klunderbunker
Welcome to My (And Not Sly's) House
Friday
Impact got a 1.1, down a bit from last week. Viewers stayed the same though.
Jack Korpela is gone from WWE.
Smackdown
Date: December 9, 2011
Location: Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Josh Matthews
We're back to Fridays again after what I thought was a very good holiday show. It seems I was in the minority on that but that tends to be the case most of the time with this show. It should be another decent one as we close in on both TLC as well as the end of the year. I don't remember any matches being announced but that's not to abnormal. Let's get to it.
We open with Booker T down near the entrance. Cody Rhodes is standing near him and we get a clip from before the show went on the air of Booker getting beaten down by Cody. I guess we'll be having a two man commentary team tonight.
Lillian Garcia is back and I think I'd rather look at her than Chimmel. Cody cuts her off and says no one cares that she's back and no one noticed that she left. It matches the departure of one Booker T. He hopes that he made his message clear tonight. Cody is going to take Booker's place tonight (Cody: Who else is going to talk about a Fave Five with eleven people in it?).
There are tables, ladders and chairs all around ringside. I mean in addition to the usual chairs that are around ringside in the audience that is.
Tonight there's going to be a Beat the Clock Challenge between Barrett and Orton. The idea is both of them will have a match and both will be timed. Whoever wins their match in the fastest time will get to pick the kind of match they have at TLC: tables, ladders or chairs.
Wade Barrett vs. Ezekiel Jackson
If Jackson wins here then all Orton has to do is win his match later. He takes over to start as Cody talks about how awesome he is. Barrett hits a front legged chopblock and sends Jackson shoulder first into the post. His hair is all wild again so you know he means business. Cole and Cody suck each other off a bit as Barrett takes over with his usual stuff like the pumphandle.
We take a break and come back with Barrett holding a chinlock. It's nice having that clock there to keep time for me. Jackson breaks the hold and fires back with clotheslines in the corner and Barrett is covering up. Here come the slams but Barrett escapes the Rack. Wasteland can't hit but the Bossman Slam ends this at 7:53. That was refreshing to see: a secondary move ending a match.
Barrett says Orton is the only thing standing in his way of the world title, and that doesn't mean anything as he's inside Orton's head as opposed to Orton being in everyone else's head. The voice in Barrett's head is saying Orton is out of time.
Show vs. Henry is officially a chairs match, which is the only match that really makes sense for them.
Otunga complains about being in the street fight last week because he's part of the Raw roster. Otunga tells Teddy that the loss should be expunged from his record. Teddy agrees but says that Otunga is subject to the whim of the authority figure. Since Otunga is here tonight, he's going to compete against someone Teddy has been looking for an opponent for: Sheamus.
Josh is in the ring and brings out Daniel Bryan. His ribs are taped up due to the cage match last week. He says he's very sore but what hurt worse was the disappointment of letting everyone down. Everything he had ever wanted was right in front of him and he let it slip away. Cole cuts him off as he starts to tell a story about his dad and goes on a rant about how Bryan never earned anything. Bryan points at Cody and says he made him tap to earn his shot. Cole says Bryan should go away so here comes Bryan after Cole. Cody blasts Bryan and referees break it up. Cole working with Cody? I'm not sure how I feel about that.
After a break, Cody vs. Bryan is announced for later.
Zack Ryder vs. Heath Slater
Remember the bad reaction Ryder got Monday? It's made up for here. No entrance for Slater. Ok so a lot of that is canned but there was definitely a reaction for him. Slater takes him down for a few seconds but the Broski Boot and Rough Ryder end this at 1:25.
Ted DiBiase vs. Jinder Mahal
Thank goodness this isn't on PPV. Cole freaks out over the DiBiase Posse thing. Mahal dominates to start and there's no Cody anymore on commentary which I forgot to mention. You can always tell when the crowd doesn't care because you can hear the referee talking. The jingoistic fans chant USA while Cole doesn't want to talk because he's mad at Matthews for some reason or another. Mahal hits some jumping knees to the face and then gets rolled up for the pin at 2:54. This was REALLY bad.
We get a clip from some music awards where Big Show chokeslammed country singer Trace Adkins through a table.
After a break Big Show is in the ring. He talks about how nine years ago, he beat Brock Lesnar in Madison Square Garden for the WWE Title. People said that was impossible but he did it. He thinks nine years is long enough time for him to do the impossible again and beat Mark Henry for the title. With all the chairs they'll have around the ring and the people in there, the physics say it has to get mean and nasty. At TLC, the Hall of Pain gets closed.
Here's Henry who says he's half hurt. His ankle is still hurt but he didn't tape it so he's not looking for a fight. He yells at a fan to shut up so the fans chant at him to shut up. Henry wants to say something to Show's face but wants a promise that Show won't put his hands on him. Show thinks about it really hard and says no. Henry seems to be trying to get out of the match by saying that it won't mean anything if Show beats an injured man. He asks for the courtesy of Show not putting his hands on him if he gets in. Show finally relents and Henry gets in.
Henry gets in and says he's the champion. In two weeks at TLC he should be 100%. Then why did he bring up the beating an injured man thing earlier? Henry says people will talk about this fight for decades. Mark asks to let bygones be bygones and may the best man win. He extends his hand which Show shakes reluctantly. Henry goes to leave but stops. He says Show thinks he's (Show) a monster. Show just thinks it, but Henry really is and the fight is on. Show drops an elbow on the leg and Henry bails so Show goes after him. He gets a chair and cracks Henry in the back and leg with it.
Sheamus vs. David Otunga
Hornswoggle is the guest ring announcer. Josh asks a great question: if Otunga is so smart, why does he keep coming here and talking himself into situations he can't get out of? I love stupid heels. Otunga is officially Johnny Ace's assistant. Otunga tries to take him down early and Sheamus is like no boyo. He powers David around and hits the ten forearms to the chest. Otunga gets in the required jobber offense and Sheamus does the freaky eyed smile. Powerslam and Brogue Kick end this at 2:57. Just a squash.
Horny and Sheamus celebrate and we cut to the Second Coming video.
Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes
The video is ignored again. Bryan fires off kicks to start but Cody breaks it up with an elbow to the ribs. A release gordbuster gets two. Why is it so hard for people to focus on an injured body part? If you were in a real fight and you saw someone with a bunch of bandages around a body part, where would you aim? Cole goes on another rant and again it makes me roll my eyes.
