Border Brawl 2025
Date: May 25, 2025
Location: Niagara Falls Convention Center, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

So this is a Canada vs. the USA show and…yeah that’s about it. TNA advertised it a few times but didn’t go into detail about what to expect. I’m not sure what that is going to mean but it’s one of those concepts that should work no matter what. It’s on a weekend that is chock full of wrestling but maybe something here stands out. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the concept and talks about wanting to be the best. Not much to see here.

We look at Niagara Falls, Canada, which is a beautiful scene.

We look at Niagara Falls, USA, which is full of trash. The bias is strong with this one.

We get both National Anthems.

We meet Team USA: Tommy Dreamer, Nic Nemeth, Matt Hardy, The System, Tessa Blanchard, Victoria Crawford, Sami Callihan and coach….Barbie Blank, better known as Kelly Kelly.

We meet Team Canada: Channing Decker, Jacques Rougeau, Courtney Rush, Cody Deaner, Champagne Singh, Northern Armory, Personal Concierge, Santino Marella, William Trudeau, Jody Threat and coach Allie. Note that these do not seem to be the full teams, or at least not everyone who comes to the ring is listed.

The unnamed host brings the coaches in to introduce the captains: Jacques Rougeau (Canada) and…no one for the Americans. Allie promises to make a statement and Blank mocks Canadian cuisine. Rougeau, and yes he is dressed as the Mountie, promises that Canada will get their man.

Since “the team with the most wins” wins is too simple, we have a points system:

Standard Victory (pin/submission/countout/DQ) – 1 point
Quick Victory (less than five minutes) – 2 points
Lightning Victory (less than 1 minute) – 3 points
Double DQ/Double Countout/Draw – 0 points

We run down the card.

The Personal Concierge, apparently Canadian, mocks America for its treatment of the elderly and praises Canadian’s use of maple syrup. We hear about the greatness of Justin Trudeau and meet his “nephew”, William Trudeau!

William Trudeau (Canada) vs. Sami Callihan (USA)

Trudeau (who looks like a slightly smaller Big Bill) jumps Callihan to start but he grabs the paper. The Concierge offers a distraction and Callihan gets to cut Trudeau’s fingers. Callihan goes after the Concierge’s fingers as well but gets cut off, leaving the Concierge to work on Callihan’s arm. It works so well that he does it again (without looking, and I think you know where this is going) but tries a third time, allowing Callihan to reverse. The Concierge attacks Trudeau’s arm by mistake and gets yelled at, allowing Callihan to hit a Stunner for the win at 3:04.

Rating: C-. They didn’t have time to do much here but that’s kind of the point of the scoring system. Callihan gets a win and starts things off fast, while Trudeau is likely a local guy who has a good look and an easy gimmick. It’s not much of an opener, but hopefully things can pick up a bit.

USA – 1
Canada – 0

Wait what? I have no idea why that isn’t higher due to the Quick Victory but that’s the official score.

Post match the Concierge gets the Stunner as well.

Commentary talks about the difference between American and Canadian alcohol. And how much difference does it make that the USA is OLDER? Is it me, or do they have absolutely nothing to talk about here and they’re just filling time?

Barbie Blank mocks Allie and Rougeau, the latter of whom tells Blank to not fall out of her shoes. Blank promises American dominance.

Callihan’s victory is descried as Standard, with no explanation of why it wasn’t a Quick Victory despite the under five minute time limit.

Victoria Crawford (USA) vs. Courtney Rush (Canada)

Allie is on commentary. They talk a lot of trash at each other to start and Rush wants a dance off. Rush dances and then Crawford dances, with Crawford knocking her down to take over. The northern lights suplex gives Crawford two but Rush hits a spear for the pin at 2:18.

USA – 1
Canada – 2

Was something clipped from the opener? Or am I going nuts here? I even went back and checked the scoring that they put up, plus the time of the opener, and it doesn’t make sense.

Channing Decker and Jesse Bieber are ready to take out the System for Canada. The System comes in, with JDC promising to make them pay some tariffs.

The System (USA) vs. Channing Decker/Jesse Bieber (Canada)

Barbie Blank is on commentary. JDC works on Decker’s arm to start but Decker flips away out of the corner. A spinning legdrop grazes JDC’s hands and it’s off to Bieber, with Blank being rather energetic on commentary. Bieber dances and elbows JDC in the head before the System gets tied in the Trees of Woe.

The Canadians sing O CANADA ala Petey Williams but Moose fights up and takes over. Moose chokes with his shirt and Decker gets taken down into the wrong corner. JDC grabs the chinlock for a bit before putting Decker in the Tree Of Woe. Moore gets on the mic and the System gives the Pledge of Allegiance, allowing Decker to high crossbody both of them down.

Bieber comes back in with a slingshot double spear but a dive is cut off. JDC goes up top and gets brought back down with a Tower Of Doom. Moose misses the spear and gets taken down but JDC hits an Air Raid Crash. Back up and Moose hits a spear for the pin on Decker at 10:39.

Rating: C. Well at least it got some time. The System are about as good of a choice as you have for a heel spot like this as they can go out there and be put in almost any combination for the same result. Moose is still one of the biggest and most dominant stars in TNA today and having him smash through Decker for the win was a fine way to go.

USA – 2
Canada – 2

Brutus Beefcake of all people talks about bleeding red, white and blue. What in the world is this show?

Champagne Singh (Canada) vs. Tommy Dreamer (USA)

Hardcore. Dreamer does a quick tribute to Sabu but Singh isn’t interested. Singh tries to slug away and gets hiptossed out to the floor for his efforts. Dreamer follows and spits beer in Singh’s face, then knocks beer out of Singh’s mouth in a nice sequence. It’s time to bring in some weapons, including a trashcan lid to the head.

Dreamer busts out some bagged milk but can’t hit a piledriver, as Singh backdrops his way to freedom. Some choking with a chain keeps Dreamer in trouble and it’s time for a chair. Dreamer is sent face first into said chair Singh starts getting rather cocky, allowing Dreamer to move the chair so Singh crotches himself.

Dreamer brings in a hockey stick and gets in a shot of his own, setting up a cutter for two. An STO onto a chair gives Singh two and Dreamer’s DDT gets the same. Dreamer pours the milk over himself and calls over….some either actors or musicians, who help load up a table. Said table is loaded up in the corner and a Death Valley Driver puts Singh through it for the pin at 11:07.

