Tuesday, September 30, 2008

9/30/08 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.
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9/30/08 ECW:
Jack Swagger vs. Lenny Lane: Short squash; nothing new here. -**

Mike Knox vs. Tommy Dreamer: Nice impact from Knox. Not much to really report. 1/4*

Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, & Ricky Ortiz vs. Mark Henry, The Miz, & John Morrison: The right people (anyone not named Mark Henry) saw the most action. I love Bourne's high-flying stuff. Finish was pretty solid. **3/4

9/29/08 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.
_________________________________

9/29/08 RAW:
Batista vs. Santino Marella: Talk about a squash...but at least the crowd loved it. DUD

The Miz vs. JTG: Very nice moves from JTG. Nice leapfrog legdrop by JTG...never seen that before. Miz gets help from Morrison and gets the win. Decent match. *1/2

Jamie Noble & Mickie James vs. Paul Burchill & Katie Lea (Intergender match): Again, some decent action. Nice to see Regal and Layla out on the stage to continue that feud. Jamie gets the win with the cross armbreaker. *

Kane, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, & Manu vs. CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, Evan Bourne, & Kofi Kingston: Really great stuff at the start with all the faces going airborne doing something. Action slowed down when the heels took over. Good hot tag and more exciting stuff. Good stuff all around. **1/4

Candice Michelle & Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix & Jillian: Some good spots in this match. Scary spot when Candice got caught on the ropes again...she could have broken her collarbone AGAIN - along with her nose. Solid finish. Beth's finisher is very nice. *

The Great Charli vs. Deuce: Honestly, this has to be one of the funniest ones yet from Charlie Haas. The wrestling had good spots, but it was nothing special at all. 1/4*

DX (Triple H & Shawn Michaels) vs. Chris Jericho & Lance Cade: Crowd went completely berserk when the DX music hit. Crappy ending. *1/2

Monday, September 29, 2008

7/26/08 ROH: New Horizons

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.
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7/26/08 ROH: New Horizons
The Briscoe Brothers vs. Mitch Franklin & Silas Young: This match might have only been about two to three minutes, but it was extremely action-packed. Mainly just one-sided though, so that hurt the rating. *1/4

Erick Stevens vs. Delirious vs. Ruckus vs. Shane Hagadorn (Four Corners Survival Match): Rules are two guys start and you gotta tag to get legally involved. First fall wins. Yet another action-filled match. Midway though I forgot who were the legal men in the ring. Again, just five minutes...but an action-filled five minutes. **

Kevin Steen vs. Necro Butcher (No-DQ match): This was basically a street fight on the outside of the ring at the start. This might not have been the fastest-paced match or the most technically-sound match, but it was a good fight. SICK spot with the Michinoku Driver on the chair. I seriously thought that was it right there, but it wasn't. Other than the Michinoku Driver, there wasn't really anything noteworthy. Match went about nine minutes...a little too short to gain three stars. **1/2

Roderick Strong & Naomichi Marufuji vs. Chris Hero & Go Shiozaki: There were just a ton of chops in this one...LOUD chops. I like how these guys don't use a lot of rest holds to slow the match down. This is just action upon more action. All four men took a ton of punishment. Very intense back-and-forth action. Excellent match that went about 12 minutes. And to think, this match, in my opinion, could have easily gone four stars or more if given about five more minutes with more near falls. ***1/2

Nigel McGuinness vs. Claudio Castagnoli (ROH World Title): I loved the start to tease if we would have a new champ. Good brawling on the outside. It was clearly a pro-Claudio crowd. Excellent balanced attack from Nigel; he has just so many moves, it's amazing. Nigel is great at drawing heel heat. Nice comeback by Claudio. Great suicide dive by Claudio, and even well before he did that, the crowd was going nuts. Nice false finish with Claudio kicking out of the Tower of London. That was the longest Big Swing from Claudio I've ever seen. Just amazing stuff from Claudio...my jaw just dropped at the stuff these guys did. I have heard louder crowd reactions though, and I could tell the crowd felt let down when Nigel pulled it out. Match was about 19 minutes. ****

Brian Danielson vs. Tyler Black: Again, I love the fast start. Hard kicks from Danielson...just LOUD echoing kicks. Danielson has an amazing ability to combine submission moves with technical wrestling. Danielson just took apart Black's left arm and bent it in some real sick positions. Nice "This is wrestling!" chants from the crowd. Outstanding back-and-forth action. I loved the moonsault by Black from the top to the floor on Danielson. Black's mind games were great. Cattle mutilation got a ton of pops. Marvelous chain of pinning combinations with Black getting a sleeper after all that. I just had to chuckle at how Danielson had the cross armbreaker and turned it into a Triangle Choke. Black then threw Danielson in one of the corners and BROKE the top rope in that area. The sick part was that the metal turnbuckle actually snapped back and hit Danielson in the back of the head. Well-deserved "This is awesome!" chants. Nice finish with the MMA repeated elbows. Match went a little over 25 minutes and was a perfect main event. ****1/2

