Thoughts From The Top Rope 05.28.08: The Top 10 Pay-Per-Views (1998-2008)

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 05.28.2008

I begin a look back at my wrestling fandom with a selection of the greatest pay-per-views of the last 10 years. Plus, my TNA vs. WWE war continues with Summerslam and beyond.

Thoughts From The Top Rope

One of my first memories of pro wrestling is Mick Foley being tossed from the top of the Hell in a Cell. That happened about 10 years ago, which means I've been a fan for about 10 years, although I did not watch regularly until 2000. Still, I'm calling it a milestone. Though I've not been a fan for as long as many of my fellow writers, or indeed some (most?) of you, I've seen a hell of a lot of good and bad in the wrestling world, but who wants to remember the bad? Not me. So the next few weeks will be a dedication to all the good stuff I've seen over the years, starting with…

Top 10 Pay-Per-Views of My Fandom

Is this gimmick infringement? I'm not sure it is, but if it is apologies to Julian Williams. I'm sure he didn't plan on doing a Top 10 list of pay-per-views that have taken place during my time as a wrestling fan, so I think we're good. WCW, Original ECW and weekly TNA PPVs weren't considered because I haven't seen most of them.

Honourable Mentions: WrestleMania XIX, WrestleMania XX, Vengeance 2006, One Night Stand 2005, One Night Stand 2006, Lockdown 2006, Lockdown 2008, Survivor Series 2002, Backlash 2007, Fully Loaded 2000, Sacrifice 2005

10. WWE WrestleMania 21: There may well be some argument about this because the two main events were both arguably disappointing matches. The WWE Championship match between John Cena and JBL was short on time and Batista/Triple H for the World Championship was a good match at best. However, I'll let that slide because it was a show that kicked-off a new era, and that'd be the one we're in today. This show created two new stars, which makes it automatically memorable. It also had one of the best undercards of all time. Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio kicked off the show with Halloween Havoc-lite, but it was a great high-flying match that featured a lot of stuff we rarely see on TV these days. The first-ever Money in the Bank match is my favourite; it had a great story involving Chris Benoit and his injury, and the athleticism of Shelton Benjamin was off the charts. And much like Batista and Cena, Edge had a career-moment when he won MITB. Randy Orton and Undertaker had a surprisingly great match and the only quibble anyone really has with it is that Orton should've gone over. But the best match of the night came from Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle who put on one of the greatest matches of all time. This show had everything – great matches, career-defining moments, brawls, high-flying action, and Trish Stratus. Winner!

9. TNA Turning Point 2005: Turning Point 05 is another pay-per-view that has a little something for everyone. The bets match on the card comes, unsurprisingly, from Samoa Joe and AJ Styles who went 20 minutes with the X Division Championship on the line and Joe came out of it with his first piece of TNA gold. The show benefits from having nothing on the card that is bad, and a couple of really matches. Abyss and Sabu kicked off the show with Barbed Wire Massacre and it was the epitome of a sick, brutal match and personally, I loved it. The main even is a clusterfuck of epic proportions, but that's how I like my Jeff Jarrett matches – he and Rhino had a great brawl to close out the show and Jarrett retained the NWA Championship. There was also plenty of tag team goodness of the show with America's Most Wanted and Team 3D putting on a very good tables match and Matt Bentley and Austin Aries beating Roderick Strong and Alex Shelley in a terrific opening contest. Elsewhere, 4LK beat Team Canada in a decent 8-man tag, Christian Cage beat Monty Brown in another great match. This was really good stuff all round from TNA and they showcased what they do best.

8. WWE Backlash 2000: Top to bottom, this is an awesome show produced in a time where the majority of WWE pay-per-views were awesome. The main event was a defining moment for The Rock as he captured the WWF Championship from Triple H in a match filled with run-ins that helped to make this match one of the best over-booked bouts of all-time. Stone Cold made an appearance to help Rock get the win and the show ended with the two drinking a beer. Also on the card, Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho had the first of many great matches they would have in the next year and provided us with a really stiff, really fun match. Viewers also had the satisfaction of seeing Bubba Dudley finally put Trish Stratus through a table. Eddie Guerrero and Essa Rios provided us with some fun high-flying action, but their match also provided the low point of the show – Chyna in her bra and panties. Yeah, no thanks. We also got some great hardcore action and one of WWE's best-ever light heavyweight matches between Dean Malenko and Scotty II Hotty. The DC crowd made the opening tag match between Edge and Christian and X-Pac and Road Dogg a great affair and only APA vs. Bossman and Buchanon was bad, but a couple of brilliant matches more than makes up for it. This show gave the fans everything they would've wanted and more.

7. TNA Unbreakable 2005: This pay-per-view is likely only remembered for its main event and you can't really blame people for that. The triple threat match between Samoa Joe, AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels is one of the best matches of all time and I do not think that that is a hyperbole. It was about 25 minutes of non-stop action from three of the best performers around at the time who happened share ridiculous chemistry. That match and the aforementioned HBK/Angle match was a toss-up for MOTY in 2005. But this show had so much more than just its main event. In a Raven's Rules match, Raven beat Rhino in a great brawl that every kind of weapon you could want and all sorts of fun shenanigans from the two hardcore experts. In a 4-way elimination tag match, The Naturals claimed tag team gold in a tremendous 20-minute match also involving Team Canada, AMW and Alex Shelley and Chris Candido. Abyss and Sabu had another fantastic hardcore brawl that was probably their best match – it may not hold up as well now, but at the time all the tacks and blood were still enjoyable to see. Petey Williams and Chris Sabin had a fun X Division encounter that led to the return of Matt Bentley – a really memorable moment as far as I'm concerned. The undercard featured a lot of goodness from Jeff Hardy, Bobby Roode, Austin Aries and Roderick Strong. TNA was at its best during this time period and it really shows with this pay-per-view.

6. WWE WrestleMania 24: The most recent pay-per-view on the list, WrestleMania 24 provided all kinds of excitement for all who watched the show, and if you didn't, I recommend you pick up the DVD as soon as it is available to you. The most memorable part of this show was, no doubt, Ric Flair's last match. Flair has had many amazing matches in his 35-year career, but none was as emotional or as epic as this was. Flair and Shawn Michaels, at their ages, have no right to be putting on a classic, but they did it here. I don't want to harp on about this match, as Mania 24 is not a one-match show and everything there is to be said on it has been said, so we'll move on. The show also had two tremendous main events. The triple threat between John Cena, Randy Orton and Triple H was a disappointment to some, but it was non-stop action for 15 minutes and had a really surprising ending – something that doesn't happen too often these days. On top of that, Edge and Undertaker gave us a phenomenal performance in the main event and sent the crowd home happy with Taker's win. Elsewhere, JBL and Finlay gave us a fun brawl to kick off the show, MITB delivered again and was a memorable spot fest at worst and an insane display of athletic bravery at best. While Batista/Umaga and Kane/Chavo were low points, there's plenty here to enjoy and one of the best WrestleMania's in recent memory, in my view.


