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Arcademan:
WWE Smackdown Results: 6-19-09

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

1- JEFF HARDY vs. CHRIS JERICHO

Hardy with a dropkick on Jericho, then a corner clothesline. He missed the corner dropkick however. Abdominal stretch, with the requisite “ask him” included. Hardy hip-tossed out of it. He hit a seated dropkick even though Jericho was laying flat on the mat. Whisper in the Wind connected for two. Jericho rebounded with a Walls of Jericho attempt with no success. Hardy went to the top for a Swanton, but Jericho escaped the ring. Hardy went to jump on him, but Jericho side-step him and Hardy went face-first into the barricade. Jericho threw Hardy back into the ring when one of three men sitting at ringside dressed as Rey Mysterio jumped off the barricade and landed a headscissors on Jericho that sent him face-first into the ringpost. He couldn’t make it back in the ring before the count of ten.

WINNER: Hardy, at 5:05.

-After the match, Hardy hit the Swanton on Jericho.

2- DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. THE GREAT KHALI

Ziggler has new music, for those who are interested in those types of things. Khali grabbed Ziggler’s foot and clotheslined him, then chopped him in the chest. Big boot on Ziggler and this one looked to be over as soon as it started. He got Dolph by the throat, but Dolph went after the legs of Khali. Ranjin Singh got on the apron to argue with the ref. Ziggler got a chair and Khali knocked it out of the air. Ziggler played dead and the ref saw Khali with the chair, so he DQ’d Khali.

WINNER: Ziggler via DQ, at 2:04. Remember when refs could only call stuff they saw?

3- MELINA vs. ALICIA FOX

Tilt-a-whirl back-breaker by Fox after Melina did the Matrix dodge and kick. Fox got Melina down on the mat and into a body-scissors. After stretching Melina some more, Melina came back with her finisher for the win.

WINNER: Melina, at 1:44.

Michelle McCool, who was at ringside for Fox, attacked after the match, including ramming her knee into Melina’s head while Melina was propped against the commentator’s table. McCool said she wouldn’t just beat Melina at The Bash, she was going to humiliate her.

4- EDGE vs. JOHN MORRISON

The match began as the show returned from break. Morrison worked to frustrate Edge early on. Morrison worked the arm with arm-bars and arm-drags as the match began slowly. The tide turned when Edge got a knee-lift in. Edge concentrated on the polished abdominal region of Morrison. Edge went to some heel tactics by choking Morrison in the middle ropes. Morrison made a comeback that ended with a two-count, as Edge caught him on the top rope and dropped him chest-first across the top rope. Morrison was writhing on the outside as the show went to break.

Morrison tried to work out of a waist-lock and did, but was taken back to the mat by Edge. Another waist-lock and Morrison elbowed out. Credit the crowd, they seemed to stay with the match despite it’s slower pace. Morrison with a knee to the face of Edge that garnered him a two-count. Pele kick sent Edge to the floor. He was caught on a baseball slide attempt, but Morrison head-scissored Edge into the ring steps. Flying Chuck Kick missed and Edge locked in the Sharpshooter. Morrison again went on offense and set up Starship Pain, but Edge wasn’t having any of it. After being crotched on the top rope, Morrison rolled up Edge for two, but on the kick-out, his shoulder rammed the ring post. Edge smelled blood and set up for the Spear. Morrison leapt over it and hit the Flying Chuck Kick for two. Moonlight Drive was blocked and Edge hit the Edgecution for two. After missing again with the Starship Pain, Edge speared him and picked up the “W.”

WINNER: Edge, at 16:47. Nothing to complain about here.

5- RICKY ORTIZ & CHARLIE HAAS & SHELTON BENJAMIN vs. R-TRUTH & CRYME TYME

Flying shoulderblock by JTG for a near-fall on Ortiz. Shad came in and a shoulder tackle later, he got a two-count on Ortiz. Shad was a bit overzealous on offense, causing Ortiz to take over. Haas tagged in and continued to work Shad over. Shad finally made the tag to R-Truth, who was stopped in his tracks by Benjamin. Truth went for a pin, but it was broken up by Haas and Ortiz. Things predictably broke down, leaving Truth and Benjamin in the ring. Benjamin got booted in the gut coming off the top and was on the receiving end of a flying, twisting forearm to pick up the victory.

