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The Official Wrestling Thread (now with more news and stuff)

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Arcademan:
ECW on SyFy Results: 1-26-10

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

1 -- ECW champion CHRISTIAN & KANE vs. WILLIAM REGAL & EZEKIEL JACKSON

The match was joined in progress with Christian and Regal picking up their singles match from last week's main event. Regal then tagged in Jackson and Christian backed away to bring in Kane. Jackson smiled and liked this match-up. They came close before bouncing off the ropes and colliding mid-ring with no one budging. Kane then went to fighting stance before locking in a side headlock. They had another mid-ring collision and Jackson screamed, "I'm too strong!"

Kane answered by rocking him with a right hand before landing a knock-down clothesline for a two count. Good exchange that popped the crowd before Christian tagged in and popped Jackson across the ear with a series of blows. Jackson had enough and slammed Christian, but missed with an elbow, allowing Kane to tag back in. Kane and Jackson battled back and forth before Christian tagged in and tried to knock Jackson off his feet to no avail. Christian finally went to the second rope and nailed a dropkick to take Jackson to the mat for a two count. Christian then hit a falling inverted DDT and Jackson rolled to the outside. Christian then splashed both Regal and Jackson to take advantage going to break.

Back from break, chaos broke out as the wrestlers brawled in and out of the ring. Eventually, the heels took control and worked over Christian with in-and-out tags trying to wear down the champ before the Rumble. Jackson settled into a prolonged beating on Christian while Kane tried to encourage the audience to get behind Christian. Instead, Regal ran across the ring to smack Kane, which led to Christian back to being stuck in the heel corner taking a beating. Kane finally took the hot tag at 16:00 and cleaned house on Regal including a sidewalk slam. Kane stared down Jackson, then went up top and hit a top rope fist smash. Kane followed by launching Christian off the top rope onto Jackson. Kane and Jackson then battled on the floor while Regal missed with the Knee Trembler in the ring. Christian teased the Killswitch on Regal, but Jackson tagged in while Christian was trying to execute the move. After Christian hit it, Jackson entered legally and surprised Christian with the Uranage for the pin and the win. Post-match: Jackson rubbed his boot in Christian's face and stood tall to close the segment.

WINNERS: Regal & Jackson in 18:00. Good, extended form TV tag match. Jackson looked strong, which confirmed what we knew that Christian is winning at the Rumble. The key was to build up Jackson as a "big pin for Christian to knock down" at the Rumble, which was accomplished. Kane was a good addition to the program this week. (**)

2 -- ZACK RYDER (w/Rosa Mendes) & TRENT BARRETA & CAYLEN CROFT vs. YOSHI TATSU & GOLDUST & THE HURRICANE

Goldust and Croft started things off against each other in a battle of yellow and black ring outfits. They had an early miscommunication then Goldust ran over all the heels and dropped Croft with a boot to the head. The action then broke down and the babyfaces stood tall in the ring staring down at the heels regrouping on the floor while Rosa provided some trash-talking in Spanish going to break.

Before returning to the match, they plugged Raw on Monday with focus on Bret Hart's return to confront McMahon. Back to the match, Rosa was doing some high-pitched yelling as the babyfaces were in control. Croft continued to take a beating as the theme of the match before Barreta tagged in and took an arm drag from Goldust. Meanwhile, Jim Ross is BBQblogging on ECW tonight. Back to the action where Hurricane tagged in and held control before Ryder ran a distraction to allow the heels to cut off Hurricane and begin working him over. Barreta then tagged in and showed off some cocky strutting before doing his high-pitched scream on a dropkick. The scream makes him stand out...but not in a good way. Ryder tagged back in and worked over Hurricane as Goldust went down to one knee on the apron to beg Hurricane for a hot tag.

They hit the top of the hour with Hurricane teasing a comeback, only to have Ryder cut him off and bring back Croft. I've tried to put my finger on who Croft looks like and I've come up with Johnny Depp for the face, Ricky Ortiz for the nose, and Brian Pillman with the hair. Croft then lost control and Yoshi tagged in to fire up on Barreta, who also tagged in. Yoshi went up top and nailed a spin kick before the action broke down in the ring. Goldust then delivered a double uppercut on B&C, which set up Yoshi for a roundhouse kick on Barreta for the pin and the win. Ryder: "What?!" on the outside post-match. Hurricane, Goldust, and Yoshi celebrated in the ring while the heels argued on the outside to close out the show.