Rating: C. This feels like a match that Dreamer has done about 3,485 times over the course of his career so it was almost muscle memory at this point. It doesn’t help that Singh returned at Under Siege as Raj Singh rather than Champagne, suggesting that this show was taped in advance. Or they just didn’t pay a bit of attention to what they were doing with him.

USA – 3
Canada – 2

Frankie Kazarian (USA) vs. Cody Deaner (Canada)

Before the match, Kazarian insults most of the Canadians he knows how horrible they are. Kazarian is not a normal person, because he is a king. This year alone, he has already claimed 50 kingdoms, and tonight he claims his 51st kingdom over someone who is recently unemployed. Deaner comes out to talk about his love of Canadians and most Americans, but there is one American he doesn’t like. That would be the hoser known as Kazarian. Rather than gaining his 51st kingdom, he could punch Kazarian in the face fifty one times!

The bell rings and Kazarian bails from the threat of a right hand as Rehwoldt annexes the Great Lakes. Back in and Kazarian hammers away but Deaner takes him into the corner for some right hands of his own (with the fans counting along to keep up the bit). More right hands keep up the counting, with Deaner getting all the way to 31.

Kazarian fights back and hits a springboard spinning legdrop for two. Deaner is back up to hammer away some more but Kazarian knees him in the ribs. The cravate goes on but Deaner fights up and hits even more right hands. That gets him to fifty total but Deaner tries a big fifty first, allowing Kazarian to roll him up for the quick pin at 4:49.

Rating: C-. And this is a good example of what is wrong with this whole show: this entire match was built around the “Canada could be the 51st state” deal and that gets old fast. It’s one of several “Haha America is better than Canada” bits throughout the show and it feels like it was written with the least effort possible. The match itself wasn’t much better, but that’s not much of a surprise with Deaner involved.

USA – 4
Canada – 2

Post match Deaner does get in that 51st right hand.

Matt Hardy has been attacked in the back.

The System (USA) vs. Northern Armory

Before the match, Alisha Edwards insults Canada and then Eddie and Brian Myers get to do the same. In other words, even more stalling as they try to fill in time. The Northern Armory doesn’t like the besmirchment and promise to raise their elbows and break the System. The fight is on fast with the System getting tied in the ropes for some quick chops. Williams chokes Myers but he fights out and grabs an armbar. Myers tries to hand the arm off to Eddie, who doesn’t notice the reversal and works on Myers’ arm by mistake (twice in about an hour if you’re keeping track).

Icarus comes in and the Armory take the System out with stereo dives. Alisha offers a distraction and Myers’ superkick gets two on Williams. The chinlock goes on but Williams fights up and brings Icarus back in. Everything breaks down and Myers hits a spear for two, followed by a double butterfly powerbomb. The System Overload only gets two so the System loads up another. This time Williams breaks it up and Icarus gets a rollup for the pin on Eddie at 7:37.

Rating: C. Kind of weird to see back to back matches end with a rollup but oh well. As was the case earlier, you can throw any combination of the System out there for a match like this and get about the same result so there was only so much bad to be found. The Armory winning for Canada was a good way to go and the fans approved, which is even more impressive as Eddie and Myers have been a successful team.

USA – 4
Canada – 3

Post match the beatdown is on but Eric Young runs in with a chair to make the save.

Tessa Blanchard (USA) vs. Jody Threat (Canada)

Vipress and Victoria Crawford are here with Blanchard…who can’t wrestle due to an injury. Instead, Vipress will be taking her place, with the fans seeming rather happy with Blanchard being hurt.

Vipress (USA) vs. Jody Threat (Canada)

Threat grabs a headlock takeover to start before taking her into the corner for some rapid fire clotheslines. Some forearms put Vipress in the ropes and a running dropkick sends her to the floor in a big crash. Blanchard offers a distraction though and Vipress snaps Threat throat first across the middle rope. They seem to have a bit of miscommunication so Threat faceplants her, only to get caught in something like a reverse powerbomb for two.

The chinlock goes on to slow things down (and possibly get back on the same page) but Threat is right back up. Threat makes the clothesline comeback but charges into a boot against the ropes. Threat’s spinebuster gets two so Blanchard offers a distraction. Crawford gets in a kick to the head and Vipress rolls her up (with tights) for the pin at 7:36.

Rating: C-. Hey look, another rollup. Vipress means nothing around here so it’s an upset pin, though it doesn’t seem likely that Blanchard would have had a different result. There wasn’t much to this one, which isn’t a surprise as this hasn’t exactly been a show focused on what is happening in the ring. I have never seen much out of Threat and that was on full display again here.

USA – 5
Canada – 3

Santino Marella has been attacked as well.

Eric Young (Canada) vs. Matt Hardy (USA)

Hardy seems perfectly fine after being attacked earlier and the Northern Armory is here too. A headlock doesn’t get Hardy very far as Young bails to the floor, followed by an exchange of wristlocks back inside. Hardy puts him down but comes up favoring his knee, which I guess counts as fallout from the attack. Young goes after the knee and the Armory gets in a few cheap shots of their own from the floor.

Back in and Young stays on the leg but Hardy fights up and rams him into the buckle over and over. A neckbreaker gives Young two but he misses a moonsault. The Twist of Fate…doesn’t exactly work so the Armory offers a distraction. Young rolls him up with feet on the ropes for the pin at 7:31.

Rating: C. Oh come on already. You can’t have Young, a multiple time World Champion, hit a finisher to beat Hardy? It’s not like they’re on totally different levels around here or anything, but we needed a fourth straight rollup for the pin. Nothing special in the ring, but that shouldn’t be much of a surprise at this point in the show.

USA – 5
Canada – 4

Hardy looks like he’s about to cry.

Allie and Barbie Blank argue.

Santino Marella doesn’t know who jumped him but Canada is a place where people can come to fulfill their dreams. It is about opportunity and a quality of life and it’s time for him to stand up for his country. He Can-a-da. Marella: “Get it?”

Commentary recaps the night and what Marella needs to do to win. Basically…he needs to win for a tie but if he wins really fast, Canada wins the whole thing.