WINNERS: Cryme Tyme & R-Truth, at 4:05.

6- REY MYSTERIO vs. C.M. PUNK

Jericho was on commentary for this match. Rey and Punk shook hands prior to the match. Mysterio dropkicked Punk’s knee, working over the part of the body he injured on Monday night. Punk dropped Mysterio face-first on the top turnbuckle. When the camera was on him, it looked as if Jericho was intently watching the action, even while providing analysis. Punk snuck out of the ring on a 619 attempt. They went to break with Punk holding his head on the outside.

Punk was on offense out of break. Rey was sent high in the air and landed hard on his stomach. Both men were down and the crowd began to chant “619.” Crossbody by Rey for two. Headscissor take-down on Punk. 619 set up, but Punk tossed him over his head. Rey landed on the apron and took Punk down, then Punk came back with a spinning heel kick. Punk struck with his knee, but couldn’t hit the bulldog. He avoided another 619 and Mysterio then got out of a GTS attempt and rolled Punk up for two. Both men were slow to reach their feet. Punk dumped Rey to ringside when Rey held onto the ropes on a GTS try. Jericho saw an opportunity and threw Rey into the ring post. Jericho called it “an eye for an eye.” The official got the count up to nine, but Mysterio made it back in, much to Jericho’s chagrin. Punk went right back on him with a GTS to pick up the pinfall.

WINNER: Punk, at 11:41. Another solid match, as one would expect.

Jeff Hardy came out to argue with the ref about Jericho’s attack and Hardy seemed to lay some blame at the feet of Punk, though he didn’t have a mic. Punk raised the title over his head and limped to the back as fans booed.

Arcademan:
TNA Slammiversary PPV Results: 6-21-09

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

1 -- X Division champion SUICIDE vs. CONSEQUENCES CREED vs. JAY LETHAL vs. ALEX SHELLEY vs. CHRIS SABIN -- X Division Title match -- King of the Mountain match

Everyone ganged up on Suicide to start the match...and the PPV froze again. Goodness gracious. Let's describe this still-shot from left to right. Shelley on the apron pointing to the stands. Suicide on the ground in the ring. Lethal in the middle of the ring sporting his red & white Savage trunks. Sabin pointing to his hand. Creed doing something on the right. Unfroze 45 seconds later with Lethal holding a ladder. Didn't work out, as Suicide smashed all four opponents with the ladder. Suddenly, Lethal was pinned. What the heck? Oh yeah, one of these matches where pins happen that would never happen in any other match during the year. Lethal's in the penalty box. Suicide then scored a chest-breaker on Shelley out of the corner to score a pin. Shelley in the penalty box now. Lethal out in two minutes. Sabin entered with chair in hand to smash Suicide in the head with a chair toss. Lethal followed with the Lethal Combination into the chair. Everyone ganged up on Suicide to cover him. Apparently Lethal, Creed, and Sabin are legal to hang up the title belt since they scored a pin. Or maybe just one of them, Lethal. Shelley then exited the penalty box and all four of them danced in the ring. Cue up some flashy spots with all four men running around the ring for Guns to pop the hometown crowd.

Suicide re-entered the ring after his penalty box time. Meanwhile, Creed pinned Shelley. Two pins on Shelley. Lethal and Creed then did some stuff. Suicide then grappled Sabin and monkey-flipped him onto a ladder propped up in the corner. Suddenly, Sabin came to life and ran up the corner ringpost on top of the penalty box to splash Creed and Suicide on the floor. And we freeze again. Still shot has Creed on the left holding Suicide as he's breaking the fall in the middle with Sabin on the right crashing down onto Suicide. Suicide just taking a beating in this one. A minute later, unfrozen with Lethal surfboarding a ladder in the corner. Interesting. Suicide then suplexed Creed across the ladder, which catapulted Lethal off the ladder into a somersault fall into center ring. Sabin was apparently pinned while frozen, so he re-entered from the penalty box. Sabin smashed Lethal with a Tornado DDT to make him eligible to win. All five are eligible now.

