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Arcademan:
WWE Smackdown Results: 8-8-08

Results courtesy of ProWrestling.net (direct link to Rich Twilling's complete report). Partly condensed here for easy reading.

1. Natalya, Maryse, and Victoria defeated Michelle McCool, Cherry, and Maria in an Olympic divas match in 2:35. All of the divas came out in various Olympic event outfits. Maryse came out in tennis gear and Tazz said he played a lot of tennis in Brooklyn. Funny. Cherry came out in boxing gear so she wins for best outfit. Maria wore a skiing outfit representing Greece even though the Summer Olympics are beginning...

Twill's Two Cents: Is it the best idea to remind everyone that the Olympics are on right now?

After some nice action with Michelle and Natayla, Victoria hit the Widow's Peak on Cherry and the ring cleared out. The finish came when Natalya made Maria tap out with the Sharpshooter...

2. Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder defeated Jimmy Wang Yang and Shannon Moore in a non-title match in 4:12. Hawkins, during an Irish whip, fell funny on his face/neck. He is lucky not to have been hurt from that. Yang scored a nearfall after some nice teamwork between him and Moore.

Ryder tagged in and looked very impressive on offense. Wang took the majority of the offense before Moore received a hot tag. The champions won the match after hitting a double Impaler DDT...

Twill's Two Cents: Decent match and I guess the last one for Shannon Moore.

3. Jeff Hardy defeated Shelton Benjamin by disqualification in a non-title match in 17:57. The match started slowly with Benjamin grounding Hardy with mat wrestling holds. Hardy gained the advantage at the three minute mark but kept the match on the ground with an armbar.

Benjamin took over again and applied a chinlock. You would think they were having an ironman match. Hardy hit a mule kick, sending Shelton to the floor. Jeff followed with a successful crossbody plancha. Hardy missed a Swanton and barely kicked out of a Benjamin pin attempt...

Shelton nearly choked out Hardy with another rear chinlock. Hardy saw an opening and went for a Whisper in the Wind, but Shelton pulled Hardy's foot out from under him and he tumbled backwards to the mat. Shelton began to work on the leg of Hardy with a single leg lock. He followed that up with a single leg Boston Crab.

Hardy fought back after recuperating on the floor for a few moments. Hardy successfully hit the Whisper in the Wind for a nearfall at the 16:40 mark. Hardy tried the delayed dropkick in the corner but Shelton stood up and countered it into a powerslam. Nice.

Hardy countered a Benjamin Paydirt attempt into a Twist of Fate and Swanton. MVP interfered before Hardy could score the pinfall, causing the disqualification. MVP exited up the ramp and stared down Hardy...

Twill's Two Cents: When Shelton base jumps to the top rope, I am impressed every single time I see that. Awesome. The match started out slowly but affectively. It progressed into a great match. It was not what most would expect from these two but I enjoyed seeing both men employ different styles and was thoroughly entertained. The finished made sense although I would have liked to see a clean finish.

4. The Great Khali vs. Triple H in an Indian broken glass arm wrestling match ended in a no contest. Khali cut a promo before the contest to a chorus of "What?" chants. Triple H responded with, "That's a really good point... Honestly, I have no idea what he just said." Ranjin Singh translated and said although Triple H has beaten some of the biggest names ever, he has never been in the ring with Khali.

Triple H replied, "That is what I thought he said." Triple H cut a good promo saying he was going to break Khali's legs and when they were the same height, he was going to beat him. He called Singh "Funyun" and "Onion" throughout the interview. He said if Khali was not down with that, he had two words for him...

Referee Mickie Henson started the contest and both men nearly won. Fearing he was about to lose, Khali gave Triple H a headbutt. Triple H fought back and attempted a Pedigree, but was unable to hit it. Khali knocked out Triple H with the vice grip.

With Triple H lying face down on the mat, Singh said, "At Summerslam, The Great Khali has two words for you, 'Game Over.'" Khali celebrated as he retreated up the ramp...

