klunderbunker
Welcome to My (And Not Sly's) House
Monday
Rey Mysterio may have a torn ACL, which would be at least six months out of action.
Monday Night Raw
Date: March 4, 2013
Location: First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole
We're inching closer to Wrestlemania and the Raw World Title match is set. Rock is going to be defending against John Cena, who locked up his spot as #1 contender after winning a masterpiece of a match against CM Punk last week. That now leaves Punk without an opponent for Wrestlemania so maybe tonight we'll find out who that is. The rest of the card will likely continue to take shape as well. It's also Old School Raw II which was incredibly entertaining the first time around. Let's get to it.
After we see the new WWE logo and the old school Raw entrance from the early 90s, we hear a gong go off in the arena as the Undertaker makes his return. He appears on stage and a Wrestlemania logo appears behind him...and that's that. Ok then. Also the set is the old RAW letters.
After a quick video on the history of Raw, (and a shot of Cole in the snappy yellow blazer and King in full royal attire), here's CM Punk to really get us going. We have the old school red, white and blue ropes and the guardrail instead of a barricade. Punk talks about being cheated out of the world title last week by the fans (not exactly sure how) and if he isn't fighting for the world title at Wrestlemania, what's the point in fighting at all? Then he saw that Undertaker was back and changed his thoughts. if he can't be world champion, he might as well be the guy that makes Undertaker 20-1.
Randy Orton comes out though because he has other ideas. Orton thinks that since he's been the dominant predator in WWE in the last few years, he should get the chance to avenge his past loss to Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Big Show adds his name into things and says it should be a giant facing the Undertaker. Sheamus thinks he should get a shot too since he's never lost to Undertaker, but Vickie Guerrero interrupts before anyone else can add their names. Tonight it's a fatal fourway between Orton, Punk, Sheamus and Big Show with the winner facing Undertaker at Wrestlemania.
Ryback vs. Antonio Cesaro
Non-title here. Ryback starts off fast and rams into Cesaro to send him flying away. Back in and Ryback hits a fast suplex for no cover, sending Cesaro to the floor again. Ryback goes out to get him this time but is knocked into the old school barricade, stopping the monster cold. Cesaro throws him back in and pounds away as we take a break. Back with Cesaro countering the Meat Hook with the European Uppercut and loading up the Neutralizer, only for Ryback to counter into the Shell Shock in mid lift for the pin at 8:01.
Post match Mark Henry comes out and stares down Ryback but walks past him towards the ring instead of starting a fight.
Zack Ryder vs. Mark Henry
This is about what you would expect: Ryder gets in a few punches and it's the World's Strongest Slam and the pin at 54 seconds.
The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler
Before the match, Miz has something to say but can't get his microphone to work. Once he does, he introduces Ric Flair to be in his corner. Feeling out process to start until Ziggler takes over with some shots in the corner. Miz fights back with a shot to the face and sends Ziggler out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Ziggler kicking Miz in the leg and putting on a chinlock, complete with a fancy bridge. Miz fights up and pounds away on Ziggler before sliding through his legs for two off a sunset flip.
The Reality Check gets two and Miz goes after the knee, only to be caught in a DDT. The Zig Zag is avoided but Ziggler grabs the sleeper hold instead. Miz rolls out of it and tosses Ziggler in the air so he crashes onto the mat below. A corner clothesline by Miz sets up the top rope ax handle but as the referee is checking on Ziggler, big E. Langston attacks Miz. Flair goes after Langston to no avail, but back in the ring Miz takes out Ziggler's leg and puts on the Figure Four for the submission at 10:14.
It's time for Point/Counterpoint with the Rock and John Cena so here's the WWE Champion. Rock has to wait for the fans to stop cheering before he can talk. He talks about being in Panama recently but he knew he was coming to Raw so he was packing. Apparently a woman at the airport named Donna said he needed a jacket. Rock called her Sally because it doesn't matter what her name is, but he doesn't need a jacket because of the electricity inside him.
Then he got here and SWEET GOODNESS it was COLD. Not that it mattered though because FINALLY the Rock had come back to Buffalo. He's been looking forward to this day for a long time because it means we're 34 days from Wrestlemania. Cue John Cena for an interruption, or perhaps he's the counterpoint. Cena talks about how Rock has conquered everything he's done and therefore doesn't know what it's like to fail. Last year Cena talked about how he had to win the match last year but he didn't do that.
The fans chant CENA SUCKS as Cena talks about how this is his chance to rewrite history. It was no coincidence that he won the Royal Rumble on the same night that Rock won the WWE Title or that he finally beat Punk when it mattered most. The loss to the Rock is the reason everything fell apart for him last year but he gets a chance to rewrite history and he won't let it pass by.
Rock is glad to see the fire back in Cena because Cena was the man that Rock wanted to face at Wrestlemania. The Rock knows what the WWE Championship means to Cena and that no one in the WWE locker room has the fire and desire to win like Cena......except the Rock. As much as it means to Cena, it means that much more to the Rock. When the Rock gets to connect with all of the fans, that means more to Rock than anything.
Cena quotes WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson by talking about wanting to eat Rock's children. It's a shame that Tyson is remembered for that, because Tyson also said that in order to be the best man living, you have to beat everyone else. The Rock is the only thing Cena hasn't been able to conquer. At Wrestlemania 29, the Rock's time is up and Cena's time is now. Rock says his time is just getting started. He has a quote for Cena: winning is about heart, but you have to have it in the right place. That's from Lance Armstrong and he was full of nonsense just like Cena.
Cena says Rock has the same confidence that he had a year ago. In 34 days, Cena is making history by becoming the WWE Champion again. Rock says the difference between the two of them is that Cena thinks he can beat Rock but Rock knows he can beat Cena. At Wrestlemania, Rock is beating Cena again, if you smell what he's cooking.
Jack Swagger vs. Jim Duggan
Swagger gets no entrance and Duggan has Sgt. Slaughter and Dusty Rhodes with him. Jack steals the 2x4 and stands on the floor for a bit before bringing the board into the ring with him and knocking out Duggan with it. He beats up the other legends as well and I don't think the bell ever rang to end this. We'll say it lasted about 45 seconds.
Swagger puts Duggan in the ankle lock post match.
We get a trailer for Marine 3.
After a break, Swagger says this is his America, but Del Rio jumps him, triggering a brawl in the back.
Ted DiBiase Sr. is at ringside for the next match.
HELL NO vs. Prime Time Players
This is non-title and apparently if the Players win, DiBiase might be their manager. Kane and Young start things off but it's quickly off to Bryan to work on Young's arm. He fires off kicks at Darren and dropkicks him down for two. Off to Titus who runs over Bryan and suplexes Young down onto Daniel's chest. Back to Darren for some fist drops for two before it's back to Titus.
After a quick chinlock, Bryan avoids a charging Titus in the corner. It's off to Kane vs. Young now with the big man running over Darren. A low dropkick has Young in trouble and there are some clotheslines in the corner. A side slam gets two for Kane as everything breaks down. Titus is low bridged to the floor and Bryan hits the running knee off the apron to take him down. Darren goes up to the middle rope but jumps into the chokeslam for the pin at 3:45.