At 15:00, Shelley hit Creed with a running Celtic Cross. Sabin hit Suicide with the Cradle Shock, then he pointed to the sky. Sabin then gabbed the X Title belt from Curtis Granderson to climb the ladder to hang above the ring. Suicide cut him off, though. Sabin came right back with a hesitation basement dropkick to Suicide's head. Lethal then exited the penalty box to cut off Sabin from climbing the ladder. Shelley was knocked to the floor, leaving four men in the ring. Sabin then ate a ladder placed horizontally across the ring apron and guardrail. Shelley baseball slide kicked Suicide into a chair ringside, then he hit a splash onto the floor. Lethal followed with a top rope elbow smash onto Sabin, who was still laying on the ladder.

At 20:00, Shelley superkicked Creed on the ring apron. He then nailed a Sliced Bread running off the apron with Creed eating the apron. Shelley tried Sliced Bread on Suicide by running off the penalty box, but Suicide shoved him off into the guardrail. Suicide grabbed the X Title, then set up the ladder in the ring to heavy boos. Crowd not feeling Suicide retaining. Suicide started climbing the ladder, but Lethal tipped the ladder over and Suicide climbed onto the penalty box. Suddenly, everyone ganged up on the penalty box. Someone's going down. Big intensity as more stuff was set up. Shelley grabbed the title belt in the interim, but Suicide climbed across the penalty box and across the ladder to smash Shelley with a Diamond Cutter. Suicide then grabbed the title belt and climbed the ladder to place the belt on the hook to win the match and disappoint the fans.

WINNER: Suicide at 23:30. First-half of the match was rough with the off-spots, random pins, and the PPV freezing. Second-half was very good with some highspots, teases for Sabin and Shelley, and a finishing sequence that drew some real emotion from the crowd. Balances out to a better-than-usual X Division PPV opener. (***)

2 -- DANIELS vs. SHANE DOUGLAS -- TNA roster spot on the line

Douglas attacked Daniels to start things off. Daniels then went low for a dropkick to the knees to settle into a headlock to ground Douglas. Douglas needed a breather at 3:00, so he slipped to the floor and talked to Don West, who appreciated the strategy. Daniels waited for Douglas to turn around and he nailed a springboard moonsault on the floor. Douglas then reversed a whip into the ring steps to smash Daniels's elbow into the steps. Douglas went to work on Daniels's elbow for a while before starting to throw right hand bombs. I don't think Douglas can extend his elbow, so the punches looked cartoonish. Daniels then ducked a punch jab and landed the STO. He quickly followed with the Best Moonsault Ever for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Daniels at 8:20. Okay undercard match. Douglas looked slow, but he tried to at least work hard. Not the best spot for Daniels to be in, as the match won't be remembered by the next TV. (*1/4)

3 -- Knockouts champion ANGELINA LOVE (w/Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne) vs. TARA -- Knockouts Title match

Tara was in control early on and Angelina went to the floor to regroup. Tara tried to follow, but she was caught in a BP trap to give Angelina control back in the ring. Angelina then dumped Tara to the floor to allow MadSky to attack Tara while Angelina distracted ref Rudy. Back in the ring, Tara fought back with right hand blows before nailing a spinning back slam. She didn't make a pin, though, and suddenly went into Black Widow turn-the-neck mode. Tara went to the floor and measured Velvet for some random right hand smashes. Back in the ring, Angelina gave Tara a superkick. MadSky then sprayed Tara in the face with hairspray with the ref distracted allowing Angelina to pin Tara and retain the KO Title.

WINNER: Angelina Love at 7:05. Basic TNA women's match with outside interference and referee incompetence. Not particularly memorable. Felt like there was more of an opportunity to have a stand-out women's match, but they put together a basic undercard match. (*)

4 -- RAVEN & DAFFNEY (w/Dr. Stevie) vs. ABYSS & TAYLOR WILDE -- Monster's Ball match

Hey, look, we're back joined in progress about seven minutes later. We've got Taylor kicking Daffney on the floor. Abyss and Raven were brawling off to the side. Either Daffney is bleeding or her make-up is running. Taylor then climbed on top of a speaker on the entrance stage and landed a splash through a table on Daffney. Raven was...not bleeding. Abyss was...not bleeding. Shock. Camera focused on Raven and Abyss as they moved into the ring. Here's Abyss with the bag of tacks, but Dr. Stevie slipped into the ring for a chair shot to the head on Abyss. For seeming like a smart dude in interviews, Abyss continues to be dumb taking chair shots to the head every month. Abyss came up bleeding and Raven gave Abyss a drop toehold into the chair. Women moved to ringside where Daffney smashed Taylor's hands with a cookie sheet. That's going to hurt the Tweet hand. Back in the ring, Abyss made a comeback and smashed Raven with weapon shots. Abyss chokeslammed Raven, but Dr. Stevie ran interference to prevent a pin. Raven then accidentally trash can shot Richards and Abyss launched Taylor off the top with a splash onto Raven. Stevie ran interference on the ref again.

