klunderbunker
Welcome to My (And Not Sly's) House
Monday
Smackdown's total viewers were up 14% over last week. The rating isn't out yet.
Monday Night Raw
Date: October 22, 2012
Location: IZOD Center, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jim Ross
It's the week before HIAC and the main event of Ryback vs. Punk for the title is finally set. There's still a chance Cena will be thrown into the match but I'd really prefer if that wasn't the case. Cena would overshadow Ryback which is one of the last things Ryback needs. The more I think about it, the less likely I think Ryback winning the title is, even though that might be the right move. Let's get to it.
Tag Team Tournament Finals: Rey Mysterio/Sin Cara vs. Rhodes Scholars
We immediately start with this. That's a nice change of pace. Apparently AJ has been called to an emergency meeting with the WWE Board. Well it has only been a month or so since the Board last weighed in so it must be time for that to happen again. Cara and Rhodes start things off but it's quickly off to Rey for some double teaming. It's off to Sandow who gets caught in 619 position but Damien bails to the floor. Cara takes Cody out with a suicide dive as Rey takes out Sandow with the seated senton to the floor.
Cara hits a sweet springboard moonsault for two on Damien but a top rope cross body misses to give the Scholars the advantage. Both Damien and Cody take turns hammering on Cara but an enziguri takes Cody down as we take a break. Back with Cody holding Sin Cara by the arm and slamming him down. A knee drop keeps Cara down and it's off to Sandow. After the windup elbow it's back to Cody who is caught in a tornado DDT.
Hot tag brigns in Rey who spins Cody around a few times and drop toeholds him into the corner for a split legged moonsault for two. A double 619 hits the Scholars and the top rope splash hits Cody, but Sandow dives under the referee's arm. Now that's an innovative way to do it. Cara pulls Damien to the floor but Cody hits the Cross Rhodes on Rey for the pin and the title shot at 11:18.
HELL NO says HELL NO the Scholars won't win the tag titles. Kane pulls Bryan away by the beard and does the corner fire thing.
Kofi Kingston vs. Michael McGillicutty
Non-title here and Miz is on commentary. I wonder if we'll hear about these two being paired on NXT. McGillicutty takes control to start with a headlock as Miz talks about how great he is. It's Miz vs. Ryback tonight apparently. With nothing happening in the match, Kofi kicks Michael's head off for the pin at 2:28. There wasn't much else to say in there, but man is it nice to see them using the huge roster they've got for situations like this instead of having guys that are currently being used job away.
Recap of the end of last week's show.
Some New York Giants are here.
Here's Cena to the usual New York/New Jersey welcome. He talks about how this Sunday isn't a normal show because on Sunday we see change. Change is 6'3 and 291lbs and all it hears in his head is FEED ME MORE. Cue Punk who talks about how the Giants suck but the Giants in San Francisco are awesome. He says that he's the best in the world and the current count is at 337 days.
Punk says he'll retain the title in the Cell but now he changes his focus to Cena. The champ says that Cena has finally realized that he can't beat Punk. Cena says that he wasn't allowed to beat Punk. What does that even mean? Cena is now officially medically cleared and wants to fight Punk right now. Cena takes his shirt off and looks to have lost some muscle mass. Like A LOT of muscle mass. Punk goes to the ring and Heyman says no because he's got Ryback on Sunday. This really made me want to see the Punk vs. Cena match on Sunday. Wait, Cena isn't fighting Punk on Sunday? You could have fooled me.
Antonio Cesaro vs. Justin Gabriel
This was good last week so hopefully it is again here. Cesaro gets the mic before the match and says something in a language other than English. I think he's saying he's the US Champion. Gabriel uses the distraction to dive over the top to take the champ (non-title here) down. Cesaro hits a quick hot shot to take over as JR reminds us that Cesaro says no American can beat him. JR: Well he didn't say anything about a South American. We'll ignore the fact that by the definition of the term, a South American would still be an American and focus on the fact that Gabriel is from South AFRICA, not South America.
Cesaro hooks a cravate before dropping Gabriel onto the buckle to take him down. Gabriel backflips out of the corner and hits a Nightmare on Helm Street for no cover. He loads up the 450 but gets crotched and Cesaro goes up. They slug it out on the top rope with Justin chopping him down. Cesaro charges back with another forearm shot but Justin kicks him in the head. There's the 450 and it gets the pin at 4:40.
Vince is here and has AJ with him.
Vince and AJ are in the ring and apparently the Board has made a decision about AJ's tenure as GM. AJ says that due to allegations of fraternizing with another superstar, she's resigning as GM of Raw. She says the allegations are false and she could have been fired a long time ago, but some people just like crazy chicks. AJ talks about being raised near here and living in her car to being the boss of Raw. She thanks Vince....and here's Heyman.
He says he was unaware of her life story and praises her for rising above everything including being a Jersey girl. Heyman lobbies for the job because someone has to take over immediately. Vince: No. Vince brings out someone who is not the GM but rather the managing supervisor of Raw. So they're the GM. It's Vickie Freaking Guerrero.
Heyman wants Vickie to give Punk the option of who he gets to face at HIAC. She says no and it's Champion vs. Champion tonight. But wait, it's a LUMBERJACK match. Good lord this is making me want to switch over to the debate. Heyman freaks out and Vickie yells at AJ for having an affair. Vickie throws AJ out so AJ goes psycho and attacks her, sending Vickie running away.
While we're on a commercial, let me make this clear: I get that Vickie gets a lot of boos because of her catchphrase and she draws a good bit of heat. She's a good choice as heel GM. That being said, I don't want a GM. We flat out do not need one, or at least we don't need one on TV five times a week making the same matches we get every week. You could save so much time by just having Cole say I'm getting word from our GM that the main event tonight is so and so. It saves time and you've got a match made. Freaking tweet it if nothing else. I can't stand the GM concept and there's no need for it to exist anymore.
Oh and anyone that says this is different than a GM or wants to correct me that it's a managing supervisor or whatever it is, kindly shut up. It's the same thing.
Ryback vs. The Miz
Miz looks worried about getting in the ring. Ryback finally pulls Miz into the ring and the beating begins. A big boot puts Miz down but he avoids the clothesline. Ryback hits the Vader body attack, a spinebuster, the clothesline and the Shell Shock ends this at 2:30.
Be A Star!
Eve is on the phone and lists off everyone AJ has been involved with. Kaitlyn comes up and accuses Eve being behind her attack at NOC. Kaitlyn shows her the picture of Eve's iPad she took on Smackdown which freaks Eve out. Eve slaps the tar out of Kaitlyn's mouth and they brawl until Layla comes in to break it up, then gets involved as well.
Sheamus is looking forward to the matches tonight and Sunday. Show comes in and hits Sheamus' Brawling Buddy (a talking doll just like the old Wrestling Buddies. Those things were AWESOME!). This was nothing, as usual.
Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler
They go back and forth to start as I wonder which guy they seemingly want to push is going to lose here tonight. Ziggler tries to speed things up to start but gets caught in a leg trip and a surfboard with a handful of face by Bryan. Well that's certainly effective. Bryan gets kicked into the corner but he rolls to the mat, and in something I've never seen before, puts on a Figure Four from his back. That was awesome.
