says that he couldn’t be there because he couldn’t get a hotel as he forgot his wallet. Steiner goes on to say that he’s lucky to have Lashley’s room, and Lashley rushes to the scene followed by a camera crew

And now for another Tidy Cats commercial! Ohh, don’t have a cat? Well then use it for yourself! New and improved Tidy Cat formula has been proven to help save the environment and is also edible! Wait, I meant the litter … not the lumpy brown stuff. Oh well …

Tara, ODB, Sarita & Taylor Wilde v. Awesome Kong & The Beautiful People

The match starts off with Madison and Tara shoving until Tara’s able to apply a Front Face Lock & Bridge. Tara releases her grasp and tags Taylor in who starts working on Madison’s arm. Taylor hits an Arm Drag before tagging Sarita in. Madison’s able to tag Von Erich in, and Erich locks up with Sarita. Von Erich gets Sarita in the corner, and proceeds to deliver some kicks and a hard forearm to the back of Sarita for a near-fall. After a commercial, Velvet’s in now and after she misses a dropkick, Sarita hits one of her own. Sarita’s able to tag ODB in, and ODB levels everyone on the opposing team. She goes on hitting splashes on both Madison and Velvet in the corner before hitting a Fallaway Slam on Madison. Lacey comes in and stops ODB from continuing with a clothesline though, and as Tara tries to help ODB, Kong comes in and takes Tara out. Wilde comes in and goes for a Crossbody but is deflected by Kong. After Taylor dodges an Awesome Bomb, however, she’s hit by the Implant Buster.

Winners: Awesome Kong & The Beautiful People | Rating: 5/10

Not much to say, the rating is only because it’s the same thing every match.

-         Von Erich gets in one time in the match for only 3 minutes

-         Velvet and Madison take all the damage

-         Kong comes in for the save at the last minute

The Motor City Machine Guns & Amazing Red v. Homicide, Sheik Abdul Bashir & Kiyoshi

After Homicide and his team attack their opponents, Bashir gets tagged in and throws some punches before sending Shelley into the corner. Bashir starts to choke Shelley and then hits a Neck Breaker for a near-fall. Kiyoshi tags in, and Shelley tries to fight him off with some chops. They go back and forth for a minute until Kiyoshi hits a clothesline on Shelley for a near-fall. Shelley tries to tag someone in after he hits a Big Boot on Kiyoshi, but Kiyoshi hits a Jaw Breaker to stop him. As Homicide went after a barbed wire bat, security took him away … making it a handicapped match. Kiyoshi and Bashir do some double team work on Shelley before Shelley retaliates by sending Kiyoshi to the apron. Amazing Red gets tagged in, and hits a double dropkick on Bashir and Kiyoshi. Red hits a DDT on Kiyoshi and then follows that up with a Corkscrew Plancha onto Kiyoshi as well. Sabin and Shelley do tag team damage on Bashir, Sabin with a Neck Breaker while Shelley hit a Crossbody for the win.

Winners: Amazing Red & The Motor City Machine Guns | Rating: 7/10

Beer Money v. The British Invasion

[ If The British Invasion are DQ’d or lose the match, Beer Money get a title shot  a TP.]

Roode hits Williams with a shoulder tackle to start things off. Magnus comes in, and gets hit with a Back Body Drop. Both members of the British Invasion are clotheslined out of the ring. Storm gets tagged in and he starts to work on the arm of Williams whilst Big Rob Terry comes out to the ring with a steel chair. Magnus takes advantage of the situation, and starts to attack Roode. Magnus tags in, and delivers some kicks to Roode before sending him into the corner. Williams tags back in, and the two hit Roode with a clothesline for a near-fall. Williams goes on to apply a Rear Chin Lock before tagging Magnus BACK in.

Ugh.

Roode dodges a charge from Magnus and counters it with a Big Boot. After her hits a Double Blockbuster on both Magnus and Williams, he’s able to tag Storm back in. Storm levels The British Invasion before going on to hit a Double Suplex with Roode on Williams.

BEER MONEEEY!