5. Vladimir Kozlov defeated Jesse (with Festus) in 1:41. Before the match, Kozlov spoke in Russian and followed it by saying, "I am undefeated. I demand better competition." I am not sure why, but when Jesse and Festus came to the ring, the referee came with them. I guess he missed his cue. When the bell rang, Jesse had to explain to Festus that only he was wrestling.

Kozlov hit a series of headbutts followed by an overhead belly to belly suplex. Jesse scored what JR called "a rare one count" after a dropkick. Jesse flew at Kozlov from the top rope but Kozlov countered with the battering ram for the pin. After the match, Kozlov stopped and stared at the catatonic Festus before heading up the ramp...

Twill's Two Cents: Kozlov vs. Festus? I am cool with that.

6. The Brian Kendrick (with Ezekiel Jackson) defeated Super Crazy in 4:36. Kendrick hit a very impressive running kick to the feet for a long two count.

Kendrick utilized ground submissions to go along with his impressive kicks. Tazz made mention to Crazy wearing an ECW shirt by saying he did not get the email about getting traded. After Crazy hit some of his signature moves, a Jackson distraction allowed Brian to hit The Kendrick for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: If Mike Adamle announced a Kendrick match, would he leave out "The" at the beginning of his name, or would he call him "The The Brian Kendrick?" Sorry. It is Friday night. Kendrick continues to impress.


Edge, Chavo, and Vickie came out to the ring. Edge and Chavo had chairs as Vickie sat in her wheelchair in the middle of the ring. Edge screamed for The Undertaker to come out. He wanted Taker to use his powers to strike him down with lightning or turn out the lights. Edge wisely had Chavo relinquish his chair to him.

When Chavo turned his back, Edge hit him in the back with a chair. As Vickie screamed, Edge smiled at her and hit Chavo with a conchairto. Edge pulled Vickie into the middle of the ring and teased her. He relented for a moment and tipped her over.

Vickie slumped into the corner as Edge got in her face with a microphone. Edge said he agreed with what Mick Foley said last week and that this Edge was the only one who could defeat The Undertaker. He said he was going to hell and he was taking The Undertaker, the family, and especially Vickie, with him...

Twill's Two Cents: Normally I prefer a match to close the show, but Smackdown has hit homeruns two weeks in a row with these end of the show segments. I smell a Vickie face turn but Edge received a huge reaction when he tipped Vickie over. It should be interesting.

Arcademan:
TNA Hard Justice PPV Results: 8-10-08

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's ongoing report). To avoid pop-ups and view in-ring results, go to Neo-Geo Forum: Official WWE Thread Post #8146 and posts thereafter or TOKYOPOP: Arcademan Blog (link to TNA PPV Results) for a complete report.

1 -- X Division champion PETEY WILLIAMS (w/Rhaka Khan) vs. CONSEQUENCES CREED -- X Division Title match
WINNER: Petey in 12:00. I'm just laughing because TNA's over-booking blew up in their faces with the crowd not caring about Daivari's outside interference because all they wanted to see was Petey's Canadian Destroyer. Daivari's character is out-of-date and the fans just don't care. Match was so great if they took away the "it's-happening-already" stream of outside interference. (***)

2 -- ANGELINA LOVE & VELVET SKY & AWESOME KONG (w/Raisha Saeed) vs. Women's champion TAYLOR WILDE & ODB & GAIL KIM -- Traci Brooks special referee
WINNERS: Team Taylor in 12:00. Fine. It keeps Kong on the chase for her title belt, while giving Taylor another opportunity to have her hand raised. Some spots were a little off, but it was still a good showing from the knockouts division. (**)

3 -- TNA tag champions LAX (HOMICIDE & HERNANDEZ w/Salinas and Hector Guerrero) vs. BEER MONEY, INC. (ROBERT ROODE & JAMES STORM w/Jacqueline) -- TNA Tag Title match
WINNERS: Storm & Roode in 14:00 to capture the TNA Tag Titles. Good heat on this match over-rode the stream of outside interference, referee incompetence, and overall over-booking to get us to a tag title switch. It was refreshing to see TNA use an injury angle from TV to set-up the finish of an important PPV match. (***)

