Impact Wrestling
Date: May 21, 2026
Location: Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re back to taped after last week’s live show which was kind of all over the place. Last week’s show saw Cedric Alexander end Leon Slater’s near record setting X-Division Title reign. The show ended with the debut of Fabian Aichner, which is certainly a surprise, though maybe not the biggest. As for tonight, Steve Maclin gets his (second) World Title shot against Mike Santana. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is the System to get things going. Eddie Edwards brags about the team’s success and says Cedric Alexander got them one step closer to holding all of the gold. He’s coming for Mike Santana but Brian Myers doesn’t like the fans disliking them. Bronson promises that anyone who comes after them will be eaten alive. Alexander became the Record Taker last week and if Fabian Aichner has something to say, come say it.

Cue Aichner, who says he was out here to introduce himself last week. He knows he’s a future TNA Champion and that X-Division Title looks nice. The team comes after Aichner, who gets right through them and chokes Alexander, sending the System running. That already makes Aichner look more interesting than anything he did in WWE.

Daria Rae gives Steve Maclin a pep talk and he says…absolutely nothing.

Elayna Black vs. Indi Hartwell

Stacks and Arianna Grace are on commentary. Black gets shoved out of the corner to start fast and Hartwell boots her in the face. Another boot to the side of the head gets two but Black shoves her off the top for a crash to the floor. Back in and Black knees her in the back for two, followed by a running knee for the same. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Hartwell fights up with a spinebuster. Hartwell goes up but Grace shoves her down for the DQ at 4:05.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time to get this going and the biggest thing here was Grace going after Hartwell. That’s a feud that has been built up for a bit and will probably get us closer to Hartwell going after the Knockouts Title down the line. Then you have Black who continues to just kind of be here, which has been an issue for her since her debut. At least she isn’t taking pins all the time though, meaning there is still hope for her at the moment.

Post match Grace throws Hartwell outside and rants about Santino Marella, who comes out to interrupt. Marella says that wasn’t cool and yells at Stacks, who seems interested in a fight. The Cobra is loaded up but cue Daria Rae to interrupt. After her catchphrase, she brings up her own past in MMA and tells everyone to leave.

The Elegance Brand is planning for Ash’s return when the lights go out. The lights come back up and there is a message from the Undead Realm, saying they’ll see the Brand soon.

Vincent vs. Matt Hardy

Dutch is here with Vincent. Hardy’s music starts but Vincent says hang on, because he wants Broken Matt. Cue Matt, with Jeff Hardy, and yes he’s Broken because this is still a thing. Jeff and Dutch have to be handcuffed to the corners and we start with Matt avoiding a charge into the corner. Dutch grabs him by the leg though and we take a break.

We come back with Matt striking away until a double clothesline puts them both down. Matt pops up and sends him into the corner over and over. The powerbomb out of the corner plants Vincent, who starts untying his boot. A big swing misses Matt and he bites Vincent’s foot. Dutch offers a distraction so Vincent gets in a running shot to the face.

The Twist Of Fate is countered and the referee gets bumped, with Vincent belly to back suplexing Matt down. Vincent steals the key from the referee’s pocket…but the lights go out (just like in the previous backstage segment). This time though, Willow is back to beat Vincent up with the umbrella. The Twist Of Fate gives Matt the pin at 11:29.

Rating: C+. I know the Broken stuff has its audience and I continue to not be part of it. This was another instance of the Hardys getting to do their weird stuff and get out their creativity or whatever they’re calling it this time. At the same time, the Hardys get to win again, as they tend to do far too often around here.

AJ Francis comes up to applaud Elijah’s guitar playing and suggests a collaboration. Elijah politely declines and Francis says you’re going to regret that. Francis: “You’re going to regret that.”

Santino Marella announces a pair of upcoming Champions Challenges (champions vs. challengers) but Daria Rae interrupts and makes Marella vs. Stacks for next week. Marella approves and leaves, with the System coming in. Eddie Edward requests and receives a match with Fabian Aichner next week.

International Title: Chazz Hall vs. Mustafa Ali

Hall, from NXT/Evolve, is challenging and Ali has Order 4 with him. They run the ropes and trade legsweeps to start until Ali sends him into the corner. Hall knocks him away and hits a springboard wristdrag, setting up a running flip dive to the floor. Back in and Ali cutters him for two before taking Hall up top. The super Razor’s Edge is countered into a super hurricanrana, followed by a standing corkscrew moonsault for two. Sliced Bread is broken up and Ali grabs a backslide and flips forward into a cradle to retain at 4:47.

Rating: B-. They packed a bunch of stuff into the limited time they had here and that was nice to see. Hall got to showcase himself fairly well, with those flips and dives looking nice. The rollup was rather smooth as well though and Ali certainly seemed to be fired up off that nice of a pin.

Mara Sade meets actor Keith Jardine, who agrees to be in her corner.

Eric Young fires up the rather serious/possibly zombified Steve Maclin. Young talks about giving him an opportunity and now Maclin has to make the biggest choice of his life.

Jada Stone vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside looks annoyed and backs Stone into the corner to start. Stone rolls her up and Brookside goes outside for a breather. Back in and the threat of a leglock sends Stone over to the ropes so she comes back up with a wristlock. Stone knocks her down but takes too long going up, with Brookside going back to the leg. Said leg is tied up and cranked on until Brookside ties it up in the corner. Stone fights back and gets in a kick to the face, setting up a split legged moonsault for two. A handspring is cut off with a kick to the leg though and Darkside (implant DDT) finishes for Brookside at 7:09.

Rating: C+. I like Brookside getting a chance in this way and while it’s early, it’s working for her thus far. She very easily could bring it back around the whole “it’s your birthright” thing and this is her way to get there. It’s working for her well enough so far and picking Stone apart was a good way to go.

Steve Maclin goes after Mike Santana in the back but security holds them apart.

Stacks and Arianna Grace are ready for Santino Marella next week.

TNA World Title: Steve Maclin vs. Mike Santana

Santana is defending. They immediately slug it out to start and Maclin blocks the superkick (which knocked him out at Sacrifice). A missed dropkick puts Santana down but he’s right back up with a belly to back faceplant. Maclin heads outside and gets taken out by a dive but is able to post Santana for a breather. The table is loaded up and Santana seems to tweak his knee. That’s fine with Maclin, who scores with a chop block to put Santana down.

We take a break and come back with Santana reversing a Figure Four to send Stacks over to the rope. Maclin dives into a Death Valley Driver and they’re both down again. Back up and a jumping enziguri rocks Maclin in the corner but the rolling Buck Fifty is blocked. Santana escapes the Tree Of Woe though and now the rolling Buck Fifty connects for two. A spinning powerbomb gives Santana two but Spin The Block is countered into a Michinoku Driver for two more.

The spear in the Tree Of Woe gets another two and they go up top. Santana drops down to the apron and kicks Maclin through the table, followed by a frog splash for two more. Maclin collapses before Spin The Black can connect, which is a ruse so he can connect with a superkick of his own. Santana is back with a jumping clothesline into Spin The Block to retain at 17:37.

Rating: B. So that was the Sacrifice main event postponed by a bit and that’s perfectly fine. I do like Maclin getting his title shot and a chance at a full match rather than the mishap from the first attempt. This worked and felt like a main event, though I could have gone with something other than a second match in a row with someone working on the leg.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s another perfectly efficient show, with a big main event and some stuff being set up for later. I could go for less of the Broken Hardys and the battling bosses, but the champions vs. all stars matches should be good. They covered quite a bit here and that’s always appreciated, with a more steady show after last week’s live edition.

Results
Indi Hartwell b. Elayna Black via DQ when Arianna Grace interfered
Matt Hardy b. Vincent – Twist Of Fate
Mustafa Ali b. Chazz Hall – Rollup
Xia Brookside b. Jada Stone – Darkside
Mike Santana b. Steve Maclin – Spin The Block

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Underrated Backlash Classics
Commentators: Tom Philips, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Paul Heyman

Tis the season I guess as the WWE Vault is looking back at Backlash over the years. It’s a series that started almost thirty years ago and that means there is quite a bit too look back on these days. At the same time, looking at the underrated stuff is often a lot more interesting than seeing the more famous stuff again. Let’s get to it.

From Backlash 2018.

US Title: Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy

Hardy is defending. Orton knocks him down with a shoulder to start but Hardy comes back up with a dropkick. That’s enough for Orton to be sent to the floor for a big clothesline from the apron, only for Orton to come back with a dropkick of his own. The Whisper In The Wind is broken up and Hardy gets tied in the Tree Of Woe. Orton stomps away (yes seriously) in the corner and Hardy is knocked outside.

That’s fine with Hardy, who hits his half of Poetry In Motion against the barricade. Back in and the springboard is cut off with another rather awesome Orton dropkick and Hardy crashes out to the floor. Back in and Hardy is dropped ribs first across the top rope, setting up the chinlock. Hardy fights up and knocks him down for the legdrop between the legs. A basement dropkick connects as well, followed by the Whisper In The Wind for two.

Orton is back up with a powerslam for two more but Hardy kicks him into the corner. The slingshot dropkick (dubbed the Hardiac Arrest, a name which never caught on) misses though and the hanging DDT drops Hardy again. The RKO is loaded up but Hardy reverses into a quick Twist Of Fate. That and the Swanton retains the title at 11:50.

Rating: B-. It was good seeing Hardy get a win over Orton, even if it wasn’t quite when Hardy was at his peak. It’s no surprise that these two can have a good match together as they’re both rather talented and have some history. They were firmly in the midcard here and it makes sense to put them together like this, as you know it’s going to be pretty good at the worst.

From Backlash 2000.

Light Heavyweight Title: Dean Malenko vs. Scotty 2 Hotty

Malenko is defending and jumps Malenko to start but Scotty hits a backdrop. A clothesline gives Scotty two but the bulldog is cut off with Malenko’s own clothesline. Malenko starts working on the leg and drops some elbows before cranking away. The leg is wrapped around the post a few times and Malenko drops an elbow on the knee to cut off a comeback attempt. Scotty’s leg is kicked out again and Malenko baseball slides the leg to keep things fresh.

A rollup gets two on Malenko, who blasts Scotty with a clothesline to cut him off again. Back up and Malenko kind of tackles him out to the floor for a double crash. They get back in and Malenko superplexes him down and they both need a breather. The Texas Cloverleaf is countered into a small package for two but Malenko suplexes him down.

Scotty escapes a powerbomb though and hits the bulldog into the Worm for two. Malenko’s rollup gets caught with his feet on the ropes so he goes with a heck of a tiger driver for two instead. Malenko actually goes up top so Scotty follows, only to get pulled into a super DDT to retain at 11:48.

Rating: B-. I knew that ending was coming and it still looked great as Malenko planted him. The Light Heavyweight Title didn’t have the greatest history in the WWF but this was one of the better matches. It’s kind of annoying that Scotty is so well remembered for the goofy stuff as he could certainly go in the ring, though I’d assume his bank account doesn’t quite see it that way.

From Backlash 2006 (I was there).

Money In The Bank/Intercontinental Title: Rob Van Dam vs. Shelton Benjamin

This is winner take all. Benjamin wrestles him down with ease to start before starting in on the arm. Van Dam reverses into a wristlock of his own but gets taken down with an armdrag, leaving him a bit impressed. A rollup gives Van Dam two and Benjamin hides in the corner for a change. Van Dam kicks him down to the floor and Benjamin kicks the steps to blow off some steam.

Back in and Van Dam kicks him down again, setting up a slingshot dive to the floor. With Van Dam on the apron, Benjamin hits a running sunset bomb to the floor for the nasty crash and Van Dam is in trouble for a change. We hit a chinlock with a knee in the back, followed by a running knee lift for two. The reverse chinlock goes on for a bit, with Van Dam fighting back.

The kicks put Benjamin down, only for the Rolling Thunder to be countered into a Samoan drop for two more. Van Dam fights up again and goes to the top, where Benjamin jumps from the mat to the floor for a superplex and another near fall. Benjamin’s dropkick misses though and Van Dam makes the clothesline comeback. A springboard kick to the face sets up Rolling Thunder to give Van Dam two and they’re both back up.

Van Dam’s step over kick to the face connects but the Five Star misses. A nice DDT (Van Dam always sold those well) gives Benjamin two so he sends Van Dam face first into the apron. Back in and Van Dam rolls through a high crossbody for two but the referee gets bumped. Benjamin grabs the briefcase but Van Dam takes it away and hits a Van Daminator. The Five Star gives Van Dam the pin and the title at 18:41.

Rating: B. I’ve seen this match quite a few times and it has grown on me over the years. It’s longer than it needs to be but there is something to be said about seeing Van Dam facing someone more athletic. You don’t see him have to go there very often but he knows how to make a comeback. Good match here, even if Van Dam would lose the title back very shortly thereafter.

From Backlash 2001.

Hardcore Title: Raven vs. Rhyno

Rhyno is defending and misses an early Gore attempt, hitting a stop sign by mistake. A running trashcan shot to the head gives Raven two but Rhyno’s running shoulder connects in the corner. Raven gets kicked out to the floor for two and Rhyno sends him into the steps. A jumping clothesline off the steps drops Rhyno for two and Raven sends him back inside…to knock him right back to the floor. Rhyno trashcan lids him down for two more so let’s get a shopping cart.