Ziggler grabs a rope and heads to the apron where he suplexes Bryan to the floor. Daniel is holding his knee...and here's Kane to look after his little buddy. We take a break and come back with Bryan speeding things up and moonsaulting out of the corner before hitting a corner dropkick for two. The NO Lock is escaped and a DDT gets two for Dolph. Vickie apparently has a surprise for HELL NO. Ziggler misses a charge in the corner and some part of him hits something hard with a THUD. There's a suicide dive by Bryan and we head back inside.
Bryan goes up top but Ziggler runs the corner and brings him down with an X-Factor off the top for two. This is getting awesome in a hurry. Bryan comes back with a HARD NO Kick to the face. Kane tries to get the crowd to chant YES but Bryan hates it, allowing Ziggler to hit the Zig Zag out of the corner for the pin at 14:00.
Bryan and Kane argue but Striker comes out and says Vickie has announced a game show for them tonight, which is apparently similar to the Newlywed Game. They'll be playing the Scholars in it after the break. Before the game though, let's recap the AJ/Vickie stuff from earlier.
It's time for the game which is apparently called the Newly Tagged Game. Both champions introduce themselves with Bryan getting madder and madder with everything he says. Kane says he's a Scorpio, he enjoys long walks on the beach, rainbows and puppies. Striker: Is that true? Kane: HELL NO! They argue again and here are the Scholars.
Sandow thinks this is stupid and won't play. Cody agrees (What he said) and HELL NO wins by forfeit. Bryan goes nuts in celebration but Kane stands up, turns over his chair, and chases Striker off. Striker says he doesn't wish the champs luck Sunday....and he backs into Big Show who throws him across the stage. I seem to remember hearing about Striker having some heat on him and there may be some truth to that.
Big Show vs. Kane
Joined in progress after a break with Show in control and things going slowly. A chop in the corner misses and Kane fires off some clotheslines to stagger Show. There's a spear to put Kane down and Show headbutts him a few times. An elbow drop gets two and it's off to a bearhug. Kane can't slam him as this continues to go slowly. A running DDT gets two for Kane as does the top rope clothesline. The Scholars come out and the distraction lets Show KO Kane for the pin at 5:38.
The Scholars beat up the champs post match.
Santino is talking to AJ when Cena comes up. He says if AJ needs anything, let him know. AJ is mad about the affair allegation. Cena offers to go find who it was and hear them out. AJ says it was Cena and she resigned to not drag Cena into it. Apparently they had a business dinner. AJ thinks Vickie is behind this somehow. Cena promises to take care of this and hugs her.
Post break Cena goes to see Vince and asks about Vickie and the whole AJ deal. Vince says not now but Cena wants an answer. Vince says there was incriminating evidence. AJ was on probation so it was just a matter of time anyway. Vince says Vickie is an interim thing and She's a managing supervisor. I don't even know what that means. At least they're admitting it now.
Alberto Del Rio vs. Zack Ryder
Picture a squash with an upper midcarder against a jobber to the stars. It ends with the armbreaker in 2:45. The only different move than you would expect here is a superkick from Alberto. Fill in the details yourself.
Post match the hold goes on again and Alberto shouting TAP RANDY TAP!
Cena comes in to see Vickie, she says respect me, Cena says it's nothing, Vickie says Cena asked her out and they went to dinner so it's Cena's fault AJ is fired. Holy sweet merciful Christmas WHO DO THEY THINK CARES ABOUT THIS???
Ziggler says AJ deserved to be fired. Cena is to be blamed for all this.
Video on Ryback.
Punk is watching the video and Heyman says don't let it get to you. It gets to Punk.
Sheamus vs. CM Punk
This is the LARGEST lumberjack match in history. Picture any lumberjack match you've ever seen. This is even more worthless than any of those you've see before. Both guys are sent to the floor early and only Punk is thrown back in by the lumberjacks. Punk gets taken down as the crowd is silent. Given the show they've sat through, I can't say I blame them. Punk gets clotheslined to the floor and nothing happens.
A backbreaker gets two for Sheamus and there are some forearms to the chest, but Punk guillotines him down. A top rope clothesline gets two for Punk before Sheamus is sent to the floor and stomped. We take a break and come back with Punk working on the arm. Punk goes up top for a pair of ax handles but the third is blocked by a shot to the ribs. Punk comes back and in a great heel move, Punk goes up for the Macho Elbow but when it gets a face pop, he hops down and drops a regular one.
Off to a chinlock again but Sheamus fights up and hits the ax handles to take over. There's the Regal Roll and Punk goes to the apron for his ten forearms. A suplex gets two for Sheamus but Punk comes back with a kick to the face that didn't appear to hit at all. Punk charges into White Noise but Punk rolls through. The Cloverleaf is countered as well and there's the running knee in the corner for two.
Sheamus superplexes him down for two but the Irish Curse is broken up. GTS is countered but Sheamus is sent face first into the middle buckle for two. That's the exact same finish (other than the buckle not being exposed) from their match at Main Event. Nice touch. The Macho Elbow misses and there's the Irish Curse for two. The Cloverleaf is broken up again and Sheamus is sent to the floor one more time. Back in Sheamus hits White Noise but Cesaro comes in and takes the Brogue Kick. Show chokeslams Sheamus but somehow isn't seen, giving Punk the pin at 18:13.
Ryback immediately comes out and destroys Punk with power moves. Punk keeps trying to run but the lumberjacks keep stopping him. Ryback throws Punk at the lumberjacks and Punk gets in the fetal position to end the show.
Results
Rhodes Scholars b. Sin Cara/Rey Mysterio Cross Rhodes to Mysterio
Kofi Kingston b. Michael McGillicutty Trouble in Paradise
Justin Gabriel b. Antonio Cesaro 450 Splash
Ryback b. The Miz Shell Shock
Dolph Ziggler b. Daniel Bryan Zig Zag
Big Show b. Kane WMD
Albeto Del Rio b. Zack Ryder Cross Armbreaker
CM Punk b. Sheamus Pin after a chokeslam from Big Show
Tuesday
Raw got a 2.48, the lowest non-holiday rating in over 15 years.
Wednesday
NXT
Date: October 24, 2012
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tony Luftman, William Regal
Back to NXT again and it's still the same feuds we've had for the last few weeks if not months. They need to add in some new ones soon because this is starting to wear a bit thin. The feuds aren't to the point yet where they're stale or anything, but they're inching towards that being the case. Hopefully things can be adjusted tonight. Let's get to it.
Earlier today Heath Slater came in to see Dusty Rhodes. Slater wants a title shot against Rollins but Big Dust says you have to earn the shot. Vickie comes in to interrupt. Oh sweet goodness she's on THIS SHOW TOO??? She wants to recruit Slater but Dusty says that Slater can have a title shot if he wins tonight. I have no idea why Vickie was here at all.
Theme song.
