Wrestling’s 4R’s Tuesday Edition 9.16.08: TNA Impact, WWE Smackdown and TNA No Surrender!

Posted by Larry Csonka on 09.16.2008

It’s the Tuesday edition of the 4R’s, and I have returned to lay out Stephen Randle with a guitar. EL KABONG you Canadian punk!

How the 4R's of wRestling Work!
Here is a quick explanation of the 4R's. The column will run TWO times a week. On Tuesdays I will discuss TNA Impact and WWE Smackdown. Also, if there is a PPV, that will be covered in this column as well. The column will run again on Friday's, covering WWE Raw (with Jeremy Thomas) as well as ECW on Sci-Fi. If there is a PPV that weekend, I will also run the RETRO R's of the show from the year before as well as address some comments when time permits. I will group my feelings on the shows in various categories: The Right, the wRong and the Ridiculous. The Right is stuff that worked very well: a great promo, a great match and so on. PuRgatoRy is a section between the right and wrong. It shows equal traits from both sides that cannot be ignored and need discussed. It is not a bad place per say, as things can get remedied or go the wrong way the very next week. The wRong is what it sounds like: bad matches, bad or boring promos and so on. The Ridiculous is stuff that had no right on TV: Stupid angles, Diva searches and so on. And there is always a possibility of a 5th R, which is as bad as they come, unless you are TNA. They have a special R all of their own, the 6th R; the Russo-FN-Riffic~! This column is supposed to be analytical, and at the right time very critical of the shows, it was the whole reason it was created. This is not a "mark" column, nor a "smark" column, my goal is to analyze the show from many different fronts, reward the good and call out the bad. I will not apologize for my opinions, they are as they are, whether positive or negative.

---

In HD where available…


By: Larry Csonka

iMpact! 9.11.08:

The Right:

JOE SPEAKS: Joe kicked off the show and called out Sting, because the champ was about to hand out a free ass whooping with no wait. Joe didn't care about focusing on the title, because he wanted Sting's head on a platter. Kevin Nash would come out and try to talk some sense into Joe because he invested 6-months into him. But Nash admitted that he had no room to talk because he let HIS temper get to him, just like he warned Joe about. But Nash was positive that Joe wasn't ready for his PPV title defense, due to him being so focused on Sting. He had three guys lined up for Joe, and Joe proclaimed that he would defend this title for the people and agreed to this little challenge for later in the show. I liked this because it is a continued play on the relationship between Joe and Nash, and also brings the focus BACK to the title match. So this led into…

NASH's CHALLENGE to JOE: So with the challenge laid out, Nash was at ringside and Joe made his way out. Opponent #1 was Johnny Devine, former X-Division champion who was DESTROYED in something like 20-seconds. I hated that Johnny Devine, former X-Division champion was used in this way, I mean, they couldn't get an FIP guy in there to lose like they did for Morgan? Oh well, but Joe looked like a killer. Lance Rock was next, he fought Joe for a little bit, but got choked out old school Joe style in 2-minutes. Joe looked dominant. But then Nash went deep into the playbook as he found a very good challenge for Joe, TOMKO. This works because Tomko was booked well in his TNA run as far as wins and losses go, and he does hold a win over Joe so it is a nice continuity nod in my opinion. They had a good back and forth match and Joe took the clean win and sweep from Nash's challengers. They then parted ways in a HUGE ANGLE ALERT after the match, but it was all well done so I have no beef with this.

AJ vs. TRIGG: After months of being screwed by Frank Trigg, AJ Styles had enough and wanted to beat the PISS out of Trigg and challenged him to come to the ring. Trigg answered the challenge, badmouthed AJ a bit and accepted the challenge for a match, but not a wrestling match. Trigg explained that he is an MMA fighter and that he hurts people for a living, so he would face AJ, but only under MMA rules. AJ accepted, slapped the piss out of Trigg and we had a good pull apart brawl. This was a good segment to play off of the drama between both guys and the match that was bound to happen. I also have no problems with TNA using MMA or aspects of MMA because they have done it well thus far.

Instant Classic Indeed….: "One hour from where I grew up, one hour away from where I fell in love with wrestling. One hour away from pretending I was a wrestler. One hour away from where I took my college money to afford wrestling school, busting my ass day in and out. One hour from where I had his first match, where I made $10. One hour away from where all of my Canadian peeps will be watching. Angle, Booker, Joe; one hour, it all comes full circle. Because it will be then where three seconds, in three seconds, the Instant Classic becomes the word heavyweight champion again. If you don't know, now you know." Thank you Christian for delivering a promo that makes me want to see the main event. You fucking rule.