Storm hits a Lungblower on Magnus for a near-fall. Magnus tries to use a chair but Williams stops him and the two end up running into each other. Magnus is left in the ring, and Beer Money hit the DWI  for the win.

Winners: Beer Money | Rating: 7.5/10

A little better than the matches that earned a “7” rating, not necessarily great enough for an “8”. Good showing though, the tag title match at Turning Point should be a good one!

AJ Styles v. Samoa  Joe

Styles has to chase after Joe to get him to fight, but soon enough he gets him in the ring. After a Phenomenal Dropkick from Styles, Joe sends him into the turnbuckles and delivers some punches. Joe continues with an STF followed by a Crippler Crossface.

RIP C. Benoit

Joe goes on with some punches to Styles before Styles can counter with some punches of his own. Styles hits a Big Boot on Joe, but Joe’s able to come back with a clothesline for a near-fall. Styles counters a  Powerbomb into a Spin-Kick, but misses a Styles Clash. Joe hits a Back Body Drop but misses a clothesline, allowing Styles to hit a Pele Kick. Styles tries to climb the ropes but Daniels hits them making Styles fall. Styles slaps Daniels after a short argument, but then Joe applies a Choke Hold and Styles passes out.

Winner: Samoa Joe | Rating: 7.5/10

Joe picks up the title belt and holds it over Styles’ body as the show goes off.

Decent show, could’ve been WAY better … however, I like the way the creative team has played everything to work out at the PPV. Ohh, and before I forget …

Turning Point (11/18/09) | Best Match | Winners | Snoozer(s)

Bobby Lashley v. Scott Steiner – Lashley wins via. Submission

[Knockouts Title & Knockouts Tag Titles]

The Beautiful People v. ODB & Sarita/Taylor Wilde – The Beautiful People

Six Sides Of Steel

Tara v. Awesome Kong – Awesome Kong via. Implant Buster

Street Fight

Matt Morgan, Hernandez & The Pope v. Team 3D & Rhino – Team 3D & Rhino*

X Division Title

Amazing Red v. Homicide – Homicide via. Interference

TNA Tag Team Titles

Beer Money v. The British Invasion – Beer Money via. DWI

[Best Match]

Desmond Wolfe v. Kurt Angle – Kurt Angle via. Submission

*Rhino to screw 3D over again maybe?

Well, if you’ll excuse me, my sock puppets and I have a dinner date for tonight … but thanks for reading

