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Arcademan:
WWE Smackdown Results: 5-4-12

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Parks' complete report). Yeah, this is condensed here too...otherwise, I'd copy the whole thing and not only would it be too long to post here, you'd have no reason to check out said link, so there!

1 – SHEAMUS vs. DANIEL BRYAN

This is apparently a non-title match. Fans were hot early on, but from the way things looked, it was the audio sweetener rather than the actual crowd in the arena. Bryan quickly started working over the left arm of Sheamus, continuing the assault from Extreme Rules. After Sheamus broke out of a submission move, Bryan gave Sheamus a European uppercut. Sheamus came back with forearms to the back and neck area. Running shoulder to the gut, then a running knee-lift. Bryan was clotheslined over the top and to the floor. Sheamus went to go after him, but the referee stopped him. On the opposite side of the ring, a man in a suit climbed the top rope and came splashing down onto Sheamus. It was Ricardo Rodriguez, followed soon after by Alberto Del Rio.

WINNER: Sheamus, via disqualification, at 2:49. Disappointing ending, but they had to transition from Sheamus vs. Bryan to Sheamus vs. Del Rio.

After Del Rio and Rodriguez’s attack, Bryan hooked in the Yes Lock. After referees helped Sheamus out of the ring, Bryan was shown to be in a heated discussion with Alberto Del Rio. Bryan was offended that Del Rio cost him the match. Sheamus was angrily holding his arm in the aisle as they went to break.

2 – KOFI KINGSTON & R-TRUTH vs. HUNICO & CAMACHO

Before the match could begin, AW accompanied Rosa Mendes, Epico, and Primo onto the stage. Truth danced with Little Jimmy until Hunico “slapped” Jimmy. Truth took offense to this. Unlike what I wrote a few weeks ago, it appears that THIS is in fact Camacho’s Smackdown in-ring debut. Michael Cole said AW stands for “All World,” the name of AW’s management team. Kingston was sent to the outside, where he was run over by Camacho. Back into the ring, Hunico dove onto Kingston for a near-fall at 1:27. Camacho tagged in and landed a nice back suplex. Standing leg-drop found the mark for a two-count at 2:10. Hunico tagged in and gave Kingston “two feet to the mush,” as Booker called it. Kofi fought out of the heel corner and landed a unique arm-drag on Hunico. Monkey-flip by Kofi, who then made the tag at 3:23. Camacho tagged in and bumped around for Truth. The match began to break down with all four men getting involved. Truth ended up taking out Camacho with his finisher for the win.

WINNERS: Kingston and Truth, at 4:07. Nice little match there.

3 – “THE FUNKASAURUS” BRODUS CLAY vs. JACK SWAGGER

Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero both accompanied Swagger to the ring. Clay with a belly-to-belly take-down early on, but Swagger turned the tide by going after the knee of Clay. It didn’t last long though as Clay clotheslined Swagger down. Ziggler provided a distraction which allowed Swagger to tackle Clay. Clay recovered outside the ring. Ziggler tried to launch himself off the steps and onto Brodus, but Clay headbutted Ziggler in the chest in mid-air. Back in the ring, Swagger ran into Clay, who suplexed Swagger. He went for his splash, but Swagger rolled out of the ring. Clay just laughed and shouted “my bad.” Swagger, Ziggler, and Vickie just walked out.

WINNER: Clay, via count-out, at 1:43. Nobody is coming out of this feud looking particularly good.

- Damien Sandow came out for his match. “Hallelujah” played as Sandow’s theme and he was introduced as “the intellectual savior of the masses.” Bateman was already in the ring. Sandow cut a pre-show promo, holding the mic as if it were a fine glass of brandy. Sandow, in his robe and towel, chided the fans for their “irrelevant opinion,” when the chanted “what.” Sandow refused to engage the miscreant in the ring, Bateman. He couldn’t figure out the advantage of fighting an ignoramus like Bateman. He finished by saying, “thank you.” His music played and he walked to the back. Bateman got the mic and said five months ago on NXT, he got the opportunity to have a match on Smackdown. And he wants his match against someone, anyone. I can’t believe they even bothered to reference that NXT stipulation. So Ryback’s music played and he walked out.