THE ABYSS OPEN CHALLENGE: Abyss vs. Christian Cage: Abyss had another open challenge this week, and if he wanted competition he certainly got it as the Instant Classic Christian Cage accepted. Abyss and Cage had a very fun back and forth match for a little over four minutes that I enjoyed, because it was a reminder that Abyss can have a good wrestling match without all of the gimmicks. The end came when Booker T and Kurt Angle ran in to attack Cage. They had promised last week to take out Cage and Joe so that they could decide who would be the TNA champion, so it played well off of that. Matt Morgan made the save. Morgan laid out the challenge for a tag match, which Angle and Booker accepted. This led to…

Booker T w/Sharmell and Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan and Abyss: The main event wasn't bad at all, actually it was pretty good but I wished it could have gotten some more time. The match was a good formula tag that allowed Morgan to show more here than he has been able to thus far in the company. Booker and Angle gave him a lot, which isn't surprising because Angle speaks very highly of Morgan, like Cornette, and feels he can be a star and was never used correctly in his WWE run. So we had a good match that saw a run in finish, which part of me hated but I will also admit worked well because 3D are going to face Morgan and Abyss, they are using hardcore stuff against Abyss, who is battling himself not to use them. Also Angle and Booker should win because they are in the World Title Match, and need to go in strong. I was fine with this.

puRgatoRy:

KAREN'S ANGLE: I have been very critical of the "Karen's Angle" segments here on TNA, because they usually are all the same, and they usually suck. Seriously. This one was the farthest thing from the usual formula, which is a huge step in the right direction. For the most part it was a good interview, but I feel that Sting is still coming off a bit too much like a face. You can see at times he is two-faced and doing what HE wants, but also while justified is a good thing, some of the things he says make way too much sense, and thusly make him look like the face. Not bad overall, good execution but still a bit problematic on Sting's behalf I feel.

The wRong:

23:45: I'd like to think we all know the drill by now. TNA is supposed to be the alternative, they try to be different, and they claim to be the wrestling promotion. So I am their conscience, their wrestling stopwatch. Each and every week I keep track of the time of wrestling on the show, and discuss it here. We hit the 25-minute mark this week, barely. But most of the time I felt as there was no wrestling, due to most stuff being so short and meaningless.

Too Many Matches/Poor Build: One thing that has bothered be about the No Surrender PPV is the lack of build for the majority of the show, and that is because they have way too many matches on the show. Let's look at the card:

- The Rock and Rave Infection (Rave, Rock and Hemme) vs. The Prince Justice Brotherhood (Shark Boy, Curry Man and Super Eric)
- Team 3D vs. Matt Morgan and Abyss
- Falls Count Anywhere Match: ODB vs. Awesome Kong
- MMA Bout - Three, Five-Minute Rounds: AJ Styles vs. Frank Trigg
- Ladder of Love Match: Sonjay Dutt vs. Black Machismo Jay Lethal
- TNA X-Division Title Match: Petey Williams © vs. Consequences Creed vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir
- TNA Knockouts Title Match: Taylor Wilde © vs. Angelina Love
- TNA Tag Team Title Match: Beer Money © vs. LAX
- Four Ways to Glory TNA World Title Match: Samoa Joe © vs. Booker T vs. Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage

All right, the Rock and Rave vs. Prince Bullshit Brotherhood match does NOT need to be on the PPV. This should be a pre-PPV match, and nothing more. Sorry to say, but this doesn't need to be on PPV and they haven't done that much to build it, and they should NOT have wasted time to build it in the little ways that they did. Team 3D vs. Matt Morgan and Abyss has been built rather well honestly, but I feel that they could have kept this to TV and had a LONG build to Bound for Glory and a Monster's Ball match. I don't have a problem with it on PPV, but they could have waited. ODB and Kong makes sense and has been built well, but the last minute addition of the stipulation is the kind of thing that bothers me with the company. It makes sense, but they didn't say anything about it on Impact and the only reason I knew about the stipulation was because I went to the website. I have no issues with the MMA bout, or the stupid ladder match, because it has been an ongoing angle. The X-Division and Knockouts matches are also fine and have been built well. The tag title feud lost all kinds of steam, they ran good for two weeks, then did nothing, and then they had Homicide come back for a short brawl and then NOTHING this week from either team. Poor build. Four-ways to Glory has been built very well over the entire build to the show, one of the only matches to get that, but being the top match it deserves that. Too many matches do NOT allow for a proper PPV build.

THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE BEAUTY CONTEST: In another example of TNA getting away from what made the division good, we have the Beautiful People Beauty Contest. While the gimmick fits Love and Sky perfectly because they are more diva than knockout, I didn't like this. They show these commercials, which are basically to mock the WWE Divas, and then they go and dedicate three segments and over 10-minutes of TV time to this bullshit. Maybe if it was done well I could have gotten behind it (God knows I'd get behind Love, Sky and Wilde SLAM BAM BABY) but the fact was, this wasn't done well and was a chore to watch. I will say that it DID set up the PPV match, which is good. They gave a lot of time to this, with is both good and bad because of that. Also I feel that they will be setting up a feud with Wilde and Rhino vs. Sky and Kip, which is good that they are setting up a feud, but bad because Kip James and Velvet Sky are horrible in the ring. But overall this gets the wrong because while it "fits" the Beautiful People gimmick, it is so far away from what made the division good that I felt that it hurts the overall.

