Wednesday, December 31, 2008

12/30/08 ECW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/30/08 ECW:
Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry: *3/4

DJ Gabriel vs. Paul Burchill: *

The Miz & John Morrison vs. Finlay & The Boogeyman: 1/2* (Match was No DQ, but was treated as a regular tag match?! Plus, Boogeyman didn't really do much. What gives?! Miz and Morrison are the only reason why this match did not get a full-on DUD.)
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And a Happy New Year to everyone! Hope everyone gets 2009 started off on the right foot!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

12/29/08 RAW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/29/08 RAW:
Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk: *1/2

6-Diva Battle Royal (Melina, Kelly Kelly, Mickie James, Katie Lea, Jillian, Candice Michelle): 1/4*

Sim Snuka vs. "Super Haas" Charlie Snuka: 3/4*

John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston, & Cryme Tyme vs. Kane, The Miz, John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler, & Mike Knox: **3/4

Matt Hardy vs. Manu: **3/4 (Manu really impressed me in this match.)

JBL vs. Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels: **1/4 (Although I liked the crowd reaction for the finish, they really stalled on the ending too much for my liking.)

Sunday, December 28, 2008

12/26/08 Smackdown

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/26/08 Smackdown:
Triple H vs. Chavo Guerrero: 1/2* (Sorry Chavo, Eddie's trick doesn't really work too well with HHH.)

Shelton Benjamin vs. Hurricane Helms (U.S. Title): ***1/4

Carlito vs. The Brian Kendrick: *1/2

Maryse vs. Michelle McCool (Divas Title): **1/4 (McCool delivered a lot of the offense. Nice to see a Canadian win the title in her home country. It clears the way for McCool to fully turn heel and feud with Maria.)

The Great Khali vs. MVP: DUD

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Jimmy Wang Yang: -*** (Squash match.)

Jeff Hardy vs. The Big Show: **
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Ratings for the next few days will likely be delayed, as I am in Maui and computer access will be limited.

Friday, December 26, 2008

12/25/08 TNA Impact!

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/25/08 TNA Impact!:
Chris Sabin vs. Kiyoshi (X-Division Tournament Semifinal): **

Scott Steiner & Booker T vs. Brother Devon & AJ Styles: *3/4

Christy Hemme, Roxxi, Taylor Wilde, & ODB vs. Sojournor Bolt, Rhaka Khan, Raisha Saeed, & Awesome Kong (Santa's Workshop Knockout Street Fight): **1/2 (I didn't understand why it started so orderly...after all, it is a street fight. But there was some nice action after it all went to chaos.)

Kurt Angle vs. Rhino: **1/4

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

12/23/08 ECW

This show was a "Best of ECW 2008" show, showing various highlights over the past calendar year. Highlights looked at CM Punk, Chavo Guerrero, Kane, The Miz & John Morrison, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Jeff Hardy, and a bunch of rising ECW stars like Jack Swagger and DJ Gabriel.

Monday, December 22, 2008

12/22/08 RAW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/22/08 RAW:
Shawn Michaels vs. Kane (Race to the Rumble): *3/4 (Decent action. HBK using the crossface was a nice twist to the match.)

Kofi Kingston vs. Manu: *1/4 (Nice moves from Kofi, otherwise an ordinary match.)

Mickie James & Melina vs. Jillian & Layla: 1/4* (Some good spots, but at least a couple of botched spots. Looks like Mickie might have injured herself in the match, probably after being pushed from the top rope to the floor.)

JBL vs. Rey Mysterio (Race to the Rumble): **1/2 (While HBK's slap on JBL led to a DQ, I actually liked the dual function the slap served: (1) HBK hates working for JBL and the crowd loved it, but (2) it helped JBL advance so it really helped JBL.)

Randy Orton vs. Batista (Race to the Rumble): N/A (Batista written out of storylines with Orton punting Batista in the head last week. Batista was to have impacted wisdom teeth removed today and actually has a torn hamstring that will require surgery.)

Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk (Race to the Rumble): ***3/4 (Because we were in Toronto, the crowd was unbelievably loud for Jericho in this one.)

John Cena & Trish Stratus (!) vs. Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix: *1/2 (Crowd went nuts when Trish came out. Trish appeared to have no ring rust. Otherwise, it was a very ordinary match.)

Sunday, December 21, 2008

12/20/08 Tribute to the Troops

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/20/08 Tribute to the Troops:
R-Truth, CM Punk, & Jeff Hardy vs. The Miz, John Morrison, & JBL: **

Rey Mysterio, Batista, & John Cena vs. The Big Show, Chris Jericho, & Randy Orton: *3/4

Saturday, December 20, 2008

12/19/08 Smackdown

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/19/08 Smackdown:
Hurricane Helms & R-Truth vs. Shelton Benjamin & MVP: **1/4 (Good job to continue MVP's frustrations. The new year will bring hope for MVP...it's inevitable.)

John Morrison vs. Festus: *1/2 (Decent, but the bell has really just been used way too much over the last couple weeks. It was funny at first, but now it's just hindering the capabilities of a good match.)

Edge vs. Matt Hardy: *** (Very well done. Easily the match of the night.)

Ezekiel Jackson vs. Carlito: 3/4* (Probably just a real glorified squash, but Carlito did get in some decent offense.)

Maryse vs. Maria: 1/2* (Couple of bright spots, but nothing to really write home about.)

Jeff Hardy vs. Vladimir Kozlov: *1/4 (Kozlov's offense is slow. I couldn't get real into the match. Plus, the DQ finish kills any momentum this match could have had at the end.)

12/18/08 TNA Impact!

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/18/08 TNA Impact!:
Rhino vs. Lance Rock: -* (Glorified squash)

Chris Sabin vs. Sonjay Dutt (X-Division Tournament Quarterfinal): **1/2 (Very entertaining match with an excellent go-home sequence)

Scott Steiner & Booker T vs. Abyss & Matt Morgan: *3/4

Kiyoshi vs. Consequences Creed (X-Division Tournament Quarterfinal): **1/4

Christy Hemme & ODB vs. Rhaka Khan & Raisha Saeed: *

Samoa Joe & AJ Styles vs. Kevin Nash & Booker T (Six Sides of Steel): **1/4

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

12/16/08 ECW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/16/08 ECW:
Matt Hardy vs. Chavo Guerrero (ECW Title): **1/4

Finlay vs. Gavin Spears: *1/2

The Miz, John Morrison, & Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston, Ricky Ortiz, & CM Punk: **3/4

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

12/15/08 RAW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/15/08 RAW:
Kelly Kelly & Melina vs. Beth Phoenix & Jillian: -* (I did like the part before the match when Milena Roucka - playing the crazed Beth Phoenix fan - wanted her picture and Santino had to take it. The match was very forgettable otherwise)

Rey Mysterio vs. Sim Snuka (the former Deuce): *3/4 (DQ finish sucks. But it looks like Snuka might join Team Priceless - or the Legacy - and Mysterio will be occupied with Mike Knox)

Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs. Chris Jericho: N/A (Match never happened)

The Miz & John Morrison vs. CM Punk & Kofi Kingston: ***

Dolph Ziggler vs. "Santa Claas" (Charlie Haas in Santa suit): *

John Cena & Batista vs. Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, & Manu (Handicap Match): **3/4 (The match was very good until the no-contest finish.)

Sunday, December 14, 2008

WWE Armageddon recap

WWE Armageddon was one of the best WWE PPVs of the year. I'd rank it alongside WrestleMania in terms of entertainment and wrestling. Honestly, I was shocked at how good this PPV actually was.

The Kozlov/Hardy match kicked off the show. While it was a passable match, it was by no means fit to be an opener, and probably only was so because Matt Hardy is a popular draw. Kozlov controlled much of the match, Hardy came back, but Kozlov hits a nice impact move for the win.

The Intercontinental Tourney Final between CM Punk and Rey Mysterio was for many people the match of the night. I would have preferred this to be the opener, as a note. This match delivered on so many levels. The amount of counters and false finishes in this match were off the charts. It's a shame my parents had to call during this particular match, but I still watched all of it and definitely felt it deserved an excellent rating. The finish was very well done. Punk's GTS on Mysterio busted Rey's nose, and I felt that was the spot that pushed the match to four stars.

The Belfast Brawl was simply a bunch of chaos, and there were no real shock spots in this one. Sure, there were weapons, a leprechaun (Hornswoggle), and big Tony Atlas getting involved in some form, but in the end, a shillelagh shot had to be the one to down Henry. Of all weapons, a shillelagh? Whatever.