As Tensai (now called Sweet T) and Brodus dance, here's Honky Tonk Man. Before he can say anything though, the dancing fat guys' opponents, 3MB, takes his mic away. Slater tells him to go back to Vegas with the other Elvis impersonators and get out of the ring.
3MB vs. Tensai/Brodus Clay
It's Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater here. Drew pounds away in the corner to start but gets rolled up and pinned in 25 seconds.
Post match everyone dances and Slater gets hit with a guitar.
Kofi Kingston vs. Fandango
Fandango has a good looking ballroom dancer with him. Before the match though, Fandango says he won't debut until Justin Roberts can pronounce his name correctly. Roberts tries a few times but Fandango isn't pleased. No match.
We recap the HHH/Lesnar confrontation that opened Raw last week.
Here's HHH to address Lesnar. The name graphic says that HHH is a superstar instead of the COO or whatever his job title is. HHH says he hasn't been in the ring since eight days after Summerslam. He talked about how he might be done but he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince us or himself. After the cast was off, he was right back in the gym training. He didn't have a goal in mind though because he was doing his day job in a suit, even cutting his hair to look the part.
Then he found himself sitting in a hospital room next to an old man that just had hip replacement surgery. HHH put aside his wife and kids crying, because now he had a reason. Then the old man got out of his bed and got beaten up by Brock Lesnar again, but it made HHH happy because now he has a reason. If Lesnar thinks they're done, reach on top of your head and feel the staples that closed the cut on Lesnar's head. HHH says it's no coincidence that he's here five weeks from Wrestlemania, because he's calling Lesnar out. It's up to Lesnar now.
Shield talks about how Sheamus, Orton and Big Show are throwing their hat in the ring to face Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Rollins talks about how Shield has an undefeated streak of their own, so maybe people trying to make history should remember that the eye of justice is always watching. Big Show isn't getting another cheap shot on them either like he did on Smackdown.
Alberto Del Rio vs. Wade Barrett
Non-title of course. Wade pounds away in the corner to start but gets caught in the Backstabber for his efforts. Swagger and Colter come out to watch on the stage. Barrett slides back in and hits Winds of Change for two before dropping some elbows for the same. Off to a chinlock for a bit but Del Rio fights up and grabs the cross armbreaker on the ropes. He has to break at four though, allowing Barrett to hit a big boot to the face, sending the world champion to the floor.
Some knees to Del Rio's head get two but Barrett misses a middle rope elbow. Del Rio kicks Barrett in the face and some clotheslines put him down. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Wade down and a low superkick gets two for Del Rio. Alberto charges into another boot though and Barrett loads up the pumphandle slam. Del Rio easily escapes though and the cross armbreaker gets the submission for Alberto at 4:56.
It's time for another Colter/Swagger video. They don't like the backlash they're receiving for some of their opinions. They like the times when you could be mad about someone taking something that belongs to you. Real Americans refuse to use politically correct terms. The best thing people can do is respect them, because if not there will be real Americans that are ready to fight for them.
Here are the New Age Outlaws apparently for a match. We get a censored version of the signature entrance and you can see the younger fans confused by what they're seeing. The older ones are loving it though, which si the point of a show like this.
New Age Outlaws vs. Primo/Epico
Dogg and Epico get things started and there are the shaking punches followed by the shaky knee drop for two for Roadie. Primo distracts Dogg though and Epico gets in a dropkick to take over. The cousins work over Roadie with Epico hitting a slingshot elbow for no cover. Off to a chinlock for a bit but Roadie fights up and the two of them collide. Hot tag brings in Billy who pounds away on both guys before getting two off a tilt-a-whirl slam. Everything breaks down and the Fameasser ends Primo at 2:58.
We recap the Rock/Cena segment from earlier.
We get some TOUTING IT OUT from the fans about tonight's events.
We have a lot of birthday cakes and cupcakes for Mae Young's 90th birthday and most of the roster is here to celebrate. Mean Gene comes out to introduce Mae and the Divas help her to the ring. Everyone sings Happy Birthday to her but CM Punk interrupts. Well that was rude.
CM Punk vs. Sheamus vs. Big Show vs. Randy Orton
I think this is one fall to a finish. There are no tags so everyone is in the ring at once. Punk heads to the floor but Orton and Sheamus go out to surround him. Punk slides back in and has to fight Big Show which goes as badly as you would expect for him. Sheamus and Orton try their luck on Big Show and are both knocked down almost immediately. Orton finally gets him to the floor, giving us Sheamus vs. Randy for a bit.
Orton hits the backbreaker and Punk tries to steal a pin to no avail. The Irish Curse puts Orton down and Punk tries to steal it again. This time though Sheamus catches him and the good guys toss him to the outside. Big Show is back though and a single shot puts both Sheamus and Orton down as we take a break.
Back with Punk in control of Orton but Randy comes back with the powerslam. A t-bone suplex puts Punk down for two but Punk escapes the Elevated DDT. Sheamus comes back in with the slingshot shoulder for two but seems to be limping a bit. There are the ten forearms to Punk's chest but Big Show takes Sheamus down with the Final Cut for two. Punk breaks it up and fires off knees to Show's head.
Show pops back up though and knocks Punk out with the WMD. Sheamus tries to fight Show and spears him into the corner with some shoulders to the ribs. The WMD misses Sheamus and a kind of cross body takes Big Show down. The giant comes right back though, only to miss a Vader Bomb. White Noise puts Big Show down but it only gets two.
Sheamus loads up the Brogue Kick on Show but Orton catches him in the powerslam. A chokeslam puts down both Orton and Sheamus but the one on Sheamus only gets two. The WMD misses Sheamus and the Brogue Kick lays out Big Show. An RKO lays out Sheamus but Punk comes in with a GTS for the pin on Orton at 12:40.
Post match Undertaker comes out to stare down Punk to end the show.
Results
Ryback b. Antonio Cesaro Shell Shock
Mark Henry b. Zack Ryder World's Strongest Slam
The Miz b. Dolph Ziggler Figure Four Leg Lock
Jim Duggan b. Jack Swagger via DQ when Swagger hit Duggan with a 2x4
Brodus Clay/Tensai b. 3MB Rollup to McIntyre
Alberto Del Rio b. Wade Barret Cross Armbreaker
New Age Outlaws b. Epico/Primo Fameasser to Primo
CM Punk b. Big Show, Sheamus and Randy Orton GTS to Orton
Tuesday
Raw got a 3.5, up from last week.
Wednesday
NXT
Date: March 6, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tony Dawson, William Regal
We're back in Florida for more NXT where the Shield made their presence known again last week, breaking up a #1 contender's match between Conor O'Brian and Corey Graves after presumably attacking Bo Dallas. Other than that we had the Wyatt Family get even stronger than usual by having Bray himself get in the ring for some destruction. Let's get to it.
