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Arcademan:
WWE Superstars Results: 1-14-10

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

1 -- PRIMO & GAIL KIM vs. CHAVO GUERRERO & JILLIAN HALL

Chavo was the aggressor early on and worked over Primo in the heel corner before Gail and Jillian tagged in for their respective teams. Jillian took control and worked over Gail before bringing in Chavo, which forced Primo to enter. Chavo wanted the Three Amigos suplexes, but Primo blocked a third one. Chavo took control anyways, and Gail broke up a pin attempt. Chavo then cornered Gail and feigned going after her, which allowed Primo to sneak up behind Chavo to roll him up for a pin following a dropkick to the jaw from Gail. Well, look at that, Primo and Gail in the win column. They celebrated the victory post-match before the show went to break.

WINNERS: Primo & Gail in 5:00. Fine warm-up match getting some stars on TV and putting the likeable babyface Gail in peril before Primo scored the pin to start the show on a feel-good note. (*)

2 -- CHRIS MASTERS (w/Eve) vs. CARLITO

The bell sounded and Masters cold-cocked Carlito with a right hand. That should have been the end of the match, but the match continued with Carlito regaining control on the floor after suckering Masters into his trap. Cole and Lawler sounded like announcers at a Mr. Universe bodybuilding contest quietly talking about Masters's assets as he made a babyface comeback. Carlito then surprised Masters with a dropkick to the back before flashing a cocky smile. He then charged Masters, but Masters moved and Carlito ate the corner turnbuckles. Masters then telegraphed and applied the Masterlock center ring, which drew a submission after ten seconds. Cue up the MasterEve celebration.

WINNER: Masters in 3:00. It was there, then over. The take-away point for Carlito was creating a memorable impression for viewers with some good facial expressions throughout the match. In a WWE environment where wins and losses don't really mean much in these types of matches, it's about standing out and creating a lasting impression. Carlito won in that regard. (n/a)

3 -- MIKE KNOX & CHARLIE HAAS vs. SLAM MASTER J & JIMMY WANG YANG

In a battle of teams and wrestlers that simply do not win matches, Team J started off with control until Knox ran over SMJ with a brick wall-like splash. Knox then brought in Haas, who stretched SMJ's body. Knox re-entered and pounded on SMJ. Haas re-entered and stretched SMJ, who finally teased that hot tag to Yang and connected after ducking underneath Haas. Yang went wild on the heels before scoring a one count on Haas when Knox broke up a pin attempt. SMJ then cleared Knox to the outside before nailing a plancha on the floor. Back in the ring, Yang caught Haas in the corner and came off the top with a moonsault that grazed Haas on the shoulder to score the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Yang & SMJ in 4:00. And Knox still can't pick up a win. Knox and Haas make a nice little tag team based on this match with some nice, fast-paced, in-and-out tag team action working over SMJ. It was good to see Yang and SMJ in the win column for once, although WWE needs to be building up some strong heel tandems they can feed to DX for a one-off match. (*1/4)

4 -- ECW champion CHRISTIAN vs. WILLIAM REGAL -- non-title match

The announcers sold this as a "learning opportunity" for Jackson before his title shot against Christian at the Royal Rumble. The learning opportunity quickly ended when Jackson was booted from ringside when the ref spotted him attempting outside interference. Regal sold concern as they cut to break.

Back from break, Regal and Christian exchanged control before Regal knocked Christian off the ring apron and Christian ate the mat neck-first. They slow-motion replayed Christian eating the mat neck-first, which was slightly uncomfortable considering head/neck issues in pro wrestling. Back in the ring, Regal aggressively went after Christian before Christian blocked a corner attack and hit a leaping cross-body splash for a two count. Christian followed with a top rope missile dropkick for another two count. Christian then went up top again and missed with a diving headbutt (ugh landing on the neck). Regal then landed forearms to the back of the head before measuring Christian for a running knee smash, but Christian ducked and caught Regal with a kick to the gut. Regal tried to come back with a sunset flip with rope leverage, but the ref saw it and stopped his three count.