I’ll start today with a team from somewhere I never, ever talk about, and that is the Latin American Xchange from TNA, better known as LAX. The team is made up of Homicide and Hernandez. They started working together in 2005. Now, a stable known as 4Live Kru had just broken up after some problems amongst its members. After they slit, the father of one of their members (Bullet Bill Armstrong) approached Konnan, a former member of the Kru, and tried to convince them to join together again. However, Konnan, Homicide and Apolo assaulted Armstrong and formed LAX.  The first feud LAX was involved with was against the James Gang, made up of Kip James and B.G. James (formerly known as The New Age Outlaws).  There feud went through 2005 and into 2006. Early on in 2006, however, Apolo was released from TNA, so Konnan had to find a new partner for Homicide, and he was Machete. Machete’s stay in the stable was short lived however, because after Homicide and Machete lost a Tag Team match, he was attacked by Konnan and subsequently removed from the stable. Following Machete, Hernandez was brought into the picture as the new member of LAX. After Hernandez arrived, LAX began not wrestling in matches, with the explanation being that Latinos were being discriminated against. This also included Konnan making a border around the Spanish announcers table and announcing matches in Spanish (and quite often using the term Gringo). However, despite LAX not wanting to compete, Jim Cornette announced that if LAX didn’t compete, they wouldn’t get paid. LAX eventually started to wrestle, but only if Spanish Commentator Jack Melendez would give them a special introduction. Soon after, Konnan invited Ron Killings (now known as R-Truth in WWE) to become part of LAX, which he turned down. He was subsequently beaten down. Following that, Sonjay Dutt was going to be assaulted like Killngs was, but instead, Ron came in and saved Dutt. This set up a big Tag Team match for TNA’s Victory Road PPV, between LAX and Dutt/Killings. LAX came out victorious.  The next major storyline for LAX came when they answered an open challenge for the NWA World Tag Team Championships, which at the time were held by AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels (this is when TNA and NWA were still affiliated). LAX assaulted the champions, so much that they bled in fact, and then signed the contract for the title opportunity in the blood of the champions.  Eventually, LAX became NWA World Tag Team Champions when they defeated Styles and Daniels in a Border Brawl. However, Styles and Daniels won the titles back in an Ultimate X Tag Team match. The titles switched hands again when LAX defeated the champions in a Six Sides of Steel match at Bound for Glory. LAX’s next big feud was with America’s Most Wanted (aka AMW), which started in a brawl between the two teams. The brawl ended when AMW’s manager, Gail Kim, was attacked by Hernandez. About a month later (in November), LAX tried to (and nearly succeeded) burn the American Flag. However, Petey Williams was able to stop them (wait, isn’t he Canadian?). Then at Genesis, after defeating AMW, Konnan told Homicide to take out Gail Kim, but again Petey Williams saved the day. Jim Cornette then ordered LAX to relinquish their titles. Surprisingly, even though LAX was taking militant, thuggish stands and were hostile towards Americans, the crowd was angry at Cornette. They love LAX. LAX countered Cornette with a lawyer and an accusation (violation of the First Amendment)  and Jim stepped down. However, Cornette made LAX defend their belts again Kurt Angle and Petey Williams. However, LAX attacked Williams before the match, so they seemingly had the advantage. That was until Samoa Joe came down to be Angle’s partner. Angle and Joe easily won, but LAX’s lawyers arrived (oh yay, lawyers) and they said that since Samoa Joe wasn’t an official member of the match (unofficial replacement for Williams I guess) Angle was disqualified and LAX could retain. They two teams then competed in a flag match, which was one by LAX (first non-Americans in America to do so). In mid-December, the teams faced off one more time in a Titles vs. Career match, which was won by LAX after Chris Harris was hit with a beer bottle by his teammate, James Storm. LAX started 2007 with a feud against Team 3D (the Dudleyz). They fought several times, but LAX made it personal when they attacked people close to 3D, including Brother Runt (Spike Dudley). LAX also brought back Machete (as a bodyguard) and Konnan (who had been injured and had surgery) to manage LAX. They also formed an alliance with Alex Shelley at this time. The two teams took one another in a Leather Lumberjack match (lumberjacks were armed with leather straps). Team 3D won when a star from the Sopranos interfered. The teams then fought in a Ghetto Brawl, won by LAX again. LAX and 3D were set to face off in a Six Sides of Steel match at Lockdown, with an added stipulation: the cage was electrified. Badass, eh? Bubba and D-Von (well, since it’s TNA I guess it’s Brother Ray and Brother Devon, but it’s the same people either way) won the match as well as the NWA World Tag Team Championships, which LAX had held for many months. They were also unsuccessful in their rematch, which was a Triple Threat Tag Team match. Their next feud was with Voodoo Kin Mafia (another reincarnation of The New Age Outlaws). In a match between the two teams at Hard Justice, the Mafia seemed to have won, but the match was restarted when it was seen that a substance was used to win, LAX came back and won. On May 11th of 2008, LAX won the vacant TNA Tag Team titles in a tournament final against former rivals Team 3D. After the match, the feud actually restarted when 3D attacked Hector Guerrero, the manager for LAX. This second wind of the feud was short lived however, because LAX was able to retain their titles. Following that, LAX started feuding with Beer Money Inc. At Hard Justice, Beer Money Inc. was able to defeat LAX and win the TNA Tag Team titles. After losing the belts, LAX have gone through some major events. They have performed not only for TNA, but also for ROH and International Wrestling Association. Homicide and Hernandez also recently competed in the Feast or Fired match, with Hernandez earning a World Championship opportunity and Homicide earning an X Division title shot. Recently, Homicide turned on Hernandez, and the team has disbanded. Hopefully they will eventually come together and fight again.