Here's Commissioner Dusty Rhodes to open things up. He announces the main event for tonight as Graves vs. O'Brian vs. Dallas for the next shot at the title with extra security to keep the Shield from interfering.
Welcome Home.
Adrian Neville/Oliver Grey vs. Judas Devlin/Scott Dawson
Neville and Grey are tag champions but this is non-title. There's no Grey though and Neville doesn't know where he is. He was here earlier but somewhere in between there he disappeared. Neville agrees to fight them on his own and starts against Dawson. A quick arm wringer puts Dawson down and it's off to an armbar. It's off to Judas who is a big tattooed man with long hair. Judas doesn't do much of note before it's back to Dawson.
Devlin comes back in for a chinlock as the numbers game is starting to catch up with Neville. As the hold is on, the Wyatt Family drags Grey out to the stage. Grey is barely conscious and is reaching towards the ring. Neville fights out of the hold but is distracted by Grey, allowing the team to take over again. Dawson puts Adrian on the top but gets knocked down, allowing Neville to hit the corkscrew shooting star press for the pin at 3:21.
Neville checks on his partner post match.
Leo Kruger vs. Yoshi Tatsu
The fans cheer for Yoshi as I'm guessing they meant to go to the Nintendo convention instead of this show. Kruger grabs a headlock to start but gets caught in an atomic drop followed by a second one for good measure. Kruger comes back by sending Yoshi's shoulder into the buckle before cranking on the arm on the mat. Yoshi finally makes a rope and fights up but a shot to the arm stops him cold. Kruger hits a big clothesline and finishes Tatsu with a seated armbar at 2:59. Total squash.
Sasha Banks/Cameron/Naomi vs. Audrey Marie/Alicia Fox/Aksana
Cameron and Naomi dance a lot before the match. Fox and Banks start things off with Sasha taking over with a headscissors. Off to Aksana who has just as much luck as her partner before it's off to Cameron. Oh wait we need a dance break. Back to the wrestling now with Audrey getting in a kick to Cameron's back from the apron to take over. Aksana puts her in the corner and does that crawl of hers, only to get caught by a cross body for two by Cameron.
Back to Fox who gets a quick one count off a northern lights suplex. Off to Audrey now who hooks a body scissors which only lasts for a few seconds before Cameron can tag off to Naomi. Things speed up as Naomi hits a flying clothesline to Audrey and an enziguri for two on Aksana. A leg lariat is enough to pin Audrey at 4:25.
Bo Dallas talks about how his career is skyrocketing right now due to winning the NXT Tournament and beating Wade Barrett on Raw. Bray Wyatt comes up and talks about laying out Dallas a few weeks ago. If Dallas had accepted Wyatt's offer to join the Family, he would have been protected against the Shield last week. Bo says stay away from him because he isn't interested. Wyatt calls him a foolish young man.
Alberto Del Rio will be here next week.
Summer Rae insists on being called the First Lady of NXT and insists on the interviewer introducing her again. Rae talks about putting Paige on the shelf for good and taking away her popularity. If Rebecca, the interviewer, ever introduces her improperly again, she'll be taken out like trash.
Shield reassures us that they're still here to shield us from injustice. The injustice from last week was O'Brian, Dallas and Graves believing they deserved a title shot. Ambrose talks about putting a crack in the foundation of WWE. They've done it on Raw and Smackdown so it's time to do it here on NXT. It should be Rollins getting the title shot, not any of those three.
Corey Graves vs. Conor O'Brian vs. Bo Dallas
The winner gets the title shot at Langston at some point in the future. O'Brian runs over Dallas to start and Graves stomps away. Conor doesn't seem interested in helping him so instead he beats up Corey for a bit. Graves manages to send him to the floor and puts Bo in a chinlock as we take a break. Back with Dallas sending Graves to the floor but as he follows, Conor pops up to clothesline Dallas down. With Conor on the apron, Corey fires some shoulder to his ribs. That gets him nowhere though as O'Brian knocks him away and gets two off a top rope clothesline.
Dallas is back in now but O'Brian keeps full control of the match. Conor wraps his legs around Graves' head for a neck crank, getting two as a result. The attention shifts to Dallas now with O'Brian throwing him into Graves in the corner which gets another two count. Graves gets a boot up in the corner to stagger O'Brian, allowing Dallas and Corey to double team Conor with a double suplex.
The alliance is short lived though as they start fighting each other again, resulting in a belly to back suplex by Bo. Dallas pounds away in the corner but stops when he sees Bray Wyatt on the apron. We take another break and come back with Graves pounding away on both guys. A gordbuster gets two on Bo and there's a half crab for good measure. Conor breaks it up but Graves beats him down as a result. Dallas is sent to the apron but goes up and gets crotched right back down. Corey loads up a superplex but O'Brian pulls him off the ropes and slams him face first into the mat.
Bo hits a quick missile dropkick on Conor for two as Bray is coming closer to the ring. O'Brian is sent face first into the buckle and has Dallas use his body as a springboard for a tornado bulldog on Graves, getting two. A DDT gets two on O'Brian but Graves kicks out Dallas' leg. There's the 13th Step leg lock on Bo but O'Brian comes in and puts Corey in a Koji Clutch to break the hold.
Bo breaks up that hold and is all fired up now. O'Brian is dropkicked to the floor and the belly to belly puts Graves down, but Wyatt pulls Corey to the floor. Bo breaks his concentration and yells at Wyatt, allowing O'Brian to hit him with a full nelson slam for the pin at 12:11 shown of 19:11.
Results
Adrian Neville b. Scott Dawson/Judas Devlin Corkscrew Shooting Star Press to Dawson
Leo Kruger b. Yoshi Tatsu Seated Armbar
Sasha Banks/Cameron/Naomi b. Audrey Marie/Alicia Fox/Aksana Leg lariat to Marie
Conor O'Brian b. Bo Dallas and Corey Graves Full Nelson Slam to Dallas
Thursday
Impact Wrestling
Date: March 7, 2013
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Todd Keneley, Tazz
It's the final show in the Impact Zone before we start full time on the road next week. It's also the final show before Lockdown and Lethal Lockdown between Team TNA and Aces and 8's. Last week Angle unmasked the VP and was shocked at who he saw, but was beaten down before he could say who it was. Odds are we'll have to wait until Sunday to find out who it was. Let's get to it.
We open with an In Memory graphic for Paul Bearer. That's classy.
After the intro recapping the events of last week, Angle walks into the building and says that tonight he's going to tell everyone who was under the mask.
Here's Aries to open the show. He talks about beating Hernandez last week without Bobby Roode's help, proving that being Supermex isn't as good as being the greatest man that ever lived. Then he found Bully Ray and Hardy to give them some words of confidence for their match at Lockdown. They didn't appreciate it though, so right now Aries is calling out Hardy for a match.
Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries
Ask and receive I guess. Aries jumps Hardy during the entrance and we're off fast. A knee drop gets two on the champion as this is non-title I believe. Aries hits a slingshot double ax to the back of Hardy's head for two but Jeff makes his comeback with right hands in the corner of his own. He tries something out of another corner, only to be thrown out to the floor.