In the confusion, Christian to hit the Killswitch, but Regal slipped out and applied the Regal Stretch. Christian escaped, but Regal smashed him with a forearm to the face. Regal tried to follow with a double underhook suplex, but Christian blocked, ducked underneath Regal, and hit the Killswitch for the pin and the win. Well done. Post-match: Christian stood tall with possession of the ECW Title. After replays of the high points in the match, they closed the show with Christian holding up the ECW Title center ring.

WINNER: Christian in 13:00. Solid TV main event with a very strong final three minutes of counters, reversals, and high-impact moves. Christian and Regal have great chemistry being able to go full-speed without holding back in the ring. Nice match worth catching on the DVR. (**1/4)

Arcademan:
TNA Impact! Results: 1-14-10

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

(1)ALEX SHELLEY & CHRIS SABIN vs. GENERATION ME

Some guy, “Max”, does a bit of decent chain wrestling with Sabin. Shelley tags in just long enough to work a quick double team. “Jeremy” tries to interfere, but gets caught with stereo kicks to the head. Shelley tags in and works a headlock on Max, till he powers out. We go to a split-screen shot of the nWo walking around. Like with the cutaways to Flair last week, I'm not digging the symbolism. Max suddenly elevates Shelley over the ropes with a back body drop, then flips over Sabin for some type of Moonsault-style float over Neck Breaker—who is this guy? Jeremy tags in and keeps Shelley from reentering, catches Sabin with an Inverted Atomic Drop, then slides out the apron and hits a Moonsault on Shelley in one fast motion. He comes in with a Slingshot X Factor onto Sabin for a long two count. I thought they had it. Sabin fights out of the corner with a boot and an Ensuguri, but when he goes for a Bulldog on Jeremy Max Superkicks his head off. Sabin fights his way back with a couple of arm wrenches and tags in Shelley. Shelley enters with a side kick off the top rope, but he misses with a German Suplex attempt and gets whacked by a Spear. Generation Me hit a simultaneous Frog Splash/Standing Moonsault; Sabin breaks up the cover at two, then gets tossed from the ring. Shelley flights out of the corner with a Flat Liner to Max into the middle turnbucke, and Sabin comes in with a Cross Body Block onto Jeremy. The Guns work a double team for a two count, broken up by Jeremy, who again tosses Sabin from the ring. Shelley goes for Sliced Bread #2, but Max shoves him into a Superkick from a returning Jeremy. They Oklahoma Roll Shelley into the corner, then hit him with a 450 Splash and a Moonsault off the top rope in rapid succession—and that's all she wrote.

WINNERS: Generation Me. I'm all for upsets, but did it have to be on the back of the Guns?

(2)MADISON RAYNE & VELVET SKY vs. HAMADA & AWESOME KONG
Non-title match

Hamada locks up with Velvet Sky to start. The ref breaks it up, and Velvet Sky takes advantage, yanking Hamada down by the hair. She stands her up and Bulldogs her back down for two. She tags in Rayne, who connects with some shoulder thrusts in the corner. Sky tags back in. They look for a double team Russian Leg Sweep, but take a second to taunt Kong first. That gives Hamada the chance to slip out and make the tag. This won't go well for the Beautiful People. Kong stacks them up in the corner, splashes them, and then kills Rayne with an Awesome Bomb.

WINNERS: Awesome Kong and Hamada in two minutes. After the match everyone goes to check on Rayne, including Angelina Love.

The crowd's glad to see Love...and maybe I called this one right, cause she just kicked down Von Erich and Speared Sky out of her boots. Love zeroes in on Sky, following her out and whipping her into the guard rail. On her way backstage she comments about what a bad idea it was to try to replace her.

(3)TEAM 3D vs. LETHAL CONSEQUENCES

Ray and Devon hit the 3D on Creed, then make the cover.

WINNERS: Team 3D in about five seconds.

(4)MATT MORGAN & HERNANDEZ vs. BEER MONEY INC.
Storm sidesteps a charging Hernandez to start. Hernandez lifts Storm out to the apron, but Storm kicks him and comes back with a Neck Breaker from the top rope. Roode tags in and they hit the Beer Money Suplex, but don't notice that Hernandez has made the tag to Morgan. Morgan squishes Roode in the corner and hits a side slam for two. Roode gets up firing and tags in Storm. They try for a double clothesline; Hernnadez blind tags himself in, but Morgan stops himself and goes for a double Choke Slam anyway. It's reversed by kicks to the gut, but Hernadnez comes in with a slingshot shoulder block. They roll out of the ring, and Super Mex flies out after them. While Hernandez is out there, Rob Terry attacks, and the ref throws the match out.