MAIN EVENT INTERVIEW: OLD MAN STING DOES NOT APPROVE/THE LAMEST RETURN EVER: Just like when I called out Smackdown, I have to do the same with TNA for their reliance on the Main Event Interview. And just like Smackdown I will say that they haven't all been bad, and they are working them for a big angle, just like Smackdown. But when you make it too much of a trend, I don't like it. Right now the tally is at three:
*9.11.08
*9.04.08
*8.28.08
But the main problem I have is that, well, this was not a good way to end the show. Sting comes to the ring, calls out Jarrett, says he has no issues and just wants to talk. Joe appears from the rafters, says Sting can come to the PPV because he has backup and Jeff Jarrett makes THE LAMEST RETURN TO PRO WRESTLING EVER by just standing over the ramp with his guitar. What made this come off as lame is that we were supposed to be anticipating this return, and Tenay and West yell for 1 hour and 58 minutes like monkeys on crack, but when Jarrett returns they are all like, "Oh hai, teh King of teh Mountain is back, ktnxbai."

The Ridiculous:

Knockouts Bimbo Brawl: Roxxi vs. Awesome Kong w/Riesha Saeed: Kong did battle with Roxxi in a BIMBO BRAWL this past week. First of all thus was GUTTED by a commercial, and was about cut in half due to that, which in unfortunate for the ladies. As far as the match goes, for a garbage match it was fine. Kong looked like a beast, Roxxi was resilient and worked hard and once again took one for the team, getting busted open with the chair shot. Kong looks dominant heading into the PPV. ODB makes the save and that helps set up for the PPV match with Kong. But just like I said in the recap, I REALLY hate these bimbo brawls. Someone asked me during this show, "When was the last time a chick bled on TV." My answer was the last time Roxxi got busted open in one of these stupid hardcore chick matches. Go back to putting on GOOD women's wrestling instead of this bullshit, that's what made the division popular and what drew the company consistently good quarter hours, the women's division. Roxxi is a trooper, and I commend her for her efforts, but she continues to get no reward for her hard work and willingness to sacrifice for this company. She has now turned into the Molly Holly of TNA. She does what she is asked, she works hard, she puts everyone over, she shaved her head for the company and continues to get shit on, and that's a shame.

DEAR MIKE AND DON… Dear Mike and Don,

Love,
Larry


SHOW RATING: (***) While not the best show as far as a GO HOME show goes, it was a pretty entertaining show due to the fact that the right was really good in my opinion. The show coming out of the PPV will be interesting as well as very important as they build to their biggest show of the year.

---

By: Larry Csonka

WWE SmackDown 9.12.08

The Right:

~WHY BIG SHOW…WHY?~: After a lengthy video package of the Big Show beat down of the Undertaker at the PPV, Vickie Guerrero made her way to the ring to address the situation. Vickie said that the Undertaker didn't follow the rules, he wanted to take her soul and put her in a coffin. She was not down with this, and took maters into her own hands. Vickie is still out Smackdown GM, and she did not do this alone. She then introduced the Big Show, who calmly explained his actions. He didn't want to help Vickie at first, but if the biggest man in the WWE has to follow the rules, so does the Undertaker. Show said that Taker wasn't more important than he was and he follows Vickie's rules because that is what is best for Smackdown. Show then explained that this was not some loving relationship, but a business one that would lead to him being the WWE champion. This was good delivery from both, and as I love to say, the best heels are the ones that come across as completely justified in their actions, at least in their own mind. This was a good segment.

Vladimir Kozlov vs. Scotty Goldman and Funaki: Vladimir Kozlov was in action this past week, and it was a Kozlov special, in that he killed some men in very short order. The men in question were Funaki and Scotty "Don't Call Me Colt" Goldman. Kozlov had no trouble with these men as he ran through his token offense and destroyed them with ease. I have mentioned in the past that it means nothing for him to continue to do this until he gets into a feud. But after Kozlov did his damage, he said he wanted more competition and if he didn't get it, he would seek it out. Which leads us into…

#1 Contender's Match: MVP vs. Jeff Hardy vs. THE Brian Kendrick vs. Shelton Benjamin: At the top of the show they announced MVP vs. Jeff Hardy vs. THE Brian Kendrick vs. Shelton Benjamin will headline the show, with the winner gaining a title shot at No Mercy. As soon as I knew about the match I was rather excited because these four guys have been delivering for the last 6-weeks or so, and I knew that we were in for a strong main event. And I was right, they got a lot of time, 13-minutes without the commercial, and in the end this was damn fine main event with the four guys that have been delivering as of late. Jeff had to overcome the odds, which he did, Kendrick was a punk ass to perfection, MVP was trying to prove something and looked good and Shelton was awesome, because that's what he has been doing lately. Hardy was the right call for the shot because they have been building towards the match for the title, which also plays off of his history with HHH from Raw. I do hope that they play off of the PPV win Jeff has over HHH, because that is a point that they need to play off of. As for the Kozlov attack, I am fine with it. He is undefeated, has been running through people like a bad burrito and if they book Hardy to win clean, it is a good tool to build him up for the title match at No Mercy. Someone said that Kozlov keeps asking for competition, but has been fighting jobbers and attacked a weakened Hardy. Exactly. He's a heel, he's supposed to be a douche bag and you're supposed to hate him. Mission accomplished.