WINNERS: Team Yoshi in 14:00. Another solid tag match. A bit too formulaic to be memorable, but they put a good spotlight on Yoshi at the end, Goldust at the beginning, and Ryder as the stand-out heel teaming with the new-coming tag team. Ryder, Hurricane, and Yoshi are in the Rumble, but that wasn't noticeably emphasized on commentary. Overall, fine conclusion to the show. (*1/2)

Arcademan:
WWE Superstars Results: 1-28-10

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

1 -- BELLA TWINS (NIKKI & BRIE BELLA) vs. JILLIAN HALL & KATIE LEA BURCHILL

Typical start to the match with the Bellas holding a brief early advantage before the heel divas used sleight of hand to take control. Hot tag was made for the Bellas, which led to the Bella in yellow (yes, they're both in yellow) executing a spinning head scissors on Jillian. She followed with a victory roll on Katie Lea and the other Bella in yellow held off Jillian for the Bellas to pick up the pin and the win. Cue up the standard wide shot of a happy arena celebrating the victory for the babyface team.

WINNERS: Bellas in 5:00. The heels were foiled yet again, the show got off to a "happy start," and the babyface divas were able to show off their smiles and wave for the crowd. That's the formula and it was stretched out over a fine five minutes of TV. (*)

2 -- CHRIS MASTERS vs. CHAVO GUERRERO vs. PRIMO COLON -- Royal Rumble qualifying match

Masters took out both opponents early on, but Chavo took out Masters at the knee to send him out of the ring. Chavo and Primo then battled with Masters on the outside as Cole talked about this being the "most-star-studded field" in Royal Rumble history. Not so much. The hyperbole WWE feeds their announcers can be quite eye-rolling. Masters then re-entered and teased the Masterlock on Primo, but threw him away and caught Chavo with the Masterlock, only to have Primo knock him out of the ring. Back to Primo and Chavo, then Primo hit a suicide dive on Masters on the floor. Chavo then went up top and hit a big splash on both Masters and Primo. Nice sequence. All three men were down as they cut to break with the finish on the other side of the break.

Back from break, Chavo and Primo were battled, then Chavo knocked Masters off the apron as Masters tried to re-enter the action. Masters eventually got back in, but he was knocked down in the ring this time. Chavo then wanted the vertical suplexes on Primo, but Primo countered #3 with a small package for a two count. Masters then grabbed Chavo from behind and pretended to be struggling to execute the Masterlock before dumping Primo to the floor. Chavo then rolled under Masters for an attempted victory roll, but Masters countered into the Masterlock. Chavo teased a rope break, but Masters yanked him back to center ring to score a submission for the win. Afterward, Masters and Eve celebrated the win and Masters's Rumble entrance.

WINNER: Masters via submission in 11:00 to earn a slot in the Rumble. Primo vs. Chavo was the best part of the match. Chavo is really underutilized right now, but he's earning steady TV time being a secondary wrestler in each of his matches. Masters was rightfully kept out of the action for the most part to set up his limited power offense and moves. WWE is trying to protect Masters as much as possible, which is good for continuing to market him as an "attraction" with a memorable finisher. (*1/2)

3 -- MATT HARDY (w/Great Khali and Ranjin Singh) vs. D.H. SMITH (w/Tyson Kidd and Natalya)

Smith and Hardy locked up center-ring to start things off as Grisham talked up Hardy's new "key" logo on his ring trunks, which suggests Hardy is trying to unlock his future. Smith then bailed to the floor and Hardy smashed him with a kick through the ropes. "How about that for impact?" Grisham said with emphasis on "impact" ten minutes before Spike TV's weekly wrestling show. HD regrouped on the floor as Hardy remained in control going to break.