Said cart hits Raven in the face on the way back inside but he drops toeholds Rhyno face first into the cart. Some street sign shots to the head put Rhyno down and a bulldog out of the corner gets two. Rhyno is back up with the cart, which is knocked down onto his face and then driven into his ribs in the corner. Another shot cuts Raven off though and Rhyno Gores…the cart, even getting stuck inside of it. Raven unloads on him with a sink, which just wakes Rhyno up so he can hit the Gore for the retaining pin at 8:12.

Rating: B. This was about two guys beating each other up and making the weapon stuff feel better than usual. The shopping cart was a nice bonus and the Gore that went into it is certainly a memorable spot. You don’t see these matches reach this level very often but dang they made it work here. Heck of a match.

From Backlash 2002.

Cruiserweight Title: Tajiri vs. Billy Kidman

Kidman is defending and gets sent into the corner to start, meaning it’s time for the tradition exchange of chops. A catapult sends Kidman into the corner but he comes back out with a missile dropkick. The fans respond by chanting for Torrie Wilson (in Tajiri’s corner and forced to wear a rather covering robe) and Kidman is knocked into the ropes.

Tajiri heads outside and hits a heck of a kick to the head for two. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Kidman is sent back first into the post. The backbreaker keeps Kidman in trouble and the Tarantula makes it even worse. With that broken up, Tajiri’s handspring elbow is dropkicked away but Tajiri kicks him right back down.

A bridging rollup gets two so Tajiri superkicks him for two more. The powerbomb (which Tajiri is so known for using) is countered into a faceplant but Kidman misses the shooting star press. Tajiri’s Buzzsaw Kick gets two (that was a surprise) so they head up top. A super sitout spinebuster gives Kidman two but Tajiri mists him down for the title at 9:11.

Rating: C+. That near fall off the Buzzsaw Kick was good, as was Kidman’s top rope spinebuster but that’s about all that stood out here. I kept waiting for Wilson to get involved but nothing ever happened. It’s a good enough match, but Kidman was almost squashed for a lot of it.

Overall Rating: B. Yeah this was fun, as Backlash has a nice built in advantage from coming straight off of Wrestlemania. You have some momentum coming in and get some good stuff on the card as well. That was the case here, as you had some matches with Wrestlemania fallout and some stuff which was just good on its own. I liked this as a flashback, as there has been some quality stuff at this show over the years, even without touching the main events.

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Impact Wrestling
Date: April 30, 2026
Location: Upstate Medical University Arena At The Oncenter War Memorial, Syracuse, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

Unless I’ve missed it, we don’t have a big show announced yet outside of Slammiversary. That’s all the way in late June so I’d assume we’ll be getting an announcement sooner than later. I’m not sure who is going to be coming after the World Title, but it’s time for Elijah vs. Frankie Kazarian in a guitar strap match. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Vincent vs. Jeff Hardy

Their partners are barred from ringside. Hardy jumps him to start fast but it’s way too early for the Swanton. Instead Hardy dives outside to take him down on the floor, followed by the spinning mule kick back inside. Another Swanton attempt is broken up and Vincent rams him into the apron. Back in and Vincent bends Hardy’s back over his knee, only for Hardy to fight up with a sitout jawbreaker. They punch each other down until Hardy gets back up for the legdrop between the legs.

The Twist Of Fate gets two so Hardy Russian legsweeps him into a rollup for two more. A sitout gordbuster drops Vincent again but he pulls Hardy back out of the corner for the crash. Vincent goes up…and the lights go out…oh no….and yeah Broken Matt is back. The lights go out again and when they come back up, Jeff is on top and Vincent is down, meaning the Swanton can finish for Jeff at 7:55.

Rating: C+. Dang it. I was hoping we wouldn’t be going here even after all of the signs pointing in this direction. I’m not a big fan of the Broken stuff and we’re probably coming up on another Final Deletion style match. That being said, I do appreciate that this is a story taking place without the titles, which is always appreciated.

Frankie Kazarian is ready for the guitar strap match because he’s been in the first of a bunch of matches over the last twenty years. Tonight, he’s doing it again.

International Title: Mustafa Ali vs. Adam Brooks

Ali is defending after picking a random country. Brooks gets run over to start and Ali grabs a running hurricanrana. A spinwheel kick knocks Brooks down but he’s right back with a kick to the face. Ali gets backdropped to the floor but plants Brooks on the floor to cut him right back off. The rolling neckbreaker gives Ali two back inside and we hit the chinlock. Ali gets up but dives into a punch to the face to knock him out of the air. Brooks brainbusters him onto the knee for two but misses a charge in the corner. The 450 retains the title at 5:55.

Rating: C+. Brooks got a chance to showcase himself here but this was the first time around for Ali’s international deal. That’s something that could go on for a long time and it means more of Ali in the ring, which is a good thing to see. Just let it get build up for awhile and then have a big name waiting on him. Simple and classic.

Eric Young wants to face EC3 once and for all next week.

We run down the rest of the card.

Tessa Blanchard/Victoria Crawford/Mila Moore vs. Rosemary/Allie/Mara Sade

And yes, commentary brings up that Allie was killed. Rosemary whips Crawford into the corner to start and hammers away, followed by a bite to send her outside. Sade hits a big dive onto the three villains and we take a break. We come back with Rosemary getting triple kneed in the corner as we see a rather bad shot of a bunch of empty seats. Rosemary fights up and brings Allie back in to clean house. Allie and Rosemary grab stereo Upside Downs and the Codebreaker finishes Moore at 8:36.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Allie get a win after such a bad case of death so at least she still has something. I’m a bit surprised to see Moore take the fall, as Crawford tends to be the team’s designated loser. I’m not sure how long the Undead Realm women are going to be around but at least we got a nice moment here.

Santino Marella says he has been cleared of all charges and he has authority again. Next week, it’s Moose/Leon Slater vs. the System, plus the Tag Team and Knockouts Titles are on the line. That’s a relief, as Rae being in charge full time doesn’t sound great.

Here is Indi Hartwell, who is happy with the Marella decision, despite Daria Rae’s interference. Other than that, she’s coming for Arianna Grace.

Mike Santana is happy with his match against Rich Swann last week but Nic Nemeth shows up, suggesting he’ll be cashing in soon.

Daria Rae talks to her unseen boss, who confirms that all of Santino Marella’s matches are set and Marella is back in power. Indi Hartwell comes in and Rae threatens to not renew her contract.

Mr. Elegance vs. Home Town Man

The Elegance Brand is here with Elegance, who poses to start. That earns him an armbar, which is broken up rather quickly. Instead, Man grabs an airplane spin and chokes on the rope. Elegance is back with a spinebuster, followed by some running knees to the back (which I had to see more than once to see what it was).

The Brand messes with Man’s Syracuse jersey though and that’s enough to really start the comeback. An elbow and high crossbody give Man two but Ash gets on the apron to dance. Man shrugs off her offer of a kiss though and puts a mask on her, only to get caught with the wind up DDT to give Elegance the pin at 6:05.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what to make of this, as Elegance really isn’t good, which I guess is the entire point. I think? Maybe? Either way, he’s better as someone who stands outside and poses a lot, as the in-ring side of things isn’t his strong suit. The whole Brand needs something to do though, as they’re just kind of floating around at the moment.

Allie and Mara Sade are happy when Rosemary comes in to say they still have a lot of work to do. Sade dances, Allie tries to dance, and Rosemary gets caught dancing, which has her rather annoyed.

Lei Ying Lee is crushed and is ready to leave her title shot behind. Tommy Dreamer comes up to tie this into his feud with Raven. Everyone believes in Lee, who agrees to stay.

Here is Leon Slater for a chat. He’s happy to be here because he is getting closer and closer to being the longest reigning X-Division Champion of all time. That’s all fine, but he’s not happy with Cedric Alexander, who can’t keep Slater’s name out of his mouth. Cue Alexander, who says he has earned a title shot, which will come on May 14, a day before Slater sets the record. Cue the System to jump Slater but Moose runs in for the save. Brian Myers gets powerbombed onto the rest of the team and Alisha Edwards has to bail to avoid a spear.

Ryan Nemeth feels left out by his big brother…and explains this to AJ Francis. After explaining that he does NOT like Nemeth slapping his leg, Francis points out that the Nemeths did all of this to him. He doesn’t care, and wants Nemeth to leave KC Navarro to him.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Elijah

It’s a strap match with four corners rules, though they start in the back. Kazarian seems to try to cheat to start things off to no avail and they slug it out. They fight around a bit, until Kazarian finds some hand sanitizer to blind Elijah. Kazarian slams Elijah’s arm in a door but gets crotched on some piece of equipment. Elijah puts him on a cart and sends him rolling into a crash. Some rams into a garage door have Kazarian in more trouble and they head to ringside as we take a break.

We come back with the brawl continuing at ringside until Elijah sends him inside. A rope walk sunset bomb (cool) puts Kazarian down but he’s right back up with some whips to the ribs. That’s fine with Elijah, who ties him around the post and gets in his own whipping. Kazarian whips him on the apron and drops a leg but gets pulled into the post. Back in and Kazarian grabs the chickenwing but Elijah hits three buckles.

That’s broken up as Kazarian pulls him down into the middle to stay on the arm. Elijah breaks that up as well and knees him out of the air. A Backstabber cuts Elijah off so Kazarian gets three buckles, with Elijah pulling him down. The strap breaks so the Highwayman’s Farewell connects and Elijah gets three buckles. Kazarian tries to fight back so it’s a heck of a guitar shot to knock him silly and give Elijah the fourth buckle for the win at 16:34.

Rating: B-. Yeah it was fine, which is about as you’re going to get in this kind of a match most of the time. The feud was only so interesting in the first place and this match didn’t make things that much better. Elijah winning is fine, though I’d rather he just get into another personal feud rather than moving up the ladder very far. I just don’t see him as a bigger name around here, as he tends to fit in better around this level.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was fine, even if it felt more like a means to set up the bigger shows down the line. That’s not a bad thing to do every so often as it lets things get built up a bit more. They don’t have a special coming up, but there are a few big matches set, which is fine enough for the time being. It’s not a must see show but it kept things moving forward fairly well. Call it a setup show and a decent one at that.

Results
Jeff Hardy b. Vincent – Swanton
Mustafa Ali b. Adam Brooks – 450
Rosemary/Allie/Mara Sade b. Tessa Blanchard/Victoria Crawford/Mila Moore – Codebreaker to Moore
Mr. Elegance b. Home Town Man – Wind Up DDT
Elijah b. Frankie Kazarian – Elijah touched all four turnbuckles

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 23, 2026
Location: Upstate Medical University Arena At The Oncenter War Memorial, Syracuse, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s World Title time, as Rich Swann is getting a shot at Mike Santana and the gold. That should be enough to carry the show but we still have a bit of fallout from Rebellion to deal with this week. If nothing else, the Hardys still want revenge on the Righteous, as their feud is somehow still going. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Bear Bronson vs. Nic Nemeth

The rest of the System is here and Ryan Nemeth is on commentary. Bronson chokes in the corner to start and gives him a rather enthusiastic slam. Nic fights back but Bronson sits down on his chest, allowing Alisha Edwards to get in a cheap shot from the floor. The side slam gives Bronson two but Nic fights up and hits a quick Fameasser.

Bronson chokebombs him for two more, only to get sent into the post. The running DDT and superkick give Nic two more but Bronson knocks him outside. The System surrounds him but KC Navarro comes out to offer a distraction. Nic hits the superkick into the Danger Zone for the pin at 8:27.

Rating: B-. This actually wound up being pretty decent, which isn’t a surprise as Bronson has completely exceeded his expectations in his time around here. The interference likely sets up another tag match down the line and I’m digging Nic as a good guy. You could put him into the World Title scene rather easily and that will likely be the case down the line, though going after the System is a good way to start.

Rich Swann, with BDE, is very excited for the main event and wants to do this alone. BDE doesn’t seem to mind.

Here is…well it’s supposed to be Elijah for a concert but it’s obviously Frankie Kazarian with a fake beard (which commentary does recognize). He has a bad case of the blues because he can’t beat Kazarian and he has written a song called Kaz Is My Daddy. Cue the real Elijah to choke Kazarian out and announce a guitar strap match. Then he sings about how horrible Kazarian is. I’ve heard worse ideas for a gimmick match.

EC3 has a chair and is ready to end Eric Young.

Tessa Blanchard, Victoria Crawford and Mila Moore are back from the Undead Realm and next week, they’re fighting Rosemary and company in their world. Sidenote: I know it’s (probably) not intentional but Moore’s “Hotter Than Her” shirt with an arrow pointing at Crawford is hilarious.

Dutch vs. Matt Hardy

Their partners are banned from ringside. Hardy wastes no time in setting up a table at ringside and spray paints SACRIFICE on top. Dutch jumps him inside for the opening bell and blocks an early Twist Of Fate attempt. The Side Effect connects and they go outside, with Hardy ramming Dutch’s head into the steps over and over.