WINNERS: N/A.

(5)DESMOND WOLFE vs. SAMOA JOE

Joe powers Wolfe into the corner and unloads with a messing load of jabs. Joe whips him into the opposite corner and follows him with a running elbow and a jumpkick. Wolfe gets out swinging, but gets caught with a snap power slam. Joe looks for the Kokido Clutch, but Wolfe backs him into the corner. Wolfe goes for his running back elbow, but Joe catches him with a Ura-Nage. Wolfe charges into another one, but this time he reverses it into an arm drag and follows up with his hammerlock takedown. The running elbow connects on try number two. Joe shoves Wolfe away from the corner and climbs to the top rope. Wolfe knocks his legs out from under him and looks for the Tower of London, but Joe locks in the Kokido Clutch from the top rope. While in the hold, Wolfe is still able to connect with the Tower of London, which is enough for the kill.

WINNER: Desmonde Wolfe in 3 minutes. I think the right man won, but they totally failed to make this seem like a big deal, both because of how the match was presented and how much time it got.

(6)AJ STYLES vs. TOMKO
World Heavyweight Championship Match

We start to get the full main-event intro, but Styles jumps the bell and attacks Tomko. Tomko tries to fire back, but AJ ducks and takes out his leg. Tomko rolls out of the ring, but AJ stays on him. He starts whacking Tomko's left arm into the steps, the ring post, and the barricade. He rolls Tomko into the ring as Angle appears in the entrance-way AJ kicks Tomko in the face, but is distracted a bit by Kurt and gets flung from the ring. Kurt goes up to shake Flair's hand as Tomko brings AJ back into the ring for a running power slam for two. Tomko hits some punches and chops on AJ in the corner. AJ starts firing back, but runs right into a big boot for two.

We come back just in time for a snap power slam from Tomko for a surprisingly long two count. Tomko chokes AJ twice, breaking at four both times. He then uses a leg choke, again working the full five count. Tomko appears to be bleeding from his mouth. AJ fights from his knees, but Tomko hoists him up for a slam. AJ slips out, hits a standing Ensuguri, then connects with the Pele for the win. That was a bit anti-climactic.

WINNER: AJ Styles in eight minutes.

After the match Tomko goes on the attack, but Kurt Angle runs down to make the save. He tosses Tomko from the ring, then extends his hand to AJ. AJ mysteriously walks away. Flair watches on with a slight smile.

Arcademan:
WWE RAW Results: 1-18-10

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

1 -- WWE champion SHEAMUS vs. EVAN BOURNE -- non-title match

The bell sounded and #1 contender Randy Orton slowly walked out on stage to get a close look at the action. Evan Bourne has qualified for the Rumble, of note. Who knows how. Orton made his way to ringside and Sheamus stopped to glare at him. Meanwhile, Bourne smashed him in the back of the knee with a kick strike before landing a leaping kick strike. He followed with a double knee smash off the top rope for a two count. Sheamus then hit a backbreaker to cut off Bourne's momentum before hitting a bicycle kick. Sheamus then put Bourne up in the air for his Outsider's Edge finisher and the win.

WINNER: Sheamus at 2:05. I don't agree with throwing the champion in a segment without any hype and where he loses credibility points for nearly being pinned by someone who never wins matches on TV, even with Orton's distraction. WWE needs to build up Sheamus right now, not put him in a position to look vulnerable every week. (n/a)

2 -- JACK SWAGGER vs. MARK HENRY -- Over-the-top-rope challenge

Swagger ducked under a clothesline and hit a forearm, but Henry proceeded to lift up Swagger in the air and press-slam Swagger over the top rope to the floor. And Henry wins. Swagger threw a fit ringside while Henry celebrated the easy victory.