puRgatoRy:

NONE

The wRong:

Non-Title Match: Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins © vs. Carlito and Primo Colon: Friday I discovered that Smackdown actually had tag team champions and that they were still THOSE FORMER EDGE GUYS. They faced the new tag team, THE COLONS! Yes, after what seems like years Carlito returned to Smackdown and was wearing some Tajiri hand me down baggy/shiny pants, which actually looked good on him. And after debuting on Raw and saying he was nothing like his brother, Primo is here on Smackdown (fuck the brand extension™) tagging with his brother. Right, so much for continuity. As for the match, while nothing was technically wrong, it was tediously boring. The heat segment on Carlito was like something I used to watch on Deep South Wrestling as it was completely uninspired and lacking imagination. They did basically nothing but the chinlock and I wanted to turn this off because it felt like a 60-minute match instead of a 6-minute one. Also the trend of the champions that already didn't mean jack shit to begin with continued to look like shit as they lost to a team that was tagging together for the first time. Seriously, are we going to do the formula where the new team comes on the scene, gets the wins, gains the titles and then they will become as worthless as the last champions? See, I refuse to get excited about the tag division because every time I do I end up looking like a fool because it ends up exactly the same. And no, I didn't think that Carlito looked motivated, he looked about the same as he always does. Which is slow and lazy. The brothers did look happy tagging together, and hopefully it turns to motivation and that they get serious about the tag division.

Maria, Michelle McCool and Brie Bella vs. Victoria, Natalya and Maryse or the Continues Embarrassment of Victoria: As far as the in ring aspect of the show, the Divas kicked that off with a 6-woman tag. They had a decent little match here, a few hiccups here and there, but overall not a bad effort from the ladies. What bothered me badly is the booking of this match. It started out fine with the back and forth, the heels got the heat and it worked fine. But AS SOON as Victoria tagged in, she was made to look like a complete fool. She missed her first move, things broke down, Bella did the twin switch and then Victoria was immediately pinned. I didn't like that at all. I said in the past that it could get repetitive and not work as well, and with the execution here I felt that is what happened. They could have easily had one of the other heels get tricked this time, and the next week another until they eventually put it together. Instead they continue to be predictable and the embarrassment of Victoria continues. Oh well, I guess some things will never change.

Chavo Guerrero w/Bam Neeley vs. R-Truth: Playing off of last week's win over Bam Neeley, Chavo Guerrero stepped up to challenge R-Truth this week on Smackdown. R-Truth and Chavo had a fine little match, nothing important and Chavo's offense is believable here because he was recently in the Scramble match and booked stronger than Kenny or Bam, so I had no problem with that. The end saw a DQ as Bam got involved, which upset Chavo. From there we got the breakup that NO ONE ASKED FOR! Chavo started to yell at Bam, explained that he paid him to do a job and that he failed. Bam fired back, knocked Chavo down and was then taken out by R-Truth. There was absolutely NO HEAT for this break up, and no, sweetened sound doesn't count. What makes matters worse is that Chavo was absolutely right. Bam is THE SINGLE WORST BODY GUARD in the history of wrestling. He joined Chavo after he lost the title and basically stood there and looked like a big old goof for months. Chavo actually had every right to tell him off, because he sucks. This is the definition of no buys right here. Let's move on.

BEHOLD… THE H's of TRIPLE or Look at me, I am as close to family as it comes so I can say whatever the fuck I want!: HHH kicked off the show, and at first it began just fine. He discussed the PPV, how the other champions lost the scramble, made a few jokes and proclaimed his greatness because he won his scramble match. Jeff Hardy then came out and delivered some horrible scripted lines, kissing HHH's ass to an insane degree. HHH then was nice enough to show some respect for Jeff, until he went into HUNTOR MODE! He played off of Hardy's problems, that he was always just this close but always failed. He said that his success came with Matt, and essentially said that Jeff was to be the Shawn Michaels of the team, but in reality he did become a version of Marty Jannetty on a few levels. Then they discussed the KLIQ, DX and that HHH was part of THE FAMILY. I hate when TNA gets too cute with all of the insider shit, and I am really not enjoying this side of HHH. And it has nothing to do with it being HHH, I would hate anyone doing it. It isn't cool, it just doesn't work for me. HUNTOR MODE continued through out the show as HHH played mind games with the men in the four-way match for the title shot. His interaction with Shelton was actually great as he said Shelton shouldn't have to compete for a title shot since he didn't get pinned in the scramble, this form of stirring the shit was fine to me. But when he met with Kendrick he basically called him a loser and as for MVP, he just laughed at him and said he didn't deserve to be in the match. He even called him a choke artist. So if Kendrick won he would be facing a loser, and if MVP won he would be facing a joke of a choke artist. Wrestling 101, don't bury your possible opponents because it can make you look like shit later on.