We take a break and come back with Dutch charging into a side slam and grabbing a chinlock. That’s broken up and Dutch misses an elbow, allowing Hardy to hit a DDT. Dutch is sent outside for a middle rope elbow…which breaks one of the table’s legs but not the table itself. Hardy suplexes him through the table but since it was set up before the match, it’s not a DQ. As I try to get my head around THAT logic, Vincent pops out from underneath the ring and slides a chair inside. The distraction lets Vincent shove Hardy off the top into Death Walks to give Dutch the pin at 10:15.

Rating: C. The idea here was that Hardy wanted revenge, but at the same time the stuff with the table didn’t exactly work. This feud feels like it should have ended a few times now and odds are we’re going to the Hardy Compound sooner than later. Dutch getting a win is a surprise, though it was only an ok match.

Post match Vincent sits in a chair as Dutch beats on Matt. Jeff Hardy runs in for the save, which is treated as a surprise because…well because villains in wrestling are dumb.

The Elegance Brand have Mr. Elegance show off his physique to convince Daria Rae to give him a match next week. Yeah sure. She’s rather confused as the team leaves. This could be funny, which might be due to Rae not using her terrible catchphrase.

Here is a rather upset looking Lei Ying Lee for a chat. After apologizing for her English not being great, she says she loves her friends and TNA but doesn’t know why Xia Brookside did that to her. Cue Brookside, now in a leather jacket, to say they aren’t best friends because if they were, they would have stood together at Rebellion. Lee is in tears as Brookside says she has the pressure of being a second generation star and being all alone.

Lee talks about being alone out here but then she met Brookside and tried to help her. She apologizes to Brookside and promises to be right by her side. Brookside says she made a mistake and that Lee has been by her side. She knows Lee will be champion again and they make up with a big hug. Then Brookside glares at the camera and lays her out. Perfectly fine stuff here, though Brookside as a heel might be hard to make work.

Elayna Black vs. Katie Arquette

Black knocks her down to start and then trips her onto the apron. Back in and Black knocks her into the corner, setting up the Blackout for the fast pin at 2:29. Total squash.

Mustafa Ali, with Order 4, welcomes us to the International Title summit, where a random country is selected to have a representative get a title shot. The lucky country is Australia and the challenger is….Chris Brookes! He’s thankful for the chance and calls Ali a “bloke”, which Ali doesn’t understand.

Bear Bronson is ticked off about his loss and Cedric Alexander wants Leon Slater and the X-Division Title. Eddie Edwards says the System will fix this.

TNA World Title: Rich Swann vs. Mike Santana

Santana is defending and Swann is in remarkable shape as that has never been his thing before. They shake hands to start and we’re ready to go. Santana goes after the arm to start and wrestles him down, with Swann popping up for a standoff. They go to the test of strength and head to the mat with neither being able to get the advantage.

Back up and they both miss dropkicks, followed by Swann catching Santana with a dropkick to send him into the ropes. That has Santana rethinking things and hitting a dropkick of his own. A belly to back faceplant drops Swann and Santana hits a backsplash for two. They go outside, where Santana sends him face first into the floor (ow) as we take a break. We come back with Swann hitting a running kick from the apron and putting Santana in a chair next to the barricade.

Some running kicks to the face have Santana rocked but he comes back with a superkick. They get back inside, where Swann superkicks him out of the air and goes up as well. That earns Swann a top rope superplex, though he might have countered in some way as they both stay down. Santana fights up and strikes away, setting up the Rolling Buck Fifty. The Cannonball and a sitout powerbomb give Santana two but Swann scores with a rolling clothesline.

Swann misses a middle rope 450 but connects with the handspring cutter. A super hurricanrana into a frog splash gives Swann two and they need a breather. Back up and Santana tries a sitout powerbomb but gets reversed into a Canadian Destroyer for a rather near fall. Swann hits a superkick but Santana pops up with a heck of a Spin The Block to retain at 19:06.

Rating: B+. Yeah this worked, as they beat the fire out of each other and Swann looks like he’s back after a weird few years. That’s great to see and he has clearly put in the work. At the same time, Santana continues to be the man and it’s great to see that he is feeling like the A-list star of this promotion. TNA has been needing that as even Joe Hendry felt like he was a rental before he could get to WWE. Santana doesn’t feel that way (though WWE would snatch him up as soon as they could if possible) and that’s good to see for the promotion.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event is rather good, though there was only so much worthwhile on the rest of the show. Right now there isn’t a big show set up so until we start building towards whatever is next, we’re in something of a holding pattern. Granted having that good of a main event helps, but it’s the only thing really worth your time this week.

Results
Nic Nemeth b. Bear Bronson – Danger Zone
Dutch b. Matt Hardy – Death Walks
Elayna Black b. Katie Arquette – Blackout
Mike Santana b. Rich Swann – Spin The Block

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 26, 2026
Location: Gateway Center Arena At College Park, College Park, Georgia
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the night before Sacrifice and the show is pretty much set. In this case though, we’re likely going to hear more from Mike Santana and Steve Maclin, who are set for a World Title match tomorrow night. Other than that, there is probably a chance that more will be added to the show so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Mustafa Ali vs. BDE

Order 4 and Rich Swann are here too. Ali takes him into the corner for an uppercut to start but BDE comes back with a crucifix bomb to send Ali outside. The required dive connects and they head back inside, where Ali takes him down by the leg. They slug it out until BDE hits a running boot into a handspring cutter, followed by a top rope frog splash for two. Back up and Ali hits a quick sitout powerbomb, setting up a swinging Downward Spiral for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C+. BDE continues to fulfill his role perfectly well as he can do spots just fine and then puts people over every time. I’m sure he’ll win a singles match somewhere in there and that’ll be fine, but for now this is working well for him. Ali gets a win, though I have no reason to believe he’s going to be getting much higher up the ladder.

Post match Order 4 jumps Swann but Trey Miguel runs in for the save. Jada Stone comes in to take out Tasha Steelz and Miguel saves her from Agent Zero.

Leon Slater and Mike Santana are ready to face the System tonight. They’re ready to keep their titles tomorrow night too. Daria Rae comes up to threaten Santana with losing the title if he touches Steve Maclin.

Jeff Hardy vs. Brian Myers

Matt Hardy and the System are here too. Jeff slugs away in the corner but Myers pulls him off the middle rope for a crash. An elbow to the face sets up a chinlock but Hardy is right back up. The basement dropkick hits Myers, who reverses the Twist Of Fate into an implant DDT for two. The Roster Cut is blocked though and the twisting Stunner sets up a Swanton to beat Myers at 3:15.

Rating: C. They were moving rather quickly here and Hardy winning is fine, though it didn’t exactly make me think the System is going to be a threat to win the titles. Then again no one has felt like a real threat to win the titles for months. This could have been better with more time, but it felt more like a way to get Hardy in the ring than anything else.

Post match the System jumps the Hardys until the Righteous makes the save. Bear Bronson is left in the ring…and here is Moose for their schedule match.

Moose vs. Bear Bronson

Alisha Edwards is here with Moose. Bronson hits a running shot against the ropes but Moose is back up with a dropkick. Back up and Bronson hammers away in the corner, where Moose is right back with some rapid fire chops. They head outside, with Moose being sent into the barricade and then go back inside, where Bronson snaps off a suplex. Moose doesn’t like being inside and goes outside again, with Bronson being sent into the steps. Bronson snaps off another suplex and we take a break.

We come back with Bronson superplexing Moose, who pops up and runs Bronson over. The running backsplash connects but the spear is countered into a pop up sitout powerbomb to give Bronson two. A swinging Boss Man Slam gives Bronson two more and they trade standing clotheslines. Cue the System again…so some former Atlanta Falcons (Moose’s former teammates) come over the barricade to cut them off. Moose hits the spear for the pin at 13:08.

Rating: B. I liked this more than I was expecting as Bronson has been a nice addition to the roster as a power guy. At the same time, Bronson was nothing more than the next person in line for Moose to smash through on his way to Sacrifice. It still doesn’t feel like it’s going to end well there for him, but this wound up being good stuff, with the Falcons deal being a nice bonus.

Mara Sade is ready for Sacrifice but gets a note saying READ ME. The note says “follow the White Rabbit” and then a bloody rabbit walks by. Sade follows and someone follows her (I think, as it was hard to see who was whom).

The System is ready to take out Moose and the Hardys. Eddie Edwards is sad to see Alisha Edwards getting dropped as well but she’s made her choice. The Righteous is watching as well.

Tessa Blanchard/Mila Moore/Victoria Crawford vs. Harley Hudson/Myla Grace/Jody Threat

Threat and Blanchard start things off but Moore comes in to face Hudson instead. Moore grinds away on a headlock but Hudson is back with a running crossbody for two. Grace comes in for a headlock before striking away at Crawford. Blanchard gets in a cheap shot from the apron but it’s off to Threat to pick up the pace. House is quickly cleaned and the villains are taken down with some dives on the floor. Blanchard drops Threat onto the steps though and a quick Buzzsaw finishes Grace at 6:20.

Rating: C+. They were moving rather quickly out there and Blanchard took the other team apart to get the win. That makes perfect sense as she’s pretty far ahead of the other three, especially Hudson and Grace. The match was pretty to the point here, even if they didn’t have much time with the amount of people involved.

WRATH! Rosemary goes up to see a man in a mask, who winds up being Crazzy Steve, with Allie popping up behind her. Rosemary shuts her up and Steve goes on a rant about how everyone has thrown him aside to rot. Now Rosemary is here to get something from him and she is ready to pay the price. She kisses Steve on the head and TO BE CONTINUED. Do we know what she is trying to get out of this whole thing?

Eric Young vs. Brad Attitude

Young jumps him before the bell and chokes with his jacket. Attitude is sent outside and Young stays on him, but stops to yell at the referee. The Death Valley Driver gives Young two and he chases the referee, allowing Attitude to hit a dive. Back in and Young crotches him on top, setting up the piledriver for the pin at 3:53.

Rating: C-. This was just a way to get Young ready for his X-Division Title shot tomorrow and that’s about it. It was little more than a squash and that’s all it needed to be. Hopefully Young loses tomorrow and they get on with whatever his Cleanse thing is, which is totally coming one way or another.

Matt Hardy has been attacked and apparently it was the System. The Righteous are ready to get revenge.

Here is Buff Bagwell for a surprise chat. He thanks God for being with him through the loss of his leg, but he also needs to apologize for his behavior over the last twenty years (ignore his issues before 2006). Bagwell wants to walk down the aisle and wrestle one more time but here is Frankie Kazarian to say Bagwell isn’t walking anywhere. Hop maybe, but not walk. Kazarian mocks him some more but here is Elijah to chase him off. Elijah wants to be there when Bagwell walks that aisle again.

Santino Marella reveals that Matt Hardy is injured and unable to compete so the Righteous come in to get a match with Vincent/Jeff Hardy vs. the System at Sacrifice.

Dani Luna is ready to finally win the Knockouts Title at Sacrifice, when it is going to be doomsday.

Sacrifice rundown.

The System vs. Leon Slater/Mike Santana

Eddie Edwards/Cedric Alexander for the System here and the rest of the team is here too. Slater hammers on Alexander to start and it’s off to Edwards vs. Santana. The System is quickly cleared out and Slater hits a big dive. We take a break and come back with Myers offering a distraction so Edwards can get in a cheap shot.

Slater gets caught in the wrong corner and Alexander’s knee drop gets two. Back up and Slater hits a spinwheel kick, allowing the tag off to Santana for the fast comeback. A double flipping slam sets up a step up moonsault to give Santana two. Edwards avoids Spin The Block and hits the Backpack Stunner, with Alexander’s frog splash getting two.

Everything breaks down and the Boston Knee party misses, allowing Santana to hit a Death Valley Driver. Santana’s big running flip dive connects on the floor but here is Steve Maclin to choke Slater. Maclin stops to glare Santana though and Slater hits a superkick. Back in and the Boston Knee Party finishes for Edwards at 13:58.

Rating: B-. This was what it needed to be as Edwards gets the win to make him feel like more of a threat to take the title at some point. It also helped Maclin and Santana get ready for their match, which is a good thing to see as they can’t actually get physical. The action worked well and it accomplished a few things so that makes for a nice main event.

Overall Rating: C+. The best thing about this show is they made me more interested in seeing Sacrifice, which is feeling like a much bigger show than No Surrender. If nothing else, the main event is already feeling bigger. Hopefully it lives up to the hype as we move into the spring and get ready for the next regular pay per view. For now though, I’m interested enough in the show, though there were some less than thrilling parts here, like anything involving Eric Young and the Rosemary stuff, though the latter might need some more time. Either way, nice enough show this week with the big one coming tomorrow.