Back with Aries in control and walking around a lot. Hardy grabs a quick small package for two but Aries comes back with a dropkick for two of his own. Jeff misses a charge in the corner before Aries goes up and dances ala Hardy. A middle rope splash gets two and Aries is ticked off. Hardy comes back with a rollup for two and the spinning mule kick for two.
The jawbreaker sets up a splash in the corner by the world champion, followed by a middle rope splash of his own for two. The Twist is countered but Hardy sends Aries to the floor. A clothesline off the apron puts Aries down one more time. Back in and a pair of Twists of Fate puts Aries on the mat but here's Matt Morgan of all people with the Carbon Footprint to Hardy for the DQ at 12:25.
Post match Morgan loads up another kick but Bully Ray comes out to stop it.
Sting gives his team a pep talk.
We look at Angle getting beaten down last week again.
Morgan doesn't like Hardy or Ray.
We recap Angle's history with Aces and 8's.
Instead of Angle, here's Wes Brisco to the ring instead. Brisco talks about wanting to be Kurt Angle until he got to meet Angle, which is when he realized how worthless Kurt is. The medal around Angle's neck is so worthless that the Olympics got rid of the sport. He's going to prove that a Brisco is better than an Angle on Sunday. Cue Kurt who says he remembers Brisco coming to ask him question after question like someone who respected him. Tonight Angle is going to reveal who the VP is, but first he's going to beat Brisco up early.
Security breaks it up and D'Lo Brown is in Aces and 8's. He picks up the VP's mask and apparently it was him under the mask last week. Brown says he's here to reclaim some club property because he's the VP. Seriously, I didn't make that up.
Sting vs. D-Von
This is match #1 in a three match series with the winner getting the advantage in Lethal Lockdown. Sting jumps D-Von to start but gets clotheslined down for two. D-Von hooks a neck crank and pounds away in the corner for a bit. The top rope headbutt misses though and the fight heads to the floor. Some fan throws something in Sting's face which looks to be red paint of some kind, allowing D-Von to hit a big boot back in the ring for the pin at 3:18.
Velvet is doing an interview when Gail Kim comes up to annoy her. Kim gets slapped.
The Gut Check judges talk about the match last week. Danny Davis of OVW fame is the newest judge.
Lei'd Tapa is getting the chance for a contract later tonight and Ivelisse is eliminated.
Hernandez/Chavo Guerrero/Velvet Sky vs. Bad Influence/Gail Kim
Hernandez and Kaz start things off with the big man throwing Kaz around with ease. Off to Chavo vs. Daniels as the good guys maintain control. Back to SuperMex with a bearhug on Kaz before Daniels tries to cheat. Hernandez will have none of that though and gets Chavo to help with some double teaming. A headscissors puts Daniels down and he begs off. Gail low bridges Chavo and Daniels gets to take over.
Velvet trips Daniels up right back and Chavo gets control again. Kaz hits Chavo in the back before coming in legally for a neckbreaker, getting two. The slingshot elbow drop gets two more on Chavo and it's off to a chinlock. Now Daniels comes in for a chinlock of his own but Chavo fights up and brings in Velvet. Not the monster Hernandez, but the girl. Good to know.
She spears Gail down as Hernandez runs over Daniels. A missile dropkick puts SuperMex down but Daniels misses a dive onto the floor, hitting his partner in the process. Hernandez does his big dive to take out Bad Influence, but Gail hits Eat Defeat on Sky for the pin at 7:26.
Brown says he can trust Aces and 8's but asks Sting if he can trust the guys he'll be locked in the cage with.
Sting yells at his teammates for Sunday and apparently Magnus and Joe are the other two people in the best of three series tonight.
We go back to Georgia to find AJ Styles again. He throws one of his friends back into their car and shoves the camera away. Nothing is said.
Doc/Garrett Bischoff vs. Magnus/Samoa Joe
Joe and Garrett start things off with Garrett being pounded down like a guy with nowhere near the skill to be in this spot. Off to Magnus but he stops to argue with Joe first. Garrett distracts Magnus, allowing Doc to take over. Off to Garrett again as the fans tell him that he can't wrestle. Doc comes in and pounds away as we hear about AJ coming to Chicago next week.
A double clothesline puts both guys down and it's off to Joe for a suplex and atomic drop. Magnus kicks Doc down and Joe drops a senton backsplash for two. Another clothesline puts Garrett down and it's off to Joe legally. The former champions catch Doc with the snapmare into the top rope elbow from Magnus for the pin at 4:52.
Kenny King says he'll keep the title.
Eric Young says he should get the last spot in the match over Storm. He promises to not be a joke, but for once Sting is smart and picks the former world champion.
It's time for Gut Check for Lei'd Tapa. The fans go INSANE shouting no at her as soon as she comes out. Tapa yells back at the fans and talks about how she could be great in another two years. Danny Davis says no, Bruce Prichard gives a nice speech about Paul Bearer being gone before saying no, and so Tapa gets to cut a quick promo saying she should get a shot. Al Snow is the last judge and after saying he'll miss Uncle Paul, he votes yes because Tapa gets a reaction from the crowd.
Robbie E is ready for Robbie T this Sunday.
James Storm vs. Mr. Anderson
The winner gets the advantage in Lethal Lockdown for his team. A quick hiptoss puts Anderson down but he comes back with a clothesline. Anderson gets two off a whip into the corner before pounding away at James' ribs. Off to an armbar now by Anderson as the announcers debate the BFG Series from last year.
Storm fights out with an atomic drop and a bulldog followed by an enziguri out of the corner. A running neckbreaker puts Anderson down and after escaping a neckbreaker, Storm hits Closing Time. Here are Aces and 8's in full force but here's Team TNA to counter them. Not that it matters though as Anderson grabs the Mic Check for the pin at 3:52.
We run down the Lockdown card.
Here are Bully and Brooke to confront Jeff Hardy before Sunday. Jeff comes to the ring and Ray talks about how he's coming for the title in three days at the biggest TNA show ever. He's proud of Jeff for everything he's done. Jeff says he's been beaten down since he won the title but he's still champion. He knows Ray is going to beat him up on Sunday, but is that going to be enough? Jeff is proud of Ray as well and Ray talks about he's expected greatness his entire career. Ray isn't going to escape on Sunday but he's going to pin Hardy for the title.
This brings out Hulk Hogan on crutches. He talks about how everyone in the back wants to be where Hardy and Ray are before saying this company is about to go on to greatness. We need a leader to get to the future and Hogan is going to be at Lockdown to see who leads us into the future. He says may the best man win.....and here come Aces and 8's. It's a big brawl to end the show as Team TNA runs out for the save.
Results
Jeff Hardy b. Austin Aries via DQ when Matt Morgan interfered
D-Von b. Sting Big Boot
Gail Kim/Bad Influence b. Velvet Sky/Hernandez/Chavo Guerrero Eat Defeat to Sky
Samoa Joe/Magnus b. Garrett Bischoff/Doc Top rope elbow to Doc
Mr. Anderson b. James Storm Mic Check
Rey Mysterio may have a torn ACL, which would be at least six months out of action.