The Ridiculous:

Jesse, Festus, Kenny and Duct Tape: While there are many stupid things on wrestling TV each and every week, this was right up there with it. It wasn't insultingly bad like ODB's bathroom trip last week, it wasn't offensive, it was just…well, stupid. Kenny and Festus were to have a match, which I suppose is all well and good. Kenny is going nowhere fast and Jesse and Festus are already there since WWE hates tag teams, they'll have fun together. Jesse and Festus were dressed as movers, had a hand truck, duct tape, bubble wrap and other assorted items. Kenny did his recent gimmick of telling us how great he is and that we should think he's THE SHIT. I think if he wants to be taken seriously he should, you know, win on occasion. This sorry bastard hasn't won a match on TV since January of 2008. That was a mixed tag with Victoria vs. Chuck Palumbo and Michelle McCool and even THEN Victoria was the one that got the pin. So Kenny talked his shit, attacked Festus before the bell (I will give that to him, smart move) but then Jesse helped out, rang the bell and it was CLOBBERIN TIME. Festus killed Kenny, and there was officially no match. Um, ok. Following this, Jesse and Festus taped up Kenny, placed him on the hand truck, wrapped him in bubble wrap and took him away in possibly the most pointless segments this year. Someone said that they were dressed and "movers" and "packed up" Kenny as a play to the move to MYNETWORK TV. Even so, that is stupid and this was a complete waste of time. My theory is that Kenny got shipped back to OVW. And yes I know that OVW is not working with WWE officially anymore.


SHOW RATING: (**) While not the worst show, it felt very flat to me. Show and Vickie cut a good promo, I liked the main event and involving Kozlov could be good if they use him as a tool to have Hardy get the win on the way to challenging HHH. While I was not high on this particular show, I am interested to see what next week brings. I am hoping for THE Brian Kendrick, MVP and Shelton to end up in a feud since Jeff is now out of that picture.

---

~TNA NO SURRENDER 2008~

By: Larry Csonka

The Matches:

The Prince Justice Brotherhood defeated the Rock and Rave Infection @ 8:00 via pin **

In a Falls Count Anywhere Match Awesome Kong defeated ODB @ 9:00 via pin **½

Abyss and Matt Morgan defeated Team 3D @ 12:00 via pin *½

X-Division Title Match: Sheik Abdul Bashir defeated Consequences Creed and Petey Williams @ 9:30 via pin to become the NEW X-Division Champion ***¼

Knockouts Title Match: Taylor Wilde defeated Angelina Love @ 6:45 via pin *½

Ladder of Love Match: Sonjay Dutt defeated Jay Lethal @ 14:00 ***¾

TNA Tag Team Title Match: Beer Money defeated LAX @ 8:30 via pin **

MMA Bout: AJ Styles vs. Frank Trigg went to a No Decision

TNA World Title Bout: Samoa Joe defeated Christian Cage and Kurt Angle @ 15:24 via pin ***¼

The Right:

The Prince Justice Brotherhood defeated the Rock and Rave Infection: I will freely admit that I wasn't a fan of the match heading into the PPV. I felt that there were too many matches with nine, and that this match didn't need to be on the PPV. While I still feel that they could have left the match off of the show, I will admit that it wasn't bad and was actually fun. The live crowd loved it, judging by their reactions, which is a great thing since it was the opener, and it is very important that the opener get the crowd involved and set a tempo for the show. They got some decent time, 8-minutes, and the match had solid wrestling, good comedy and in the end it did what it was supposed to do and was way better than I thought it would be. While I wish for the return of the Fallen Angel like many others, Curry Man is beyond awesome and you just know that Daniels was having a blast out there. This was good, harmless fun and I enjoyed it.

Awesome Kong defeated ODB: I will freely admit that I have been vocal about not liking the useless Bimbo Brawls that the Knockouts division has been doing, mainly because they haven't made sense. Read above. That being said, this was built up to and the gimmick made sense for these ladies. The video package was particularly good and added to the match I felt. Overall I enjoyed the match as they played the gimmick well and made it feel very intense and real. ODB hung with Kong and looked good, but the monster took the win, which could also mean that she has renewed her contract. I also give them MUCH credit for fighting through the non-broken table spot. That was nasty as it didn't break, and Kong was favoring her back for the rest of the match and ODB was holding her ribs a lot. They worked through the pain, and while they both looked like they were hurting badly from it, they pressed on and we got a good match from it. Now that this is resolved, I hope that they go back to what made the division good and that is plain wrestling that is good. Kong and Wilde for the title seems likely for the Bound for Glory PPV, where I would expect Kong to regain the title.