Brodus Clay vs. Camacho
Brodus gets the full entrance here and has his old hat because his burial hasn't happened in NXT time yet. There's a new commentator with Regal now and he's got a good voice. The ring announcer sounds like Matt Striker. Brodus shoves him down and dances a bit before suplexing Camacho down.
Brodus punches away a few times in the corner but gets his knee taken out. A dropkick puts Clay down and it's off to a nerve hold. Clay fights up but gets caught in a Samoan Drop. Camacho heads to the floor and glares at the Funkadactyls which gets him nowhere. Back in and Camacho jumps into the headbutt followed by the suplex and splash for the pin at 3:53.
Kassius Ohno vs. Trent Barreta
Trent takes him down and cranks on the arm as things speed up. A fast rollup gets two on Ohno and things stay fast. Ohno throws him to the mat and hits an elbow in the corner, only to have Trent clothesline him out to the floor. A BIG dive takes Ohno out but as they get back up Kassius sends him into the apron to take over again. A knee to the back of the head gets two and it's off to the cravate.
After the hold is cranked on for a bit, Ohno kicks him in the head and puts the hold right back on. Riveting stuff. We actually hear the name Misawa on WWE TV as Regal talks about Ohno revering Misawa in Japan. Trent comes back with a slap to the face for two and sends Kassius to the corner.
Barreta charges at the ropes and jumps onto the middle one, launching himself sideways into an elbow in the corner. I'm not sure what was supposed to happen as the elbow looked like it hit but Ohno was fine and Trent went down. Maybe Trent hit his head? Anyway, Ohno pounds away some more but here's Richie Steamboat with a towel. He throws it into Ohno's face, allowing Trent to hit his running knee to the face for the pin at 6:50.
Layla/Alicia Fox vs. Audrey Marie/Paige
Alicia vs. Paige gets us going and Paige hits a quick dropkick. Alicia hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two and a double tag brings in Layla vs. Audrey, who is looking quite good in white here. After Layla dances a bit, she takes Audrey down with a rollup for two. Layla hits a quick kick to the face for two and a kick to the head gets two as well. Regal points out how rare it is to see two British women wrestling in WWE.
Back to Alicia who hits a northern lights suplex for two but Audrey grabs a quick rollup. The kickout sends her into the corner for the tag to Paige in a nice spot. Paige comes charging at the freshly tagged in Layla who clotheslines her down for no cover. Paige picks Layla up for that fisherman's DDT of hers but Audrey tags herself in. Paige and Audrey get in an argument and Layla rolls Audrey up for the pin at 5:03.
Video on the tour of Egypt.
Bronson vs. Lincoln Brodrick
Bronson is a guy in a hoodie who resembles Boris Zhukov and/or Ivan Koloff. Brodrick (that's how it's spelled in the graphic) is a musclehead who looks familiar but I can't place him. Ah apparently he wrestled under the name Marcus Anthony (his real name and a great wrestling name) in OVW for awhile.
Bronson immediately puts on a front facelock and takes Lincoln to the mat. A hard clothesline takes Lincoln down and a leg trip does the same before it's off to a freaky looking leg lock to make Lincoln tap at 1:08. The best way I can describe the hold is like a Figure Four but with Bronson's legs sticking up instead of going down under Lincoln. Bronson looked awesome here.
Ohno throws a fit in the back.
Here's Antonio Cesaro with something to say. He says that he's the champion of everyone here because he's the champion of all America. Cesaro asks us to stand for the national anthem but most people don't seem interested. Instead here's Tyson Kidd to interrupt him. Tyson makes fun of Cesaro's man purse (Cesaro: IT'S NOT A PURSE!!!) and says he wants a title shot right here. Cesaro goes off in some other language, but Kidd says he's got something universal. He slaps Cesaro and the champion bails to the floor.
Heath Slater vs. Seth Rollins
Non-title here and Vickie is managing Slater, presumably as a tryout. I'm assume this is from before the 3MB. JR has replaced that Tony guy on commentary. Slater shoulderblocks him down to start and a headlock takeover does the same. Rollins comes back with a chop and Slater bails to the ropes. Rollins works over the arm and while holding a wristlock, plays air guitar with it in a funny bit.
Slater heads to the floor and slows things down a bit. A baseball slide puts Slater on his back in the aisle and Vickie yells at Heath to win. We take a break and come back with both guys hitting cross bodies at the same time back in the ring. They slug it out for some boo/yay time from the audience before Rollins takes over with a dropkick.
An enziguri from the apron staggers Slater and Heath is backdropped to the floor. There's a suicide dive to take Slater out and Heath is reeling. Back in a springboard I think knee to Slater's head gets two but Rollins walks into that falling Cutter for two for Heath. Rollins kicks Heath in the head and hits a standing Sliced Bread #2 for the pin at 6:46 shown of 7:16.
Results
Brodus Clay b. Camacho Splash
Trent Barreta b. Kassius Ohno Running Knee to the Face
Layla/Alicia Fox b. Paige/Audrey Marie Rollup to Marie
Bronson b. Lincoln Brodrick Inverted Figure Four
Seth Rollins b. Heath Slater Standing Sliced Bread #2
Thursday
Impact Wrestling
Date: October 25, 2012
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Jeremy Borash, Todd Kenely, Mike Tenay, Taz
It's Championship Night or whatever the latest gimmick show these guys have going on is called. I'm not a big fan of having I think three title matches less than two weeks after BFG, but since the shows themselves aren't worth watching, they need a gimmick to draw in fans. There's a world title match tonight with an opponent for Hardy to be announced. Let's get to it.
We open with Hogan and Hardy in the back. Hogan is picking Hardy's first challenger tonight and Hardy is ready for anyone. Hardy leaves and we get a really stupid voiceover from Hardy, talking about all of his potential opponents. He doesn't care who he faces here.
X-Division Title: Rob Van Dam vs. Zema Ion
We've got split announcers tonight, with Kenely (not sure who he is) and JB doing the first hour and the usual boys doing the second. Ion tries a quick rollup for two but it's a standoff. Rob gets a gorilla press of all thigns and a pair of moonsaults for two. Ion heads to the floor and Rob is sent into the barricade when he follows. Ion charges into a kick in the ring but Rob misses a dive to the floor. Zema hits a flip dive over the top to take the champ out. Back in and Ion misses a majorly flippy dive so Rob kicks him in the face and hits Rolling Thunder for no cover. The Five Star retains the title at 4:33.
As Van Dam celebrates, Matt Morgan takes his head off with the Carbon Footprint. Joey Ryan has the X Title and poses with it. Morgan says this is what Hogan wanted.
Austin Aries is listening to the people trying to get the title match. The options are Angle, Anderson, Storm and Ray. Aries gets a shot anyway so he doesn't care. We get some good jabs at Hogan's acting and Aries says he's going to use these guys for his personal amusement once they're eliminated.
Here are Daniels and Kaz who don't like the lack of tricks they've been getting for all the tricks they've been through. Daniels was left alone last week because Hogan screwed with Kaz's travel. Kaz thinks the new champions are here in this country illegally. Daniels takes the mic from him and says that it's not really Championship Thursday is it Suburban Commando? It's a crime that everyone else is getting a shot but not them.