Bryan gets knocked to the floor into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Cody holding Bryan in an abdominal stretch. Cody starts ripping the tape off and Cole talks about fearing for his personal safety earlier. Bryan sends him to the floor and tries the suicide dive, which really is just him shoving Cody out of the way. Bryan crashes into the barricade again with much more impact than Cody's landing had. Cole, correctly this time, calls Rhodes an idiot.
Rhodes gets back in but Bryan is getting fired up on the floor. Here come the kicks. Why would you get on your knees in a match with Daniel Bryan? It's just not going to end well for you no matter what you do. A running dropkick in the corner sets up a top rope splash attempt but Rhodes moves, sending the bad ribs into the mat again. And here's Booker for the DQ at 5:56 shown of 9:26.
Booker gets the better of the brawl and Cody runs.
Aksana and Teddy are in the back when Cody interferes. He wants a match with Booker so Teddy makes it for TLC for the title. It's about time he defended the thing. Aksana stares at Cody as he leaves.
Orton says if you want to know his thoughts, ask Barrett. He's thinking that Barrett did Ziggler (Orton's opponent tonight) a favor because Orton won't be able to make the suffering last as long as he usually does. He says he has Barrett exactly where he wants him.
Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler
This is strange. I read the spoilers for this show and there was a Divas tag taped for it and there's no sign of it anywhere here. The show is about as long as it usually is and there's nothing to indicate that anything is missing. I had heard that the Australian broadcast of the show had the post match angle of it cut but the entire match is missing here. Strange indeed. Then again they're the Divas so who cares?
Orton has to win in under 7:53. No Swagger with Dolph here. Orton hits a pair of dropkicks and gets three near falls in the first thirty seconds. Dolph stomps away in the corner but Randy stops him cold, hitting the knee drop for two. Six minutes left. Ziggler kicks him in the knee and hits a Fameasser for two. Off to something like a cobra clutch with five minutes left.
A DDT gets two as Dolph is going slowly here, which is perfectly fine for the thinking of this match. Back to a chinlock with four minutes to go. Neckbreaker for two and the clock is running down. Ziggler takes forever getting up top and is crotched with three minutes left. A big superplex by Orton gets two. With a little over two minutes to go Orton starts his finishing sequence.
Two minutes left and Orton hits the backbreaker. Ziggler tries to run but gets caught in the Elevated DDT for two with 70 seconds left. Dolph rolls to the floor and Barrett slips behind Orton and sends him into the post with about 40 seconds left. Orton is outside with 15 seconds to go. And the RKO hits for the pin at 7:51 and two seconds left.
Post match Barrett beats Orton down some more and says he has a suggestion for the match. He sets up Wasteland through a table but Orton escapes. Barrett runs and Orton makes it a table match. Ziggler goes through it instead.
Results
Wade Barrett b. Ezekiel Jackson Bossman Slam
Zack Ryder b. Heath Slater Rough Ryder
Ted DiBiase b. Jinder Mahal Small Package
Sheamus b. David Otunga Brogue Kick
Cody Rhodes b. Daniel Bryan via disqualification when Booker T interfered
Randy Orton b. Dolph Ziggler RKO
Saturday
Nothing today, which is a nice change of pace.
Sunday
Final Resolution 2011
Date: December 11, 2011
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tazz
It's the final PPV of the year for TNA and the card has been built up pretty well on TV. In essence there's a double main event with the Battle of the Jeffs and the Iron Man match for the title. There are a few matches that haven't been built up at all but that's bound to happen to a degree. The card looks pretty good though so let's get to it.
The opening video is just what you would expect: a highlight package of the two main event feuds.
Rob Van Dam vs. Christopher Daniels
This is supposed to be just a wrestling match according to Daniels. They take turns with a headlock for awhile to fulfill the idea that it's going to be all clean and nice. Rob kicks away and does his rolling leg cradle for two. They fight to the apron and Van Dam is sent intot he post chest first. This is one of those matches where time is passing but there isn't much to talk about.
Since Van Dam's ribs hit the post first, Daniels puts on a reverse waistlock. Van Dam makes his comeback and hits the standing moonsault for two. This is a really uninteresting match. Rolling Thunder gets two. He goes up but Daniels rolls out of the way and spears him down for two. Great, ANOTHER person using that move. A palm thrust gets two for Daniels. They go up top and Van Dam casually knocks him off and hits the Five Star for the pin at 11:40 (my stream is jumpy so the times are about as accurate as I can guess.)
The announcers run down the card.
Mickie says tonight it's about wrestling, not politics in her match with Gail Kim. They'll take it to the wall tonight.
TV Title: Robbie E vs. Eric Young
Eric disrobes because it's funny I guess. A Thesz Press puts Robbie down and we go to the floor. Young hits a nice dive but has to avoid a Big Rob shot, allowing the champ to take him down with a clothesline. Robbie takes over with his pretty dull stuff and hits a middle rope elbow after some fist pumping for two.
He hooks a chinlock to waste some time. Young makes his comeback but misses coming off the top. Eric puts him down again but Big Rob chokes him out for a few seconds. Robbie is sent into Big Rob's crotch and Young tries a DVD on both of them. And never mind as a Codebreaker keeps the title on Robbie at 7:30.
Pope and D-Von say they'll win. There's no trouble at home says D-Von. Pope says it's not his fault D-Von is a bad father and tonight it's about the gold.
Tag Titles: Crimson/Matt Morgan vs. D-Von/D'Angelo Dinero
Crimson vs. Pope gets us going here with Crimson using his cravate with the knees to take over. Morgan comes in and he wants D-Von. That isn't the best idea in the world as D-Von takes over with his usual stuff. Back to Red Man vs. Pope with the street preacher who never preaches taking over. STO gets two but he gets speared down quickly. An exploder suplex gets the same.
Morgan hits the fallaway slam for two as well as a side slam. Pope finally gets in a DDT to put both guys down and brings in D-Von off the not-hot tag. A neckbreaker and headbutt off the top get two on Crimson. Everything breaks down and there's a spinebuster to Crimson. Top rope elbow from Pope gets two. A double chokeslam from the champions keep the titles on them at 9:33.