Batista vs. Randy Orton was a very good match. There were a good amount of counters and false finishes, but I must give props to the finish, which was well done.

The Santa's Little Helper match was merely for entertainment purposes and to continue the ongoing feud between Michelle McCool and Maria. I completely marked out when McCool used AJ Styles' finisher (Styles Clash) to get the win. I love the move and it is a move you can hit as a counter (think countering a hurricanrana). I do hope McCool keeps that heel hook move as well.

The Kiss Cam segment was just funny. I'm just happy I wasn't eating when Mae Young came out for the Kiss Cam.

The World Heavyweight Title match between John Cena and Chris Jericho was another awesome match that just misses four stars. It gets a better rating than the Batista match because finishers were hit and kicked out of in this one. I did not like the fact that Cena stays in the Walls of Jericho for a long time, but Jericho only can last five seconds in the STFU. My friend also thought that was ridiculous.

Finally, the WWE Title match between Jeff Hardy, Edge, and Triple H was a match-of-the-year candidate. To me, this was the match of the night. I gave this match a better rating than the Punk match because the storyline buildup for Jeff Hardy's title win was extremely well done, and the feel-good story of a person defying the odds to win the richest prize in the game was a great way to end the show. It is by no means the same feel-good story as when Chris Benoit won the World Title at WrestleMania a few years back, but the Hardy win confirmed that this PPV is a keeper.

Two four-star matches on a PPV that is not one of the "big" PPVs? Four of the seven matches rating at least ***1/2 on my scale? That is one hell of a way to end PPVs for 2008.

PPV rating: ****

12/14/08 Armageddon

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/14/08 Armageddon:
Vladimir Kozlov vs. Matt Hardy: *3/4

CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio: ****

Finlay vs. Mark Henry (Belfast Brawl): **

Batista vs. Randy Orton: ***1/2

Maria, Mickie James, Michelle McCool, & Kelly Kelly vs. Maryse, Natalya, Victoria, & Jillian (Santa's Little Helper Match): *1/2

John Cena vs. Chris Jericho (World Heavyweight Title): ***3/4

Jeff Hardy vs. Edge vs. Triple H (WWE Title): ****1/2
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Armageddon thoughts will either come later tonight or sometime later in the week. I head back home on Tuesday, so ratings for shows this week could be delayed a bit.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

12/12/08 Smackdown

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/12/08 Smackdown:
R-Truth vs. MVP: *1/4

The Brian Kendrick vs. Primo: **

Hurricane Helms vs. Shelton Benjamin: **1/2

The Great Khali vs. Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder: -***

The Bella Twins vs. Maryse & Natalya: *

Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy: *** (No-contest finish with Edge taking both out ruined an otherwise great match)

Thursday, December 11, 2008

12/11/08 TNA Impact!

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/11/08 TNA Impact!:
Eric Young vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir (X-Division Tournament Quarterfinal): **

Alex Shelley vs. Jay Lethal (X-Division Tournament Quarterfinal): *1/4

James Storm vs. Abyss (Beer Bottle on a Pole Match): 3/4*

Christy Hemme vs Sojournor Bolt: *1/4

Kurt Angle vs. Bubba Ray: **1/4 (liked the blood and the brawl; hated the double DQ)
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As predicted, Curry Man got the pink slip. Hernandez got the World Title shot and Homicide got the X-Division Title shot.

Final Resolution; WWE news

I thought Final Resolution was a decent show, but nothing to really get giddy over. The best match for me was clearly the Feast or Fired match because there were a bunch of big spots (easy to do when you have a dozen or so wrestlers) and the match was simply meant to be a chaotic one. I would think Curry Man is getting the pink slip after he won one of the cases last night. I was hoping BG James would win a case and get the pink slip because he has been hardly used and he has been mainly working as a road agent the last few months. In any event, Jay Lethal's case gave him a tag team title shot for the future, and we'll find out what the other cases hold tonight.

If Curry Man does indeed get the pink slip, could this signal a return for Christopher Daniels?

The Knockouts impressed me with some decent ring work last Sunday. I was certainly impressed with Hemme's work against the much-larger Awesome Kong. I just wish any interference did not happen, or we would have had a very good match on our hands. The initial interference from Saeed and Khan made no real sense anyway. Why would Kong need ANY help in dispatching a much smaller opponent, even if Hemme was putting up a good fight? As is my usual mantra, the match ratings dip when interference occurs, unless we have the very rare circumstance where it doesn't really detract much from the match (and actually enhances the quality of the match, like the TLC match at WrestleMania X-Seven).

I was also impressed with the X-Division Title match between Eric Young and Sheik Abdul Bashir. We may have finally seen the last of Shane Sewell as a full-time referee, and he should be making the transition to in-ring wrestler soon to feud with Bashir. At least that's what I think will happen, but we'll see tonight.

The Kurt Angle match was good, but it didn't wow me like previous Angle matches. I did like the eight-man tag because the right people were given the longest to shine and carry the match. Eventually, the Front Line will need to start pulling off more victories, but that should come relatively soon.

Kurt Angle has been telling friends and family that he wants to go back to WWE because he has been unhappy with the TNA creative situation. The good news for Angle is that WWE would welcome Angle back despite Angle's negative comments about WWE in the past - after Angle had debuted in TNA. WWE would put Angle on a limited schedule similar to what Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker have. Naturally, Angle would be a main eventer.

Christian Cage is likely to jump to WWE as well, further concentrating the main event card if so. Christian would at least be a high-midcard wrestler, likely lost in the shuffle if WWE brought him in. It does remain to be seen if Christian does return to WWE, but Edge, his real-life best friend and former tag partner, has been one of the people urging WWE to bring Christian back.
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And now on to a ton of WWE news:

WWE Armageddon is this Sunday. I wholeheartedly expect Jeff Hardy to walk away with the WWE Title this time. It's been teased for months now about Hardy coming so close and yet so far, and with probably some other person lined up to win the Royal Rumble, this would be a perfect way to add some sizzle to what would otherwise be an average card.

I am looking forward to seeing the IC Tournament Final between Mysterio and Punk to see who faces Regal for the belt. Punk had a great match with John Morrison this past Monday and we should hopefully see much of the same on Sunday. I wonder if Punk will be focusing much of his attack on Mysterio's arm, "injured" after falling off the ramp and getting beaten on by Mike Knox (and then Miz working on it for a bit of the match later in the night).

Belfast Brawl between Finlay and Mark Henry will either be passable or will really suck. I have not really been a fan of Mark Henry's ring work, but his work in skits has been good. With the way Henry treated Tony Atlas in a skit on ECW, look for Henry to branch off on his own soon.

The ECW title match is doomed to be a repeat of the WWE Title match at Survivor Series. Matt Hardy might be one of the more popular wrestlers in the company, but Kozlov's style can be very slow and too methodical. If you didn't catch the Kozlov/HHH match at Survivor Series, you didn't miss much. If you did see it, you know what I mean. Kozlov only has a limited moveset (even worse than Cena's used to be), so I don't think this match will be getting a good rating from me.

Batista vs. Randy Orton has been hyped, but not very well. They have faced each other before several years ago, but the focal point of this encounter is to further the alliance between Orton and Team Priceless. The reasoning is that if Orton and Priceless take out a big name in Batista, that will help solidify the combination that much more. Batista has a chance to win this match, given the events on RAW, but even so, I would look for a gang beatdown at the end. In any case, Team Priceless should be interfering in this one.

The World Title match between John Cena and Chris Jericho should be another main-event caliber match, but I don't see a title change again. With the belt changing hands a few times in the past 2-3 months (including at Survivor Series), it would cheapen the belt to see a title change here. But who knows, with Jericho winning the Superstar of the Year Slammy award, it would make sense to put the gold back on him and have him gloat more. Jericho is by far the best heel on RAW, in my opinion.

I have no idea where this storyline between Shawn Michaels and JBL is headed. There has to be more to this one, but I just don't see anything yet. Of course, HBK will have to become fed up with JBL's antics at some point, but we'll have to wait and see on how this one pans out.

Speaking of JBL, the report on him getting punched out by Joey Styles on the overseas tour was hilarious. Sure, JBL was apparently intoxicated at the time, but given JBL's history of ribbing people, he deserved that one. JBL had apparently gotten Lilian Garcia earlier in the tour when Lilian was caught sleeping and JBL dumped ice water on her. As a note, the unwritten rule on the overseas tour is you cannot sleep on the flight over there.