I vote for Danielson vs. McGuinness again...REAL soon. It seems like an ROH match is a shoo-in for at least three stars if you give it enough time and/or enough big spots. Extremely solid card.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

9/26/08 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.
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9/26/08 Smackdown:
Jeff Hardy & Triple H vs. MVP & The Brian Kendrick: Very good choice to start the show. Lots of action and the crowd reaction was great. Nice back-and-forth action. It's been a while since I've seen the crowd this jacked up for an OPENING match. **3/4

Maria & Brie Bella vs. Natalya & Victoria: Nice slap from Brie. Oops on Brie's twin coming out way too fast. It was not really too watchable though. 1/4*

Vladimir Kozlov vs. The Great Khali: This is an interesting match on paper. And of course, this was basically a no-contest because HHH and Jeff Hardy came down. N/A

Chavo Guerrero vs. Jimmy Wang Yang: Nice action from Jimmy to start. Chavo did his offense, and Jimmy with more offense. Nice job by Chavo to act scared thinking the Undertaker was around. Crappy crossbody from Jimmy. Nice Liger kick from Chavo...guess that's his new signature move. 3/4*

Carlito & Primo Colon vs. Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder (WWE Tag Team Titles): Nice tag team wrestling from the Colons. Nice wrestling from Hawkins and Ryder once they seized control. Pretty much your usual tag match. Nice tag title change...the crowd marked out quite a bit. *1/2

Thursday, September 25, 2008

9/25/08 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.
_________________________________

9/25/08 TNA Impact!:
Matt Morgan & Abyss vs. The Rock 'n Rave Infection: *1/4
Awesome Kong vs. Mercedes Steele: -***
Beer Money, Inc. & Jacqueline vs. LAX & Hector Guerrero (Six-person tag match; loser must have manager leave forever): **1/2
Samoa Joe vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir: **
Booker T vs. AJ Styles: **3/4

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

9/23/08 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.
_________________________________

9/23/08 ECW:
Finlay vs. Bam Neely: Seemed like a normal match. Finlay with the weapon shot again for the win. 1/2*

Maryse vs. Michelle McCool: Kudos for the fast start. Pretty good aggression from both women. Nice DDT from Maryse with flare. That gets the win, and this was better than the first match. *1/4

Mike Knox vs. Chase Stevens: Nice bicycle kick from Knox. Stevens got in no offense, so the rating suffers. Crowd definitely liked the impact moves, though. -**

John Morrison vs. The Miz: Nice back-and-forth action. Excellent moves and counters from both men. Some nice innovative offense. I liked the array of moves both Miz and Morrison used. The ending sucked though; the rating would have been higher with a clean finish. ***

Monday, September 22, 2008

9/22/08 RAW (800th 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.
_________________________________

9/22/08 RAW:
CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes: Great kicks and aggression from Punk. Ankle lock from Punk is a nice surprise. Lethal shots from Punk at the end. Good match, although I might have wanted to see more offense from Cody. Crowd loved it. **1/4

Santino Marella vs. Deuce: Nice to see Deuce back on TV...guess they didn't repackage him after all. Santino basically countered into a sunset flip for the win. Sucks to be Deuce right now. DUD

Evan Bourne vs. Kane: Great high-flying action from Bourne. Nice spot when Kane threw Bourne up in the air and hit him with a right thrust punch. Nice action, and the crowd was appreciative of the in-ring work. **

Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix: Nice moves from Kelly Kelly. She has really improved in the ring. Santino with the usual interference but a nice rollup by Kelly for the win. *1/4

John Morrison & The Miz vs. Cryme Tyme: A match with four talented stars is a great way to boost the ratings for the 800th episode of RAW. Cryme Tyme is way over with the crowd, and Morrison & Miz just gel so well (ha, how fitting that we have "M&M" for this team as well). Nice tandem offense from Cryme Tyme. After the hot tag to Shad, the last few minutes were extremely well done. Nice false finishes boosted the rating. Good finish. **3/4

Shawn Michaels & Batista vs. Chris Jericho, Lance Cade, & JBL: Another good match with a bunch of action. Good job by the heels to isolate HBK. Batista got the tag and got offense in, and eventually HBK's desire to kick Jericho's head off cost him here. **1/2