Santino Marella (Canada) vs. Nic Nemeth (USA)

Flag, as in capture the, match and Nemeth, with Barbie Blank, doesn’t even wear his Tag Team Title. Marella on the other hand has Jacques Rougeau and Allie to even (I guess?) things out. Commentary goes over Marella’s rather complicated nationality history and we officially hit a minute, so the Lightning Victory is off the table. Nemeth takes him down as commentary promises a victory and a salute to gun racks.

Marella knocks him to the floor as the slow pace continues. The test of strength goes on, with commentary making it clear that this is NOT the same as a Five knuckle Shuffle. Nemeth rakes the eyes over the top and knocks him down, which should allow him to get the flag but instead he poses. The first attempt for the flag doesn’t work for Nemeth as we cross five minutes, meaning Marella can only tie with a win.

Marella tries a sunset flip and Nemeth finally goes down, meaning they can realize that a sunset flip means nothing in this match. Nemeth sends him outside, where Marella goes over to the celebrities from earlier. The celebrities get in an argument of their own, allowing Marella to go for the flag.

That doesn’t work either so Nemeth poses a lot and crotches himself in the corner. Hannifan: “His Ryan Nemeths just got scrambled.” Marella loads up the Cobra but walks into a superkick. Nemeth goes for the flag but Rougeau gives Marella the shock stick to cut him off. The Cobra hits Nemeth (Rehwoldt: “COBRAS ARE NOT EVEN NATIVE TO CANADA’S ECOSYSTEM!”) and Marella gets the flag to win at 9:46.

Rating: D+. If nothing else, points for the line about cobras at the end but my goodness they could only do so much with this one. You need to have Marella win to tie things up here and the gimmick let him beat Nemeth without beating Nemeth. Other than that though, another lame match where it felt like they forgot the rules a few times in between.

USA – 5
Canada – 5

That means it’s a tie so this match will continue under sudden death rules. How in the world do you have a SUDDEN DEATH FLAG match? As we ponder that, cue the System, complete with people in Donald Trump and Mark Carney masks/costumes. Anyway the System says they were behind the attacks because they hate America and Canada. They jump Trump/Carney so here are Matt Hardy, Tommy Dreamer, Jody Threat and Cody Deaner for the save. Hardy says it’s time for the countries to unite to take out the System. Well of course it is.

The System vs. Matt Hardy/Cody Deaner/Santino Marella/Tommy Dreamer/Jody Threat

It’s a brawl on the floor to start with Deaner beating on JDC as we officially get going. Moose cuts that off but gets sent into the corner to crush JDC. Deaner works on Moose’s arm and it’s off to Hardy for the same. Marella comes off the top…er, middle, rope to hit Moose’s arm, followed by Threat doing the same. Dreamer goes up top (weight jokes abound) for an ax handle to said arm as Rehwoldt wants a Rocky to Moose’s Bullwinkle for all of the things that are being Dudley Do-Wronged.

Moose finally goes to the eye to escape and brings Myers in so the villains can start taking turns on Deaner. Even Alisha gets in a chop, which just wakes Deaner up. The comeback is quickly cut off and Moose rakes Deaner’s back to bring up the pain. That’s broken up and it’s back to Hardy to ram Eddie into the corner over and over. Moose and Alisha get the same treatment as everything breaks down again. JDC is left alone for the shots to the head, setting up the Cobra and a Twist Of Fate for the pin at 8:44.

Rating: C-. And that’s how it ends, with some big deal about coming together to fight a common enemy. That’s a fine way to go, but it’s kind of cut off when commentary spent the entire show mocking Canada. As usual, beating the System is fine and mocking Dreamer’s weight is a tried and true method of operations in wrestling, but sweet goodness this was a lame way to wrap it up.

A bunch of wrestlers come out to celebrate but hang on because this show will not end. A big brawl breaks out including a masked man apparently named Captain Canada is in the middle of everything. The fighting just continues to end the show, with Hannifan promising that the Border Brawl will continue FOREVER.

Overall Rating: D. Where do I even begin? This was something out of the old One Night Only shows where it felt like they needed some random gimmick to tie the show together and put all of no thought into it. In this case though, you had the lack of anything resembling an overly good match, a draw in the whole contest, a big brawl that undermined the entire point of the main event to end the show. And that’s before you get to the most random BRUTUS BEEFCAKE cameo I can imagine.

Terribly weird show here, and I wonder how much TNA had to do with putting it together. TNA is better than this and I would hope this is a one off, because it was more boring than insane and that is not a good thing. Maybe it was something of a cross promotional deal where TNA just handled the talent, because otherwise, I’m somewhat scared for the future of the promotion.

Results
Sami Callihan b. William Trudeau – Stunner
Courtney Rush b. Victoria Crawford – Spear
The System b. Channing Decker/Jessie Bieber – Spear to Decker
Tommy Dreamer b. Champagne Singh – Death Valley Driver through a table
Frankie Kazarian b. Cody Deaner – Rollup
Northern Armory b. The System – Rollup to Edwards
Vipress b. Jody Threat – Rollup with trunks
Eric Young b. Matt Hardy – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Santino Marella b. Nic Nemeth – Marella grabbed the flag
Matt Hardy/Cody Deaner/Santino Marella/Tommy Dreamer/Jody Threat b. The System – Twist of Fate to JDC

 

 

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

So I kept meaning to do one of these things earlier in the week but then it was one big story after another so I kept putting it off. Now with everything that came out today, I kind of need to cover this before John Cena become King of Lichtenstein on Friday.

Monday Night Raw To Netflix

This is the big story of the week (at least the first half) as the show is leaving USA at the end of September and moving to Netflix in January 2025. The deal is reportedly worth about $500 million a year, or just shy of TEN MILLION DOLLARS A SHOW. I have no idea how Netflix is supposed to make money on this, but WWE continues to make absolute bank on everything they touch.

Now there is something on the downside, as having the company’s flagship show behind a paywall is going to be more than a bit weird. That is going to rub some people the wrong way, but ultimately this is the way things are going in television. Of WWE’s three major shows, only Smackdown is going to be on cable starting next year. Also I’m assuming that Netflix/WWE are assuming that a lot of people already have Netflix so it’s not like some big change that everyone is going to have to make. Either way, WWE has a home for a good while and all kinds of money to go with it, which checks their two major boxes.