One other team I’d like to talk about is a more recent team…Cryme Tyme. The members of Cryme Tyme are Shad and JTG. The two debuted as the Gang Stars (and as individuals, Shad Gaspard and the Neighborhoodie) in OVW in 2006. In their first match together, they won the OVW Southern Tag Team Championships against Roadkill and Kasey James. Eventually in late 2006, Cryme Tyme was promoted to the main RAW roster. For the most part, Cryme Tyme only wrestled in house shows and Dark Matches, until October 16, 2006, when they debuted on RAW and took on the Spirit Squad. A common theme with early Cryme Tyme (and still on occasion) was that things were stolen everywhere they went. At Cyber Sunday the made their PPV debut in a victory in a Fatal Four Way Tornado Tag Match. Early in 2007 the suffered their first loss, to the hands of The World’s Greatest Tag Team. Following the loss, Cryme Tyme stopped appearing in matches on RAW, but only in backstage segments; the appeared in matches on the now defunct Heat. In July of 2007, Shad and JTG returned to OVW and won the Southern Tag Team titles again, however they were gone from OVW soon after and the titles were returned. On their return to RAW, Cryme Tyme started a trend of taking other wrestler’s possessions and selling them off to the audience (most famously with Lita’s possessions and…“goods”). They started a feud with Cade and Murdoch, but were released from WWE before anything came of it. However, in 2008 they returned to WWE, once again as Cryme Tyme, and soon began working with John Cena (forming in unofficial stable called Cryme Tyme Cenation, or CTC) against JBL. Since that point, Cryme Tyme has challenged for all of the WWE Tag Team Championships. In this year’s draft, Shad and JTG were brought to SmackDown for the first time, and enlisted Eve as their manager. They were supposed to be on Team SmackDown at Bragging Rights, but due to the fact that Shad had Swine Flu, they were prevented from competing (in fact the whole team was overhauled). Personally, I hope that in the future, Shad and JTG will win a title and really make a name for themselves.

Well everyone, so concludes another phenomenal edition of the ‘Dojo. Thanks for reading this week, and remember to do the same next week when we go over more Terrific Tag Teams. Until then, I am The Master of Puppets, the Dojo is closed and I AM OUT!!

Jack Swagger’s promised to go until the end of the year undefeated, meaning he’ll probably be beaten on the last RAW of the year by a complete unknown to start a feud with whomever costs him it.  He’s against Primo tonight, so his winning streak’s set to continue.

Swagger starts off with his usual amateur wrestling style, getting in behind with a waistlock and grounding Primo a few times, before slapping the back of his head.  Primo comes back with a stiff left, very narrowly dodges a right from Swagger ducking underneath and delivers a nicely executed monkey flip.  Primo gets briefly on top, using his speed and agility advantage, hitting an RVD-style shoulder into the turnbuckle and a dropkick to the knee of an advancing Swagger. Primo’s looking quite good tonight again, he’s really improved since I started covering Superstars, every move’s been tight so far.

Swagger catches him as he tries to avoid a shoulder into the corner and slams him hard, and takes a bit of time to draw some heat.  He hits the running second-rope body press for 2 and starts working Primo over with a few submissions.  I’m convinced I heard a ‘Swagger’ chant.  A strong clothesline to the back gets another 2 for Swagger, but misses a big leg drop.  Primo picks up the pace, hitting a springboard elbow, then a running, spinning elbow, clothesline, cartwheel and a dropkick for 2.  He goes for a springboard cross-body but gets caught, reversed again into a rollup for 2, but a big boot stops him in his tracks.  Picture-perfect Gutwrench powerbomb from Swagger for the win.

Winner:  Jack Swagger

Rating: 4.5/10 – Seemed a bit

Ask the Divas – I have a body like a Diva, what should I go as for Halloween? (from a girl, you’d hope).  Everyone except Natalya and Katie Lea said themself.  Natalya said a French Maid.  Win. Katie Lea just said ‘I doubt you’ve got a body like a Diva, work it out for yourself’

RAW Contribution #2:  Kelly Kelly vs. Alicia Fox

Remember bra and panties matches?  I do, fondly.

Alicia hits a tiltawhirl backbreaker at one point.  Something involving the ropes went badly wrong.  As Snappy would say, hair and screaming.  Alicia hits the Axe Kick for the win.