Monday Night Raw
Date: March 4, 2013
Location: First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole
We're inching closer to Wrestlemania and the Raw World Title match is set. Rock is going to be defending against John Cena, who locked up his spot as #1 contender after winning a masterpiece of a match against CM Punk last week. That now leaves Punk without an opponent for Wrestlemania so maybe tonight we'll find out who that is. The rest of the card will likely continue to take shape as well. It's also Old School Raw II which was incredibly entertaining the first time around. Let's get to it.
After we see the new WWE logo and the old school Raw entrance from the early 90s, we hear a gong go off in the arena as the Undertaker makes his return. He appears on stage and a Wrestlemania logo appears behind him...and that's that. Ok then. Also the set is the old RAW letters.
After a quick video on the history of Raw, (and a shot of Cole in the snappy yellow blazer and King in full royal attire), here's CM Punk to really get us going. We have the old school red, white and blue ropes and the guardrail instead of a barricade. Punk talks about being cheated out of the world title last week by the fans (not exactly sure how) and if he isn't fighting for the world title at Wrestlemania, what's the point in fighting at all? Then he saw that Undertaker was back and changed his thoughts. if he can't be world champion, he might as well be the guy that makes Undertaker 20-1.
Randy Orton comes out though because he has other ideas. Orton thinks that since he's been the dominant predator in WWE in the last few years, he should get the chance to avenge his past loss to Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Big Show adds his name into things and says it should be a giant facing the Undertaker. Sheamus thinks he should get a shot too since he's never lost to Undertaker, but Vickie Guerrero interrupts before anyone else can add their names. Tonight it's a fatal fourway between Orton, Punk, Sheamus and Big Show with the winner facing Undertaker at Wrestlemania.
Ryback vs. Antonio Cesaro
Non-title here. Ryback starts off fast and rams into Cesaro to send him flying away. Back in and Ryback hits a fast suplex for no cover, sending Cesaro to the floor again. Ryback goes out to get him this time but is knocked into the old school barricade, stopping the monster cold. Cesaro throws him back in and pounds away as we take a break. Back with Cesaro countering the Meat Hook with the European Uppercut and loading up the Neutralizer, only for Ryback to counter into the Shell Shock in mid lift for the pin at 8:01.
Post match Mark Henry comes out and stares down Ryback but walks past him towards the ring instead of starting a fight.
Zack Ryder vs. Mark Henry
This is about what you would expect: Ryder gets in a few punches and it's the World's Strongest Slam and the pin at 54 seconds.
The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler
Before the match, Miz has something to say but can't get his microphone to work. Once he does, he introduces Ric Flair to be in his corner. Feeling out process to start until Ziggler takes over with some shots in the corner. Miz fights back with a shot to the face and sends Ziggler out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Ziggler kicking Miz in the leg and putting on a chinlock, complete with a fancy bridge. Miz fights up and pounds away on Ziggler before sliding through his legs for two off a sunset flip.
The Reality Check gets two and Miz goes after the knee, only to be caught in a DDT. The Zig Zag is avoided but Ziggler grabs the sleeper hold instead. Miz rolls out of it and tosses Ziggler in the air so he crashes onto the mat below. A corner clothesline by Miz sets up the top rope ax handle but as the referee is checking on Ziggler, big E. Langston attacks Miz. Flair goes after Langston to no avail, but back in the ring Miz takes out Ziggler's leg and puts on the Figure Four for the submission at 10:14.
It's time for Point/Counterpoint with the Rock and John Cena so here's the WWE Champion. Rock has to wait for the fans to stop cheering before he can talk. He talks about being in Panama recently but he knew he was coming to Raw so he was packing. Apparently a woman at the airport named Donna said he needed a jacket. Rock called her Sally because it doesn't matter what her name is, but he doesn't need a jacket because of the electricity inside him.
Then he got here and SWEET GOODNESS it was COLD. Not that it mattered though because FINALLY the Rock had come back to Buffalo. He's been looking forward to this day for a long time because it means we're 34 days from Wrestlemania. Cue John Cena for an interruption, or perhaps he's the counterpoint. Cena talks about how Rock has conquered everything he's done and therefore doesn't know what it's like to fail. Last year Cena talked about how he had to win the match last year but he didn't do that.
The fans chant CENA SUCKS as Cena talks about how this is his chance to rewrite history. It was no coincidence that he won the Royal Rumble on the same night that Rock won the WWE Title or that he finally beat Punk when it mattered most. The loss to the Rock is the reason everything fell apart for him last year but he gets a chance to rewrite history and he won't let it pass by.
Rock is glad to see the fire back in Cena because Cena was the man that Rock wanted to face at Wrestlemania. The Rock knows what the WWE Championship means to Cena and that no one in the WWE locker room has the fire and desire to win like Cena......except the Rock. As much as it means to Cena, it means that much more to the Rock. When the Rock gets to connect with all of the fans, that means more to Rock than anything.
Cena quotes WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson by talking about wanting to eat Rock's children. It's a shame that Tyson is remembered for that, because Tyson also said that in order to be the best man living, you have to beat everyone else. The Rock is the only thing Cena hasn't been able to conquer. At Wrestlemania 29, the Rock's time is up and Cena's time is now. Rock says his time is just getting started. He has a quote for Cena: winning is about heart, but you have to have it in the right place. That's from Lance Armstrong and he was full of nonsense just like Cena.
Cena says Rock has the same confidence that he had a year ago. In 34 days, Cena is making history by becoming the WWE Champion again. Rock says the difference between the two of them is that Cena thinks he can beat Rock but Rock knows he can beat Cena. At Wrestlemania, Rock is beating Cena again, if you smell what he's cooking.
Jack Swagger vs. Jim Duggan
Swagger gets no entrance and Duggan has Sgt. Slaughter and Dusty Rhodes with him. Jack steals the 2x4 and stands on the floor for a bit before bringing the board into the ring with him and knocking out Duggan with it. He beats up the other legends as well and I don't think the bell ever rang to end this. We'll say it lasted about 45 seconds.
Swagger puts Duggan in the ankle lock post match.
We get a trailer for Marine 3.
After a break, Swagger says this is his America, but Del Rio jumps him, triggering a brawl in the back.
Ted DiBiase Sr. is at ringside for the next match.
HELL NO vs. Prime Time Players
This is non-title and apparently if the Players win, DiBiase might be their manager. Kane and Young start things off but it's quickly off to Bryan to work on Young's arm. He fires off kicks at Darren and dropkicks him down for two. Off to Titus who runs over Bryan and suplexes Young down onto Daniel's chest. Back to Darren for some fist drops for two before it's back to Titus.
After a quick chinlock, Bryan avoids a charging Titus in the corner. It's off to Kane vs. Young now with the big man running over Darren. A low dropkick has Young in trouble and there are some clotheslines in the corner. A side slam gets two for Kane as everything breaks down. Titus is low bridged to the floor and Bryan hits the running knee off the apron to take him down. Darren goes up to the middle rope but jumps into the chokeslam for the pin at 3:45.
