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Arcademan:
TNA Impact! Results: 3-12-09

Results courtesy of ProWrestling.net (direct link to Powell's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results only.

1. Rhino defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir in 3:45. Tenay ran through the show lineup again. He said something about Sting's wrestler facing Angle's wrestler, so I'm not sure what the hell is going on. Don West arrived and joined Tenay on commentary. They bickered and Tenay accused West of being hungover.

"It smells like a brewery out here at the broadcast table," Tenay said. West said he noticed the same thing when he walked by ring announcer Dave Penzer. Funny. In the ring (as if that matters anymore), Rhino scored the clean pin on Bashir.

Bashir caught Rhino with a low blow after the match. He headed to ringside and retrieved a chair. Bashir struck Rhino with the chair and then placed his headdress over Rhino...

Powell's POV: Tenay made it clear that Angle's wrestler will face Sting's wrestler. I like the idea I thought I heard better. To make things more confusing, they are having a tag match where the teams get to pick additional partners. It's like theme week in TNA.

2. Matt Morgan and Beer Money (w/Jacqueline) defeated Abyss and Team 3D in an elimination match in 10:00. Team 3D brought the IWGP Tag Titles to the ring with them. Tenay tried to sell the storyline that this could be the last time Team 3D appears on Impact due to the Off The Wagon Challenge match at the pay-per-view. At 2:00, Jackie snuck in and low-blowed Devon, which led to a superkick from Storm and a pin.

After the break, Storm was eliminated from the match when the referee DQ'd him for spitting beer in Brother Ray's face. Moments later, Brother Ray hit the Bubba Bomb on Roode and pinned him. Seconds later, Morgan chokeslammed Ray and pinned him to eliminate him.

The match came down to Morgan vs. Abyss. Eventually, Abyss picked up the bag of tacks that Morgan had at ringside. Lauren the interview girl ran out and pleaded with Abyss not to use the tacks. When Abyss turned around, Morgan nailed him with a big boot to the face and scored the pin.

Afterward, Lauren ran in and stood in front of Abyss. Morgan backed her into a corner and then grabbed her by the throat to tease slamming her onto the tacks. Abyss recovered and attacked Morgan. Abyss accepted Morgan's challenge to a tack match at the pay-per-view...


Powell's POV: Please tell me they're not going with the predictable pretty woman turns on the babyface twist again. The Abyss and Lauren storyline is ridiculous, but I'll take that over another predictable heel turn. Either way, they're pushing it with the man-on-woman violence tonight.

3. Taylor Wilde (w/Roxxi, The Governor) pinned Madison Rayne (w/The Beautiful People, Kip James) in 2:00. Traci Brooks was the referee. The announcers mentioned that the balance of power could shift if Sting retained the TNA Title at the pay-per-view. Late in the match, Wilde tried to go for a pin, but Rayne held onto Brooks, who eventually shoved her down and counted the pin. After the match, the Beautiful People beat up the other women and left them lying...

Powell's POV: Why would the balance of power shift if Sting retained the TNA Title? Isn't he already the TNA Champion? Where's Vince McMahon to yell at Foley when he needs it? Yes, I'm kidding.

4. LAX and Lethal Consequences defeated Booker T and Scott Steiner and The Motor City Machine Guns in an eight-man tag match in 4:45. Tenay was flying solo again. He complained about the Guns teaming with Mafia members. Lethal woke up the crowd with some fast-paced offense. Later, Hernandez hit the Border Toss on Sabin and scored the pin...

Powell's POV: Let me get this straight, the Frontline just scored a big victory over the Main Event Mafia by pinning a Frontline member?

5. Eric Young (w/Sting) pinned Rocco of MEM Security (w/Kurt Angle) in 3:15. Late in the match, Angle gave the Evolution "thumbs down" sign, which led to Rocco missing a second rope splash. Young hit the Death Valley Driver and scored the clean pin.

After the match, Sting and Angle entered the ring. Angle and two Mafia security members beat up Sting until Mick Foley made the save. Foley beat up all three of them, but Scott Steiner ran out and attacked Foley from behind. Jeff Jarrett, who isn't on the pay-per-view, ran out with a chair and struck some of the heels with chairshots.