Back from break, Smith was methodically taking Hardy apart to set up the fans for rallying behind Hardy. Smith cut off a brief comeback with a knee to the face as the announcers talked up Bret Hart coming back to Raw on Monday. Meanwhile, Natalya slapped Hardy across the face as Hardy was draped across the middle rope. Smith then went back to work driving a boot to Hardy's neck and upper body. Hardy tried to mount a comeback out of the corner, including an elbow to the back of the head, before hitting a bulldog for a two count. Hardy then teased the Twist of Fate, only to transition to the side effect for another two count. Hardy wanted to end it, but Natalya ran another distraction, Khali inadvertently grabbed the ref's attention, then Kidd smacked Hardy in the face, which allowed Smith to kick Hardy in the head for the pin and the win.

Post-match: Khali entered the ring and clotheslined Smith over the top rope to the floor. Tyson Kidd then took a fall over the top rope via Khali. Khali proceeded to celebrate in the ring before doing the ugliest-looking dance I've ever seen to his dance music. This was worse than Elaine on Seinfeld. Khali then picked up Hardy and helped him to his feet before deciding to dump him over the top rope too. Khali was like, "yeah, it's all good." Khali then danced some more as Hardy looked up at him from the floor to close the show.

WINNER: Smith in 11:00. Fine singles match. The distractions ringside helped keep the match moving along as Smith methodically picked apart Hardy. Hardy had a few moments of offense and they booked outside interference for Hardy to retain some credibility here. Meanwhile, Khali's ugly dancing will remain burned in my memory. (*1/4)

Arcademan:
TNA Impact! Results: 1-28-10

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

(1)DESMOND WOLFE (w/CHELSEA) vs. SEAN MORLEY

Taz tells us the name of Wolfe's new special friend. The crowd, not being comprised of morons, comes alive for Wolfe. Morley starts things off with a hammerlock on Wolfe, which seems like a really bad idea. Sure enough, Wolfe reverses it and drives Morley into the ropes. He pounds Morley down in the corner. When he complains to the ref about the five count, Morley comes back with a series of clotheslines and chops. Tenay notes that Morley's using both arms for offense, which I hadn't noticed. Wolfe stops him short with a hammerlock takedown. He wrenches Morley's arm, then cinches in a Rings of Saturn like double arm bar. Morley gets up swinging, but gets taken down by an arm wrench. Morley blocks Wolfe's running elbow and comes back with more clotheslines. He goes for a cover, but Wolfe kicks out at one. Morley floors Wolfe with a nice half nelson slam, but when he goes to the top rope for The Money Shot Wolfe knocks the rope under him. Morley slips, and that's enough for Wolfe to connect with the Tower of London. The crowd happily counts along to three.

WINNER: Desmond Wolfe in about three and a half minutes. This is more the role I envisioned for Morley—maybe they felt like he needed one win before being a legitimate jobber?

(2)DANIELS vs. HERNANDEZ

It's a shame that one of these guys won't go on. I'd assume that Daniels is doing the job, but Hernandez does have that tag team championship weighing him down. Daniels jumps the bell, getting in some quick strikes before Hernandez slows him down with a knee lift. Hernandez hits a delayed vertical suplex that must have taken at least 10 seconds. Daniels looks for a Sunset Flip, but Hernandez stops himself and tosses Daniels across the ring with a Cracker Jack. Daniels pokes the eyes as he gets up, then nails a standing Ensuguri that barely gets two. We're told that, in addition to determining the #1 contender, this tournament will also be used to establish new TNA rankings. Daniels works a nerve hold. When Hernandez starts to power out Daniels takes him down with an STO then connects with a Springboard Moonsault for two. Daniels is looking for some kind of power move when Hernandez takes him over with a Back Body Drop. Daniels quickly knocks Hernandez out of the ring, but Hernandez comes back with his slingshot shoulder block. Hernandez hits a big clothesline, a towering Back Body Drop, a Stinger Splash in the corner, and then a t-shirt assisted toss across the ring. He charges in the corner, but this time Daniels steps aside. Daniels hits him, but he comes back with a boot and elevates himself to the top rope. Daniels tries to meet him there, but Hernandez knocks him down. Daniels gets out of the way of the ensuing top rope splash, but even a rope-assisted cover isn't enough for 3. Daniels hits a series of palm strikes, but Hernandez just shoulder blocks him half way across the ring. Daniels gets up into a gut-wrench Dominator, and that's all she wrote.

WINNER: Hernandez in five minutes.