Overall, RAW's 800th show was solid. It had great comedy (see Charlie Haas' tribute to Mr. Perfect...it had me rolling on the floor) and decent wrestling. Too bad they could only fit so many people on the show.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

9/19/08 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.
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9/19/08 Smackdown:
Michelle McCool vs. Maryse (Divas Title): Good mat wrestling and counters. Great low dropkick to a seated Maryse from McCool. Some nice moves from Maryse. The crowd actually loved the match, and that Wings of Love finisher is pretty cool. **

Festus vs. Ryan Braddock: Watchable wrestling, and then we have the ol' DQ finish with the same ending from last week (duct taping and all that stuff). 1/4*

R-Truth vs. Shelton Benjamin: Flashy moves from R-Truth, and the good wrestling skills from Shelton. Nice aggression from Shelton. Nice counter into a rollup for R-Truth. *3/4

Jeff Hardy vs. The Brian Kendrick: Good use of technical wrestling and holds from Kendrick. both got good offense in. Good counters of finishing moves. Another lame finish with a backslide. **1/4

The Great Khali vs. Scotty Goldman: Oh good grief. -****

Triple H vs. MVP: Mind games played by both men. Great job by MVP working on the left arm of HHH. Nice aggression from MVP. Cool armbar takedown from MVP midway through the match. A bunch of high-impact moves in the match. **3/4

Thursday, September 18, 2008

9/18/08 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.
_________________________________

9/18/08 TNA Impact!:
AJ Styles & Christian Cage vs. Motor City Machine Guns: **3/4
Prince Justice Brotherhood vs. Petey Williams, Johnny Devine, & Jimmy Rave: **1/4
Booker T vs. Jay Lethal: *1/2
Rhino & Taylor Wilde vs. Cute Kip & Velvet Sky (Mixed Tag): 1/2*

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

9/16/08 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.
_________________________________

9/16/08 ECW:
Matt Hardy vs. Mike Knox: This match was very good. Matt Hardy is an extremely solid worker who deserves the ECW Title. I liked how Knox got in some power moves and showcased a new way to counter the Twist of Fate. Interesting double KO spot on the outside before going to break. Beautiful dropkick from Knox, surprising for a big man. Great moves by Hardy at the end, and a Twist of Fate ends it. Crowd loved it. Excellent opener. ***1/4

Evan Bourne vs. The Miz: Exciting offense from Bourne at the start. Ricky Ortiz was out to keep Morrison in check, which he managed to do for the most part. Nice springboard into a legdrop from Miz. Unimpressive rollup for the win. *3/4

Jack Swagger vs. Chase Stevens: Just another squash match to showcase Swagger's abilities, and poor Chase Stevens barely got in anything. Swagger has an amazing amateur wrestling background. Looks like Swagger might slowly be gaining a few fans, so perhaps we will see another few weeks of this before Swagger gets better competition. -**

Mark Henry vs. Finlay: Another decent match. Nice offense from Finlay got the crowd into it. Mark Henry withstood another shillelagh shot to the left arm and managed to get the win with the World's Strongest Slam. Crowd was standing or on the edge of their seats near the end, which is a good sign. **

Monday, September 15, 2008

9/15/08 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.
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9/15/08 RAW:
Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk (Cage Match): Great back-and-forth action. Not very innovative use of the cage, but nice moves by both wrestlers to use the cage to their advantage. Good spots by both to prevent the other from escaping. Nice electric chair drop from Punk. Too bad Punk couldn't get his GTS in. I actually like the finish because I was actually expecting Orton to come in and smash the cage door in Punk's face. Instead it's actually a pretty clean win for Jericho. Y2J yet again has luck on his side. Crowd was into it at times. **3/4

Candice Michelle vs. Jillian: Again, nice back-and-forth action. Good moves from both women. Candice wins with the Candywrapper (basically Christian Cage's Unprettier). Crowd was very dead throughout, however. Such a shame that the Women's division has been reduced to a joke. If only WWE tried to get a hold of some more TNA Knockouts.... *

JBL vs. Tommy Dreamer: Filler time. At least Dreamer got in some offense before JBL decked Dreamer with the Clothesline from Hell. -**

Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, & Manu vs. Kofi Kingston, Jerry Lawler, & Charlie Haas (portraying J.R. as "Jim Haas"): Well, again, that was just more comedic relief. I was highly amused, and there was a bit of good wrestling involved. It still doesn't net a huge rating, of course. 1/2*

Jamie Noble vs. Paul Burchill: I can't believe this one...a squash in favor of Jamie Noble for a change. Too bad Burchill has been reduced to jobbing like this. Crowd didn't really care for the most part. At least it furthers the storyline between Noble and Regal over Layla. -***