Daniels accuses Dixie of pandering to a Latino audience and says they should wear sombreros and drink tequila. Maybe they should call themselves Dos Stereotipicos. Daniels has a petition to get another title match. Well that's better than the auto rematch clause. Cue the champions who say they'll help with the petition. Hernandez has his title wrapped a chain around his neck. The brawl is on and the champs clear the ring in about a second. I think we have a rematch made. Kaz: GIVE ME THAT CLIPBOARD BACK! THAT'S AN EXPENSIVE PEN!
Hogan eliminates Anderson for nothing having enough fire. Aries tries to interview him. Was it not taking enough vitamins? Not saying enough BROTHERS? Aries says Anderson would be an easy opponent than him and throws a drink in Anderson's face. The fight is on and Aries is down off a WICKED PAPER POSTER SHOT TO THE HEAD! A match is made and Anderson laughs. Then, to further the stupidity, we hear the director yell CUT. I mean.....really?
D-Von is with Aces and 8's. The President has said no masks can come off. There are some women here to entertain them apparently, but first they have to take someone out. A member throws a dart at a bunch of pictures of wrestlers but we don't see who it hit.
TV Title: Robbie T vs. Samoa Joe
Geez enough with the Robs getting title shots! Joe pounds away in the corner to start but T comes back with a spin kick to take him down. Joe puts on the Clutch and after a meaningless Robbie E distraction, Joe puts the hold on again while jumping on T's back. Terry falls back on him but in an AWESOME moment, Joe sits up and with an INSANE look on his face, puts the hold back on and gets the tap at 2:28. Look up that ending. It looked great.
We recap Tara taking the title from Tessmacher along with Jesse from Big Brother. Did I mention I can't stand reality TV?
Back to Hogan's office and Ray apparently isn't focused enough. He's going to find D-Von and take care of him, basically eliminating himself.
Anderson yells at a guy in a headset and apparently it's Anderson vs. Aries next. I know this because the announcer said it's Anderson vs. Aries next.
Mr. Anderson vs. Austin Aries
They start immediately and Anderson yells mean things at Austin. Anderson takes his shirt off as Aries chills on the floor. A fireman's carry goes nowhere and things slow down. Aries puts brass knuckles in Anderson's tights but the referee takes them away. That was kind of odd. The fans chant cheater and Anderson pounds him into the corner again. Anderson gets sent to the floor and there's the suicide dive as we take a break.
Back with Aries still in control but the fans are cheering for the cheater now. Anderson tries to fight back with some elbows and a clothesline that spins Aries inside out. Anderson's spinning neckbreaker takes Aries down but the Regal Roll is countered again. The double rotation kick sends Aries to the floor and Anderson adds a plancha.
The fireman's carry is loaded up again but Aries takes out the referee. Aries steals the knuckles from Aries and Anderson gets them. The referee takes them away and Aries knocks him cold with another pair. Aries pulls Anderson on top of him to feign a pin attempt before putting on the Last Chancery for the pin at 11:49.
Brooke and Tara/Jesse do their usual stuff. Brooke tells Jesse that ODB has an eye on him. Isn't ODB married?
Tenay and Taz take over in what is supposed to be a big deal I think. We recap the show up to this point.
Knockouts Title: Miss Tessmacher vs. Tara
Tara is defending and gets jumped before she can get in the ring. After more of a beating, a Jesse distraction lets Tara take over with some cheap shots. Tara slams Tessmacher's face into the mat a few times but stops for a kiss. From Jesse unfortunately. More kissing occurs and Tara misses her slingshot somersault legdrop. Tessmacher comes back and hits her Stinkface before hitting an X Factor out of the corner. Tara grabs Terrell and Jesse lowbridges Tessmacher. Widow's Peak retains the title at 3:57.
Post match more making out occurs until Brooke comes out to shake her head. Apparently ODB is calling out Jesse next week on Open Fight Night.
Joseph Park goes in to talk to Hogan about fighting Aces and 8's. Hogan says Park has had one match (he's had two) and also he's worried about Park's liability. Park has a piece of paper. Hogan: What's that? Park: It's a piece of paper. He goes on to say it's a letter of indemnification which means if he gets hurt fighting Aces and 8's, it's no one's fault but Park's and there's no legal responsibility for anyone else.
Here's Ray who again thanks Sting for letting him be his partner. Not much shocks Ray anymore, but the D-Von reveal did. Ray wants an explanation from D-Von but gets the whole group instead. They get in the ring and D-Von says they're not friends or a team or anything anymore. D-Von says this has nothing to do with Ray anymore and it's all about Hogan. Apparently this is because Hogan said that he wanted D-Von re-signed to the company, but Hogan and Dixie never called. In other words, if you don't follow TNA online and follow Hogan on Twitter, this whole story makes VERY little sense.
D-Von says it's over but Ray says it's over when he says it's over. Ray says D-Von is lying and he talks about the Guns coming back from 3D like two years ago and how they should have retired as champions. Years ago D-Von said they're rich so screw the fans. D-Von says yeah he said it, so Ray wants to fight one on one right now. D-Von says it's on his time but Ray says he'll call him out next week on Open Fight Night.
Ryan says he wants the X Title and Morgan says Hogan started this.
It's also Gut Check next week. The wrestler is Christian York. He wrestled on the first TNA show and in ECW.
Hogan says he's got something big planned for Storm in the future but tonight Angle has the title shot.
TNA World Title: Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy
Jeff has two belts here: the vanity belt around his waist and the real one over his shoulder. We get some big match intros and we're ready to go. Jeff takes him down with an armbar followed by the slingshot dropkick in the corner. Jeff goes to the corner but gets shoved out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Hardy escaping a chinlock and they clothesline each other.
Hardy starts speeding things up and kicks Angle to the floor. There's a big clothesline off the apron and back inside for Whisper in the Wind for two. Angle comes back with Rolling Germans for two. The Slam is countered into the Twisting Stunner for no cover. Hardy goes up for the Swanton but Angle throws him off the top for two. Angle busts out a powerbomb for two and puts on a quick ankle lock, but Jeff kicks him off. The same kick puts Angle down but the Swanton misses.
The Angle Slam gets two so Jeff hits two straight Twists and the Swanton for just two. Jeff charges at Kurt and gets backdropped to the floor. Angle is spitting up blood. There go the straps as Hardy is thrown back in. Another Slam is countered into a rollup for the pin at 14:29 to keep the belt on Hardy.
Post match Aries jumps Hardy and says the rematch is at Turning Point. Aries is so confident he'll win that he takes the belt with him. The original, not the stupid one.
We cut to the back to see Angle getting destroyed by Aces and 8's to end the show.
Results
Rob Van Dam b. Zema Ion Five Star Frog Splash
Samoa Joe b. Robbie T Koquina Clutch
Austin Aries b. Mr. Anderson Last Chancery
Tara b. Miss Tessmacher Widow's Peak
Jeff Hardy b. Kurt Angle Swanton Bomb
Smackdown's total viewers were up 14% over last week. The rating isn't out yet.