Sheik Abdul Bashir defeated Consequences Creed and Petey Williams: While the build to the match was odd at times, and was also a bit cold going in, especially the last week, I had high hopes for these guys. Creed and Williams had developed a strong chemistry, and Bashir has been working hard since coming to TNA. The crowd was indifferent to Bashir, they HATED Creed and of course young Petey was massively over in his home country. This made for a great atmosphere, the crowd was hot all through out the match, all three guys were clicking and working well together and we ended up with a good X-Division title match. The finish worked very well I thought, as they had a good sequence that saw Petey get the destroyer, but Bashir tossed him to the floor and got the sneaky pin and the title. As I said, they all worked hard, everything clicked well and the end worked in making Bashir out to be an opportunist, while protecting Williams in the loss. Overall good stuff here, now lets just drop the fucking plane noise from Bashir's music, it's offensive and bush league. I suspect that Creed vs. Bashir will be the long-term program, so that "A OK USA" can overcome the odds and get the big victory.

Ladder of Love Match: I have made it no secret that I have not been a fan of the feud between these guys. Last year Lethal was beating Kurt Angle and looking to be the hottest young star in the company, and then that all changed and they pulled back the reigns, and he got into this feud, and well, we know where we are right now. But a ladder match between these two guys was interesting enough to me to make me forget that shit so that I could try to enjoy this match. Now in my opinion, the fear of the ladder match these days are that the match will be the same spots we have been seeing for years, or that they will try to innovate the match so much that they almost kill themselves, like ROH's Ladder War, which while great was something I don't want to rush to see again. They did a good job of walking that line, with shit we've seen, and some new stuff that was different, but not too crazy that I feared for their lives. They kept good intensity and Lethal was great because you believed that he hated Dutt, and Dutt was a perfect arrogant prick. As I think everyone predicted, Val ended up turning on Jay and low blowing him, allowing Dutt to get the ring and the victory. They then did their best Edge and Vickie impersonation as they made out to the disgust of the Canadian crowd. In the end we got a really good ladder match with some cool and new spots from these guys. It's a shame really because these guys are talented and delivered a VERY good match, unfortunately the ending to the match was very predictable, and means that this will likely continue. Match wise that can be good, but the angle continues to suck. I give Lethal and Dutt a lot of credit, they are doing everything they can to take this Chicken Shit angle into Chicken Cordon Bleu. Good work boys.

Samoa Joe defeated Christian Cage and Kurt Angle: Sting had kicked off the show, and the point to that was to let us now that he would be facing the winner of the main event for the TNA Title at Bound for Glory. That means three years in a row that he will headline the event, and the possibility that he walks out with the title again. This also played into the beginning of the match here, as Sting and Joe had a brawl, but AJ got Joe to stop and reminded him that he had a title match. With Booker T out of the picture, I had high hopes for the match. Overall it was a good match, but It never quite got to that level that they have been before. But it was a fun match that saw each man play their role well and while the crowd started a bit dead, they eventually got into it, which was good. We got out TNA main event style ending with the ref bump and it appeared as if Angle would take the victory, but Jarrett returned and took out Angle with the guitar. It plays well for the angle, but I don't think Jarrett got the reaction that they wanted. I would call this a good but unspectacular main event, considering these three have had some really great matches with each other. I know that they are building for the big angle, but I have to say that I don't like the trend of Joe winning these PPV main events with so much help, even if it is to counter other people. This sets up for Joe vs. Sting at Bound for Glory, as per the announcement from Sting to kick off the PPV and likely Angle vs. Jarrett as well, if not a tag with them and others involved, possible AJ and Trigg.

puRgatoRy:

Beer Money defeated LAX: It came into the PPV a bit cold, but the Beer Money vs. LAX feud has been pretty solid, and both teams have been delivering. As usual both teams worked hard, and overall the match was a good one. But it was merely "good." They worked hard, they god a decent amount of time and it was a fine match, but it just felt like something we could have seen on TV on any given week. The main problem is that while the match was solid and they tried, no one seemed to care. The crowd was just not into the match no matter what they did. There were a few pops here and there for some stuff, but no one cared. When they had the heat and we got the hot tag, it was the definition of the crowd going mild. Good work, good formula, and the right ending, but no connection to the crowd.

The wRong:

Taylor Wilde defeated Angelina Love: Lame promo work aside, the Knockouts title match began with Taylor Wilde announcing her backup plan, Rhino. Some have mocked Rhino for the downgrade, but fuck, he got a PPV check for doing about jack shit, so it isn't all-bad. Actually it led to the greatest PPV performance of Kip James' career, as he tried to get involved and was soundly gored out of his CROCS. Sup Campbell? The match has good build heading into it, even if I didn't like all of the build, and this wasn't a bad match overall. But I will also say that it is not what we have been used to from the TNA ladies on PPV. Especially since Kong and ODB was pretty good. Taylor has shown that she is better than this, but she just didn't click with Love, who also didn't click all that well with Kim so there is a trend there. I am guessing that they head to Bound for Glory with the re-match of Kong vs. Wilde, and then something with Kip, Rhino, the Beautiful People and maybe ODB and Roxxi. EDIT: Rhino and Taylor Wilde vs. Kip James and Velvet Sky has been made for Impact.