AJ says his knee is fine and he's ready to go tonight.
X-Division Title: Austin Aries vs. Kid Kash
If Kash wins....I'll probably just complain more than usual. Feeling out process so far with Aries showing off as only he can. Kash takes over and things get a little sloppy. He slaps Aries around a bit because he's just not a nice person. Is Aries a face now? I don't think he is but I'm not really sure. Is Kash one? I'm so confused by this company. Kash rolls Aries up and it looks awful. Back to the champ's control but a jumping fist drop misses.
Out to the floor and Aries rolls him up, this time using two feet on the top rope to out do the one foot that Kash used earlier. Ok that was cute. Back to the floor again and Kash puts Aries down to take over again. Aries takes over right back and hits the best suicide dive in wrestling. Most people just slap the other guy's chest anymore which isn't that impressive. A gutbuster gets two for the champion.
There's the Pendulum Elbow for two. Kash counters the brainbuster and knocks Aries down, then hits him again as he's falling. Kash sets for what looks like a belly to back but slams him forward instead. The replay makes it look a lot more vicious. Moneymaker is broken up and Aries goes up, only to get crotched. Kash goes up for the same result but he manages to try a top rope powerbomb. Aries counters into Splash Mountain (not exactly Mysterio level but not bad).
They chop it out and Kash sets for the Moneymaker again. Aries counters with a basic stomp on the foot and then a backdrop. This has been better than I was expecting. Into the corner and Austin runs into a boot but the Moneymaker is countered again. Aries pulls out a foreign object which is taken away quickly. Now Kash has one too but it gets stolen. Aries hands him the title which gets taken away, allowing the brainbuster to keep the belt on the champ at 12:45.
They try to go to a video recap but it's not there so let's try that again. Ah ther eit is. Mickie is great, Gail is great, so let's have a match about it. Karen keeps trying to hold Mickie back but it doesn't really work.
The production mistakes continue as the video package plays again.
Knockout Title: Gail Kim vs. Mickie James
Why does no one ever wear the Knockouts Title? I mean you NEVER see it around someone's waist. They fight over a wristlock to start and then Mickie wins a brief slugout. Gail avoids a charge in the corner but can't get a rollup out of said corner. Mickie's victory roll is countered by having her face slammed into the mat. That looked great. Gail takes over and works on the back but her second backbreaker is countered into a nice headscissors by James.
Gail works her over some more but Mickie sends her to the floor where Gail's leg hits the steps. That can't feel good. Thesz Press off the top gets two but Mickie couldn't cover properly because Mickie was still in a split. Jumping DDT is countered so Mickie settles for a dragon screw instead. Gail goes to the floor and tries to walk but she gets sent into the post instead. Her head pretty clearly didn't hit but nice effort anyway. And then Madison comes out to hook Mickie's foot so Eat Defeat can end this at 7:48.
Storm says there's always someone bigger and tougher than you are to knock you down. That's his message to Angle, because tonight he's getting his second win in a row over Kurt.
We recap Storm vs. Angle, which is about Angle jumping Storm in the back and injuring him. It's so nice to see a feud that makes sense and follows the story.
James Storm vs. Kurt Angle
The fans are all behind Storm. He's gotten the push of a lifetime out of this. Storm tries to take it to the mat and that goes about as well as you could expect it to. They exchange some quick arm work and Storm grabs a headlock to take over. For someone that said he wasn't coming here to wrestle Angle, he certainly looks like he's wrestling Angle. Kurt hammers away in the corner to take over, which plays into the whole concussion story/real injury.
Out to the floor and Storm gets rammed into the barricade which might have hit his head again. Off to a chinlock but then Kurt just pounds away at the head. That always makes me a bit shaky, especially when Storm had a legit head injury recently. A suplex puts Storm down again and Storm looks out of it. Back to the chinlock and Storm's head injury is being played up here.
He finally suplexes out of the hold though and both guys are down. Storm wins a slugout and hits the Codebreaker/Backstabber combo for two. Angle snaps off an overhead belly to belly for two. Storm avoids the rolling Germans and it's ankle lock time. I really can't stand that as it comes out of nowhere and goes completely against the whole psychology of almost all of Kurt's matches.
It doesn't last long but James gets caught in the Rolling Germans this time. They're slower than usual though. Just three in this set for a count of two. Angle Slam is countered into the Eye of the Storm for two. Storm goes up but gets caught in the (second attempt of) running belly to belly for two. The crowd isn't as into this as they should be since it's been pretty good.
Angle Slam is countered as is the Last Call, the latter into the ankle lock. Storm kicks out of that and Kurt's shoulder goes into the post. Instead of pulling Kurt out, Storm channels his inner Apex Legend Killing Viper with an elevated DDT onto the apron. Somehow that only gets two back in the ring but Kurt snaps off an Angle Slam for two. Moonsault misses and the Last Call ends this clean at 17:54. Can't say they didn't put him over.
The Jarretts are nervous. Jeff is ticked because he's been on the cruise for three days and now he hears about the stipulation Sting added despite being a company man. Sting pops up with the handcuffs.
We recap the battle of the Jeffs. Hardy came back and Jarrett complained because Hardy wasn't a company man and dropped the ball and all that jazz. Jarrett lost to Hardy three times at Turning Point to set this up.
Jeff Jarrett vs. Jeff Hardy
This is in a cage. Sting will be handcuffed to Karen on the floor. If Hardy wins, he gets the title match at Genesis and a Jarrett is fired. If Jarrett wins, Hardy is gone from TNA. I didn't hear the opening bell so the time is going to be a little off. You can win by any means. Hardy takes over early and hits the basement dropkick for two. They keep stopping for some reason. Hardy goes for the escape but that gets him nowhere.
Jarrett goes into the cage a few times as Hardy is definitely in slow gear here. Twist of Fate is countered into the Figure Four just a few minutes into the match. It's very frustrating to not be able to say Jeff in this. Hardy gets rammed hard into the cage and Jarrett goes for the climb but Hardy makes the save. Jarrett goes into the cage and Hardy hits something like a Lionsault for two. There wasn't a running start but the camera angle wasn't clear as to what he did.