Monday Night Raw
Date: October 22, 2012
Location: IZOD Center, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jim Ross
It's the week before HIAC and the main event of Ryback vs. Punk for the title is finally set. There's still a chance Cena will be thrown into the match but I'd really prefer if that wasn't the case. Cena would overshadow Ryback which is one of the last things Ryback needs. The more I think about it, the less likely I think Ryback winning the title is, even though that might be the right move. Let's get to it.
Tag Team Tournament Finals: Rey Mysterio/Sin Cara vs. Rhodes Scholars
We immediately start with this. That's a nice change of pace. Apparently AJ has been called to an emergency meeting with the WWE Board. Well it has only been a month or so since the Board last weighed in so it must be time for that to happen again. Cara and Rhodes start things off but it's quickly off to Rey for some double teaming. It's off to Sandow who gets caught in 619 position but Damien bails to the floor. Cara takes Cody out with a suicide dive as Rey takes out Sandow with the seated senton to the floor.
Cara hits a sweet springboard moonsault for two on Damien but a top rope cross body misses to give the Scholars the advantage. Both Damien and Cody take turns hammering on Cara but an enziguri takes Cody down as we take a break. Back with Cody holding Sin Cara by the arm and slamming him down. A knee drop keeps Cara down and it's off to Sandow. After the windup elbow it's back to Cody who is caught in a tornado DDT.
Hot tag brigns in Rey who spins Cody around a few times and drop toeholds him into the corner for a split legged moonsault for two. A double 619 hits the Scholars and the top rope splash hits Cody, but Sandow dives under the referee's arm. Now that's an innovative way to do it. Cara pulls Damien to the floor but Cody hits the Cross Rhodes on Rey for the pin and the title shot at 11:18.
HELL NO says HELL NO the Scholars won't win the tag titles. Kane pulls Bryan away by the beard and does the corner fire thing.
Kofi Kingston vs. Michael McGillicutty
Non-title here and Miz is on commentary. I wonder if we'll hear about these two being paired on NXT. McGillicutty takes control to start with a headlock as Miz talks about how great he is. It's Miz vs. Ryback tonight apparently. With nothing happening in the match, Kofi kicks Michael's head off for the pin at 2:28. There wasn't much else to say in there, but man is it nice to see them using the huge roster they've got for situations like this instead of having guys that are currently being used job away.
Recap of the end of last week's show.
Some New York Giants are here.
Here's Cena to the usual New York/New Jersey welcome. He talks about how this Sunday isn't a normal show because on Sunday we see change. Change is 6'3 and 291lbs and all it hears in his head is FEED ME MORE. Cue Punk who talks about how the Giants suck but the Giants in San Francisco are awesome. He says that he's the best in the world and the current count is at 337 days.
Punk says he'll retain the title in the Cell but now he changes his focus to Cena. The champ says that Cena has finally realized that he can't beat Punk. Cena says that he wasn't allowed to beat Punk. What does that even mean? Cena is now officially medically cleared and wants to fight Punk right now. Cena takes his shirt off and looks to have lost some muscle mass. Like A LOT of muscle mass. Punk goes to the ring and Heyman says no because he's got Ryback on Sunday. This really made me want to see the Punk vs. Cena match on Sunday. Wait, Cena isn't fighting Punk on Sunday? You could have fooled me.
Antonio Cesaro vs. Justin Gabriel
This was good last week so hopefully it is again here. Cesaro gets the mic before the match and says something in a language other than English. I think he's saying he's the US Champion. Gabriel uses the distraction to dive over the top to take the champ (non-title here) down. Cesaro hits a quick hot shot to take over as JR reminds us that Cesaro says no American can beat him. JR: Well he didn't say anything about a South American. We'll ignore the fact that by the definition of the term, a South American would still be an American and focus on the fact that Gabriel is from South AFRICA, not South America.
Cesaro hooks a cravate before dropping Gabriel onto the buckle to take him down. Gabriel backflips out of the corner and hits a Nightmare on Helm Street for no cover. He loads up the 450 but gets crotched and Cesaro goes up. They slug it out on the top rope with Justin chopping him down. Cesaro charges back with another forearm shot but Justin kicks him in the head. There's the 450 and it gets the pin at 4:40.
Vince is here and has AJ with him.
Vince and AJ are in the ring and apparently the Board has made a decision about AJ's tenure as GM. AJ says that due to allegations of fraternizing with another superstar, she's resigning as GM of Raw. She says the allegations are false and she could have been fired a long time ago, but some people just like crazy chicks. AJ talks about being raised near here and living in her car to being the boss of Raw. She thanks Vince....and here's Heyman.
He says he was unaware of her life story and praises her for rising above everything including being a Jersey girl. Heyman lobbies for the job because someone has to take over immediately. Vince: No. Vince brings out someone who is not the GM but rather the managing supervisor of Raw. So they're the GM. It's Vickie Freaking Guerrero.
Heyman wants Vickie to give Punk the option of who he gets to face at HIAC. She says no and it's Champion vs. Champion tonight. But wait, it's a LUMBERJACK match. Good lord this is making me want to switch over to the debate. Heyman freaks out and Vickie yells at AJ for having an affair. Vickie throws AJ out so AJ goes psycho and attacks her, sending Vickie running away.
While we're on a commercial, let me make this clear: I get that Vickie gets a lot of boos because of her catchphrase and she draws a good bit of heat. She's a good choice as heel GM. That being said, I don't want a GM. We flat out do not need one, or at least we don't need one on TV five times a week making the same matches we get every week. You could save so much time by just having Cole say I'm getting word from our GM that the main event tonight is so and so. It saves time and you've got a match made. Freaking tweet it if nothing else. I can't stand the GM concept and there's no need for it to exist anymore.
Oh and anyone that says this is different than a GM or wants to correct me that it's a managing supervisor or whatever it is, kindly shut up. It's the same thing.
Ryback vs. The Miz
Miz looks worried about getting in the ring. Ryback finally pulls Miz into the ring and the beating begins. A big boot puts Miz down but he avoids the clothesline. Ryback hits the Vader body attack, a spinebuster, the clothesline and the Shell Shock ends this at 2:30.
Be A Star!
Eve is on the phone and lists off everyone AJ has been involved with. Kaitlyn comes up and accuses Eve being behind her attack at NOC. Kaitlyn shows her the picture of Eve's iPad she took on Smackdown which freaks Eve out. Eve slaps the tar out of Kaitlyn's mouth and they brawl until Layla comes in to break it up, then gets involved as well.
Sheamus is looking forward to the matches tonight and Sunday. Show comes in and hits Sheamus' Brawling Buddy (a talking doll just like the old Wrestling Buddies. Those things were AWESOME!). This was nothing, as usual.
Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler
They go back and forth to start as I wonder which guy they seemingly want to push is going to lose here tonight. Ziggler tries to speed things up to start but gets caught in a leg trip and a surfboard with a handful of face by Bryan. Well that's certainly effective. Bryan gets kicked into the corner but he rolls to the mat, and in something I've never seen before, puts on a Figure Four from his back. That was awesome.