Abyss and Matt Morgan defeated Team 3D: Coming off of some good TV build, we had Matt Morgan and Abyss facing off with Team 3D. They worked a solid formula tag, getting the heat on Abyss and as off as it sounds it worked fine. The crowd unfortunately did NOT care about the match and turned on it because they wanted the tables. When Abyss got the not so hot tag, they went mild and booed harshly. That's never good. Devine gets involved as most expected and it does no good because Abyss and Morgan overcame the odds and took the win. So we have the end where the monsters take the win, and all is right with the world. Ray and Devon attack, lay out Morgan with a chair, toss the chair to Abyss and bail. Morgan, being large and stupid, assumes Abyss did it, they argue and we have…TAG TEAM PARTNERS THAT DO NOT GET ALONG! Seriously, did we have to go that route? It was fine overall, but not memorable in any way and it went too long for a match that didn't deliver.

MMA BOUT: Now I will freely say that I had no problem with TNA ding MMA themed shit on their shows and PPV, because it has worked for them before. Hell I said it up there. Where? You know where. Anyway while I have no issues with them doing it, the MMA Bout between AJ Styles and Frank Trigg at No Surrender was, well, not well received. All right, that maybe an understatement. They fucking hated it. Maybe it goes to the fact that "RASSLIN FANS" don't want MMA in their "RASSLIN," maybe it is the fact that they don't understand it or maybe they just hate change, whatever the reason, this bombed live. Maybe it should have been explained better, maybe TNA should have got some footage of Trigg killing people. I am not sure. Perhaps they should have tried to make this look more real by having AJ wear the MMA gear as well, I am not sure what the answer was. But the live crowd was not down with this MMA match. I liked what they were trying to do here, but can understand why some didn't. What sucked is that I lost the second round of this due to cable issues, but I did see some nice chic on chick porn for 10-seconds, so it wasn't all bad. AJ and Trigg tried, but it looks as they failed. As mentioned after the main event, I could see Angle and Trigg facing AJ and Jarrett at Bound for Glory.

The Ridiculous:

None

Closing Thoughts:
Overall I will go with a 7.3 out of 10 for the event and a VERY slight recommendation to check out. The main event and X-Division title match are both good, the ODB vs. Kong match is good and the ladder match is great, minus the predictable ending. But those are all worth your time. Having NINE matches was too much, as some matches needed some more time, the show felt a bit rushed and the crowd was noticeable tired by the time the main event got here. The rest is fine or just blah and stuff you can skip. Find a friend with a copy, or wait for the cheaper DVD when it comes out, but I would not pay the full PPV price for the event.

---

2008 PPV Rankings:
-ROH RESPECT IS EARNED II {8.8}
-WWE WRESTLEMANIA {8.7}
-ROH RISING ABOVE {8.6}
-ROH UNDENIABLE {8.5}
-ROH TAKE NO PRISONERS {8.3}
-TNA LOCKDOWN {8.2}
-WWE NO WAY OUT {8.1}
-WWE UNFORGIVEN {8.0}
-WWE ROYAL RUMBLE {8.0}

-TNA VICTORY ROAD {7.9}
-TNA SLAMMIVERSARY {7.7}
-TNA HARD JUSTICE {7.6}
-TNA AGAINST ALL ODDS {7.5}
-WWE SUMMERSLAM {7.4}
-TNA NO SURRENDER {7.3}
-TNA DESTINATION X {7.2}
-WWE BACKLASH {7.0}

-WWE ONE NIGHT STAND IV {6.8}
-TNA FINAL RESOLUTION {6.75}
-WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS {6.7}
-WWE GREAT AMERICAN BASH {6.1}
-WWE JUDGMENT DAY {6.0}
-TNA SACRIFICE {6.0}

2008 TOP PPV Match Rankings:
-(WWE WRESTLEMANIA 24) CAREER THREATENING MATCH: Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels *****

-(WWE UNFORGIVEN) UNSANCTIONED MATCH: Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho ****½
-(WWE SUMMERSLAM) HELL IN A CELL: Edge vs. The Undertaker ****½
-(WWE WRESTLEMANIA 24) WORLD TITLE MATCH: Edge © vs. The Undertaker ****½
-(ROH TAKE NO PRISONERS) ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Nigel McGuinness © vs. Tyler Black ****½
-(ROH RISING ABOVE) ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Nigel McGuinness © vs. Austin Aries ****½
-(ROH RESPECT IS EARNED II) ROH TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Age of the Fall (Jacobs and Black) © vs. Bryan Danielson and Austin Aries ****½
-(TNA LOCKDOWN) TNA WORLD TITLE MATCH: Kurt Angle © vs. Samoa Joe ****½
-(TNA VICTORY ROAD) (World X Cup Semifinal Elimination Tag Match) Curry Man, Alex Shelly and Chris Sabin vs. Puma, Yoshino and Milano Collection AT vs. Rey Bucanero, Averno and Ultimo Guerrero vs. Williams, Dux and Kozlov ****½

-(ROH TAKE NO PRISONERS) Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries ****¼
-(ROH UNDENIABLE) GRUDGE MATCH: Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong ****¼
-(WWE NO WAY OUT) RAW ELIMINATION CHAMBER ****¼
-(TNA HARD JUSTICE) LAST MAN STANDING MATCH: Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles ****¼