They slug it out, won by Hardy. Twist of Fate hits but Jarrett is too far away for the Swanton. A second Twist sets up the top of the cage Swanton....which completely misses as Hardy crashes and burns. And people wonder why he's addicted to drugs. There's the Stroke and Jarrett calls for the door to be opened. Hardy makes a diving save and we keep going. How has this only been going eight minutes so far?
The referee goes down from something and Hardy is rammed into the cage which is rammed into Sting. Karen gets uncuffed and the door is rammed into Hardy's head. That gets a VERY close two. Karen tries to send in a guitar but Sting makes the save. We also get the ultra rare barefaced Sting shot. The Twist of Fate ends this at 10:03. That seems really short.
Sting says someone is fired on Thursday.
Roode says the same stuff he's been saying for weeks now.
We recap the title match which is just Roode turning heel and AJ being his first challenger. This is their rematch.
TNA World Title: AJ Styles vs. Bobby Roode
This is a 30 minute Iron Man match and AJ has a bad knee coming in. Feeling out process to start as AJ is tentative because of the knee. They trade headlocks as we're three minutes in. They're pacing themselves though and that's just fine. Thank goodness this is thirty minutes and not an hour because those matches are just dreadful to sit through. They go back and forth with headlocks and headscissors and AJ is currently in control.
They run the ropes and AJ's limpp is getting more pronounced. Roode hits the floor for a break and we're five minutes in. Back in and he hits some shoulders and chops in the corner. AJ gets sent to the floor and it turns into more of a brawl. Roode takes over back in the ring but AJ tries to speed things up and gets some rollups for two each. While he's laying on his back, AJ nips up into a rana. That was cool.
Clothesline gets two for the challenger and we hit the chinlock. Roode fights up and hits a knee crusher...which doesn't seem to slow AJ down that much. A second crusher sends AJ to the corner where Roode gets in a shot to the knee and a rollup with feet on the ropes for the first fall at 10:00 with 20:00 to go. Roode works over the leg for the next few minutes, which is perfectly smart strategy.
AJ tries that nip-up into the rana again but gets caught in a half crab. He finally makes the rope and the knee is in trouble. There's a Figure Four which is still on at the 15:00 mark. AJ taps with 14:38 left and Taz says he should have done that earlier. A chop block puts AJ down again and Roode tries a Figure Four again, but AJ kicks him off, sending the champ's shoulder into the buckle. He may have injured the shoulder on that.
AJ hits a flying armbar and then a Crossface makes Roode tap with 12:23 to go. Twelve minutes left. He hooks the arm but Roode countered into kind of a half crab but with Roode laying on the mat. AJ escapes and strikes away but Roode knocks him down again. He walks over and gets caught in a small package with 9:51 to go, tying it up. They slug it out and Roode kicks him in the knee to regain momentum.
Spinebuster gets two for Bobby. Roode goes for the knee and AJ kicks him in the shoulder, but the champion gets a DDT onto the leg to put AJ back down. Roode tries a slingshot but AJ lands on the rope (on one foot so the quick recovery isn't ridiculous) and tries the springboard moonsault into the DDT which mostly doesn't work. The springboard 450 however does get him a pin and a 3-2 lead with 7:00 to go.
A Fujiwara Armbar is countered as is a half crab attempt. AJ drapes the arm over the rope but when he slides back in, Roode drops onto him and grabs the rope for the pin at 5:00 to go. They go up to the corner where AJ runs the corner and arm drags Roode down onto the shoulder. Three minutes left and AJ drops him onto the arm with a belly to back suplex. Fisherman's suplex is countered into a small package for two.
There's the Pele but AJ can't follow up. Two minutes left. He loads up the Clash but falls backwards with his knee getting all twisted up in the process. Roode goes to the floor instead of covering or following up for some reason. AJ's leg is fine apparently as he hits a flip dive over the top to the floor with 1:00 left. Back in and Roode rolls to the floor again and keeps running until the clock runs out for a 3-3 tie at 30:00.
Results
Rob Van Dam b. Christopher Daniels Five Star Frog Splash
Robbie E b. Eric Young Codebreaker
Matt Morgan/Crimson b. D-Von/D'Angelo Dinero Double Chokeslam to D-Von
Austin Aries b. Kid Kash Brainbuster
Gail Kim b. Mickie James Eat Defeat
James Storm b. Kurt Angle Last Call
Jeff Hardy b. Jeff Jarrett Twist of Fate
AJ Styles vs. Bobby Roode went to a 3-3 tie
Quick Results
Raw
The Miz b. Randy Orton via countout
Alberto Del Rio b. Daniel Bryan Cross Armbreaker
Kelly Kelly/Eve Torres b. Natalya/Beth Phoenix
John Cena b. Zack Ryder AA
Zack Ryder b. Mark Henry Pin after an AA from John Cena
Kevin Nash b. Santino Marella Jackknife Powerbomb
Sheamus b. Dolph Ziggler Brogue Kick
NXT
Usos b. Curt Hawkins/Tyler Reks Top rope splash to Reks
JTG/Darren Young b. Percy Watson/Titus O'Neil Rollup to O'Neil
Derrick Bateman b. Johnny Curtis Falling Bulldog
Impact Wrestling
Abyss b. Samoa Joe Chokeslam
Mickie James b. Madison Rayne Jumping DDT
Garrett Bischoff b. Gunner Single Leg Rollup
Gail Kim b. Traci Brooks Pin after a belt shot
AJ Styles/Jeff Hardy b. Robert Roode/Jeff Jarrett Small Package to Roode
Smackdown
Wade Barrett b. Ezekiel Jackson Bossman Slam
Zack Ryder b. Heath Slater Rough Ryder
Ted DiBiase b. Jinder Mahal Small Package
Sheamus b. David Otunga Brogue Kick
Cody Rhodes b. Daniel Bryan via disqualification when Booker T interfered
Randy Orton b. Dolph Ziggler RKO
Final Resolution 2011
Rob Van Dam b. Christopher Daniels Five Star Frog Splash
Robbie E b. Eric Young Codebreaker
Matt Morgan/Crimson b. D-Von/D'Angelo Dinero Double Chokeslam to D-Von
Austin Aries b. Kid Kash Brainbuster
Gail Kim b. Mickie James Eat Defeat
James Storm b. Kurt Angle Last Call
Jeff Hardy b. Jeff Jarrett Twist of Fate
AJ Styles vs. Bobby Roode went to a 3-3 tie
Impact got a 1.1, down a bit from last week. Viewers stayed the same though.