Ziggler grabs a rope and heads to the apron where he suplexes Bryan to the floor. Daniel is holding his knee...and here's Kane to look after his little buddy. We take a break and come back with Bryan speeding things up and moonsaulting out of the corner before hitting a corner dropkick for two. The NO Lock is escaped and a DDT gets two for Dolph. Vickie apparently has a surprise for HELL NO. Ziggler misses a charge in the corner and some part of him hits something hard with a THUD. There's a suicide dive by Bryan and we head back inside.
Bryan goes up top but Ziggler runs the corner and brings him down with an X-Factor off the top for two. This is getting awesome in a hurry. Bryan comes back with a HARD NO Kick to the face. Kane tries to get the crowd to chant YES but Bryan hates it, allowing Ziggler to hit the Zig Zag out of the corner for the pin at 14:00.
Bryan and Kane argue but Striker comes out and says Vickie has announced a game show for them tonight, which is apparently similar to the Newlywed Game. They'll be playing the Scholars in it after the break. Before the game though, let's recap the AJ/Vickie stuff from earlier.
It's time for the game which is apparently called the Newly Tagged Game. Both champions introduce themselves with Bryan getting madder and madder with everything he says. Kane says he's a Scorpio, he enjoys long walks on the beach, rainbows and puppies. Striker: Is that true? Kane: HELL NO! They argue again and here are the Scholars.
Sandow thinks this is stupid and won't play. Cody agrees (What he said) and HELL NO wins by forfeit. Bryan goes nuts in celebration but Kane stands up, turns over his chair, and chases Striker off. Striker says he doesn't wish the champs luck Sunday....and he backs into Big Show who throws him across the stage. I seem to remember hearing about Striker having some heat on him and there may be some truth to that.
Big Show vs. Kane
Joined in progress after a break with Show in control and things going slowly. A chop in the corner misses and Kane fires off some clotheslines to stagger Show. There's a spear to put Kane down and Show headbutts him a few times. An elbow drop gets two and it's off to a bearhug. Kane can't slam him as this continues to go slowly. A running DDT gets two for Kane as does the top rope clothesline. The Scholars come out and the distraction lets Show KO Kane for the pin at 5:38.
The Scholars beat up the champs post match.
Santino is talking to AJ when Cena comes up. He says if AJ needs anything, let him know. AJ is mad about the affair allegation. Cena offers to go find who it was and hear them out. AJ says it was Cena and she resigned to not drag Cena into it. Apparently they had a business dinner. AJ thinks Vickie is behind this somehow. Cena promises to take care of this and hugs her.
Post break Cena goes to see Vince and asks about Vickie and the whole AJ deal. Vince says not now but Cena wants an answer. Vince says there was incriminating evidence. AJ was on probation so it was just a matter of time anyway. Vince says Vickie is an interim thing and She's a managing supervisor. I don't even know what that means. At least they're admitting it now.
Alberto Del Rio vs. Zack Ryder
Picture a squash with an upper midcarder against a jobber to the stars. It ends with the armbreaker in 2:45. The only different move than you would expect here is a superkick from Alberto. Fill in the details yourself.
Post match the hold goes on again and Alberto shouting TAP RANDY TAP!
Cena comes in to see Vickie, she says respect me, Cena says it's nothing, Vickie says Cena asked her out and they went to dinner so it's Cena's fault AJ is fired. Holy sweet merciful Christmas WHO DO THEY THINK CARES ABOUT THIS???
Ziggler says AJ deserved to be fired. Cena is to be blamed for all this.
Video on Ryback.
Punk is watching the video and Heyman says don't let it get to you. It gets to Punk.
Sheamus vs. CM Punk
This is the LARGEST lumberjack match in history. Picture any lumberjack match you've ever seen. This is even more worthless than any of those you've see before. Both guys are sent to the floor early and only Punk is thrown back in by the lumberjacks. Punk gets taken down as the crowd is silent. Given the show they've sat through, I can't say I blame them. Punk gets clotheslined to the floor and nothing happens.
A backbreaker gets two for Sheamus and there are some forearms to the chest, but Punk guillotines him down. A top rope clothesline gets two for Punk before Sheamus is sent to the floor and stomped. We take a break and come back with Punk working on the arm. Punk goes up top for a pair of ax handles but the third is blocked by a shot to the ribs. Punk comes back and in a great heel move, Punk goes up for the Macho Elbow but when it gets a face pop, he hops down and drops a regular one.
Off to a chinlock again but Sheamus fights up and hits the ax handles to take over. There's the Regal Roll and Punk goes to the apron for his ten forearms. A suplex gets two for Sheamus but Punk comes back with a kick to the face that didn't appear to hit at all. Punk charges into White Noise but Punk rolls through. The Cloverleaf is countered as well and there's the running knee in the corner for two.
Sheamus superplexes him down for two but the Irish Curse is broken up. GTS is countered but Sheamus is sent face first into the middle buckle for two. That's the exact same finish (other than the buckle not being exposed) from their match at Main Event. Nice touch. The Macho Elbow misses and there's the Irish Curse for two. The Cloverleaf is broken up again and Sheamus is sent to the floor one more time. Back in Sheamus hits White Noise but Cesaro comes in and takes the Brogue Kick. Show chokeslams Sheamus but somehow isn't seen, giving Punk the pin at 18:13.
Ryback immediately comes out and destroys Punk with power moves. Punk keeps trying to run but the lumberjacks keep stopping him. Ryback throws Punk at the lumberjacks and Punk gets in the fetal position to end the show.
Results
Rhodes Scholars b. Sin Cara/Rey Mysterio Cross Rhodes to Mysterio
Kofi Kingston b. Michael McGillicutty Trouble in Paradise
Justin Gabriel b. Antonio Cesaro 450 Splash
Ryback b. The Miz Shell Shock
Dolph Ziggler b. Daniel Bryan Zig Zag
Big Show b. Kane WMD
Albeto Del Rio b. Zack Ryder Cross Armbreaker
CM Punk b. Sheamus Pin after a chokeslam from Big Show
Tuesday
Raw got a 2.48, the lowest non-holiday rating in over 15 years.
Wednesday
NXT
Date: October 24, 2012
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tony Luftman, William Regal
Back to NXT again and it's still the same feuds we've had for the last few weeks if not months. They need to add in some new ones soon because this is starting to wear a bit thin. The feuds aren't to the point yet where they're stale or anything, but they're inching towards that being the case. Hopefully things can be adjusted tonight. Let's get to it.
Earlier today Heath Slater came in to see Dusty Rhodes. Slater wants a title shot against Rollins but Big Dust says you have to earn the shot. Vickie comes in to interrupt. Oh sweet goodness she's on THIS SHOW TOO??? She wants to recruit Slater but Dusty says that Slater can have a title shot if he wins tonight. I have no idea why Vickie was here at all.
Theme song.