Smackdown Possibly To Tuesdays

During an interview with Pat McAfee, Nick Khan said that Smackdown will begin on the USA Network on October 1, which is a Tuesday. That means NXT will be moving elsewhere, which has me wondering what the other shows are going to do. At the very least, it makes me hope that Collision could move off of its death slot on Saturday night. This is something where we’ll have to wait and see, but it does appear that changes are coming.

The Rock Joins The TKO Board

This is something that might be more for show than anything else, but he did get the ownership of “the Rock” trademark. I’m curious if this is part of the lawsuit that came down against Vince McMahon, but at the very least, it makes me wonder what this might mean for Rock coming back to the ring. If he’s tying himself even more to WWE, it makes me think that he has that much more of an investment in the company’s future.

Vince McMahon Wall Street Journal Article

If you haven’t seen the details I’ll spare you from reading them here, but McMahon is being sued by a former employee who claims he sex trafficked her around the company. The details and alleged texts from McMahon are downright disturbing and sickening, to the point where if this is true, McMahon has to be done in the wrestling world. Right now it’s more a matter of waiting for the other shoe to drop, as this is some horrendous stuff that paints McMahon as the monster he has long been accused of being.

Kevin Patrick Gone From WWE

Yeah who cares. Michael Cole will be doing Smackdown this week and then we’ll find out about the permanent replacement.

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

You knew I’d be talking about this (NXT to USA).

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-either-sky-falling-sky-limit/

That’s quite the upgrade for them.  It’s also a good sign for WWE as NBC wants another show on a bigger network.  SyFy never fit for a wrestling show anyway.

That’s the rumor, but I can’t imagine it happening.First of all, the company is valued at well over two billion dollars.  That’s a lot of cash for a network that still airs films like Scorpion King 2.  Second, there’s the simple idea of Vince owning most of the stock and probably not wanting to sell.  It’s possible I guess, but I really don’t see this happening.

I’m thinking WWE winds up either back on USA or Spike, with the latter causing a lot of interesting effects.

World Cup of Wrestling
Date: December 7, 2013
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tazz

It’s another One Night Only show but at least this time there’s a fresh idea to it. See, this time instead of a tag tournament or a singles tournament, it’s an international tournament. It’s in the vein of the World X Cup if you remember that from WAY back in the day. It’s an interesting idea but I’m not sure if it’s going to be all that interesting. This is TNA so I can’t imagine it being so. Let’s get to it.

We open with the highlight reel of stuff we haven’t seen yet. The four teams are USA, United Kingdom, International and Aces and 8’s. It looks like there’s a singles guy, a tag team, an X-Division guy and a Knockout each.

JB explains the rules: There will be eight matches with the winners receiving one point apiece. The teams with the most points advance to an eight man elimination tag for the cup.

Here are the teams, in order of X-Division, Knockouts, tag team and singles.

United Kingdom – Rockstar Spud, Hannah Blossom, Rob Terry/Douglas Williams, Magnus

International – Sonjay Dutt, Lei’D Tapa, Petey Williams/Funaki, Judas Mesias (from AAA in Mexico)

USA – Kenny King, Mickie James, Bad Influence, James Storm

Aces and 8’s – Wes Brisco, ???, Doc/Knux, Mr. Anderson

The Aces and 8’s will introduce their Knockout later, even though she was already shown on the opening video. On paper the USA team should dominate this.

Video on Team UK with each member getting a mini profile. Basically it’s a British Boot Camp and British Invasion reunion.

Magnus says he’s motivated tonight and he’s standing up for what is right. Tonight, it’s right for him to go to work.

Mr. Anderson (Aces and 8’s) vs. Magnus (UK)

Anderson takes him into the corner to start and shakes his head at Magnus. The Brit shoves Anderson into another corner and slaps Anderson in the face as the match stays in first gear. They slug it out until Anderson’s cross body is caught in midair for a modified scoop brainbuster. Anderson goes up top and as Magnus comes over to stop him, gets his arm snapped over the top rope to put Magnus down.

Mr. goes after the arm and bars it on the mat for a bit. A shoulder block gets a pair of near falls on Magnus and he gets whipped hard into the corner. Off to a hammerlock into a slam down onto the arm for two. Back to the armbar as Anderson is in full control. Tazz talks about Magnus being a metrosexual for some reason as the Brit charges into a boot in the corner. A double clothesline puts both guys down but it’s Anderson up first, stomping Magnus down in the corner.

Magnus’ arm is slammed onto the apron but he comes back with a knee to the face and a clothesline with the good arm. The top rope elbow gets two but Anderson comes back with a hot shot for no cover. Mic Check is countered and Magnus hits that Michinoku Driver of his for the pin and the first point.

Rating: C. Basic match here but it was a nice win for Magnus. The arm work was a decent enough story for the match, even though it didn’t play into the ending at all. The match didn’t have much heat but at least Magnus got a clean pin, which is what a glorified jobber to the stars like Anderson is good for.

UK – 1 (3 matches remaining)

USA – 0 (4 matches remaining)

International – 0 (4 matches remaining)

Aces and 8’s – 0 (3 matches remaining)

Video on Team USA in the same style as earlier with everyone getting a quick profile.

Kenny King (USA) vs. Sonjay Dutt (International)

King takes him into the corner to start and talks a lot of trash. The fans are behind King here even though he’s a heel at the moment. You have to love good old fashioned xenophobia. King takes him down with a headlock but Dutt counters into one of his own. Off to an armbar for a bit before Dutt sends him to the floor for a big flip dive. Back in with King dropkicking Dutt off the top as Tazz talks about moving Team International’s headquarters in a joke that goes on WAY too long.

King hooks a chinlock but Dutt fights up and puts on an octopus hold of all things. It looks good but doesn’t last long as King flips him over and gets two off some right hands. Back to the chinlock from King as Tazz keeps talking about Scandinavia for some reason. Dutt jawbreaks his way out of the hold and drops King with a jumping elbow to the jaw. A tornado DDT gets two on King and a slingshot splash gets the same.

The fans chant USA as you would expect them to do as King breaks up Sliced Bread #2. King catches a cross body in a spinning Irish Curse backbreaker for two. Dutt’s throat is snapped across the top rope and a springboard kick to the face gets two. King tries a reverse AA but Dutt flips out and rolls him up for two. A standing Sliced Bread #2 looks to set up Dutt’s moonsault double stomp but King rolls away and hits a running knee to the chest for the pin.