Rey Mysterio vs. Kane: Nice match here. Kane is a big man (300+ pounds) that can work well with small wrestlers like Mysterio. Good booking to make Kane look strong and the clear bully in this match. Looks like the deal with Rey's mask will be a focal point for the feud. Nice to see Evan Bourne come in to save Mysterio after the match. Crowd seemed to like the match. However, the ending sucked. **1/4
_________________________________

HBK vs. Y2J in a ladder match for the World Heavyweight Title at No Mercy. Oh man, I smell another match that will be at least ****1/2.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

9/12/08 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.
_________________________________

9/12/08 Smackdown:
Michelle McCool, Maria, & Brie Bella vs. Maryse, Natalya, & Victoria: Decent chain wrestling from the divas, but nothing really stood out other than Natalya was the poor soul to sell most of the moves. I have no idea how many more weeks the Brie Bella switcheroo thing will go on. Quite frankly, it was cool the first time, but the more I see that, the more I don't care for it. 1/4*

R-Truth vs. Chavo Guerrero: Jim Ross let R-Truth's old WWE ring name (K-Kwik) slip out during Chavo's entrance, which I found amusing. Nice mix of arm drags, counters, and flashy impact moves from R-Truth. Chavo came back with a somersault kick of his own to wow the crowd. The match was not bad until Bam interfered. That obviously kills the rating, but it makes for an interesting split between Bam and Chavo. 1/2*

Festus vs. Kenny Dykstra: This was simply meant for comedic relief. Quite frankly, this was billed as a match but clearly wasn't one. Thus, I can't give a rating for it. I must say though, it was amusing. N/A

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Funaki & Scotty Goldman: Complete squash and just filler time. Good grief. So basically, Big Show came out last week and Kozlov backed off. Now that Big Show is in a program with Undertaker, does this mean no one else will answer Kozlov? -****

Primo Colon & Carlito vs. Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder: Good move to make Carlito and Primo a tag team because Carlito was basically in purgatory otherwise. Excellent chemistry from the Colons, as expected. Nice innovative moves, at least for WWE standards, such as the leglace takedown from Hawkins. Great stuff from Primo, and overall I liked what I saw. I hope the partnership continues for a long time. **

Jeff Hardy vs. MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. The Brian Kendrick (Fatal Four Way; #1 Contender's Match): Great strategy from Kendrick. Nice moves from all the parties involved. Ezekiel Jackson got involved in the match, which is great to generate heel heat, but suffers in the match rating. Decent action all the way throughout, but as usual, the last four minutes were exciting. I liked all the opportunistic spots, the nice timing of the pin breakups, and the impact moves utilized. **3/4

Looks like we may see a match between Hardy and Kozlov next week.
_________________________________

Yesterday, I went to the UH/OSU game at Reser Stadium. Simply put, the UH Warrior football team needs to have a more stable QB situation by the time they play their WAC opener on the 27th. I really hope the team can get some confidence by then. Reser Stadium wasn't really loud. I did like that there was a ton of school spirit there with the sea of orange all over the stadium. Apparently the attendance, at over 45,000, was large enough to make it the largest non-conference game crowd in the stadium's history.

I read an article where this one person with UH and OSU ties is not only in favor of having a regular series between the two teams, but is also trying to push UH for PAC-10 membership. Huh?! While I'd like UH playing in a BCS conference, is UH really ready for that yet? Not at this stage, but hopefully in a few years - and I know even that is pushing it.
_________________________________

I went to Oktoberfest with a few friends last night. It was quite a fun experience. Lots of beer, good food, and good company. Good times.
_________________________________

The Ryder Cup is next week. The Europeans are the clear favorites, especially facing a United States team without Tiger Woods. Then again, given Tiger's average-at-best record in the Ryder Cup, do you think maybe the U.S. can actually pull off what would be an upset? We get to find out later this week.

Also, Michelle Wie starts her quest for an LPGA Tour card by going to the first stage of Q-school this week. I really hope she fares well because it would not only give her confidence going into next year, but it would definitely earn her a bunch of respect from the critics who have dogged her for at least the past two years.