Abyss then spread out tacks across the ring before Daffney tried to attack Abyss. He no-sold, then Daffney realized she was trapped between the tacks and Taylor. Daffney then ran into Taylor, who press-slammed Daffney back-first into the tacks. Crazy spot that popped the crowd. Daffney freaked, then Taylor tried to pin Daffney, but Richards broke up the pin. Abyss then wanted to finish off Richards, but Raven smashed Abyss with a chair shot. Raven followed with a DDT into the chair and Raven covered Abyss, but he kicked out. Abyss quickly recovered and gave Raven a Black Hole Slam into the tacks. No one wins with that. Abyss sold tacks in his forearms, then he covered Raven for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Abyss & Daffney in ???. Missed the first however much of the match due to PPV Freezegate, but a crazy good finish. Not a fan of these bump & junk matches, but this had some good moments involving Dr. Stevie, who plays his character so great. Daffney and Taylor stole the show a little bit here from what I saw. (**1/2)

Arcademan:
Okay, apparently Caldwell is having problems with his PPV provider so I'm switching over to ProWrestling.net and Jason Powell's ongoing report for the duration.

5. Sting pinned Matt Morgan in 10:00 The stipulation was that Morgan could take control of the Main Event Mafia by defeating Sting. They fought to ringside early and Morgan picked up Sting by the legs and flung him into the guardrail. Once the wrestlers were back in the ring, Tenay said Team 3D had just arrived at the building. It seems like they're giving them one big excuse for losing by making such a fuss over it throughout the show.

Morgan was dominant early, but Sting came back and hit a missile dropkick at 7:00. He stood up and pounded his chest as the crowd applauded. Morgan came right back and went for the Hellevator, but Sting slipped out. It looked like Sting was supposed to hit the Scorpion Death Drop coming out of the Hellevator, but he slipped. He stood up and hit the move a moment later for a near fall.

At 8:40, Sting applied the Scorpion Leg Lock, but Morgan immediately powered out. Sting came right back by hitting the Scorpion Death Drop off the second rope for the clean pin.

Powell's POV: Sloppy at the end. The live crowd groaned when Sting missed the first Scorpion Death Drop, but they still popped for the finish. So far, it's been a very predictable pay-per-view as far as the results go.

6. Beer Money defeated Team 3D to win the TNA Tag Titles in 17:00. Rather than build up the two best tag teams in the company, Tenay and West spent the first few minutes doing babyface play-by-play vs. heel color commentator schtick. Sigh. Back and forth action to start. Brother Ray performed a nasty release suplex on Roode at 4:30. He got up slowly, but appeared to be fine.

At 8:10, Brother Ray hit the Bubba Bomb on Roode. Team 3D was in control of the match and set up for 3D, but Storm recovered and blocked the move by taking out Ray. They dumped Storm to ringside and hit the Whassup spot. Ray got the live crowd to chant "Get the tables." Devon obliged by setting up a table at ringside. However, Storm recovered and attacked Devon. Back inside the ring, Roode hit a spinebuster on Ray for a nearfall.

Beer Money performed the "Beer Money" routine and a decent number of fans chanted along. The British Invasion walked to ringside, which drew "USA" chants from the crowd. Doug Williams and Brutus Magnus sat down and joined the announcers on commentary while Rob Terry stood behind them.

The British Invasion joined right in on the Tenay vs. West antics while the wrestlers in the ring continued to work their tails off. At 14:30, it appeared Team 3D were setting up for a Doomsday Device, but Roode ended up hitting a Backstabber on Ray. At 15:30, Team 3D hit the Doomsday Device on Roode for a near fall.

Storm accidentally spat beer into the eyes of his partner. Rob Terry climbed onto the ring apron and distracted the referee while Team 3D hit their finisher. After some commotion with British Invasion, Beer Money hit the DWI on Devon and scored the pin to become new tag team champions...