Winner:  Alicia Fox

Rating: 0.3/10 – The backbreaker was alright.

ECW Contribution:  Zack Ryder vs. Tyler Reks

Who the hell’s Byron Saxton?  Where’s Striker, damn it!?  Reks must be nearing his last chance. He starts out with a series of shoulders, Ryder escapes to the outside and Reks misses a baseball slide and Ryder wipes him out with a big boot.  He starts punching away at the grounded Reks on the outside, still, throws him back in the ring and continues with a series of strikes.  He hits the Bootwash into the corner, and locks in a submission.  Reks quickly counters into a back suplex, and follows up with a nice reverse suplex.  He hits the sliding stomach punch, and follows up with the faceplant.  He’s doing a good job as well tonight, that gimmick’s still holding him back though.  He gets no pop whatsoever when he tries for one, I think I even heard a few boos... and he hits a big elbow drop.  Ryder gets his boot up to a shoulder charge and hits the Zack Attack. That’s it?

Winner:  Zack Ryder

Rating: 2.5/10 – Reks did about as much as he possibly could, but got absolutely nothing from the crowd.  He really needs to go back to the drawing board, get a new gimmick.  The finish was... well, rubbish.  I guess it’s trying to add a bit of credibility to the Zack Attack.  Compared to the matches these guys had when I first started reporting, it was probably technically better, but the rating’s lower because by now I expect more from these guys.

Big Show promo and Bragging Rights recap

Smackdown Contribution: R-Truth and Cryme Tyme vs. Mike Knox and The Hart Dynasty (w/ Natalya)

Oh, there’s Striker, on Smackdown.  Cryme Tyme get a massive pop on the way out, and they decided to put the ads in during R-Truth’s.  I’d say there’s a really good chance Shad’s going to get pinned after what happened pre-Bragging Rights.  Knox doesn’t get his own music, coming out with The Dynasty, which is a shame, I like his entrance.

JTG and Tyson Kidd start off.  JTG’s someone who’s really impressed me lately, in some ways I’d like to see him get a push, but Shad being ill means that Cryme Tyme’s not going anywhere fast and the singles market on Smackdown’s already very heavy.   If you were to put him on the road to the IC Title against Morrison, where he’d lose, then he’d have to get ahead of the likes of Ziggler, McIntyre, R-Truth, Matt Hardy, even Escobar, and that’s not going to happen. Meanwhile, JeriShow aren’t going to be giving up the Tag Titles any time soon.  I’m not sure if he’d count in this class, but I feel I should try to push for the return of the Cruiserweight belt again.

The camera completely misses a 2-count, Tyson does a quick flip and just shouts/screams at JTG.  That was weird.  Striker tells us it was to try to get into the psyche of JTG.  No other commentator would know what the hell was going on.  Tyson gets on top but JTG hits a Goldust-esque sliding punch to a Tyson looking for a back body drop.  JTG hits a boxcutter (Regal neckbreaker onto the knee) for 2.  Tyson gets the tag to Knox, and after JTG takes a bit of punishment, he gets the tag to Shad, who lands a few rights, but fails to take Knox off his feet when he hits a shoulder charge.  Grisham starts to push the ‘mad scientist’ gimmick for Knox, which I like, as he gets on top of Shad.  Shad gets a tiny bit of momentum before Knox throws him to the outside and Natalya runs away, just in time for the ad break.

