My WWE Raw, May 28th 2012 Recap

Big Show informed the fans that he no longer had to put on a fake smile to please them all since he'd obtained an "iron clad contract" meaning he could do whatever he wanted. He went on to claim that there was no other sportsmen that was in his league, maybe weight wise that is. He then showed footage of Brodus Clay dancing in the ring mere moments after he'd been fired on Raw, which was utterly ridiculous at the time, and rightfully shared his anger at that.

He also presented footage of Cena being his goofy and childish self when he was making fun of Laurinaitis a couple of weeks back instead of demanding Show get his job back. He also stated that he's going to embarrass Cena at No Way Out. It was a decent promo from Show, and to be fair I actually agreed with all his grievances he expressed. They made sense to me. 

Alberto Del Rio defeated Santino Marella in a senseless squash match. I can understand having Del Rio as the number one contender to the World title win dominantly, but I don't believe it should've been at the United States Champion's expense. Doesn't exactly do much for the title. 

Backstage after Alex Riley was done chatting up Eve, Big Show was informed that he'd have his choice of opponent later on and then decided to send a message to the locker room in the form of slamming Riley into the wall.

Kofi Kingston and R-Truth (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship. It was a mostly fair match up, with a few exciting moments but unfortunately a few sloppy ones too. Kingston certainly doesn't click with Truth like he did with Bourne. Afterwards a frustrated Ziggler walked away from Vickie and Swagger, claiming he was "better than this," which he is. 

Backstage Big Show threatened an injured Sanino Marella, but was then interrupted by Brodus Clay who challenged him to a match, so Show obliged. 

John Laurinaitis announced that the match between Big Show and John Cena will be contested inside a steel cage at No Way Out. He then also presented a phoney cover to the new WWE '13 game with himself on it, amusingly claiming that it will be "bigger than Pac-Man!" Michael Cole's sly mocking of Big Johnny was one of the best things about this promo. WWE Champion CM Punk then halted the proceedings and presented the real cover to WWE '13 which of course features himself. 

After some more mocking of Big Johnny, Punk warned the GM that the Board of Directors are carefully monitoring him so he ought to be careful what he does. He also kicked in the fake cover with Laurinaitis on it. It was a decent segment with a few funny moments, although these promos are still no patch on Punk's must see ones of last Summer.

Daniel Bryan defeated CM Punk in a highly enjoyable and intense bout. As with Over The Limit these two had another brilliant match of the night, going back and fourth with solid exchanges and wrestling. AJ, sporting a CM Punk tee, came down to ringside to support the World Champion. Unfortunately she also inadvertently distracted the referee as Bryan removed the padding from a turnbuckle which he would later use to bounce Punk's head off of and gain the one-two-three. Afterwards Kane attacked Bryan with a steel chair and Choke Slammed him onto it, but then also received a chair shot of his own from Punk as retribution.   

Christian defeated The Miz in fairly short but decent contest. As per usual the hard working and reliable Christian delivered in the ring, credit also to the underutilised Miz for his performance here. Afterwards Miz remained in the ring and complained about his drop in status within the company. He was then halted by Randy Orton who casually walked out and RKO'd him.

Backstage Dolph Ziggler asked Vickie Guerrero to get him out of the tag team with Swagger and back into singles competition like Orton. I totally agree, hopefully this will be the start of Ziggler's deserved push in WWE. 

Sheamus defeated David Otunga in an average and forgettable bout. 

Before their match could even start Big Show mocked Brodus Clay on the mic, claiming that he just shamelessly danced for the fans like a clown and had no talent. He then speared Clay and beat him down. Kofi Kingston and R-Truth tried to help but Show just quickly swatted them away. That's two other champions made to look weak on the show. Show carried on to attack all three men further, including throwing Kofi through the barricade in a nice looking spot. The closing segment served its purpose in making Show look dominant, although it does all feel just a bit similar doesn't it?

My WWE SmackDown, May 25th 2012 Recap

Eve came to the ring and announced that John Laurinaitis will not be in attendance due to an international matter elsewhere and that she was also in charge for the night. So she demanded that Sheamus issue a public apology for bumping into Laurinaitis on Monday later on. Eve was then interrupted by Alberto Del Rio who asked to be the new number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship at No Way Out. Randy Orton and Kane also followed in trying to convince Eve for the chance at the 'Great White', so predictably she decided to have a Triple Threat to determine the challenger at No Way Out.

Christian defeated Hunico in a decent match up. It wasn't anything particularly outstanding but as usual the new Intercontinental Champion Christian was solid in the ring and provided a good bout. It's great having him back. Afterwards Cody Rhodes claimed that no one cares about Christian and therefore no one cares about the IC Championship now, but he'll apparently be winning it back soon. Sorry Cody but I can't see that happening. 

Titus O'Neil and Darren Young defeated Jimmy & Jay Uso in another fair match between the two teams. It's a smart move finally having some new teams being promoted on the blue brand, hopefully we'll see O'Neil and Young challenging for the titles in the fairly near future. Although I still feel they have some work to do in the ring.

We were then shown a VT promoting the return of Sin Cara next week on SmackDown. Not too sure how I feel about that, can't say I'm overly excited really. 

Ryback defeated nobodies Brian Edwards and Kevin Bendl in a, what? That's right! Another squash match. Don't get me wrong I like the guy, and to be fair he performed his regular finisher with both men on his back which looked pretty impressive. I just feel like it's maybe time for his level of competition to take a step up. Or perhaps the booking team are planning something big for him, who knows?  

Santino Marella defeated Ricardo Rodriguez in a rather amusing comedy match. The entertaining Rodriguez was as funny as ever.