5. WWE No Way Out 2001: Another show that is remembered for one match, No Way Out was stacked top-to-bottom with great matches but the match that everyone remembers is the one that ended a 2-year rivalry between Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The two put in one of their best career performances on that night and the outcome was a near 40-minute blockbuster of a match that can be summed up in one word: epic. The Game beat Austin by 2 falls to 1 but felt a Stunner after the match, in a moment that pretty much summed up their entire rivalry. But as I said, there was plenty of other good stuff on this show. The Rock and Kurt Angle had a tremendous main event for the title that suffered from random Big Show interference and a botched 3-count at the end, but it was still something of a masterpiece, even if it is overshadowed by the Austin/Game match. A personal favourite match of mine, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, X-Pac and Chris Jericho had a really fun fatal four-way that saw 3 great wrestlers and X-Pac (I kid, I'm a big Waltman fan) get some time to shine and make people take notice. There was also the usual fun hardcore action, and some tag team table fun as well. On top of that, Stephanie McMahon of all people, had a great women's match with Trish Stratus that saw the Toronto blonde get doused in cold water – that right there gets this show a spot on the top ten. The only way this show could be higher is if The King had've beaten Steven Richards, which would have allowed The Kat to get naked. But alas, this was not the case.

4. TNA Bound For Glory 2006: TNA's answer to WrestleMania, Bound For Glory usually has expectations to deliver and more often than not, it does indeed produce some great matches and fun moments, and that was never more true than the 2006 edition. Although by no means a great match, Sting beating Jeff Jarrett for the NWA Championship was a hell of a moment and possibly one of the greatest in TNA history. However, the show did feature a truly great match in the form of LAX beating the duo of AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels to win the Tag Team Championships inside a steel cage. The crowd was electric for this and every other match and the kind of shit those four men were doing in the cage was ridiculous if not borderline unbelievable. There was also a couple of fantastic hardcore brawls; Christian Cage and Rhino tore shit up in an 8-Mile Street Fight while Samoa Joe bested Abyss, Brother Runt and Raven in TNA's Monster Ball match. Both fights were packed with memorable moments and had the crowd in the palm of their hands all night long. As well as all of the insane moments that this show provided, we were treated to some fantastic wrestling from Chris Sabin and Senshi who fought in a great X Division Championship match that saw Sabin pick up the gold after an awesome bout. Elsewhere, Austin Starr won a surprisingly fun gauntlet while Team 3D won a fun four corners tag team match. As far as I'm concerned, this is TNA's best pay-per-view ever and one of the best in modern times.

3. WWE Judgment Day 2000: We're getting closer to number one now, but this show just misses out. Judgment Day 2000 was the show where The Rock and Triple H went an hour in an Iron Man match and delivered one of my favourite matches of all time. Some of the spots they worked into that match were amazing and showed great psychology; Triple H sacrificing a fall via DQ to gain the upperhand was brilliantly and using a sleeper to gain a fall in the latter stages was likewise. Some people aren't fond of the closing minutes but I think Undertaker's interference created brilliant drama and the match, from beginning to end, was amazing story-telling. Also on the show, Benoit and Jericho put on another clinic that showed even better psychology and ended when Benoit made Jericho pass out to the Crippler Crossface. The Dudleyz and DX also produced a fun tables match, while Perry Saturn, Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero had a fun if forgettable triple threat. The crowd was hot all night and really into the six-man tag featuring Kurt Angle, Edge and Christian against Too Cool and Rikishi. Finally, Shane McMahon and Big Show produced a decent enough brawl. Suffice to say there's nothing bad here and each match provided something a little bit different to the next. This was everything good WWE was doing around the time rolled into a 3-hour show.

2. WWE Summerslam 2002: As far as I'm concerned, this show is up there with any other you want to call one of the best pay-per-views of all time. While the tag title match was a let down, everything here was good stuff. Undertaker and Test produced a good big man match-up, and Jericho and Ric Flair brought the goods, even if that was a let down too. But let's talk about the awesomeness that this show brings to the table. We open up with fast-paced, high-flying, counter-hold war between Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio. These men had fantastic chemistry and told a great story in the ring and the fans loved it. Then we get a bout between Edge and Eddie Guerrero, two men who had been producing the goods all year. This was a prelude to the awesome match they'd have on SmackDown weeks later, but the psychology here is fantastic and the drama is off the charts. Then there's the Intercontinental Championship match between Rob Van Dam and Chris Benoit – a pairing I thought would have very little chemistry due to the contrasting styles, but damn, both men brought their shit to the table and they had a fantastic, intense bout. The main event had a terrific atmosphere and saw the culmination of the rise of Brock Lesnar as he upset The Rock to become WWE Champion. This match was great main event wrestling and gave the fans what they wanted to see. But by far the best match on the show, Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H. This was Shawn's first match back and it surely exceeded any and all expectations anyone could have had. This match was the proverbial rollercoaster; a blockbuster, and one that deserves credit as one of the greatest of all time. This pay-per-view is one of few to be able to boast so many top tier matches from a bunch of guys who were really hitting their stride at the time. Epic show.

1. WWE WrestleMania X-Seven: I hate to be predictable, but really, was there ever going to be any other show in this position? I don't think so. While most would say that this is the end of the Attitude Era, I'd rather label it the Greatest Hits of the Attitude Era. Headlined by the most iconic match-up in history (only Hogan/Andre and Hogan/Rock come close), Mania X-Seven was and still is the pinnacle of greatest and arguably the greatest wrestling show of all time. The Rock and Steve Austin waged war in an epic main event with a shocking ending, and the fans were loving each and every minute of it. On top of that classic match, fans also witnessed TLC II, that provided more bumps, thrills and spills than the last effort and also featured Lita removing her shirt – bonus! And in one of the most overbooked brawls ever, Vince and Shane McMahon did battle in a Street Fight with Mick Foley as the referee. The battle featured shenanigans from Stephanie McMahon, Trish Stratus and Linda McMahon and showcased what the McMahons do best – clusterfucks! The best pure wrestling of the evening came from a clinic put on by Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit, an effort that they would try to top several times over the next two years. Throw in an underrated Triple H/Undertaker fight, a great opener in Regal/Jericho and a few significant title changes and hardcore brawls and you have Mania X-Seven, without doubt the greatest pay-per-view of modern times. This show had everything you could want out of wrestling and no viewer could possibly feel disappointed after this epic. Drama, atmosphere, intensity are a few words that could be used to describe the show, but the one I'd go with is simply flawless.

The War Continues…

So Wilcox, you're still running with this TNA vs. WWE stuff?

Apparently so. (Positive) feedback on it has dropped in the last couple of weeks, probably because people were so shocked at Steve Austin appearing at TNA's Hard Justice that they were all rendered speechless. But just in case that's not the case, we continue in the hope that I can make a few people think "yeah, that would kick ass…"

To catch up, here's last week's column.