Powell's POV: The outcome was ridiculously foreshadowed. Did they really have to give Team 3D so many excuses? At least they didn't give them all the excuses in the world to lose only to have them "defy the odds" like WWE has done with John Cena in his matches with Big Show. Good in-ring action, but the announcers were really annoying. Heel West is funny at times, but they really need to pick their spots better. There was no need to break into the heel vs. babyface antics during this match.

7. Kurt Angle defeated Mick Foley, Samoa Joe, Jeff Jarrett, and A.J. Styles in a King of the Mountain match for the TNA Title in 21:30. Once Foley was announced, the live crowd popped. However, it was because Joe put on a Red Wings jersey. Joe attacked Angle before the bell. The two referees counted. They put Joe in the penalty box to start the match and ruled that Angle is eligible to put the title on the hook. Um, okay.

Early in the match, Jarrett pinned Foley. The best referee in the world (or world's best best buddy) Mark Johnson didn't count to three at first. He finally counted to three. Foley stood up and clapped and took his spot in the box. Jarrett is eligible, and Foley was intentionally pinned. Foley hollered to the announcers it was part of his plan to take "a little rest-a-roonie."

At 5:30, Joe locked Foley in the Kokina Clutch while the other three wrestlers fought at ringside. Think about how much that would have meant if Joe and Foley had fought in an actual match in ROH a few years ago. Unfortunately, it didn't mean much in TNA. Joe choked out Foley, so Joe is eligible and Foley went back to the box.

At 9:00, Joe made the first play to hang the belt, but Foley knocked the ladder over and Joe took a nasty spill. Joe came down on the ladder, which was shot after that. Jarrett picked it up and tossed it at Angle at ringside. Jarrett brought another ladder inside the ring and made his first play to hang the belt. Angle came in and low-blowed Jarrett.

At 12:30, Jarrett smacked Angle over the head with his guitar. Jeff climbed the ladder to hang the belt. Foley followed and then asked Jeff to punch him. They traded punches until Styles springboarded off the ropes and dropkicked the ladder, which fell on top of him. Styles came up holding his back in pain.

At 14:00, Foley and Styles fought onto the top of the penalty box. Styles teased throwing Foley off the box and onto the announcers table in a Hell in a Cell takeoff, but Foley tossed Styles back inside the ring for a big bump. A short time later, Angle hit the Angle Slam on Jarrett. Foley leapt off the penalty box and nailed an elbow drop on Angle and then scored a near fall. Wow!

Tenay reminded viewers that Styles was the only person who wasn't eligible to hang the belt. Around 17:00, Styles pinned Foley at ringside, so Foley went to the box and Styles became eligible. Jarrett made a play to hang the belt. Styles cut him off and then Angle grabbed Jarrett's leg. Jarrett leapt off the ladder and DDT'd Angle.

At 18:45, all five wrestlers ended up back in the ring. Foley rammed the belt into Styles's head. Foley went toward Joe, who kicked the belt back in his face. Joe climbed the ladder with the belt, but Styles stopped him. A.J. ended up with the title belt around his neck and frantically tried to climb the ladder, but Joe stopped him.

At 20:30, Styles threw Joe toward the ropes and he dove onto Jarrett and Foley. Angle grabbed Styles, but A.J. countered with a Styles Clash. Styles climbed the ladder, but Joe grabbed him from behind and powerbombed him.

Joe, who had the belt, and Angle climbed the belt simultaneously. Joe teased hitting Angle with the belt and then smiled. Joe handed Angle the belt. Angle hung the belt on the hook to win the match and become the new TNA Champion. Angle leaned down and kissed the side of Joe's head.

Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner, Booker T, and Sharmell walked onto the stage and clapped. West said it made perfect sense that Joe got himself intentionally disqualified at the start of the match to make Angle eligible. WTF? Tenay said it was ironic that Joe would stab the other TNA Originals in the back on the company's seventh anniversary. West yelled, "Happy Anniversary, everybody" to close the show...

Powell's POV: I hate the finish. Why did Joe beat the shit out of the other Mafia members over the last few weeks? West's explanation about Joe attacking Kurt at the start of the match was ridiculous because there's no way they could have known how the referees would have responded. I don't mind a Joe heel turn, but I hate the "only in TNA" swerve.