Sheamus came to the ring to apologise for what he stated was an accidental push into Laurinaitis on this weeks Raw, but instead said sorry "for John Laurinaitis being a massive arse!" 'The Great White' went on to claim that given the choice he'd like to face Randy Orton for his title, he was then interrupted by Vickie Guerrero who informed him that he'll be facing Jack Swagger. 

Sheamus defeated Jack Swagger in an enjoyable contest. It was also surprisingly competitive considering Swagger's usual record, and because he was allowed to be more competitive he was involved in a much more superior match then his usual one on ones. That being said I must also give Sheamus a lot of credit, not just for this performance but for his big improvement in the ring over the course of this year. He's always been solid enough but he's really earned the main event spot now in my opinion.

Damien Sandow defeated Yoshi Tatsu in a squash match, and gave a solid performance both in the ring and out as he gave another one of his entertaining promos about his superiority over just about everyone around him. If booked correctly I see Sandow being a big name for the company in a years time. 

Big Show came out and explained that he was devastated when he was fired on Raw a week back, and explained that he returned to help Laurinaitis because he genuinely loves what he does. The promo was basically everything we'd already heard him say on Monday, nothing new except that he stated he now doesn't care about the fans after their lack of support for him. It felt like a waste of time to me, not that Show didn't do a decent job of delivering it, it was just all a rehash. They might as well have shown a clip of his promo from Raw. 

Before the main event Daniel Bryan snuck up behind Kane and viciously attacked him with a steel chair. So I'm guessing he will be added to Bryan and CM Punk's inevitable rematch for the WWE Championship, something that just isn't necessary considering how they stole the show at Over The Limit. 

Alberto Del Rio defeated Randy Orton and Kane in a Triple Threat to become number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. It was an enjoyable enough main event, not exactly a classic but still a fun watch. Daniel Bryan distracted Kane a few times during the bout, causing 'The Big Red Monster' to be RKO'd by Orton and then covered by a capitalising Del Rio. Afterwards Sheamus greeted the victor with a clothesline on the ramp. 

Chris Jericho suspended indefinitely

Posted by: Adam Nystrom of WrestlingNewsSource.com on May 25 2012

Source: WWE.com TMZ.com

Chris Jericho has been "suspended indefinitely due to an irresponsible act of denigrating the Brazilian flag at a WWE live event in São Paulo on May 24." 

We previously reported that Jericho had been threatened with arrest for his actions with the Brazilian flag, and more information has come to light since the incident.

According to TMZ, CM Punk was waving the Brazilian flag in the ring when Jericho stole the flag out of Punk's hands, crumpled it and booted it out of the ring.  Local police immediately interrupted the match and informed Jericho that desecrating the flag was a crime punishable by incarceration.  The police gave Jericho the option to go to jail or apologize to the crowd.  Upon issuing an apology to the audience, the police allowed the event to continue.

The spot with the flag was not planned or approved by management, according to TMZ's sources.

WWE also stated they "have apologized to the citizens and the government of Brazil for this incident."

A second article contains a verbal response from Jericho, where he says he "made a bad judgment call in the course of entertaining [WWE] fans in Brazil.  I apologized to the people in the crowd for showing disrespect."

"It was a bad move," he continued.  "I did it with [our] fans' entertainment in mind and I'll accept the consequences for that."

A lot of fans have already called the suspension an angle of some sort on WWE's part. I'm not convinced that's the case myself but you never know. I'm sure it was an honest mistake on Jericho's part, I mean, remember Shawn Michaels wiping his nose on the Canadian flag years ago? It's just part of the act.


Here's the incident itself:

My Impact Wrestling, May 24th 2012 Recap

In a reality show style affair, Hulk Hogan discussed with Bully Ray, AJ Styles, Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy who deserves the shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship that night. Although it had the over the top background music and came across as quite fake, I actually didn't mind this segment. It made a bit of a change and was quite amusing at parts with all four men arguing their pros and the others cons. At the end Hogan eliminated Bully Ray from contention, even though Hardy and AJ had already lost to Roode over the World title before.

Gail Kim bragged about being the most important woman in the entire company and her successful title reign. I certainly haven't had any complaints about her being the champ, and it was definitely a wise move for her to get out of WWE's Divas Division where she was completely squandered. She went on to then challenge the Knockout Tag Team Champions Eric Young and ODB, and as per the stipulations of Open Fight Night the title holders (or anyone for that matter) must accept the match.

Gail Kim and Madison Rayne defeated Eric Young and ODB (c) to win the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship. It was an average bout for the most part, with a few amusing moments between EY and ODB. I think the wrong team also won. With Rayne distracted by her mystery love interest she should've been the one to accidentally loose her team the match, and in my opinion ODB and EY with their chemistry had brought a bit of interest back to the titles. I don't really see the need for them to have lost the titles so soon.

Rob Van Dam defeated Gunner after challenging him to a match. It was a fair contest, and wisely kept quite short which I feel always works more effectively for Gunner. RVD finished off Gunner after applying a Van Daminator and performing an impressive long range Five Star Frog Slash.

Devon (c) versus Garet Bischoff for the TNA Television title ended in a no contest after Robbie E and Robbie T ran in shortly into the match and attacked both men, only to then be thrown out by Devon and Garet. I was personally quite relieved we didn't have to see much of this bout.

In another backstage segment Hogan next eliminated Jeff Hardy from World title contention, claiming that he needed someone that will get the job done against Roode. 

Bully Ray came out and spoke about his annoyance at not being picked to face Roode, and then challenged Joseph Parks (who'd been watching in the audience) to get in the ring with him. A hesitant Parks pleaded with Bully not to get physical and reminded him that all he wanted was to find his missing brother. But eventually Ray did get physical, punching Parks in the gut and whipping him with his chain.