4 – DERRICK BATEMAN vs. RYBACK

Bateman ran into a big kick from Ryback as light “Goldberg” chants were heard. Ryback pressed Bateman over his head, then put him on his shoulders and gave him a jaw-breaker. Clothesline, then his finisher for the win.

WINNER: Ryback, at 1:12. Ryback’s winning ways continue against a slight step up in competition.

5 – KANE & CODY RHODES vs. THE BIG SHOW & RANDY ORTON

Orton and Rhodes went at it to start, with Orton bettering Rhodes for the most part. Tag to Big Show at 1:05, and he slapped Rhodes across the chest. I’m sure Cody is looking forward to not having to take hard chops to the chest every night when that feud is over with. Bodyslam by Show and a tag again to Orton. Standing dropkick, but not as pretty as his used to be. Kane was able to tag in and he took the fight to Orton in a neutral corner. Just over 3:00 in, Show tagged in and took out Rhodes, then turned his attention to the legal man, Kane. Show whipped Kane into the ropes but put his head down too soon and Kane DDT’d him. Both men were down at 3:53 when they went to break.

Back at 7:24 with Show off his feet and Rhdoes putting the boots to him. The crowd was chanting for Big Show as Kane tagged in to work him over some more. Low dropkick for two at 8:18. Show got back to a vertical base and suplexed Kane. Both men tagged their partners at 9:18. Orton set up for his vintage DDT, but Kane punched Orton. This allowed Rhodes to make the tag, but Orton caught Kane coming in and gave him the DDT. Kane countered an RKO and pushed him away – Rhodes was right there to low bridge Orton out of the ring. Orton made another comeback after Rhodes tagged in, but Rhodes cut it off with a dropkick. Rhodes and Kane seemed to work well together as a team. Orton worked out of a rest hold but Cody went for Cross Rhodes. Orton countered and back-dropped Cody. Show tagged in and cleaned house. The match broke down with Orton giving Kane an RKO. Disaster kick attempt was met with a chop to the chest by Show, then the WMD.

WINNERS: Orton and Show, at 14:15. Pretty good match, all things considered. The usual “heels dominate, faces win” trade-off.

6 – LAYLA vs. NATALYA

No entrance once again for Nattie. Layla reversed some mat-work by Natalya, who seemed bemused by this development. Wrist-lock take-over, but Layla went with the headscissors. They went to a stale-mate and both were on their feet again. Hard right hand by Natalya took Layla down. Natalya was back to playing the heel here. Twisting clothesline by Natalya for two. Abdominal stretch was next, but Layla elbowed out quickly. Layla rolled through a hip-toss for a one-count. Lay-out from out of nowhere for the win.

WINNER: Layla, at 1:58. This was like the good first two minutes of an extended match. These two gelled pretty well.

7 – DANIEL BRYAN vs. SHEAMUS

Bryan was in the ring upon break. Sheamus had his shoulder bandaged for this match. Booker T. criticized the decision for Sheamus to take this match given his condition. Hard shot to the kisser by Sheamus put Bryan on his butt. Del Rio on commentary called Sheamus an “Irish peasant.” Sheamus backed Bryan into the corner and elbowed hi in the side of the head several times. Bryan took the advantage with kicks to the shoulder of Sheamus. Bryan used the middle rope and worked Sheamus’ shoulder with it. Sheamus caught a charging Bryan with a one-armed back-breaker. That looked impressive. He couldn’t continue the momentum though and found himself on the apron. Bryan dropkicked Sheamus in the shoulder, sending the World Champ into the barricade. They took the final break of the show at 2:45.

Back at 6:51 of the match. Bryan tossed Sheamus into the ring and continued focusing his offense on the shoulder of Sheamus. Bryan took the shoulder of Sheamus and, outside the ring again, rammed him into the ring post. Diving headbutt to the shoulder for a two-count. Bryan at least gets to show off his knowledge of holds and maneuvers in a match of this nature. Sheamus turned the tide by sending Bryan shoulder-first into the ring post. Del Rio didn’t speak much after the break, choosing to focus on the match instead. Sheamus brought blow after blow down across the chest of Bryan. Suplex from the apron to the ring by Sheamus, but his pin only got a two-count at 11:18. Irish Curse back-breaker for another two-count. Knees to the throat and chest of Bryan. Bryan snuck in a shot and climbed to the top rope. Missile dropkick for two at 12:17. Bryan ran right into a clothesline that turned him inside-out. Sheamus signaled for the end, so del Rio abandoned the announce desk and climbed on the apron. Sheamus dodged a Yes Lock by throwing Bryan into Del Rio. If they collided it was only lightly, and Del Rio fell into the ring, then scampered out before Sheamus could get him. With Sheamus’ attention on Del Rio, Bryan again went to the top. He came down and was greeted by a Brogue Kick for the pin.