WINNER: Henry at 0:31. Unexplainable. (n/a)

3 -- JOHN CENA & KOFI KINGSTON vs. LEGACY (CODY RHODES & TED DIBIASE)

Legacy isolated Cena early in the match and cut off a brief comeback, but Kofi eventually got the hot tag at 2:45 to do his routine on DiBiase. Kofi hit the Boom Drop, then teased Trouble in Paradise, but DiBiase moved away to a neutral corner. Cody then caused confusion in the corner allowing DiBiase to land a smashing clothesline to cut off Kofi. Legacy took control going to break.

Back to the tag match where Cena urged Kofi to make the tag while Legacy kept working Kofi over. DiBiase missed with a clothesline on Kofi in the corner, then Cody just ran across the ring and knocked Cena off the ring apron to keep Legacy on the advantage. Kofi back-dropped out of a suplex attempt, then Cena begged for a tag and took the tag with the crowd exploding for Cena's full comeback routine. Cena called for the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Cody and delivered center ring. Cody then countered the FU with a Russian Legsweep for a two count. Cena then blocked a bulldog and hit the FU on Cody, but DiBiase broke up the pin. The action broke down and Kofi took a blind-tag with Kofi coming off the top with a high cross-body splash on Cody after DiBiase ducked. Kofi made the cover on Cody for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Cena & Kofi at 10:55. Good formula TV tag match with high energy and some good work from Legacy extending the iso on Kofi and the teased finishes before Kofi won the match. More tension between Cody and Ted will probably be played up, yet again, in the weeks to come. Overall, it was good to see Kofi get a win and Legacy standing alone without Orton. (**1/4)

4 -- MARYSE & ALICIA FOX vs. GAIL KIM & EVE

Maryse took control early on and knocked Gail to the outside so she could do her pose. Maryse continued to work over Gail before Eve took a hot tag at 2:00. The action broke down with Alicia tagging in and all four women involved in the finish, which was Eve scoring a pin on Alicia for the win.

WINNERS: Eve & Gail at 2:50. Your standard three-minute divas match extending the Divas Title situation another week. Just fine. (n/a)

5 -- RANDY ORTON vs. CHRIS MASTERS (w/Eve)

The bell sounded and Sheamus's music hit to bring out the WWE champion for a closer look. Formula, but good stuff with Orton and Sheamus here. Masters and Orton locked up center ring and Masters landed a hard shoulder block. The crowd hasn't heard Masters turned babyface. Masters tried the Masterlock, but Orton flung him away, only to take a powerslam for a two count. They showed Sheamus staring intently into the ring as Orton came back with a fallaway backbreaker. Orton then got down on the mat to set up the RKO, but Masters countered into the Masterlock. Orton tried to escape by grabbing the ropes and he started to fade, which drew Masters into a trap for Orton to grab the ropes for a break. Masters then approached Orton for follow-up offense, but Orton dropped him with the RKO out of nowhere. Orton made the pin for the win.

WINNER: Orton at 2:50. Really intriguing segment here. There was a babyface that Knoxville hadn't heard turned babyface, a long-standing heel playing for sympathy, and the WWE champion. It was just different and in a good way. The post-match put good heat on Sheamus with WWE subtly making Orton the default babyface for the Rumble. WWE gets a B+ for developing the Orton-Sheamus program for the Rumble on this week's show. (*)

6 -- Unified tag champions DX (SHAWN MICHAELS & TRIPLE H) & HORNSWOGGLE (w/Don Johnson) vs. THE BIG SHOW & U.S. champion THE MIZ & JON HEDER

The match was joined in progress with "vintage Shawn Michaels" as Michaels and Miz worked against each other. Miz hit a neckbreaker early while Heder was shown still standing on the apron in his Ric Flair robe. Show then tagged in and worked over Michaels before executing a sidewalk slam focused on the back.

They hit the top of the hour with Cole resetting the show and focusing on the guest hosts tonight. Miz tagged back in and Michaels ripped off a round of chops. They followed with a double knock-down and Michaels crawled to his corner to tag in Hornswoggle? Horny dropkicked Miz, but then Miz smashed him with a clothesline from his knees. Heder wanted a tag, which brought in Heder, who removed his robe to reveal an old-school 1940s wrestler body. Heder proceeded to kick Hornswoggle in the gut, but Horny bit him and tagged in Hunter. Heder then ran out of the ring, but Johnson tossed him back in. Show tried to get involved, but Michaels superkicked him and Show fell on top of Heder. Michaels then superkicked Miz off the apron. Horny followed with a tadpole splash on Show and Heder and Hornswoggle pinned Heder for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: DX & Hornswoggle at 4:35. Predictable finish with DX standing tall in the main event yet again. It's Wile E. Coyote vs. the Roadrunner every week on Raw. Heder at least played a good ham tonight and went along with the bit. DX will argue Miz got a rub from being in the main event with them, but Miz was a virtual after-thought in the main event. (*)