4 -- JAY LETHAL (w/So Cal Val) vs. SONJAY DUTT -- Brawl and Chain tuxedo match
WINNER: Lethal in 12:00. Well, it wasn't really bad; it just went on too long with both men in an awkward position. There are only so many things you can do with a chain and tuxedos. (*1/2)

5 -- TEAM 3D (BROTHER RAY & BROTHER DEVON) vs. CHRISTIAN CAGE & RHINO -- Jersey Street Fight weapons match
WINNERS: Christian & Rhino in 15:00. Fun brawl for the audience that enjoys a TNA brawl. It didn't seem like much was resolved, and we'll probably see more from this feud on TV going forward. (**1/2)

6 -- A.J. STYLES vs. KURT ANGLE -- Last Man Standing match
WINNER: Styles in 25:00. That was an epic match (despite the silly pin-and-count-'em stipulation) with the all-too-real neck injury angle, followed by some post-match activity that took away from Styles's win. Styles looked like a star when he won, then he came across like a punk attacking Angle, then a fool being in position for Sting to take him out. He had the memorable, star-making victory over Angle, but TNA had to keep going with the over-booking. Styles being used a means to the end of explaining Sting's purpose-driven TNA life wasn't necessary. (****)

7 -- TNA World Hvt. champion SAMOA JOE vs. BOOKER -- TNA World Title match -- Six Sides of Steel cage Weapons match
WINNER: Joe in 13:00 to re-claim the TNA Title. Well, that was underwhelming mainly due to the audience having sat through every possible gimmick match combination prior to another Joe-Booker bout that everyone knew was going to end with some sort of gimmicky finish. Not memorable, but it will generate talk about Jarrett. (**)

Arcademan:
WWE RAW Results: 8-11-08

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

1 -- BETH PHOENIX (w/Santino Marella) vs. KELLY KELLY

Santino said he has great confidence in Beth to handle Kelly here. Beth nearly killed Kelly a minute into the match with a back-drop attempt where Kelly didn't quite flip over to land on her back. Everyone held their breath momentarily, as Santino talked about Beth tossing him around like Beth is tossing around Kelly. Suddenly, Kelly countered a press slam into a roll-up for a nearfall. Beth had enough and finished off Kelly with a sit-down implant buster for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Beth in 2:00. Fine for establishing Beth's dominance heading into Summerslam. (1/2*)

2 -- Women's champion MICKIE JAMES (w/IC champion Kofi Kingston) vs. SANTINO MARELLA (w/Beth Phoenix)

This was so great to start off with Mickie matching Santino move-for-move in a game of can-you-top-this? Santino then smashed Mickie hard to the mat and went for the big knee drop, but Mickie moved in time. Santino feigned a knee injury, but Mickie showed no sympathy and went on the attack. Kofi then accidentally ran interference, allowing Beth to sneak into the ring and send Mickie hard into the ringpost. Santino took advantage with a roll-up for like a four count to secure the pin. Afterward, Santino celebrated ringside in classic Santino-wins-the-Super-Bowl fashion while taunting Mickie's parents in the process. Meanwhile, Mickie and Kofi tried to re-collect themselves in the ring.

WINNER: Santino in 3:00. That was fun while it lasted. Really could have gone another few minutes and kept up the gig. Nice set-up for Summerslam to see Beth and Santino get their comeuppance. (*)

3 -- CRYME TYME (SHAD GASPAR & J.T.G.) vs. THE HIGHLANDS (RORY & ROBBIE)

Well, look at that. Highlands back as tag team jobbers. Cole said the winners have an opportunity for a featured tag title match. Shad dominated early and often here, then he finished off Robbie with a hard leg sweep for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Cryme Tyme in 3:00. Short and to the point to give Cryme Tyme a dominating win. (3/4*)

4 -- CHRIS JERICHO (w/Lance Cade) vs. KANE

Jericho teased the Walls of Jericho at 3:00, but Kane battled out into a sidewalk slam. Kane then went up top, fought off Jericho, and came down on Jericho with a leaping clothesline. Suddenly, Adamle and a slew of security guards came to ringside. Kane was bewildered for a moment, but landed a big boot to the head. Kane then grabbed the burlap sack and clutched it to his chest. Jericho used the distraction to nail the codebreaker for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Jericho in 5:00. Not the best use of Jericho here. He gets a win, but Jericho shouldn't be positioned as an after-thought after the great character build-up the past few months. (*)

5 -- JAMIE NOBLE vs. WILLIAM REGAL

Regal made short work of Noble, nailing the big running knee strike to the head for a decisive pin and the win. Cole wanted to know what Layla thinks of that effort from Noble.