Jarrett wound up to hit Steiner and Nash, but Sting stepped in front of them. Tenay reminded viewers that Sting said he never had a problem Steiner or Nash. Jarrett took the mic and announced that he will be the special referee for Sting vs. Angle, and Foley will be the special ringside enforcer...

Powell's POV: I guess Angle is looking forward to the Triple H vs. Randy Orton match at WrestleMania 25. At least they have a reason for making Jarrett the center of attention this week. Foley playing the special enforcer role is already overplayed, but it stacks the deck against Angle heading into the pay-per-view. Of course, that would be more effective if Angle was the champion. Really, this just make me think Angle win the belt because he has so much working against him.

Arcademan:
WWE Smackdown Results: 3-13-09

Results courtesy of ProWrestling.net (direct link to Shore's complete report). Condensed here to in-ring results only.

1. Edge defeated Kofi Kingston at 10:17.
Shore’s Slant: The champion starts the show? Wow. That being said, this match was a nightmare to cover as it was all over the place. Kudos to Edge and Kingston for having a match that Smackdown used to have every week. It was fun and fast and I wanted more. It’s nice to see Kingston got a chance to get back at Edge. Granted it took three weeks and it was not for the title, but hey, he got to respond!

2. John Morrison and The Miz defeated Primo and Carlito Colon, w/The Bella Twins, to retain the World Tag Team Championships at 5:57.
Shore’s Slant: That was all over the place. I could barely cover it. In fact, I got behind more than once. Good match that continues the feud and almost guarantees a unification match at Mania.

3. Chavo Guerrero and Shelton Benjamin defeated R-Truth and MVP at 6:01. .
Shore’s Slant: As quick paced as that match was, it seemed slow after the first two. Surprise loss for MVP, but it does advance the storyline and he didn’t look weak in the loss. And wasn’t that the same formula as the end of the tag title match? So far, this has been a really good Smackdown. But Matt Hardy is coming to the ring and from what I have read, the “really good” part gets destroyed next.

4. Maria and Melina defeated Michelle McCool and Maryse at 2:45.
Shore’s Slant: First bad match of the night and it wasn’t terrible. The Diva’s division looks so weak. I long for the days of Lita and Victoria and Trish. Maybe with Gail Kim coming back soon we will have an awakening. Let’s hope.

5. Finlay w/Hornswoggle defeated The Brian Kendrick w/Ezekiel Jackson in a Money in the Bank Qualifying Match at 3:14.
Shore’s Slant: There it was. The match was terrible for two reasons. First, it was boring. You can’t tell a story in three minutes, especially with guys who have two different styles. Second, and most important, WTF is Finlay doing in MITB over TBK? That’s terrible writing. But the writing for MITB was already bad. MITB this year is a throwaway match, and that’s upsetting. Thirty minutes left with one match. Taker must be doing the full entrance.

6. The Undertaker defeated Vladimir Kozlov at 14:22.
Shore’s Slant: OK match, not as good as the last meeting, but not a complete stinker. Maybe I’m just in a good mood. Overall, good show from Smackdown, especially considering that this was the second half of a double header. I have one problem, and I understand why it happened, but it’s still a problem. There was virtually no coverage of the Vickie/Edge angle. Yes we had the recap at the top of the show, and the video of Edge and Chavo that was probably recorded at Raw, but that was it. Now this was taped before Raw, so they didn’t want to give away the surprise, but it just seems odd that there was so little time devoted to it. More time was devoted to Hunter/Orton than Edge/Vickie. Just something that bothered me.

Arcademan:
Andrew 'Test' Martin found dead...

Sources: PWInsider.com via Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8738 and TOKYOPOP: Arcademan Blog (direct link to latest entry):


--- Quote ---- Former WWE Superstar Andrew "Test" Martin passed away last night at his home in Tampa, Florida at the age of 33, just four days away form his 34th birthday. We don't have many more details right now, but reports say he was found in his apartment. Tampa area authorities have declined to confirm it is Martin but word within the wrestling industry has been widespread.

Despite his earlier writings about the drug scene in the wrestling business, Martin ended up suspended under the WWE Wellness Policy and was released shortly afterwards. At the time, Martin claimed it was a mutual release that he asked the company for. Martin made a few appearances for TNA that year but there was a feeling that his huge physique was neon sign for the impending US Congress investigation into the business and also a feeling that his attitude didn't go over well with the TNA locker room, so he wasn't brought back. Test talked about retiring from the business but has made several appearances overseas since then, working a match in Japan last month. Martin was scheduled to leave this for a wrestling tour of Europe that would have made stops in several countries.