Arcademan:
WWE RAW Results: 6-22-09

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

1 -- JEFF HARDY & REY MYSTERIO & GREAT KHALI (w/Runjin Singh) vs. EDGE & CHRIS JERICHO & DOLPH ZIGGLER

Action started hot with Jeff clearing the heels to the floor, then Khali launched Rey off his shoulders for a 12-foot splash onto the heels. Khali then teased a giant splash off the top, which would have brought the house and ring down, but Jericho cut him off from behind. They have a countdown clock until Hunter vs. Orton, which is a nice touch. Edge and Jericho ran interference on Rey, allowing Jericho to cut off a 619 from Rey. Punk wanted to know what's the deal with the chicken. Don't think it's free range. Heels dominated Rey, but Rey avoided a dropkick and kicked Edge in the head. Hardy then came in with a hot tag on Dolph to get in some offense. Hardy then found a spear out of nowhere from Edge. Khali tried to make him pay, but Jericho blocked with a codebreaker of sorts. Edge with a spear of sorts on Khali, whose body is tough to move. Rey then hit the 619 on Edge before hitting a moonsault onto Jericho on the floor. Back in the ring, chaos led to a Twist of Fate on Dolph. Hardy then went up top and nailed the Swanton Bomb for the pin and the win. Ross suggested Hardy could do that on Sunday, but Punk said there's no way he's losing the belt at The Bash.

WINNERS: Team Hardy at 5:15. Fine, high-energy match to focus on Hardy vs. Punk for Sunday. Rey vs. Jericho had decent focus as well. Edge seemed to be lost in the shuffle. Overall, good "sum of the parts" opening match. (*1/2)

Post-match: Punk slipped into the ring with title belt in hand to have a chat with Hardy. Punk raised Hardy's hand in victory, but Hardy thought it was the ref raising his hand. He turned around and shoved Punk's hand away in disgust. Hardy then went to the floor to have a stare down with Punk, who held his title belt high.

2 -- PRIMO COLON (w/Carlito) vs. CODY RHODES (w/Ted DiBiase, Jr.)

Tag title match preview for Sunday started with some basic mat holds between Primo and Cody. 13 minutes until Orton vs. Hunter. Match moved to the floor at 2:00 where DiBiase stalked Primo. Back in the ring, Cody smashed Primo with a kick beneath the chin into a Russian legsweep for a nearfall. Primo then came back with a turnaround splash off the second rope, but Cody rolled through and hooked Carlito's baggy orange pants out of sight of the ref for the pin and the win. Legacy with the leg-up on the tag champs going into the PPV.

WINNER: Cody Rhodes at 3:53. Match was just okay. Fine set-up for The Bash. (*)

3 -- WWE champion RANDY ORTON vs. TRIPLE H -- WWE Title match -- Last Man Standing

Hunter quickly knocked Orton to the outside in the opening seconds and Orton began selling a shoulder injury to play up Hunter's previous damage to Orton's shoulder. Back in the ring, Hunter teased the Pedigree, but Orton blocked and dumped Hunter to the floor. Hunter selling a left knee injury. Action then moved over the guardrail into the front row with Hunter in control. Hunter beat the crap out of Orton with right hand punches, but Orton lured Hunter into a back drop over the guardrail to the floor.

Orton regained control and went to work on Hunter's left knee again. Orton then picked up the ring steps and smashed Hunter in the face with Hunter blocking slightly with his hands. Match moved back into the ring where Orton began stomping on Hunter's leg. Orton wrapped Hunter's leg around the ringpost, then he grabbed a steel chair, but Hunter kicked the chair into Orton's face. Orton brushed it off, though, and popped Hunter across the face with a chair. Not a clean blow, but anything chair-related above the shoulders should be a no-no. Hunter got up at an eight count and Orton started clearing the announce table. Orton took too long and Hunter low-blowed him. Hunter teased a Pedigree on the table, but Orton blocked and surprised Hunter with an RKO onto the face of the table. Table didn't break. That's a sturdy table. Hunter made it up at nine, then back body dropped Orton onto the table. Still didn't break. Hunter then grabbed a TV monitor and smashed Orton in the face.

At 11:00, the match moved across the ringside area to the entrance ramp. Hunter rammed Orton head-first into the barricade along the entrance ramp, then he gave Orton a spinebuster on the ramp. Hunter still selling that left knee. Orton got up at nine, then Hunter teased the Pedigree again, but Orton back dropped Hunter onto the ramp. Both men reached their feet on the ten count before moving the brawl to the floor below the entrance ramp. Orton then teased the RKO, but Hunter shoved Orton over a temporary barricade near the electrical area. That's some serious limited view seating. A crew guy was wiped out in the process and the ref called for a trainer.