Jack Korpela is gone from WWE.
Smackdown
Date: December 9, 2011
Location: Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Josh Matthews
We're back to Fridays again after what I thought was a very good holiday show. It seems I was in the minority on that but that tends to be the case most of the time with this show. It should be another decent one as we close in on both TLC as well as the end of the year. I don't remember any matches being announced but that's not to abnormal. Let's get to it.
We open with Booker T down near the entrance. Cody Rhodes is standing near him and we get a clip from before the show went on the air of Booker getting beaten down by Cody. I guess we'll be having a two man commentary team tonight.
Lillian Garcia is back and I think I'd rather look at her than Chimmel. Cody cuts her off and says no one cares that she's back and no one noticed that she left. It matches the departure of one Booker T. He hopes that he made his message clear tonight. Cody is going to take Booker's place tonight (Cody: Who else is going to talk about a Fave Five with eleven people in it?).
There are tables, ladders and chairs all around ringside. I mean in addition to the usual chairs that are around ringside in the audience that is.
Tonight there's going to be a Beat the Clock Challenge between Barrett and Orton. The idea is both of them will have a match and both will be timed. Whoever wins their match in the fastest time will get to pick the kind of match they have at TLC: tables, ladders or chairs.
Wade Barrett vs. Ezekiel Jackson
If Jackson wins here then all Orton has to do is win his match later. He takes over to start as Cody talks about how awesome he is. Barrett hits a front legged chopblock and sends Jackson shoulder first into the post. His hair is all wild again so you know he means business. Cole and Cody suck each other off a bit as Barrett takes over with his usual stuff like the pumphandle.
We take a break and come back with Barrett holding a chinlock. It's nice having that clock there to keep time for me. Jackson breaks the hold and fires back with clotheslines in the corner and Barrett is covering up. Here come the slams but Barrett escapes the Rack. Wasteland can't hit but the Bossman Slam ends this at 7:53. That was refreshing to see: a secondary move ending a match.
Barrett says Orton is the only thing standing in his way of the world title, and that doesn't mean anything as he's inside Orton's head as opposed to Orton being in everyone else's head. The voice in Barrett's head is saying Orton is out of time.
Show vs. Henry is officially a chairs match, which is the only match that really makes sense for them.
Otunga complains about being in the street fight last week because he's part of the Raw roster. Otunga tells Teddy that the loss should be expunged from his record. Teddy agrees but says that Otunga is subject to the whim of the authority figure. Since Otunga is here tonight, he's going to compete against someone Teddy has been looking for an opponent for: Sheamus.
Josh is in the ring and brings out Daniel Bryan. His ribs are taped up due to the cage match last week. He says he's very sore but what hurt worse was the disappointment of letting everyone down. Everything he had ever wanted was right in front of him and he let it slip away. Cole cuts him off as he starts to tell a story about his dad and goes on a rant about how Bryan never earned anything. Bryan points at Cody and says he made him tap to earn his shot. Cole says Bryan should go away so here comes Bryan after Cole. Cody blasts Bryan and referees break it up. Cole working with Cody? I'm not sure how I feel about that.
After a break, Cody vs. Bryan is announced for later.
Zack Ryder vs. Heath Slater
Remember the bad reaction Ryder got Monday? It's made up for here. No entrance for Slater. Ok so a lot of that is canned but there was definitely a reaction for him. Slater takes him down for a few seconds but the Broski Boot and Rough Ryder end this at 1:25.
Ted DiBiase vs. Jinder Mahal
Thank goodness this isn't on PPV. Cole freaks out over the DiBiase Posse thing. Mahal dominates to start and there's no Cody anymore on commentary which I forgot to mention. You can always tell when the crowd doesn't care because you can hear the referee talking. The jingoistic fans chant USA while Cole doesn't want to talk because he's mad at Matthews for some reason or another. Mahal hits some jumping knees to the face and then gets rolled up for the pin at 2:54. This was REALLY bad.
We get a clip from some music awards where Big Show chokeslammed country singer Trace Adkins through a table.
After a break Big Show is in the ring. He talks about how nine years ago, he beat Brock Lesnar in Madison Square Garden for the WWE Title. People said that was impossible but he did it. He thinks nine years is long enough time for him to do the impossible again and beat Mark Henry for the title. With all the chairs they'll have around the ring and the people in there, the physics say it has to get mean and nasty. At TLC, the Hall of Pain gets closed.
Here's Henry who says he's half hurt. His ankle is still hurt but he didn't tape it so he's not looking for a fight. He yells at a fan to shut up so the fans chant at him to shut up. Henry wants to say something to Show's face but wants a promise that Show won't put his hands on him. Show thinks about it really hard and says no. Henry seems to be trying to get out of the match by saying that it won't mean anything if Show beats an injured man. He asks for the courtesy of Show not putting his hands on him if he gets in. Show finally relents and Henry gets in.
Henry gets in and says he's the champion. In two weeks at TLC he should be 100%. Then why did he bring up the beating an injured man thing earlier? Henry says people will talk about this fight for decades. Mark asks to let bygones be bygones and may the best man win. He extends his hand which Show shakes reluctantly. Henry goes to leave but stops. He says Show thinks he's (Show) a monster. Show just thinks it, but Henry really is and the fight is on. Show drops an elbow on the leg and Henry bails so Show goes after him. He gets a chair and cracks Henry in the back and leg with it.
Sheamus vs. David Otunga
Hornswoggle is the guest ring announcer. Josh asks a great question: if Otunga is so smart, why does he keep coming here and talking himself into situations he can't get out of? I love stupid heels. Otunga is officially Johnny Ace's assistant. Otunga tries to take him down early and Sheamus is like no boyo. He powers David around and hits the ten forearms to the chest. Otunga gets in the required jobber offense and Sheamus does the freaky eyed smile. Powerslam and Brogue Kick end this at 2:57. Just a squash.
Horny and Sheamus celebrate and we cut to the Second Coming video.
Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes
The video is ignored again. Bryan fires off kicks to start but Cody breaks it up with an elbow to the ribs. A release gordbuster gets two. Why is it so hard for people to focus on an injured body part? If you were in a real fight and you saw someone with a bunch of bandages around a body part, where would you aim? Cole goes on another rant and again it makes me roll my eyes.