WINNER: Regal in 2:00. Well, that seemed a bit random. It might take a few weeks to see if this is going anywhere. (1/2*)

6 -- World tag team champions JOHN CENA & BATISTA vs. TED DIBIASE, JR. & CODY RHODES -- World tag title match

Former champs were in the ring out of the break, then Batista and Cena had a mild discussion about who would start. Batista firmly pronounced himself as the guy to start things off, then Cena slap-tagged himself into the match once the bell sounded. Cena had Rhodes positioned for the Five Knuckle Shuffle early on, then he calmly walked over to Batista and did the you-can't-see-me in his face, which drew a smirk from Batista. Cena then dropped the knuckles on Rhodes as they cut to break.

After the break, Batista took a hot tag from Cena and cleaned house. He wanted the Batistabomb to finish off DiBiase, but Cena felt like Batista was teasing him, so he jumped into the ring. They had a confrontation, then DiBiase knocked Cena into Batista and rolled up Cena from behind for the pin and the win to re-capture the tag titles.

WINNERS: DiBiase & Rhodes in 8:00 to win the World tag titles. Rushed match after last week's solid effort. They played up the tension between Cena and Batista nicely, though. I'm not a fan of quick title changes, but if done infrequently and with the purpose of building up a mega-PPV match, then it's acceptable under the circumstances. (*1/2)

Arcademan:
ECW on SciFi Results: 8-12-08

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

1 -- TOMMY DREAMER vs. COLIN DELANEY -- Extreme Rules match

Colin tried to high-tail it up the ramp to the back, but Dreamer quickly retrieved him and whipped him into the shopping cart full of weapons. Colin came back with a finger-smash on the ring steps, but Dreamer smacked him with a Kendo stick. Back in the ring, Dreamer with a sick t-bone suplex after placing the stick in the crotchal region. Striker with a Duke the Dumpster Droese reference on Dreamer taking out the trash via the surfboard dropkick sending a can into Colin's face. Dreamer tried to follow with a can lid to the face, but Colin moved and scored a nearfall. Dreamer then quickly came back with a spike DDT on a STOP sign for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Dreamer in 4:00. Predictable squash that takes us back a few weeks ago when Dreamer squashed Colin after Colin turned on him. Colin could be better-utilized, but it doesn't seem like WWE is interested in taking that approach right now. (*)

2 -- BAM NEELY (w/Chavo Guerrero) vs. EVAN BOURNE

Grisham talked about Bourne being a young athlete trying to make his mark, whereas some of the other young superstars are never heard from again. Ouch. Striker talked about Bourne's background in St. Louis, but him also getting his training with Dragon's Gate in Japan. Striker is earning more and more points with his commentary in each match. Bourne made a comeback with a strike kick, then he nailed the stand-still moonsault for a nearfall. Bourne followed with a nice DDT before going up top and nailing the beautiful Shooting Star Press for the pin and the win. Chavo, selling his own injuries from Smackdown, could only hop onto the apron and point his finger at Bourne after the match.

WINNER: Bourne in 3:00. Bourne continues to impress each week, and he's certainly making the most of his current opportunity. He's an instant breath of fresh air, which WWE is slowly starting to capitalize on while assuredly testing Bourne's mentality to see how he responds to the sudden success and TV push. (*1/4)

3 -- FINLAY (w/Hornswoggle) vs. ARMANDO ESTRADA

A minute into the match, Mike Knox came out on stage looking very upset with Finlay. Striker with the point that Knox is confusing the "E" in WWE (the Summerslam promotional video of Finlay dancing with Hornswoggle) with Finlay being a tough fighter in the ring. Finlay dominated the first three minutes, but he took his eye off the ball to stare down Knox, allowing Armando to whip him hard across the bottom rope to take control. Finlay let Armando get his offense in, but then he put him in position for the Celtic Cross and stared down Knox. He then delivered the finisher and covered Armando for the win without taking his eye off Knox.