Austin Aries defeated Joey Ryan in an enjoyable back and fourth contest. To me the Gut Check competitor Ryan looked liked he belonged here with a unique image, plenty of charisma and nicely executed wrestling in the ring. He's certainly a step up from the last Gut Check challenger Silva, who wasn't bad but you could tell was a bit nervous. I'd be very disappointed if they didn't sign him to a deal.

Hogan finally announced that AJ Styles would receive the World title shot, stating that it was mainly due to him knowing Roode better. Angle gracefully congratulated Styles.

Bobby Roode (c) defeated AJ Styles to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a match that started off quite drab but fortunately picked up towards the end with more exciting action and near falls. It was a solid enough performance from both men, with the fans in attendance certainly into it. 

Afterwards Roode celebrated his record breaking World title reign with confetti and champagne. He also invited Hogan to the ring to celebrate, only for 'The Hulkster' to then inform Roode that someone else would be joining them. That someone was the returning Sting, who it was revealed would be facing Roode next week in a Lumberjack match. I can't personally say I'm that excited by 'The Stinger's' return. I preferred him in the GM role as opposed to an in ring competitor, where he clearly can't bring it like he used to.

My WWE Raw, May 23rd 2012 Recap

A stern faced John Cena came out and asked "What the hell?!" after Big Show aided Laurinaitis in defeated him last night at Over The Limit. He went on to further mock Big Johnny and state his complete bemusement at Show helping him him win. The GM then made his way out on a small motorised vehicle usual used for OAP's and complained about all his supposed injuries from last night, he also added that if anyone touches him then they will be terminated. Laurinaitis also introduced Big Show, Cena's future opponent at No Way Out. Wow, that should be a great match (yes that was sarcasm). 

Show stated that no one was entitled to a explanation for his actions last night. He also reminded us all of his begging for his job on last weeks Raw before he was fired and claimed that he received no sympathy from the fans, even though he had, and added that he's going to knock out Cena in their match. The overall opening to the show was all quite predictable really, no shocks or believable explanations.

John Cena defeated David Otunga in a predictably mediocre bout. Afterwards Curt Hawkings, Tyler Reks, Darren Young and Titus O'Neil attacked Cena until Sheamus barged Laurinaitis and came to his aid. The GM then booked both Cena and the World Heavyweight Champion in a Three On Two Lumberjack Handicap match. 

In a random, but quite amusing segment, Santino Marella and Ricardo Rodriguez contested in the ring over who was a better announcer. Marella in the end applied the Cobra to Rodriguez and announced Alberto Del Rio.

Randy Orton won via disqualification versus Alberto Del Rio in a bit of a drab contest that never quite got going. The DQ came after Chris Jericho Codebreakered Orton. An irate Jericho then said how he was the "best in the World" and applied a further two Codebreakers to Orton.

Daniel Bryan proclaimed that he should be the new WWE Champion after making CM Punk tap at Over The Limit, even though it was clearly after the three count. CM Punk joined Bryan and confirmed that he clearly pinned him. He also introduced Bryan's opponent for the evening, Kane, after showing footage from last week's SmackDown where Bryan had smacked 'The Big Red Monster' in the back with a chair.

Daniel Bryan won via DQ after Kane decided to exact some revenge and cracked him over the back with a steel chair. CM Punk, who'd been on commentary, attempted to hit Kane with the chair but was thwarted by Bryan, who was then spotted by his opponent with chair in hand. Afterwards Kane decided to also apply a couple of Choke Slams to Bryan for good measure. The WWE Champion entered the ring to check on Bryan, and to also apply the Anaconda Vice. I look forward to their rematch, although it looks like Kane may be entered in to make it a Triple Threat I'm guessing.

Christian defeated Jinder Mahal in a fair effort by both men. This was probably one of the better performances I've seen from Mahal, but then Christian does normally have that effect on opponents. It's great to have him back. 

Beth Phoenix defeated Kelly Kelly in an average and forgettable match up. Not really any more to add to be honest.

John Cena and Sheamus versus Lord Tensai, Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger ended in a no contest after the lumberjacks at ringside erupted into the ring to help take out Cena and Sheamus. The actual match had been better then I'd expected and the crowd were thoroughly into it, creating a huge pop when 'The Great White' made a hot tag to Cena towards the end. The action was solid enough, and although it wasn't a classic by any means it was still an entertaining and eventful main event. 

Shortly after the face side of the locker room made their way out to help Cena and Sheamus. Cena then went out back in search of Big Show, but was instead greeted with another knockout punch from him. 

My WWE Over The Limit 2012 Recap

Before the show got going Christian won a Battle Royal to face either the United States or Intercontinental Champion that night on pay-per-view for the title. It was a decent enough match, with the highlights being the performances of Tyson Kidd and Christian and the many boos for William Regal being eliminated from the bout. Christian chose to face Santino Marella for the US Championship.

R-Truth and Kofi Kingston (c) defeated Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger to retain the WWE Tag Team Titles. I was expecting a decent enough match here but it was actually a lot more enjoyable once it going than I was expecting. As usual Kingston and Dolph's work was solid. My only gripe I'd say is that I still don't buy Kofi and Truth as a team yet, Swagger and Ziggler I can accept as a unit and Kofi and Evan Bourne before. I just still see the current champs as a make shift team as opposed to a believable one, hopefully they'll turn me around.

Layla (c) defeated Beth Phoenix to retain the Divas Championship. It was a largely average contest, but I'll admit that the final third of it was actually a nicely executed sequence leading to a well applied neckbreaker by Layla for the one-two-three. The Divas Champion is still not being particularly well received by the fans, with scattered chants of "Tap!" when Phoenix had Layla in a Half Boston Crab. 