WINNER: Sheamus, at 13:32.

Arcademan:
WWE RAW Results: 5-7-12

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report) and as always, the one you're about to read is condensed to in-ring and promos.

John Laurinaitis, as Caldwell puts it, bored the crowd for 8 minutes then you knew C.M. Punk was going to come out and defy him with his usual funny comments. His punishment? Match with Lord Tensai later.

1 -- IC champion CODY RHODES vs. BIG SHOW -- Intercontinental Title match

Show dismantled Rhodes early on, then Rhodes avoided a WMD and bailed from the ring. He demanded his title belt and tried to leave, but Show yanked him back into the ring. Rhodes then left through the other side of the ring and got himself counted out.

WINNER: Show via count-out at 1:52; Rhodes retained the IC Title. Just getting Show's re-match clause out of the way.

Post-match: A frustrated Show got on the mic and told Rhodes to come back out here. Rhodes disappeared to the back, though, and Eve's music played. Cole spoke from Vince McMahon's psyche that everyone wants to defy authority around here in WWE and people just need to respect authority in WWE. Eve entered the ring to light "Hoeski" chants before demanding Show apologize. Show claimed he was just horsing around. Eve cut him off and demanded an apology to everyone. Show gave a half-apology, but it wasn't good enough. Eve then noted to Show that outside of WWE, there really isn't a spot for a 7'0" 441-lb. freak. Show wiped his head to control his emotions before Eve demanded another apology. Show said very slowly, "I...apologize...for making fun of John Laurinaitis's voice." Show left the ring muttering to himself and Eve remained in the ring smiling at her work.

2 -- WWE tag champion KOFI KINGSTON (w/R-Truth) vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER (w/Vickie Guerrero and Jack Swagger)

Once the bell sounded, they cut to a shot of AW talking to former tag champs Primo & Epico and Rosa watching the match backstage. Suddenly, Mason Ryan walked into the backstage shot and AW stopped his conversation to survey Ryan's potential services. For the finish of the match, chaos distracted the ref, allowing Swagger to yank down Kofi from the outside. Ziggler then nailed the Zig-Zag for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Ziggler at 2:40. Basic heel-cheats-to-win three-minute singles match. One of those matches that captures WWE needing an off-season after WrestleMania to come up with new ideas, as this benefited no one. It's how Ziggler was winning matches 2-3 years ago during his ascension and didn't help the tag champs fresh off a Tag Title victory.

Cena via satellite talking about how he's going to mess Johnny up at the PPV...and that he's the reason the Board of Directors didn't do anything because Cena told them not to. Good pop for Cena.

3 -- Divas champion LAYLA & KELLY KELLY vs. MAXINE & NATALYA

Back from break, the heel Divas were already in the ring and Beth Phoenix was on commentary. Before the match started, they cut to a WWE.com interview with Layla at Extreme Rules talking about her return and Divas Title victory. The match built to a hot tag to Layla for the pin and the win. On commentary, Phoenix complained about Layla doing nothing to deserve a title shot. After the match, Layla posed with the title belt while staring down at Beth ringside.

WINNERS: Layla & Kelly at 1:55. No sign of Kharma yet; it looks like Layla-Phoenix for the title is next.

4 -- CHRIS JERICHO & ALBERTO DEL RIO vs. World Hvt. champion SHEAMUS & RANDY ORTON

Del Rio teed off on Orton with kicks early on, then Orton regained control and tagged in Sheamus. Cole reset the show by rattling off un-newsworthy items during the first hour that he labeled newsworthy. Jericho then tagged in and Sheamus blasted away with ten forearm strikes to the chest that lit up Jericho's chest. Sheamus ran an intrusive Del Rio off the apron, but Jericho rammed Sheamus's injured left shoulder into the corner post. Del Rio followed with another attack ringside as they cut to break with the heels in control.