Bryan gets knocked to the floor into the barricade as we take a break. Back with Cody holding Bryan in an abdominal stretch. Cody starts ripping the tape off and Cole talks about fearing for his personal safety earlier. Bryan sends him to the floor and tries the suicide dive, which really is just him shoving Cody out of the way. Bryan crashes into the barricade again with much more impact than Cody's landing had. Cole, correctly this time, calls Rhodes an idiot.
Rhodes gets back in but Bryan is getting fired up on the floor. Here come the kicks. Why would you get on your knees in a match with Daniel Bryan? It's just not going to end well for you no matter what you do. A running dropkick in the corner sets up a top rope splash attempt but Rhodes moves, sending the bad ribs into the mat again. And here's Booker for the DQ at 5:56 shown of 9:26.
Booker gets the better of the brawl and Cody runs.
Aksana and Teddy are in the back when Cody interferes. He wants a match with Booker so Teddy makes it for TLC for the title. It's about time he defended the thing. Aksana stares at Cody as he leaves.
Orton says if you want to know his thoughts, ask Barrett. He's thinking that Barrett did Ziggler (Orton's opponent tonight) a favor because Orton won't be able to make the suffering last as long as he usually does. He says he has Barrett exactly where he wants him.
Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler
This is strange. I read the spoilers for this show and there was a Divas tag taped for it and there's no sign of it anywhere here. The show is about as long as it usually is and there's nothing to indicate that anything is missing. I had heard that the Australian broadcast of the show had the post match angle of it cut but the entire match is missing here. Strange indeed. Then again they're the Divas so who cares?
Orton has to win in under 7:53. No Swagger with Dolph here. Orton hits a pair of dropkicks and gets three near falls in the first thirty seconds. Dolph stomps away in the corner but Randy stops him cold, hitting the knee drop for two. Six minutes left. Ziggler kicks him in the knee and hits a Fameasser for two. Off to something like a cobra clutch with five minutes left.
A DDT gets two as Dolph is going slowly here, which is perfectly fine for the thinking of this match. Back to a chinlock with four minutes to go. Neckbreaker for two and the clock is running down. Ziggler takes forever getting up top and is crotched with three minutes left. A big superplex by Orton gets two. With a little over two minutes to go Orton starts his finishing sequence.
Two minutes left and Orton hits the backbreaker. Ziggler tries to run but gets caught in the Elevated DDT for two with 70 seconds left. Dolph rolls to the floor and Barrett slips behind Orton and sends him into the post with about 40 seconds left. Orton is outside with 15 seconds to go. And the RKO hits for the pin at 7:51 and two seconds left.
Post match Barrett beats Orton down some more and says he has a suggestion for the match. He sets up Wasteland through a table but Orton escapes. Barrett runs and Orton makes it a table match. Ziggler goes through it instead.
Results
Wade Barrett b. Ezekiel Jackson Bossman Slam
Zack Ryder b. Heath Slater Rough Ryder
Ted DiBiase b. Jinder Mahal Small Package
Sheamus b. David Otunga Brogue Kick
Cody Rhodes b. Daniel Bryan via disqualification when Booker T interfered
Randy Orton b. Dolph Ziggler RKO
Saturday
Nothing today, which is a nice change of pace.
Sunday
Final Resolution 2011
Date: December 11, 2011
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tazz
It's the final PPV of the year for TNA and the card has been built up pretty well on TV. In essence there's a double main event with the Battle of the Jeffs and the Iron Man match for the title. There are a few matches that haven't been built up at all but that's bound to happen to a degree. The card looks pretty good though so let's get to it.
The opening video is just what you would expect: a highlight package of the two main event feuds.
Rob Van Dam vs. Christopher Daniels
This is supposed to be just a wrestling match according to Daniels. They take turns with a headlock for awhile to fulfill the idea that it's going to be all clean and nice. Rob kicks away and does his rolling leg cradle for two. They fight to the apron and Van Dam is sent intot he post chest first. This is one of those matches where time is passing but there isn't much to talk about.
Since Van Dam's ribs hit the post first, Daniels puts on a reverse waistlock. Van Dam makes his comeback and hits the standing moonsault for two. This is a really uninteresting match. Rolling Thunder gets two. He goes up but Daniels rolls out of the way and spears him down for two. Great, ANOTHER person using that move. A palm thrust gets two for Daniels. They go up top and Van Dam casually knocks him off and hits the Five Star for the pin at 11:40 (my stream is jumpy so the times are about as accurate as I can guess.)
The announcers run down the card.
Mickie says tonight it's about wrestling, not politics in her match with Gail Kim. They'll take it to the wall tonight.
TV Title: Robbie E vs. Eric Young
Eric disrobes because it's funny I guess. A Thesz Press puts Robbie down and we go to the floor. Young hits a nice dive but has to avoid a Big Rob shot, allowing the champ to take him down with a clothesline. Robbie takes over with his pretty dull stuff and hits a middle rope elbow after some fist pumping for two.
He hooks a chinlock to waste some time. Young makes his comeback but misses coming off the top. Eric puts him down again but Big Rob chokes him out for a few seconds. Robbie is sent into Big Rob's crotch and Young tries a DVD on both of them. And never mind as a Codebreaker keeps the title on Robbie at 7:30.
Pope and D-Von say they'll win. There's no trouble at home says D-Von. Pope says it's not his fault D-Von is a bad father and tonight it's about the gold.
Tag Titles: Crimson/Matt Morgan vs. D-Von/D'Angelo Dinero
Crimson vs. Pope gets us going here with Crimson using his cravate with the knees to take over. Morgan comes in and he wants D-Von. That isn't the best idea in the world as D-Von takes over with his usual stuff. Back to Red Man vs. Pope with the street preacher who never preaches taking over. STO gets two but he gets speared down quickly. An exploder suplex gets the same.
Morgan hits the fallaway slam for two as well as a side slam. Pope finally gets in a DDT to put both guys down and brings in D-Von off the not-hot tag. A neckbreaker and headbutt off the top get two on Crimson. Everything breaks down and there's a spinebuster to Crimson. Top rope elbow from Pope gets two. A double chokeslam from the champions keep the titles on them at 9:33.
AJ says his knee is fine and he's ready to go tonight.