Raw the next night (8/11) kicks off with the majority of the WWE roster, SmackDown, Raw and ECW, surrounding ringside. Steve Austin makes his way to the ring. He wishes he could wrestle because he would love to mix it up with some of the guys in TNA, but he can't be their leader this time. He thinks he has found someone who can be, and he brings out Mr. Kennedy. Kennedy declares himself leader and Shawn Michaels comes out with Kevin Nash. Michaels wants to know who died and left Kennedy as a leader. Michaels says he's the Showstopper, the Icon and the Main Event, and Kennedy hasn't done squat. Kennedy says Michaels needs to step aside and Michaels says to make him. Vince McMahon comes down now and tells them to back off. He says this war with TNA is over, and he is cancelling the WWE vs. TNA matches at Summerslam. He orders WWE talent to stay away from the Impact Zone on Thursday. Austin has the microphone and asks what happened to Vince. He asks Vince if he's scared of Sting. Vince says he's never been scared of anybody in his life. Austin says Vince was scared when Austin was holding a fake gun to his head on Raw, and when Austin was destroying Vince's automobiles and raising hell, but Vince grabbed those grapefruits and he stepped up, and eventually, he earned Austin's respect. Austin says Vince may have just lost it. "I'm Vincent Kennedy McMahon, dammit!" Vince says at Summerslam, he will spit in the face of Sting. He will crush him and beat him one-two-three, in a Street Fight.

Also on Raw, this video aired.



Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Kennedy is signed on as that evening's main event. Austin is in Kennedy's corner and Nash is in Michaels'. They go a good fifteen minutes before a referee gets knocked out. Nash big boots Kennedy so Austin gets in Nash's face on the floor. Michaels tunes up the band but Samoa Joe comes in through the crowd and tackles HBK. They brawl and Kennedy bails, only for AJ Styles to come from behind, toss him in the ring and start putting the boots to him. Other TNA wrestlers run through the crowd and attack and the WWE locker room empties and we get a mass brawl. Lights out… riff… Sting's in the ring. He clears house with a bat and WWE bails. Sting has a mic and says at Summerslam, it's show time! Elsewhere on the show, Jeff Hardy beats Umaga while Triple H beats JBL as champion and challenger prepare for their title showdown at Summerslam. In tag team action, Paul London and Brian Kendrick lost to Miz and Morrison while the Motor City Machineguns watched on from the crowd. Chris Jericho cut a promo telling Team Angle to show up on ECW tomorrow night and Mickie James beat Beth Phoenix.

ECW on Sci-Fi (8/12) began with Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel he called out Team Angle and Kurt Angle came down to the ring. He said he's shaking off some injuries from Sunday, otherwise he would kick Jericho's ass right there, but he'll be fit for Summerslam. Angle says Jericho should have a warm up match and brings out Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin. The match begins after a commercial and the duo focus on the leg of Jericho. Jericho makes a comeback and takes out Haas with a Codebreaker and tries to lock the Walls in on Shelton, but Angle drills Jericho from behind with a steel chair for the DQ. Also, Tommy Dreamer, CM Punk and Colin Delaney cut a promo on Team 3D and Rhino. They say they were taken to the limit Sunday night and they want a rematch. They want to take it to the Extreme. In the main event, Edge and Christian defeat the duo of Batista and Big Show. AMW distract Big Show on the outside, which allows Edge to spear Batista for the 3. After the match, they try to hit Big Show with a conchairto, but the lights go out and Taker appears in the ring. All four men back off down the ramp but Kane shows up. They leave through the crowd.

Impact opens up with LAX coming to the ring. They want an explanation from Hector Guerrero. Hector gets in the ring and says he doesn't have one for them. Hernandez grabs him by the collar and Homicide pulls him off, but Hector slaps Cide! LAX contemplate beating him up but Salinas beats them to it and low blows Hector. They go to do more damage when Chavo Guerrero drills Salinas from behind with a chair! Chavo bails and pulls Hector out of harm's way and they leave as LAX check on Salinas. Also on the show, Jay Lethal beats Petey Williams to retain the X Division gold, the Motor City Machineguns beat the Rock ‘n' Rave Infection, and AJ Styles beats Scott Steiner in a fun match. Team 3D and Rhino cut a promo and accept the challenge for a rematch against Dreamer, Delaney and Punk. They want to make an example out of someone tonight and they drag Shark Boy from the back. Brother Ray power bombs him through a table from the second rope. Ray says that's nothing compared to what they will do to Delaney, Dreamer and Punk. As he says it, he holds a lighter up to the camera. Elsewhere, Christopher Daniels cuts a promo from the parking lot because TNA won't let him in because he was fired. He says he will seek retribution. The main event of the show is Robert Roode's Victory Celebration. He cuts a promo in the ring while a bunch of TNA's heels drink to Roode. Samoa Joe interrupts the proceedings and destroys the heels while Roode escapes up the ramp. Joe grabs a mic and cuts a promo. He says he couldn't give a shit about any war with WWE because all he wants is his title back. Shawn Michaels has made it personal and at Summerslam, he will run through Michaels, then he is coming for his gold.

SmackDown sees a lot of build for Sunday's pay-per-view. America's Most Wanted kick off the show with a tag team win over Kane and The Big Show when Edge and Christian goad Show away from ringside allowing the TNA duo to double team Kane for the victory. The main event of the night is Edge and Christian vs. Undertaker and Batista. It ends in a no contest when AMW, Kane and Big Show all interfere. With things breaking down, Edge attacks Kane's arm with a steel chair. Taker fights him off but Christian takes advantage and hits a one-man conchairto on Kane's arm. Kane is left in agony at the end of the show. Elsewhere, Paul London and Brian Kendrick get their win back over Miz and Morrison, but get laid out by the Motor City Machineguns afterwards. Chavo Guerrero comes out with Hector Guerrero and cuts a promo saying seeing Hector run around with LAX made him sick, but now Hector has come home to La Familia. Vince McMahon cut a promo and warned Sting not to show up Sunday. He then wrestled a match against a local competitor with Street Fight Rules. McMahon pummelled him. Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash cut a promo mocking Joe's angry rant at the end of Impact. Chris Jericho picked a tag team to team up with to face Kurt Angle, Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin. Jericho chose Jesse and Festus, but Team Angle scored the win when Benjamin pinned Jesse while Angle and Jericho brawled through the crowd. And the Rob Van Dam Returns video aired once again.

WWE Presents Summerslam 2008

We get a video package highlighting the TNA vs. WWE war. We get some major pyro and we get clips of both Jeff Hardy and Triple H arriving earlier today. In the back, Triple H is getting taped up. Kevin Nash is here and wishes him luck. Elsewhere, Jeff Hardy is warming up. Matt Hardy is here and says he knows that Jeff can do it. Jeff knows it too.