Back from break, Sheamus broke free of an attack by Jericho before elbowing out of the corner. Sheamus then reached over to Orton and made a hot tag. Del Rio also tagged in. Orton ran over Del Rio before delivering his second-rope DDT. Orton wanted the RKO, but Jericho ran in. Ricardo then distracted the ref, allowing Del Rio to pop Orton with a kick to the head for a two count. Del Rio tried to follow up with an arm snap, but Orton no-sold and kicked Del Rio, then Jericho. Orton couldn't make a tag, though, so Jericho went back on the attack and mixed in some trash-talking.

Del Rio entered the match and wanted his cross arm-breaker, but Orton escaped and kicked Del Rio before making a tag to Sheamus. Jericho also re-entered the match, so it was Sheamus vs. Jericho. Sheamus landed a high-knee lift before Jericho cut him off. Counters. Sheamus with the Irish Curse, but Del Rio broke up the pin. Orton then sprung on Del Rio with the RKO. Suddenly, Sheamus went for the Brogue Kick on Jericho, but Jericho ducked and Orton ate the kick. Sheamus sold disdain before Jericho capitalized with the Codebreaker to Sheamus for the pin and the win.

Post-match: Jericho grabbed the World Title and screamed at the announcers that he just pinned the World champ. On-stage, Del Rio and Jericho stood tall. Jericho, standing next to the #1 contender, said he should be World champ. Back in the ring, Sheamus sold concern over Orton, then tried to help Orton to his feet. Orton brushed him off, then suddenly dropped Sheamus with the RKO center-ring. Orton's music played and he posed in the ring.

WINNERS: Jericho & Del Rio at 13:03. A lot happening here. Is Jericho now in the title picture or just being a heel claiming he should be in the title picture after a tag victory pinning the champ? Also, it looks like WWE may have an issue for a Sheamus-Orton match on Smackdown to keep Orton in the title picture post-Kane feud...assuming Orton-Kane is over.

5 -- BRODUS CLAY vs. THE MIZ

Cole claimed this is the first-time these two have met in the ring, which ignores their house show matches a few months ago. Clay quickly cleared Miz to the outside, then the Funkettes laughed at Miz. This drew Clay to the outside for a game of cat and mouse. Back in the ring, Miz took control of the action as the Funkettes tried to shout encouragements from ringside.

Clay teased a comeback, but Miz cut him off. Clay then caught Miz off the top rope and dropped him to the mat. Clay followed with the big splash and Miz's legs remained suspended in the air to sell the finish for the one, two, three. Cue up the dancing. Cole then fed to a video package on WWE's B.A. STAR campaign.

WINNER: Clay at 4:13. Clay's first long-form match on TV didn't capture the audience here, as there isn't a sense of WWE building up something of note to where his undefeated streak would be in jeopardy. WWE has reinforced to the audience that Clay shows up, dances, has a one-minute squash, and dances again. That's it. The audience isn't ready to sit through a four-minute back-and-forth TV match.

The return of Paul Heyman, who is the legal representitive of Brock Lesnar, which by the way says he quit.

6 -- WWE champion C.M. PUNK vs. LORD TENSAI & DANIEL BRYAN -- handicap match

Back from break, the bell sounded to begin the handicap main event with no ring intros. Tensai delivered some quick offense before D-Bryan tagged in, making his first appearance two hours into the show two weeks before challenging for the WWE Title. Tensai then tagged in and dismantled Punk some more. Tensai continued to wear down Punk before tagging in Bryan, who missed with a top-rope diving headbutt.

Punk made a comeback on Bryan before calling for the end. Bryan escaped the GTS, though, and made a tag to Tensai, who clotheslined Punk. Tensai then took a corner kick and Punk climbed up top. Once again, outside interference caused a distraction, which allowed the heels to double-team Punk. Tensai then awkwardly two-hand slammed Punk before stalking him for The Claw. Tensai spewed the green mist, then did wild noises and movements before hand-pressing Punk to the mat for the pin and the win.