Afterward, Finlay called for Knox to join him in the ring, but Knox opted to head backstage. Finlay and Hornswoggle put the "E" in WWE with an Irish jig before bringing a youngster into the ring to dance with them.

WINNER: Finlay in 5:00. Fine TV match to continue building the Finlay-Knox feud that has the slightest potential of becoming something interesting on TV each week. Slightest. But, it gives Finlay something to focus on each week. (*)

4 -- ECW champion MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas) & MATT HARDY vs. THE MIZ & JOHN MORRISON

Striker added some good points that Hardy has an opportunity to get a different look at Henry prior to challenging for the gold at Summerslam. Henry started things off and took apart the former tag champs. Hardy then slipped into the ring to show he has Henry's back, with Henry slowly turning around to stare down Hardy, who quietly slipped back to the apron. They cut to break.

Hardy and Henry took turns working over Morrison coming out of the break. They showed a spot from during the break of Henry throwing Morrison high into the air before Morrison crashed to the mat. Striker pointed out that Atlas is keeping a close eye on Hardy to presumably get a scouting report on Hardy for Summerslam. Striker's analytical approach to calling the action is very refreshing to make the action seem like a sporting event. Miz and Morrison cornered Hardy in their corner to work him over as the crowd tried to rally behind him. Hardy blocked a corner move with the side effect from the second rope. Henry wanted a hot tag, but Hardy covered Morrison for the surprise win. Finish just kind of came out of nowhere.

Post-match: Henry slid into the ring to take the glory for the victory, as he quickly dumped Miz and Morrison out of the ring. Henry celebrated with his arm raised in victory, then Henry and Atlas helped up Hardy, who was still selling injuries from the tag work. Henry then put an end to the temporary friendship with a giant slam on the ECW Title belt. Hardy writhed in pain like a fish out of water, then Henry and Atlas smiled and celebrated to end the show.

WINNERS: Henry & Hardy in 8:00. Very odd finish to this one with the pin seemingly coming out of nowhere. It looked rough, but in principle, it was a good finish to change it up from the usual tag team formula of always having a hot tag to set up the finish. Henry put a nice touch on the Summerslam build-up to set up the ECW Title match. Overall fine for the intended purpose. (*1/2)

Arcademan:
TNA Impact! Results: 8-14-08

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

1. Christian Cage and Rhino defeated The Rock 'N Rave Infection (with Christy Hemme) in 4:37. Cage and Rhino worked well together. Rhino hit a belly to belly suplex on Rock. The heels double teamed Rhino for a few nearfalls. Rhino turned it around with a spinebuster on Rave. Cage received the hot tag and hit a series of moves. Rhino gored Rave and Cage followed with a frogsplash for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Nice win for Cage and Rhino. If they commit to keeping them together, they could be a welcome addition to the tag team division.

2. Matt Morgan defeated Johnny Devine in 1:40. Devine did not receive an introduction. Morgan crotched himself on the top rope, which was Devine's only offense. Morgan hit the Hellevator for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Same old stuff.

3. Sheik Abdul Bashir defeated Black Machismo in 4:25. Sheik cut a promo in his native language before speaking in English. He gave a great promo about how he came here and grabbed the American Dream while others waited for their handouts. The promo took a turn for the worse when he said, "I do not love Lady America; I love raping her."...

Lethal hit an impressive Suicide Dive onto Bashir. He scored a nearfall with a top rope double axe handle. Bashir turned the tides quickly and hit multiple reverse neckbreakers for a nearfall.