WWE Championship Match – Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy

Not a bad way to kick off the show, huh? The crowd seems 50/50 split. They lock up and Triple H forces Jeff back into the corner. Clean break and The Game smirks, so Hardy hits some right hands. He backs Triple H up to the center of the ring but gets caught with a knee to the gut. Triple H sends Hardy into the corner but Jeff goes up for the Whisper in the Wind only for Triple H to shove him to the floor! Hardy lands ribs first on the guardrail. Triple H goes out and drives Hardy back first into the barricade. He tries to whip him into the steel steps but Hardy reverses and sends The Game into the steel. Hardy runs the rail but gets caught and Triple H drives him back first into the ring post. Back in and Trips whips Hardy hard into the corner. Triple H picks him up and drills him with a backbreaker. Trips does it second time and makes it a submission move now. Hardy refuses to quit and knees The Game in the head to get some separation. Hardy ducks a clothesline but charges back into a high knee. The Game covers for 2. Again he sends Hardy to the corner with velocity. Triple H nails a sidewalk slam this time and gets 2 out of it. Triple H tries for the Pedigree but Hardy takes him down with a double leg and hits the leg drop to the groin. Hardy goes up and nails the Whisper in the Wind! One…two…thr-NO! Jeff goes up top but Triple H heads him off. He goes up and tries a superplex but Hardy beats him off and knocks him down. Hardy up top and wants the Swanton, but Trips shoves the referee into the ropes and crotches Jeff. Triple H up top and this time hits the superplex. The Game gets an arm across but Jeff kicks out! Both men to their feet and they slug it out, Hardy ducks a clothesline and comes back with a knock down. And another. He connects with his mule kick now and covers for 2. Hardy tries for the Twist of Fate but gets shoved off to the corner, where he goes up and tries another Whisper but Trips avoids it and Hardy lands back first. The Game covers and gets 2. He pulls him up and tries a Pedigree but gets back dropped to the floor. He tries to pull himself back in but Hardy hits a low dropkick. Plancha by Hardy! Jeff back up on the apron but Trips grabs a leg. Hardy kicks him away and goes to the top rope and nails a moonsault to the floor! Jeff rolls Trips back in and goes to the top. The Game meets him up there and back drops him into the ring, but Hardy lands on his feet and powerbombs The Game from the second rope! Hardy stacks him up and gets 2! Hardy tries the Twist of Fate and nails it! He goes up top and the Swanton Bomb misses! Both men up and Hardy charges into a spinebuster. Trips covers but only gets 2 and he's furious. He goes to the floor and grabs a chair but the referee takes it off of him allowing Hardy to score a quick roll up for 2! Both men up, kick, PEDIGREE! One…two…three! Oh wait, Hardy had a foot on the rope and the referee overturns the decision. We will continue. The Game is pissed and shoves the referee down. He goes out to get the chair but thinks better of it… hammer time. Hardy avoids the sledgehammer by low blowing The Game! The hammer falls to the floor but Hardy has a chair now. He KILLS The Game with it. Twist of Fate on the chair now! Up top… SWANTON BOMB misses and Hardy lands back-first on the chair! Triple H sets the chair up in the middle of the ring and wants the Pedigree on it, but Jeff with a double leg takedown and The Game cracks his skull on the chair, jack-knife roll-up and the referee counts 3 and we have a new champion @ 20:12!

Winner: Jeff Hardy via pin fall @ 20:12

Hardy celebrates with the championship and Matt is out now and they embrace. Matt turns around and eats a sledgehammer shot from The Game. Sledgehammer to Jeff's ribs now! Chair shot to the back of Jeff! And again. Hammer to the skull! Triple H takes the chair to Jeff's back again! And again, and again and again! Pedigree! Matt is carried to the back by officials while Jeff does a stretcher job. JR and King put over the dastardliness of The Game and call it a bittersweet victory for Jeff. They're amazed at how the show has begun but now it's time for WWE to start kicking ass.

In the back, Jeff Jarrett is with the TNA locker room. He gives them a pep talk and says that tonight is their chance to make history. Jarrett tells a disinterest Samoa Joe that he needs to be a team player tonight but Joe says the only team that he is on is his own. Robert Roode mutters something under his breath and Joe gets in his face. The pair go at it and the TNA guys separate them.

Champion vs. Champion: Mickie James vs. Awesome Kong

Kong comes out with The Beautiful People, Christy Hemme, Rhaka Khan, ODB, Roxxi and Gail Kim. Mickie is out with Beth Phoenix, Maria, Natalya, Melina, Victoria and Michelle McCool. Kong meets Mickie on the ramp way and they go at it. The Divas and Knockouts meet on the ramp and they brawl! Officials flood to ringside to stop the brawl. Kong tosses Mickie in the ring and the match is officially underway. Mickie catches Kong coming in with a low dropkick. She fires off with rights, hits the ropes but runs right into the brick wall that is Kong. Meanwhile, the Knockouts and Divas are forced to the back. Kong goes for an Awesome Bomb early, gets Mickie up but she counters with rights and drops down onto the apron. Mickie connects with a form arm and goes to the top rope. Kong catches her and launches her off with a press slam. Mickie avoids a charge in the corner and gets a schoolgirl for 2. Mickie sits up on the top rope and tries a tornado DDT but Kong shoves her across the ring. Kong tires a splash but Mickie rolls out of the way and hits another low dropkick. Mickie connects with some mounted forearms but Kong shoves her off. Mickie ducks a clothesline and comes back with a Thez press attempt but gets caught and Kong hits a two-handed chokebomb. Kong hits a huge leg drop and covers for 2. Kong sends James to corner and this time connects with a splash in the corner. Kong charges at Mickie again but Mickie low bridges her and sends her to the floor. Mickie up top now and sentons to the floor! Kong recovers though and shoves Mickie into the steps. Kong with a double leg now and swings Mickie into the guardrail! Back in and Kong sets her up but misses the spinning back fist. Mick Kick connects and staggers Kong. She hits it again and Kong goes down but it only gets 2. Mickie up top and connects with Air Mickie! One…two…thr-NO! Kong kicks out. Mickie tries for the spike DDT but Kong shoves her off… SPINNING BACK FIST connects! AWESOME BOMB! That finishes it @ 6:10!

Winner: Awesome Kong via pin fall @ 6:10

JR and King put over Mickie's effort. Maria and Ashley help her to the back.

Eight Man-War: America's Most Wanted, Edge and Christian Cage vs. Big Show, Kane, Batista and The Undertaker

Batista starts with Chris Harris. He dominates him and tags in Kane, who has a taped arm after SmackDown. Kane hits a few uppercuts and a big boot. Show in now and press slams Harris. Harris tags in Storm who fires off with rights but Show tosses him with a big beale. Cage in illegally and gets tossed to the floor. Show brings Edge in now and tries a chokeslam. Harris has the referee, which allows Storm to low blow Show. Kane gets a tag and cleans house. Cage makes a distraction from the floor allowing Harris to get an arm-breaker DDT. Storm in now and AMW stomp away at the arm of Kane. Storm wraps Kane's arm around the top rope and wrenches it in. Storm pulls the ref away allowing Cage to boot Kane in the arm. Kane fires back with an uppercut but Storm nails him with a super kick for 2. Cage in now and applies a hammerlock. Kane powers out and clotheslines with the bad arm, because he's an idiot. Harris back in now and he puts the boots to Kane but Kane comes back with a sidewalk slam. Hot tag to Taker now and he takes out AMW with clotheslines. Cage in now and pummels Taker, but the Deadman goozles Cage. Edge in now but gets caught with a big boot. Cage low blows Taker and Batista is in and spears him. Batista gets levelled with a super kick from Storm. Show is in and he takes out both Harris and Storm with a double clothesline but then Cage low bridges him and sends him to the floor. Kane comes off the top but Cage avoids his flying clothesline and hits the Unprettier! Spinebuster by Batista! He sets up for the Bomb, gets Cage up but Cage counters and both men fall to the floor. AMW have chairs and they want a conchairto on Taker. Taker ducks and boots one chair back in Harris' face. Storm misses a super kick and gets goozled. Harris gets caught too and Taker hits a double chokeslam! Cage tries an Unprettier but Taker shoves him away and Edge spears Cage! Edge bails and Taker is perplexed. Tombstone to Cage and that's all @ 7:55!

Winners: Kane, Big Show, Batista, Undertaker via pin fall @ 7:55

JR says he doesn't know why Edge did what he did, but he's glad he did. JR and King hand over to Mike Tenay and Don West for the following match.

Champions vs. Champions vs. Champions Ultimate X Match: Motor City Machineguns vs. Paul London and Brian Kendrick vs. John Morrison and The Miz

No titles are on the line here, folks. The red X is hung from the structure. All six men go at it. London and Kendrick double team Sabin while Miz and Morrison take out Shelley. Both Guns get tossed to the floor and the WWE guys go at it now. Some miscommunication from the WWE Tag Champs allows LonDrick to toss them and London goes up now. Shelley nails Kendrick from behind and pulls London down from the structure and nails the Shellshock! Morrison back in now and he goes to the top but Shelley heads him off. Sabin in now and both men go up. They want a double superplex but Kendrick goes up top. He sunset flips both Guns and Morrison gets superplexed in a sick tower of doom spot. This leaves Miz to scale the structure but London comes from the opposite side. They meet in the middle and kick at each other. Miz drops down but lands on his feet, pulls London down and catches him with a powerbomb! Miz, Kendrick, Sabin and Shelley each go up a corner of the structure and go underneath. Morrison scurries up and gets on top. He slithers across while underneath, the other 4 are kicking the crap out of each other. Sabin climbs through the structure and gets to Morrison on top. They both stand up and trade blows. Shelley falls to the mat! Kendrick follows! Paul London comes off the top rope with a dropkick and knocks Miz down! Sabin and Morrison on top, Morrison goes low and hits the MOONLIGHT DRIVE FROM THE STRUCTURE! Morrison and Sabin are dead. Shelley kicks the crap out of Miz in the ring but misses a roundhouse and gets caught with the Reality Check. Miz goes up and crawls along the underside of the structure. Kendrick goes up after him and manages to connect with a few kicks to the back and Miz drops. Kendrick is there but Shelley is back n the fray. He crawls across the top and stomps on the hands of Kendrick causing him to fall straight on his back! London is on top of the structure now and he and Shelley trade blows. They both back off and go on the underside of the structure, hanging on. London pulls himself up and wraps his legs around Shelley and snaps off a hurricanrana and they both crash and burn! Everyone is down at this point. Kendrick pulls himself up and goes up again. He goes across the top this time. Miz has recovered and he goes up the other side. They slug it out and Kendrick is getting the upper hand when he gets nailed from behind by Morrison! Morrison shoves him off and Kendrick takes out The Guns and London stood below! Miz recovers the X and we have our winners @ 11:10!

Winners: John Morrison and The Miz via retrieval @ 11:10

Miz and Morrison pose with their tag straps atop of the structure. Everyone gets a standing ovation as they leave.

We get a video package highlighting the Jericho/Angle feud.

Angle sends Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin to the back because he wants to go it alone.

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho attacks Angle at the bell and they brawl. They roll out to the floor and Jericho chops Angle a lot. Jericho bounces Angle's head off the steps and throws him into the crowd. Jericho rolls in and out to break the count then hops up onto the guardrail and dives onto Angle! They brawl up the aisle way and back down again. Jericho gets caught with an uppercut and Angle suplexes Jericho back onto the arena floor. Angle breaks the count this time then applies the Ankle Lock on the floor, but Jericho quickly rolls through and sends Angle into the ring post. Back inside and Jericho gets a 2 count. Jericho launches Angle shoulder-first into the ring post again and rolls him up and turns it into the Walls of Jericho, but Angle stops him turning before he gets to the ropes. Jericho breaks and punts Angle in the ribs. The referee admonishes Jericho who walks into a belly-to-belly that takes Jericho all the way to the floor! Angle goes out and bounces Jericho's head off the steps, and a second time. He throws him across the announce position now. Angle pummels Jericho and whips him back into the ring. Back in and Angle puts the boots to Jericho. He targets the leg now and hits some elbows to the knee and he wrenches it. He lays Jericho's leg across the rope and comes down on it hard. He does it again but Jericho counters by getting his leg up so Angle takes a low blow. Jericho nails his bulldog now and wants the Lionsault, but Angle gets his knees up but Jericho catches them and locks in the Walls! Angle crawls and scratches until he makes it into the ropes. Jericho reluctantly breaks and follows up with a springboard dropkick that sends Angle out and onto the guardrail. Jericho out and hits more chops, then tosses Angle back inside. Jericho goes to the top rope, Angle springs up and gets the top rope arm drag! Angle crawls across and gets a long 2 count. Angle pulls him up, Jericho avoids the Angle Slam and hits an enzuigiri! Lionsault try, but Angle rolls away from it, Jericho lands on his feet but Angle's behind him and nails the Angle Slam! Angle is slow to capitalize but he heads up to the top rope… MOONSAULT MISSES! Angle eats the canvas. LIONSAULT! One…two…thr-NO! Jericho doesn't know what to do next. He grabs Angle's leg and applies the Ankle Lock! Angle is in the hold a long time before he finally rolls onto his back and kicks Jericho away. Both men up, Angle misses a clothesline, CODEBREAKER! One…two…thr-NO! Jericho is stunned and perplexed. He goes to the top rope but Angle recovers… ANGLE SLAM FROM THE TOP! Angle eventually gets an arm across… one…two…thr-NO! Angle pulls Jericho up and pie-faces him but Jericho comes back with a Codebreaker try but Angle dumps him on his head and tries for the Walls, but Jericho gets a small package for 2. Both men quickly up and Angle gets a drop toehold… ANKLE LOCK! Jericho rolls onto his back and tries to push Angle away, but Angle grabs the legs and pulls him, only for Jericho to turn the counter into a CODEBREAKER! That gets the 3 @ 14:32!

Winner: Chris Jericho via pin fall @ 14:32

Jericho celebrates his win. Angle is up and he wants a handshake. Jericho accepts and they get a standing ovation.

In the back, Samoa Joe… walks. Elsewhere, Nash gives Shawn a pep talk. They're up next.

TNA Heavyweight Champion Robert Roode is here. He will do guest commentary for the next match.

Samoa Joe vs. Shawn Michaels with Kevin Nash

They jaw-jack a lot before finally locking up. They seem equally matched in that department so Michaels goes behind and grabs a waist lock. Joe breaks apart Shawn's grip and takes him over with a judo roll. Michaels comes back but gets caught with an arm drag and Joe holds him down and puts pressure on the arm. Michaels up to his feet now and he gets a side headlock. Joe tries to force him off but he can't do it and Michaels gets a headlock takeover. Joe brings Michaels back up and counters with a back suplex, but he misses a back splash and Michaels hits a leg drop. Joe quickly kicks out at 1. They stand off now and Joe quickly comes at Shawn with palm strikes and jabs. Shawn backs off into the corner and the referee asks for some separation. Joe scares the referee off and turns around into SWEET CHIN MUSIC! Joe gets levelled but rolls out to the floor. Michaels goes outside and has trouble lifting Joe up and into the ring. He manages to get him up and leaning on the apron, so he chops him a rolls him back in. Michaels covers and gets a long 2 count. Michaels goes to the top and wants the elbow drop, but Joe rolls out of the way. Senton by Joe. Joe whips Michaels into the corner and connects with a running big boot. Facewash now by Joe and he hits it. Michaels falls to the floor and catches his breath but Joe meets him out there and they brawl. Joe gets in Robert Roode's face and they talk trash. Michaels catches Joe with a sommersault plancha! Michaels connects with an ASAI MOONSAULT! Michaels rolls Joe back in and begins working on the legs. He drops a couple of elbows on the knee and stomps on it. Modified figure four is applied by Michaels! Joe fights and he is hurting but he gets the ropes. Joe fights back with a kick. Michaels slows him down though but gets caught with a snap powerslam for 2. Joe misses a clothesline now and Shawn comes back with a flying forearm, followed by a kip up! Michaels slams Joe and heads up top… FLYING ELBOW DROP! Shawn tunes up the band and goes for the kick but Joe gets him up in an electric chair and hits it! Joe puts him on top and connects with the MUSCLE BUSTER! One…two…thr-NO! Joe goes for the choke and gets it locked in. Michaels fades and the referee drops the hand once, twice, but not a third time. Michaels uses the back of his head to butt Joe over and over again. Joe breaks the hold and is busted on the bridge of the nose. Robert Roode is up on the apron now and has the referee distracted. Joe gets in Roode's face and turns around and eats more CHIN MUSIC! Kevin Nash is in now and hits Michaels with a Jack-knife Powerbomb! Roode is down off the apron now and Joe crawls across for the 3 @ 12:08!

Winner: Samoa Joe via pin fall @ 12:08

Joe wants to know what the heel Nash is doing and Nash walks out. Joe follows him and he's pissed. Michaels rolls out of the ring and heads to the back.

Robert Roode is in now and he has a microphone. He says he's the TNA Champion and better than anyone WWE has to offer, which is why he isn't in a match tonight. He puts himself over until he's interrupted by Rob Van Dam! Van Dam hits the ring and Roode swings the title at him, but RVD ducks and spin kicks it right back in his face. Van Dam up top… FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH! Van Dam soaks in a huge reaction.

We get a video package of the Jeff Jarrett/John Cena feud.

John Cena vs. Jeff Jarrett

Jarrett brings his guitar out to the ring. Cena leaves the ring and grabs the guitar and smashes it on the ring steps! Jarrett is pissed and slides out they brawl. They slug it out and Cena rolls Jarrett into the ring. Cena ducks a clothesline and comes back with a flying shoulder tackle. And another. Kick to the gut, fisherman suplex by Cena gets 2. Cena sends Jarrett to the corner and tries a bulldog but Jeff catches him with a short arm clothesline. Jarrett puts the boots to Cena and chokes him. He applies a chinlock but Cena quickly works his way back to his feet and hits a back suplex. Cena misses a leg drop from the second rope and Jarrett fires off with mounted punches. Jarrett whips Cena into the corner and back drops him when he staggers out. Jarrett connects with a low dropkick and covers Cena for 2. Jarrett hits a scoop slam and hits a couple of elbow drops. Jarrett chokes Cena in the ropes now and the ref forces the break. Jarrett walks into a pair of right hands from Cena but slows him down with a knee to the gut. Jarrett locks in a body scissors now. Jarrett throws some crossfaces but Cena manages to prize apart Jarrett's legs. Cena gets a full head of steam but runs right into a back elbow from Jarrett. Jarrett goes back to the chinlock now and Cena is in trouble. The arm drops twice but Cena recovers and fights out with elbows to the gut. They slug it out and we get a "boo" – "yay" duel, for once in favor of Cena. Jarrett drops Cena with a right but Cena gets a drop toehold and has Jarrett in the STFU! Jarrett is in agony but he gets to the ropes. Cena breaks and he wants the FU now. Jarrett counters and tries for the Stroke, but Cena counters into the spin-out side slam. "YOU CAN'T SEE ME!" The FKS connects and he gets him up for the FU but Jarrett holds on to the top rope so Cena dumps him out to the floor. Cena goes out to get him and Jarrett kills him with a right hand. He has brass knuckles on! The ref doesn't catch it though. Jarrett rolls Cena in and gets a long 2 count. Jarrett pulls him up and goes for the Stroke again, but Cena elbows out and hits the FU! STFU locked in! Jarrett taps @ 9:40!

Winner: John Cena via submission @ 9:40

Cena celebrates.

In the back, Vince warms up with Shane McMahon. Shane asks if he wants him out there tonight. Vince says he's got it covered.

Sting walks. Jarrett is there and Sting congratulates him.

Street Fight: Vince McMahon vs. Sting

McMahon avoids a few wild bat swings early and gets a cheap shot when the referee tries to get Sting to back off. Vince takes measured shots at Sting but Sting grabs hold off him and takes his head off with the clothesline. Sting has the bat and nails Vince in the ribs with it. Bat across the back! Sting whips Vince to the corner and hits the Stinger Splash! Umaga is here. Sting grabs the bat and meets him on the ramp. Bat to the ribs! Umaga shakes it off and hits Sting with an upper cut. He tosses him in the ring and beats him down in the corner. ASSALANCHE misses and Sting dropkicks Umaga to the floor. Vince gets a low blow and stacks Sting up for 2. Umaga back in and he nails Sting with a Samoan Drop. Vince covers and gets 2. Umaga goes up top and hits a diving head butt. Vince gets another 2 count. Umaga hauls Sting up and wants the Spike, but Super Eric's music hits and he makes his way to the ring! He and Umaga brawl. They fight all the way to the back. Vince goes to the floor and has a trashcan. He drills Sting in the back with it, then fires off some trashcan lid shots and covers Sting for 2. Vince takes his belt off now and proceeds to whip Sting. Vince chokes him with it now and he won't let go. Sting is grasping for breath and Vince goes out and grabs a chair. He stalks Sting, swings the chair but Sting drills it with a bat. Sting chokes Vince with the bat and lifts him off the ground a couple of times. Vince low blows Sting to gain some separation. Vince waves someone from the back and Shane McMahon is here. Shane beats Sting down with a flurry of rights. Shane drags Sting to the corner and Vince holds the trashcan in place. PILLAR TO POST CONNECTS! They drag Sting to the center of the ring but it only gets 2! Shane has an idea and they drag Sting to the floor. They strip the announce table down and lie Sting on it. Shane goes to the top rope and Vince holds Sting down. Sting moves and pulls Vince into harm's way and Shane nails Vince! Sting throws Shane in the ring and KILLS him with a chair shot! Sting applies the Scorpion Death Lock now! Shane is tapping and is busted, but Mr. Kennedy nails Sting from behind with a chair! MIC CHECK! Kennedy gets Vince and rolls him back into the ring. Vince covers and Sting kicks out! Kennedy puts the boots to Sting now and AJ Styles is here! AJ takes Kennedy out and they brawl. Kennedy bails and Shane attacks AJ. STYLES CLASH to Shane! AJ gives chase to Kennedy. Vince has found thumbtacks now and he empties them out on the mat. He sets Sting up for a piledriver but Sting back drops Vince onto the tacks! Sting rolls to the floor and pulls a table out! He sets it up on the floor, goes back in and tosses Vince out. He drills him with rights and lays him out on the table. Sting heads to the top rope and SPLASHES VINCE THROUGH THE TABLE! Both men are hurt but Sting is inevitably up first. Sting rolls Vince into the ring and calls for the Scorpion Death Drop on the tacks and he hits it! Sting takes some tacks too and he's hurting. He's up and soaks in the reaction. He makes the call and locks in the Scorpion Death Lock. RKO ON STING! Randy Orton comes out of nowhere! Orton puts Vince on top and the referee gets 3 @ 20:45!

Winner: Vince McMahon via pin fall @ 20:45

Orton stands tall over Sting. Vince is smiling maniacally and Orton punts Sting in the head! Orton poses over Sting as the show ends.

Raw the next night (8/18) begins with Vince McMahon in the ring. He brags a little bit about last night, before introducing Randy Orton. But before Orton can come out, Sting is here. He doesn't want answers he just wants revenge. He wants McMahon in a cage… tonight! Vince says no way and Sting starts swinging the baseball. Orton attacks from behind and puts the boots to Sting. Vince joins in the assault until… "Woooo!" Ric Flair is here! Vince bails. Chops for Orton and he bails too. Flair pulls Sting to his feet and they stand tall. Vince has the microphone and says Flair lost at Mania, so he's gone. Flair wants Vince and Orton in the ring. Vince says no. Vince has security drag Flair out of the building. Elsewhere on the show, Triple H cuts a promo. Jeff is injured and is therefore no longer the champion, so the belt should come back to him. Matt Hardy attacks The Game from behind and they brawl. A tournament is set up to crown a new champion. In qualifying matches, Triple H beats Chris Jericho thanks to Kurt Angle, John Cena beats Umaga, Shawn Michaels beats Randy Orton thanks to Sting, and Rob Van Dam beats Matt Hardy thanks to Triple H. As a result of these shenanigans, the following matches are made for Unforgiven;

Sting vs. Randy Orton
Kurt Angle vs. Chris Jericho

Also on the show, Miz and Morrison brag about their Ultimate X victory until The Machineguns interrupt and chase them from the ring. London and Kendrick come from behind and toss Miz and Morrison back into the ring and the four men beat down Miz and Morrison and stand off. And finally, Umaga squashes Super Eric.

The next night on ECW, Tommy Dreamer challenges Team 3D and Rhino to come to ECW next week for their rematch; Extreme Rules. What he didn't know is that Team 3D and Rhino were in the arena already. 3D sneak up on him and hit the 3D. They get a table out and want to set it on fire, but Punk and Delaney make the save leading to a main event of CM Punk vs. Rhino. It's Extreme Rules but Team 3D, Dreamer and Delaney are barred from ringside. There's plenty of plunder involved and the end comes when Punk places a trashcan over the head of Rhino and hits the Go2Sleep. Also on the show, Kane and Undertaker team up to take on America's Most Wanted. The Brother's of Destruction pick up the win but are attacked after the match. Taker gets laid out and AMW beat Kane to the back. Taker recovers and walks right into a Black Hole Slam from Abyss! Abyss stands tall as the show goes off the air.

Impact sees Jeff Jarrett give a pep talk to the TNA roster. As Abyss and Sting have already proved this week, the war has only just begun and TNA has a secret weapon who they will reveal next week. The main event of the show is a rematch between Samoa Joe and Robert Roode for the TNA Championship. The match ends as a no contest when Kevin Nash interferes for Joe, and Shawn Michaels attacks Nash. Nash and Joe escape Shawn, who proceeds to take out a number of TNA security and officials with a chair as the show ends. Elsewhere, LAX demand an answer from Hector Guerrero, but do not get one. Also, the Motor City Machineguns beat Paul London and Brian Kendrick in a fun match, and Team 3D beat Jesse and Festus in a Street Fight to get them ready for ECW next week.

SmackDown revolves around trying to get an explanation out of Edge. He hosts the Cutting Edge. He tells the world, and more specifically Christian Cage, that he's a WWE guy, and the World Heavyweight Champion, and he's better than TNA and Cage. Christian comes in through the crowd and chases him off. Surrounded by security, Cage dares Edge to put the title on the line. Edge says no way and Cage says we'll see about that. Edge wrestles later that night against Kofi Kingston, but half way through his match, AMW appear on the screen. They've got Vickie Guerrero kidnapped and they want a title shot for Cage. Edge agrees and they need something in writing, so they'll sign a contract next week. Until then, Vickie stays with AMW. Cage attacks Edge from behind and lays him out with a One-Man Conchairto. Undertaker cuts a promo and he wants Abyss. Abyss makes his way down to ringside and they brawl back and forth. Eventually they are separated by security and Taker mutters the words "you, me, Unforgiven." Abyss nods and the match is on.

The next week on Raw sees the semi-finals of the championship tournament. In the first match-up, Shawn Michaels and Rob Van Dam go at it. Michaels has the upperhand until Samoa Joe comes through the crowd and blasts Michaels with the TNA Championship gold. That allows Van Dam to pick up the win following the Five-Star Frog Splash and he's going to Unforgiven. In the other semi-final, Triple H and John Cena square off. It's a back and forth match until the referee gets knocked down and The Game takes advantage with a hammer to the ribs. But Cena battles back and lays The Game out with a FU, but Jeff Jarrett lays out Cena with a guitar shot, allowing Triple H to pick up the win and go on to Unforgiven. Also on the show, Steve Austin makes a challenge to AJ Styles and AJ accepts, but Austin says it'll be AJ vs. Mr. Kennedy. That match is made for No Surrender. Plus, Miz and Morrison make a challenge to London and Kendrick and The Guns for a rematch. But they want to pick the stipulation. The Guns are out and they agree to it, if they can beat them. They have a match and M&M win it, so they make it a three-way Ladder Match. London and Kendrick are out and they attack with ladders. Both The Guns and M&M bail. AMW then attack London and Kendrick from behind and they say they're the best tag team in the world, and it'll be a 4-team ladder match at Unforgiven. And Angle/Jericho III is made into a 2/3 Falls match.

ECW sees the long-awaited rematch between Team 3D and Rhino and Tommy Dreamer, Colin Delaney and CM Punk. As it's Extreme Rules, all 6 men simply brawl. They fight through the crowd and back again, drilling each other with all the plunder that they can get their hands on. Dreamer is put through a table early and essentially taken out of the match. Rhino then misses a Gore and he goes through a table. Team 3D bust out the staple gun and use that on Punk, and then bully Colin for a while. But Dreamer recovers and lays out 3D with a Singapore cane, but he turns around and eats a Gore. Punk is up and hits the Go2Sleep on Rhino, and Delaney scores the pin! 3D are pissed and Ray gets on the mic after the match. He says they're tied 1-1 and wants a rematch at No Surrender… a Flaming Tables Match!

Impact sees Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle tie in a gauntlet match to become number one contenders to Robert Roode's gold, so a triple threat match is made for No Surrender. Joe also cuts a promo on Shawn Michaels and says now they're even. But Joe's not done. Michaels attacks and they brawl. Jeff Jarrett makes the save and lays Shawn out with a guitar. But John Cena is here and he evens up the score until Kevin Nash lays him out. Jarrett tells them to find a partner, and they'll have a 6-man war at Unforgiven. Also on the show, Awesome Kong and the Knockouts make another challenge to WWE's Divas for a match at No Surrender.
And Jeff Jarrett reveals TNA's secret weapon to be… Super Eric? Eric thinks he's the secret weapon, but Jeff humiliates Eric and beats him down. Ric Flair makes the save for Eric and he forces Jarrett to back up. Flair says he came to this company because they have a future and he wants to wrestle. Jarrett and Flair stare down and Flair turns to help Eric, and JJ blasts him from behind. They brawl and security separate them. Flair wants Jarrett at No Surrender and it's on.

On SmackDown, Edge signs a contract and it will be Cage vs. Edge at Unforgiven for the World Championship. AMW return Vickie Guerrero and she embraces with Edge allowing Cage to beat down Edge. AMW grab Vickie and hit the Death Sentence on her. Elsewhere, Chavo Guerrero is having a match against Funaki when LAX interfere and beat him down. Hector Guerrero bails and LAX ask if they have his attention now. Abyss battles Kane in the main event. It's a brawl and Abyss brings out the thumbtacks so he gets DQ'ed. The ref takes a Black Hole Slam on the tacks and Kane takes one too. Taker appears and they brawl. He wants a chokeslam on Abyss onto the tacks but Abyss low blows Taker and bails. Abyss on the mic and screams "10,000 Thumbtacks at Unforgiven!"

Raw is main-evented by Triple H doing battle with Matt Hardy. Hardy comes close to beating The Game on a couple of occasion but Triple H uses a low blow to gain the upper-hand and wins with a Pedigree. After the match, he wants to cripple Matt like he did Jeff and has a chair, but Van Dam makes the save and hits the Van Daminator, but Triple H escapes before RVD can nail the Frog Splash. Randy Orton cuts a promo and says he's glad that Flair will be with Sting at Unforgiven because he can kill two legends in one outing. Sting attacks with a bat and Orton bails. Elsewhere, AJ costs Mr. Kennedy a match against Super Crazy, Shawn Michaels and John Cena beat the Motor City Machineguns and brawl with Joe, Jarrett and Nash and Cena makes a challenge for a match with Joe on Impact this week.

Super Eric comes out. He cuts a promo and says he is a hero, and he is TNA's secret weapon. He's here to destroy WWE and he will do it tonight. He is interrupted by some familiar music…



The Hurricane is here! Hurricane and Super Eric stand-off and circle. They stare down for a while and then they brawl! Hurricane sends Eric over the top and Eric leaves. That one will be a classic, folks! Elsewhere, AMW beat London and Kendrick while M&M watch on, plus Mickie James and Candice Michelle beat The Beautiful People.

ECW features Chavo Guerrero and Hector in the ring. They've invited LAX here tonight and they do not need to explain themselves anymore than they already have. Hector is a Guerrero and that's that. LAX are out now and they want a fight. Hector bails and LAX beat down Chavo Guerrero until Hector drills Hernandez in the back with a chair, but he no-sells it. LAX back Hector into the corner but Homicide turns around and eats a springboard senton from Rey Mysterio! Rey and Chavo cut Hernandez down to size with low dropkicks and kick the crap out of him. Hector kills Cide with a chair. Rey hits the 619 on Hernandez and frog splashes him. Chavo splashes Cide and they stand tall. Also on the show, Tommy Dreamer, Delaney and Punk say they are looking forward to No Surrender and Punk beats Mike Knox while M&M are victorious over Jesse and Festus.

Impact sees more build to both big pay-per-views. LAX make a challenge to Rey and Chavo for No Surrender and they come out to accept and four-man brawl ensues. Awesome Kong cuts a promo and asks if any WWE Diva will accept her challenge for No Surrender and when no one comes out, and she says she'll go to Raw on Monday and make someone accept her challenge. Jeff Jarrett and Kevin Nash team up and beat The Guns thanks to AMW, and Robert Roode beats Shelton Benjamin of Team Angle, only for Kurt to attack after the match. Plus, Randy Orton lays Flair out with a RKO mid-promo, and Christian Cage says he will be victorious and bring WWE gold to TNA. Finally, Samoa Joe and John Cena fight to a no contest when Nash, Jarrett and Shawn Michaels all interfere. Michaels lays Nash out with Sweet Chin Music, Joe takes Shawn out with a title shot, Cena hits the FU on Joe and Jarrett lays Cena out with a guitar shot but turns around and eats a Twist of Fate from Matt Hardy!

SmackDown sees the final build for Unforgiven. A casket is in place at ringside all night long. At the end of the night, Abyss makes his way to ringside and the casket is put in the ring. He tentatively opens it and it's full of thumbtacks. Abyss runs his hands through them and the lights go out… and on again… and Taker is there. He and Abyss brawl and Taker sends Abyss to the to the floor. He tips over the casket and the tacks flood the ring… Also, The Motor City Machineguns and AMW team up to face London and Kendrick and M&M. The Guns and AMW can't get along and end up brawling, allowing M&M to get the win. London and Kendrick then brawl with M&M after the match. Edge runs down and scares off AMW with a chair.

Unforgiven;
WWE Championship: Triple H vs. Rob Van Dam
World Championship: Edge vs. Christian Cage
10,000 Thumbtacks Match: Undertaker vs. Abyss
Randy Orton w/ Vince McMahon vs. Sting w/ Ric Flair
4-Way Tag Team Ladders Match: John Morrison and The Miz vs. Paul London and Brian Kendrick vs. America's Most Wanted vs. The Motor City Machineguns
2 Out of 3 Falls: Chris Jericho vs. Kurt Angle
6-Man War: Jeff Jarrett, Samoa Joe and Kevin Nash vs. Shawn Michaels, John Cena and Matt Hardy

No Surrender;
TNA Championship: Robert Roode vs. Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe
Jeff Jarrett vs. Ric Flair
AJ Styles vs. Mr. Kennedy w/ Stone Cold Steve Austin
Flaming Tables Match: Team 3D and Rhino vs. Tommy Dreamer, Colin Delaney and CM Punk
LAX vs. Chavo Guerrero and Rey Mysterio
Super Eric vs. The Hurricane

And that's it for another week! So tell me, how am I doing? Are you pumped for Hurricane vs. Super Eric? Because I know I am. Anyway, next week I'll have Unforgiven, No Surrender and everything in between. From there I've got to start building TNA's biggest show of the year Bound For Glory, so I'll need some big matches for that. Feel free to let me know what you would like to see from this TNA vs. WWE thing and I'll see if I can make it happen.

And let's not forget that next week I rank the top 25 wrestlers from 1998 to the present day, so be back here for that. Until then, enjoy One Night Stand IV, and I'm out.