Brodus Clay vs. Camacho
Brodus gets the full entrance here and has his old hat because his burial hasn't happened in NXT time yet. There's a new commentator with Regal now and he's got a good voice. The ring announcer sounds like Matt Striker. Brodus shoves him down and dances a bit before suplexing Camacho down.
Brodus punches away a few times in the corner but gets his knee taken out. A dropkick puts Clay down and it's off to a nerve hold. Clay fights up but gets caught in a Samoan Drop. Camacho heads to the floor and glares at the Funkadactyls which gets him nowhere. Back in and Camacho jumps into the headbutt followed by the suplex and splash for the pin at 3:53.
Kassius Ohno vs. Trent Barreta
Trent takes him down and cranks on the arm as things speed up. A fast rollup gets two on Ohno and things stay fast. Ohno throws him to the mat and hits an elbow in the corner, only to have Trent clothesline him out to the floor. A BIG dive takes Ohno out but as they get back up Kassius sends him into the apron to take over again. A knee to the back of the head gets two and it's off to the cravate.
After the hold is cranked on for a bit, Ohno kicks him in the head and puts the hold right back on. Riveting stuff. We actually hear the name Misawa on WWE TV as Regal talks about Ohno revering Misawa in Japan. Trent comes back with a slap to the face for two and sends Kassius to the corner.
Barreta charges at the ropes and jumps onto the middle one, launching himself sideways into an elbow in the corner. I'm not sure what was supposed to happen as the elbow looked like it hit but Ohno was fine and Trent went down. Maybe Trent hit his head? Anyway, Ohno pounds away some more but here's Richie Steamboat with a towel. He throws it into Ohno's face, allowing Trent to hit his running knee to the face for the pin at 6:50.
Layla/Alicia Fox vs. Audrey Marie/Paige
Alicia vs. Paige gets us going and Paige hits a quick dropkick. Alicia hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two and a double tag brings in Layla vs. Audrey, who is looking quite good in white here. After Layla dances a bit, she takes Audrey down with a rollup for two. Layla hits a quick kick to the face for two and a kick to the head gets two as well. Regal points out how rare it is to see two British women wrestling in WWE.
Back to Alicia who hits a northern lights suplex for two but Audrey grabs a quick rollup. The kickout sends her into the corner for the tag to Paige in a nice spot. Paige comes charging at the freshly tagged in Layla who clotheslines her down for no cover. Paige picks Layla up for that fisherman's DDT of hers but Audrey tags herself in. Paige and Audrey get in an argument and Layla rolls Audrey up for the pin at 5:03.
Video on the tour of Egypt.
Bronson vs. Lincoln Brodrick
Bronson is a guy in a hoodie who resembles Boris Zhukov and/or Ivan Koloff. Brodrick (that's how it's spelled in the graphic) is a musclehead who looks familiar but I can't place him. Ah apparently he wrestled under the name Marcus Anthony (his real name and a great wrestling name) in OVW for awhile.
Bronson immediately puts on a front facelock and takes Lincoln to the mat. A hard clothesline takes Lincoln down and a leg trip does the same before it's off to a freaky looking leg lock to make Lincoln tap at 1:08. The best way I can describe the hold is like a Figure Four but with Bronson's legs sticking up instead of going down under Lincoln. Bronson looked awesome here.
Ohno throws a fit in the back.
Here's Antonio Cesaro with something to say. He says that he's the champion of everyone here because he's the champion of all America. Cesaro asks us to stand for the national anthem but most people don't seem interested. Instead here's Tyson Kidd to interrupt him. Tyson makes fun of Cesaro's man purse (Cesaro: IT'S NOT A PURSE!!!) and says he wants a title shot right here. Cesaro goes off in some other language, but Kidd says he's got something universal. He slaps Cesaro and the champion bails to the floor.
Heath Slater vs. Seth Rollins
Non-title here and Vickie is managing Slater, presumably as a tryout. I'm assume this is from before the 3MB. JR has replaced that Tony guy on commentary. Slater shoulderblocks him down to start and a headlock takeover does the same. Rollins comes back with a chop and Slater bails to the ropes. Rollins works over the arm and while holding a wristlock, plays air guitar with it in a funny bit.
Slater heads to the floor and slows things down a bit. A baseball slide puts Slater on his back in the aisle and Vickie yells at Heath to win. We take a break and come back with both guys hitting cross bodies at the same time back in the ring. They slug it out for some boo/yay time from the audience before Rollins takes over with a dropkick.
An enziguri from the apron staggers Slater and Heath is backdropped to the floor. There's a suicide dive to take Slater out and Heath is reeling. Back in a springboard I think knee to Slater's head gets two but Rollins walks into that falling Cutter for two for Heath. Rollins kicks Heath in the head and hits a standing Sliced Bread #2 for the pin at 6:46 shown of 7:16.
Results
Brodus Clay b. Camacho Splash
Trent Barreta b. Kassius Ohno Running Knee to the Face
Layla/Alicia Fox b. Paige/Audrey Marie Rollup to Marie
Bronson b. Lincoln Brodrick Inverted Figure Four
Seth Rollins b. Heath Slater Standing Sliced Bread #2
Thursday
Impact Wrestling
Date: October 25, 2012
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Jeremy Borash, Todd Kenely, Mike Tenay, Taz
It's Championship Night or whatever the latest gimmick show these guys have going on is called. I'm not a big fan of having I think three title matches less than two weeks after BFG, but since the shows themselves aren't worth watching, they need a gimmick to draw in fans. There's a world title match tonight with an opponent for Hardy to be announced. Let's get to it.
We open with Hogan and Hardy in the back. Hogan is picking Hardy's first challenger tonight and Hardy is ready for anyone. Hardy leaves and we get a really stupid voiceover from Hardy, talking about all of his potential opponents. He doesn't care who he faces here.
X-Division Title: Rob Van Dam vs. Zema Ion
We've got split announcers tonight, with Kenely (not sure who he is) and JB doing the first hour and the usual boys doing the second. Ion tries a quick rollup for two but it's a standoff. Rob gets a gorilla press of all thigns and a pair of moonsaults for two. Ion heads to the floor and Rob is sent into the barricade when he follows. Ion charges into a kick in the ring but Rob misses a dive to the floor. Zema hits a flip dive over the top to take the champ out. Back in and Ion misses a majorly flippy dive so Rob kicks him in the face and hits Rolling Thunder for no cover. The Five Star retains the title at 4:33.
As Van Dam celebrates, Matt Morgan takes his head off with the Carbon Footprint. Joey Ryan has the X Title and poses with it. Morgan says this is what Hogan wanted.
Austin Aries is listening to the people trying to get the title match. The options are Angle, Anderson, Storm and Ray. Aries gets a shot anyway so he doesn't care. We get some good jabs at Hogan's acting and Aries says he's going to use these guys for his personal amusement once they're eliminated.
Here are Daniels and Kaz who don't like the lack of tricks they've been getting for all the tricks they've been through. Daniels was left alone last week because Hogan screwed with Kaz's travel. Kaz thinks the new champions are here in this country illegally. Daniels takes the mic from him and says that it's not really Championship Thursday is it Suburban Commando? It's a crime that everyone else is getting a shot but not them.