We’re back and Shad has Knox in an armlock.  The face with the submission?  Interesting. Apparently Shad did some stuff on the outside during the break.  Knox charges Shad into his corner and tags in DH Smith for the first time.  Shad fights back, but a dropkick from the apron by the illegal Tyson Kidd gives DH Smith the opportunity to hit the high-angle back suplex that I thought was his finisher... but he only gets 2.  He works Shad’s back, losing his balance at one point, and locks in a camel clutch.  Shad’s taking a lot of punishment, probably as a punishment... no getting ill on the WWE’s watch!  Smith tags in Kidd and hits a snap-neckbreaker to the seated Shad, and Tyson kicks him hard in the back.  Good little double-team there, and now Knox is back in with a big splash, following up with a bearhug.  Knox just cracks JTG, who’s standing on the apron getting the crowd going, but the distraction gives Shad enough time to recover and hit a back suplex.  It’s hot tag time and R-Truth’s in against Tyson Kidd.  He hits a dancing punch, nearly completely screws up his handspring so instead of going for the splits and calf kick, he hits a hiptoss instead.  Not flashy, but a good recovery.  Knox comes in and boots him in the face, then dumps Shad to the outside, but JTG does the same to Knox... but gets caught by a boot from DH Smith, who is in turn low bridged by R-Truth.  Tyson’s rollup is reversed by R-Truth for 2, but from that it’s reversed into a 2 for Tyson, in a neat sequence.  R-Truth hits the Lie Detector, which still sucks, and picks up the win.

Winner:  Cryme Tyme and R-Truth

Rating: 5.5/10 – Another decent match, but I’m sick of Cryme Tyme vs. The Hart Dynasty, basically.  I know they’re the only tag teams on Smackdown... but surely that just means they should get some more tag teams in?  Jimmy Wang Yang’s not doing anything right now other than dark matches, put him alongside someone interesting.  Get R-Truth and Matt Hardy together as a team on a more regular basis.  Why did they break up Jesse and Festus again?  Neither of them have done anything other than cameo appearances since the draft, and they were an entertaining enough team.  Put Charlie Haas with someone with charisma... maybe make him Mike Knox’s evil sidekick.  That might be a laugh.

On another note, why did they move Sheamus to RAW?  They’ve already got enough guys on there that aren’t getting enough airtime, like MVP.  Meanwhile they’ve got Festus, who’s of a similar build, who could easily undergo a gimmick change, standing around inactive.  The end of his feud with Shelton was rushed, and quite poorly done really.  That feud had so much potential, and to finish it using the Pump Kick, when the Irish Curse is his finisher... it just didn’t work in my head.  The match itself I thought was very good, and I really hope Shelton’s next in line for a shot at Christian.  He deserves it ahead of the likes of Yoshi, Zack Ryder (particularly on tonight’s performance where he was dominated by ECW’s jobber) and Regal.  I like Yoshi, he can put on a good match and he’s getting very popular, but he doesn’t quite strike me as a credible champion yet.  Shelton Benjamin could, as long as they continue giving him airtime outside of the ring.

Show rating: 4/10 – It’s Superstars, what do you expect?  Still, hope you’ve enjoyed reading.

I’ve been The General, consider yourself debriefed.

Hmm , Hulk’s in TNA and the Phillies are about to win the World Series … match made in heaven right?

The two lock up to start off, but Flash eventually applies an Arm Bar to Tara.  Tara gets up though, and goes for a waist lock. Flash counters and Irish Whips Tara into the corner but misses a charge. Tara fights back with a Tarantula, and sends Flash into the corner herself.  After some elbow shots, Tara flips into the ring and hits a leg drop on Flash for a near-fall. Tara sends Flash into the corner again, and hits her with some shoulder shots.  Flash kicks Tara in the head to counter a shoulder shot, and knocks Tara out of mid air with a clothesline for a near-fall. Flash goes on with some kicks to Tara’s back, and then chokes Tara at the ropes. Flash with a slam followed by an elbow drop for a near-fall. Flash whips Tara into the ropes and tries to climb the turnbuckles. Tara stops her, and Suplexes Flash off. Tara gets up and delivers a Fireman Carry to Flash, but only gets a near-fall. Tara with some punches to Flash before Irish Whiping her onto the ropes. Tara hits back to back clotheslines, and then Snap Suplexes Flash for a near-fall. Flash counters a clothesline, and hits a Pump Handle Slam for a near-fall. Flash picks Tara up, who quickly puts Flash in a Fireman’s Carry position, and hits a Fireman Carry Side Slam for the win.

Awesome Kong’s music starts to play at the end of the match, and she runs to the ring. Tara tries to stop Kong, but is met with a big boot from Kong that sends her down to the mat hard. Kong picks Tara up, and hits Tara with an Implant Buster ONTO Flash before leaving the ring.