Rating: C+. Cut two minutes or so out of this and it’s much better. This was a much more fast paced match as you would expect but it dragged a bit in the middle. The current state of the X-Division continues to make me shake my head as the title is never defended and guys like these two never make it to TV at all. Such a shame.

USA – 1 (3 matches remaining)

UK – 1 (3 matches remaining)

International – 0 (3 matches remaining)

Aces and 8’s – 0 (3 matches remaining)

Team International says they’re going to turn things around. Well Funaki says he’s #1 but you get the idea.

Hannah Blossom (UK vs. Lei’D Tapa (International)

Blossom is a normal sized girl so this is power vs. speed. Tapa shoves her around to start and drives Blossom into the corner as Tenay and Tazz have one of their TOTALLY NATURAL moments of banter. Hannah gets an awkward looking cross body for two but gets kicked in the face to get us back to the natural order of things. Tapa slams her down as Tazz gets a text from Judas Mesias, saying where the party is when Team International wins. Blossom gets caught in a chinlock but fights up with some clotheslines to no effect. A high cross body gets two for Hannah but gets caught in the fireman’s carry Stunner for the pin for Tapa.

Rating: D. This was a glorified squash which makes sense given who was in there but it doesn’t make the match any more interesting. Even worse though was the commentary as they were practically going out of their way to be annoying and unfunny. I don’t know if someone is telling them what to say but good grief I’d hope they’re not this naturally irritating.

International – 1 (2 matches remaining)

USA – 1 (3 matches remaining)

UK – 1 (2 matches remaining)

Aces and 8’s – 0 (3 matches remaining)

Tazz declares the leader board to be lazy for reasons of general stupidity.

Aces and 8’s say they’re taking over the world tonight. Their Knockout is Ivelisse from Gut Check.

Video on Aces and 8’s which is a recap of the team’s history instead of profiles.

Doc/Knux (Aces and 8’s) vs. Funaki/Petey Williams (International)

Funaki gets thrown into the corner and stomped down during the entrances to give the bikers an early advantage. Doc gets things going against Funaki and the dominance begins quickly. Funaki is dragged into the heel corner and it’s off to Knux for some clubbing forearms and more double stomping. Some right hands have no effect on Knux but Funaki keeps swinging and actually staggers Doc. The bikers easily break up the tag attempt though with Doc taking Funkai down to the mat in a leg lock.

The slow beating continues and there’s not much to talk about here. It’s the same power offense over and over again on Funaki as we’re over five minutes into this. Funaki’s sunset flip is easily blocked but Knux sits on the mat instead of Funaki’s chest. The hot tag is broken up again though as the beatdown continues. Knux puts on a front facelock and we get the unseen tag for old times’ sake. Funaki stops a charging Doc with a boot in the corner but his tornado DDT is broken up.

An enziguri is FINALLY enough for the hot tag to Williams as things speed up. Petey headscissors Knux into 619 position and dropkicks him in the back as everything breaks down. A running DDT gets two on Knux and Petey low bridges Doc to the floor. Funaki gets two on Doc off a cross body but Knux comes back in with a hammer shot to Funaki for the pin.

Rating: D. This was REALLY boring as it ran nearly fifteen minutes with about twelve of those being spent on a long Funaki heat segment. It doesn’t help that the small guys have never teamed together that I know of and are facing a regular team. Nothing to see here and WAY too long on top of that.

Aces and 8’s – 1 (2 matches remaining)

International – 1 (1 match remaining)

UK – 1 (2 matches remaining)

USA – 1 (3 matches remaining)

Video on Rockstar Spud, including an endorsement from Hogan.

Wes Brisco (Aces and 8’s) vs. Rockstar Spud (UK)

Brisco pie faces Spud to start and the far smaller guy gets right in Wes’ face. Spud is a face here despite being a heel by the time this aired. Wes easily takes him down and puts on a chinlock before hitting a hard clothesline for two. Spud comes back with a dropkick and some right hands in the corner, only to be dumped out to the floor. Back in and we hit a chinlock as Tazz calls him Rockspar Stud.

A neckbreaker gets two on Spud and it’s off to a cravate. That’s too British for Brisco so it’s back to the good old American chinlock. Spud fights out and dropkicks Brisco out to the floor to set up a big flip dive over the top. The fans are actually behind Spud as he gets two off a high cross body. Brisco just shakes it off and powerslams Spud for the pin.

Rating: C-. Basic match here but at least it was a bit shorter than the other ones we’ve sat through so far. Brisco is a guy with some talent but he was stuck paling around with Bischoff for so long. Spud is far better as a heel who annoys everyone and his in ring stuff is only ok at best.

Aces and 8’s – 2 (1 match remaining)

International – 1 (1 match remaining)

UK – 1 (1 match remaining)

USA – 1 (3 matches remaining)

Bad Influence talks about great Americans, like George Washington, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Jefferson. “It took a lot of strength and work for him and Weezie to move up to the east side.” Tonight they’ll cement their names in American history with other greats like Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln and Spider-Man. Daniels even sings a little America the Beautiful. He says he’s sexually delicious like a bowl of Horny Charms and you have permission to worship them. Absolutely hilarious stuff and the fact that So Cal Val looked great in a low cut blue blouse helped quite a bit.

Bad Influence (USA) vs. British Invasion (UK)

It’s Terry and Williams for the Brits here. Bad Influence is WAY over as a face team here which is bizarre to see but fits perfectly well. Terry starts with Kaz and the smaller guy climbs the corner to escape a headlock. The power is a bit too much for Kaz so he rolls (completely unnecessary, making it all the more appropriate) to the corner for the tag to Daniels. Christopher doesn’t want him either but comes in to bounce off Terry a few times.

Williams comes in with some clotheslines and a freaky looking double arm hold (Daniels’ arms were wrapped around Williams’ legs) into a rollup for two. Back to Terry vs. Kaz as Rob cranks on the arm. Daniels and Williams quickly come back in with Chris being armbarred down like it’s nothing. Bad Influence finally cheats a bit, allowing Daniels to STO Williams down to take over.

Kaz comes in with a clothesline for two and we hit the chinlock. Daniels comes in behind the referee’s back as the dynamic of the match gets even more and more confusing. Williams tries to fight out of the corner with forearms but walks into a Daniels clothesline to put him back down. Daniels kicks away at Douglas and puts on a chinlock to slow things down. Williams comes back with a jumping elbow to the jaw for two and there’s the hot tag to Terry.