Sheamus (c) defeated Randy Orton, Chris Jericho and Alberto Del Rio to retain the World Heavyweight Championship in a Fatal Four Way. It was a thrilling title match, with the action coming thick and fast, plus plenty of edge-of-your-seat-near falls. All four men put in a great effort, I also credit everyone that was involved in the planning of how the match would play out because it was damn near perfect. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Backstage Cody Rhodes was bragging to Eve about how he would've easily defeated Christian if he'd chosen to face him for the Intercontinental Title, after just coming back from his injury. Of course 'Captain Charisma' overheard this and decided to instead face Cody for the IC Title, claiming Rhodes was "full of crap." So he's face once again? I'm all for that myself.

The Miz stated that the WWE fans had no idea about real dancing talent after cheering on Brodus Clay. So the awesome one decided to show off some dance moves, and some poor ones at that, before Clay interrupted him.

Brodus Clay defeated The Miz in an average and forgettable match up. Miz deserves a lot more than loosing to the limited Clay.

Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkings went through the crowd on Eve's behalf and removed any of the fans signs that were derogatory towards Laurinaitis.

Christian defeated Cody Rhodes (c) to win the Intercontinental Championship. It was an enjoyable title match, with both talented wrestlers putting in fair performances. This could be an interesting feud, and Christian is certainly a big step up from Big Show.

Before the WWE Championship match, CM Punk spoke about his and Daniel Bryan's rise from the indies to the top of the WWE, which was respectively received by the fans and rightfully so. AJ then once again, like on last Monday's Raw, wished Punk luck in his title defence. 

CM Punk (c) defeated Daniel Bryan to retain the WWE Championship in a superb bout that should have been the main event. It was a rare (in WWE) technical showcase as both wrestlers went back and fourth in a blistering contest. I'm honestly trying to think of a single fault with it but I'm really struggling. Along with Triple H vs 'Taker at WrestleMania I'd put this as one of WWE's best PPV  matches of the year so far.

The crowd were also electric during it as chants for both men rightfully erupted from the fans. Vince take note, the fans were chanting because this was real pro wrestling right here. Punk managed to grab the winning pin as he rolled over the Yes Lock to cover Bryan, just after the third count he tapped which I'm presuming and desperately hoping means we'll get a another rematch.

Ryback defeated Camacho in one of his usual squash matches. Nothing really to add here, you probably know the deal with him by now. I think the time for squash matches has passed, give him a real feud to get into.

John Laurinaitis defeated John Cena in a poor main event which I'd rather soon forget. For the first three quarters of the bout it was a comedy match, albeit without much comedy, with Cena mocking Big Johnny in various ways. But for the finish the previously fired Big Show dragged the attempting to flee Laurinaitis back to the ring, only to then turn on Cena and WMD him. Allowing the GM to gain the winning pin. So unfortunately we'll still have Laurinaitis in charge (although it was always pretty obvious he was going to somehow win) and the lump Big Show has already returned, I'm also dreading the likely Big Show Cena feud we'll have to endure once again. A pretty poor finish to an otherwise all right pay-per-view. 

My WWE SmackDown, May 18th 2012 Recap

John Laurinaitis complained about the WWE Board of Director's decision to have him face John Cena one on one this Sunday at Over The Limit. As he went on to ask the fans to say a prayer for him WWE Champion CM Punk joined the GM and stated that everyones prayers have already been answered in the form of Big Johnny most likely loosing to Cena and getting terminated. Punk also asked Laurinaitis what it felt like to be on the other side of the stick after unmercifully firing Big Show on Monday and making everyone's life in the company miserable. As a bit of revenge Big Johnny booked the champion into a match with Kane that night, after Punk left he also told the fans to "go to hell!" after their treatment of him.  

R-Truth and Kofi Kingston defeated Titus 'O Neil and Darren Young in a fair tag team bout. The champions looked solid here and should have a good match against Swagger and Ziggler at Over The Limit. This unfortunately won't help the recent bit of momentum that O' Neil and Young have gained since their move to the blue brand, I think they were pitted against the champs too soon.

Before his proposed match with Yoshi Tatsu, Damien Sandow once again refused to face an (according to him) inferior opponent. As he walked away Tatsu called him a "chicken" and began clucking in the ring until Sandow raced in and attacked him from behind, leaving him lying in the ring. I'm really liking this character of Sandow, from the way he holds the mic and presents his promos to his aggressiveness in the ring, although we obviously haven't seen much of that just yet. 

Daniel Bryan defeated Zach Ryder in an enjoyable contest after forcing him to tap to the Yes Lock. Just like Shawn Michaels used to, and Randy Orton most of the time, Bryan has a tendency to really bring out the best in his opponents in the ring. Bryan joined the commentary for the following match up.

Kane won via disqualification versus CM Punk after Daniel Bryan smacked Kane with a steel chair, leading the 'Big Red Monster' to believe that it was actually the WWE Champion and legging it. Kane went on to then attack Punk with the same chair and choke slam him in the ring. The actual match had been solid and surprisingly entertaining. Bryan also did a good job on commentary I thought, finally mentioning him and Punk's similar paths into WWE. I've been waiting to hear either of them speak of their past time on the indies and ROH together leading into their World title match, hopefully this feud will continue after Sunday and we'll be given what could be some superb promos between the two (I know I already mentioned this after Raw, but still).

Santino Marella defeated Cody Rhodes in a brief and average bout. Marella caught Rhodes with a surprise Cobra for the victory. Marella has been made to look much more competitive over the course of the year so far, I'm just not sure how much higher WWE could really push him?