X-Division Title: Austin Aries vs. Kid Kash
If Kash wins....I'll probably just complain more than usual. Feeling out process so far with Aries showing off as only he can. Kash takes over and things get a little sloppy. He slaps Aries around a bit because he's just not a nice person. Is Aries a face now? I don't think he is but I'm not really sure. Is Kash one? I'm so confused by this company. Kash rolls Aries up and it looks awful. Back to the champ's control but a jumping fist drop misses.
Out to the floor and Aries rolls him up, this time using two feet on the top rope to out do the one foot that Kash used earlier. Ok that was cute. Back to the floor again and Kash puts Aries down to take over again. Aries takes over right back and hits the best suicide dive in wrestling. Most people just slap the other guy's chest anymore which isn't that impressive. A gutbuster gets two for the champion.
There's the Pendulum Elbow for two. Kash counters the brainbuster and knocks Aries down, then hits him again as he's falling. Kash sets for what looks like a belly to back but slams him forward instead. The replay makes it look a lot more vicious. Moneymaker is broken up and Aries goes up, only to get crotched. Kash goes up for the same result but he manages to try a top rope powerbomb. Aries counters into Splash Mountain (not exactly Mysterio level but not bad).
They chop it out and Kash sets for the Moneymaker again. Aries counters with a basic stomp on the foot and then a backdrop. This has been better than I was expecting. Into the corner and Austin runs into a boot but the Moneymaker is countered again. Aries pulls out a foreign object which is taken away quickly. Now Kash has one too but it gets stolen. Aries hands him the title which gets taken away, allowing the brainbuster to keep the belt on the champ at 12:45.
They try to go to a video recap but it's not there so let's try that again. Ah ther eit is. Mickie is great, Gail is great, so let's have a match about it. Karen keeps trying to hold Mickie back but it doesn't really work.
The production mistakes continue as the video package plays again.
Knockout Title: Gail Kim vs. Mickie James
Why does no one ever wear the Knockouts Title? I mean you NEVER see it around someone's waist. They fight over a wristlock to start and then Mickie wins a brief slugout. Gail avoids a charge in the corner but can't get a rollup out of said corner. Mickie's victory roll is countered by having her face slammed into the mat. That looked great. Gail takes over and works on the back but her second backbreaker is countered into a nice headscissors by James.
Gail works her over some more but Mickie sends her to the floor where Gail's leg hits the steps. That can't feel good. Thesz Press off the top gets two but Mickie couldn't cover properly because Mickie was still in a split. Jumping DDT is countered so Mickie settles for a dragon screw instead. Gail goes to the floor and tries to walk but she gets sent into the post instead. Her head pretty clearly didn't hit but nice effort anyway. And then Madison comes out to hook Mickie's foot so Eat Defeat can end this at 7:48.
Storm says there's always someone bigger and tougher than you are to knock you down. That's his message to Angle, because tonight he's getting his second win in a row over Kurt.
We recap Storm vs. Angle, which is about Angle jumping Storm in the back and injuring him. It's so nice to see a feud that makes sense and follows the story.
James Storm vs. Kurt Angle
The fans are all behind Storm. He's gotten the push of a lifetime out of this. Storm tries to take it to the mat and that goes about as well as you could expect it to. They exchange some quick arm work and Storm grabs a headlock to take over. For someone that said he wasn't coming here to wrestle Angle, he certainly looks like he's wrestling Angle. Kurt hammers away in the corner to take over, which plays into the whole concussion story/real injury.
Out to the floor and Storm gets rammed into the barricade which might have hit his head again. Off to a chinlock but then Kurt just pounds away at the head. That always makes me a bit shaky, especially when Storm had a legit head injury recently. A suplex puts Storm down again and Storm looks out of it. Back to the chinlock and Storm's head injury is being played up here.
He finally suplexes out of the hold though and both guys are down. Storm wins a slugout and hits the Codebreaker/Backstabber combo for two. Angle snaps off an overhead belly to belly for two. Storm avoids the rolling Germans and it's ankle lock time. I really can't stand that as it comes out of nowhere and goes completely against the whole psychology of almost all of Kurt's matches.
It doesn't last long but James gets caught in the Rolling Germans this time. They're slower than usual though. Just three in this set for a count of two. Angle Slam is countered into the Eye of the Storm for two. Storm goes up but gets caught in the (second attempt of) running belly to belly for two. The crowd isn't as into this as they should be since it's been pretty good.
Angle Slam is countered as is the Last Call, the latter into the ankle lock. Storm kicks out of that and Kurt's shoulder goes into the post. Instead of pulling Kurt out, Storm channels his inner Apex Legend Killing Viper with an elevated DDT onto the apron. Somehow that only gets two back in the ring but Kurt snaps off an Angle Slam for two. Moonsault misses and the Last Call ends this clean at 17:54. Can't say they didn't put him over.
The Jarretts are nervous. Jeff is ticked because he's been on the cruise for three days and now he hears about the stipulation Sting added despite being a company man. Sting pops up with the handcuffs.
We recap the battle of the Jeffs. Hardy came back and Jarrett complained because Hardy wasn't a company man and dropped the ball and all that jazz. Jarrett lost to Hardy three times at Turning Point to set this up.
Jeff Jarrett vs. Jeff Hardy
This is in a cage. Sting will be handcuffed to Karen on the floor. If Hardy wins, he gets the title match at Genesis and a Jarrett is fired. If Jarrett wins, Hardy is gone from TNA. I didn't hear the opening bell so the time is going to be a little off. You can win by any means. Hardy takes over early and hits the basement dropkick for two. They keep stopping for some reason. Hardy goes for the escape but that gets him nowhere.
Jarrett goes into the cage a few times as Hardy is definitely in slow gear here. Twist of Fate is countered into the Figure Four just a few minutes into the match. It's very frustrating to not be able to say Jeff in this. Hardy gets rammed hard into the cage and Jarrett goes for the climb but Hardy makes the save. Jarrett goes into the cage and Hardy hits something like a Lionsault for two. There wasn't a running start but the camera angle wasn't clear as to what he did.