Daniels accuses Dixie of pandering to a Latino audience and says they should wear sombreros and drink tequila. Maybe they should call themselves Dos Stereotipicos. Daniels has a petition to get another title match. Well that's better than the auto rematch clause. Cue the champions who say they'll help with the petition. Hernandez has his title wrapped a chain around his neck. The brawl is on and the champs clear the ring in about a second. I think we have a rematch made. Kaz: GIVE ME THAT CLIPBOARD BACK! THAT'S AN EXPENSIVE PEN!
Hogan eliminates Anderson for nothing having enough fire. Aries tries to interview him. Was it not taking enough vitamins? Not saying enough BROTHERS? Aries says Anderson would be an easy opponent than him and throws a drink in Anderson's face. The fight is on and Aries is down off a WICKED PAPER POSTER SHOT TO THE HEAD! A match is made and Anderson laughs. Then, to further the stupidity, we hear the director yell CUT. I mean.....really?
D-Von is with Aces and 8's. The President has said no masks can come off. There are some women here to entertain them apparently, but first they have to take someone out. A member throws a dart at a bunch of pictures of wrestlers but we don't see who it hit.
TV Title: Robbie T vs. Samoa Joe
Geez enough with the Robs getting title shots! Joe pounds away in the corner to start but T comes back with a spin kick to take him down. Joe puts on the Clutch and after a meaningless Robbie E distraction, Joe puts the hold on again while jumping on T's back. Terry falls back on him but in an AWESOME moment, Joe sits up and with an INSANE look on his face, puts the hold back on and gets the tap at 2:28. Look up that ending. It looked great.
We recap Tara taking the title from Tessmacher along with Jesse from Big Brother. Did I mention I can't stand reality TV?
Back to Hogan's office and Ray apparently isn't focused enough. He's going to find D-Von and take care of him, basically eliminating himself.
Anderson yells at a guy in a headset and apparently it's Anderson vs. Aries next. I know this because the announcer said it's Anderson vs. Aries next.
Mr. Anderson vs. Austin Aries
They start immediately and Anderson yells mean things at Austin. Anderson takes his shirt off as Aries chills on the floor. A fireman's carry goes nowhere and things slow down. Aries puts brass knuckles in Anderson's tights but the referee takes them away. That was kind of odd. The fans chant cheater and Anderson pounds him into the corner again. Anderson gets sent to the floor and there's the suicide dive as we take a break.
Back with Aries still in control but the fans are cheering for the cheater now. Anderson tries to fight back with some elbows and a clothesline that spins Aries inside out. Anderson's spinning neckbreaker takes Aries down but the Regal Roll is countered again. The double rotation kick sends Aries to the floor and Anderson adds a plancha.
The fireman's carry is loaded up again but Aries takes out the referee. Aries steals the knuckles from Aries and Anderson gets them. The referee takes them away and Aries knocks him cold with another pair. Aries pulls Anderson on top of him to feign a pin attempt before putting on the Last Chancery for the pin at 11:49.
Brooke and Tara/Jesse do their usual stuff. Brooke tells Jesse that ODB has an eye on him. Isn't ODB married?
Tenay and Taz take over in what is supposed to be a big deal I think. We recap the show up to this point.
Knockouts Title: Miss Tessmacher vs. Tara
Tara is defending and gets jumped before she can get in the ring. After more of a beating, a Jesse distraction lets Tara take over with some cheap shots. Tara slams Tessmacher's face into the mat a few times but stops for a kiss. From Jesse unfortunately. More kissing occurs and Tara misses her slingshot somersault legdrop. Tessmacher comes back and hits her Stinkface before hitting an X Factor out of the corner. Tara grabs Terrell and Jesse lowbridges Tessmacher. Widow's Peak retains the title at 3:57.
Post match more making out occurs until Brooke comes out to shake her head. Apparently ODB is calling out Jesse next week on Open Fight Night.
Joseph Park goes in to talk to Hogan about fighting Aces and 8's. Hogan says Park has had one match (he's had two) and also he's worried about Park's liability. Park has a piece of paper. Hogan: What's that? Park: It's a piece of paper. He goes on to say it's a letter of indemnification which means if he gets hurt fighting Aces and 8's, it's no one's fault but Park's and there's no legal responsibility for anyone else.
Here's Ray who again thanks Sting for letting him be his partner. Not much shocks Ray anymore, but the D-Von reveal did. Ray wants an explanation from D-Von but gets the whole group instead. They get in the ring and D-Von says they're not friends or a team or anything anymore. D-Von says this has nothing to do with Ray anymore and it's all about Hogan. Apparently this is because Hogan said that he wanted D-Von re-signed to the company, but Hogan and Dixie never called. In other words, if you don't follow TNA online and follow Hogan on Twitter, this whole story makes VERY little sense.
D-Von says it's over but Ray says it's over when he says it's over. Ray says D-Von is lying and he talks about the Guns coming back from 3D like two years ago and how they should have retired as champions. Years ago D-Von said they're rich so screw the fans. D-Von says yeah he said it, so Ray wants to fight one on one right now. D-Von says it's on his time but Ray says he'll call him out next week on Open Fight Night.
Ryan says he wants the X Title and Morgan says Hogan started this.
It's also Gut Check next week. The wrestler is Christian York. He wrestled on the first TNA show and in ECW.
Hogan says he's got something big planned for Storm in the future but tonight Angle has the title shot.
TNA World Title: Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy
Jeff has two belts here: the vanity belt around his waist and the real one over his shoulder. We get some big match intros and we're ready to go. Jeff takes him down with an armbar followed by the slingshot dropkick in the corner. Jeff goes to the corner but gets shoved out to the floor as we take a break. Back with Hardy escaping a chinlock and they clothesline each other.
Hardy starts speeding things up and kicks Angle to the floor. There's a big clothesline off the apron and back inside for Whisper in the Wind for two. Angle comes back with Rolling Germans for two. The Slam is countered into the Twisting Stunner for no cover. Hardy goes up for the Swanton but Angle throws him off the top for two. Angle busts out a powerbomb for two and puts on a quick ankle lock, but Jeff kicks him off. The same kick puts Angle down but the Swanton misses.
The Angle Slam gets two so Jeff hits two straight Twists and the Swanton for just two. Jeff charges at Kurt and gets backdropped to the floor. Angle is spitting up blood. There go the straps as Hardy is thrown back in. Another Slam is countered into a rollup for the pin at 14:29 to keep the belt on Hardy.
Post match Aries jumps Hardy and says the rematch is at Turning Point. Aries is so confident he'll win that he takes the belt with him. The original, not the stupid one.
We cut to the back to see Angle getting destroyed by Aces and 8's to end the show.
Results
Rob Van Dam b. Zema Ion Five Star Frog Splash
Samoa Joe b. Robbie T Koquina Clutch
Austin Aries b. Mr. Anderson Last Chancery
Tara b. Miss Tessmacher Widow's Peak
Jeff Hardy b. Kurt Angle Swanton Bomb