Results
Mustafa Ali b. BDE – Swinging Downward Spiral
Jeff Hardy b. Brian Myers – Swanton Bomb
Moose b. Bear Bronson – Spear
Tessa Blanchard/Mila Moore/Victoria Crawford b. Harley Hudson/Myla Grace/Jody Threat – Buzzsaw DDT to Grace
Eric Young b. Brad Attitude – Piledriver
The System b. Leon Slater/Mike Santana – Boston Knee Party to Santana

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Smackdown
Date: October 10, 2008
Location: Spokane Arena, Spokane, Washington
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz

Things have gotten interesting around here as Jeff Hardy’s rise to the top has stalled again, this time after a loss to HHH in a heck of a title match at No Mercy. HHH isn’t getting a breath though as he is defending the title against Big Show this week. That makes sense as Big Show defeated the Undertaker at the pay per view so let’s get to it.

Here is No Mercy if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at Big Show wrecking Undertaker at No Mercy and beating him via KO. Undertaker’s eyes looked gone and that was quite the visual.

Opening sequence.

Vickie Guerrero, with Chavo Guerrero, is in the ring to get things going. She rants about how two weeks ago, she wasn’t wearing her neck brace until she was brutally and SAVAGELY attacked by the Undertaker. She can still hear the sounds of her vertebrae compressing and TO THIS DAY, she can feel the pain going down her spine (you can imagine the crowd’s reactions).

But then at No Mercy, Undertaker got his when he was dominated and humiliated by Big Show. That’s why Show is challenging HHH for the World Title tonight, which brings Show out to join us. Show has heard the fans cheering for the Undertaker and it meant nothing compared to his fist. We see what is either the same video from the opening or something close enough to it that it doesn’t matter before Show brags about knocking out a bunch of people.

As for tonight, HHH is going to know exactly what hits him and Show will be the new champion. Cue Vladimir Kozlov, who makes it clear that he’s coming for whomever leaves with the title. Show recommends against that due to the whole “I’m a giant” thing, plus he’s an AMERICAN (oh geez). And that’s how it ends, which is probably for the better.

Brie Bella vs. Natalya Neidhart

Victoria is here with Natalya. They go straight to the mat to start with Bella hammering away. Back up and Bella slips off the ropes but is right back up with a bunch of forearms in a nice recovery. Natalya blasts her with a heck of a discus clothesline but Bella gets in a quick two off a sunset flip.

That’s enough for Bella to try her dive underneath the ring, though Victoria cuts her off. Well she cuts her off for a bit, as Hornswoggle pops her up to chase Victoria away. Brie comes out from the other side of the ring but then goes back under, popping out from the other side faster than humanly possible. Natalya is so confused that she gets crucifixed for the fast pin.

Rating: C. Yeah we get it. They’re pretty much this close to revealing the thing with Bella and there’s not much point to keeping it a secret any longer. We get the idea now and while it’s clever, it isn’t something that feels like it has the longest shelf life. That being said, it might be nice to have something different in the division, which is still coming together.

We look at John Cena’s neck injury at Summerslam and his ensuing surgery.

Funaki is practicing his interviews when R-Truth comes in to say Funaki needs a microphone. R-Truth wants to get to know him a bit better, including his full name. As it turns out, Funaki’s middle name is Fu, his last name is Naki, and his first name is….Kung. R-Truth can go with that and sings a modified Kung Fu Fighting, complete with various rhymes about Funaki and Japan. Oh dear. Oh dear indeed. No, this isn’t on the Peacock version.

HHH is voting on the guest referee for Chris Jericho vs. Batista when Jeff Hardy comes in. Hardy thought they had an amazing match and praises HHH for retaining. He even wishes HHH luck tonight, but he’s coming for the winner either way.

R-Truth vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title and before the match, Benjamin says that in these rough economic times, you can still bet on gold. Yeah this gimmick is still horrid. Benjamin drives him into the corner to start, with some knees and forearms putting R-Truth down. They go outside to keep up the beating but R-Truth manages to fight back inside. One heck of a clothesline gives Benjamin a delayed two and we hit the chinlock. This one stays on for a good while until R-Truth suplexes his way to freedom for two of his own. R-Truth’s spinning forearm gets two more so Benjamin tries a tilt-a-whirl, which is reversed into a cradle to give R-Truth the fast pin.

Rating: C. I’m not big on the idea of a champion losing like this but it’s a fast way to make R-Truth feel like a bigger deal. That could take him somewhere sooner than later and it’s not like Benjamin’s title reign has meant much in the slightest. The match wasn’t much to see, though the ending was a nice surprise.

Jeff Hardy vs. MVP

During MVP’s entrance, Gregory Helms pops up, begging MVP to actually win a match. Apparently MVP gets a big bonus if he wins one more match, which is a logical enough incentive. They fight over a small package to start with MVP taking him down for some near falls. Hardy is back up with a knockdown but it’s way too early for the Swanton, with MVP bailing out to the floor as we take an early break.

We come back with MVP firing off some knees to the chest, followed by a knee drop for two. The seated abdominal stretch has Hardy in more trouble and a waistlock keeps him down. Hardy fights up but can’t break the hold, with MVP ramming him into the corner in a smart move. In traditional wrestling logic though, Hardy gets out even faster and hits the Whisper In The Wind for two of his own, followed by a dropkick into the corner. There’s the slingshot dropkick to the chest, followed by another to the back for a bit of a twist. The Swanton finishes MVP off.

Rating: C+. Well, this was about as good of a match as you were going to have when so much of it was spent with MVP working on the bad ribs. That’s a case where it made sense but might not have been the most interesting situation. Hardy does at least get a win back after Sunday, which he needs if he’s staying in the title picture. At the same time, MVP is not going to be thrilled by his loss, which could lead to a fun chase as he tries to get that last win.

Post match Vladimir Kozlov comes out and goes after Hardy, who is quickly headbutted out of the air.

Video on HHH.

We go to a carnival and meet Kizarny, who speaks carny and is coming to Smackdown. Ok then.

Jesse & Festus/Colons vs. Kenny Dykstra/Ryan Braddock/Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder

This seems to exist as an excuse to get Maria, serving as guest ring announcer, on the show and….well it makes sense. Gregory Helms pops up to mock Dykstra’s team for not being the most intimidating. Festus clears the ring at the bell, as tends to be his custom but Carlito starts by springboard moonsaulting Hawkins for an early two.

Ryder comes in for a kick to the back and the villains start taking turns on Carlito. Dykstra’s middle rope ax handle gets two and some elbows to the neck set up a chinlock. Carlito fights out again and brings Festus in for the house cleaning, including a running seated senton to Dykstra. Everything breaks down and Braddock is sent outside, leaving Festus to hit the fireman’s carry flapjack for the pin on Dykstra.

Rating: D+. Again, there was no reason for this match to exist save for I’m guessing having Maria on TV. It’s not like these people (including the Tag Team Champions) have much going on at the moment and putting them in an eight man tag which barely ran three minutes isn’t going to do much to fix things. Just a quick match here and nothing important.

Post match Festus kind of stalks Maria, with Jesse getting him out of there.

We look at Big Show knocking out various people.

John Cena came to Smackdown the day of his surgery. In case you thought he was normal at any point.

Great Khali vs. ???/???/???

Before the match, Runjin Singh recaps Khali’s issues with Johnny Knoxville and kissing Lilian Garcia on Raw. Two of the three guys run away and the third is chopped for the pin in about fifteen seconds.

Post match Khali does the Kiss Cam again and kisses a woman who is a big bigger, with Singh asking for her weight but then dropping it. Khali eventually kisses her and poses.

Raw Rebound.

We look back at Jeff Hardy beating MVP but getting taken out by Vladimir Kozlov.

Kozlov is ready to destroy Hardy next week.

Smackdown World Title: HHH vs. Big Show

HHH is defending. We get the Big Match Intros until HHH ducks a shot in the corner and slugs away to no avail. Show sends him outside but misses a charge into the post to actually stagger him. Back in and the side slam plants HHH in a hurry and we take a break. We come back with HHH in a neck crank and getting cranked for a long time. The standing legdrop gives Show two but he misses a charge into the corner.

HHH jumps on his back for the sleeper, which still won’t put Show down. The facebuster doesn’t work either and the Pedigree is countered into an Air Raid Crash. The big right hand misses so Show goes with the chokeslam to drop HHH instead. Show loads up the punch again but the lights go out and the Undertaker is here to brawl with Show to the back. And that’s the match.

Rating: C. Well that was just kind of a way to keep Undertaker vs. Show going and that’s not the most thrilling way to go. If nothing else, it would be nice to have Undertaker sell the beating from No Mercy. Otherwise, it just makes the whole thing seem like an annoyance which didn’t do anything to Undertaker long term. It was a way out of the title match though, and at least Show didn’t lose his momentum so soon after looking dominant at the pay per view.

Post match Vladimir Kozlov comes out and brawls with HHH, even dropping him with a headbutt to the chest. Jeff Hardy runs in and helps HHH clear him out…and then drops HHH with the Twist Of Fate. A staredown with Kozlov ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t exactly feeling this one as the wrestling was just ok and it was much more about setting things up for later. Kozlov is one of the new big bads around here and I’m not sure how well that’s going. He’s not very interesting and Show going with the American thing isn’t a great sign. In other words, it feels like another roadblock to Hardy getting the title, which is what the fans want to see right now. The rest of the show wasn’t much to see and hopefully that gets better. I’m not exactly certain it will with Kozlov as a focus, but the power of Hardy is strong.

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Impact Wrestling
Date: January 22, 2026
Location: Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re back on AMC with another live show after last week’s less than well received debut and the ensuing Genesis pay per view. That means it is time to start getting ready for…whatever the next show is going to be. This week’s event features the return of Feast Or Fired, plus finding out the newest member of the System. Let’s get to it.

Here is Genesis if you need a recap.

Genesis recap.

Opening sequence.

Company President Carlos Silva is happy with the AMC debut. End of thoughts from Silva.

Cedric Alexander vs. Moose

Alisha Edwards is here with Moose, who has a banged up back. They shake hands to start and Moose chops him into the corner. A dropkick cuts Alexander off and sends him to the apron and they slug it out until Alexander plants him hard. Alexander hits a big suicide dive but gets sent hard into the steps as commentary runs down the show.

Moose loses a fight over a suplex and his back is banged up even more. A frog splash gives Alexander two so he kicks Moose in the bad back for a smart move. The springboard Downward Spiral gets two but Moose gets more fired up and kicks him in the face. For some reason Moose hits a backsplash but he’s fine enough to nip up.

The chokebomb out of the corner gets two on Alexander, who counters the spear into a Michinoku Driver for two of his own. They chop it out until Alexander grabs a Spanish Fly. Moose headbutts him out of the air to block a springboard before loading up a powerbomb. That’s fine with Alexander, who reverses into a hurricanrana for the pin at 9:59.

Rating: B-. I can certainly go for Alexander getting a bigger push, which is to say a push of almost any kind. This is the biggest win of his TNA career and it very well should boost him up before his X-Division Title shot. Moose sold the back well for the most part, though the last few minutes felt like a pretty standard Moose match, which isn’t a great sign.

Here is Mike Santana for a chat. He sits down in a chair and plays a message from his late father, saying Santana earned his way here, he deserves to be here, and he belongs here. The fans tell Santana that he deserves it and Santana talks about coming back here about two years ago. Every time he tries to do something, he remembers his father’s words. Santana talks about fighting back every time, even when he lost the World Title just thirty days after he won it.

Now he’s back where he belongs and he praises Frankie Kazarian after the wars they’ve had. He knows his back is against the wall against these people but that’s the way he likes it, because he’s earned his way here, he deserves to be here and he belongs here. This guy knows how to get fans behind him and he did it again here with a good promo.

Mustafa Ali, with Order 4, talks about the Hardys thinking they’re goats but they’re really sheep. Tonight, he will be Jeff Hardy’s shepherd.

We look at Zaria and Sol Ruca earning a Knockouts Tag Team Title shot earlier this week on NXT.

Indi Hartwell vs. M By Elegance

The rest of the Elegance Brand is here too. Hartwell backs her into the corner to start before grabbing a headlock. They run the ropes a bit until Hartwell uppercuts her into the corner. A running big boot misses though and M stomps on Hartwell’s foot, with the Personal Concierge smashing the foot with a shoe (as payback for Hartwell stepping on M’s foot). We take a break and come back with Hartwell grabbing a spinebuster, starting up the clothesline comeback. The Hurts Donut is broken up but Hartwell rolls her up for the pin at 9:05.

Rating: C. That was a bit of an oddly timed break at the end as there wasn’t much when we come back, though maybe AMC is still learning how to lay these things out. That being said, it was your usual Hartwell match, as she’s just not that great in the ring. The fans love her though and that’s more than enough of a reason to have her in a featured spot.

Post match the Brand jumps Hartwell but Ash By Elegance tries to cool things off. Violence is teased so cue the Angel Warriors…and Ash jumps Lei Ying Lee, suggesting that she might be able to do some physical stuff. That’s good to see after how bad things sounded.

Post break, Ash tells the Brand that she is back. If that means she’s healthy, that’s great.

Feast Or Fired

Mance Warner, Rich Swann, Hometown Man, Ryan Nemeth, AJ Francis, Eric Young, John Skyler, Jason Hotch, Eddie Edwards, Brian Myers, Steve Maclin, Trey Miguel

There are four briefcases (one at each corner), three of which contain title (World, X-Division, International) shots. The fourth contains a pink slip. Whomever gets a case has to get to the ground with it to officially win it, with the reveals next week. Miguel is a surprise, as his “break” from wrestling lasted…a week?