Arcademan:
ECW on SyFy Results: 1-19-10

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

1 -- YOSHI TATSU & GOLDUST vs. TRENT BARRETA & CAYLEN CROFT

B&C doubled up on Yoshi early on with Goldust sitting on the sidelines for a while. The new tandem tagged in and out working over Yoshi, who teased a Ricky Steamboat comeback at 6:00, but Barreta cut him off, only to have Yoshi smash him in the face with a spinkick. The crowd rallied behind Yoshi leading to Goldust taking a hot tag and fired up the crowd before nailing a powerslam on Croft for a two count. Barreta then dumped Yoshi to the outside, but they had a TNA ref moment with the ref distracted for no reason allowing Barreta to hit a double-team move allowing Croft to pin Goldust for the win.

WINNERS: Barreta & Croft in 7:00. Fine tag match with B&C continuing to develop their heel personas. They have a little something working right now. (*1/4)

2 -- ECW champion CHRISTIAN vs. WILLIAM REGAL (w/Ezekiel Jackson) -- non-title match

Regal and Christian locked up and drove each other to the corner as Jackson watched intently. Mathews talked about Regal and Jackson going back to the film room to break down tape on Christian for the Rumble after this match. Put that on TV! Regal engaged Christian in chain wrestling that Christian ended with a palm thrust to the face and a high back-body drop. Regal then rolled to the outside for a breather and Christian warmed up the crowd for a running baseball slide kick through the ropes to knock Regal into the guardrail. Christian then threw Regal back into the ring as Jackson walked over to share a few words. Christian shared a few words back and pointed to himself to remind Jackson he's the champ. They cut to break mid-discussion after five solid minutes of televised wrestling to start the match.

Back from break, Christian and Regal were pretzeled on the mat with Christian in control. Christian then accepted multiple forearm blows and a punt to the gut for a two count from Regal, who locked in a mat-based submission hold. Christian tried to counter into the Killswitch from his feet, but Regal kicked him in the leg and went back to the submission repertoire. Christian fired back, but Regal cut him off again. Christian then teased the Killswitch again, but Regal shoved him off and hit an Exploder suplex. Christian rolled to the corner and Regal went for a kick strike to the face inside the ringpost that Christian sold like a pro. Regal then went back to the mat with a nervehold as Christian rallied the fans. Christian reached his feet and Regal teased a butterfly suplex, but Christian countered with an inside cradle for a two count only. Christian then hit slaps to the face before making a comeback at the top of the hour.

Christian hit a Tornado DDT out of the corner and approached Regal for a cover, but Regal kicked out. Christian then got the crowd into it and he came off the second rope with a dropkick. He tried another dropkick, but Regal moved out of the way and teased the Knee Trembler, but Christian countered with a pin for a two count. Christian then tried a sunset flip pin, but Regal rolled through and hit a knee to the nose for a two count. Regal then took Christian to the corner and landed successive blows. Christian caught Regal with a European Uppercut, though. He teased the Killswitch again, but Regal blocked, only to have Christian toss him over the top rope to the floor. Suddenly, Jackson stormed the ring and attacked Christian from behind for a DQ.

Post-match: Jackson picked up Christian to allow Jackson to nail the knee trembler to the face. Jackson then scooped up Christian and delivered a uranage center ring. Jackson stood tall, then Regal raised his arm as Christian remained lifeless on the mat. Cue up Jackson's music as Regal talked trash to Christian. WWE rolled credits, but Jackson got in one last exclamation point with a second uranage for good measure to close the show.