A double clothesline puts Bad Influence down and we get a double belly to back suplex of all things. That looked awesome. Terry hits a tilt-a-whirl powerslam on Kaz to set up a top rope knee drop from Williams but Daniels makes the save. A top rope European uppercut puts Kaz down but Daniels breaks up the Rolling Chaos theory. Bad Influence gets in a quick High/Low for the pin on Williams for the point.

Rating: C+. This was probably the best match of the night so far but the face/heel dynamic hurt it a lot. Bad Influence was over because of the USA idea but the Brits were wrestling as faces. It doesn’t help that Williams hasn’t been seen in forever and Terry had been a heel other than a quick face run against Robbie E which may or may not have even happened when this was taped.

USA – 2 (2 matches remaining)

Aces and 8’s – 2 (1 match remaining)

International – 1 (1 match remaining)

UK – 1 (0 matches remaining)

The Brits are officially eliminated.

Video on Mickie James, including something about her country music push as a heel.

Mickie James (USA) vs. Ivelisse (Aces and 8’s)

To say Ivelisse looks hot as the biker in leather is the understatement of the night. How in the world does she not have a job? They circle each other to start until Mickie grabs the arm and takes Ivelisse down. Ivelisse is sent into the ropes for a breather as Taz starts to sing for no apparent reason. James hooks a headlock and Ivelisse bails to the floor. Back in and Ivelisse takes Mickie down and pounds away for two.

Mickie gets choked on the ropes but escapes from a wristlock to dropkick Ivelisse down for two. James pounds away in the corner but gets sent shoulder first into the post. Ivelisse gets a VERY delayed two count and a backbreaker gets the same. The kickouts are frustrating Ivelisse so she hooks a chinlock. James fights up and scores with some clotheslines followed by a neckbreaker for two. Mickie goes up top but here are the Aces to shove her off, giving Ivelisse the easy pin.

Rating: C-. The match was nothing special but there is no reason why Ivelisse doesn’t have a job in TNA. She looks great, she has some MMA style to her and she would be a nice breath of air to a division that hasn’t had a new face in a long time. Mickie was her usual self here even though she’s gone soon.

Aces and 8’s – 3 (0 matches remaining)

USA – 2 (1 match remaining)

International – 1 (1 match remaining)

UK – 1 (0 matches remaining)

Now, to prove how little thought TNA puts into these things, here’s the Ultimate X match that determined the winner of the World X Cup from the summer of 2008.

Ultimate X: Kaz (America) vs. Volador Jr. (Mexico) vs. Naruki Doi (Japan) vs. Daivari (International)

 

This is for four points apparently, so more or less the winner wins everything, making the entire previous three rounds totally pointless. Daivari is allegedly predictable in this. Ok then. West thinks Kaz is the favorite because of his experience letting him know that he’ll know how to win earlier. YOU CLIMB UP AND GRAB THE FREAKING X! How hard is this?

 

Daivari wisely goes after Kaz’s arm. That makes the most sense here if nothing else. Oh and only Kaz is a face here. We can’t have nice foreigners! West says Kaz is close to being a world champion. Oh the comedy! Oh and also, great idea on telling us to stop watching your show so we can go get our computers to vote on something on the show later on. In other words, a stipulation for later on in the night is more important than the match you’re watching at the moment. Volador is pretty fun to watch. Kaz manages to get above the X and almost unhooks it but Daivari makes the save.

 

It worked as it’s not like Kaz had a long time up there like in a ladder match so it didn’t look completely ridiculous which is a very nice difference. Also he used his legs to get there so he kept selling the arm from earlier. In a MIND BLOWING spot, Daivari is going across a cable with his back facing the ring so he’s looking up at the ceiling. Kaz climbs up to the metal thing that holds up the cables and JUMPS off of it, crashing down with a clothesline onto Daivari and killing himself in the process. That was INCREDIBLE. It also lets Volador go up and get the X for the win and the Cup.

 

Rating: B. This was another great high impact battle that worked perfectly for what it was supposed to do. I wasn’t sure who was going to win and I was thinking it would have been Team TNA but a surprise is always good. This was your usual crazy spotfest but it worked quite well.

Now that the time filler is over, back to modern times.

James Storm likes the idea of his team depending on him and mentions Ricky Morton for some reason.

Mesias (International) vs. James Storm (USA)

This should be interesting. Mesias punches Storm into the corner to start but James comes back with right hands of his own. They head outside for more punching with Mesias being whipped into the barricade. Storm rams him into various other metal objects until they head back inside for a Mesias powerslam. A clothesline in the corner staggers Storm as we actually talk about Mesias being in TNA before.

Storm’s comeback is stopped by a pull of the hair but he grabs a quick Russian legsweep to get a breather. An atomic drop and bulldog drop Mesias and there’s the enziguri in the corner for two. Mesias hits a quick Downward Spiral for two and a clothesline gets the same. The frustration sets in for Mesias and Storm makes it worse by winning a slugout. Mesias jumps over Storm in the corner but turns into the Last Call for the pin and the spot in the elimination match for USA.

Rating: C-. Sluggish match here but there’s something awesome about winning a match with a superkick. Mesias is someone I’d like to see come back to a major American company but he seems content to just do his thing in Mexico. At least Storm gets a big win in the clutch for once.

Final standings:

USA – 3

Aces and 8’s – 3

UK – 1

International – 1

We recap the matches so far tonight.

Team USA vs. Aces and 8’s

James Storm, Kenny King, Bad Influence, Mickie James

Mr. Anderson, Wes Brisco, Doc, Knux, Ivelisse

Elimination rules and even the girls are in this one. Mickie and Ivelisse get things going but Ivelisse tags in Doc instead of fighting. Doc gets a slap instead of a kiss and it’s off to Daniels. Chris gets caught in the corner but scores with a back elbow before bringing in Kaz for some good old American double teaming. Kaz tags out to King who doesn’t do as well, getting caught in a full nelson, allowing for some shots by Anderson. Kenny gets a quick two off a clothesline before it’s back to Kaz for some forearms.

Anderson gets in a knee to the ribs and it’s off to Brisco who is taken into the American corner. I say American even though everyone in the match is American (Ivelisse is from Puerto Rico which is part of America). Bad Influence double teams Brisco in the corner and the other three partners come in for five straight splashes in the corner. Aces and 8’s just let this happen and a double suplex from Bad Influence gets a two count.