The ring is quickly cleared out so Swann and Miguel can have a hug. Francis cuts Miguel off from his climb and gets double powerbombed down for his efforts. Young is back in to clear the ring until Miguel…really doesn’t do well with a poisonrana attempt. Miguel hits a big dive and Man goes up top to dive off as well rather than going for a case. Man goes back up and tries for the case but Young steals his mask and the case, which he officially wins.

Hotch and Skyler go after a briefcase but Maclin takes it away and escapes so we’re down to two. Warner loads up chairs rather than going after a case, allowing Edwards to Blue Thunder Bomb him onto the chairs. Francis chokeslams Swann onto the apron but Miguel kicks Francis down. That’s enough for Miguel to get a briefcase, leaving Myers to clear the field so Edwards can get the last case. Francis is waiting on him though…so Edwards throws the case at him and hits a dropkick, allowing Edwards to get the case back and wrap it up at 8:21.

Rating: C+. This is a really weird one to rate as you have four winners but the rest don’t really lose. The big drama comes next week as we find out who gets what, but they went with a pretty standard group of winners. If nothing else, it gives me the hope that Young will be gone and that would improve a lot of things.

Mike Santana runs into Nic Nemeth and warns him to watch his step. Nemeth teases Calling His Shot and brings up Santana’s daughter, which is enough to trigger the brawl.

Post break, BDE and some of his friends are in the back playing video games. Nic Nemeth comes in to yell them for just playing games because this is real life. BDE isn’t happy and offers to face him next week. Nemeth says it’s on.

Here is Elayna Black for a chat. She’s the only one you need to talk about and she’s the only one who matters. Her first match is next week and this is the Era Of Elayna. This sounded like someone on Tough Enough making up a character on the spot.

Arianna Grace apologizes to Santino Marella, who doesn’t seem impressed. She says Stacks was wrong and begs his forgiveness. They hug, which I’m sure will go fine for both of them.

Mustafa Ali vs. Jeff Hardy

Order 4 and Matt Hardy are here too. They lock up to start with Jeff shoving him down out of the corner. Jeff takes him down for a quick ride and a right hand puts Ali on the floor. Back in and Ali gets punched to the floor again, meaning it’s time for a breather. Ali gets back in again and knocks Jeff into the corner, followed by a shot out to the floor. Agent Zero takes Matt out and we take a break.

We come back with the fight taking place on the apron until Jeff hits a Twist Of Fate onto the steps (turned on their side next to the apron). They both dive back in to beat the count with Jeff getting the better of things, including the basement dropkick. Another Twist Of Fate is blocked but Ali is sent face first into the buckle.

Tasha Steelz’s interference doesn’t work as Jeff hits a double Twisting Stunner for two so Ali grabs a title belt. Matt cuts that off and gets into it with Agent Zero, leaving Jeff to hit the Twist Of Fate. The Swanton misses though and Ali’s 450 gets two. Cue Elijah for a distraction, meaning it’s the Twist into the Swanton to finish Ali at 15:30.

Rating: B. So the Elijah vs. Ali feud continues, which hardly does Ali any favors. Ali is someone who seems like he could be put into the main event scene but he’s still dealing with Elijah, who doesn’t feel that big. Losing to Jeff is fine, though I have no idea who is supposed to take the titles from the Hardys. They feel almost unbeatable and that’s not the best situation to give the rest of your division.

The Righteous suggest it isn’t over with the Hardys. Is there really no better option?

Here is the System, with JDC, to announce JDC’s replacement in the team. He has handpicked his replacement and it’s…Bear Bronson. Bear Bronson? Ok then. The team seems happy with it…but Eddie Edwards and Bronson jump Moose and JDC. Cedric Alexander runs in for the save…and he hits Moose with a chair.

Eddie says they’re replacing TWO members of the System because Moose is out. Alisha Edwards is distraught as the beating continues to end the show. The turn makes sense, as the System works better as villains and Moose losing isn’t something they should tolerate. If nothing else, it means Alexander gets something to do and I’ll take that.

Overall Rating: B-. FAR better show this week, which was at least partially due to it feeling like a regular show instead of being the big premiere. They had some good action here, plus the big twist(s) at the end, which is a needed change. Next week should be interesting with some important matches and the briefcase reveals. Not a classic show here, but it felt like a return to form, which was needed after last week’s less than successful offering.

Results
Cedric Alexander b. Moose – Hurricanrana
Indi Hartwell b. M By Elegance – Rollup
Eric Young, Steve Maclin, Trey Miguel and Eddie Edwards won Feast Or Fired
Jeff Hardy b. Mustafa Ali – Swanton Bomb

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Royal Rumble 2009
Date: January 25, 2009
Location: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Attendance: 16,685
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, Jim Ross, Todd Grisham, Matt Striker, Tazz

It’s another show posted to the WWE Vault and that means it is worth a look. The big feud on Raw is HHH vs. Randy Orton and his Legacy stable and that means it is time for a showdown in the Rumble. Other than that, Edge is trying to get the Smackdown World Title back from Jeff Hardy. Let’s get to it.

We’re in Detroit so naturally there is a car theme.

ECW Title: Matt Hardy vs. Jack Swagger

Swagger is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. Hardy backs him into the corner as Striker explains what you need to do to win a title in WWE. Good information but Striker manages to sound annoying no matter what. They head outside with Hardy hitting a hard right hand, followed by a clothesline back inside.

We settle down to Swagger easily wrestling him to the mat, followed by a Gator Roll into a hammerlock. That’s broken up and Hardy grabs his running bulldog out of the corner for two. Swagger runs him over again though and we’re right back to cranking on the arm. A clothesline is blocked and Swagger kicks the bad arm (that’s smart) for two before working on it again.

Back up and Hardy gets smart by using the good arm for a clothesline. Another corner clothesline and bulldog get two on Swagger, setting up the middle rope elbow to the back of the neck for the same. Swagger goes after the arm again and takes Hardy up top, only to get knocked backwards for a not very elevated moonsault to give Hardy two. Back up and the Twist Of Fate is blocked, with Hardy being sent shoulder first into the post. The Swagger Bomb retains the title at 10:28.

Rating: B-. The match was good enough but Swagger really isn’t that interesting. He’s a bigger guy and the Swagger Bomb looked good, but that’s about all he had going for him a lot of the time. Hardy was dropping back down the card and having Swagger beat him here wasn’t exactly a great sign for his career.

Hardy gets a slow walk out and sits on the steps. What a mopey Matt.

Randy Orton arrived earlier today and people weren’t exactly happy with him. He’s rather violent you see.

Women’s Title: Melina vs. Beth Phoenix

Phoenix is defending and has Santino Marella with her. Melina gets thrown down a few times to start so she tries striking away. That earns her another knockdown, only for Melina to start working on the arm. Phoenix isn’t having that and powers her up into the air for a drop onto the turnbuckle.

Something like an ankle lock works on Melina’s recent injury, but Phoenix cranks on it so hard that she makes Melina kick herself in the back of the head (that’s rather nuts when you think about it). With that broken up (and probably some leg issues), Melina fights out and gets two off a sunset flip, followed by…I’m not sure what happened but it looked like Melina dove into an atomic drop. Back up and Phoenix seems to try the Glam Slam but gets reversed into a cradle for the pin to make Melina champion at 5:57.

Rating: C. This was a bit better than what you would see from a lot of the women’s division around this point and that shouldn’t be a surprise. That being said, the only thing that really stood out here was Melina kicking herself in the back of the head (not something you often say). Good enough match here, but the women’s division was only starting to get it together again.

We recap JBL challenging John Cena for the Raw world Title. JBL wants the title and, because the economy was a big issue at this point, Shawn Michaels is broke and working for JBL as a result. Basically JBL is offering to pay off Michaels’ debts in exchange for helping him win the title. Michaels hates everything he has to do at the moment but does it because he has no other choice. As usual, JBL is only so interesting and is more surrounded by interesting people than anything else.

JBL tells Michaels that if he wins the title tonight, he’ll pay Michaels off in full and their arrangement is over. Then JBL leaves and Michaels runs into the Undertaker, who says it can be H*** getting to Heaven. And there’s your tease for the Wrestlemania masterpiece.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

JBL is challenging and has Shawn Michaels in his corner. As usual, Cena just looks weird with the Big Gold Belt. Cena headlocks him down to start but JBL reverses into one of his own as they’re starting fairly slowly. Back up and Cena elbows him for two, with JBL bailing to the floor for a chat with Michaels. Cena grabs a bulldog into the Throwback for two and they go outside, where JBL sends him into the steps for two back inside.

The pace slows WAY down (shocking I know) and JBL grabs a chinlock, followed by a side slam for two. Cena gets knocked outside for a whip into the barricade as JBL on offense continues to just kill any match. A superplex is broken up and Cena hits the top rope Fameasser for two as the comeback is on. The AA is broken up so Cena pulls him into the STF, leaving Michaels looking….we’ll go with sleepy.

Michaels touches the ropes so Cena lets it go, only to be kicked out to the floor for a crash. Back in and the Clothesline From JBL gets two but the referee gets bumped (it was a matter of time). Michaels gets in, superkicks JBL, stares a lot, and then superkicks Cena as well. He puts JBL on Cena and goes to leave, seemingly disgusted with himself. Another referee runs in to count two so Cena gets up and hits the AA to retain at 15:28.

Rating: C-. This is a case where the story works well on paper, but it’s just not that interesting. A good bit of that hangs on JBL, who could talk well enough and played an effective role, but he could not hang in the ring. The Michaels part was basically kicking the story to the next month and that’s only so good. Not much to see here, as even with Michaels, JBL felt like more of an annoyance to Cena than any kind of a threat.

We recap Jeff Hardy defending the Smackdown World Title against Edge. Hardy beat Edge (and HHH) at Armageddon back in December for one of the best feel good moments you’ll ever see in WWE. Then bad things started happening to Hardy, from someone nearly running him off the road to pyro burning his face. Someone is out to get Hardy, who thinks that Edge attacked him before Hardy’s title shot at Survivor Series, while Edge wants to prove that Hardy’s win was a fluke by taking the title.

Smackdown World Title: Edge vs. Jeff Hardy

Hardy is defending and looks like the kid who got an ugly sweater at Christmas. Before the match, Vickie Guerrero comes out to make it No DQ and Edge has Chavo Guerrero with him. Hardy drives Edge into the corner to start and stomps away, followed by a running forearm. Edge bails out to the floor so Hardy gives chase, only to grab a chair rather than go in unarmed. This takes a bit too long though and Edge kicks him down, which isn’t a huge surprise given how long Hardy took.

That’s shrugged off and Hardy hits a basement dropkick before sending Edge outside for a big dive. Back in and Edge boots him in the face to break up a springboard and Hardy crashes out to the floor. Hardy gets sent into various things, including all three announcers’ tables, before getting kicked down back inside. A waistlock works on Hardy’s ribs and Edge pulls him down by the hair to cut off a comeback.

Edge gets frustrated so he tries a chair of his own but Hardy hits a running shoulder to knock him off the apron. That means a slingshot dive and they fight to the apron, where Hardy drops him again. Since it’s Hardy vs. Edge, Hardy pulls out a ladder and goes up but has to deal with Chavo. Hardy knocks him off the ladder and hits a dive before posting Edge, who has a piece of paper stuck to his back for some reason.

Ever the genius, Hardy hits a dive off the ladder to put Chavo through the announcers’ table (with the ladder slipping out from underneath him as he jumped for a scary near miss). Back in and Hardy gets two off a high crossbody but Edge boots him in the face for a double down. It’s time to take off a turnbuckle pad, which is enough of a delay for Hardy to hit a Whisper In The Wind for two more.

The back and forth continues with an implant DDT to give Edge another near fall. Hardy is back up with the sitout gordbuster, only to be dropped face first onto the exposed buckle for two more. Instead of countering, Edge tries the spear, which is countered into a Twist Of Fate. Cue Vickie to break up the Swanton but Hardy hits it anyway, only for Vickie to pull the referee. Cue Matt Hardy with a chair to cut Vickie off…and then chair Jeff down with a nasty shot to the head. Edge is stunned as he gets the pin and the title back at 19:24.

Rating: B. These two work well together but Jeff couldn’t have telegraphed the ending any more than when he came to the ring looking all upset. Matt’s turn at the end was a surprise way to go, even after the bit of a tease earlier in the night. Jeff fighting off the odds worked well enough, but at the same time he was going move for move with Edge and that part was even better. It was a good match and felt big, but the title change didn’t come off quite as big as the swerve.

We get the series of replays and rather sad voices from the announcers after the big betrayal. For once, they feel mostly earned.

Rumble By The Numbers!