(3)THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE vs. HAMADA, AWESOME KONG, & TARA (w/POISON)

Hamada and Rayne are about to lock up when Rayne decides it would be a good time to mock Kong. Hamada just chops the hell out of her, then arm wrenches her to the mat. She grabs Rayne's arm and does an Old School style Arm Drag off the top rope. Rayne gets to her corner, and the Beautiful People start trading quick tags and working over the left wrist of Hamada. Hamada rolls through and takes Rayne down with a Drop Toe Hold. She gets the tag to Tara who hits a series of right hands, a Body Slam, and a shimmy-shake Moonsault for two. The crowd says that "divas suck", but I don't know if they're responding to The Beautiful People or the shimmy-shaking. Sky gets in a cheap shot from the apron, which lets Rayne back Tara into her corner. The Beautiful People trade quick tags again, but when Sky Irish Whips Tara both she and Tara look for hair yanks at the same time. Tara tags in Kong, who scares the Beautiful People a bit before just tagging Hamada back in. Hamada takes down everyone with spinning kicks and Ensuguries, but when she tries to finish off Rayne with a Moonsault the ref is distracted from the cover. As Awesome Kong chases Sky backstage, Lacey hits Hamada in the back of the head with the ugly stick then wards off Tara long enough for Rayne to get the cover.

WINNERS: The Beautiful People in six minutes. After the match they continue the beat down on Hamada and Tara till Love comes down to make the save.

(4)BRIAN KENDRICK & THE MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS vs. AMAZING RED & GENERATION ME.

Kendrick jumps the bell, attacking Amazing Red and beating him into the corner. Red slips away, tosses Kendrick to the other corner, and runs up his back. Shelley tags in and the Guns look for a double team, but Red kicks one and rolls over his back with a spinning wheel kick onto the other. Max of Generation Me tags in, and they hit some wacky quick double team moves, including a joint neck breaker/back breaker. The Guns take control and hit the front face lock/dropkick. Red tags in, but when he looks for his Sunset Flip Powerbomb on Sabin Shelley cuts him off with a Superkick to the head. Kendrick blind tags himself in as the Guns look for their stereo Superkicks, then just kicks Red in the side of the head and gets the cover.

WINNERS: The Motor City Machine guns and Brian Kendrick.

The British Invasion suddenly come down to the ring, briefcase in hand. They beat down Red a bit more, but right when Terry's about to cash it in, Magnus suggests that he should give it to Williams. I'm thinking we have the first failed surprise Feast or Fired title shot coming. That'll be fun. During the break Terry gave Doug Williams the briefcase.

(5)DOUG WILLIAMS vs. THE AMAZING RED
X Division Championship Match
We come back just in time to see Williams connect with his Chaos Theory rolling German Suplex, which is enough for the win.

WINNER: Doug Williams in ???. My ending was better.

(6)MR. ANDERSON vs. JEFF JARRETT

Anderson and Jarrett lock up. Anderson backs Jarrett into the corner. When the ref pulls him off he tries for a cheap shot, but Jarrett sidesteps and connects with punches of his own. The ref pulls him off next. Anderson gets a side headlock, which Jarrett reverses. Jarrett comes off the ropes with a couple shoulder blocks, then feints a right hand, the mere prospect of which sends Anderson to the mat. Anderson gets up swinging, and connects with a couple clubs to the back. He taunts the crowd with Jarrett chants of his own. Jarrett comes back with a couple hip tosses and a high dropkick, then clotheslines Anderson out of the ring. He struts.

We get back as Anderson shoves Jarrett, on the apron, shoulder first into the ring post. He follows Jarrett to ringside and bangs his arm into the steel steps. They roll back into the ring, where Anderson hits a hammerlock slam for two. Anderson yanks back on Jarrett's arm. Jarrett powers out, but then runs into a boot from Anderson in the corner. Anderson connects with an arm bar takedown, and does an Angle-style cover for two. Anderson shoots Jarrett off into the ropes; Jarrett dodges a couple of clothesline attempts, but then gets caught with a side headlock and an overhead wrist lock. Jarrett powers out again, but this time is stopped short by a running shoulder block. Anderson goes to the top rope, but Jarrett rolls out of the way of the attempted Senton Bomb. Jarrett powers up, and gets up firing with right hands. Anderson looks for the Mic Check, but Jarrett reverses into an attempted Stroke; Anderson connects with a low blow below the ref's field of vision, and connects with a Small Package for the win.