WINNER: Christian via DQ in 17:00. Awesome match between Christian and Regal. They started with great chain wrestling in the beginning, Regal delivered solid offense in the middle and there wasn't an extended isolation on Christian that kept things interesting, and they built to a good exchange at the end without over-doing the counter/reversal/counter pattern. The non-finish was expected and effectively set up the Rumble match. It also set up Christian vs. Regal for another run post-Rumble if they go that route. This was good and worth a DVR replay. (***1/4)

Arcademan:
WWE RAW Results: 1-25-10

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

1 -- Unified tag champions DX (SHAWN MICHAELS & TRIPLE H) vs. LEGACY (CODY RHODES & TED DIBIASE) -- non-title match

Cole plugged DX vs. Punk and Gallows for the tag titles on Smackdown this week. DX and Legacy traded control, then Cole suddenly snapped to attention shouting there's breaking news on the guest hosts on the other side of the break.

They returned from break with Michaels looking for a hot tag and receiving it. He teed off on Cody Rhodes as Lawler asked Cole about the breaking news, which is that James Roday is not here and they "don't know exactly why." Back to the action where Michaels dropped Cody in the corner and teased a top rope elbow, but DiBiase ran interference. Michaels simply adjusted his flight plan and splashed both men on the outside in front of the guardrail. Michaels was slow to re-enter the ring, which allowed Cody to snap off a neckbreaker to cut off Michaels's offensive advantage.

Legacy worked over Michaels for a while, then Cody ran off Hunter from the ring apron. Michaels then tried to get a tag, but Hunter was absent. DiBiase tried to work over Michaels, but Michaels broke free and got the tag to Hunter this time. Hunter then ran over DiBiase before giving Cody a spinebuster. Same for DiBiase. Hunter then had the Pedigree on Cody, but Michaels blind-tagged himself into the match. Cody then shoved Hunter into Michaels and they had a stare down. In the confusion, Michaels turned and dropped DiBiase with sweet chin music. Hunter then ran over Cody with a clothesline and Michaels pinned DiBiase for the win. Afterward, Michaels and Hunter shook hands and settled their differences. Cole plugged the tag title match on Friday night's Smackdown

WINNERS: DX at 10:05. Match served two purposes of continuing to hype Hunter and Michaels as the top acts in the Rumble and teasing tension between DX to give them an "out" if they drop the titles on Smackdown. DiBiase and Cody looked silly at times in the match, but they were simply secondary stars meant to enhance DX here. (*1/2)

2 -- MVP vs. BIG SHOW

MVP had a few glimpses of offense, but Big Show blocked a boot and nailed a chokeslam for a quick win. Post-match: Miz stormed the ring with belt in hand and trash-talked MVP, who sold the chokeslam. Miz then proudly held up his title belt and smirked for the crowd.

WINNER: Big Show at 1:01. Quick squash of MVP one week after Show quickly KO Punched him. Miz is really being emphasized here, which is good. MVP had a decent showing in the pre-match promo to counter the imminent loss, although the "friend" promo verbiage was eye-rolling from the really bad book of DX 2009 and John Cena 2007 promos. (n/a)

3 -- MARYSE vs. EVE -- Divas Title semi-final tournament match

Maryse did her cocky "you want some?" gesture at Eve leading to Eve scoring with some early offense. Eve then went for a top rope moonsault, but airballed. Maryse tried to follow with her hair-flipping DDT, but Eve blocked. Maryse then followed up with the hair-flip DDT for the win. Maryse celebrated post-match and got her shine on the way to the finals.

WINNER: Maryse at 2:05 to advance to the finals. Short and sweet with focus on Maryse here. The exchange with Dule Hill was somewhat awkward, but in a way that actually enhanced Maryse's character. She just has "it" right now. (n/a)

4 -- U.S. champion THE MIZ vs. KOFI KINGSTON -- non-title match

Tough spot for both men right after the big promo exchange between McMahon and Cena. Miz quickly grounded Kofi, but Kofi came back with a pendulum kick strike out of the corner. Kofi followed with a top rope splash to Miz's back for a two count. Kofi then missed with a leaping forearm and Miz hit a combination neckbreaker for a two count of his own. Suddenly, MVP's music hit. No sign of MVP, though. Miz then turned around and took Trouble in Paradise to the face for the pin and the win. Post-match: MVP walked out on stage and stared back at Miz, who smirked at him from inside the ring while checking his jaw. The feud continues.