Sheamus defeated Randy Orton in a match with a rather flat first half and nice second. As I said it was a bit bit disappointing to start with, with an indifferent crowd watching on with a dull routine between the two, not bad just dull. Fortunately both men upped the pace and quality and had a finish worthwhile of a main event, with the World Champion grabbing a quick roll up pin for the victory. Afterwards in a rather heelish fashion Orton RKO'd Sheamus after shaking hands, with the look on 'The Viper's' face I wouldn't rule out a possible heel turn in the near future. I reckon this would be a wise move, freshen his character up again. 

My Impact Wrestling, May 17th 2012 Recap

World Champion Bobby Roode came to the ring and spoke about how he's "overcome the odds" as far as his title defences have gone, and also gave RVD credit for his performance against him at Sacrifice in the Ladder match. He went on to remind us that in a weeks time he will have had the longest reigning TNA World Heavyweight title reign ever, eclipsing AJ Style's run. He then called out GM Hulk Hogan and began listing off demands that he wanted for his celebration on next weeks Impact Wrestling.

'The Hulkster' complimented Roode on giving the company some direction and order since becoming champ since now everyone is gunning for him, but then ripped up Roode's printed off list of demands. He reminded him that he hadn't broken the record yet, and would be defending the title on next weeks Open Fight Night Impact. He also asked the large majority of the locker room who wanted a piece of Roode to come out and announced the qualifying matches between them to determine who will face the World Champion next week for the title. 

Bully Ray defeated Rob Van Dam in the first World title qualifying match. It was a passable bout, if a little short. Although with RVD's supposedly injured leg the length of the match actually made sense, never thought I'd type that about TNA. 

AJ Styles won the World title qualifying Battle Royal. It was a decent enough match. For the most part it was the usual affair for a battle royal, but fortunately picked up in quality when Styles and Aries went head to head towards the end. A match between them two is a must for the near future I reckon. AJ's win was understandably well received. 

Afterwards AJ grabbed a mic and addressed the photos shown last week of him and Dixie Carter looking intimate, claiming that "things aren't always as they seem." Christopher Daniels and Kazarian then joined him and stated that they'd been left in Style's wake for the last ten years due to his relationship with Carter and that revealing the photos wasn't meant to hurt anyone but just expose the truth. Daniels then revealed yet more evidence to the accusations when he and Kaz presented a video of Styles and Carter arriving at a hotel room together arm in arm on an iPad, which actually makes it seem more effective to me. I mean, if you were presenting footage like this of the president of the company then would you really get to present it on the big screen? Doubtful.  

Backstage Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle began brawling after discussing their memorable history together, until they were separated by various wrestlers who just happened to be nearby. Boy, thinking back to their original superb feud Joe really was on fire back in those days wasn't he?

Jeff Hardy defeated Mr. Anderson in a good effort by both men. They managed to outdo their match last Sunday, which was okay. While their feud hasn't really got much substance behind it, their matches are certainly watchable and have exceeded my expectations.   

Gail Kim (c) defeated Brooke Tessmacher and Velvet Sky to retain the TNA Knockouts Title in a fair to dull Triple Threat match. To be honest the bout could've done without the average Sky involved considering what little she really brought to the match, I would've much rather have seen the superior Tara or Mickie James in there. Hopefully Kim will get some new competition for Slammiversary. 

Kurt Angle defeated Samoa Joe in a solid and intense main event to earn the final qualifying spot for the World title match next week. As expected from two wrestlers of this high standard they put on a very enjoyable contest, going back and fourth with crisp action and making it look easy. I'm glad this was also made the main event, it had and deserved to be.  

Afterwards all four men who qualified for their chance at Roode's title cornered the World Champion, who'd been on commentary. 

My WWE Raw, May 14th 2012 Recap

John Laurinaitis stopped Triple H backstage and claimed that he was just as surprised as everyone else that Brock Lesnar attacked him a few weeks back, the COO just wished Johnny luck with his match with Cena on Sunday.

Triple H came to the ring and said that he was offended by Lesnar's claim that he was going to bring legitimacy back to the company, I don't blame him. While I understand why Lesnar said it, it was basically a stab at every wrestler who has performed for the WWE. 'The Game' went on to state that every time anything gets tough for Lesnar, from his time in the UFC to his latest run in WWE, he gives up and quits.

Paul Heyman then joined the COO and handed him a lawsuit straight from Brock himself, asking for the millions he's supposedly owed. After some berating from Heyman Triple H had enough and grabbed him with his one good arm, telling him "You tell Brock Lesnar, he's going to get everything he deserves." But before leaving Heyman then warned that he was now also going to sue for assault. It was a nice start to the show, with an as always strong showing from Heyman on the mic and an interesting way forward into the Triple H Lesnar feud.

CM Punk and Santino Marella defeated Cody Rhodes and Daniel Bryan in a fair tag team match that only really got going once Punk was tagged in. It achieved its goal of promoting the Punk and Bryan match at Over The Limit anyway, although I would personally still like to see a promo between the two, could be brilliant.  

Beth Phoenix defeated Alicia Fox in a short and passable bout. As Beth grabbed Fox afterwards the Divas Champion Layla came to her aid and chased Phoenix away. I'm expecting an okay match between Layla and Phoenix on Sunday for the title, nothing spectacular. 

Kane defeated Big Show in a slow paced and largely drab contest. For the finish Kane managed to choke slam Show as Laurinaitis (who'd been observing from ringside) demanded an apology from him during the bout. Afterwards the GM again demanded an apology, Big Show spoke about his time in the company and asked Laurinaitis not to fire him and take away something that he loves for the sake of something petty (that benig Show making fun of Laurinaitis' voice last week).