Post-match: Bryan celebrated with repeated "Yes!" chants on the floor despite not being involved in the finish. Tensai celebrated on the way out before Bryan landed "Yes!" kicks and stomps to Punk. Bryan slapped on the Yes! Lock and screamed at Punk before ref Charles Robinson got him to release the hold. Bryan re-applied, then Charles got him to release again. This felt like the end of a Q6 segment. Bryan continued to shout, "Yes!" as Cole gave a sign-off worthy of a segment in the middle of the show, stressing that wrestlers need to learn not to mess with Laurinaitis. Flat ending to an even flatter show that came across like a farce throughout.

WINNERS: Tensai & Bryan at 6:56. It is what it is - the audience doesn't care about the Tensai character, but WWE is intent on featuring him. Meanwhile, Punk-Bryan received the minimum exposure two weeks before a PPV.

Arcademan:
FCW TV Results: 4-22-12 (posted on 5-9-12

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (link to Brummitt's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring result (note the old date of the show however it was posted this past week...)

1 - JASON JORDAN vs. DAMIEN SANDOW

Jason Jordan enters first. I thought Jason Jordan was part of a tag team with C.J. Parker? Apparently Mike Dalton has taken his place in that team and they now have a tag title shot tonight. Poor Jason.

Damien Sandow’s voice is then heard. He says, “Lights,” and the lights promptly dim. “Spotlight, please” and the spotlight opens on Sandow at the stage entrance with his robe, towel, and holding a mic. Sandow cuts a promo on his way to the ring in the same vein as those seen during his Smackdown vignettes. He basically accuses the crowd of incompetence and says he expects better of them and of Jordan.

As Sandow enters the ring, he appears to be engaging in an odd breathing technique. Regal informs the viewers that this is “Farmer Burns’s Stomach Flattener,” Sandow’s new conditioning technique. For those of you that are not familiar with 19th Century Wrestling (the Victorian Attitude Era), Burns is a Hall of Famer (PWHF rather than Vince McMahon’s HOF) and is a former American Heavyweight Champion.

Sandow removes his robe and is sporting some excellent hot pink trunks. Sandow and Jordan open by trading hammerlocks until Sandow goes for an early roll-up and grabs the tights, but it’s only good enough for two. They then trade headlock takedowns and head scissor escapes until Sandow sneaks out on to the ring apron.

He’s not out there for long, as Jordan tosses him back in and follows up with a back body drop, which gets him a two count. Jordan whips Sandow into the corner and hits a roll-up of his own which, again, gets him a two count. As the referee is distracted throwing a pad out of the ring, Sandow hits Jordan with an eye poke and gets in some offense culminating in a grounded double chickenwing, which he transitions into a Cattle Mutilation. Rather than staying in the submission, he goes for the pin, which Jordan kicks out of.

Sandow hits a clothesline to Jordan's back before briefly taking Jordan to the outside, where he carries on the assault. Back in the ring, Sandow celebrates with a cartwheel, which he follows up with a side Russian leg sweep. Sandow then misses a knee drop, giving Jordan the chance to get in some shots on Sandow. Jordan hits a couple of clotheslines punctuated by a suplex. Jordan then hits a running Blockbuster variation, but it only gets him a two count.

Sandow manages to pull Jordan into the turnbuckle before getting Jordan in a front facelock. Jordan reverses this into a back roll-up with a bridge, which gets him the win! Big upset there. Sandow sells shock in the middle of the ring.

WINNER: Jordan via pinfall at 7:27. Enjoyable match, overall. Jordan’s pretty green still but his look and athleticism could take him a long way. Sandow’s really great. His promo, look, pre-match exercise, and in-ring performance show why he has been called up to the main roster. Big surprise here with Jordan getting the win.

2 - CONOR O'BRIAN (w/Kenneth Cameron) vs. JIRO

For those of you that haven’t seen O’Brian or Cameron in FCW, they are part of a stable called The Ascension. The Ascension originally had five members with Epico, Ricardo Rodriguez (yes, that Ricardo Rodriguez), and Raquel Diaz (Eddie & Vickie Guerrero’s daughter) making up the rest of the group. However, I think the stable is now down to just O’Brian & Cameron. The Ascension seem to be FCW’s version of The Brood but without the blood.

Fortunately this week, Jiro is portrayed a little less stereotypically as he hasn’t brought his fan and karate kid headband to the ring. O’Brian & Cameron enter in their typical gothic manner.