As Tensai (now called Sweet T) and Brodus dance, here's Honky Tonk Man. Before he can say anything though, the dancing fat guys' opponents, 3MB, takes his mic away. Slater tells him to go back to Vegas with the other Elvis impersonators and get out of the ring.
3MB vs. Tensai/Brodus Clay
It's Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater here. Drew pounds away in the corner to start but gets rolled up and pinned in 25 seconds.
Post match everyone dances and Slater gets hit with a guitar.
Kofi Kingston vs. Fandango
Fandango has a good looking ballroom dancer with him. Before the match though, Fandango says he won't debut until Justin Roberts can pronounce his name correctly. Roberts tries a few times but Fandango isn't pleased. No match.
We recap the HHH/Lesnar confrontation that opened Raw last week.
Here's HHH to address Lesnar. The name graphic says that HHH is a superstar instead of the COO or whatever his job title is. HHH says he hasn't been in the ring since eight days after Summerslam. He talked about how he might be done but he wasn't sure if he was trying to convince us or himself. After the cast was off, he was right back in the gym training. He didn't have a goal in mind though because he was doing his day job in a suit, even cutting his hair to look the part.
Then he found himself sitting in a hospital room next to an old man that just had hip replacement surgery. HHH put aside his wife and kids crying, because now he had a reason. Then the old man got out of his bed and got beaten up by Brock Lesnar again, but it made HHH happy because now he has a reason. If Lesnar thinks they're done, reach on top of your head and feel the staples that closed the cut on Lesnar's head. HHH says it's no coincidence that he's here five weeks from Wrestlemania, because he's calling Lesnar out. It's up to Lesnar now.
Shield talks about how Sheamus, Orton and Big Show are throwing their hat in the ring to face Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Rollins talks about how Shield has an undefeated streak of their own, so maybe people trying to make history should remember that the eye of justice is always watching. Big Show isn't getting another cheap shot on them either like he did on Smackdown.
Alberto Del Rio vs. Wade Barrett
Non-title of course. Wade pounds away in the corner to start but gets caught in the Backstabber for his efforts. Swagger and Colter come out to watch on the stage. Barrett slides back in and hits Winds of Change for two before dropping some elbows for the same. Off to a chinlock for a bit but Del Rio fights up and grabs the cross armbreaker on the ropes. He has to break at four though, allowing Barrett to hit a big boot to the face, sending the world champion to the floor.
Some knees to Del Rio's head get two but Barrett misses a middle rope elbow. Del Rio kicks Barrett in the face and some clotheslines put him down. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker puts Wade down and a low superkick gets two for Del Rio. Alberto charges into another boot though and Barrett loads up the pumphandle slam. Del Rio easily escapes though and the cross armbreaker gets the submission for Alberto at 4:56.
It's time for another Colter/Swagger video. They don't like the backlash they're receiving for some of their opinions. They like the times when you could be mad about someone taking something that belongs to you. Real Americans refuse to use politically correct terms. The best thing people can do is respect them, because if not there will be real Americans that are ready to fight for them.
Here are the New Age Outlaws apparently for a match. We get a censored version of the signature entrance and you can see the younger fans confused by what they're seeing. The older ones are loving it though, which si the point of a show like this.
New Age Outlaws vs. Primo/Epico
Dogg and Epico get things started and there are the shaking punches followed by the shaky knee drop for two for Roadie. Primo distracts Dogg though and Epico gets in a dropkick to take over. The cousins work over Roadie with Epico hitting a slingshot elbow for no cover. Off to a chinlock for a bit but Roadie fights up and the two of them collide. Hot tag brings in Billy who pounds away on both guys before getting two off a tilt-a-whirl slam. Everything breaks down and the Fameasser ends Primo at 2:58.
We recap the Rock/Cena segment from earlier.
We get some TOUTING IT OUT from the fans about tonight's events.
We have a lot of birthday cakes and cupcakes for Mae Young's 90th birthday and most of the roster is here to celebrate. Mean Gene comes out to introduce Mae and the Divas help her to the ring. Everyone sings Happy Birthday to her but CM Punk interrupts. Well that was rude.
CM Punk vs. Sheamus vs. Big Show vs. Randy Orton
I think this is one fall to a finish. There are no tags so everyone is in the ring at once. Punk heads to the floor but Orton and Sheamus go out to surround him. Punk slides back in and has to fight Big Show which goes as badly as you would expect for him. Sheamus and Orton try their luck on Big Show and are both knocked down almost immediately. Orton finally gets him to the floor, giving us Sheamus vs. Randy for a bit.
Orton hits the backbreaker and Punk tries to steal a pin to no avail. The Irish Curse puts Orton down and Punk tries to steal it again. This time though Sheamus catches him and the good guys toss him to the outside. Big Show is back though and a single shot puts both Sheamus and Orton down as we take a break.
Back with Punk in control of Orton but Randy comes back with the powerslam. A t-bone suplex puts Punk down for two but Punk escapes the Elevated DDT. Sheamus comes back in with the slingshot shoulder for two but seems to be limping a bit. There are the ten forearms to Punk's chest but Big Show takes Sheamus down with the Final Cut for two. Punk breaks it up and fires off knees to Show's head.
Show pops back up though and knocks Punk out with the WMD. Sheamus tries to fight Show and spears him into the corner with some shoulders to the ribs. The WMD misses Sheamus and a kind of cross body takes Big Show down. The giant comes right back though, only to miss a Vader Bomb. White Noise puts Big Show down but it only gets two.
Sheamus loads up the Brogue Kick on Show but Orton catches him in the powerslam. A chokeslam puts down both Orton and Sheamus but the one on Sheamus only gets two. The WMD misses Sheamus and the Brogue Kick lays out Big Show. An RKO lays out Sheamus but Punk comes in with a GTS for the pin on Orton at 12:40.
Post match Undertaker comes out to stare down Punk to end the show.
Results
Ryback b. Antonio Cesaro Shell Shock
Mark Henry b. Zack Ryder World's Strongest Slam
The Miz b. Dolph Ziggler Figure Four Leg Lock
Jim Duggan b. Jack Swagger via DQ when Swagger hit Duggan with a 2x4
Brodus Clay/Tensai b. 3MB Rollup to McIntyre
Alberto Del Rio b. Wade Barret Cross Armbreaker
New Age Outlaws b. Epico/Primo Fameasser to Primo
CM Punk b. Big Show, Sheamus and Randy Orton GTS to Orton
Tuesday
Raw got a 3.5, up from last week.
Wednesday
NXT
Date: March 6, 2013
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tony Dawson, William Regal
We're back in Florida for more NXT where the Shield made their presence known again last week, breaking up a #1 contender's match between Conor O'Brian and Corey Graves after presumably attacking Bo Dallas. Other than that we had the Wyatt Family get even stronger than usual by having Bray himself get in the ring for some destruction. Let's get to it.