We will keep you updated with more details as they come in. Our deepest condolences go out to Martin's friends and family.
--- End quote ---
Also here's more: Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Posts #8739 and #8740 with external sources courtesy of PWTorch.com via Jim Ross' blog...


--- Quote ---Jim Ross, who was formerly WWE's VP of Talent Relations and hired Andrew "Test" Martin in the 1990s, said today that Martin was recovering from personal health issues prior to his death on Friday night.

Martin completed WWE's rehab treatment after starting in August 2008 and he was in constant contact with WWE to follow-up on whether he was remaining healthy. Friday was a scheduled check-in date for Martin, Ross said.

"Since being released from the facility after successfully completing the program, Andrew had been doing well in his 12 Step AA program and was in contact with WWE with regular phone calls," Ross said on jrsbarbq.com. "Ironically, Friday was the day for his regularly scheduled 'touching base' but when called his voice mail box was full."

Ross said he spoke to Martin extensively at last year's WrestleMania in Florida and he did not see any outward signs of personal problems. Martin, who died at age 33, told Ross that he didn't want to wrestle much longer and he was only taking dates on his terms.

"Andrew had always told me that he never wanted to wrestle past the age of 35 which was why he 'listened to the lectures," Ross said. "I honestly had never seen him happier."
--- End quote ---

Check back on my TOKYOPOP Blog for complete updates and will also post more here when news is available.

Arcademan:
TNA Destination X PPV Results: 3-15-09

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's ongoing report).

1 -- BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (ANGELINA LOVE & VELVET SKY & MADISON RAYNE) vs. TAYLOR WILDE & ROXXI & GOVERNOR FAKE SARAH PALIN
WINNERS: Team Wilde in 6:00. Just a standard divas match to start things off. Fine and Madison got her comeuppance. (3/4*)

2 -- ERIC YOUNG vs. BRUTUS MAGNUS
WINNER: Brutus Magnus in 5:00. Match had its moments. Young was good, as usual. Kozlov...er...Brutus is a work in development. (*)

3 -- MATT MORGAN vs. ABYSS -- 10,000 thumbtack match
WINNER: Morgan in 9:00. Just a forgettable undercard gimmick match. Abyss wiggling his hands around was laughable. I'm sorry, it just was. I don't know why he continues to take crazy bumps because they don't mean anything, especially in the third match of the card. (1/2*)

4 -- Knockouts champion AWESOME KONG (w/Raisha Saeed) vs. SOJO BOLT -- Knockouts Title match
WINNER: Kong in 4:00. Basic knockouts match. Not much to it. Continued a subpar, by-the-numbers, unmemorable undercard. (*)

5 -- SAMOA JOE vs. SCOTT STEINER
WINNER: Steiner via DQ in 2:00. Well, that was short and lame. The new Don West is solid, especially when he indirectly calls out TNA for ridiculous booking like advertising a match that barely happened and delivering a fat, out-of-shape Samoa Joe in a ridiculous look. Might as well have slapped Magnus's helmet on Joe and called him the Samoan Warrior. (n/a)

6 -- Legends champion BOOKER T (w/Sharmell) vs. A.J. STYLES -- Legends Title match
WINNER: Styles in 10:00 to capture the Legends Title. Best match of the night, which isn't saying much. Booker appeared to be legit injured leading to the early finish. Good energy from Styles, who unfortunately had to settle for celebrating victory of a fake title. (**)

7 -- TNA tag team champions BEER MONEY, INC. (ROBERT ROODE & JAMES STORM w/Miss Jackie) vs. TEAM 3D (BROTHER RAY & BROTHER DEVON) -- TNA tag title match and 3D's careers on the line
WINNERS: Team 3D via count-out in 13:00; Roode & Storm retain the tag titles. Walk-through-the-motions tag team PPV match with a typical non-finish for a Beer Money match. West is such a convincing advocator for the heels that it's hard to root for the babyfaces, especially when Mike Tenay is defending them. Finish wasn't actually that frustrating because Tenay's boys didn't win the belts. (*1/2)