The match starts with O’Brian stomping around the ring and no-selling Jiro strikes. O’Brian gets some offense on Jiro before roaring and throwing himself to the canvas. He hits Jiro with the big boot, which gets the three. O’Brian and Cameron celebrate with some roaring.

WINNER: O’Brian by pinfall in 1:02. Squash for the uber-intense Conor O’Brian. On the intensity scale, he’s half-way between Gunner & Ryback.

3 - BRAY WYATT (w/Eli Cottonwood) vs. AIDEN ENGLISH

Aiden English is described by Russo as FCW’s resident thespian.

Wyatt, in a black vest top and baggy white pants, opens up proceedings by shaking English’s hand. Wyatt tosses English around the ring a bit before charging him in the corner. He pulls English’s limp body out of the corner and ballroom dances with him (this is happening), which he transitions into a swinging reverse STO. He then picks up English before throwing him in the air and punching him in the face. That’s a nasty-looking finisher and it’s good for the three.

WINNER: Wyatt by pinfall in 1:37. Squash debut for Bray Wyatt. It’s rare you say this in wrestling, but I’ve never seen a character like this before. I really hope they use Wyatt right because he’s been very compelling so far.

4 - FCW tag champions COREY GRAVES & JAKE CARTER vs. MIKE DALTON & C.J. PARKER - FCW Tag Title match

Parker and Dalton are in first as the announcers discuss their ability to gel as a tag team. A.W. (Abraham Washington) then appears, using the same gimmick he is using in WWE as a Superstar agent. He introduces two of his clients, “Your girlfriend’s favorite tag team,” the FCW tag champs Jake “The Great” Carter & Corey “Chicks Dig” Graves. Regal brings up a story of how Carter and Graves are banned from Disney for life after going on a rampage that involved the girls that play Pocahontas. He said Walt would be spinning in his fridge. I love William Regal. He then compares the two to Keith Moon and Keith Richards.

The match begins with Parker and Carter. Carter starts on top and hits a nice looking clothesline before doing some Rick Martel-esque posing. This is enough for Parker to blindside Carter. Carter then gets in some offense of his own including a hip toss and a scoop slam. Graves is tagged in and receives a monkey flip from Parker and a cross-body from Dalton. Good sequence there as the tag was made mid-monkey flip.

Graves gets the tag to Carter, who beats down Dalton while Regal recounts his nights out with Graves and Carter. Carter, for those of you that don’t know, is Vader’s son. Regal notes how Vader had Carter on a conditioning regime at five-years-old. Carter tags in Graves and they apply a double top wristlock to Dalton, who flips backwards and reverses it into a double Northern Lights suplex, which is enough for him to get a tag. C.J. Parker comes in and cleans house before sending both men to the outside.

Parker and Dalton follow this up by hitting a tandem cross-body and suicide dive respectively. All four men are down on the outside going to break. The show comes back to action with Parker and Carter in the ring. Graves gets the blind tag in and hits a running knee to Parker’s ribs. Graves tags Carter back in and they hit a double atomic drop. Regal mocks Russo for using the phrase “Rebel Rousers” to describe Graves & Carter. Suplex by Carter on Parker, which he follows up with an abdominal stretch. Graves pulls Carter’s hand while out of the ref’s view to aggravate the stretch.

Carter tags in Graves, who applies an abdominal stretch of his own to Parker. Carter tries the same trick as Graves, but is caught by the ref, which gives Parker time to break the hold. Carter applies a grounded abdominal stretch variation, but Parker manages to break out. Carter tags Graves back in and hits a running splash to the corner before leaving the ring. Parker tries to fight out, but Carter tags in to stop him. Carter attempts another running frog splash, but Parker gets his knees up.

Parker gets close to tagging Dalton, but the champs pull him back. However, Parker manages to send Carter over the ropes and gets the tag to Dalton before Graves can stop him. Dalton unloads some offense on Graves, hitting a running elbow followed by a huracanrana and a pin attempt, which is broken up by Carter. AW then distracts the ref, which allows Corey Graves to use the cane on Dalton which is enough for the three.