WINNER: Mr. Anderson in fourteen minutes. We cut to Bischoff smiling in the back, commenting that this is great.

Mr. Anderson announces his own victory, but after the first "Anderson" he follows Jarrett out to ringside and starts whacking his back. He rolls Jarrett into the ring, stalks him, then nails the Mic Check. Bischoff, apparently talking to himself in the back, tells Jarrett that it'll be a long, hard climb back to the top of this mountain.

Arcademan:
WWE Smackdown Results: 1-29-10

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

1 – TRIPLE H vs. C.M. PUNK

Matt Striker noted that Triple H told Shawn Michaels that he’d do this himself, and sent Shawn to the back. Crowd was into Triple H early on. Couple head-lock take-overs started the match off on a positive note for Hunter. Todd Grisham said that in the last four Royal Rumbles he’s been in, he’s made it to the final three. I did not know that. That’s crazy. The haggard-looking Punk took over in the corner, but not for long. Hunter tried to hook in a Pedigree, but Punk escaped to ringside. Triple H pulled Punk back up to the apron and into the ring, then had a few words with Gallows. Springboard clothesline by Punk, but he couldn’t make a cover. Both men were down as they went to break.

Back to action with Punk in control, getting a two-count on a cover. A distraction by Gallows allowed Punk to take control during break. He wore Triple H down with a head-scissors in the ring. Striker called Triple H “basically the father of this industry right now,” and credited him for the Randy Orton vs. Sheamus match we’ll be seeing at the Rumble because Hunter groomed Orton in Evolution. I’ll say this: Striker is knows how to kiss ***. Trips turned the tide with a vertical suplex. Punk got on his feet first though, and kicked Triple H to the head, leading to a near-fall. Triple H began his trademark offense with a spinebuster approximately nine minutes into the match. But he was too worn down to continue the assault. Knee to the face by Triple H followed by more right hands, pummeling Punk in the corner. High knee by The Game for a two-count. Pedigree was set up, but Punk predictably back-dropped out of it. Running knee in the corner by Punk, but the bulldog attempt was unsuccessful. Hunter went for a knee-brekaer, then locked in the Figure-Four. No mention of Flair, but Grisham did mention Evolution again. Hunter grabbed the ropes for leverage behind the ref’s back. Serena distracted the ref while Gallows broke Triple H’s hold on the rope. Punk got Hunter up for the GTS, but Triple H got out and tried a Pedigree. Serena ran in and jumped on his back for the DQ.

WINNER: Triple H, via DQ, at 12:01. Match was on the low end of what these two can probably do; never really felt like it got out of first gear.

2 – CHRIS JERICHO vs. R-TRUTH

These two had words with each other last night on WWE Superstars. High hip-toss by Truth, then a dropkick got Jericho off-balance. He clotheslined Jericho over the top rope and to the arena floor. Truth flew over the top for a cross-body, but Jericho dodged him and allowed him to crash to ringside with a thud. They went to break about 1:15 into the match.

Jericho kicked away at the chest of Truth upon return from break. Truth fought back to his feet and there was a mis-communication before Jericho set Truth up for a suplex, only to drop him chest-first across the top rope. Gut-buster by Jericho as the announcers talked about Royal Rumble contenders. Truth found himself locked in an abdominal stretch. Headscissors take-down by Truth, then a jumping side-kick for a near-fall. Grisham said Truth told him his favorite Rumble was 1992, the one that Flair won (as both men are from Charlotte). Grisham mentioned Flair twice, but Striker told him everyone is looking toward the 2010 Rumble and no one cares about the 1992 one. In the end, Jericho went for the Codebreaker, but Truth held onto the ropes. He got the pin with a jackknife roll-up.

WINNER: Truth, at 8:14. Good match that will likely lead to Jericho getting his revenge at the Rumble.

3 – JOHN MORRISON vs. DREW MCINTYRE – NO DISQUALIFICATION MATCH FOR THE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Morrison got the mic before the match and said unlike McIntyre, he wasn’t hand-picked by the brass in the back and groomed to be champion. He said after McIntyre beat him for the IC Title, he saw Drew drop the belt backstage to run up to, and do a chest-bump with, his Irish friend Sheamus. He took that as disrespect toward the belt. He said tonight, McIntyre can’t cheat or run from him.

Striker noted that the IC Title has never changed hands in Cincinnati, but Morrison did win it down the road in Cleveland. Morrison was the aggressor to start and got the first cover of the match. He clotheslined McIntyre over the top rope and to the outside. Mac appeared to be looking under the ring, and he produced a kendo stick, which he walloped Morrison with. Back in the ring, a cover by McIntyre garnered him a two-count. A few hard clotheslines from McIntyre, then he kicked Morrison in the gut as Morrison jumped to avoid McIntyre in the corner. Morrison fought back, which led to McIntyre taking a breather on the outside. He grabbed his belt and tried to leave, but Morrison physically stopped him. The fight moved back into the ring, where McIntyre bashed Morrison in the head with right hands. He grabbed the belt and held it up as they went to break about 4:00 into the match.

McIntyre still had the advantage once the show returned from break. Morrison was thrown to the outside after attempting a Flying Chuck kick. McIntyre tried to throw the steel steps at Morrison, but the challenger managed to avoid them. The champion instead clotheslined Morrison over the barricade and into the crowd. The two brawled there, where Morrison got the better of McIntyre. Morrison flew over the barricade with a clothesline onto McIntyre back at ringside. He got the kendo stick and worked over his opponent with them. A thumb to the eye by McIntyre halted the onslaught. Morrison caught a charging McIntyre with a hip-toss onto the ring steps. Back in the ring they went, where Morrison covered Mac for a near-fall. He set up for Starship Pain, but McIntyre got his knees up. McIntyre locked in the Future Shock (double-arm DDT) and drove Morrison’s head into the Intercontinental belt, which was still in the ring. The pinfall followed.

WINNER: McIntyre, at 11:34. Pretty entertaining match, one that didn’t really hurt Morrison’s value I don’t think. McIntyre’s in-ring style is flashy, but he’s crisp.

4 – LAYLA “JAMES” vs. MICHELLE MCCOOL

McCool walked around ringside with the food, baiting Layla around. Striker managed to name drop Haystacks Calhoun and Nikolai Volkoff. Layla charged at McCool, missed and hit the turnbuckle. McCool school-girled Layla and rolled her up for the win.

WINNER: McCool, at :51. Striker was laughing this whole time, making jokes, while Grisham tried to stay out of it and acted like he was disgusted by Layla and Michelle’s actions.

5 – REY MYSTERIO vs. SHAWN MICHAELS

Michaels took Mysterio down with a shoulder tackle, then chopped away at him. Rey missed a charge and Michaels threw him under the bottom rope. When Rey popped up, it looked like he hit his head on the camera. Back in the ring, he set Michaels up for the 619, but Michaels wasn’t worn down enough and escaped to ringside. More chops from HBK in the corner. Mysterio went to ringside and again, Michaels chopped him down. He’s like Tenryu in there! Snap mare by Michaels back in the ring, then a stomp on the face. Mysterio gave a boot to Michaels, then head-scissored him over the top and to the outside. More to come after break.

I know they’ve been hyping this up as the first time match between these two, but the only other singles match between Shawn and Rey I can think of is at the Eddie Guerrero tribute Raw. Back to the show, Mysterio kicked away at the legs of HBK and used a couple of potential submission holds to soften him up. Michaels turned the tide and again chopped Mysterio in the corner. Drop-toe hold by Mysterio sent Michaels into the corner. Mysterio went to the top, but ended up getting hung up in the corner. Rey tried a dropkick, but Shawn caught him and applied a modified figure-four. Striker explained that the pressure is put on the back of the knee as opposed to front of the knee in this version of the hold. Mysterio grabbed the rope for a break. Mysterio hit an enziguiri on Michaels and both men found themselves gasping for air on the mat. Rey again worked the legs while Shawn countered with punches and (surprise!) chops. Flying forearm by Michaels and a nip up. Mysterio though got a hurricanrana in before HBK could capitalize. Seated senton by Rey for two. Rey went for a springboard, but was met with an atomic drop. Mysterio again worked his way to the outside and went for a springboard splash, but Michaels got his knees up. This time it was Shawn who went to the top, and connected with an elbowdrop. He began to tune up the band, but Rey ran into him with a spinning heel kick, shades of Savio Vega. 619 found the mark, but Rey struggled to ready himself for a springboard. When he did, he jumped right into a superkick, which looked awesome. Nearly as awesome as Shawn doing that same sequence to Shelton Benjamin some years ago. Rey almost got folded in half when he hit the mat. Before Michaels could follow up, Batista hit the ring and took out both Rey and Michaels.

WINNER: No Contest, at 15:46. Sad, but understandable, that two of the top matches on the show ended in DQ. It is the go-home show for a PPV after all.

Arcademan:
WWE RAW Results: 2-1-10

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

1 -- JOHN CENA vs. CODY RHODES -- Elimination Chamber qualifying match

Cody was on the advantage early on working over Cena as the announcers talked about him costing Randy Orton the WWE Title match on Sunday. Cena was heard audibly calling a spot before Cody missed with a knee drop and Cena started his usual comeback routine. Cody then countered the sit-out slam and rolled up Cena for a two count. Cena then grabbed him right away and hit a sit-out slam to do the You Can't See Me routine. Cody then walked right into the Attitude Adjustment, but he slipped out and hit a left-arm clothesline for a two count. Lawler was off, continuing to call Cody as Randy Orton, as Cody hit a top rope moonsault for a two count. Cena then came right back with the Attitude Adjustment out of the corner and scored the pin for the win.

WINNER: Cena at 2:52 to qualify for the Elimination Chamber match. No shock on this finish. Cody had some offense, but the memorable takeaway was him looking silly seemingly moving in fast-forward selling for Cena's unrealistic move sequences. Cena's sequences looked particularly unrealistic in this fast-paced match. (1/2*)

2 -- TRIPLE H vs. JACK SWAGGER -- Elimination Chamber qualifying match

The bell sounded and Swagger quickly put Hunter in a waistlock and put him on the mat. Swagger then did push-ups to antagonize Hunter. Swagger taunted Hunter, who then cold-cocked him with a right hand before hitting a high knee. Hunter then knocked Swagger to the floor going to break one minute into the match.

Back from break, Jack Swagger was in control, then the action moved to the floor where Swagger took control. Back in the ring, Swagger hit a standing powerslam before locking in a rear chinlock. Swagger then went for a running Vader Bomb out of the corner, but Hunter got his knees up to block. Swagger then got up and took right hand blows from Hunter, who hit a jawbreaker across his knee. Hunter then landed right hand blows in the corner before catching Swagger out of the corner for a spinebuster and a two count. Swagger was straight winded at this point, then Hunter teased the Pedigree, but Swagger back dropped out. Swagger then went for another running Vader Bomb and Hunter kicked out just before three. Hunter then walked into a belly-to-belly suplex and Hunter kicked out again. Swagger followed with shoulder thrusts in the corner, but he got carried away and lost focus - which seems to be the typical way every young wrestler is booked to lose in WWE - allowing Hunter to counter a back drop into the Pedigree. Hunter made the cover for the win. After the match, they showed Hunter celebrating the victory with a determined look on his face.

WINNER: Triple H at 9:10 to qualify for the Elimination Chamber. Surprise! Cena and Hunter are in the Chamber. Match was just okay, as they seemed to just be calling random spots at the end. Not sure if it was unfamiliarity between Hunter and Swagger in the ring or Swagger's inexperience, but it wasn't smooth at times. I'm not sure what it is with Swagger right now, but he just seems off. Being pushed down the ladder for eight months on Raw probably hasn't helped his psyche. (*)

3 -- RANDY ORTON vs. SHAWN MICHAELS -- Elimination Chamber qualifying match

The bell sounded and they had a brief stare down before locking up. Orton drove Michaels to the corner, then he broke and Michaels glared at him with his John Wayne ice-cold look. Orton met him with an equally-icy glare before missing with a right hand and Michaels landed a knife-edge chop to the chest. Michaels then hit a neckbreaker and teased the superkick, but Orton bailed to the floor. Michaels followed and the chase was on back into the ring where Orton teased the spike DDT, but Michaels blocked, landed a chop, and went up top where he hit a flying cross-body block for a two count. Orton then sent Michaels upside down in the corner before hitting the fallaway backbreaker to focus his attack on Michaels's lower back, which prompted Michael Cole's standard back injury history lesson.

Orton slowed things down with a focused attack as the announcers talked about both men being in a fragile state of mind. Orton then took Michaels up top, but Michaels knocked Orton off the top with forearm strikes before hitting a flying elbow drop. Michaels then went to the corner to tune up the band at 6:00, but Orton ducked and teased the RKO, only to have Michaels hit an atomic drop and chop combo twice. Michaels then flew off the ropes with a trademark flying elbow smash. He was about to do the classic kip up, but Orton grabbed him in mid-air and rolled up Michaels for the surprise pin and the win.

Post-match: Orton walked out of the ring pleased with himself in his own way while Michaels fought himself on screwing up again. Orton's music stopped and Michaels walked around the ring in frustration. Michaels ripped off his wrist bands and stomped out of the ring muttering to himself. The announcers talked about it being a frustrating 24 hours as Michaels disappeared in the back.

WINNER: Orton at 6:37 to qualify for the Elimination Chamber match. Only went seven minutes, but it felt like a longer match. Great storytelling from both men and a great finish with the flurry at the end before Orton made the big counter. If only someone would roll up Cena on the "You Can't See Me" hand wave. Michaels's post-match storytelling was well done to hook viewers on what's next. (** mainly for the story.)

4 -- MARK HENRY vs. TED DIBIASE -- Elimination Chamber qualifying match

Henry dominated early on including shoulder blocks and a shove to the floor. DiBiase regrouped on the floor before yanking Henry's left arm into the ringpost. DiBiase then dropped Henry into the ring steps with a drop toe hold. He slid back into the ring at seven before going to work on Henry's left arm back in the ring. DiBiase then tried a top rope move, but Henry caught him in mid-air, only to have DiBiase slip out and yank Henry's arm across the top rope. DiBiase followed with a single arm DDT on the arm that put Henry on the mat. DiBiase then made the cover and Henry couldn't use his arm to kick out, giving DiBiase the win.

WINNER: DiBiase at 3:06 to qualify for the Elimination Chamber match. Not the most aesthetically-pleasing match, but a solid match from a "this is presented as a shoot match" perspective with DiBiase taking apart a body part that helped him win the match. Good to see DiBiase, a non-Usual Suspect, in the Chamber match. (*)

5 -- KOFI KINGSTON vs. BIG SHOW -- Elimination Chamber qualifying match

Kofi tried to attack Show early on, but Show thwarted his attacks. Kofi then avoided a boot and Show was hung up in the ropes. Kofi dropkicked him off the ropes to the floor before they cut to break.

Back live, Kofi tried to fight back on Show as Miz was congratulated for his U.S. Title victory over MVP last night at the Royal Rumble. Miz then left the commentary table to taunt Kofi on the floor before MVP jumped the guardrail in basketball shorts and a t-shirt to attack Miz. Their brawl went to the back as Lawler continued to defend Miz on commentary.

After the confusion, back in the ring, Kofi went on the attack on Show including a Boom Drop for a two count. Kofi caught Show in the corner with punches, then Show sold a thumb to the eye. Show then turned around to blast Kofi with a right hand, but Kofi ducked and the ref sold a punch even though Show completely missed. Show realized his error and checked on the ref as ref #2 Scott Armstrong came down to the ring. He called for a DQ on Show, which upset Big Show. Show said he couldn't see after Kofi thumbed him in the eye. He then pleaded with Scott to reverse the decision. They replayed the finish with a reverse angle on Show's airballed punch to the ref. Meanwhile, Show screamed and yelled at the fans taunting him as he left. The ref was put on a stretcher with medics tending to him to sell the angle and Show's punch. "It was an accident!" Show shouted.

WINNER: Kofi Kingston via DQ at 8:20. That was the definition of a back-door entrance into a title match, as the focus remained on Big Show pleading his case that he shouldn't have lost. Kofi and Ted are the two new stars in the title situation, but Kofi has little momentum right now. Not a memorable match despite the distractions. (1/2*)

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