8 -- X Division champion ALEX SHELLEY vs. JAY LETHAL vs. CHRIS SABIN vs. CONSEQUENCES CREED vs. SUICIDE -- ULTIMATE X match -- X Division Title match
WINNER: Suicide in 14:00 to capture the X Division Title. Fine match with a solid dose of athleticism to stand out on the PPV card. Too bad there were so many inconsequential moves that didn't have any bearing on the outcome of the match. Just limits the X Division as the "monkey-bar special" division where they get three minutes on TV and no time to develop legit feuds or storylines. (**)

9 -- TNA World champion STING vs. KURT ANGLE -- TNA World Title match -- Jeff Jarrett special ref and Mick Foley special enforcer
WINNER: Sting in 14:00 to retain the TNA World Title. Another mid-card-quality effort in the PPV main event. Just a basic match where Angle couldn't even get a main event-quality match out of Sting. Predictable ref bump leading to Foley accidentally knocking out Sting, which apparently will lead to them setting up their Lockdown match on TV. (*1/2)

Arcademan:
WWE RAW Results: 3-16-09

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

1 -- SHAWN MICHAELS & THE UNDERTAKER vs. IC champion JBL & KOZLOV

Michaels started things off against Kozlov before staring down Taker. Michaels then turned around and jumped Kozlov before Taker tagged in and knocked Kozlov to the floor with a clothesline. Grab a break.

Back from break, Michaels was battling his former employer, JBL. He nailed a top rope elbow smash, then wanted Sweet Chin Music on JBL, but Kozlov distracted HBK to allow JBL to smash him in the face with a big boot. Heels went on the attack against Michaels while Taker slowly walked around the ring apron pacing for his hot tag. Taker finally got his hot tag at 8:00 and ran over JBL with a corner splash. Taker with signature moves that the crowd was uncharacteristically quiet for. Taker then teased a chokeslam on JBL, but Michaels blind-tagged himself in and smashed JBL with Sweet Chin Music. Michaels with the cover for the win.

Afterward, Taker tried to kick Michaels and Michaels went scurrying to the ringside area. Taker was upset, so HBK went running off like a soon-to-be-punished son trying to avoid his father's wrath. Taker's music hit, then he turned to look back to the crowd. Suddenly, Michaels showed up out of nowhere and smashed Taker with Sweet Chin Music on the stage. Michaels went nuts throwing his fists in the air and flailing his arms in celebration.

WINNERS: Michaels & Taker at 9:20. Strange, sudden ending to the match. Heavy focus on Taker vs. Michaels, as it should be. Still waiting for JBL to announce his major announcement.

2 -- Women's champion MELINA & KELLY KELLY & MICKIE JAMES vs. BETH PHOENIX (w/Santino Marella and Rosa Mendes) & JILLIAN HALL & LAYLA

Santino on commentary. Yes! Santino wasn't very complementary of her girlfriend's job hosting Santino's Casa on .com. Lawler said he had the pleasure of meeting the Santino fan club. All two of them. Melina tagged in, then action broke down ringside. Santino tried to interfere, but she took a low-blow from Mickie on the floor. In the confusion, Melina rolled up Beth from behind for the win. Rosa tried to attack the babyfaces post-match, but they went to the floor to celebrate victory.

WINNERS: Team Melina at 2:55. Santino was fine on commentary to enhance the match, which seemed like just a repeat of the women's matches we've seen on Raw TV for months. Two more weeks until the 25-diva battle royale. (1/2*)

3 -- WWE champion TRIPLE H vs. CODY RHODES -- non-title steel cage match

Every time Orton or Cody tried to climb the cage to get to Hunter, he kicked them off the wall and teased them with the sledgehammer. Crowd suddenly began roaring as Ted started climbing the cage. He wasn't able to make it in, though, as Hunter hit him with the hammer through the cage wall. Hunter then grabbed his hammer and stalked Cody for a hammer shot to the face. Hunter made the cover and scored the win while Orton looked down in disdain.