Orton introduced a ladder into the proceedings and he put Hunter's left leg inside the ladder to begin stomping and stomping away on the ladder with the knee instead. Huge crowd heat against Orton as Hunter screamed in pain. Ref began his ten count as Lawler suggested Hunter live to fight another day. Orton stopped the ten count, though, and slowly pulled Hunter up to his feet. Hunter unable to stand as Orton dragged him up a few rungs of the ladder. He tried an RKO, but Hunter shoved him off out of desperation. Hunter suddenly came to life and nailed a Pedigree on the stage. Hunter sold the left knee as the ref began a ten count on both men. Hunter tried to pull himself up with the ladder as Orton was KO'ed, but Hunter couldn't make his feet and the ref reached a ten count. Post-match: Refs helped Hunter up to walk to the back, but he got one last stomp in on Orton, who remained out cold but still WWE champion.

WINNER: Draw at 20:05. Very physical, grueling match that gave TV viewers everything they could expect to see on pay TV on Sunday. Great drama playing up the Orton vs. Hunter feud. Not worth spending money to see a re-match on Sunday, but a great 20 minutes of TV to watch live on free TV. (***1/2)

4 -- MICKIE JAMES & BRIE BELLA & NIKKI BELLA vs. Divas champion MARYSE & BETH PHOENIX & ROSA MENDES

Heel divas worked over the Bellas early on in the match to build up to Mickie's hot tag and comeback. Mickie cleaned house on Rosa, then knocked Maryse off the apron, but Beth interjected. Action broke down with the Bellas clearing Beth out of the ring. Chaos then settled down and Mickie was left in the ring with Rosa to smash her with a superkick for the pin. Afterward, Maryse tried to snip at Mickie's heels, but Mickie sent her away. Maryse then directed her frustrations toward Rosa for losing again.

WINNERS: Team Mickie at 5:00. More build-up to the eventual Maryse vs. Mickie match again. Fine match with WWE giving them a decent amount of time this week. (*)

5 -- JOHN CENA vs. BIG SHOW

Cena landed an early shoulder tackle that knocked Show to the floor. Cena didn't have control for long, as Show blasted him back in the ring with a spear that took the life out of Cena and the crowd. Show off his feet for a spear was quite the sight. Show wanted the "hush the crowd" frying pan chop to the chest, but Cena escaped only to take an overhead release powerbomb that Show's started using recently. Cena rolled to the floor to recover, then Show beat him up some more back in the ring.

Cena tried to get his legs back under him and he avoided a big butt bomb in the corner. Show brick-walled him, though, and went back on the attack. In other words, Show picked up the "do a move, walk around, move, walk around" pace. Cena then blocked another corner splash and knocked down Show before hitting a top rope guillotine smash. Cena hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle, but then Show popped up and hit a chokeslam in center ring for a nearfall. Show stepped on Cena's chest, then he went to the corner and teased a Vader Bomb before connecting. Splat. Lawler wanted to know why Show didn't cover him for the win. Show then rolled Cena to center ring and prepared to mount him for the Camel Clutch, but Cena slipped underneath Show and slapped on the STF. He got it locked on finally. Crowd exploded. Suddenly, Miz showed up ringside to distract Cena. Cena fought him off, though, and had the FU on Show, but Miz shoved Show on top of Cena. Ref didn't see it, as Show's size blocked his view. Show with the cover for the win.

Post-match: Miz slipped into the ring and stood tall over Cena. He then mocked Cena with the "You Can't See Me" hand wave over Cena's fallen body. There was a little girl facing the hard camera with a pro-Miz sign that the camera slowly pulled away. That was great.

WINNER: Show at 10:25. Just the same Cena vs. Show match we've seen before, except for Show winning. Gives Cena vs. Miz some juice for Sunday. Could be a sleeper to sell some PPV buys if anyone wants to spend $40 after getting a free PPV without commercials tonight. (*1/2)

And oh yeah...so much for Trump owning RAW...Vince 'bought' it back. TIME WASTE!