Off to King who puts Wes in a chinlock and a back elbow to the jaw for two. A jawbreaker sends Brisco to the apron but he counters a suplex into a cross body with Ivelisse holding Kenny’s leg for the pin. Daniels comes in for some hip thrusting, prompting Taz to ask why Bad Influence likes having sex with the air. Storm comes in and pounds away before it’s back to Kaz for a spinning springboard legdrop for two.

Brisco gets a knee up in the corner to stop a charging Daniels and tags in Ivelisse for some reason. Mickie pulls her in and beats on Ivelisse like she stole something. The beating continues until Mickie misses a charge into the post, only to come back with a clothesline. A top rope Thesz perss eliminates Ivelisse but Brisco comes in with a quick rollup to eliminate Mickie. Storm comes in just as fast and Backstabs Brisco for the pin.

We’re down to Storm/Bad Influence vs. Anderson/Doc/Knux and it’s Storm vs. Knux in the ring. The bikers get Storm into the corner for some triple teaming before Doc comes in and pounds away. James fights out of the corner and makes the tag off to Kaz, who catches Knux coming in with a dropkick. A slingshot DDT puts Knux down and Daniels’ BME is enough for the pin.

It’s Doc in next and the Americans speed things up with some double teaming in the corner. Kaz dropkicks Doc but can’t put him down, only to get caught by a big uppercut. Off to Anderson who puts on an armbar as a transitional move, which is a big reason why limb psychology is dying. A neckbreaker drops Kaz for two but he gets a boot up in the corner to stop a charging Anderson. Both guys hit cross bodies at the same time and we get a breather.

The double tag brings in Storm and Doc as everything breaks down. Daniels holds Anderson’s arms but Storm accidentally hits Chris in the face. That’s enough being nice for Bad Influence and they walk out, leaving Storm two on one. Anderson drops some knees into Storm’s back for two and it’s back to Doc for more powerful right hands. We hit the chinlock again but James fights up with some right hands to the ribs. The Aces try some double teaming but Storm sends them together and rolls Anderson up for the pin. Last Call takes Doc’s head off and Storm wins for the good old USA.

Rating: B-. This was good stuff and Bad Influence steals yet another match. The eliminations made sense here and made Storm look good to close things out. He’s a guy who needs that kind of a push more than anyone else so having him win again here is certainly a good thing.

Bad Influence comes out to celebrate and get beaten up as well. Dude Daniels pinned Knux. Show some gratitude already. Storm and James get the cup to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this way more than I expected to. Now of course there are some issues with it (old match, continuity being thrown out the window), but at the end of the day this is a fifteen dollar special and shouldn’t be held to the same standards as a major PPV. The idea for the show was a good one as well and felt like something of interest rather than just something they threw together. If you can ignore some of the flaws and just get into the competition and matches, you’ll have a good time with this. It’s pretty easily the best One Night Only to date.

Results

Magnus b. Mr. Anderson – Michinoku Driver

Kenny King b. Sonjay Dutt – Running knee to the chest

Lei’D Tapa b. Hannah Blossom – Fireman’s carry into a Stunner

Doc/Knux b. Funaki/Sonjay Dutt – Hammer shot to Funaki

Wes Brisco b. Rockstar Spud – Powerslam

Bad Influence b. British Invasion – High/Low to Williams

Ivelisse b. Mickie James – Pin after Wes Brisco shoved James off the top

James Storm b. Mesias – Last Call

Team USA b. Aces and 8’s – Superkick to Doc

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book of on the History of In Your House at Amazon for just $4 at:

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Good.  I have no idea why they wanted to get rid of it but keep something like synchronized swimming or badminton.

 

Someone do a toast for Kurt Angle.

Tribute to the Troops 2012
Date: December 19, 2012
Location: Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole

This is the tenth anniversary of the biggest publicity stunt WWE does every year. The wrestling tonight is going to be light and the ratings are going to be a lot more lax with this show. The main idea here is to have the troops feel good and there’s really nothing else to it other than that. Let’s get to it.

The standard video from the President and opening video of “it means more to us” start things off.

Sheamus/Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler/Big Show

The governor of Virginia is here. They’re playing this up as live or at least recent, as they mention Orton’s separated shoulder from the Smackdown that aired 12 days ago. Actually the injury seemed to occur in this match so who knows what’s going on. Orton and Ziggler start things off with Barrett pounding away. The commentary is talking about the stuff that happened in the last two nights, so either it was recorded later or they had some BIG spoilers given to Cole and JBL. Show and Ziggler are knocked to the floor and walk away for the countout at 2:20. Well that was pointless.

Oh never mind here’s Booker to say continue the match after a break. Back with Orton pounding on Dolph. Sheamus comes in and gets dropkicked down, but Show drops to the floor to tie his boot rather than face Sheamus. There are the ten forearms to Dolph’s chest and it’s back to Randy to pound away in the corner. He charges into a boot though and Ziggler takes over. A dropkick gets two for Ziggler and it’s off to Show for some pounding. Cole talks about cannonballs and muskets for some reason. Show misses a chop in the corner but Orton’s arm goes out. There’s the injury.

The referee immediately starts checking on him and we cut to the crowd, presumably to not see the X sign. A tag brings in Sheamus as Orton is looked at on the floor. You can see Cole with his head on his hand so I’m guessing he and JBL are just sitting there, meaning the commentary was done later. Sheamus cleans house but goes up top and jumps into a chokeslam. That’s reversed into White Noise for two as Ziggler makes the save, so Orton gives him a very weak looking RKO. Show gets one as well and it’s a Brogue Kick for the pin at 12:54 all together, counting the time Booker took to restart the match.

Rating: C-. I know these shows are for the live fans, but for the seventeen people that watch Smackdown every week, these pairings are so old it’s not even funny anymore. This is where mixing the main event and midcard would work wonders. Do that on Smackdown a bit and then matches like these aren’t as bad. The match wasn’t bad but the injury slowed things down a lot and you can’t hold that against them.

Fergie says hi.

The US Gymnastics Team (there are four here and the team is the Fierce Five) read off a teleprompter about how much they love the troops. Maybe the fifth was fixing the screen.

Gonzo talks to Pepe and Rizzo but the latter two are busy staring at Layla. Eh the Muppets can make anything better.