Big Show then apologised, but that wasn't good enough for Johnny as he demanded Show beg for his job on his knees. An emotional Big Show begged for his job, but didn't get on his knees. Laurinaitis was about to fire him, but Show did as he said and went down on his knees. Unfortunately this wasn't good enough for Laurinaitis, who fired him anyway. It was a surprisingly great segment, with Show showing real emotion that you could genuinely buy into. I'd have to say it was one of the best firings I've ever seen in WWE.  

Brodus Clay, Kofi Kingston and R-Truth defeated The Miz, Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger in a bit of a messy and just slightly too busy six man tag match up. Not only were there three other people outside the ring, but we were also shown AW and his newest clients Epico, Primo and Mason Ryan in a box in the arena. The action was never really given a chance to flow, if it'd been allocated a bit more time then it probably would've been quite entertaining. As it was I just couldn't get into it.   

Chris Jericho won via disqualification versus Randy Orton in a bout that was enjoyable enough, if a little brief. Sheamus attacked Jericho for the DQ after Y2J had thrown Orton into the World Champion, who was doing some guest commentating. A frustrated Orton then confronted 'The Great White' after as they squared off in the ring, only to be separated by officials from the back. Eve tweeted (WWE and Twitter? Couldn't imagine that) that on SmackDown the two will face each other one on one.        

John Laurinaitis called all Cena's fans "loosers," claiming that Cena was a looser himself, just before John Cena himself interrupted him. Cena childishly mocked the GM, also calling him a "looser" after failing in most of his endeavors. It was silly, but a little amusing, even Johnny was trying not to laugh at some points. He went on to claim that Laurinaitis has no concept of reality, that his 'People Power' slogan should be "person power" instead.

After some more exchanged words, Eve made her way out and passed Big Johnny a letter from the WWE Board of Directors which Cena snatched and revealed read that their match will be a one on one match, have no special guest referees, no one at ringside and if anyone interferes then they will be fired. It also revealed that if Laurinaitis looses then he will be "officially terminated." Much to the delight of the fans in attendance. Just before the GM left, he slapped Cena in the face, switching the jokey Cena's expression to a stern one instead. I can just imagine Laurinaitis is going to somehow manage a win on Sunday, should be interesting anyway.    

My TNA Sacrifice 2012 Recap

Christopher Daniels and Kazarian defeated Samoa Joe and Magnus (c) to obtain the TNA Tag Team Championship. It was a good opener to the show and a solid effort from all four men. Although this match wasn't maybe as exciting as I was predicting it was still entertaining from start to finish and worth checking out. I was expecting Joe and Magnus to retain myself, I feel a really long title reign would've been the right step for them but they could very well win the titles back soon and their run was a decent one even if they don't. 

Gail Kim (c) defeated Brooke Tessmacher to retain the TNA Knockouts Championship in a passable contest. Brooke actually looked slightly better here then I was expecting. Kim managed to score the win after pinning Tessmacher with her legs up on the ropes.

Devon (c) defeated Robbie E and Robbie T in an average Triple Threat match to retain the TNA Television title. It was quite a missable match for the most part to be honest, much like most of Devon's Television title reign. the only thing worth noting is that after some arguing during the bout and making up after, it looks as though Robbie T will be turning on Robbie E or vice versa fairly soon. 

Mr. Anderson defeated Jeff Hardy in a fair match up. Both men looked solid enough in the ring, although it wasn't going to live up to Hardy's great matches with Angle recently on pay-per-view it was still decent. This was probably one of the better efforts I've seen from Anderson in TNA too. 

Crimson came to the ring and bragged about defeating Matt Morgan by count out on last weeks Impact, he also once again brought a referee into the ring to count to ten, even though he had issued an open challenge and no one had stepped forward yet. Then Eric Young's music hit and he accepted the match up with the undefeated Crimson, which seemed like a popular choice with the fans.

Crimson defeated Eric Young in a mediocre bout. It had a mix of EY's comedy and his wife ODB getting involved in the match, where she was pushed down in the ring by an irritated Crimson. This of course provoked Young to make a (short lived) comeback, only to then be spinebustered by Crimson for the one-two-three.

Austin Aries defeated Bully Ray in a highly enjoyable encounter. Early on AA took a nuts bump as he was big booted from the top rope onto the railing on the outside, you could certainly see the effects of it on his back afterwards. As the face, a role which I believe Aries has taken on brilliantly, he made his heroic comeback and managed to even Brainbuster Bully for a great near fall after Joseph Parks (who'd been in attendance in the crowd for Sacrifice) distracted Ray. As it then looked as though Bully, who I also give a lot of credit for in this match for his role as the aggressive heel, was about to win with a bomb Aries also managed kick out of the nice near fall. Finally AA forced 'Calfzilla' to tap after applying a .

For me the match exceeded my expectations, and these are both two of my favourite things about the company right now. Giving Aries the win was also a smart move I felt, it's already clear how talented he is in the ring and on the mic, but he's also embraced this new persona better then I was expecting and I hope they keep this momentum of his going. As for Ray, I don't think the loss will damage him too much, a feud with Abyss will follow next I reckon.  

Kurt Angle defeated AJ Styles in a superb wrestling match, would you expect any less from these two? In the best match of the night and quite possibly the best PPV match TNA have put on this year these two men went back and fourth with smooth and crisp action, with effective near falls a plenty. I honestly struggle to find any issue with this bout, just do yourself a favour and check it out. Angle forced AJ to tap to the ankle lock after Daniels and Kaz distracted him at ringside. 

Afterwards Daniels and Kazarian continued the attack on Styles until Angle beat them off and out of the ring. So I guess he's face again.

Bobby Roode (c) defeated Rob Van Dam in a Ladder match to retain the World Heavyweight title. For a main event ladder match I found it a bit underwhelming to be honest, like most RVD bouts in TNA. Don't get me wrong it was decent at parts, with some hard bumps taken on the steel ladders, it just didn't feel like a main event for a World Championship to me personally. Here's hoping at the much hyped Slammiversary we get a better title bout.