-(TNA AGAINST ALL ODDS) TNA WORLD TITLE MATCH: Kurt Angle © vs. Christian Cage ****
-(TNA FINAL RESOLUTION) TNA WORLD TITLE MATCH: Kurt Angle © vs. Christian Cage ****
-(WWE ROYAL RUMBLE) The Royal Rumble Match ****
-(WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS) WWE TITLE MATCH: HHH © vs. John Cena ****
-(WWE ONE NIGHT STAND) TLC: The Undertaker vs. Edge ****
-(WWE GREAT AMERICAN BASH) Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels ****
-(ROH RESPECT IS EARNED II) FIGHT WITHOUT HONOR: Erick Stevens vs. Roderick Strong ****


-(TNA No Surrender) (Ladder of Love Match) Sonjay Dutt vs. Black Machismo Jay Lethal ***¾
-(TNA VICTORY ROAD) (Full Metal Mayhem – Six-Man War Match) AJ Styles, Christian Cage & Rhino vs. Kurt Angle & Team 3D ***¾
-(TNA SLAMMIVERSARY) TNA X-DIVISION TITLE MATCH: Petey Williams © vs. Kaz ***¾
-(TNA FINAL RESOLUTION) TNA NO-DQ WOMEN'S TITLE MATCH: Gail Kim ©vs. Awesome Kong ***¾
-(TNA LOCKDOWN) LETHAL LOCKDOWN: Team Cage vs. Team Tomko ***¾
-(TNA AGAINST ALL ODDS) HARDCORE STREET FIGHT: Team 3D and Brother Devine vs. Black Machismo and the Motor City Machineguns ***¾
-(ROH UNDENIABLE) ROH WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Jay & Mark Briscoe © vs. The No Remorse Corps ***¾
-(ROH RISING ABOVE) ROH WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH - 2 of 3 Falls: Jay & Mark Briscoe © vs. The No Remorse Corps ***¾
-(ROH RESPECT IS EARNED II) ROH WORLD TITLE MATCH: Nigel McGuinness © vs. Go Shiozaki ***¾
-(WWE NO WAY OUT) SMACKDOWN ELIMINATION CHAMBER ***¾
-(WWE WRESTLEMANIA 24) WWE TITLE MATCH: Randy Orton © vs. John Cena vs. HHH ***¾
-(WWE BACKLASH) WORLD TITLE MATCH: The Undertaker © vs. Edge ***¾
-(WWE WRESTLEMANIA 24) MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH: Chris Jericho vs. MVP vs. John Morrison vs. Carlito vs. CM Punk vs. Mr. Kennedy vs. Shelton Benjamin ***¾
-(WWE JUDGMENT DAY) HBK vs. Chris Jericho ***¾
-(WWE SUMMERSLAM) John Cena vs. Batista ***¾

2008 PPV MVP AWARDS:
This is a little added deal I started last year, as I feel that there are some other things that should be mentioned from the PPV's. Not every PPV will have one, it just depends on who I think steps up and deserves some extra recognition.

-ROH RISING ABOVE: Nigel vs. Aries (Stealing the Show)
-TNA FINAL RESOLUTION: Gail Kim vs. Awesome Kong (Making us Care about Women's Wrestling on the National Stage)
-ROH UNDENIABLE: Strong vs. Aries (The Grudge is Settled)
-WWE ROYAL RUMBLE: John Cena Shocks the World (No One Saw it Coming)
-TNA AGAINST ALL ODDS: Black Machismo Saves the X-Division (He is a Superman)
-WWE NO WAY OUT: Taker Eliminates the Competition (Elimination Chamber MVP)
-TNA DESTINATION X: Gail Kim vs. Awesome Kong © vs. ODB (Stepping up Again)
-WWE WRESTLEMANIA XXIV: Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels (Thank You Flair)
-TNA LOCKDOWN: Angle vs. Joe (Great Build, Great Delivery)
-TNA SACRIFICE: Roxxi gets a Haircut (And makes the ultimate sacrifice…)
-ROH TAKE NO PRISONERS: Tyler Black (Becoming a Star at 21)
-WWE ONE NIGHT STAND: The Undertaker (You Crazy Fuck)
-TNA SLAMMIVERSARY: Kaz vs. Petey (Stealing the Show)
-WWE NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS: HHH (Silencing the Critics)
-TNA VICTORY ROAD: Alex Shelley and Yoshino (Stealing the Show)
-WWE GREAT AMERICAN BASH: Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels (The Art of the Story)
-ROH RESPECT IS EARNED II Tyler Black (Stealing the Spotlight …Again)
-TNA HARD JUSTICE: AJ Styles and Kurt Angle (Last Man Standing)
-WWE SUMMERSLAM: Hell in a Cell (Edge and Taker do it again!)
-WWE UNFORGIVEN: Unsanctioned (Jericho and Michaels Deliver Again)
-TNA NO SURRENDER: Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal (Making Chicken Cordon Bleu out of Chicken Shit)

And I'm out of here!