Reports are coming out that Victoria is planning to retire soon. I think that's a shame, considering that Victoria is one of the few divas on the roster who can actually put on a good match. Victoria's Widow's Peak finisher is one of the best-looking finishers, man or woman, in WWE. I would hope WWE thinks of giving her one final run - as a Divas champion. The Smackdown brand should still be in good hands with the likes of Natalya, Michelle McCool (her in-ring work has drastically improved), and the returning Gail Kim (likely re-debuting early next year).

What is up with WWE banning another move? This time, McCool's Wings of Love finisher has been axed, seemingly because it looks too much like Awesome Kong's Implant Buster finisher. I don't know if that's the right reason for the ban, but the only other reason I can see is its likely chance that it injures another diva. According to McCool herself, she has apparently debuted a new finisher that has not been seen on camera yet, so that'll be something to take note of.

Hurricane Helms made his long-awaited return to Smackdown, debuting new music and longer hair. Helms defeated MVP, extending MVP's losing streak. Maybe Helms will try a run for the U.S. Title, but could we see the Cruiserweight belt come back? Who knows. I would think bringing back the Cruiserweight Title gives guys like The Brian Kendrick more time on TV. Hell, a match between Helms and Kendrick would be great for TV.

MVP's losing streak is now at 19 matches after his loss to Charlie Haas and his "MVC" impersonation of MVP. The word going around is that the losing streak is meant to test MVP to see if he is intent on staying with the company. The last few guys to be brought in with huge pushes, like Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley, bolted after WWE had made them world champions. I beg to differ that this is to set up a storyline purpose. I can see this losing streak as a way to make MVP take his job "more seriously" and to quit being that showboating star. Eventually, he should rise to the occasion and truly become the most valuable player on the roster next year.

Fear not, Mickie James fans. Mickie is working through a shoulder injury right now, but should heal up fine for next year.

Melina made her return to RAW the other week, a much-needed boost to the Women's division. Melina's new finishing move, a sunset flip powerbomb, is dubbed "Last Call." I really like the move; it's flashy and innovative, fit for her gimmick. The skits between Melina and Glamerella have been hilarious. Add Goldust into the mix and you really have a chaotic situation. Keep it up, WWE.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

12/9/08 ECW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/9/08 ECW:
The Miz & John Morrison vs. Kung Fu Naki & Jimmy Wang Yang: **3/4

The Boogeyman vs. Scott Reed: -***

Mark Henry & Tony Atlas vs. Finlay & Hornswoggle: 1/2* (long and I basically didn't really care about the match because we all knew Hornswoggle was not getting much action anyway)

Monday, December 8, 2008

12/8/08 RAW (3 hours)

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/8/08 RAW (3 hours):
CM Punk vs. John Morrison (IC Tournament Semi): ***1/4

"MVC" (Charlie Haas) vs. MVP: *

Chris Jericho vs. Jeff Hardy: ***

Finlay & Hornswoggle vs. Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix: 1/4*

Rey Mysterio vs. Kofi Kingston (IC Tournament Semi): **

Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, & Manu vs. Batista & Triple H: **1/2

Dolph Ziggler vs. R-Truth: 3/4*

John Cena vs. Edge: *1/2

Sunday, December 7, 2008

12/7/08 Final Resolution

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
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12/7/08 Final Resolution:
Hernandez vs. Curry Man vs. Homicide vs. Jay Lethal vs. Cute Kip vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Jimmy Rave vs. Lance Rock vs. Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin vs. BG James vs. Consequences Creed vs. Shark Boy (Feast or Fired Match): Hernandez got Case #4, Curry Man got Case #3, Homicide got Case #1, and Jay Lethal got Case #2. Very nice ending. ***1/2

Jeremy Borash was just awesome in mouthing off to the Guns. Hilarious.

Just a thought for right now, but it appears that Curry Man is getting the pink slip after Jay Lethal's case was opened and he got a Tag Team Title shot.

Roxxi, ODB, & Taylor Wilde vs. Sharmell & The Beautiful People: *1/2

Eric Young vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir (X-Division Title): **3/4

Christy Hemme vs. Awesome Kong (Knockouts Title): ** (Great match, but DQ finish sucks)

Beer Money, Inc. vs. Matt Morgan & Abyss (Tag Team Titles): **

The 30 seconds of action from Suicide was awesome stuff. I look forward to seeing more of Suicide.

Kurt Angle vs. Rhino (If Angle loses, he leaves TNA): **1/2

Main Event Mafia (Sting, Kevin Nash, Booker T, & Scott Steiner) vs. TNA Front Line (AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, & Team 3D) (If Front Line wins, AJ Styles becomes TNA World champ): ***

Saturday, December 6, 2008

12/5/08 Smackdown

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

12/5/08 Smackdown:
Edge vs. Kung Fu Naki: *1/4

Maria vs. Michelle McCool: ** (A very impressive match, especially for the Divas.)

Hurricane Helms vs. MVP: *3/4

Triple H & Jeff Hardy vs. Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder: 1/2*

The Miz & John Morrison vs. Triple H & Jeff Hardy: **1/4 (Countout finishes suck, but it was expected.)

Matt Hardy vs. Chavo Guerrero: *1/2 (DQ finish w/Kozlov interference knocks rating down a peg.)

Undertaker vs. Big Show (Steel Cage Match): ***3/4

Thursday, December 4, 2008

12/4/08 TNA Impact!

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

12/4/08 TNA Impact!:
Booker T vs. Samoa Joe (Street Fight; Legends Title): ** (interference and no weapons lowered the rating in a decent match)

Christy Hemme & AJ Styles vs. Awesome Kong & Scott Steiner: *1/4

Consequences Creed, Jay Lethal, & Eric Young vs. Jimmy Rave, Sonjay Dutt, & Sheik Abdul Bashir: *1/2 (Sheik decides to do commentary instead of be in the match...deduction)

Rhino vs. Sting: **1/4 (interference takes away from the action in the ring again, but blood is a plus here, so it's a bit higher than the Booker/Joe match)

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

12/2/08 ECW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

12/2/08 ECW:
Jack Swagger vs. Ricky Ortiz: *3/4 (Pretty impressive match for two guys who weren't even here a few months ago.)

DJ Gabriel vs. Josh Daniels: -** (Way too one-sided; clearly meant to be a squash. Wasted my time. Give Gabriel better competition already.)

Matt Hardy vs. MVP: **3/4 (Close but no cigar; a lot of good spots and reversals, but to me, it just lacked more flash and dash to make it three stars.)

Monday, December 1, 2008

12/1/08 RAW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

12/1/08 RAW:
Kofi Kingston & CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes & Manu: **1/2

Melina vs. Jillian: 1/4* (Santino is hilarious)

JBL vs. Shawn Michaels (Street Fight): N/A (match never happened)

Batista vs. Dolph Ziggler: 3/4*

John Morrison vs. Finlay: *1/2

Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz: **1/2 (although it was relatively shorter than Punk/Kofi vs. Team Priceless, the action was real fast-paced with lots of counters and provided great storytelling with Rey's injury from earlier in the night)

John Cena vs. Kane: *3/4
_________________________________

I died laughing when Santino attempted (unsuccessfully) to do Melina's ring entrance. Pairing him with Goldust for a skit later on was just awesome.

Milena Roucka made yet another appearance in the crowd with another Glamazon sign. Seems like the internet reports are true that Roucka will work something with Beth Phoenix later. It could be similar to when Mickie James first debuted as an obsessed fan of Trish Stratus, although the means of debuting Roucka on TV are different.

Stephanie "pulled an Adamle" in announcing the matches for next Monday's 3-hour RAW. That was hilarious.

Thanksgiving 2008; finals

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was a great one. This will just be a short annual Thanksgiving post, albeit a few days late.

This year's Thanksgiving was different from last year: basically just hung out with a couple of friends for a little while and went out to eat at Rudy's. It's more of a fine dining place with expensive food. I had filet mignon, which is obviously not your traditional turkey and stuffing Thanksgiving meal. I'm usually an unorthodox person on food nowadays anyway.

My first final is in about 12 hours, and my exam schedule is as follows:

Monday, 12/1: Professional Responsibility (1:30 p.m. - 2 hours)
Wednesday, 12/3: Evidence (1:30 p.m. - 4 hours)
Friday, 12/5: Business Organizations (1:30 p.m. - 3 hours)
Tuesday, 12/9: Criminal Procedure (1:30 p.m. - 3 hours)

Hopefully I'll do way better than last semester. I should be able to pull that one off, anyway.