WINNER: Triple H at 2:15. Just a way to put over SuperHunter as the super Alpha Male of all Alpha Males to ever be created in Super Alpha Male Land since he's Triple H and we're lucky to even be in his presence because he's so smart and strong and powerful and has amazing super powers. What happened to Randy Orton, the rising star mega-heel who doesn't back down from anyone? (n/a)

4 -- REY MYSTERIO vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER

Cole said Rey has challenge JBL for an IC Title match at WrestleMania. That's how they announce it? Mid-match in a TV squash against Dolph? Welcome to the wonderful world of the Intercontinental Title. Dolph was on the offensive early on while the announcers talked up Hunter placing a steel cage inside the building earlier tonight. What super-powers does Hunter not have? Rey suddenly nailed a seated sentaun before snapping off a huracanrana into 619. Rey then ran to the top rope and hurried into a top rope diving splash for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Rey Mysterio at 2:13. Just a set-up for the random JBL vs. Rey IC Title match. the set-up for the WrestleMania card seems very "off-brand PPV" with random matches being added to the card. This line-up should have been finalized weeks ago. In-house note: really close shave over Triple H in the Place Your Bets challenge for shortest match victory, assuming there isn't a two-second squash coming up. (1/2*)

5 -- MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas) & KANE & U.S. champion SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. KOFI KINGSTON & C.M. PUNK & MVP

Hornswoggle, Finlay, and Christian were on commentary for the match. All this potential star power in the ring and they don't hype it pre-match or even allow for a pre-match intro? I suppose they needed to save time to stay with Triple H's superhero moment for all of eternity. All six men had a stand-off before they cut to a break.

Christian said he was away from WWE for a little bit, but he's returning re-focused and ready for a run as a WWE champion after winning Money in the Bank. Christian said he came back for a title run and it's not a matter of when. Horny was trying to blow him off, so Christian shot back that he'll get his cookie later. Kofi made a hot tag to C.M. Punk, who lost the IC Title belt last week and he's so distraught about it. Insert Sarcasm there. Punk cleaned house, then Kofi took Kane to the floor. Chaos ensued, then Punk nailed Shelton with the Go 2 Sleep for the pin and the win as Christian vowed to win MITB, then cash it in, and win a WWE Title. MVP, Kofi, and Punk stood tall center ring and stared up at the briefcase hanging above the ring.

WINNERS: Team Punk at 8:36. Fine six-man tag match. Christian was a little shaky on commentary, but he had his moments. Definitely wasn't as bad as babyface TNA champion where he was Captain NoCharisma. There were just too many people at the table. Match was fine, but forgettable with no hype or pre-match set-up. (*1/4)

6 -- World Hvt. champion EDGE vs. JOHN CENA -- non-title match -- Vickie Guerrero special ref

Cole reminded viewers of the match stipulation that if Cena touches Vickie, he loses his World Title match at WrestleMania. Cena hit a fisherman suplex in the first minute, then made a cover, but Vickie just stood there twiddling her thumbs without making a cover. Cena argued with Vickie, then Edge snuck in behind and knocked down Cena. Crowd is red-hot for this. Cena fought back against Edge, who then chucked him over the top rope clean to the floor. Edge followed up and chucked Cena into the announce table and ring steps before re-entering the ring to get a round of boos. Vickie didn't apply a ten count here.

Edge tossed Cena back into the ring and missed with a spear that set up Cena's big comeback. Cena wanted to drop the Shuffle on Edge, but Vickie jumped on Edge to cover him up. Cena couldn't strike, so he waited for Vickie to get up, then he dropped the five knuckle on Edge. Vickie pulled Edge out of harm's way on an FU, then he slapped on the STFU, but Vickie put a headlock on Cena. Comical.

Big Show suddenly showed up and helped Edge double-team Cena. They hung Cena up in the ropes ala Andre the Giant and Edge landed a spear on a defenseless Cena. Vickie slapped Cena, then Show landed big right hand blows to Cena. Match still going on. Show then landed his big right hand smashes on Cena that KO'ed Cena while he was still hung up in the ropes. Show walked away, then Edge suddenly speared Show in center ring after he used Show to inflict damage. Vickie was non-reactional. Edge then stood tall as the show faded to black.

WINNER: No Decision at 6:48 when the show ended. To be continued with the three-way drama. Crowd heat was amazing for this, which helped sell the angle, but the angle is so far out there to begin with that WWE needs to reel this one in with two weeks left until Mania. The issue was cleared up this week with more focus on who Vickie believes, which could play a factor in which side she chooses at WrestleMania. (*1/2)

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