WINNER: Kofi Kingston at 3:39. Nice little tit-for-tat between Miz and MVP to keep the feud going. Looks like they'll work the feud into the Rumble match, then come out with a U.S. Title match on one of the Raws after the Rumble PPV. Meanwhile, Lawler continues to defend Miz on commentary. Maybe it's something, maybe it's nothing. (*)

5 -- GAIL KIM vs. ALICIA FOX -- Divas Title semi-final tournament match

Alicia was aggressive early on, then she shot a look to Dule Hill, who gave her the thumbs up. Gail capitalized on the distraction for a slam and a two count. She followed with forearm strikes and a slam for the pin and the win. Post-match: Alicia slammed the mat in frustration, then slammed her hands on the announce table demanding to know what happened to her victory. Dule tried to calm her down, saying he's just an actor. He said he's not the real psychic and they just need to let it be water under the bridge. Alicia then reared back and popped Dule across the face before storming off. Lawler helped Dule up as he sold the effects.

WINNER: Gail at 1:55. Gail gets a win and she still isn't the focus here. Anyways, it's Gail vs. Maryse in the finals. Date TBA.

6 -- WWE champion SHEAMUS vs. JOHN CENA -- non-title match

Cena hit a traditional Fisherman suplex at the top of the hour, but Sheamus cut him off with a clothesline mid-ring. Sheamus then slowly worked over Cena as the announcers talked about Sheamus backing up every word he's said about taking out Cena. Sheamus knocked Cena off the ring apron with a big strike, then Cena slowly pulled himself back in the ring. He nearly tricked Sheamus into the Attitude Adjustment, but Sheamus slipped out and hit a nice DDT for a two count. Sheamus then hit a standing powerslam for a two count. Sheamus then took Cena to the outside and rammed her into the guardrail. He returned to the ring and told the ref to start counting out Cena. The kids ringside screamed in horror as Cena remained motionless before storming the ring just before ten. Sheamus then missed with an elbow drop and Cena fired off his big comeback. The crowd popped as Cena did his Shuffle routine. He wanted the AA, but Sheamus slipped under Cena and hit a backbreaker across his knee for a two count. Sheamus then stood over Cena and eyeballed Cena for something painful. He wanted the Bicycle Kick, but Cena ducked and rolled into an STF. Sheamus was too close to the ropes, though, and Sheamus escaped. Sheamus rolled to the outside and Cena followed, but Cena ate an emphatic bicycle kick on the floor that took the air out of the building.

Sheamus rolled back into the ring and demanded a count from the ref. Cena sold being KO'ed again, then out of nowhere, Randy Orton stormed the ring and hit the RKO on Sheamus from behind for a DQ. The crowd did a "shocked" reaction here. They didn't buy Orton as a babyface with their reaction. Orton then pounded the mat and stared a hole into Sheamus, who remained out cold on the mat. Cena then tried to get into the ring, but Orton grabbed him and wanted the elevated DDT. Orton took too long, though, and Cena popped to his feet and dropped Orton with the AA. Cena's music hit as both Sheamus and Orton were out cold on the mat with Cena celebrating. How often do both wrestlers in a WWE Title match end up face-down on the mat leading to a PPV title match? After they replayed the ending moments, Cena was shown standing tall in the ring looking down at the fallen Sheamus and Orton to close the show ten minutes past the top of the hour.

WINNER: Sheamus via DQ at 9:50. Strong TV main event to conclude the Rumble hype. Sheamus was presented very well here, as the only reason why he was face-down to close Raw was due to Orton's sneak attack. Cena gave Sheamus a good amount of offense and Sheamus came across like a barbaric, effective heel capable of delivering a beating. Good piece of TV, although it was odd seeing both Orton and Sheamus face-down before their title match at the PPV. The one thing WWE didn't establish was who to root for between Sheamus and Orton on Sunday, which will be rather interesting on the PPV. However, the emphasis at the beginning of Raw was on DX as top Rumble contenders (before they refreshingly disappeared from the show) and the emphasis at the end of Raw was on Cena as a top Rumble contender, as expected. Overall on this show, WWE completed a thumbs up sales pitch for the Rumble getting viewers excited, establishing the top contenders, and creating some tension between two of the big players - Hunter and Michaels. (**)

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