It's funny. I looked at my Thanksgiving post from last year, and that post made it seem like I was so confident heading into finals. I was not as confident as you may think, but I got through it. This year, I'm actually way more stressed, probably because finals are so much more bunched together this time. Perhaps I should take a cue from last year and just relax, eh?

Anyway, I should still be able to do wrestling ratings this week, but we'll see.

And if by chance you are a college student, grad student, professional student, etc., good luck on any finals you may have.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

11/28/08 Smackdown

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/28/08 Smackdown:
Jeff Hardy vs. The Brian Kendrick (Beat the Clock): **3/4 (Kendrick needed more impact offense for the match to hit three stars)

Maryse, Victoria, & Natalya vs. The Bella Twins & Michelle McCool: *1/2

Matt Hardy vs. Vladimir Kozlov (Beat the Clock): *1/4 (match seemed to drag on until the end)

Jesse & Festus vs. The Miz & John Morrison: *1/2 (post-match stuff was hilarious)

Triple H vs. Shelton Benjamin (Beat the Clock): ** (finish was exciting, but Shelton's stalling detracted from the match for me)
_________________________________

Given the finish of Smackdown, I would bet the farm that we have a Triple Threat Match or something at Armageddon.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

11/27/08 TNA Impact!

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/27/08 TNA Impact!:
Rhino vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Hernandez (Turkey Bowl Semifinal): *3/4

Alex Shelley vs. Consequences Creed vs. Cute Kip (Turkey Bowl Semifinal): **

Sheik Abdul Bashir vs. Jimmy Rave vs. Matt Morgan (Turkey Bowl Semifinal): *1/4

Christy Hemme vs. Raisha Saeed: 1/2*

Rhino vs. Alex Shelley vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir: **1/4

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Wrestling rumors

From what I have read, WWE has plans to make Michelle McCool a full-fledged heel in the near future. The seeds have already been planted, if you have been keeping up with Smackdown. Several weeks ago, McCool took a verbal shot at Maria behind Maria's back when getting all dolled up in the back. Also note in some of the matches with Maria how McCool has acted.

This might also coincide with Gail Kim's return to WWE. WWE apparently has plans for Gail to star on the Smackdown brand. So it seems Gail will be a face upon her return. I have no idea if they will use her little gimmick that she used during her first run with the company a couple years back, but that gimmick wasn't too bad. To me, what was horrid the first time around was the way WWE brought in Gail Kim. WWE should have used vignettes to introduce her to the fans. In any event, it didn't matter, as Kim's debut match (and a few matches after that) were sloppy. Hopefully, WWE will learn from that - even though she is more well-known now anyway.

I would like to see a Victoria/Natalya feud. These two can wrestle, so WWE might be able to pull a three-star match out of it if they do it right. But it's WWE...so I'm not expecting it.

Jack Swagger is doing well for himself on ECW. His Extreme Rules match with Tommy Dreamer was quite impressive. I am just a bit concerned with Swagger wanting to go after Matt Hardy and his ECW title so quickly. But I guess with very little standing in Swagger's way (other notable names appear to be preoccupied with one another), then I guess Swagger is next in line.

DJ Gabriel is an interesting character. His character should make him more of a face, but I think fans are still trying to figure out who the hell he is first. That's the disadvantage with not introducing a character properly...the crowd reaction sucks in the early going because fans just don't know you. But hey, it never stopped John Cena when he made his debut in 2002.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

11/25/08 ECW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/25/08 ECW:
Jack Swagger vs. Tommy Dreamer (Extreme Rules): **1/2

DJ Gabriel vs. (jobber): 1/4*

Finlay vs. Mark Henry: *1/2 (no contests suck too)

Monday, November 24, 2008

11/24/08 RAW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/24/08 RAW:
Shawn Michaels & Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz & John Morrison: **1/4

Kofi Kingston vs. Kane: DUD (DQ finish sucks)

Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton vs. Batista (#1 Contender's Match for World Heavyweight Title): ***

Goldust vs. Santino Marella: DUD (Entertaining, but Santino barely got anything in...if at all)

CM Punk vs. Snitsky: *

Mickie James, Candice Michelle, & Melina vs. Jillian Hall, Katie Lea, & Beth Phoenix: *1/4 (Melina's move blew my mind - I'm calling it a modified Canadian Destroyer)

Survivor Series recap

Since I can't sleep just yet, I figure I would share my thoughts (and reasons) for my ratings at the Survivor Series PPV that took place Sunday night in Boston.

The PPV got off to a good start with the traditional Survivor Series match pitting Team HBK against Team JBL. I'm not used to seeing HBK lead off a PPV, but it was a good way to get the crowd going. I gave the match *** for the feuds packed into the match itself, the decent action we saw, and for the good finish. Nice payback for HBK after getting nailed with a John Morrison superkick on RAW last Monday.

The divas Survivor Series match was not bad at all. Good job by WWE to make Beth look stronger by making her the sole survivor. What I did not like was the choice to make Maryse the last person Beth dispatches of. I would rather have seen McCool, Victoria, or Natalya be the last one standing for the Smackdown team.

The casket match had some nice moments (announce table breaking), but it really did not stand out as a better match than the first match of the night. It seemed like both Taker and Big Show held a lot back in this one. The finish was just very weird, with Taker just throwing Show into a propped up (second) casket on the stage (after Big Show destroyed the first one).

Team Orton vs. Team Batista was not as good as the first SS match basically because we saw a bunch of time where there were no pins and then all of a sudden, there are a ton of pins to make up for lost time. It made me want to snooze a bit and look at my law school stuff. Batista's performance at the end saved the match, honestly.

The WWE Title match was just a big time screwup. I'm sorry, WWE, but you really screwed up big time here. I apparently see the big picture of all this, but I'd rather have Jeff Hardy stay in the triple threat match and win the title. Survivor Series is certainly a big PPV, and it would have been nice to have him win there. I mean, Hardy doesn't have to wait till like, WrestleMania to win...right?

Anyway, having Edge come back to win the title is good for Smackdown. Edge lives up to his Ultimate Opportunist monicker, and HHH is free to feud with Kozlov - at least that was the rumored storyline. However, with the "BORING" chants and the "TNA!" chants during that match, I doubt WWE will want to pull the trigger. Frankly, Kozlov's push should not have happened, at least not yet.

It appears WWE wants Edge and Jeff Hardy to feud, which would be an excellent pairing. Edge and Hardy go way back in history, and are easily capable of delivering ****+ gold. The way I see it (and I don't know this for sure) is Hardy will use the story of him being found unconscious in the stairway and say Edge was the person who did that to him (either that or Edge will admit it himself). This will lead to a feud to last a few months, and hopefully, we will see Hardy eventually win the belt. I'd aim for the Royal Rumble for the title change, although I wouldn't mind it at Armageddon or on free TV.

Finally, the World Heavyweight Title match between Cena and Jericho was very well done. Jericho focused on Cena's surgically repaired neck throughout the match, and Cena pulled out his usual array of moves to keep the crowd alive. This was the loudest the crowd was all night, helped because it was Cena's home state. This was the match of the night for its great counters, and we even got two nice false finishes out of the match. Frankly, I would rather have seen Jericho hold on to the belt. Based on last week's RAW, it appears Orton will be next in line to face Cena. I have no idea what becomes of Jericho in that situation, although he will certainly at least exercise a rematch clause.

Survivor Series was passable, but nothing to get real excited about. The World Title match was clearly the best match, and WWE should know better than to take Jeff Hardy out of any match, let alone a match where he is fighting for the WWE Title. WWE basically made all of Jeff's work from the past 3-4 Smackdowns meaningless. I say WWE should have just pulled the trigger and made Jeff champ now. They could have easily still been able to work Edge into the title equation.