22 winners (in 21 matches, but remember Luger and Hart were co-winners)

598 competitors

36 people that Steve Austin eliminated

11 people that Kane threw out in 2001

11 consecutive Rumbles for Kane

1 woman ever to enter, with Chyna

62:12 that Rey Mysterio lasted in 2006

2 seconds that the Warlord lasted in 1989

3 times that Austin won, the most ever

1, the number with the same amount of winners as number 30. As usual, only Shawn Michaels is mentioned as a winner from that spot

27, which has had 4 winners (John Studd in 1989, Yokozuna in 1993, Bret Hart in 1994, Steve Austin in 2001)

70% of winners who have gone on to win the World Title since 1993.

Some of these have of course been broken since, but dang this works every time.

Royal Rumble

90 second intervals and Rey Mysterio is in at #1 and John Morrison is in at #2. Mysterio starts fast by sliding between Morrison’s legs and kicking him in the face but gets sent to the apron rather early. It’s way too early for that so Mysterio is back in with a springboard high crossbody into a rather spinny headscissors. Morrison manages to hang onto the top even through a dropkick and it’s Carlito in at #3.

The apple goes into Morrison’s face and a swinging neckbreaker drops Mysterio. Carlito’s double springboard moonsault hits Morrison and he stomps away in the corner until MVP is in at #4. MVP gets to fire off some shots, including the running boot in the corner, but Mysterio grabs a headscissors to slow him down. Great Khali is in at #5 though and everyone gets focused. They also get beaten up, with Mysterio’s springboard dropkick barely staggering Khali and the Backstabber not working at all. Everyone is down with no one out as Vladimir Kozlov in at #6.

Kozlov goes after Khali and eliminates him without much trouble (that’s fairly impressive) before dumping MVP as well. A spinebuster puts Carlito down and that’s enough to toss him out too. Mysterio strikes away at Kozlov until a headbutt cuts him off but HHH is in at #7 to make things more serious. Some right hands and the facebuster are enough to get rid of Kozlov and things slow down.

Randy Orton is in at #8 and immediately hits the backbreaker on HHH but the RKO is blocked. Morrison breaks up the Pedigree and Mysterio gives Orton a springboard seated senton. There’s a 619 to Morrison as…JTG of Cryme Tyme (who wins a coin toss with Shad Gaspard, naturally with a double sided coin) is in at #9. That goes nowhere so it’s Ted DiBiase Jr. (part of Orton’s Legacy group) in at #10, giving us Mysterio, Morrison, HHH, Orton, JTG and DiBiase.

Morrison and JTG are sent over the top but both hang on and kick away at each other before getting back in. Mysterio has to hang on as well and can’t quite get rid of DiBiase at the same time. Chris Jericho is in at #11 and still has a lot of pyro. Jericho goes right after Orton but switches to HHH, who blocks a questionable Walls attempt. Things slow down a lot until Mike Knox is in at #12.

Knox goes after Mysterio, who he disliked because Knox is a monster. Legacy goes after JTG in a bit of an odd move and it’s the Miz in at #13. Miz and Morrison can’t do much with Orton, who snaps off a string of RKO’s. The Pedigree cuts Orton off though and HHH gets rid of Miz and Morrison at the same time. Finlay, with Hornswoggle, is in at #14 as Mysterio is thrown over the top but lands on Miz and Morrison to save himself in a nice sequence. The brawling goes on around the ring until Cody Rhodes is in at #15 to complete Legacy.

Mysterio tries a springboard at Orton, who RKO’s him out of the air in another sweet visual. Undertaker is in at #16 and the match stops with everyone forming a line to go after him. House is cleaned but only JTG is tossed out, which doesn’t feel overly important. The Snake Eyes/big boot combination hits Rhodes, and speaking of Rhodes, Goldust is in at #17. Goldust slugs away at Rhodes but walks into the RKO, which lets Orton give Rhodes a bit of a lesson. Rhodes throws Goldust out and it’s CM Punk in at #18.

Punk gets to strike away as we hear about some of his career accomplishments. HHH’s Pedigree is countered into the Go To Sleep and Mark Henry is in at #19 as the ring is way too full. A World’s Strongest Slam hits HHH and Shelton Benjamin is in at #20. That gives us Mysterio, HHH, Orton, DiBiase, Jericho, Knox, Finlay, Rhodes, Undertaker, Punk, Henry and Benjamin for a lot of star power but way too many people overall.

Benjamin hits Paydirt on Finlay before running the corner for a double super Paydirt to Jericho and Punk. The Dragon Whip hits Henry as Benjamin is getting in a heck of a run here. William Regal is in at #21 and goes after Punk before Mysterio low bridges Henry out. Kofi Kingston, still Jamaican, is in at #22 and starts striking away, including the Boom Drop to Knox. Benjamin dives at Undertaker in the corner, who kind of spinebusters him down and then tosses him out in a heap.

Mysterio is hanging upside down on the post as Kane is in at #23. Kane goes after DiBiase but stops to stare at the bloody Undertaker. The double chokeslam plants DiBiase and solo versions take down Kingston and Jericho. Regal is tossed by Punk and R-Truth is in at #24. Kane is sent to the apron but manages to hang on, with Legacy just kind of letting him go in a not so bright move.

Rob Van Dam returns in a surprise at #25 and comes in with a top rope kick to Kane. Van Dam fires off a bunch of clotheslines until Brian Kendrick is in at #26. Kendrick gets rid of Kingston, who didn’t have the fancy saves for a few more years. HHH tosses Kendrick and does his staggering around thing. Dolph Ziggler (still relatively new) gets lucky #27 and is tossed out almost immediately by Kane. Rhodes gives Punk an electric chair drop as we get another slow down.

Santino Marella is in at #28 and is clotheslined out by Kane in one second to break the Warlord’s record. Jericho hammers on Undertaker in the corner and…actually doesn’t get Last Rided for a change. Only in the Rumble. Kane can’t quite get rid of HHH as Jim Duggan is in at #29. The big AMERICAN right hands stagger various people to quite the reaction and it’s Big Show in at #30. That gives us a field of Mysterio, HHH, Orton, DiBiase, Jericho, Knox, Finlay, Rhodes, Undertaker, Punk, Kane, R-Truth, Van Dam, Duggan and Show for quite the final grouping.

Kane goes after Show but can’t get very far, leaving Show to eliminate Duggan. Show throws out R-Truth as well but Undertaker can’t do the same to Rhodes. Punk saves himself and strikes away at Show, who still can’t get rid of him. The WMD is enough to knock Punk out though and things are finally/thankfully thinning out a bit. Knox and Mysterio (that’s not much after being in there for so long) are put out at the same time as Hornswoggle comes in for some reason.

Finlay breaks that up but gets thrown out by Kane to get us down to nine. Jericho hits a Codebreaker on Kane and Orton hits the hanging DDT on HHH. Lawler: “This will be worse than being eliminated!” No King, it won’t be. Undertaker wins a slugout with Show and Van Dam hits the Five Star on Orton, only to get tossed by Jericho. Undertaker tosses Jericho and we’re down to Undertaker, Kane, Show, Orton, DiBiase, Rhodes and HHH.

Legacy gets rid of Kane and everyone goes to a corner. A triple team on Undertaker doesn’t work for Legacy, who starts snapping off chokeslams. Undertaker and Show slug it out again until Undertaker kicks him out to the apron. Show gets tossed but pulls Undertaker out with him, setting up yet another feud between these two.

Undertaker and Show brawl into the crowd as it’s down to HHH and Legacy. The trio surrounds HHH, who fires a crotch chop and starts swinging, which doesn’t last long before the beatdown is on. HHH fights out and hits a facebuster and hits a Pedigree on Rhodes. DiBiase is tossed and so is Rhodes, only for Orton to dump HHH for the win at 58:39.

Rating: B-. I haven’t watched this one in a long time and I had a good time with most of it, even with the ring being too full near the end. There is a lot of star power here and most of the deadwood didn’t stay around too long. There were a few good surprises (Van Dam was great) and while HHH and Orton were the only viable options, it felt like there was other stuff going on rather than just waiting around for them to win. Good Rumble here and a nice one to visit after a long time away.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, the Rumble is going to carry the weight of this show because it takes up so much time. That made for a good show this time as the Rumble worked well enough, with the rest of the show supporting it. Well most of it as Cena vs. JBL just did not work very well, but everything else was perfectly fine at worst. It’s a good overall show, especially coming into it completely fresh.

Ratings Comparison

Jack Swagger vs. Matt Hardy

Original: B
2013 Redo: B-
2025 Redo: B-

Melina vs. Beth Phoenix

Original: C-
2013 Redo: D+
2025 Redo: C

John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

Original: C
2013 Redo: C-
2025 Redo: C-

Edge vs. Jeff Hardy

Original: B-
2013 Redo: B
2025 Redo: B

Royal Rumble

Original: D
2013 Redo: D
2025 Redo: B-

Overall Rating

Original: B+
2013 Redo: C-
2025 Redo: B-

GEEZ did I just hate Orton when I watched this the first two times? I was surprised to see that I had been consistent in my pretty strong dislike of the Rumble the first two times as it might not be a classic but it’s certainly not a D. The rest of the show mostly lines up, save for the women’s match which was really just ok more than anything else.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Royal Rumble 2008
Date: January 27, 2008
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City New York
Attendance: 20,798
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole Jonathan Coachman, Joey Styles, Tazz

I believe this is my fifth time reviewing this show but I’m always curious to see how much different it feels having recently watched the TV leading up to it. The show has been set for a long time now and that means we need to get on with the pay per view already. Of course there is the Royal Rumble, but the Raw World Title match between Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton is the real draw here. This show is summed up in three words: Hardy Could Win. It worked in 2008 and it’s working again here. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the history of the Royal Rumble, with this year’s being extra special because it’s in Madison Square Garden. Works for me.

Ric Flair vs. MVP

Flair’s career is on the line but MVP’s US Title isn’t. Before the match, Flair talks about how he has wrestled here throughout his career, starting all the way back in 1976. Flair thanks the fans for the respect they have given him throughout the years….and then MVP’s music cuts him off. Feeling out process to start with Flair being driven back into the corner, meaning he needs to stop and think for a second.

A hammerlock sends MVP into the ropes so Flair chops him down. Back up and MVP kicks Flair in the head to take over, setting up a neckbreaker for two. Something like a crossface chickenwing keeps Flair down but MVP is no Bob Backlund, meaning Flair is right back up. Flair goes for the knee but gets knocked into the corner, allowing MVP to strike him down. The running boot in the corner gives MVP three, albeit with Flair’s foot on the ropes.

The distraction lets Flair roll him up for two so MVP grabs a butterfly suplex for two of his own. A superplex gets two more and the frustration is really setting in. Back up and they collide for a double knockdown, making me wonder if a draw would end Flair’s career. Flair rolls him up a few times for two each before chopping away. That earns Flair a facebuster but the Playmaker is countered into a Figure Four to give Flair the win.

Rating: C. This wasn’t so much about the drama, as Flair wasn’t going to lose to MVP, even at a show like the Rumble. Instead, this was all about Flair getting in Madison Square Garden one more time and the match was built up over a few weeks. I’m not wild on the US Champion giving up clean, but there are bigger things afoot here.

Vince McMahon gives Hornswoggle a pep talk for the Royal Rumble, Finlay comes in and Vince suggests that Hornswoggle might turn on him.

And now, we meet Mike Adamle, who talks about Ric Flair’s match and throws it to a package on Chris Jericho vs. JBL.

We recap Jericho vs. JBL, which is focused on JBL not liking Jericho’s comeback and costing him the WWE Title. Then JBL took him out, setting up this showdown.

Chris Jericho vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

Jericho drives him into the corner to start so JBL begs off a bit. That doesn’t work for Jericho, who takes him down and hammers away again. A missed clothesline lets Jericho grab the Walls, which sends JBL bailing to the rope. Jericho knocks him outside for a baseball slide and then sends him into the steps for a bonus. Back in and JBL drops the bad throat across the top to take over.

As you might guess, JBL starts hammering Jericho down in the corner, albeit not as fast as he did in the past. The logical sleeper goes on for a bit, until Jericho fights up and hits his own hard clothesline. Back up and JBL sends him HARD into the post, with Jericho coming up busted open. Jericho pops back to his feet and sends JBL outside despite being COVERED in blood. One heck of a chair shot to the head knocks JBL silly but also hands Jericho the DQ.

Rating: C+. It was a bit of a slow match but they did a great job of setting up the violent ending. They were trying to keep the feud going here and Jericho being that busted open was a good way to accomplish just that. It was a violent fight and Jericho’s chair shot made it even better. Not too bad here, albeit with the usual Jericho pacing issues.

Post match Jericho unloads on JBL and chokes him with the camera cable as JBL did to him a few weeks ago.

Ashley Massaro tries to talk to Maria but Santino Marella cuts her off, saying Maria isn’t interested in Playboy. Right.

We recap Edge vs. Rey Mysterio for the Smackdown World Title. Edge won the title thanks to some assistance from Vickie Guerrero, his new girlfriend. Rey won a Beat The Clock Challenge by pinning Edge to earn the shot here, with the Rey/Guerrero family details making things even more complicated.