Arcademan:
ECW on SciFi Results: 6-23-09

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

1 -- EVAN BOURNE vs. TYSON KIDD (w/David Hart Smith and Natalya)

A minute into the match, referee reprimanded Smith and Natalya for giving the appearance they were going to try to get involved in the action. He then ejected them from ringside to get a reaction out of the crowd. After the heels argued the call, Bourne took Kidd to the floor and hit a dive. Vocal "E-C-Dub" chant from the ringside fans. Don't hear that very often anymore. Back in the ring, Kidd landed a kick to the taped ribs to begin working over Bourne on the mat. Pace quickened as Bourne came back with a running head scissors for a two count. Bourne landed a roundhouse kick to the gut, then he quickly went up top to hit the Shooting Star Press for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Bourne in 5:00. Match left a lot to be desired giving them only five minutes. Seemed like there was about ten more minutes left in both men to put together a stand-out TV match. Kidd didn't benefit from this match, as he wasn't given much time for an offensive display before taking a clean loss. (*1/2)

2 -- FINLAY vs. ZACK RYDER

Match was joined in progress with Ryder begging off from Finlay. Ryder then picked up a bit of offense working on Finlay's mid-section before both men butted heads mid-ring. Ryder capitalized with a boot to the head before driving a boot to Finlay's throat. Ryder then settled into a headlock trying to ground Finlay into the mat. Finlay was bruised up over the right eye at this point and Ryder continued his attack on the injured area. Ryder tried another knee to the eye, but Finlay blocked and started his comeback. He landed the Rolling Hills drop out of the fireman's carry position before giving Ryder a back body drop. Ryder then slipped him throat-first across the middle rope. Ref checked on Finlay, who sold the eye injury. Ryder tried to remove the top turnbuckle in the process, but ref reprimanded him. Finlay then rolled up Ryder and the ref came back around to count a three count for Finlay. Post-match: Ryder grabbed his Woo Woo Woo hair in disgust after being one-upped by one-eyed Finlay, who was sporting heavy swelling over his eye.

WINNER: Finlay in 7:00. Good singles match. This was a good step for Ryder working with Finlay, who works well in his role of enhancing younger talent as the mid-card measuring stick. Ryder continues to look more and more credible as a heel after having a few matches recently to get in his offense and show he can hang in the ring. (*3/4)

3 -- ECW champion TOMMY DREAMER & CHRISTIAN vs. JACK SWAGGER & MARK HENRY (w/Tony Atlas)

Dreamer took an early beating from Swagger and Henry. Striker made a Notorious B.I.G. reference and Mathews shot back that he was popular in the late '90s, suggesting Striker needs updated material. Christian then tagged in and dumped Swagger to the floor. Christian landed a splash on the floor for another "E-C-Dub" chant from the ringside fans. Cut to break with Christian in control.

Back from break, Christian and Swagger were battling, then Dreamer tagged in and hung Swagger upside down in the corner. Dreamer wanted an E-C-W basement dropkick and he connected. Henry then jumped Dreamer from behind with the ref occupied with Christian, allowing Swagger to take control. Swags and Henry then exchanged tags wearing down Dreamer.

Match continued with Henry brick-walling Dreamer, then Dreamer broke free on Swagger to tag in Christian. Henry also tagged in and Christian tried to knock him off his feet. It took a missile dropkick to get Henry on the mat for a two count. Christian then tried a sunset flip, but Swagger blind-tagged in for Henry. Swagger tried a gutwrench on Christian, but Christian countered with a roll-up for a two count. Christian then hit the Killswitch on Swagger, but Atlas put Swagger's foot under the bottom rope to prevent a three count. Dreamer took out Atlas on the floor, but Henry squashed Christian into the ringpost. Henry rolled Christian back into the ring and Swagger hit the gutwrench powerbomb on Christian for the pin and the win.

Post-match: Swagger flashed a grin to the hard camera with blood coming off his lip. In the background, Henry gave Dreamer a World's Strongest Slam. He then grabbed Swagger and gave him a World's Strongest Slam for good measure. Don't ever blind tag into a match! Henry walked off in full control going into Sunday for the ECW Title.

WINNERS: Swagger & Henry in 13:00. Fine main event to set up the ECW Title match on Sunday. Predictable set-up with Henry in control to make it seem like Dreamer's in jeopardy of losing the title on Sunday. Swagger continues to look impressive as usual each week. Christian continues to be a top babyface on ECW, but not in a position to be a star on the show. (**)

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