Overall rating (on my five-star scale): **1/2

Sunday, November 23, 2008

11/23/08 Survivor Series

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/23/08 Survivor Series:
Shawn Michaels, The Great Khali, Rey Mysterio, & Cryme Tyme vs. JBL, John Morrison, The Miz, Kane, & MVP (Survivor Series Match): ***

Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Jillian, Candice Michelle, & Kelly Kelly vs. Michelle McCool, Maryse, Natalya, Victoria, & Maria (RAW vs. Smackdown Divas Survivor Series Match): *3/4

The Undertaker vs. The Big Show (Casket Match): **3/4

Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Shelton Benjamin, William Regal, & Mark Henry vs. Batista, R-Truth, CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, & Matt Hardy (Survivor Series Match): **1/2

Edge vs. Triple H vs. Vladimir Kozlov (WWE Title): *1/4

John Cena vs. Chris Jericho (World Heavyweight Title): ***3/4

11/21/08 Smackdown

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/21/08 Smackdown:
R-Truth & Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin & Mark Henry: **1/4
The Miz & John Morrison vs. Jesse & Festus: 3/4*
Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H: ***
The Brian Kendrick & Ezekiel Jackson vs. Carlito & Primo: *1/4
James Mason vs. MVP: -**
The Bella Twins vs. Natalya & Victoria: *
_________________________________

Guess MVP will be paying back that signing bonus after losing to James Mason, who was apparently supposed to look like a hometown jobber. Having MVP pay back the cash looks to set something real huge up down the line.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

11/20/08 TNA Impact!

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/20/08 TNA Impact!:
Consequences Creed & Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt & Tanahashi: **

The Beautiful People vs. Sojournor Bolt & Christy Hemme: 1/4*

AJ Styles & Samoa Joe vs. Motor City Machine Guns: **1/2

Booker T vs. Eric Young (Legends Title): *1/2

Kurt Angle & Kevin Nash vs. Matt Morgan & Abyss: *3/4

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

11/18/08 ECW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/18/08 ECW:
DJ Gabriel vs. Sal Rinauro: -**

Jack Swagger vs. Tommy Dreamer (Amateur Wrestling Challenge): -****

Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes, & William Regal vs. Kofi Kingston, Finlay, & Matt Hardy: *3/4

Monday, November 17, 2008

11/17/08 RAW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/17/08 RAW:
Kelly Kelly vs. Victoria: DUD

Batista vs. Manu: 1/4*

The Miz & John Morrison vs. Shawn Michaels & Rey Mysterio: **3/4

JBL & Kane vs. Cryme Tyme: 1/2*

Matt Hardy vs. William Regal: -*** (double countout + short = crap)

Randy Orton vs. CM Punk (Lumberjack Match): **1/2
_________________________________

Santino's rap at the beginning was hilarious.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

11/9/08 Turning Point

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/9/08 Turning Point:
Eric Young vs. Consequences Creed vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Petey Williams vs. Jimmy Rave vs. Volador vs. Doug Williams vs. Tanahashi vs. Homicide vs. Jay Lethal: Excellent fast-paced action. The crowd was really into it. Every person in the match got in at least 1-2 of their trademark moves. The fact that you did not need to tag (just make sure two people are going at it in the ring) makes for a nonstop action atmosphere. The stuff between Volador and Jay Lethal was very impressive. Lethal was very impressive throughout the match. The stuff between Volador and Sonjay Dutt was also amazing. Homicide's suicide dive actually landed him OVER the railing and into the crowd. Just total nonstop action all the way through. ***3/4

Roxxi & Taylor Wilde vs. Awesome Kong & Raisha Saeed: Quick start. Very good teamwork from Roxxi and Taylor. I don't care for Rhaka Khan's interference. Good semi-false finish with Kong's splash on Roxxi turning out to be just a near-fall. I loved the chemistry between the four ladies. Roxxi's top-rope "dive" on Kong to the outside was nice. Very solid match. **3/4

Sheik Abdul Bashir vs. Rhino: Decent action, although I have no idea why ICP and Scott Hall were in the audience. Only a matter of time before Shane Sewell (the ref) becomes a full-time wrestler. *1/4

Beer Money, Inc. vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Tag Team Titles): Good start. Nice high-flying action from the Guns. Guns have such excellent chemistry and they produced their usual amazing tag moves. Beer Money also got in some good-looking double-team moves. Shelley's double DDT was pretty cool. The intensity picked up once Sabin of the Guns got the hot tag. Great suicide dive from Shelley. Great false finish after the Shelley frog splash. The double-team action continued all the way through. Tower suplex near the end was very impressive. The only knock on the match was the interference at the end. ***1/2

Booker T vs. Christian Cage (Legends Title): Basically, if Christian did not win, he would be forced to join the Main Event Mafia. Slow start to the match. Some nice moves on the outside. Seemed like the match was too slow of a pace early on, and too many rest holds up till the middle of the match. Action finally picked up when Christian got in most of the offense. There were some spots where we saw some nice counters. Again, interference (from Sharmell) is disliked. Good superplex from Booker. Nice axe kick from Booker leads to a nice false finish. Nice job by Christian to use Booker's own Bookend finisher against him for another false finish. Seemed like a cheap finish with the rollup and the use of the tights. So basically, the two false finishes was the only reason for the decent rating. **1/2

Kurt Angle vs. Abyss (Falls Count Anywhere): It was a semi-slow start to the match. Shock Treatment delivered real early from Abyss leads to a semi-false finish. Then the action spilled into the crowd for a while, where the two men beat the crap out of each other. Good chair shots from Angle to the burnt back of Abyss. Unreal somersault off the stage from Angle onto Abyss; just looked very graceful and the height Angle got was impressive. Abyss came right back with offense, which gets a few points. Some "This is awesome!" chants. Angle's spear onto Abyss sent them through a wall...more points there. Angle got thrown through the other wall, which looked pretty cool. Angle is the master of counters, and it led to another false finish with the Angle Slam. Angle introduced to a chair wedged between the middle and top ropes. Another amazing false finish with Angle kicking out of the chokeslam. Moonsault from Angle onto Abyss has ANOTHER false finish. Crowd really into it now. Angle with the ankle lock; counter from Abyss. Black Hole Slam from Abyss leads to ANOTHER false finish. The finish was acceptable (but not overly fantastic) because both men had exhausted all their finishers and they had to end it somehow. ****1/4

Kevin Nash vs. Samoa Joe: Storyline buildup was very well done. Nice fast start to the match. Match went to the outside for a little while, which was nice. Apparently, this is a no-DQ match, especially when Nash used the chair more than once in front of the ref. Nash's offense is just slow, usual for many 7-footers, but at least Nash targeted the back, which was nice. Very nice back-and-forth action. Jackknife power bomb from Nash got only a 2-count, which made for a nice false finish. Crowd into the match now. Good use of exposing the steel turnbuckle to bloody Joe. Joe kicked out AGAIN from the Jackknife...amazing. Nice counter into an armbar for Joe. Ref bump. Seemed like a cheap way to win with the low blow, but it's not as bad here because Nash already used to Jackknifes. This was just two guys beating the crap out of each other. ***

Sting vs. AJ Styles (World Title): We have the main event intros and then a normal start to the match. Styles worked on Sting's arm early on. Good counters from Styles to keep the offense going. Sting with a press slam on Styles in the ring, but Sting dropped Styles to the outside...sick spot. Crowd really was into the match. Styles just hits kicks out of nowhere, wow. Styles pulled out all the stops, coming from all directions. Good false finish with Styles kicking out of the Scorpion Death Drop. Sting counters the Styles Clash and follows up with a Stinger Splash. Styles came back AGAIN and hits that awesome Spiral Tap from the top. Main Event Mafia came down, which I did not like - again. Here's a shocker: Styles MISSES the Pele and Sting rolls him up for three. Overall, still a great match. ***1/4

11/14/08 Smackdown

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/14/08 Smackdown:
Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin: ***3/4

The Brian Kendrick vs. Carlito: **1/4 (collateral interference took away from the ending of the match)

Kung Fu Naki vs. MVP: DUD

Michelle McCool vs. Maria (Divas Title): 1/4*

Jeff Hardy vs. Undertaker (Extreme Rules): ***1/2

Thursday, November 13, 2008

11/13/08 TNA Impact!