Bashir attempted to slow things down with a reverse chinlock. Lethal sped up the pace of the match with multiple closelines. Lethal hit the rolling cradle suplex for a long two count. Bashir took a screwdriver looking apparatus out of his boot and hit Lethal in the neck. He hit the WMD (a DDT with Lethal on his knees) for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Decent match but I would have rather Bashir win a few matches on his own before cheating to win.

4. Team 3D defeated Samoa Joe and Kevin Nash by DQ when the referee reversed the original decision in 10:06. Joe and Devon started the match. Joe started working hard very early but Devon and Brother Ray were able to slow things down and double team Joe. Joe regained the advantage on Ray before tagging in Nash. Nash remained on the offensive as the show went to commercial...

Team 3D worked on Nash's knee as Joe looked on with concern. West said Nash was in the gym everyday but could not help his knee injuries. In the gym everyday? That is the funniest thing I have heard all day. Joe finally received the hot tag and took out both members of Team 3D. Joe locked in the rear naked choke on Devon for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Solid match. Joe looked fantastic tonight.

After the match, Joe grabbed a chair and attacked Devon. Nash tried to stop Joe but he could not. Joe punched Earl Hebner and Hebner reversed the decision, giving Team 3D the win by disqualification. Tenay wondered what Joe would do if his temper cost him the TNA World Heavyweight Championship...

Twill's Two Cents: If the referee reversed the decision and gave the other team (person) a win by DQ, Joe would not lose the title anyway.

5. Taylor Wilde defeated Christy Hemme with Traci Brooks as the special guest referee in a non-title match in 3:28. Taylor tied up Christy right away with her mat wrestling skills. Christy hit a Jackie Gayda-like bulldog. That was bad.

Hemme remained on offense for longer than anyone expected. Taylor scored the win with a German Suplex with a bridge...

Awesome Kong and Raisha Saeed came down to the ring. Kong beat the hell out of Taylor until Traci pulled her off. She was met with a chokeslam. Raisha took care of Taylor. Kong set up a chair but Gail Kim hit the ring. Katie Kim, Gail's sister, looked concerned at ringside in the stands. Gail dropkicked a chair into Kong's face and nailed her with an unprotected shot. Kong took off and Gail celebrated...

Twill's Two Cents: This worked for me as long as Kong gets the belt off of Taylor. I hate unprotected chairshots. They are not necessary and nobody should be taking them.

6. Hernandez (with Hector Guerrero and Salinas) defeated James Storm (with Robert Roode and Jacqueline) in 5:05. Hernandez hit the very impressive Suicide Dive over the top rope early in the match. West talked about the "numbers game" when Storm gained the advantage, even though both guys had the same amount of backup.

Hernandez gained the advantage after hitting an Electric Chair. He hit a full nelson suplex and Storm landed awkwardly on his head. Roode broke up an attempted Border Toss. Storm went to the top and jumped at Hernandez. Hernandez caught him and hit a sit down power bomb for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Short, but solid match to progress this feud.

7. A.J. Styles defeated Kurt Angle in an Olympic gold medal challenge to win Kurt Angle's Olympic gold medal. Angle scored a two point takedown right away. He took Styles down again within the first minute. The first period ended with Angle ahead 6-0...

Twill's Two Cents: I do not like matches like this because Styles would lose 100-0 if they did this for real. It is difficult to suspend belief here.

Styles scored four points for scoring a two count on Angle. I guess he received two for the takedown and two for the nearfall. Angle scored two more points but Styles scored four more points at the end of the period. The scored is tied at eight going into the final period...

Angle elbowed Styles in the face but the referee did not see it. Angle had a two point lead going into the final minute. Angle hit a suplex into the referee and closelined Styles. The lights went off and Sting's music played. The lights went back on and Angle had a black bat. The lights went off again and Jeff Jarrett's music played. The lights went back on and Styles hit Angle over the head with a guitar. He pinned Angle and won the gold medal...

Twill's Two Cents: Interesting. I have been a Jeff Jarrett fan since the dying days of WCW (not before that) so I am more intrigued by him than Sting. I am not thrilled with Styles running around with Angle's gold medal, but if it leads to more great matches between the two, I am all for that.

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