WINNERS: Graves & Carter by pinfall in 11:46 to retain the FCW Tag Titles. Graves & Carter retain the FCW Tag Titles. Solid TV tag team main event with the heel team of Graves & Carter in control for the majority of the match. Out of the challengers, Dalton is the more accomplished of the two, but they both have a long way to go before they make it to the big-time. Carter & Graves are a team with a good chemistry and character. They are by no means a great tag team yet, but they would be a positive addition to the WWE’s tag team ranks when they’ve had a bit more time to gel.

Arcademan:
WWE NXT Results: 5-10-12

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to James's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results only.

1 - TAMINA SNUKA vs. MAXINE (w/Johnny Curtis)

Curtis is on commentary. He says that he doubts that Maxine has actually changed. Curtis is acting a bit weird, but not in his usually creepy way. Maxine fooled Snuka to take control of the match. Maxine with a hard full nelson that looks very painful. Maxine locks on her reverse Dragon Sleeper and Snuka has to put her into the turnbuckle to escape. Snuka with a comeback. Samoan Drop and the Superfly Splash, but Maxine rolls out of the way and Snuka eats canvas. Maxine with a Dragon Sleeper on the mat, and Snuka taps.

WINNER: Maxine via submission in 3:45. Fun match. I like that Maxine continues to rely on submission holds, as it gives her a big differentiating factor as a Diva. Recently on Twitter, she put up a cryptic message about having a great superstructure, but lacking foundation. If I had a guess, that was feedback from someone in Developmental telling her that she has everything it takes to be a top Diva, but her fundamental wrestling skills need work - that would be a fair assessment. Maxine is an incredibly talented person, but she does need some tweaking on the in-ring to complete the package. Her ring stories are decent enough, it's just the general execution which is, at times, inexperienced.

2 - YOSHI TATSU vs. JTG (w/Alicia Fox)

Early back-and-forth between the two. JTG goes on sustained offense. Tatsu's got a bad nosebleed. Tatsu makes a comback with chops then kicks. A Shining Wizard gets a nearfall. Tatsu calls for the end, but JTG ducks. JTG nearly falls over backwards, recovers, and gets in his finisher for the win.

WINNER: JTG in 3:45. JTG has done a total turnaround on his in-ring style. Regular readers will know that I've frequently criticized him for struggling with sustained offense. While this was a short match, it was clear that JTG has cleaned out the playbook and rebuilt his style from the ground up. Kudos to an experienced wrestler for being willing to make the needed changes. I am looking forward to seeing JTG in a longer match and see how this new style works in that scenario.

3 - TYSON KIDD & PERCY WATSON vs. MICHAEL MCGILLICUTTY & JOHNNY CURTIS - Tag Team match

There is some brilliant wrestling between McGillicutty and Kidd to start the match. Back-and-forth with Watson and Curtis and McGillicutty, then Kidd tags in and lands a big dive over the ropes to fire up the crowd. He stands on the barricade to get the crowd excited as they cut to break.

Out of the break, Kidd is controlling McGillicutty. Curtis messes with the ropes when Kidd looks for a springboard move, and Curtis and McGillicutty are able to isolate Kidd for a stretch. Nasty tag team action as McGillicutty puts Kidd on the mat with a backslide, and Curtis hits Kidd with a top-rope leg drop for two. Kidd finally gets Watson in after some hard-fought separation, and Watson comes in at fast-forward speed. The Highsman gets a nearfall, but Curtis breaks it up. Kidd takes Curtis out of the equation. McGillicutty fights out of the Percycution, but misses a corner splash, letting Watson get the Percycution for the win.

WINNERS: Tyson Kidd and Percy Watson in 8:00. You know what makes NXT "must-see?" Tyson Kidd and Percy Watson in the ring! And, more and more, I'm putting Michael McGillicutty and Johnny Curtis's in-ring work on that list, too. I really enjoyed this match, and it's worth watching just for Kidd and Watson's work. Tyson Kidd is really connecting with the crowd, too, which has traditionally been a shortcoming for him.

Arcademan:
WWE Superstars Results: 5-10-12

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to James's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results only.

1 - EZEKIEL JACKSON vs. DREW MCINTYRE

McIntyre tries to outwit Jackson, but Jackson's power prevails. McIntyre turns it around by dodging a corner charge. Jackson with a chest bump as McIntyre comes off the second rope, and Jackson takes control. Jackson tries setting up the Torture Rack in the corner, but McIntyre gets a rope break, lands a big boot, and then hits the Future Shock DDT for the win.