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/13/08 TNA Impact!:
Rhaka Khan & Awesome Kong vs. Roxxi & Taylor Wilde: *3/4

Eric Young vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir (X-Division Title): *1/2 (a ref helping the face win is amusing, but detracts from the actual match)

Scott Steiner vs. Rhino: DUD (lost interest in this one)

Sting vs. Jay Lethal (TNA Heavyweight Title): **

Samoa Joe & AJ Styles vs. Beer Money, Inc. (Tag Titles): **3/4 (DQ finish prevented at least three stars)

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

11/11/08 ECW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/11/08 ECW:
John Morrison, The Miz, & Jack Swagger vs. Tommy Dreamer & Cryme Tyme: **1/2

Mark Henry vs. Oliver Biney: -****

Matt Hardy vs. Finlay: ***1/4

Monday, November 10, 2008

11/10/08 RAW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/10/08 RAW:
William Regal vs. Santino Marella (IC Title): Nice pops for Regal in his home country. The match, however, stunk because it was short and anticlimactic. DUD

Mike Knox vs. D'Lo Brown: Squash match. Bathroom break time. -***

Rey Mysterio vs. Kane (No DQ Match): Nice action to start. Rey with a nice moonsault off the railing. Sick move by Kane whipping Rey arm-first into the railing. Kane showed his power game and attacked Rey's arm. Nice counters by Rey. Very enjoyable match. **3/4

Batista vs. Cody Rhodes: It was supposed to be Batista facing Randy Orton, but Cody wanted to face Batista instead. It was a respectable effort, but the crowd was pretty indifferent. 1/2*

Beth Phoenix vs. Mickie James (Women's Title): Too much Santino interference. Crowd indifferent. Overall performance was junk. Crappy finish. -*

Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels (Last Man Standing Match): WWE gave this quite a bit of time for free TV, which I like. This is clearly the best feud currently going on, and apparently it will culminate tonight. Great action from these two yet again, as they brawled on the stage for a good part of the match. They made good use of the car and the mailbox on the stage. Using the camera was nice. And naturally, what's an HBK match without a ladder? Nice broken announce table spot. JBL's interference helping Jericho win was a bit disappointing to see, but it still gets a good rating. ***1/2

Sunday, November 9, 2008

11/7/08 Smackdown

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/7/08 Smackdown:
Shelton Benjamin vs. R-Truth (U.S. Title): Shelton did a good job to focus on R-Truth's midsection early. R-Truth did a bunch of aerial maneuvers in this one, including a somersault plancha and a missile dropkick, stuff he hadn't done in his previous matches. Shelton managed to get the win after hanging R-Truth on the top rope and hitting Paydirt. Good stuff, and seems like they would have some great matches together. **1/4

Ezekiel Jackson vs. Jimmy Wang Yang: Squash match. Better off as a dark match. -**

John Morrison & The Miz vs. Triple H & Jeff Hardy: Good action to start. Hardy tagged in and did his aerial stuff. Nice somersault plancha from Hardy. Great tag team wrestling from Miz and Morrison. Great storytelling from Hardy, wanting to prove to Vickie Guerrero that he was resilient and did not need anyone's help to beat people up. DQ finish was somewhat of a letdown but Hardy showed a much-needed aggressive side that should let him have one more crack at the WWE Title in the future. **1/2

The Great Khali vs. MVP: To me, it was a boring match. It was basically a squash, although MVP got in a little offense. The bigger story is that Khali did not do his one-foot-on-opponent cover; he actually got down and hooked the leg. Amazing. DUD

Brie Bella vs. Victoria: Decent moves by Victoria in the match; I wish they would make her at least a Divas champ once. I don't like seeing the roll-up finishes like this where it just looks so much like a fluke. We finally see Brie's twin sister, Nicole, after the match. I'm glad they don't have reason to do that under-the-ring crap again. 1/2*

The Undertaker vs. Vladimir Kozlov: Nice back-and-forth action. Kozlov finally gets a true test, which is nice to see. Undertaker never ceases to impress me by making yet another person look good. Great counters and back-and-forth action. Hardy coming in for the DQ stopped whatever momentum the match had. **1/4
_________________________________

The Khali Kiss Cam is one of the best things WWE has come up with in a while. Great entertainment.

Frankly, I really like what WWE is doing with Jeff Hardy. Next week's match (Hardy vs. Undertaker) could be good with Extreme Rules, but it also makes me think that Kozlov will be involved in the match in some way.
_________________________________

UPDATE ON NOVEMBER 13, 2008: I read an article courtesy of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the match between Brie Bella and Victoria was heavily edited and was real bad live. In that case, WWE did quite a job editing it, because it actually got better than a DUD on my scale.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

11/6/08 TNA Impact!

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/6/08 TNA Impact!:
Beer Money, Inc. & Booker T vs. Motor City Machine Guns & Christian Cage: **1/2

Matt Morgan & Abyss vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Volador vs. Team 3D vs. LAX (Tag Team Ladder Match for future Tag Team Title shot): **

Awesome Kong & Raisha Saeed vs. Taylor Wilde & Rhaka Khan: 1/4*

Sting, Kevin Nash, & Kurt Angle vs. Eric Young, Consequences Creed, & Jay Lethal: **1/2

Scott Steiner vs. Samoa Joe: *3/4

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

11/4/08 ECW

(New guidelines for negative stars and DUD ratings)

Star rating key:

(negative stars) = Bathroom break; should not be on TV
DUD = Fit for TV, but a big letdown
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above-average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match-of-the-year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/4/08 ECW:
Matt Hardy vs. Bam Neely: **1/4
Ricky Ortiz vs. Jon Davis: -***
Finlay vs. Mark Henry: **

Monday, November 3, 2008

11/3/08 RAW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

11/3/08 RAW (800th episode celebration; 3 hours):
The Hardys vs. MVP & The Brian Kendrick: *1/2

William Regal vs. JTG vs. Shad vs. Snitsky vs. Jamie Noble vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase vs. Manu (8-Man Over-The-Top-Rope Battle Royal): 1/2*

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Bret "Hitman" Haas: -**

D-Generation X vs. The Miz & John Morrison: **3/4

Beth Phoenix, Victoria, Maryse, Natalya, Layla, Jillian, Katie Lea & Lena Yada vs. Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool, Candice Michelle, Brie Bella, Eve Torres, Tiffany, & Mae Young (!) (16-Diva Tag Match): -****

CM Punk vs. Randy Orton: DUD (hate DQ finishes)

Undertaker vs. JBL: DUD (hate countout finishes)

Kane & Mark Henry vs. Rey Mysterio & Kofi Kingston: 1/2*

Chris Jericho vs. Batista (Steel Cage Match; for World Heavyweight Title): **1/2
_________________________________

As a note, during the cage match, Batista appeared to botch at least two spots. First, when Jericho was falling out of the ring, Batista had to catch him but he came too late, so Jericho had to look like an ass and hold onto the cage door to prevent from falling outside. Second, when Batista pulled Jericho back in the ring at one point, Batista had a clear shot to walk out the door to retain the title, but instead chose to go back in the ring. While this second one was not really a botch, it does make Batista look quite stupid, taking away from the rating just a tad from a good cage match (there were some pretty original ways of preventing escape.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

10/31/08 Smackdown

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/31/08 Smackdown:
John Morrison & The Miz vs. Carlito & Primo: **3/4
Jimmy Wang Yang vs. The Brian Kendrick: **
Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, & Rey Mysterio vs. Kane, Mark Henry, & MVP: ***
Maria, Brie Bella, & Michelle McCool vs. Maryse, Natalya, & Victoria: *
Undertaker vs. Chavo Guerrero (Casket Match): *1/2

Thursday, October 30, 2008

10/30/08 TNA Impact!

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/30/08 TNA Impact!:
ODB & Christy Hemme vs. The Beautiful People: There were some good spots in the match. Nice wrestling from ODB and Angelina Love. Four or five minutes of action is not bad for the Knockouts. *1/4

Eric Young vs. James Storm: Nice fast start. Typical heel antics and a cheap rollup by Young for the win after miscommunication. There were a couple of nice moves, but hell, this match maybe got 2-3 minutes. 3/4*

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Volador: Interesting that they brought in a guy from Mexico and a guy from Japan. Nice fast start. Great action with aerial moves and double-team maneuvers. Very good non-stop action. Unfortunately, it was maybe a six or seven-minute match, and I wish TNA would devote more time to such great talent. **1/2

Samoa Joe & AJ Styles vs. Booker T & Kevin Nash: Nice suicide dive from Joe; he never ceases to impress me. Decent action here, with each wrestler hitting some sort of impact move. To me, it was not as good as the previous tag match because it seemed to drag on. The match maybe got about 12 minutes. *3/4

Abyss vs. Kurt Angle: The two basically brawled in the stands for about 8 minutes at the start. It still was very entertaining and definitely got the crowd into it. Angle showed why he is regarded as one of the top pro wrestlers, showing his great technical wrestling and his ability to draw heel heat. Signature moves from both wrestlers produced some nice false finishes. Nice counters from Angle and Abyss. The DQ finish was a big letdown, but good stuff nonetheless. ***

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

10/28/08 ECW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/28/08 ECW:
Chavo Guerrero, Bam Neely, & Mark Henry vs. Evan Bourne, Matt Hardy, & Finlay: **3/4
Jack Swagger vs. Tommy Dreamer: **1/2

Monday, October 27, 2008

10/27/08 RAW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/27/08 RAW:
CM Punk & Kofi Kingston vs. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase (World Tag Team Titles): A very good match. Punk and Kofi brought the flash, and Team Priceless came through in their heel role very well. Kofi's nip-up hurricanrana was extremely unique. Nice finish to the match. ***

Santino Marella vs. "GlamaHaas": Perhaps the funniest impersonation Charlie Haas has done yet. It wasn't even a match, though, as Honky Tonk Man nailed Santino with his guitar to cap an entertaining skit. N/A

Kelly Kelly, Candice Michelle, & Mickie James vs. Katie Lea, Layla, & Jillian: Nice rolling double-team move from Candice and Mickie. Action was not bad. It also was not breathtaking, either. 1/4*

Rey Mysterio vs. Evan Bourne: This was a match I looked forward to, and it delivered big time. I certainly hope this will lead to Vince McMahon signing more undersized wrestlers, because this is what WWE needed: fast-paced action with two guys just giving it their all. The match had a nice mix of timely counters, submission moves, high-impact moves, and aerial moves. Even with Rey's botch on the ropes, Bourne covered up the mistake well. The finish was well done because it made Bourne remain strong. There should be at least one more match between the two in the future. One gripe: could they NOT go to commercial when we have these two guys go at it next time? ***1/2

Batista & Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho & JBL: HBK got ambushed in the back by JBL before the match, so he didn't show up until the end. The match was pretty good. Batista did well in taking the punishment and then making all sorts of comebacks. Finish was OK. HBK barely got in any offense, but still played a pivotal role in allowing Batista to hit the Batista Bomb and score the win. **1/4

Sunday, October 26, 2008

10/26/08 Cyber Sunday

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/26/08 Cyber Sunday:
Rey Mysterio vs. Kane (No Holds Barred): This match featured a bunch of great counters. Kane moves well for such a big man, and these two have quite a chemistry. The added effect of weapons helped the rating. I liked that the two men did not rely totally on weapons, incorporating a bunch of wrestling in the match. ***1/2

Matt Hardy vs. Evan Bourne (ECW Title): The fans easily won here. This was a clear match of the year candidate. Evan Bourne brought the flashy moves, and Hardy had to pull a Twist of Fate out of nowhere to get the win. I'm sure a bunch of people thought Bourne would pull one out - until he missed the Shooting Star. I liked the last-ditch effort from Bourne to use a backslide to try and win. ***3/4

The Miz & John Morrison vs. Cryme Tyme: Again, the fans made the right choice to have this match instead of the other two. Cryme Tyme has some great chemistry, and so do Miz and Morrison. Nice spot with Shad throwing JTG onto Miz and Morrison on the outside. Decent back-and-forth action. Typical heel way to win with the ref restraining the illegal guy on the face team and the two heel guys double team for the win. **1/4

Honky Tonk Man vs. Santino Marella: This was a decent choice, especially to go along with Santino's "Honk-a-Meter" dealie each week. Unfortunately, we got a crappy DQ finish. The entertaining pre-match skit kept it from negative stars. But hey, we all knew this segment was merely for entertainment purposes, right? After all, Santino hasn't actually been a part of even an average match since SummerSlam. DUD

The Undertaker vs. The Big Show (Last Man Standing Match): This was perhaps the most well-booked match of Cyber Sunday. Taker utilized several counters to keep Show at bay. Smart booking by WWE to make Big Show look completely unstoppable towards the end of the match. It really did appear that Show would win on more than one occasion, but Taker added to the suspense (and to the delight of the crowd) by continuing to get up. The triangle choke at the end was a pleasant surprise, considering we hadn't seen that in a while. It was a perfect way to end the match, and considering the match could have ended that way with any of the other stipulations (I Quit or Knockout), I really thought that was very well-planned. ****

Mickie won the Divas Halloween Costume Contest. Gotta love Tomb Raider. I also liked Michelle McCool (army brat), Kelly Kelly (sailor), Maria (bunny), and Maryse (French maid). The most bizarre costume easily went to Victoria (Peanut Butter Jelly Time banana).

Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy (WWE Title): Both men had some nice mind games at the start. Hardy had some offense in, but HHH mainly controlled most of the early going. Nice crossface from HHH, but an even better counter by Hardy after being in the hold for a while. Hardy came back with quality offense, which got the crowd even more riled up. Hardy seemed to get too greedy going for more than one Swanton. There was decent action until the end, and HHH managed to find another way to hit the Pedigree for the win. Their match at No Mercy was clearly better, though. ***1/2

Batista vs. Chris Jericho (World Heavyweight Title; special guest referee Stone Cold Steve Austin): The crowd went absolutely nuts when it was revealed that Austin won the fan vote (by a wide margin, no less). Good job by Austin to make sure Y2J doesn't blatantly get DQ'd or counted out. Y2J worked well on Batista's knee to take away the power game. Very surprised to see Batista go to the top and hit a shoulderblock. I liked how they incorporated the other two choices for referee (HBK and Orton) and even JBL into the match. It seems to set the stage for a future feud. The fans were very much into the match. This one, although very well done, does not get four stars because the entertainment aspect overshadowed the wrestling too much during the final few minutes. ***3/4
_________________________________

This was a very good PPV. Hats off to WWE.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

10/24/08 Smackdown

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/24/08 Smackdown:
Maryse & Natalya vs. Michelle McCool & Maria: 1/4*
Carlito & Primo vs. Bam Neely & Chavo Guerrero: *1/4
R-Truth & Kung Fu Naki vs. MVP & Shelton Benjamin: *1/2
The Brian Kendrick vs. Super Crazy: DUD
Triple H vs. The Undertaker: ***1/2
_________________________________

I really liked the segments involving Carlito & Primo with the Bella twins. Apparently this is how we will finally (in due time) get to see both twins on camera.

The Great Khali Kiss Cam segment was downright hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing.

The main event was one of the best I have seen on free TV in a very long time. If we had a clean finish, it would have been at least four stars.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

10/23/08 TNA Impact!

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/23/08 TNA Impact!:
Finally, TNA in HD in Vegas. Very nice new graphics and a nice new screen in the background for the entrance video.

Christy Hemme vs. Velvet Sky: Decent aggression throughout the match, but it just looked too fake and quite a few moves were botched. Fans still liked it, though. 1/4*

By the way, I think the Legends Title looks awesome.

Sheik Abdul Bashir vs. Jay Lethal (X-Division Title): The match started off great, had great crowd reaction, and featured non-stop action. Unfortunately, this match did not get more than two minutes, which was a huge letdown. Also, having Bashir go over clean does not help Lethal in the title hunt at all. *

Beer Money, Inc. vs. Team 3D vs. LAX vs. Matt Morgan & Abyss (Tag Team Hard Rock Hardcore Text-Off Gauntlet; Tables Legal): Nice action all around. Fans wanted tables all throughout the match, which was nice. The tease with the lighter (to make a flaming table) was also good for crowd reaction. Didn't care for the interference at the end, though. **1/2

Awesome Kong vs. Taylor Wilde (Knockouts Title): Very good action. Great counters from Wilde. Interference from Saeed eventually led to Kong finally winning back the title. Real exciting and a nice number of near falls for such a short match. *3/4

Sting & Kevin Nash vs. AJ Styles & Samoa Joe: There were a bunch of watchable moments, but again, the match was way too short and cheating to win, even if it was to draw heel heat, it's just not my cup of tea to a good match. *1/4

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

10/21/08 ECW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/21/08 ECW:
Jack Swagger vs. Brett Baderly: Complete squash. No crowd reaction. -****

Shad vs. The Miz: A couple of botched spots and a DQ finish were the low points. I did not care for the interference by JTG and Morrison. The match seemed to drag on until Shad made a decent comeback. *

Evan Bourne vs. Finlay vs. Mark Henry: Very entertaining match. Finlay either has a legit pec injury, or he sold real well. Amazing feat of strength from Mark Henry when he had Finlay on his back and carrying Bourne in the front. Nice innovative stuff from Bourne as always. ***

Monday, October 20, 2008

10/20/08 RAW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/20/08 RAW:
Kelly Kelly & Candice Michelle vs. Jillian & Katie Lea: *1/2
JBL vs. Stone Cold Steve "Haastin": 1/4* (it was amusing)
Rey Mysterio vs. Snitsky: 1/4*
The Miz & John Morrison vs. CM Punk & Kofi Kingston: **1/2
Cryme Tyme vs. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase: N/A (Team Priceless w/Manu attacked CT before the bell and the ref called off the match)

Batista vs. William Regal (Gauntlet): DUD
Chris Jericho vs. William Regal (Gauntlet): -***

Mark Henry vs. Chris Jericho (Gauntlet): 3/4*
Batista vs. Mark Henry (Gauntlet): -***

Kane vs. Chris Jericho (Gauntlet): *1/2
Batista vs. Kane (Gauntlet): -***

Sorry Adamle. To me, your Gauntlet Match idea sucks.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

10/17/08 Smackdown

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/17/08 Smackdown:
Big Show vs. three guys (in three different matches: Knockout, I Quit, and Last Man Standing): -****
Carlito & Primo vs. Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder (Tag Team Titles): **1/4
R-Truth vs. MVP: *
Ezekiel Jackson vs. Super Crazy: -****
The Undertaker vs. The Great Khali: *3/4
Maria vs. Maryse vs. Natalya vs. Victoria vs. Brie Bella (Divas Las Vegas Match): DUD
Jesse & Festus vs. Kenny Dykstra & Ryan Braddock: *1/2
Vladimir Kozlov vs. Jeff Hardy: **

Thursday, October 16, 2008

10/16/08 TNA Impact!

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/16/08 TNA Impact!:
Motor City Machine Guns vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir & Sonjay Dutt: **
Booker T vs. Hernandez: *1/4
Roxxi vs. Raisha Saeed: 3/4*
Kevin Nash vs. Consequences Creed: 3/4*
Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan: **1/2

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

10/14/08 ECW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/14/08 ECW:
Evan Bourne vs. Chavo Guerrero (Cyber Sunday Qualifying Match): This was a tremendous match with a ton of counters. Excellent mat wrestling and high-flying moves involved. Nice use of near falls. Nice strong finish. ***1/2

Finlay vs. John Morrison (Cyber Sunday Qualifying Match): Another great matchup with very nice basic mat wrestling. There were some real nice spots in the match - including Hornswoggle's suicide dive through the ropes - but basically, the use of the shillelagh and other interference does not make the match better than Bourne's. ***1/4

Monday, October 13, 2008

10/13/08 RAW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/13/08 RAW:
Kane & Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy & Rey Mysterio: *3/4
JBL vs. "Haas Hogan" (Charlie Haas): -*
Batista vs. Shawn Michaels (Lumberjack Match): **1/4 (sucks that there was a no-contest ending, but that was predictable)
Cryme Tyme & Kelly Kelly vs. The Miz, John Morrison, & Jillian: 3/4*
CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho (special guest referee Batista): *1/2

Sunday, October 12, 2008

10/12/08 Bound for Glory

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/12/08 Bound for Glory:
Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Jimmy Rave vs. Curry Man vs. Chris Sabin vs. Johnny Devine vs. Petey Williams vs. Shark Boy vs. Super Eric (Steel Asylum): ****1/4
ODB, Rhaka Khan, & Rhino vs. The Beautiful People & Cute Kip ("Bimbo Brawl"): 3/4*
Sheik Abdul Bashir vs. Consequences Creed (X-Division Title): **3/4
Taylor Wilde vs. Awesome Kong vs. Roxxi (Knockouts Title): **
Beer Money, Inc. vs. Matt Morgan & Abyss vs. Team 3D vs. LAX (Monster's Ball Four-Way for Tag Team Titles): ***3/4
Booker T vs. Christian Cage vs. AJ Styles: ***1/2
Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle (special enforcer Mick Foley): ***3/4
Sting vs. Samoa Joe (World Title): **1/2

10/10/08 Smackdown

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/10/08 Smackdown:
Brie Bella vs. Natalya: 3/4*
R-Truth vs. Shelton Benjamin: *3/4
Jeff Hardy vs. MVP: **1/2
Jesse, Festus, Carlito, & Primo vs. Curt Hawkins, Zack Ryder, Kenny Dykstra, & Ryan Braddock: *1/4
The Great Khali vs. three jobbers: -****
Triple H vs. The Big Show (WWE Title): **

Thursday, October 9, 2008

10/9/08 TNA Impact!

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/9/08 TNA Impact!:
Cute Kip vs. Rhino (No DQ): *1/2
Consequences Creed vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Petey Williams vs. Jay Lethal (Four-Way #1 Contender's Match for X-Division Title): ***1/4
Matt Morgan & Abyss vs. Beer Money, Inc.: *1/2
Awesome Kong & Raisha Saeed vs. Roxxi & Taylor Wilde: **
Booker T vs. AJ Styles (special guest referee Christian Cage): **3/4

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

10/7/08 ECW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/7/08 ECW:
Finlay & Tommy Dreamer vs. Jack Swagger & Mike Knox: Just your traditional tag team match. Good wrestling from Swagger as he continues to show more of his arsenal. Hornswoggle and the shillelagh make their usual cameos. Knox of course is the one to be pinned so Swagger doesn't look weak. *1/2

Mark Henry vs. Jamie Noble: Noble tried, but really, did anyone expect Noble to win this one? At least it was not the worst thing ever and Noble actually got offense in. DUD

John Morrison, The Miz, Cody Rhodes, & Ted DiBiase vs. CM Punk, Evan Bourne, Ricky Ortiz, & Kofi Kingston: It's very reassuring seeing that all eight people in this match are young and are doing well on WWE TV. It was a decent match with a bunch of action. Usual Evan Bourne stuff early on. Nice spots from Kofi and Ortiz near the end. Manu interfered too much for my liking. Ending was unoriginal...typical heel stuff to allow Morrison to get the win. **

Monday, October 6, 2008

10/6/08 RAW

Star rating key:
(negative stars) = Huh?! (BS finish; most squash matches)
DUD = Boring match (or could not enjoy the match)
1/4* to 3/4* = It had watchable moments.
* to *3/4 = Average match.
** to **3/4 = Above average match.
*** to ***3/4 = Great match; usually saved for PPVs
**** to ****3/4 = Match of the year candidate
***** = The rarest of all matches. A classic.
_________________________________

10/6/08 RAW:
Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix vs. Jamie Noble & Mickie James (Mixed Tag): Very short match + lame finish = bad rating. It didn't help that Noble's punches didn't look believable at all. In my books, Santino last participated in a decent match at SummerSlam. -*

Ted DiBiase vs. Kofi Kingston: Decent spots in the match. Not too fond of the Team Priceless interference but it makes sense because they are heels. Interesting spot with Kofi doing some kick on DiBiase while in the ropes. DiBiase needs a better finisher. I actually wouldn't mind him just sticking with the Million Dollar Dream as the finisher, but come on, a Russian leg sweep after sticking his opponent in the Dream? That's as lame a finisher as Hogan's legdrop. 3/4*

Mark Henry & Kane vs. Rey Mysterio & Matt Hardy: Not a bad match. Having two smaller wrestlers go against two big men is a task, but it worked pretty good here. The finish was creative and well done because it showcases Henry's strength and does not make Matt look bad. **

Shawn Michaels vs. Lance Cade (No DQ match): Pretty violent match for its brevity - which I like - but it was still too straightforward. Table spot always gets a reaction. HBK's relentless chair shots reminded me of Stone Cold doing that to The Rock at WM 17. 3/4*

Kelly Kelly vs. Jillian Hall: Basically we listened to Miz/Morrison and Cryme Tyme trade insults throughout the match. That was probably used to drown out any "boring" chants that might have started - or at least prevented the camera from panning on people heading for the bathroom or the concessions. Good thing, because the match was horrible (quite a few botches) and went way too long. -***

Batista vs. JBL (special guest referee Chris Jericho; special guest timekeeper William Regal, special guest commentator Randy Orton): The match was your typical bout where the wrestling promotion stacks the deck against the face and it looks like there's no shot, but in the end the face pulls it out. Jericho gets taken out by a Batista spear when Batista was going for JBL. Adamle shows his face near the end and gets a real ref down to do the end whilke Jericho just watches stunned. Nice pop for the finish. *3/4