My WWE SmackDown, May 11th 2012 Recap

Chris Jericho and Alberto Del Rio versus Sheamus and Randy Orton ended in a no contest after all four men started to brawl in and outside the ring during the bout. Up until that point it had been a so so tag team match, pretty flat for the majority of it to be honest. During the break after Eve announced on Twitter that Orton will face Del Rio and Jericho will face Sheamus on the same show later on.

AJ defeated former friend Kaitlyn in a short and scrappy bout. After a series of scratching and clawing AJ struck Kaitlyn with a shining wizard for the one-two-three. Afterwards her former boyfriend Daniel Bryan informed her how impressed he was at her aggression, stating he had no idea she could be so "ruthless."

He carried on as if he was considering taking her back, but turned the tables and admitted his interest was actually with Kaitlyn. An angry and upset AJ shook in the ring in front of him as he mocked and laughed at her. It was a great moment as she teased an attack on the hurtful Bryan, but instead she walked away. For me it was a tremendous segment, as most with these two. I'm loving the fact that they're slowly building up to AJ's inevitable moment of vengeance on her ex, which should provoke a huge pop when it comes.

Daniel Bryan defeated Big Show via submission after John Laurinaitis had the bell rung, without any sign of Show tapping out. The actual match, although brief, had been pretty good. I would've liked to have seen more to be honest, and I don't say that much for anything involving Big Show.

Laurinaitis forced Show to apologise to him afterwards, also calling him a "freak" like Eve had on Raw. The GM also informed Show that he will have to apologise to him once again on next Monday's Raw, and mean it. Well it's certainly gaining Johnny more heat, so these interactions with Show are working.

Ryback defeated Heath Slater in an average squash match. I think Ryback needs to add a little more to his move set, I'm sure he's capable of some more impressive power offense.

Antonio Cesaro defeated Alex Riley in another nice showing from Cesaro. I give it a year before he's challenging for a World title, if WWE push him like he deserves anyway. Unfortunately the only downside to Cesaro is that we have to endure the untalented Aksana still. I can't believe she's even on a paycheck there. 

Randy Orton won via disqualification versus Alberto Del Rio after Ricardo Rodriguez attempted a cross body on 'The Viper, only to receive an RKO. The bout had been a solid one, as usual with Orton. Afterwards Del Rio applied his trademark armbar on Orton.

R-Truth defeated Jack Swagger in an enjoyable contest. It was a good outing for both wrestlers, and better then the average match they usually have. It's also great to see some much needed attention being given back to the tag team division with Ziggler and Swagger challenging the new champions Kingston and Truth on PPV at Over The Limit. It looks like the company are promoting a few new teams too, with Marella and Ryder, O'Neil and Young and also Hawkings and Rex.

Titus O'Neil and Darren Young defeated Zach Ryder and Santino Marella in a big win for O'Neil and Young, considering they were on NXT not too long ago. Overall it was a decent enough tag team match up, I'm not a huge fan of O'Neil and Young but at least they act and look like a real unit. Afterwards the victors mocked the crowd and called themselves the next WWE Tag Team Champions.

Brodus Clay defeated Hunico in a routine squash match. Before the bout Hunico and accomplice Camacho attacked 'The Funkasaurus', but of course it wasn't enough to keep him down and he made a Cena-like recovery to destroy Hunico. 

Chris Jericho won via DQ versus Sheamus after Del Rio raced in and threw him into the steel steps, he then turned his attention to the World champion and applied the armbar. The actual bout had been a good main event, with both men going back and fourth. Orton then predictably entered the ring and attacked Del Rio. Jericho, Orton and Sheamus then finally each received their own retribution on Del Rio as they all applied their respective finishers on him.  

My Impact Wrestling, May 10th 2012 Recap

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode boasted about taking out Mr. Anderson, Jeff Hardy and RVD on last weeks Impact Wrestling. As Roode was then claiming that no one could stop his "world title domination" Rob Van Dam made his way out and began brawling with the champ. Roode managed to escape the ring, only to have Mr. Anderson block him off and beat him down with RVD. Jeff Hardy also predictably joined in the on the attack for some retribution, only to also begin fighting with his opponent at Sacrifice, Anderson. All four were eventually separated by staff and officials.

Hogan made his way out and booked a Fatal Four Way match between the wrestlers for that night, with the added stipulations that if either Hardy or Anderson win then they get RVD's spot as number one contender on Sunday, and if Roode wins then he gets to choose his opponent between the three, but if Van Dam is victorious then he gets to choose the stipulation for the World title bout. Interesting start to the show.

Brooke Tessmacher defeated Velvet Sky in a passable, if no particularly memorable contest. Let's face it, putting these two together is never going to produce anything incredible is it?

Bully Ray fortunately attacked Matt Morgan before he was about to face Crimson in a match no one wanted to see. He struck him in the head with a steel chair, causing 'The Blueprint' to be stretchered off. Bully was strangely calm and quiet as he warned Aries that this would be him, it was some nice work by Ray who's become one of my favourite things about TNA as of late.

Crimson grabbed a mic after and mocked Morgan, who he stated was never going to defeat him anyway. He went on to request that the referee give Morgan till the count of ten to get back to the ring, of course Morgan didn't make it and Crimson was declared the victor.

Austin Aries (c) defeated Zema Ion to retain the X Division Championship in a superb title match. Aries and Ion went back and fourth with smoothly executed and impressive maneuvers, as you'd expect from them. Both men put in a solid display and gave even more proof as to why the X Division, something WWE don't have an answer or equivalent to, should be pushed far more then it is. The fans were also really into it, showing their appreciation for the efforts of both talents.