Flo Rida performs. I see what else is on.

Cena says everything you would expect him to say.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Ryback

Del Rio says we’re here for the troops, but today is also Ricardo’s birthday. He asks for a chorus of Happy Birthday, but Del Rio sings in Spanish because he’s a heel here….I think? Del Rio is slammed down to start but a Ricardo distraction lets Alberto get in some kicks to the leg. A powerslam puts Del Rio down but Ricardo jumps on Ryback’s back for the DQ at 1:30.

Ricardo takes a Shell Shock, as does Del Rio a few seconds later.

Kid Rock performs.

Josh tries to interview Kermit before he’s on MizTV. Statler and Waldorf have some insults of course.

Some soldiers TOUT IT OUT!

Time for MizTV with the Muppets. Miz doesn’t want to talk about Kermit’s new single, but rather he wants to expose him.  Miz wants to know the REAL story about what’s going on with Kermit and Piggy. To be fair, that’s a REALLY good question. Kermit: “For me, it’s still don’t ask don’t tell.” Ok point for a funny line. Kermit says he thought Miz was a good guy, but Miz insists he’s just awesome instead of a good guy.

The second guess is Miss Piggy. Miz wants to know what the deal is with these two, so Kermit says they’re just a frog and a pig who care about each other. This turns into a REALLY battle, so Miz says let’s have them get married RIGHT HERE. Damien Sandow interrupts. Kermit: “HALLELUJAH!” Piggy: “WHAT?” Kermit: “Uh I mean….How dare he???”

Sandow makes fun of Miz and says that 78% of the fans have taken the pictures of the Muppets out of their wallets and replaced them with pictures of Sandow. He says that Miz and Piggy are both overrated hams, causing Piggy to go into karate mode. Miz decks Sandow for her.

Damien Sandow vs. The Miz

This is joined in progress after the break with the Muppets watching from the stage. Miz pounds away in the corner and we head to the outside. All Miz so far as he high fives some fans. Back in and Damien pounds away before we hit the chinlock. Kermit of course is having his nightly crisis on the stage until Miz comes back with a flapjack. The Reality Check is broken up and Sandow hits a kind of running Blockbuster for two, but Miz counters the pin into a rollup for the pin at 3:30.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here but Kermit freaking out is always funny. I’m a die hard Muppets fan and they’ve been by far and away the highlight of the show so far. Just fun all around here, albeit with a boring match for the most part. At the end of the day though, if you want Miz to get over, having him defend the Muppets isn’t the worst idea in the world.

Piggy kisses Miz post match and he likes it.

The Miami Heat love the troops.

Katie Couric loves the troops.

Flo-Rida performs Wild Ones.

We look back at Tribute to the Troops over the years.

HELL NO is in the back and they need a third man to face 3MB. Bryan has picked Little Jimmy, and Kane likes the idea. Truth comes up and says that Little Jimmy’s cousin Ugly Frida is getting married and Little Jimmy has to be there, so it’s Truth teaming up with them tonight. After the match is over, they can go to the club or karaoke or kill some spiders.

Kane blames Bryan for this. Bryan: “IT’S NOT MY FAULT! NO! NO! NO!” A voice from off screen says yes, and it’s Animal from the Muppets. They shout at each other until Animal calls him Goatface. Bryan turns around and runs into…..a talking goat. “Cousin Daniel?” Too funny.

HELL NO/R-Truth vs. 3MB

We cut to a shot of the crowd during HELL NO’s entrance, apparently because Kane tripped and nearly fell off the stage during his entrance. McIntyre and Truth start things off with nothing going on. Bryan comes in and fires off some kicks in the corner, but HE HAS TIL FIVE. Mahal puts on a chinlock for no significant length of time before it’s off to Kane. He cleans house and pounds on Slater, hitting the side slam and top rope clothesline. Everything breaks down and Jinder and Heath break up a double chokeslam. Truth makes a blind tag and there’s the chokeslam to Mahal. Little Jimmy pins Slater at 3:27.

Rating: D+. Nothing to see here but it wasn’t supposed to be anything major. HELL NO needs some opponents in a hurry, as the division is already falling back into obscurity like it always has been. 3MB needs more character development as they can only be clueless schmucks for so long.

Kid Rock performs Born Free.

Cesaro makes fun of the USA and says Switzerland is better. He gets Cena tonight.

Sam the Eagle salutes Cena.

Some guy from Twilight and Sharon Stone love the troops.

John Cena vs. Antonio Cesaro

Cesaro doesn’t even get an entrance. That should tell you where we’re going here. The Muppets introduce Cena, which is completely awesome. Cena pounds him down to start but Cesaro throws him into the corner to take over. They head to the floor with Cena being rammed into the steps. Back in and the gutwrench suplex gets two and here’s the comeback. Cena shrugs off everything Cesaro did, hits the Five Moves of Doom and wins with the AA at 5:23.

Rating: C. If you don’t get why this match happened the way it does, go watch a test pattern. That’s more on your intelligence level.

The locker room empties out and Cena gives a speech about how awesome AMERICA is to end the show. Oh wait there’s one more thing: some more wrestlers come out dressed as reindeer pulling Santa in a sleigh. I don’t recognize Santa this yeah but the idea is there. Cena throws gifts to the fans and the wrestler walks around high fiving people to really end the show. A closeup of Santa shows that it might (emphasis on that word) have been Johnny Ace.

Overall Rating: C-. This didn’t work for me. I get that it’s supposed to be a special, but that’s where it falls short: nothing about this felt special. It felt like a dull Smackdown with a few musical performances thrown in to fill in some time. The being in America part is understandable, but it really takes away a lot of the fun from these shows. It’s not bad, but after this many hours of WWE in the previous three days, it was REALLY hard to get into this show. Not terrible, but this should have been the Christmas Eve Raw. No one is going to watch that anyway, so why waste major stories on it? The Muppets were awesome though.

Results

Randy Orton/Sheamus b. Dolph Ziggler/Big Show – Brogue Kick to Big Show

Ryback b. Alberto Del Rio via DQ when Ricardo Rodriguez interfered

The Miz b. Damien Sandow – Rollup

HELL NO/R-Truth b. 3MB – Little Jimmy to Slater

John Cena b. Antonio Cesaro – Attitude Adjustment

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews