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Arcademan:
TNA Impact! Results: 5-13-10

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

1 -- TAYLOR WILDE (w/Sarita) vs. TARA

Taz said he's never put his career on the line like Tara did. After a plug for Dixie Carter's Twitter page, Tenay announced that at Sacrifice, Rob Terry will defend the Global Championship against Orlando Jordan, plus Abyss faces Wolfe with the Hogan's ring and Chelsea's "services" for a month at stake. Taz called out Wolfe for a chauvinistic move putting Chelsea's services on the line. Tara missed a flip legdrop into the ring. Wilde dove at Tara off the middle rope. Tara kicked her in mid-air and scored the extremely anticlimactic pin. Tara beat down Wilde with her knee brace afterward.

WINNER: Tara in 2:00.

2 -- DOUGLAS WILLIAMS vs. BRIAN KENDRICK

Williams wore the X Division Title belt to the ring. Does TNA have no authority to take the belt back, especially when he sets it at ringside during his match. Williams said Kendrick is both crazy and a loser. He said he hasn't seen him win a match, so he doesn't deserve a shot at his title, therefore it's a non-title match. Taz said he's not champion, so of course it's a non-title match. They continue to draw attention to the ridiculous decision TNA management made to strip him of the title because of the volcano stopping flights from Europe, giving fans reason to side with the heel Williams. Kaz said he won his title even though Williams has a legitimate gripe. Taz pointed out that the belt wasn't that far away. Kaz decided to go get his belt. Williams saw him coming and grabbed the belt. That gave Kendrick a chance to schoolboy him for the win. Williams immediately grabbed his belt again. Kaz stood outside the ring and pointed at Williams, failing to go take what is his, although even he believes it's not really fair to Williams that he got stripped, so it's good that there's a clear cut feeling of who to side with here... or not.

WINNER: Kendrick in 2:00.

3 -- THE YOUNG BUCKS vs. MATT & MORGAN

Matt Morgan isn't calling himself "Matt & Morgan," but I'm suggesting he should publicly as it'd fit his current gimmick of referring to himself as "we" and "us" perfectly. He gave big boots to both Bucks, then grabbed the mic and said, "Hogan, does it look like we're playing?" He said he's going to keep his promise and begin the bloodshed. He then threw Buck #1 to the floor and leaned him against the ringpost. Samoa Joe came out as the referee pulled Buck #1 away from the ringpost. Joe entered the ring and went after Mogan. Morgan went for a big boot, but Joe moved and then gave him an enzuigiri. Joe then gave Morgan the Muscle Buster. Steam them blew out of Joe's ears as he stared at the camera and huffed and puffed. Good to see Morgan's reign of bullying terror has been neutralized already.

WINNER: No contest in 1:00.

-Kevin Nash, Eric Young, and Scott Hall walked out with their briefcase. He opened it revealing a tag team title shot.

4 -- MATT & MORGAN vs. KEVIN NASH & SCOTT HALL -- TNA Tag Team Title Match

Nash made the cover and scored a pin to earn the tag titles for he and Hall.

WINNERS: Hall & Nash to capture the TNA Tag Team Titles.

5 -- TEAM 3D vs. THE MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS vs. INK INC. vs. BEER MONEY INC.

This felt like an absolute Iron Man match by the four minute mark relative to the length of the previous four "matches." At 7:00 the Guns went on a flurry of offense and cleared the ring. Shelley slingshot clotheslined Roode at ringside. Team 3D double-teamed Jesse Neal, including a top rope clothesline. Shannon Moore made the save. Neal knocked Devon out of the ring and then ate a slap by Brother Ray. Moore, though, caught Ray with a neckbreaker, known as the "Mooregasm," and then Neal hit a spear for the win. Taz said the student just took the teacher to school. He called it a massive victory. Moore bled pretty heavily from the earlobe. He must've lost an earring. He deserved that, just like that rookie female cop in season five of "The Shield."

WINNER: Ink Inc. in 8:00.

6 -- ORLANDO JORDAN vs. TYSON TOMKO

Tomko gave Jordan a spinebuster and went for a "ground and pound" style attack. Jordan slipped away and swept Tomko to the mat. Taz touted Jordan's amateur wrestling takedown technique and boxing background. Tomko gave Jordan a gorilla press into an overhead back suplex. Jordan fired back with a high dropkick. Jordan countered a Tomko slam attempt with a guillotine choke for the win. The ref, Earl Hebner, decided to stop the match because Tomko was supposedly knocked out even though it didn't look at all like he was KO'd. They tried to do make this look like an MMA fight, but it wasn't smooth to say the least.

WINNER: Jordan in 3:00 via ref stoppage.

-Bischoff ordered Tara to wrestle again. He said her attitude lately is "piss poor." He said she's now disrespecting her opponents and the referee earlier. Bischoff said he was tired of her and didn't want to hear another word. She stormed to the back.

7 -- SARITA vs. TARA

Sarita met Tara on the ramp as she made her ring entrance. At 2:00 Sarita tried to yank off Tara's knee brace. The ref tried to yank her away, but in the process Sarita swung her arms and hit the ref. Tara then surprised Sarita with the knee brace for the KO and the win.

WINNER: Tara in 3:00.

8 -- ROB VAN DAM vs. JEFF HARDY vs. A.J. STYLES

Hardy and RVD chatted like pals in the ring as Styles yapped in the face of a fan in the front row Scott Steiner-style. Tenay encouraged fan voting. Taz said not only will those votes influence Bischoff and Hogan, but there's a Championship Committee involved. Why can't they just explain this in a little more precise detail? What role do Bischoff and Hogan have relative to the this committee, and who is on the committee and what are their qualifications to make these decisions? Hardy kicked RVD in the opening minute, knocking him to the floor. Styles applied the figure-four on RVD at 3:00. Hardy broke it up with a legdrop. Hardy climbed to the top rope, but Styles popped up and knocked Hardy to the floor. Mr. Anderson showed up at ringside and attacked Styles. RVD went for a top rope kick, but the ref got in the way and went down. RVD kicked Anderson at ringside, giving Styles a chance to recover. Styles then flip dove onto Hardy, RVD, and Anderson at ringside at 4:00. Styles DDT'd RVD on the floor, then threw him into the ring. He covered RVD and pushed off the bottom rope with his feet for "added leverage" (it looked like it took away leverage based on how far he had to strain to reach the bottom rope with his feet) and scored the pin. Anderson mockingly apologized at ringside afterward.

WINNER: Styles in 5:00.

STAR RATING: *1/2 -- Kind of a mess, and just too short for a three-way match between stars of this level.

Arcademan:
WWE Smackdown Results: 5-14-10

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

1- KOFI KINGSTON vs. CHRISTIAN- INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Striker said the IC Title has changed hands three times in Buffalo. I think, for the most part, the fans were more in favor of Kofi live, especially as the match got going. The men struggled to get an advantage, but Christian dove onto Kingston on the outside after Kofi missed a dive. Both men were down after that move, and they went to break about two minutes in.

Christian was attempting to wear down Kingston with a chin-lock out of break. He settled into another rear chin-lock after Kingston fought out of the previous one. He got out again and did his flip kick in the corner. What would Scott Norwood think of that kick?, asked Striker. I know some friends who would like to meet up with Striker in a dark alley after that comment. High dropkick from Kingston. Jumping clothesline found the mark. Christian tripped him up during the Boom Drop and the men traded roll-ups. Leapfrog was countered by Christian, and he ended up giving an electric chair to Kofi. Another series of roll-ups for two. Cross-body off the top by Christian missed, but Kofi hit one of his own for a near-fall. Boom Drop found the mark, however, his finisher was countered into a reverse DDT for two. Killswitch was countered and Kingston landed his flip roll-through for two. Christian appeared to have his lip busted open at this point. Christian went for a sunset flip, but Kofi rolled through, got to his feet, and hit the Trouble in Paradise for the win.

WINNER: Kingston, at 12:02. I wonder if the commercial break padded the match out, because I had it pegged right at 10 minutes when I was there live. Just as good a match as I remember.

As Kingston celebrated with the title, the dapper Drew McIntyre made his slow walk to the ring. Long warned him that he'd have security escort him out of the building, but that didn't stop Drew. McIntyre gave an envelope with a letter in it to Long. Teddy read it silently, then tossed it down in anger. He told Kingston he was sorry and that he'd have to take the title. Kofi wasn't having it, but in the end, he gave it up. Crowd was not happy with the decision by Long here. The Smackdown GM handed the belt back over to Drew McIntyre, who left with his possession as Kingston seethed in the ring. McIntyre taunted Kofi by posing with the belt twice, once at the bottom of the ramp and again at the top.

2- SHAD GASPARD vs. JESSE GUYVER

Headlock take-over by Shad, as Guyver wasn't getting anything in. Sunset flip by the jobber, but Gaspard didn't fall for it. STO ended things.

WINNER: Gaspard, at 1:38. Impressive enough squash.

3- MVP & JTG vs. THE DUDEBUSTERS

Apparently, the Dudebusters are goofballs. Back-body drop by JTG on Baretta. The guys sitting behind us did not like the Dudebusters. Apparently, neither did MVP and JTG, as they clotheslined the duo over the top rope. Croft tripped JTG up behind the ref's back and Baretta landed a running knee to the face. The Dudebusters worked over JTG on the heel side of the ring. Frequent tags by the heels. MVP begged JTG for a tag, but Baretta grabbed his leg. JTG kicked him aside and tagged MVP. Croft tried to break up a pin, but MVP moved and he hit Baretta. Play of the Day on Baretta for MVP to get the win.

WINNERS: MVP & JTG, at 4:21. Not a good sign that they threw JTG back into a tag-team after breaking away from Shad.

3 -BETH PHOENIX vs. MICHELLE MCCOOL & LAYLA- HANDICAP MATCH FOR THE WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP

No tags here from McCool and Layla, even after Striker said that's how it would have to go. Phoenix fended off the Divas, but they went after her injured knee. Phoenix put both Layla and McCool on her shoulders for a Samoan Drop. Beth grabbed the knee right afterward. Cover on Layla for only two. Michelle and Beth knocked heads out of the corner and McCool had to bounce herself around to get knocked out of the ring. It was a bit absurd. Layla was able to make the cover on Beth to get the win.

WINNER: Layla, at 2:06. Shock is the best way to describe how the crowd greeted this result.

4- KANE vs. CHAVO GUERRERO

Kane grabbed Chavo by the throat for a chokeslam, but Chavo got out of it. Grisham mentioned Kane beating Chavo at Wrestlemania a few years back in record time. To the top went Chavo, but he was sent to the outside with a punch. Back in the ring, a little more offense from Kane before finally finishing Chavo off with a chokeslam.

WINNER: Kane, at 1:27.

5- REY MYSTERIO vs. C.M. PUNK

Rey kicked at the legs of Punk, then slid under Punk. However, he didn't get to his feet for some reason, allowing Punk to kick him in the head. That was a bit awkward. Mysterio landed on his feet on an aerial attack aimed at Punk, but Punk clotheslined him into the barricade. More after the break.

Punk was stretching Mysterio's arm and back out of break. Punk bonked his head in the corner and he hopped to the top rope, but Punk kicked his leg out and Mysterio got hung up on the top rope. Punk brought him back down and went for a pin, getting two. Abdominal stretch by Punk, who was called one of the best pure strikers in WWE. I think the Undertaker (and Michael Cole) would have something to say about that. Punk tossed Mysterio out of the ring under the bottom rope. Springboard clothesline for two by Punk. Bulldog by Mysterio and both men were down. Mysterio got a boot up in the corner and landed a springboard seated senton. Punk fired back soon after and catapulted Mysterio into the corner. Mysterio hopped on Punk's shoulders and set up for the 619. He dropkicked an advancing Luke Gallows and Punk rolled Rey up for two. Kick to the head by Rey. 619 connected, then he landed the springboard splash. He covered Punk but got up when he saw the masked man get into the ring. The person took of the mask and it was Serena. The real masked man attacked Rey from behind, drawing a DQ.

WINNER: Mysterio, via DQ, at 10:36. Fine match, but pretty formula. Hopefully saving the good stuff for Over the Limit.

The attack continued post match, with Gallows, the masked man and Punk all hitting their finisher on Rey. The Society took an unconscious Rey, put one hand over his heart and one hand in the air, as Punk recited the Straight Edge pledge. Punk patted Rey on the head as the show ended.

Arcademan:
WWE RAW Results: 5-17-10

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). Brought to you in condensed version and commercial free from the Warlord of CLOW :D

1 -- EDGE vs. CHRISTIAN

Christian maintained control early on as Edge continued to sell shock he was actually facing his former friend and tag partner. Lawler said they're going to try to prove who's the superior wrestler. Yes, the word "wrestler" used on a WWE broadcast. Edge then slapped Christian across the face, leading to a game of cat and mouse that gave Edge control. Edge thought he was going to score a count-out, but Christian ran back into the ring at nine. Edge then played to the crowd, which drew a mixed reaction, and he went to work on Christian's injured left shoulder. Edge then taunted Christian before landing a kick to the shoulder. Cole talked about Edge and Christian breaking in together in the late 1990s as Edge continued to work over Christian.

Christian teased a comeback at 7:30 with open-hand slaps to the face before going up top. Edge cut him off, though, and they took the fight up top. Christian blocked a superplex and kicked Edge in the face before landing a Tornado DDT for a two count. Christian then landed a flying forearm smash and rallied the crowd before running into a back elbow smash. Edge tried to follow, but Christian pancaked him. He then went to the second rope for a missile dropkick on Edge for a two count. Christian tried to follow with the Killswitch, but Edge blocked. Christian retained control by slingshotting Edge across the top rope before going up top for a headbutt attempt. Edge moved, though, and followed up with an implant DDT center ring for a close two count.

Edge tried a running kick strike at 10:30, but Christian ducked and grabbed Edge's leg into a roll up for a two count. Edge then kicked Christian in the corner and then teased the Spear, but Christian blocked with a kick to the face. Back and forth they went before Edge finally had Christian in the corner. He missed with a spear again and Christian hid the pendulum kick. He then nailed a flying European uppercut and teased the Killswitch, but the shoulder issue flared up and he couldn't hit the move. Edge took advantage by ramming Christian shoulder-first into the ringpost. He immediately bounced off the ropes and hit the Spear off the ropes for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Edge at 12:09. Excellent TV match. Just a great exchange between two wrestlers who know each other so well and can work a good match together in their sleep. Well done. (***)

Post-match: Randy Orton appeared on the Titantron congratulating Edge on the win. Orton said he's not sure why Christian is out there because that's not who Edge is actually facing tonight. Cue up The Undertaker's theme music. Orton smirked and Edge shook his head in disbelief. Taker then made his slow entrance to the ring, marking the first non-Canadian on the show. And, again, the brand split is watered down. Or, perhaps Taker is omni-brand. Edge was on the floor during Taker's entrance selling disbelief over this. He eventually stepped onto the ring apron very tentatively.

2 -- THE UNDERTAKER vs. EDGE

The ref called for the bell and Edge refused to enter the ring. The ref reached a ten count as Edge simply dropped to the floor saying he's having no part of this. Christian then snuck up behind Edge and rolled him back into the ring. Taker took advantage by planting Edge into the mat with a chokeslam. Cue up Taker's music and he walked off satisfied with his damage inflicted for the evening. Edge still has to pick Orton's opponent tonight.

WINNER: Taker via count-out at 0:37. (n/a)

3 -- TED DIBIASE, JR. (w/Virgil) vs. YOSHI TATSU

The crowd was hot ringside with a "Virgil, Virgil" chant. Yoshi landed rapid-fire offense early on before making a cover for a one count. DiBiase then powered Yoshi into the corner and landed a forearm smash before executing a slingshot suplex across the top rope. Yoshi came back with a spin kick out of the corner after blocking elbow smashes, then hit a kick strike as DiBiase was seated on the mat. Yoshi tried a roundhouse kick, but DiBiase blocked and hit Dream Street for the pin and the win.

WINNER: DiBiase at 3:08. Okay match that was positioned as a come-down match in the middle of a commercial-free show. Yoshi had a good amount of offense so it wasn't a total squash. (*)

4 -- U.S. champion THE MIZ vs. BRET HART -- United States Title match -- No DQ match

The bell sounded and Miz bailed from the ring. Miz took the mic and said he forgot to tell Hart he doesn't trust him very much because he knows Hart Dynasty is ready to come on down and try to interfere. He said he paid a few guys to neutralize them. Out came Kozlov and William Regal. An American, a Canadian, a Russian, and an Englishman involved here. Suddenly, HD came through the crowd and a brawl was on ringside. Then, Chris Jericho snuck in the back door and joined Miz in the ring. Natalya then slipped into the ring and stood next to Hart. Jericho told Natalya to get lost, but she slapped him across the face. Miz tried to grab Natalya, but Hart smacked Miz. Jericho cut off Hart, though, and started choking him on the mat. Suddenly, D.H. Smith re-entered the ring and clotheslined Jericho out of the ring. Miz dropped Smith, though. And they were back to Miz vs. Hart.

Hart slowly pulled himself up and Miz stomped him in the gut before teasing the Sharpshooter. Miz then turned around and ate a springboard dropkick by Tyson Kidd. HD followed with a running Hart Attack on Miz before Hart grabbed Miz by the legs. He teased the Sharpshooter and slapped it on center ring. Miz quickly tapped out, giving Hart the win and the U.S. Title in Canada.

Post-match: Hart grabbed the U.S. Title and almost fell on the turnbuckles trying to celebrate. HD then helped Hart celebrate in the corner as Hart had a big moment in the ring. Nice moment. As the Harts wrapped up the celebration, Cole suddenly inserted a line that he thought Hart should have just stayed home. He said it took the entire Hart Family to beat Mr. McMahon. Cole said this isn't right, while Lawler enjoyed the moment on commentary. Cole channeling NXT here.

WINNER: Hart at 3:55 to capture the U.S. Title. They went the full bag of tricks route here trying to have as many moving parts as possible before setting up the finish with Hart slapping on the Sharpshooter. It was definitely a feel-good moment with the additional subtext that it seems like they're going to retire the U.S. Title. We'll see where this goes. (n/a)

Continued in next post...

Arcademan:
WWE RAW Results: 5-17-10

Continued from previous post...

5 -- Women's champion LAYLA & MICHELLE MCCOOL & MARYSE vs. Divas champion EVE & BELLA TWINS

More Smackdown brand cross-overs with LayCool out for a six-Divas tag match. They replayed Layla winning the Women's Title on Smackdown, then Michelle McCool and Layla high-fived each other in the ring. Maryse then came out as their tag partner and WWE confirmed Maryse vs. Eve for the Divas Title at the PPV. As for tonight, Eve has the Bella Twins. This moved along pretty well with some back-and-forth action. After the action broke down, Maryse hit the French Kiss hair-flipping DDT on one of the Bellas for the pin and the win. Afterward, Eve tried to get to Maryse, but Maryse bailed and Eve was left having to get to Maryse at the PPV.

WINNERS: Team Maryse at 4:05. An extended-length (at four minutes) Divas match on Raw. The action had a good pace and kept moving before eventually putting the final touches on setting up Maryse vs. Eve at the PPV on Sunday. (*)

6 -- World Hvt. champion JACK SWAGGER vs. RANDY ORTON -- non-title match

Swagger bailed to the outside after a back-and-forth exchange and drew Orton to the floor to accept a blow into the announce table. Swagger then became distracted by loud "R-K-O" chants that allowed Orton to pull Swagger back into the ring. Orton teased the horizonal spike DDT, but Swagger reached his feet and blasted Orton with an aggressive amateur wrestling takedown. Swagger then followed with two running Vader bombs out of the corner and Orton rolled to the outside selling his mid-section. Orton reached the apron at eight and Swagger bumped him to the floor into the announce table. Back in the ring, Orton tried to come back with right hands, but Swagger ducked and hit a belly-to-belly suplex.

Swagger tried another running Vader Bomb, but Orton popped to his feet and kicked Swagger in the gut on the way down. Orton made a full comeback and put Swagger on the middle rope to hit the big horizontal spike DDT. Orton then got that look in his eyes and started stalking Swagger for the RKO. Suddenly, Edge hit the ring and went after Orton, causing the match to be thrown out. Orton fought off Edge momentarily, then hit the RKO on Swagger. Orton got up, then Edge dropped Orton with the spear. Man, I'm upset if I'm Undertaker. Edge stood tall and walked out of the ring in control going into the PPV vs. Orton one-on-one.

WINNER: No Contest at 7:17. Another big singles match given away between Raw and Smackdown wrestlers. Swagger had plenty of offense, but took the final blow yet again. Meanwhile, Orton was KO'ed to end the bit. And, Edge was flattened earlier by Undertaker, whose chokeslam apparently isn't big enough of a deal to take a wrestler out for the length of a show. Some really short-sighted booking here. (*1/2)

7 -- EVAN BOURNE & GAIL KIM vs. ZACK RYDER & ALICIA FOX

Bourne and Ryder started things off before the Divas tagged in and exchanged offense. Ryder helped out Alicia behind the ref's back as the announcers plugged all of Aldrin's accolades. The announcers also used every space-related cliche in the book. This match seemed to be setting up for Bourne hitting Air Bourne...but they pulled a switch with Gail hitting the Eat Defeat finisher on Alicia for the pin and the win. Post-match: Buzz joined Gail and Bourne in the ring to celebrate as Cole went "over the limit" with the cliches, according to Lawler. Buzz then did a Moonwalk, with this show completely off the rails thanks to the commentary. Cole threw in a Freebirds reference for good measure.

WINNERS: Bourne & Gail at 3:24. There was a time when the segment before the "main event segment/match" was typically just the dead zone segment of the show. Now, it's the segment where the show completely falls apart where you're either laughing or crying at the absurdity of what's happening before they try to recover and get the train back on the tracks. (*)

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

Sheamus knocked Cena to the outside early on and beat him up on the floor before taking the beating back into the ring. With Sheamus dominating, Cole stacked the deck against Cena on commentary by noting Batista will be fresh going into the PPV after destroying Henry earlier in the show. Cena then made a comeback and knocked Sheamus to the floor. Back in the ring, Cena teased the Attitude Adjustment, but Sheamus countered with a backbreaker across his knee for a two count. Cena then came back with a sidewalk slam after reversing a whip to the ropes. Back and forth they went before Sheamus cracked Cena across the face with a knee that knocked Cena to the outside. Cena tried to pull himself back into the ring, then Sheamus airballed a knee smash. Cena had a flurry and teased the big Cena Comeback, but Sheamus countered the running bulldog into a kick to the face. They went to the floor again where Sheamus sent Cena face-first into the announce table. Cole reset the action, noting Bret Hart is the new U.S. champion. Back in the ring, Sheamus made a pin attempt for a nearfall. Sheamus played to the crowd and he received a mild face pop. It's been a mixed crowd for Cena and Sheamus with the fans vocal. After Sheamus took his time, Cena made his Cena Comeback and dropped the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena teased the AA, but Sheamus held onto the top rope.

Suddenly, Batista snuck in the back door and dropped Cena with a spinebuster to have the match thrown out. Batista hit another spinebuster, then a third. He teased the Batistabomb, but then dropped Cena on the mat and slapped on his new chicken wing submission as Cena writhed in pain. "Say you quit! Say it!" Batista shouted at Cena. Cena did his big determination face as Batista kept the hold on even tighter. Ref Jack Doane audibly said, "Five seconds" while feigning an attempt to break the hold. Batista kept the hold locked in, then the show went off the air...amazingly...five seconds later with Cena still trapped in the hold.

WINNER: No Contest at 9:19. As predicted on the Livecast, there was no way they were having a clean finish to this, especially if WWE goes with a Cena vs. Sheamus feud after Over the Limit. The whole point was to stack the deck against Cena for the PPV to presumably set up Cena making the big comeback and overcoming the odds to make Batista say he quits. Overall, too many non-finishes or TNA-style run-ins on this show after the Christian vs. Edge opener. (*3/4)

Arcademan:
WWE NXT Results: 5-18-10

Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to Caldwell's complete report). Condensed to in-ring results, a confrontation and the elimination.

1 -- WADE BARRETT (w/Chris Jericho) vs. DARREN YOUNG

Young tried to tackle Barrett early on and land a ground attack, but Barrett rolled to the outside and lured Young into a trap on the floor. Back in the ring, Young absorbed punishment before nailing right hand blows to mount a comeback. Young then went up top for a high-risk move, but Barrett crotched Young on the top turnbuckle. Barrett then took Young on his shoulders and landed his finishing bodyslam for the pin and the win. They cut to Punk on stage and Punk had a look of "well, that sucked" as his Rookie taking the loss. Mathews suggested it was the dagger for Darren Young.

WINNER: Barrett in 3:00. Decent match with Young showing some fire to try to stand out. Barrett continues to quietly get the job done and WWE is obviously building him up as a threat to babyfaces on the Raw or Smackdown roster. (*)

Matt Striker was joined by Daniel Bryan and Michael Tarver, who were both eliminated "controversially" last week. Bryan and Tarver were dressed in street clothes here. Cole was beside himself with Bryan's presence. Striker fed to a video package on both of their eliminations last week. Back in the ring, Striker said both of them have had a week to absorb what happened. Tarver said he was told, like everyone else, that it would be judged by a Pros Poll, but he was eliminated by WWE management. "Who exactly is WWE management?" He said they're a group of easily-intimidated pencil pushers. He said they didn't have the courtesy to tell him he was eliminated. Tarver said he was told by WWE that the goal was to stand out and be different. He said he gave the fans something different and he knew exactly what he was doing the whole time.

Striker then introduced Daniel Bryan to a decent reaction. Bryan said the truth is he was eliminated by WWE management and not the Pros. He said when he came to WWE, he heard the nightmares about politics, Vince McMahon liking big guys, and WWE pushing wrestlers they made themselves, regardless of whether a wrestler can actually wrestle and connect with the audience. He said he was not invented by the WWE machine and you would think WWE, as a publicly-traded company, would want to utilize the wrestlers who can make the most money for the company. Bryan said he is the best person for this job. Striker said Bryan essentially eliminated himself with his comments.

Bryan said everyone knows how good he is in the ring. Cole kept complaining on commentary. Bryan said Jericho, Christian, and Regal know how good he is. Bryan said even The Miz knows he's better than him. "You're better than me?" Miz said from the stage. He called him an indy star who hasn't done anything in WWE. Miz ranted and raved before asking Bryan what he's done in WWE. Bryan told Miz that if he thinks he's so good, then come down to the ring and prove it. Striker tried to interrupt Bryan, so Bryan told him one thing he won't miss about NXT is him interrupting him.

Bryan then turned his attention to Michael Cole. He called him a parrot. He said Cole just repeats what McMahon says in his headset about him having no charisma and having no personality. He walked out of the ring and approached the announce table as Cole stood up from his seat. Bryan started bullying Cole and he knocked his headset off. Bryan called him a poor man's replacement for J.R. Bryan cornered Cole before knocking him down to the ground. Refs then intervened to pull Bryan back. Bryan was pulled away and Cole recovered as they cut to break with Bryan having an evil smile on his face.

2 -- HEATH SLATER (w/Christian) vs. JUSTIN GABRIEL (w/Matt Hardy)

After some early offense, Cole decided to leave the broadcast position and head to the back to "deal with this." The camera stayed with him as he walked away, missing Gabriel's attempted splash on the floor. Back in the ring, Slater landed a spinebuster center ring for a close two count. Mathews said the Pros Poll coming up could be just as close as the last nearfall. Nice. Gabriel then knocked down Slater in the corner and went up top. He nailed the big 450 Splash and scored the pin for the win. Apparently Gabriel doesn't get music for the win. After a delay, Hardy's music hit to mark Gabriel's win. With four babyfaces in the ring, Christian stood over Slater to help him regroup before Gabriel showed sportsmanship shaking hands with Slater. They replayed the finish before Christian grabbed Gabriel to shake his hand. Christian shook hands with Hardy to adhere to the Code of Honor. And now everyone's going out for ice cream after the Little League game.

WINNER: Gabriel in 3:00. Not a particularly memorable match with the focus on Cole and the post-fight happenings with Bryan. Gabriel's finisher is certainly over, which is a good sign. Slater, meanwhile, has lost momentum since the surprise victory over Chris Jericho a few weeks ago. (*)

Ringside: The five remaining NXT Rookies were assembled in front of the ring. David Otunga was there for the first time on the show. Striker did the build-up to the revelation by noting the winner of NXT has earned a championship match on PPV. Striker said the time has come for the new Pros Poll. #1 is Wade Barrett again. #2 is David Otunga again. #3 is Heath Slater, who moved up one slot. So, it's Darren Young and Justin Gabriel. Striker went to the video board for a drumroll to reveal Gabriel #4 and Young #5. Young is gone. They cut to a shot of Young staring straight ahead with no reaction. Striker asked Young for his thoughts. He told Young to tell the Pros what he thinks.

Young took the mic and walked up the ramp to the stage. He thanked the fans for giving him an opportunity. He said the difference between him and the NXT Rookies is he has respect. He walked down the line of Pros saying he has respect for all of them, including Punk. He said he's not going to holler and cry, but say "thank you." The audience applauded. Young said NXT is over for him. He paused as the crowd went from applauding to singing, "Na na na, hey hey, good-bye." Young lowered the mic and surveyed the audience while Cole got in one more shot at Daniel Bryan. Mathews suggested Young might have a different view of the WWE audience now. He then walked to the end of the stage and said this isn't the last of him in WWE. Striker took the mic and said the competition is just heating up.

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