Smackdown World Title: Edge vs. Rey Mysterio

Edge, with Vickie Guerrero and the Edgeheads, is defending. They take their time to start with Edge grabbing a wristlock. Rey kicks his way out as the fans are WAY behind Edge, with Cole writing it off as a New York thing. Edge sends him to the apron and hits a baseball slide to the floor, where the Edgeheads get THIS CLOSE to interfering. That’s enough for an ejection, allowing Rey to come back with a springboard seated senton for two.

Rey tries to pick up the pace even further but gets knocked off the top for a crash. The half crab goes on to keep Rey in trouble before Edge shifts it to something like an ankle lock. Rey’s leg is good enough to come back with an enziguri but the 619 is cut off. Back up and Rey manages to hit the sitout bulldog, setting up a kick to the head with the good leg for two.

Edge is staggered enough that Rey can knock him to the floor, setting up a sliding tornado DDT. Back in and Edge boots him down but Rey hits a quick 619. The top rope splash connects but Vickie gets out of the wheelchair to break up the pin. Rey doesn’t get distracted and sets up another 619, which only hits the interfering Vickie. That’s enough of a shock for Edge to spear Rey out of the air to retain.

Rating: B-. Another good one here, even if there was no chance of a title change here. Rey was little more than the designated victim for Edge as tends to be the case for the Royal Rumble. They had a pay per view worthy match though and Edge gets to move on to someone bigger with Wrestlemania on the way. Nice stuff here, given the circumstances.

Everyone checks on Vickie, who has to be put back in the wheelchair.

Mr. Kennedy comes in to see Ric Flair (in a towel) and condescendingly praise him for his win. Kennedy promises to win the Rumble and suggests he could retire Flair before Wrestlemania. Shawn Michaels comes in to suggest that Kennedy leave and then accidentally compares Flair to Kennedy. Flair knows Shawn is winning the Rumble tonight….and here’s Batista for an awkward staredown. And HHH too, just to make it weirder. HHH tells Ric to put his pants on and Shawn plugs his new shirt.

Here is Maria for the Kiss Cam. With that out of the way, Ashley Massaro comes out to offer Maria the Playboy spot but here is Santino Marella to say no for her. Oh and New York sports teams are awful. Maria thinks posing is a good idea so Santino has a present for her: Big Dick Johnson in New England Patriots (playing the New York Giants in the Super Bowl) gear. The women beat Johnson up to finish this one big announcement off.

Mike Adamle throws us to a package on Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy.

We recap Jeff Hardy challenging Randy Orton for the WWE Title. Hardy is on the roll of a lifetime and is ready to challenge for the title. This was one of the best builds WWE has done in a LONG time as it feels like Hardy could actually pull off the huge upset. This gets the big music video treatment and it still works very well.

Raw World Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton

Orton is defending and Hardy’s Intercontinental Title isn’t on the line. They fight over a lockup to start until Jeff shoves him away to a rather strong reaction. Hardy grabs a headlock on the mat, which is reversed with a headscissors. That doesn’t bother Hardy, who is right back with the legdrop between the legs for two. Orton gets clotheslined to the floor and there’s the dropkick through the ropes to send him hard into the barricade.

They fight on the floor for a bit with Orton grabbing a belly to back suplex for two back inside. The circle stomp keeps Hardy in trouble and the choking has JR and King getting rather annoyed. Hardy fights up again and sends Orton over the top for a change, setting up the big dive off the apron. Back in and Jeff gets sent shoulder first into the post to put him right back down, meaning Orton can grab the chinlock.

Hardy fights up after a good while and hits the Whisper In The Wind for a rather near fall. The Swanton is loaded up but Orton rolls outside before it can launch. That’s fine with Hardy, who dropkicks Orton off the apron and hits a moonsault off the top to make it even worse. Back in and the Twist of Fate is loaded up but Orton counters into the RKO to retain the title.

Rating: B-. It didn’t have the hue moment of Hardy winning the title but it wound up being a pretty solid match with Hardy coming up just short. The problem is that they didn’t have any major spot from Hardy but you could tell that he would be back. Hardy will have to get there somewhere, though he had to come up short here, despite an amazing buildup.

Rumble By The Numbers time!

569 wrestlers eliminated
36 wrestlers eliminated by Steve Austin
11 appearances by Shawn Michaels
11 wrestlers eliminated by Kane in 2001
3 Mick Foley personae to appear in the same Royal Rumble
2 feet that have to touch the ground
1 woman to enter the match, with Chyna
62:12 that Rey Mysterio lasted in 2006
2 seconds that Warlord lasted in 1990
3 Steve Austin wins
2 wins for the #1 spot, compared to 1 win for #30
#27 produces the most winners
73% of winners have gone on to win the title at Wrestlemania since 1993

Michael Buffer handles the Royal Rumble intro in a nice bonus.

Royal Rumble

90 second intervals. Undertaker is in at #1 and Shawn Michaels is in at #2 so they’re starting very fast here. Undertaker wastes no time in slugging away and even knocks Shawn onto the top. A running big boot only hits corner though and Undertaker winds up on the apron. That’s fine for him as he catches a charging Shawn by the throat and drops him with a big boot. Santino Marella is in at #3 and lasts as long as you would expect. With Santino gone, Shawn tries to toss Undertaker but gets punched in the face again. Old School is broken up without much trouble and Great Khali is in at #4.

The fans start up the YOU CAN’T WRESTLE chants as Undertaker strikes away at Khali and actually choke shoves him out. Hardcore Holly is in at #5 and actually hangs on for a bit by slugging it out with Undertaker. That earns him a big boot to the face but Shawn goes to eliminate Undertaker, allowing Holly to fire off some chops in the corner. John Morrison is in at #6 and it’s time for people to start pairing off. With nothing going on, Tommy Dreamer is in at #7 because we needed some ECW chants.

Dreamer does about what you would expect from him until Batista is in at #8 to keep the star power up. Dreamer breaks up the Undertaker vs. Batista showdown and is promptly eliminated (serves him right). Batista spears Morrison down as commentary thinks teaming up on Undertaker/Batista/Shawn makes sense. Hornswoggle is in at #9 and goes straight underneath the ring in a smart move. Batista hits another spear on Undertaker and Holly backdrops Shawn.

Chuck Palumbo is in at #10, giving us Undertaker, Shawn, Holly, Morrison, Batista, Hornswoggle (under the ring) and Palumbo. Morrison saves himself from elimination as the six in the ring pair off a bit. The banged up Jamie Noble is in at #11 and lasts all of thirty seconds before getting tossed by Palumbo. CM Punk is in at #12 and gets his face blasted off by Shawn’s clothesline. Cody Rhodes is in at #13 and manages to dropkick Undertaker down as Punk knocks Palumbo out. Umaga is in at #14 and Spikes Holly out to keep the numbers even.

Snitsky is in at #15 and stomps on Cody in the corner until Miz is in at #16. Undertaker goes after Umaga (weird pairing) but can’t get him out. Shelton Benjamin is in at #17 and snaps Miz and Morrison’s throats on the top. Paydirt hits Punk but Shawn superkicks Shelton out in less than twenty seconds. Jimmy Snuka is in at #18 for the big nostalgia pop in the Garden. Punk goes straight for him because he wants to get knocked down by Snuka.

Speaking of Snuka, he got a big pop at #18, but Roddy Piper is in at #19 for a bigger one. Everything stops cold for the Piper vs. Snuka showdown and yeah ok this is awesome. Kane is in at #20 and tosses Piper and Snuka without much trouble. That leaves us with Undertaker, Michaels, Morrison, Batista, Hornswoggle (still underneath the ring), Punk, Rhodes, Umaga, Snitsky, Miz and Kane. Umaga breaks up a chokeslam to Shawn and it’s Carlito in at #21.

Punk and Morrison almost toss Carlito out but he springboards back and catches Punk with a Backstabber. Mick Foley is in at #22 to start cleaning house but Umaga runs a lot of people over as well. Mr. Kennedy is in at #23 and hits some Mic Checks before kicking down a sitting up Undertaker. That’s not cool with Undertaker who gives him a chokeslam and gets his own chance to clean house.

Big Daddy V is in at #24 and Undertaker knocks Snitsky out, only to get superkicked out by Shawn. Kennedy tosses Shawn immediately thereafter and the ring is suddenly a lot more empty. Shawn lands at Undertaker’s feet but Undertaker beats up Snitsky to let off steam instead. Kennedy and Rhodes fight to the apron but it’s Mark Henry in at #25. Henry and V start getting all dominant as Hornswoggle pops out to pull Miz to the floor for an elimination.

Chavo Guerrero is in at #26 and Punk is right on him as Kane boots Morrison out. Hornswoggle pops out again and gets grabbed by Henry and V. Cue Finlay with the shillelagh (I guess in at #27) for the save and he leaves with Hornswoggle, which apparently counts as a double elimination. Elijah Burke is in at #28 as JR says Finlay was officially disqualified for the shillelagh. Batista is knocked outside (not eliminated) and Chavo dumps out Punk to keep their feud going.

HHH is in at #29 and this should clear some people out. There goes Rhodes and V follows him, setting up the HHH vs. Foley slugout. HHH sends Foley into Burke for the double elimination and Umaga misses a charge into the post. There’s the Pedigree to Umaga…..and none of that matters as JOHN CENA returns at #30 to an all time shocked reaction.

It wasn’t clear if Cena was going to be back by Wrestlemania but since Cena doesn’t seem to be a human, he’s already back after two months instead of about six. That gives us a final grouping of Batista, Umaga, Kane, Carlito, Kennedy, Henry, Guerrero, HHH and Cena. After being shocked, the fans remember to boo Cena as he fires out Carlito, Henry and Chavo.

We get the big Cena vs. HHH showdown with HHH hitting the spinebuster but getting dropped by Umaga. Batista spears Umaga down and tosses Kennedy, followed by a running clothesline to get rid of Umaga. We’re down to Kane, Batista, HHH and Cena, with HHH and Batista quickly tossing Kane. They stare at each other for a long time before the fight is on. Batista clotheslines them both down and spinebusters HHH but Cena backdrops his way out of a Batista Bomb.

That’s enough for the elimination and we’re down to HHH vs. Cena. That means some sign pointing before the BOO/YAY slugout begins. Cena hits the ProtoBomb and the Shuffle but the AA is blocked. The double clothesline leaves them both down for a needed breather for both them and the fans. Back up and another AA attempt is countered and HHH hits a DDT to take over. HHH can’t throw him out and can’t Pedigree him either, as Cena reverses into an AA for the win.

Rating: B. This match had a lot of the things that a great Rumble needs, ranging from surprises (especially the big one at the end) to star power throughout to a few fun moments like Foley, Piper and Snuka. The Cena return is what people remember about this match though and that is all it needed to be, as that was a genuine shock for a great moment. Quite good Rumble, with the Cena part being the big icing on the cake.

Cena celebrates a lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The Rumble is the biggest one match show of the year and as it goes, so goes the rest of the show. The other four matches on here were good enough but there was nothing worth going out of your way to see. Cena being back breathes a lot of life into the show but it was still a good one even coming to that point. Not an all time classic, but there are far worse ways to spend two hours and forth five minutes.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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No Mercy 2008
Date: October 5, 2008
Location: Rose Garden, Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 9,527
Commentators: Todd Grisham, Tazz, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Jim Ross

This is a rather top heavy show with a double main event of Shawn Michaels challenging Chris Jericho for the Raw World Title in a ladder match and HHH defending the Smackdown World Title against Jeff Hardy. While there is quite the gap between those matches as Jericho vs. Michaels is the undisputed real main event, there is also quite the gap down to the next big match, which is….I guess Big Show vs. Undertaker? Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at a family in a stereotypical 1950s house where they’re said to have no problems and no worries, but also no mercy. That’s quite the stretch for an opening video theme but it switches into the usual opening montage. Then it cuts back to the family watching the show. Yeah that’s not their best work.

Special treat: Matt Striker isn’t here and Jerry Lawler is taking his place. Things are looking up! Well sounding up!

IMG Credit: WWE

ECW Title: Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry

Henry, with Tony Atlas, is challenging after losing the title in a Championship Scramble last month and wanting his one on one rematch. Hardy gets powered into the corner to start and realizes he needs another idea. A headlock doesn’t work and Henry drops him with a shoulder. Henry backs Hardy into the corner for a knee to the ribs, followed by a rather hard clothesline.

Hardy goes after the knee and grabs a Robinsdale Crunch, followed by a cannonball down onto said leg. They go outside where Henry gets simple with Henry just shoving him down in a heap. A big boot drops Hardy for two and Henry drops down onto him for the same. The neck crank goes on for a bit, followed by a bearhug as Henry keeps going with the basic stuff (as he should).

Hardy fights out and tries a sunset flip for some reason, only to avoid a sitdown splash, banging up the knee again. The middle rope elbow to the back of the head into the Side Effect gets two but Henry runs him over again. The splash connects but Henry’s knee is in bad shape. Henry’s World’s Strongest Slam is broken up with a few shots to the leg and the Twist Of Fate retains the title at 8:02.

Rating: B-. It was a nice story with Hardy fighting through the monster and winning in the end after cutting Henry down. If Hardy was going to become the top star in ECW, he had to beat Henry one on one at some point and they made it work here. It was a good David vs. Goliath story, which still works if it’s done right and that was the case.