And as for the LPGA's policy on requiring players to speak English by the end of next season, I'm glad the tour also backed off of the harsh suspension consequences. You would have to think such a policy would be illegal, but the tour did have a non-discriminatory reason. Nonetheless, the penalty received such negative feedback that it prompted the changes to the policy. I have no idea why the LPGA Tour even considered such a rule in the first place. I mean, if the PGA Tour - or any other sports organization for that matter - does not have a similar policy, then there was no real good reason for the LPGA to do this. The LPGA said it was for business relations reasons; I say the rule shows how desperate the LPGA is for more sponsors to come knocking.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

9/11/08 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.
_________________________________

9/11/08 TNA Impact!:
Abyss vs. Christian Cage: *1/4
Awesome Kong vs. Roxxi (Knockout Bimbo Brawl): 3/4*
Samoa Joe vs. Johnny Devine (Kevin Nash Challenge): -***
Samoa Joe vs. Lance Rock (Kevin Nash Challenge): -*
Samoa Joe vs. Tomko (Kevin Nash Challenge): *3/4
Booker T & Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan & Abyss: **1/4

The Beautiful People Beauty Contest took up way too much time for me. Too much time devoted to non-wrestling segments. It also appeared like TNA cut off a bit early; Jeff Jarrett was at the top of the ramp making his entrance and the show pretty much cut off right then and there.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

9/9/08 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.
_________________________________

9/9/08 ECW:
John Morrison vs. Evan Bourne: This was an amazing match. Good use of rest holds at the start, coupled with counters from Bourne. Too bad they had to go to commercial during the match. Bourne with the over-the-top-rope-dive into a hurricanrana...unreal stuff. Miz of course had to interfere in some manner. Nice aggressive action on the outside. Great job by Morrison to use a lot of holds to ground the high flying Bourne. Nice technical wrestling from Morrison. What a comeback by Bourne with the kicks and the lucha libre moves. Morrison counters and he goes back on the offensive. Tremendous back-and-forth action. Sick bump Bourne took at the end landing on his head. Bourne was shaken up for quite a while after that one. A bunch of slow points because Morrison had to ground Bourne, but great opening match. ***

Jack Swagger vs. Josh Daniels: Two new superstars on TV because ECW is the breeding ground for new talent. I normally give this negative stars because we have two no-names and clearly they are not meant to be on PPVs yet. Swagger is deemed the "All-American American," and he displayed a nice set of basic wrestling, technical wrestling, and power moves. Unfortunately, Daniels got NOTHING in, and if this was put on the actual PPV (not the dark match), I'd feel like that was just a waste of time. -*

Matt Hardy & Finlay vs. Mark Henry & Mike Knox: The fans were rallying behind Hardy, although Hardy was basically on the defensive for the first half of the match. Great aggression from Finlay. The match had a pretty slow pace to it because the larger heels took control for most of the match. Nice action at the end when Hardy came back in. Nice moonsault from Hardy. Hornswoggle made his presence felt, the shillelagh made another appearance, and Hardy got the pin over Knox. **

9/7/08 Unforgiven

Published two days late, but here are the ratings for Unforgiven.

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.
_________________________________

9/7/08 Unforgiven:
Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry vs. Finlay vs. The Miz vs. Chavo Guerrero (ECW Championship Scramble): Hardy and Miz started, which was nice (would have preferred Hardy vs. Chavo but Miz works as well). Nice "Hardy" chants at the beginning. Interesting move by Miz to vault over the top and snap Hardy's neck down on the second rope. What a Liger kick by Miz - never seen that from him before. Miz was extremely impressive in this one. Great Matt Hardy offense as always. Chavo in third and he got the first pinfall of the match. Mark Henry came in fourth and put on a nice display of power moves. Slow moment was when Henry started doing the rest holds. Finlay came out last and ignited the crowd again with nice offense. All five men became the interim champ at one point in the match, which was nice. The last five minutes were pretty exciting. Great job by Hardy in playing defense. ***

Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase vs. Cryme Tyme (World Tag Team Titles): Nice offense early from Cryme Tyme. Impressive big double team spot from Cryme Tyme when JTG got propelled over the top onto Team Priceless. If Cryme Tyme does more of this on free TV, I'd watch them even more. Also excellent tag wrestling from Team Priceless. Great job by Team Priceless to isolate JTG for that long a time. I liked the back-and-forth action, but the ending was not impactful at all. We got to see the debut of Manu (Afa Jr.) after the match ended. I must say, it was a great match. ***

Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (Unsanctioned Match): Easily the match of the night. I love the fast start. This was basically a big brawl with no letup. Another great spot to fight in the stands. Interesting that Cole and Lawler did not refer to the Crossface by its proper name. Nice work by Jericho to work on HBK’s injured eye. The crowd was VERY lively. Of course, Cade got involved later in the match. Awesome spot with Jericho getting a chair shot and going through the table. HBK with the one-armed chair shot – that’s something you don’t see every day. HBK was a man possessed, and I loved it. CRAZY spot with HBK doing an elbow drop on the announce table onto Cade and Jericho. My one nitpick: Lilian Garcia said the only way to win was by pinfall or submission. Yet, the match ends by ref stoppage?! I liked the finish, but hell, do a pin or submission if it was stated only pin or submission wins. ****1/2