Rhino went to Team 3D in the locker room, trying to get them to sympathize for him. He was claiming that TNA management is trying to take him out by giving him a series of matches with not so easy opponents. Team 3D just laughed the matter off, but Rhino told them to watch his back because “… they’re all in on it.”

Devon and Shelley start off for their teams, and Devon goes after Shelley’s arm. Shelly counters though, and applies a Side Head Lock. Devon hits Shelley with a shoulder tackle to counter, and showboats to the fans for a moment. Devon tries bounce off the ropes to build momentum, but is tripped by Shelley. Shelly bounces off the ropes, and hits Devon with a spinning kick for a near-fall. Shelly sends Devon’s head into the turnbuckle before an Irish Whip attempt that Devon dodges. Devon misses a charge though, and Shelly fights back. He tries to build momentum off the ropes again, but Devon catches Shelly and hits a Snap Powerslam for a near-fall. Devon tags Ray in, and Shelly goes on to tag Sabin in. Ray starts to work on Sabin’s arm as well, but Sabin counters and tries some kicks. Ray blocks a kick, and sends Sabin down to the mat. Sabin gets up, however, and hits a Springboard Crossbody for a near-fall.  Ray hits Sabin with an Uranage for a near-fall, and Sabin’s hurt. Devon and Shelley tag in. The medical staff comes out to check on Sabin, whilst Shelley works on the legs of Devon. Devon comes back with some shots to Shelley before tagging Ray back in. Ray hits a Side Slam for a near-fall, but Shelley comes back with a Super-Kick for a near-fall of his own.  Devon tags back in, but his inverted suplex attempted gets countered by Shelley, who applies a single leg Boston Crab for the win.

Team 3D argue with the referee after the match, and a replay is shown proving that Devon never tapped out, but merely hit the mat with his hands. You would think that they would’ve played the whole thing off a little bit better … on a different matter though, maybe Rhino was right …?

Hmm, is Lashley’s feud with Joe over?

Lashley starts things off with a Back Body Drop followed by a T-Bone Suplex. Lashley misses a spear, and goes after a seemingly retreating Young. Young gets sent into the guardrails just before Steiner comes out and clotheslines Lashley from behind. Steiner starts to go after Krystal again, but Lashley tries to stop him. Young ends up sending Lashley back in the ring, but Lashley hits a Gutbuster and a Dragon Sleeper and tries to win the match. Steiner has other plans though, and hits Lashley with a chair … costing Lashley the match.

Steiner goes on to apply the Steiner Recliner on Lashley before leaving him outstretched in the ring.

Man, I would’ve loved to see Lashley as champ, then after Joe loses the World Title match at Turning Point, the two could’ve faced off for it.

Ugh, a commercial … hey! I love those little Tidy Cats!

The show continues with the World Elite in the ring. Eric Young goes on to say that he single handedly just gave Lashley his first loss as a member of TNA. Young continues and says that the Legends Title is “dead”, and that it needs a new name. He says that as long as he’s champion it’ll be called the TNA Global Title, he’ll never defend it on American soil, and that he’ll never defend it against an American. Kevin Nash stops Young from continuing anymore, and he wants his $60,000. Young says that Nash should either forget about it, or do something about it. Before Nash can do anything, Beer Money slides into the ring and levels some of the world elite with street signs.  

The match comes onto air after a commercial, and Hemme is seen in the corner getting some shoulder shots from Velvet. Hemme comes back, and hits an axe kick for a near-fall. Hemme delivers another shot to Velvet before tagging Hamada in as Velvet tags Madison in. Hamada kicks Madison hard for a near-fall. Hamada tries to climb the turnbuckle, but Velvet knocks her off as Lacey distracts the ref. Madison only gets a near-fall, but she tags Velvet back in and the hit Hamada with a double Russian Leg Sweep for a near-fall. Hamada counters Velvet’s choke hold into a Snapmare before Drop Kicking Velvet for a near-fall. The ref gets distracted and the rest of the Beautiful people attack Hamada. Lacey goes on for her usual two minute performance on Hamada before tagging Madison back in. Hamada fights back, delivering a double drop kick to both Madison and Velvet. ODB tags in and levels all of the Beautiful People. ODB slams Velvet and tags Hemme in who misses a drop kick. Lacey tags back in and Choke Slams Hemme for the win.