HHH and Jeff Hardy meet in the back but HHH is more interested in the mobile poll about who will win their match. Hardy wants some respect so HHH says he wants Hardy at his best. That way when HHH beats him tonight, he beats the best Hardy possible. Hardy promises to take the title.

Raw Women’s Title: Beth Phoenix vs. Candice Michelle

Phoenix is defending and has Santino Marella with him. Michelle kicks the leg out to start and hits a quick Fameasser, followed by a rollup for two. An enziguri staggers Phoenix again but she powers Michelle into the corner. Phoenix starts in on the arm and sends it into the buckle, setting up an arm crank. Michelle manages to slip out and slugs away, including a spinwheel kick (which didn’t seem to connect) for two.

Phoenix is right back with a DDT on the arm before going up (you don’t see that every day), where Michelle crotches her down just as fast. Marella has to make the save, allowing Phoenix to drop Michelle with a clothesline on the floor. Back in and Michelle is in trouble but Marella accidentally trips Phoenix for two. The Candy Wrapper is loaded up but Phoenix reverses into the Glam Slam to retain at 4:41.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have time, but there was something to Michelle giving Phoenix everything she could until the ending. At the end of the day though, Phoenix is likely going to smash through someone like Michelle, who was still figuring out a lot of stuff in the ring. Phoenix winning makes a lot more sense and it came after a better match than I was expecting.

Kane is ready to take Rey Mysterio’s mask and the facade that it represents. Then Mysterio and all of the people will see themselves as the monsters they really are.

Kane vs. Rey Mysterio

Kane has been going after Mysterio because he doesn’t like him wearing a mask. Thanks to a favor from Mike Adamle, Mysterio has to unmask if he loses. Mysterio goes with the kicks to start and knocks Kane outside, only to get booted in the face without much trouble. A dropkick looks to set up the 619 so Kane drops him with a hard clothesline. Mysterio is able to slip off Kane’s shoulder for a headscissors out to the floor. That’s fine with Kane, who sends him crashing into the barricade.

The chinlock goes on back inside, followed by a backbreaker with Mysterio being bent over Kane’s knee. With that broken up, Mysterio manages a spinning reverse DDT, plus a top rope standing moonsault press for two. Dropping The Time gives Mysterio two but he walks into a side slam. Another spinning DDT gives Mysterio a desperation two and he avoids a big boot in the corner. The 619 to the back puts Kane on the floor and Mysterio goes up, only to dive into a chair shot for the DQ (that looked GREAT) at 10:10.

Rating: B. The ending fits as Kane more about the violence and pain than anything else so having him do something that got him disqualified makes perfect sense. It helps that Mysterio got knocked absolutely silly by that chair shot and Kane looked happy with hurting him more than anything else. Good stuff here as Mysterio was trying to survive, though I could go with something other than a smaller hero fighting a powerhouse after seeing it three straight times.

MVP is annoyed at not having a match tonight and goes to knock on the Smackdown GM’s door. Instead of Vickie Guerrero, he finds Big Show, who isn’t interested in MVP’s problems. MVP keeps complaining but Show threatens to switch his focus from Undertaker to him. Guerrero calls Show into the office and MVP leaves.

Here is MVP in the arena for a chat. MVP doesn’t get why he’s being left on the sidelines for such a big event. Maybe being dropped on her head has messed with Vickie Guerrero’s mind…and here is Randy Orton to interrupt. Orton introduces himself and says he is what MVP believes himself to be. This seems to happen to MVP every month but MVP says he didn’t recognize Orton without his shoulder in a sling.

MVP says he never gets the ball, though Orton says if MVP ever got the ball, he would just drop it. Violence is teased but here are Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes and Manu to interrupt. Rhodes tries to talk to Orton, only to be cut off by a BORING chant. Rhodes sees Orton as the guy who was a big deal in high school but didn’t get into college and just stays around town, trying to be cool.

Orton brings up attacking CM Punk, which Manu says only happened after they did the hard work. Orton says that he’ll listen to them as soon as they’ve done half of what he does. MVP mocks Orton for walking out and praises the trio’s style. If he ever winds up on Raw, maybe they could do something. DiBiase doesn’t buy this because MVP’s dad wasn’t a star. MVP says he makes more money than all of them. DiBiase: “Hey genius. My father is the Million Dollar Man.”

Violence is teased again and MVP just leaves…but here are CM Punk and Kofi Kingston to interrupt. They talk to MVP, who seems interested in teaming up with them to go after the trio. The three of them charge the ring…but Punk and Kingston stay outside and let MVP get triple teamed. Then Punk and Kingston get in and make the save, leaving commentary a bit confused.

This has been your regularly scheduled fifteen minute detour from the regularly scheduled card.

IMG Credit: WWE

John Bradshaw Layfield vs. Batista

For a future Raw World Title shot and JBL is all depressed because he’s lost a lot of money in the stock market this week. Batista clotheslines him down and hits a running boot for an early two. JBL fights back and is speared outside in a heap as his slow start continues. They fight outside with JBL getting in a few right hands, followed by an elbow back inside. We hit the chinlock for a bit but Batista suplexes his way to freedom. Some clotheslines stagger JBL again and it’s off to the shoulders in the corner. The spinebuster and Batista Bomb finish JBL at 5:18.

Rating: B-. You know, I’ll take this over what could have been. I’ve seen enough of JBL and Batista having long, drawn out matches before and it’s not a pleasant experience. It’s nice to see them do a near squash match as no one bought JBL having a chance in the match anyway. Just do the simpler version for a change.

Post match Batista leaves and JBL talks about how bad his week has been. The reality is his heart wasn’t in this one tonight because Wall Street has given him the worst week of his life. After everything else though, he is the happiest man alive because Congress has bailed out people like him.

People like Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi (members of Congress) understand that people like him make the world go around. Sure it may cost families $10,000 per household, but now he gets to keep his penthouse apartment at Central Park. Now he’s going to get in his limo and go back to New York. God bless you, God bless America, and God bless him! Cue Cryme Tyme on the Titantron, saying they’re going to bail out the limo, complete with the Divas and….Sgt. Slaughter, who apparently is just kept in storage in Portland until he’s needed! This was hilarious, with JBL’s promo being absolutely great.

We recap Undertaker vs. Big Show. Undertaker has been going after Vickie Guerrero, who apparently has Show in her back pocket. Show attacked Undertaker, who wants revenge, setting up the match. The build for this has involved showing the video of Show knocking Undertaker out approximately 4123 times.

Undertaker vs. Big Show

Undertaker slugs away to start and gets knocked outside but comes back with a headbutt. The Stunner over the top rope staggers Show, who is right back up to take Undertaker outside. The big right hands have Undertaker in trouble and Show whips him hard into the barricade. Show gets posted though and it’s the apron legdrop as JR thinks Show is in a hopeless state. Oregon is hopeless?

Undertaker’s big boot doesn’t do much to Show, who runs Undertaker over with a rather hard clothesline. Show slowly hammers away but misses a Vader Bomb, allowing Undertaker to come back with the right hands. The jumping clothesline drops Show and a legdrop gets two.

Old School is countered into a good looking chokeslam for two but another chokeslam is countered into a DDT for a delayed near fall. The turnbuckle pad is ripped off and Show sends him into the exposed buckle, followed by the KO Punch. Another KO sets up a third to the back of the head and the referee stops it at 10:05.

Rating: B. This was a shockingly good brawl as they beat the living daylights out of each other until even Undertaker couldn’t survive Show. That’s a heck of a lot better than I was expecting after the really dull build. Odds are it sets up a big gimmick match next month and if it’s like this, I have heard far worse ideas. Very nice surprise here.

Jeff Hardy wins the text poll 72%-28%. That’s a heck of a landslide.

We recap HHH defending the Smackdown World Title against Jeff Hardy. The idea is very simple: Hardy feels like the unstoppable force on the way to the title but HHH is a heck of a champion. Hardy keeps getting closer and closer and it feels like when rather than if he wins the title.

IMG Credit: WWE

Smackdown World Title: HHH vs. Jeff Hardy

HHH is defending and we get a handshake before the bell, but HHH jumps him from behind. Hardy grabs a headlock but gets reversed into a headscissors, meaning it’s time to go back to the headlock. The grinding doesn’t keep HHH down long as he’s back up with an elbow to the face. Hardy sends him outside for an apron clothesline, followed by a slingshot legdrop and another headlock takeover.

HHH is back up and tries the Pedigree but gets backdropped out to the floor for the big crash. The big flip dive misses though and Hardy’s back is banged up. Back in and a backbreaker sets up some elbows to said back, followed by the abdominal stretch. The referee catches HHH holding the rope though and it’s off to the sleeper. That’s broken up as well and Hardy hits a running sleeper drop.

A basement dropkick gives Hardy two and he sends HHH outside for the big flip dive. Back in and the Twist Of Fate is countered into a heck of a clothesline to give HHH two of his own. For some reason HHH goes up, only to dive into a sitout gordbuster for two more as the fans are getting even more into this.

The spinning middle rope crossbody is slammed out of the air to give HHH two more but he gets catapulted into the corner. Hardy’s Whisper In The Wind gets two more as they’re going back and forth with the counts getting closer and closer. The Swanton misses but Hardy is right back with the Twist Of Fate. The Swanton connects…but Hardy lays back on him and gets rolled up for the pin to retain the title at 17:02.

Rating: B+. This was turning into a slugfest at the end as they were going move for move with each other until Hardy hit his big move. It’s Hardy somehow getting one step closer to the title but not being able to get there, even with the fans being along with him every step of the way. I was only kind of interested in this match coming in and they had me totally hooked by about the halfway point. Awesome match here, as these two had some very good chemistry.

Post match Hardy is devastated but they shake hands. HHH heads to the back, where he is congratulated by Arn Anderson and Vladimir Kozlov. One of these is interesting while the other is Russian.

We recap Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels for the Raw World Title. They had been having the feud of the year and then Jericho won the title, the same night Michaels had beat him. You put one and one together and throw in a ladder and you have a nearly guaranteed awesome match.

IMG Credit: WWE

Raw World Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho is defending in a ladder match. Michaels grabs a headlock to start fast before threatening a superkick. Jericho is back to cut Michaels off from getting the ladder and sends him into the post. The ladder is pulled towards the ring but Michaels hits a drop toehold into the ladder onto the floor. That earns Michaels a Walls Of Jericho on the floor and the ladder is brought inside, where it is teeter tottered into Jericho’s face.

Back in and Jericho tries the Walls again but winds up catapulting Michaels onto the ladder. Said ladder is turned over though and Michaels goes crashing into the rope. Jericho’s face is busted open as he hits Michaels in the ribs with a ladder. Another ladder is brought in but Michaels gets in a shot of his own. Jericho gets dropped knee first onto the ladder and the Figure Four goes on.

With that broken up, Jericho kicks a ladder around to send it into Michaels’ face for a nasty crash. Another catapult sends Michaels face first into the ladder and Jericho puts him in said ladder for something of a Ladderairto. The ladder is sat on the top rope but Jericho gets sent into it, sending him crashing out to the floor. Michaels throws the ladder down onto him, as he would rather hurt Jericho rather than win the title. It’s time for the big ladder (uh oh) on the floor and Michaels loads up the announcers’ table (uh oh again).

Michaels takes too long going up and Jericho catches him with a belly to back superplex…but Michaels turns on it for the crossbody through the table and the massive crash. They slowly get back up and Michaels heads up top with a ladder, which is dropkicked into him for the crotching. Michaels is able to knock it down onto him though and the top rope elbow onto the ladder onto Jericho leaves them both laying. Sweet Chin Music is blocked with a ladder shot to the face (OUCH) and Michaels is down, setting up the Lionsault onto the ladder onto Michaels.

Jericho pins Michaels underneath the ladder and goes up but Michaels shoves the ladder over, sending Jericho WAY down onto the floor for a crazy crash. The slow climb is on, only to Jericho to knock the ladder (and Michaels) over again for a massive crash into the ropes. They both go up but Jericho gets knocked down, with his leg hanging in the ladder.

Cue Lance Cade to cut Michaels off so Michaels snaps off the superkick. Jericho is back up so Michaels goes to meet him on top and they grab the belt. The title comes unhooked as it’s a tug of war in the air but the bigger part is on Jericho’s side. Jericho is holding on with just the belt holding him up but manages to hit Michaels in the head and retain at 22:21.

Rating: A. This match had all of the stakes and build coming in and then they completely exceeded expectations. This was an absolute war as they beat the living daylights out of each other. It was a perfect mixture of being about the title and revenge, which made things that much better. Michaels is as good as it gets with making you believe that he might pull something off and he more than did it again here. I got pulled all the way into this again, which says a lot as I’ve seen it a few times now. Definitely check this out if you get the chance.

Overall Rating: A-. The worst match on the show is a five minute match between Beth Phoenix and Candice Michelle, which wound up being completely fine. The last two matches (and you could add in Big Show vs. Undertaker) are absolutely great, with the main event being an instant classic. It’s one of the better WWE shows in a very long time and is more than worth a look if you’re looking for something from this era. Great show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6