Michelle McCool vs. Maryse (Divas Title): It was a decent match that unfortunately did not get as much crowd reaction probably because the fans have seen the Women's division overall as a joke and a chance to go to the bathroom. In any event, it was clearly the most surprisingly good match of the night, in my opinion. I had held it to such low standards because I was not high up on Maryse's wrestling...or McCool's for that matter. However, these two really showed me something tonight. Pat Patterson has been doing a great job prepping Maryse - and I guess Undertaker has a bunch to do with McCool's in-ring work. Good work ladies. **1/4

Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy vs. MVP vs. The Brian Kendrick vs. Shelton Benjamin (WWE Championship Scramble): Jeff and Shelton to start; excellent choices. Nice quick start with some basic takedowns. Just tremendous chemistry between the two. Kendrick came in third and showcased a ton of impressive moves. Kendrick was another person who impressed me at Unforgiven. Hardy got the first pin on Kendrick. I didn’t understand why Hardy kept going for pinfalls after he had already become the interim champ. I marked out when Kendrick got the pin on Hardy. MVP out fourth. The crowd went nuts when Kendrick intercepted MVP and knocked him cold with a high leg lariat when MVP was going for the Drive-By. I heard some boos when Hardy took out Kendrick…interesting. The crowd went NUTS when HHH came out, and that is when business really picked up. Lots of impact moves and counters in this one. Excellent match. My one nitpick: why did Hardy make himself look stupid by not breaking up HHH’s pin when he had the title won otherwise?! ***1/4

As a note, I found it interesting that they had Matt Hardy – who was one of the first participants in the ECW Championship Scramble – win the ECW title, while Triple H – the last man in the WWE Championship Scramble – won that belt. Very interesting booking there.

Chris Jericho vs. JBL vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Batista vs. Kane (World Heavyweight Championship Scramble): Batista and JBL to start; which I wouldn’t normally have done, but it was logical here because Punk was taken out, Kane is not known for endurance in matches, and I can understand Vince wanting to save Mysterio for later on. Nice crowd reaction from the crowd after Batista put on the Figure Four on JBL. Kane out third, which was again logical given the circumstances. Kane got the first pinfall after about nine and a half minutes. Rey and his Mohawk came out fourth, but disappointingly got little reaction from the crowd. Everyone was understandably stunned when Jericho came out instead of Punk. There was definitely not as much excitement from the crowd or from me in the last five minutes. While the last few seconds were very good with Jericho sneaking in for the last pin with five seconds left, I felt this was the weakest of the three championship scrambles because the pace was nowhere near the level of the first two. ***1/4

Monday, September 8, 2008

9/8/08 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.
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9/8/08 RAW:
Beth Phoenix vs. Mickie James (Women's Title): I don't know if it was because the two were not on the Unforgiven card or what not, but it was a very sloppy match from these two. And these women are supposed to be two of the best on the RAW roster?! Yikes. Watchable finish with a nice impact move (powerbomb) from Beth for the win. However, botched spots galore outweigh the good points of the match, and because I know Beth and Mickie have had better matches, I'm being harsh on them for screwing up. -*

Jamie Noble vs. William Regal: I love Regal's aggression and vast knowledge of wrestling moves. Coupled with Noble's flashy style, they put on a decent match. Nice flip cannonball in the corner from Noble, but Regal got the feet up. Not a bad finisher from Regal - kick to the head is simple and effective. It's similar to what MVP and Orton both use. Looks like we'll have a feud between Regal and Noble to win Layla over. *

Charlie Haas ("Charlie Haas Layfield") vs. JBL: I have to admit, I was laughing pretty hard when Haas was let out of the trunk and started talking on his way to the ring. "CHL" chants were awesome. There was no match to rate, as JBL left the ring after the bell rang and Haas won by countout. Although it was entertaining, was a referee and ring entrances really necessary for this?! N/A

Rey Mysterio & Evan Bourne vs. The Miz and John Morrison: I'm so happy to see Evan Bourne getting his time to shine on WWE's flagship show. I definitely looked forward to this match because of its high-octane offense. Great tag team moves from both teams, and impressive stuff from Bourne and Mysterio. What an amazing hurricanrana by Bourne on Morrison. It reminded me of Rey doing that to Eddie Guerrero over 10 years ago on WCW to get the Cruiserweight Title. Absolutely textbook performance. The crowd absolutely loved the match, and it was clear to see why. Easily the best match of the night, and I wish it went a little longer. ***1/2

Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, & Manu vs. Cryme Tyme & Kofi Kingston: Definitely an above average match. Great tag wrestling as always from Cryme Tyme and Team Priceless. Great spot where Shad threw JTG into Rhodes and they both went over the top. Manu might have only gotten in a couple moves, but his finisher is impressive to see. **

Santino Marella vs. Snitsky: Santino's mic skills are awesome. However, this match was just horrid. Naturally, a shaky rollup finish had to end things. Yeah Vince, thanks for approving this on free TV. I'd rather have watched mold grow after Santino stopped talking. -***

Chris Jericho & JBL vs. Batista: It was a singles match between Jericho and Batista until RAW GM Adamle stopped the match and made it a handicap match. So JBL did get to wrestle after all. The match was not the greatest, really. Typical beatdown on the face, the face comes back, then the interference from Cade to allow JBL to hit the Clothesline from Hell, and Jericho slithers in for the win. Pretty straightforward match. 1/2*

Saturday, September 6, 2008

9/5/08 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.
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9/5/08 Smackdown:
R-Truth vs. Bam Neely: R-Truth has a ton of rap skills. Nice balanced attack from R-Truth: a little basic wrestling, some flashy moves, and some aerial moves. Neely got in a little offense, but it was obvious who would win here. Fans are behind R-Truth for sure. 1/4*

Shelton Benjamin vs. MVP: Nice mat wrestling from Shelton. A couple of great impact moves from MVP, but Shelton hit Paydirt for the win. Actually, this match was quite a letdown; these two are capable of having ***+ star matches. *1/4

Maryse vs. Maria: Nice fast start to the match. Great crossbody from Maria. Unique version of a camel clutch from Maryse. Overall a simple, watchable match. 3/4*

The Brian Kendrick vs. Jeff Hardy: Definitely an interesting matchup...two great wrestlers capable of big matches. Great kicks from Kendrick. I don't know if I saw anyone else counter Hardy's mule kick. Unique offense from Hardy with the modified facebuster and some overhead suplex from the powerbomb position. Hardy with the usual plancha over the top onto Kendrick. Of course, this is where Ezekiel Jackson got involved. Interference sucks as a fan, but still a very good match. **

Super Crazy vs. Ryan Braddock: I still have no clue why they have retained people like Ryan Braddock. I mean, do they really need jobbers for jobbers now? After all, I cannot see Super Crazy becoming even U.S. champ at any point soon. Super Crazy got a kick in and a moonsault for the win. Yeah...whatever. I was more interested in Kozlov's segment right after. -**

Brie Bella vs. Victoria: A rematch from last week as Brie pulled the ol' switcheroo with her identical twin sister in order to get the win (JR and Tazz treat Brie/Nicole as one person, as the twins have never been on camera together, but I looked it up and Brie does indeed have a twin). I don't think I ever heard Victoria scream like that before. Nice power moves from Victoria. Brie did the switch again under the ring, although I think just from looking at the match again, Nicole (the identical twin not named) came out the other side a little too soon. Just a little nitpick on the match though. At least the crowd was into the match more this week. DUD

Triple H vs. The Great Khali (Lumberjack Match): It was hard for me to get into the match at first. Khali does not have a good reputation as a good worker, and his knees are just completely shot. HHH tried to make Khali look good, though. HHH kicked out of that Tree Chokeslam which had put away so many superstars in the past. I think I finally started to get into the match at that point. All the heel lumberjacks ganged up on HHH and Jeff Hardy - the lone face lumberjack - did the big spot with the dive over the top taking everyone out. Decent counters and HHH gets the win finally with the Pedigree. Definitely one of Khali's better efforts. **1/4
_________________________________

Unforgiven ratings predictions:

I am expecting big things from HBK/Y2J, and the World Heavyweight championship scramble match looks real good. If Kendrick wins the title, I'm sure I'll be marking out big time with a couple friends. Again, these are only predictions.

Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase vs. Cryme Tyme (World Tag Team Titles): **1/4
Michelle McCool vs. Maryse (Divas Title): 1/4*
Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (Unsanctioned Match): ****3/4
Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy vs. The Miz vs. Finlay vs. Chavo Guerrero (ECW Championship Scramble): ***1/4
Triple H vs. The Brian Kendrick vs. Jeff Hardy vs. MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin (World Heavyweight Championship Scramble): ****
CM Punk vs. JBL vs. Kane vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Batista (WWE Championship Scramble): ***3/4

Thursday, September 4, 2008

9/4/08 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.
_________________________________

9/4/08 TNA Impact!:
Consequences Creed vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir: 1/2* (NOTE: The ref beating up Bashir after the match was awesome)
Beer Money, Inc. vs. Prince Justice Brotherhood: 3/4*
Abyss vs. Johnny Devine (Hardcore): -**
ODB vs. Raisha Saeed: *1/4
Christian Cage vs. AJ Styles (Four Ways to Glory Qualifying Match #3): ***