And the Beautiful People doing better than ever now that Angelina’s gone. Best if wishes to her though, I hope she doesn’t get into too much trouble. Kong and Tara come out to the ring and have a little brawl until commercial.

Stevie comes out first and says that Abyss has to face the “monster” in him now because of what Abyss did to Daffney at Bound For Glory. Abyss comes out, and Stevie attacks him on the ramp. As they move toward the ring, Stevie delivers a few chops to Abyss. In the ring, Abyss with a few shots of his own before he sends Stevie back down to the ring floor. Abyss sends Stevie into the guardrail, and gives him some chops. Abyss goes on throwing some of the weapons into the ring and some onto Stevie. Abyss goes for a charge at Stevie, who’s standing in the corner, but Stevie tosses a chair at Abyss. Stevie starts to attack Abyss with a hockey stick, and then chokes Abyss at the corner. Stevie goes for a Tornado DDT, but Abyss counters into a Shock Treatment for the win

Stevie attacks Abyss after the match, and starts to choke him with the Singapore Cane. Mick Foley comes out, and just as it looks like he was going to hit Abyss with the cane, he hits Stevie with it instead. Mick leaves the Impact Zone with both Dr. Stevie and Abyss looking confused.

Rhino starts off with some punches to Morgan, but Morgan counters with a shoulder tackle. Morgan with a splash to Rhino, but as he climbs back into the ring Rhino knocks him off and into the guardrails. Rhino gets Morgan back into the ring and starts to choke him at the ropes. Rhino follows that up with a kick to the ribs and then another choke maneuver. Rhino tries some punches, and then tries to run at Morgan. Morgan counters with an elbow to Rhino, and then hits a clothesline. Morgan hits an Indifference Drop and then goes for a choke slam. Rhino counters the move though, and hits a Belly-to-Belly suplex. Rhino goes for the Gore, but is met by a bicycle kick. Morgan gets the three count for the win.

The match was okay at points, but was one of the slower matches of the night. Rhino, in heelish fashion, goes on attacking Morgan after the match. He hits Morgan with a Gore and goes for another. Before he can though, Hernandez comes out to the ring just as Rhino flees it. Rhino tells Hernandez that in TNA, only the strong survive, and that no one was going to take him out.

Angle attacks Wolfe right off the ringing of the bell. Angle continues with some European Uppercuts before sending Wolfe into the turnbuckles. Angle goes on with some more Uppercuts and kicks in the corner. Angle goes for a German Suplex, but Wolfe counters with a couple elbow shots. Wolfe hits Angle with a European Uppercut of his own before sending Angle into the turnbuckles. Angle fights back with some punches before clotheslining Wolfe over the top rope to the floor. Angle continues the assault by throwing Wolfe’s head into the ring steps and then into the guardrails as well. Wolfe battles back, and re-enters the ring with an elbow shot to Angle. Wolfe hits another European Uppercut on Angle before slapping him in the face. Angle tries to fight back, but Wolfe applies an Arm Wringer. Wolfe misses a rebound attempt, and Angle hits the Three Rivers Suplexes. Just as Angle has built all his momentum, Wolfe hits him with a hard clothesline. Wolfe tells the ref to get out of the way, and he claims that he’s going to end Angle’s career.

And time for yet ANOTHER commercial … too bad there’s no Tidy Cats on this one.

After the commercial, you can see Angle being carried away by medical staff. Hulk Hogan’s on now, along with Eric Bischoff. Dixie Carter comes out, and for a moment, they accredit Hogan for all he’s done to the industry. Hogan says that he’s ready to take TNA to the top, and that he’s glad TNA was his first USA fed choice.

The Hulkster and Bischoff are working together? Ten years ago, TNA would’ve been called crazy to put those two together. This should be an interesting next couple of months, I can’t wait to see what all TNA puts out.

Thanks for reading everyone! See you next week!