Here's Commissioner Dusty Rhodes to open things up. He announces the main event for tonight as Graves vs. O'Brian vs. Dallas for the next shot at the title with extra security to keep the Shield from interfering.
Welcome Home.
Adrian Neville/Oliver Grey vs. Judas Devlin/Scott Dawson
Neville and Grey are tag champions but this is non-title. There's no Grey though and Neville doesn't know where he is. He was here earlier but somewhere in between there he disappeared. Neville agrees to fight them on his own and starts against Dawson. A quick arm wringer puts Dawson down and it's off to an armbar. It's off to Judas who is a big tattooed man with long hair. Judas doesn't do much of note before it's back to Dawson.
Devlin comes back in for a chinlock as the numbers game is starting to catch up with Neville. As the hold is on, the Wyatt Family drags Grey out to the stage. Grey is barely conscious and is reaching towards the ring. Neville fights out of the hold but is distracted by Grey, allowing the team to take over again. Dawson puts Adrian on the top but gets knocked down, allowing Neville to hit the corkscrew shooting star press for the pin at 3:21.
Neville checks on his partner post match.
Leo Kruger vs. Yoshi Tatsu
The fans cheer for Yoshi as I'm guessing they meant to go to the Nintendo convention instead of this show. Kruger grabs a headlock to start but gets caught in an atomic drop followed by a second one for good measure. Kruger comes back by sending Yoshi's shoulder into the buckle before cranking on the arm on the mat. Yoshi finally makes a rope and fights up but a shot to the arm stops him cold. Kruger hits a big clothesline and finishes Tatsu with a seated armbar at 2:59. Total squash.
Sasha Banks/Cameron/Naomi vs. Audrey Marie/Alicia Fox/Aksana
Cameron and Naomi dance a lot before the match. Fox and Banks start things off with Sasha taking over with a headscissors. Off to Aksana who has just as much luck as her partner before it's off to Cameron. Oh wait we need a dance break. Back to the wrestling now with Audrey getting in a kick to Cameron's back from the apron to take over. Aksana puts her in the corner and does that crawl of hers, only to get caught by a cross body for two by Cameron.
Back to Fox who gets a quick one count off a northern lights suplex. Off to Audrey now who hooks a body scissors which only lasts for a few seconds before Cameron can tag off to Naomi. Things speed up as Naomi hits a flying clothesline to Audrey and an enziguri for two on Aksana. A leg lariat is enough to pin Audrey at 4:25.
Bo Dallas talks about how his career is skyrocketing right now due to winning the NXT Tournament and beating Wade Barrett on Raw. Bray Wyatt comes up and talks about laying out Dallas a few weeks ago. If Dallas had accepted Wyatt's offer to join the Family, he would have been protected against the Shield last week. Bo says stay away from him because he isn't interested. Wyatt calls him a foolish young man.
Alberto Del Rio will be here next week.
Summer Rae insists on being called the First Lady of NXT and insists on the interviewer introducing her again. Rae talks about putting Paige on the shelf for good and taking away her popularity. If Rebecca, the interviewer, ever introduces her improperly again, she'll be taken out like trash.
Shield reassures us that they're still here to shield us from injustice. The injustice from last week was O'Brian, Dallas and Graves believing they deserved a title shot. Ambrose talks about putting a crack in the foundation of WWE. They've done it on Raw and Smackdown so it's time to do it here on NXT. It should be Rollins getting the title shot, not any of those three.
Corey Graves vs. Conor O'Brian vs. Bo Dallas
The winner gets the title shot at Langston at some point in the future. O'Brian runs over Dallas to start and Graves stomps away. Conor doesn't seem interested in helping him so instead he beats up Corey for a bit. Graves manages to send him to the floor and puts Bo in a chinlock as we take a break. Back with Dallas sending Graves to the floor but as he follows, Conor pops up to clothesline Dallas down. With Conor on the apron, Corey fires some shoulder to his ribs. That gets him nowhere though as O'Brian knocks him away and gets two off a top rope clothesline.
Dallas is back in now but O'Brian keeps full control of the match. Conor wraps his legs around Graves' head for a neck crank, getting two as a result. The attention shifts to Dallas now with O'Brian throwing him into Graves in the corner which gets another two count. Graves gets a boot up in the corner to stagger O'Brian, allowing Dallas and Corey to double team Conor with a double suplex.
The alliance is short lived though as they start fighting each other again, resulting in a belly to back suplex by Bo. Dallas pounds away in the corner but stops when he sees Bray Wyatt on the apron. We take another break and come back with Graves pounding away on both guys. A gordbuster gets two on Bo and there's a half crab for good measure. Conor breaks it up but Graves beats him down as a result. Dallas is sent to the apron but goes up and gets crotched right back down. Corey loads up a superplex but O'Brian pulls him off the ropes and slams him face first into the mat.
Bo hits a quick missile dropkick on Conor for two as Bray is coming closer to the ring. O'Brian is sent face first into the buckle and has Dallas use his body as a springboard for a tornado bulldog on Graves, getting two. A DDT gets two on O'Brian but Graves kicks out Dallas' leg. There's the 13th Step leg lock on Bo but O'Brian comes in and puts Corey in a Koji Clutch to break the hold.
Bo breaks up that hold and is all fired up now. O'Brian is dropkicked to the floor and the belly to belly puts Graves down, but Wyatt pulls Corey to the floor. Bo breaks his concentration and yells at Wyatt, allowing O'Brian to hit him with a full nelson slam for the pin at 12:11 shown of 19:11.
Results
Adrian Neville b. Scott Dawson/Judas Devlin Corkscrew Shooting Star Press to Dawson
Leo Kruger b. Yoshi Tatsu Seated Armbar
Sasha Banks/Cameron/Naomi b. Audrey Marie/Alicia Fox/Aksana Leg lariat to Marie
Conor O'Brian b. Bo Dallas and Corey Graves Full Nelson Slam to Dallas
Thursday
Impact Wrestling
Date: March 7, 2013
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Todd Keneley, Tazz
It's the final show in the Impact Zone before we start full time on the road next week. It's also the final show before Lockdown and Lethal Lockdown between Team TNA and Aces and 8's. Last week Angle unmasked the VP and was shocked at who he saw, but was beaten down before he could say who it was. Odds are we'll have to wait until Sunday to find out who it was. Let's get to it.
We open with an In Memory graphic for Paul Bearer. That's classy.
After the intro recapping the events of last week, Angle walks into the building and says that tonight he's going to tell everyone who was under the mask.
Here's Aries to open the show. He talks about beating Hernandez last week without Bobby Roode's help, proving that being Supermex isn't as good as being the greatest man that ever lived. Then he found Bully Ray and Hardy to give them some words of confidence for their match at Lockdown. They didn't appreciate it though, so right now Aries is calling out Hardy for a match.
Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries
Ask and receive I guess. Aries jumps Hardy during the entrance and we're off fast. A knee drop gets two on the champion as this is non-title I believe. Aries hits a slingshot double ax to the back of Hardy's head for two but Jeff makes his comeback with right hands in the corner of his own. He tries something out of another corner, only to be thrown out to the floor.