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

9/2/08 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.
_________________________________

9/2/08 ECW:
Super Crazy vs. Gavin Spears: Watchable wrestling, but the crowd was completely dead for most of the match. Spears showed a good moveset, and Super Crazy is always a thrill to watch. Nice springboard moonsault by Super Crazy for the win, but I could care less. -*

Ricky Ortiz vs. Ryan Braddock: I must say, the "Ricky O Rally Towels" are becoming popular amongst the crowd, especially in Pittsburgh where the Steelers have the Terrible Towels. Nice middle-rope bulldog from Braddock. Fans seemed very disinterested in the middle, but got excited when Ortiz got on the offense. Nice finish. It seems like Ortiz is gaining even more followers with each passing week...kudos to WWE for that. 1/4*

Matt Hardy, Finlay, Evan Bourne, & Tommy Dreamer vs. Mark Henry, Chavo Guerrero, The Miz, & John Morrison: Nice forceful clotheslines from Finlay. Fun spot with Hornswoggle jumping on Bam Neely. Even the common Evan Bourne offense is exciting to see. Very nice to see all the faces get major offense in. Mark Henry's offense was the usual slow, methodical stuff that I'm not too big a fan of. I liked the last minute or so when all the faces got to tag in, hit one of their signature moves, then take out a member of the opposing side. It definitely got the crowd all riled up, and good move to have Matt get the pin because the crowd was going nuts by that point. **1/2

Monday, September 1, 2008

9/1/08 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.
_________________________________

9/1/08 RAW:
Kofi Kingston vs. Charlie Haas: So Haas is dressed as Cena this week. Good grief. Kofi pretty much got all the offense in, while Haas was there just to draw laughs. This match was better off as a dark match. I won't be as harsh because the fans loved it and I was somewhat entertained for a little while. DUD

Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. Finlay vs. The Miz (5-man ECW Battle Royal): The five men involved in the ECW Championship Scramble at Unforgiven took part in this match. I like battle royals because there is usually a ton of action. However, this one was just short and meant to showcase Henry's dominance. Nice near-elimination spots from Finlay and Miz. Henry looked strong eliminating everyone, giving him tremendous momentum going into Unforgiven. *

Jamie Noble vs. William Regal: Impressive suplexes and throws from Regal, but this was more about Noble finally impressing Layla and continuing that storyline. Quick inside cradle from Noble gets him the win. Layla makes some funny faces when seeing the carnage in the ring. -**

Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, & Candice Michelle vs. Jillian, Katie Lea, & Beth Phoenix: Candice Michelle makes her return to the ring after a broken clavicle (and a re-broken clavicle earlier this year). All the divas put in some nice spots, but it was Candice who definitely left the lasting impression. Nice cross-body from Candice, great counter by Beth, and an even better counter to that by Candice for the win. *1/2

Santino Marella vs. D-Lo Brown: A couple of good moves from D-Lo. D-Lo then misses a Lo-Down and Santino gets the win. How lame a finish is that? -***

The Miz & John Morrison vs. Cryme Tyme: Nice brawl outside the ring to start. Before you think Miz really pulls double duty tonight, Rhodes and DiBiase come out, beat up Cryme Tyme, and take their belts back. Basically, we didn't even have a match, so no rating here. N/A

Batista vs. JBL vs. CM Punk vs. Kane (4-man RAW Battle Royal): Four of the five men involved in the RAW Championship Scramble at Unforgiven took part in this one. The injured Randy Orton was at ringside; he had been put on the show because RAW took place in St. Louis tonight. A much slower match because the men involved are not as agile as the ECW combatants. Punk eliminates Batista and JBL without much of a fight. Good battle between Kane and Punk. Kane needed a couple tries to get Punk over, but Kane won. Punk fired the first shot between him and Orton in a staredown. Rey Mysterio then came out to a huge pop and showcased some of his moves on Kane. Looks like Mysterio lost some weight and is in much better shape than a couple months ago. *1/4

Yes, the Divas match was, in my opinion, the best of the night. Typical WWE to do this right before the PPV.

Reports have surfaced that Shawn Michaels suffered a triceps tear during Monday Night RAW. Obviously this puts the "Unsanctioned" bout between the two in big time jeopardy. Reports also say that HBK wants to work the match, but even if he does go through with it, I will no longer expect a 5-star match. Very unfortunate to have this happen, especially with Cena out for about three months. If the news really is this bad, HBK would be out even longer than Cena.