WINNER: Drew McIntyre at 3:45. McIntyre held up his end of the match. They really limited the time, probably to minimize the exposure of Jackson's flaws, but it just made for a match that went straight to the end far too quickly. This was evidenced by the announcers wondering if Jackson was finished less than two minutes into the match. Someone was going to break a losing streak here, and better McIntyre than Jackson.

2 - ALICIA FOX vs. NATALYA

Natalya out-wrestles Fox as the crowd chants "USA!" They trade slaps to turn up the heat. Natalya dodges a boot in the corner and Fox gets hung up, giving Natalya the advantage. Fox transitions from a "Matrix dodge" into a leg scissors. Natalya surprises Fox with the Sharpshooter, and Fox taps out to give Natalya her first win in a long time.

WINNER: Natalya via submission in 4:15. It's good to see Natalya pick up a win, but it should have happened a long time ago. I hope this leads somewhere like a Layla-Natalya match or a Beth Phoenix-Natalya match. I know the Divas are not a top item on the WWE agenda, but Divas like Beth Phoenix and Natalya can be used effectively.

3 - TYSON KIDD vs. HUNICO (w/Camacho)

Kidd and Hunico trade offense. The crowd chants "U-S-A!" to support Kidd, a Canadian. Hunico tries arm-dragging Kidd, but he's so close to the ropes that Kidd bounces off, and arm drags Hunico on the rebound. Sick. Camacho distracts Kidd to give Hunico an edge. Hunico with a slingshot senton. Camacho gets involved again, and Hunico with a facebuster suplex. Hunico dominates for a stretch. Hunico starts from a butterfly suplex position, but flips Kidd mid-air and turns it into a backbreaker.

Kidd gets a break with a running armdrag followed by a double clothesline. Kidd fires up with strong kicks. The crowd is going nuts for Kidd. Springboard elbow from Kidd, but Hunico kicks out at two-and-nine-tenths. Kidd tries the Sharpshooter, but Hunico escapes. Kidd with a suicide dive, Hunico dodges but Camacho eats it. Hunico capitalizes. Hunico tries the Swanton Bomb, but Kidd gets a knee up. Kidd comes back with a Sharpshooter, but Hunico gets to the ropes. Kidd misses the slingshot guillotine leg drop. He tries to slingshot back into the ring, but Hunico catches him with a brainbuster of sorts for the win.

WINNER: Hunico in 7:00. WWE needs to listen to the fantastic crowd reaction that Kidd gets despite having nearly no mic time. He wins over crowds with his in-ring abilities alone. Last year, Tyson Kidd had more in-ring time than any other Superstar if memory serves, and I believe that Kidd is on track to not only repeat that, but repeat it by a country mile. The only two wrestlers WWE has that are in Kidd's class in terms of in-ring capability are C.M. Punk and Daniel Bryan (Dolph Ziggler comes mighty close). Bryan and Punk have been able to make their way to the top with superior skills and I hope Kidd does, too.

4 - U.S. champion SANTINO MARELLA & ZACK RYDER vs. CURT HAWKINS & TYLER REKS - Tag Team Match

Marella and Reks to start. Reks shows off his power and acts like a bully. Marella tags in Ryder after an atomic drop makes him shriek like a kid. Hawkins comes in to take on old friend Ryder. Ryder and Hawkins with a fist pump to show respect. Double dropkick and Hawkins slaps Ryder, Ryder unleashes on Hawkins in response. Marella dominates Hawkins, then clears Reks from the ring and Ryder follows up.

Hawkins fights off Marella, and brings Reks in. Ryder gets the tag and takes it to Reks, who eats a Broski Boot, but Reks counters the Rough Ryder. Ryder can't catch a break and Reks and Hawkins work him over. Ryder finally makes the hot tag and Marella unloads on Hawkins. Hawkins tags in Reks and Marella doesn't lose a step. Hawkins breaks up a pin so Ryder clears him away with the Rough Ryder. Marella puts Reks into the turnbuckle with a drop toe hold, followed by the Cobra for the three count and the bell.

WINNERS: Santino Marella and Zack Ryder in 12:30. Good match, not a great match. I liked the initial exchanges between Ryder and Hawkins to play up their history.

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