Back with Aries in control and walking around a lot. Hardy grabs a quick small package for two but Aries comes back with a dropkick for two of his own. Jeff misses a charge in the corner before Aries goes up and dances ala Hardy. A middle rope splash gets two and Aries is ticked off. Hardy comes back with a rollup for two and the spinning mule kick for two.
The jawbreaker sets up a splash in the corner by the world champion, followed by a middle rope splash of his own for two. The Twist is countered but Hardy sends Aries to the floor. A clothesline off the apron puts Aries down one more time. Back in and a pair of Twists of Fate puts Aries on the mat but here's Matt Morgan of all people with the Carbon Footprint to Hardy for the DQ at 12:25.
Post match Morgan loads up another kick but Bully Ray comes out to stop it.
Sting gives his team a pep talk.
We look at Angle getting beaten down last week again.
Morgan doesn't like Hardy or Ray.
We recap Angle's history with Aces and 8's.
Instead of Angle, here's Wes Brisco to the ring instead. Brisco talks about wanting to be Kurt Angle until he got to meet Angle, which is when he realized how worthless Kurt is. The medal around Angle's neck is so worthless that the Olympics got rid of the sport. He's going to prove that a Brisco is better than an Angle on Sunday. Cue Kurt who says he remembers Brisco coming to ask him question after question like someone who respected him. Tonight Angle is going to reveal who the VP is, but first he's going to beat Brisco up early.
Security breaks it up and D'Lo Brown is in Aces and 8's. He picks up the VP's mask and apparently it was him under the mask last week. Brown says he's here to reclaim some club property because he's the VP. Seriously, I didn't make that up.
Sting vs. D-Von
This is match #1 in a three match series with the winner getting the advantage in Lethal Lockdown. Sting jumps D-Von to start but gets clotheslined down for two. D-Von hooks a neck crank and pounds away in the corner for a bit. The top rope headbutt misses though and the fight heads to the floor. Some fan throws something in Sting's face which looks to be red paint of some kind, allowing D-Von to hit a big boot back in the ring for the pin at 3:18.
Velvet is doing an interview when Gail Kim comes up to annoy her. Kim gets slapped.
The Gut Check judges talk about the match last week. Danny Davis of OVW fame is the newest judge.
Lei'd Tapa is getting the chance for a contract later tonight and Ivelisse is eliminated.
Hernandez/Chavo Guerrero/Velvet Sky vs. Bad Influence/Gail Kim
Hernandez and Kaz start things off with the big man throwing Kaz around with ease. Off to Chavo vs. Daniels as the good guys maintain control. Back to SuperMex with a bearhug on Kaz before Daniels tries to cheat. Hernandez will have none of that though and gets Chavo to help with some double teaming. A headscissors puts Daniels down and he begs off. Gail low bridges Chavo and Daniels gets to take over.
Velvet trips Daniels up right back and Chavo gets control again. Kaz hits Chavo in the back before coming in legally for a neckbreaker, getting two. The slingshot elbow drop gets two more on Chavo and it's off to a chinlock. Now Daniels comes in for a chinlock of his own but Chavo fights up and brings in Velvet. Not the monster Hernandez, but the girl. Good to know.
She spears Gail down as Hernandez runs over Daniels. A missile dropkick puts SuperMex down but Daniels misses a dive onto the floor, hitting his partner in the process. Hernandez does his big dive to take out Bad Influence, but Gail hits Eat Defeat on Sky for the pin at 7:26.
Brown says he can trust Aces and 8's but asks Sting if he can trust the guys he'll be locked in the cage with.
Sting yells at his teammates for Sunday and apparently Magnus and Joe are the other two people in the best of three series tonight.
We go back to Georgia to find AJ Styles again. He throws one of his friends back into their car and shoves the camera away. Nothing is said.
Doc/Garrett Bischoff vs. Magnus/Samoa Joe
Joe and Garrett start things off with Garrett being pounded down like a guy with nowhere near the skill to be in this spot. Off to Magnus but he stops to argue with Joe first. Garrett distracts Magnus, allowing Doc to take over. Off to Garrett again as the fans tell him that he can't wrestle. Doc comes in and pounds away as we hear about AJ coming to Chicago next week.
A double clothesline puts both guys down and it's off to Joe for a suplex and atomic drop. Magnus kicks Doc down and Joe drops a senton backsplash for two. Another clothesline puts Garrett down and it's off to Joe legally. The former champions catch Doc with the snapmare into the top rope elbow from Magnus for the pin at 4:52.
Kenny King says he'll keep the title.
Eric Young says he should get the last spot in the match over Storm. He promises to not be a joke, but for once Sting is smart and picks the former world champion.
It's time for Gut Check for Lei'd Tapa. The fans go INSANE shouting no at her as soon as she comes out. Tapa yells back at the fans and talks about how she could be great in another two years. Danny Davis says no, Bruce Prichard gives a nice speech about Paul Bearer being gone before saying no, and so Tapa gets to cut a quick promo saying she should get a shot. Al Snow is the last judge and after saying he'll miss Uncle Paul, he votes yes because Tapa gets a reaction from the crowd.
Robbie E is ready for Robbie T this Sunday.
James Storm vs. Mr. Anderson
The winner gets the advantage in Lethal Lockdown for his team. A quick hiptoss puts Anderson down but he comes back with a clothesline. Anderson gets two off a whip into the corner before pounding away at James' ribs. Off to an armbar now by Anderson as the announcers debate the BFG Series from last year.
Storm fights out with an atomic drop and a bulldog followed by an enziguri out of the corner. A running neckbreaker puts Anderson down and after escaping a neckbreaker, Storm hits Closing Time. Here are Aces and 8's in full force but here's Team TNA to counter them. Not that it matters though as Anderson grabs the Mic Check for the pin at 3:52.
We run down the Lockdown card.
Here are Bully and Brooke to confront Jeff Hardy before Sunday. Jeff comes to the ring and Ray talks about how he's coming for the title in three days at the biggest TNA show ever. He's proud of Jeff for everything he's done. Jeff says he's been beaten down since he won the title but he's still champion. He knows Ray is going to beat him up on Sunday, but is that going to be enough? Jeff is proud of Ray as well and Ray talks about he's expected greatness his entire career. Ray isn't going to escape on Sunday but he's going to pin Hardy for the title.
This brings out Hulk Hogan on crutches. He talks about how everyone in the back wants to be where Hardy and Ray are before saying this company is about to go on to greatness. We need a leader to get to the future and Hogan is going to be at Lockdown to see who leads us into the future. He says may the best man win.....and here come Aces and 8's. It's a big brawl to end the show as Team TNA runs out for the save.
Results
Jeff Hardy b. Austin Aries via DQ when Matt Morgan interfered
D-Von b. Sting Big Boot
Gail Kim/Bad Influence b. Velvet Sky/Hernandez/Chavo Guerrero Eat Defeat to Sky
Samoa Joe/Magnus b. Garrett Bischoff/Doc Top rope elbow to Doc
Mr. Anderson b. James Storm Mic Check