They slug it out, won by Hardy. Twist of Fate hits but Jarrett is too far away for the Swanton. A second Twist sets up the top of the cage Swanton....which completely misses as Hardy crashes and burns. And people wonder why he's addicted to drugs. There's the Stroke and Jarrett calls for the door to be opened. Hardy makes a diving save and we keep going. How has this only been going eight minutes so far?
The referee goes down from something and Hardy is rammed into the cage which is rammed into Sting. Karen gets uncuffed and the door is rammed into Hardy's head. That gets a VERY close two. Karen tries to send in a guitar but Sting makes the save. We also get the ultra rare barefaced Sting shot. The Twist of Fate ends this at 10:03. That seems really short.
Sting says someone is fired on Thursday.
Roode says the same stuff he's been saying for weeks now.
We recap the title match which is just Roode turning heel and AJ being his first challenger. This is their rematch.
TNA World Title: AJ Styles vs. Bobby Roode
This is a 30 minute Iron Man match and AJ has a bad knee coming in. Feeling out process to start as AJ is tentative because of the knee. They trade headlocks as we're three minutes in. They're pacing themselves though and that's just fine. Thank goodness this is thirty minutes and not an hour because those matches are just dreadful to sit through. They go back and forth with headlocks and headscissors and AJ is currently in control.
They run the ropes and AJ's limpp is getting more pronounced. Roode hits the floor for a break and we're five minutes in. Back in and he hits some shoulders and chops in the corner. AJ gets sent to the floor and it turns into more of a brawl. Roode takes over back in the ring but AJ tries to speed things up and gets some rollups for two each. While he's laying on his back, AJ nips up into a rana. That was cool.
Clothesline gets two for the challenger and we hit the chinlock. Roode fights up and hits a knee crusher...which doesn't seem to slow AJ down that much. A second crusher sends AJ to the corner where Roode gets in a shot to the knee and a rollup with feet on the ropes for the first fall at 10:00 with 20:00 to go. Roode works over the leg for the next few minutes, which is perfectly smart strategy.
AJ tries that nip-up into the rana again but gets caught in a half crab. He finally makes the rope and the knee is in trouble. There's a Figure Four which is still on at the 15:00 mark. AJ taps with 14:38 left and Taz says he should have done that earlier. A chop block puts AJ down again and Roode tries a Figure Four again, but AJ kicks him off, sending the champ's shoulder into the buckle. He may have injured the shoulder on that.
AJ hits a flying armbar and then a Crossface makes Roode tap with 12:23 to go. Twelve minutes left. He hooks the arm but Roode countered into kind of a half crab but with Roode laying on the mat. AJ escapes and strikes away but Roode knocks him down again. He walks over and gets caught in a small package with 9:51 to go, tying it up. They slug it out and Roode kicks him in the knee to regain momentum.
Spinebuster gets two for Bobby. Roode goes for the knee and AJ kicks him in the shoulder, but the champion gets a DDT onto the leg to put AJ back down. Roode tries a slingshot but AJ lands on the rope (on one foot so the quick recovery isn't ridiculous) and tries the springboard moonsault into the DDT which mostly doesn't work. The springboard 450 however does get him a pin and a 3-2 lead with 7:00 to go.
A Fujiwara Armbar is countered as is a half crab attempt. AJ drapes the arm over the rope but when he slides back in, Roode drops onto him and grabs the rope for the pin at 5:00 to go. They go up to the corner where AJ runs the corner and arm drags Roode down onto the shoulder. Three minutes left and AJ drops him onto the arm with a belly to back suplex. Fisherman's suplex is countered into a small package for two.
There's the Pele but AJ can't follow up. Two minutes left. He loads up the Clash but falls backwards with his knee getting all twisted up in the process. Roode goes to the floor instead of covering or following up for some reason. AJ's leg is fine apparently as he hits a flip dive over the top to the floor with 1:00 left. Back in and Roode rolls to the floor again and keeps running until the clock runs out for a 3-3 tie at 30:00.
Results
Rob Van Dam b. Christopher Daniels Five Star Frog Splash
Robbie E b. Eric Young Codebreaker
Matt Morgan/Crimson b. D-Von/D'Angelo Dinero Double Chokeslam to D-Von
Austin Aries b. Kid Kash Brainbuster
Gail Kim b. Mickie James Eat Defeat
James Storm b. Kurt Angle Last Call
Jeff Hardy b. Jeff Jarrett Twist of Fate
AJ Styles vs. Bobby Roode went to a 3-3 tie
Quick Results
Raw
The Miz b. Randy Orton via countout
Alberto Del Rio b. Daniel Bryan Cross Armbreaker
Kelly Kelly/Eve Torres b. Natalya/Beth Phoenix
John Cena b. Zack Ryder AA
Zack Ryder b. Mark Henry Pin after an AA from John Cena
Kevin Nash b. Santino Marella Jackknife Powerbomb
Sheamus b. Dolph Ziggler Brogue Kick
NXT
Usos b. Curt Hawkins/Tyler Reks Top rope splash to Reks
JTG/Darren Young b. Percy Watson/Titus O'Neil Rollup to O'Neil
Derrick Bateman b. Johnny Curtis Falling Bulldog
Impact Wrestling
Abyss b. Samoa Joe Chokeslam
Mickie James b. Madison Rayne Jumping DDT
Garrett Bischoff b. Gunner Single Leg Rollup
Gail Kim b. Traci Brooks Pin after a belt shot
AJ Styles/Jeff Hardy b. Robert Roode/Jeff Jarrett Small Package to Roode
Smackdown
Wade Barrett b. Ezekiel Jackson Bossman Slam
Zack Ryder b. Heath Slater Rough Ryder
Ted DiBiase b. Jinder Mahal Small Package
Sheamus b. David Otunga Brogue Kick
Cody Rhodes b. Daniel Bryan via disqualification when Booker T interfered
Randy Orton b. Dolph Ziggler RKO
Final Resolution 2011
Rob Van Dam b. Christopher Daniels Five Star Frog Splash
Robbie E b. Eric Young Codebreaker
Matt Morgan/Crimson b. D-Von/D'Angelo Dinero Double Chokeslam to D-Von
Austin Aries b. Kid Kash Brainbuster
Gail Kim b. Mickie James Eat Defeat
James Storm b. Kurt Angle Last Call
Jeff Hardy b. Jeff Jarrett Twist of Fate
AJ Styles vs. Bobby Roode went to a 3-3 tie