My only very slight gripe with it would be that the talented Ion wasn't made to look like he would ever dethrone Aries as champ here. Previously he'd been made to look like the future champion, and has the credentials to do so. If it were up to me I would've had Ion be the one to finally win the X Division title from AA, leaving Aries to be able to move further up the card with his new and deserved push. 

Christopher Daniels, accompanied by Kazarian, gave AJ one last chance to confess publicly the big secret that Daniels has been blackmailing him with. AJ Styles sure enough came to the ring and warned both men that they are about to make a huge mistake by revealing the secret. But nonetheless Kaz and Daniels then presented a series of photos of AJ with TNA President Dixie Carter, including one of them kissing. Oh my!  

Devon (c) defeated Robbie E to retain the TNA Television title in a short and drab match up. Afterwards Robbie's bodyguard Robbie T took out the champion, supposedly setting up another rematch or a bout between himself and Devon. 

We were shown a VT of James Storm at his ranch, talking about his loss to Roode at Lockdown, how if deflated him and his possible exit form pro wrestling due to it. It was as usual a nice promo from Storm and a smart way of keeping him in the fans minds still. I'm hoping he'll return for Slammiversary. 

Joseph Parks, Abyss's brother, came to the ring and explained that his search for his missing brother over the last few months had brought up one common name, Bully Ray. H e went on to say that he might just buy a ticket to Sacrifice to have more words with Ray, but there might not be any need as Bully then made his way out. 'Calfzilla' claimed that Parks had no business being in a wrestling arena and threatened him if he stayed. Joseph retorted by reminding Ray of his recent losses in TNA and his beat down at the hands of Aries last week, asking him "how's that bullying thing working out for you?" This mickey taking obviously didn't please Bully who then pushed Parks over and left the ring.

The logical thing to do here is build up to a match between Bully Ray and Parks (who will be revealed to also being Abyss after Sacrifice I'm guessing) at Slammiversary. Which  would make sense and be a nice, slowly built feud as apposed to most rushed ones you get in WWE and TNA nowadays.     

Rob Van Dam defeated Bobby Roode, Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson in a Fatal Four Way match, thus giving him his match of choice against Roode on Sunday which he already announced as a Ladder match earlier in the show. It was a fair match up, they weren't given as much time as I was expecting but it was entertaining enough and helped build towards the matches at Sacrifice.

Afterwards Abyss then made his surprise return to TNA and warned his younger brother to "back away from the fire before you get burned." So maybe I was wrong? I didn't see the sense in bringing back Abyss this soon, it could've waited until next week.

My WWE Raw, May 7th 2012 Recap

John Laurinaitis explained that his attack on Cena last week was due to him questioning his authority as GM, and when he gets mad then he goes into a "fit of destruction that no one, no one can withstand," thanks for the warning. He also warned Cena that at Over The Limit he will witness first hand his 'skills' in the ring. Big Johnny also lubriciously stated that he became the biggest star in Japanese wrestling history and presented a showreel of photos of his time there. It was actually a pretty decent promo from Laurinaitis I thought, he looked more confident than usual.

WWE Champion CM Punk then joined the GM and stated that the fans, who Laurinaitis claims to understand with his 'People Power' movement, don't want to see Johnny every week. Punk also went on to claim that the real reason Cena was attacked last week was because Laurinaitis put all his chips on Lesnar, only for Cena to then beat him at Extreme Rules. So he took out his frustration on him the next night. The champ also added that the only reason Big Johnny went to Japan was because no territory in the US had any interest in booking him. After berating the GM some more, Punk was then booked in a match with Lord Tensai that night.

Backstage Eve overheard Big Show making fun of Laurinaitis' voice after he'd bumped into the back of him.

Big Show won via count out versus Cody Rhodes (c) in an Intercontinental Championship match. It didn't last very long before Rhodes decided he'd had enough. Afterwards Eve came out and demanded Show apologise for making fun of Laurinaitis, so he did. 

Dolph Ziggler defeated Kofi Kingston in a fair if short contest. Looks like we'll see Swagger and Ziggler getting involved with the Tag Team Champions then, still believe Ziggler should be much higher up the ladder right now.

During Michael Cole's interview with John Cena he stated that although he is medically cleared he still needs the fluid in his arm drained twice a day. Cena also said that despite the doctor's warnings he will compete against Laurinaitis at Over The Limit, he also added that the WWE Board Of Directors had contacted him but he asked them to hold off any reprimanding for the GM until after their match up. Cole finally queried Cena to if he was scared of facing Johnny or not, Cena just smiled and denied this.     

Layla and Kelly Kelly defeated Maxine and Natalya in a short and forgettable tag bout. Beth Phoenix was on commentary where she confirmed that she'll be facing Layla for the Divas title at Over The Limit. Good to hear Beth's injury wasn't too bad.

Chris Jericho and Alberto Del Rio defeated Sheamus and Randy Orton in a tag team match that ranged from average to decent. There were also a few sloppy moments here and there, considering the calibre in the bout I was expecting more to be honest. For the finish Sheamus accidentally Brogue Kicked his partner Orton, allowing Jericho to apply a Codebreaker on the World Champion for the one-two-three.

After the match Orton RKO'd Sheamus in retaliation. Then in Laurinaitis' office all four began to fight until they were separated and Laurinaitis informed Sheamus that it will be a Fatal Four Way for his title at Over The Limit.  

Before his match with Brodus Clay, The Miz ridiculed the 'Funkasaurus' and stated that it's ridiculous he has to face this calibre of competition now. I do agree that it's absurd that Miz isn't doing more then this right now, but like many talents in the company he's being underutilised severely.

Brodus Clay defeated The Miz in an average bout. Despite the solid effort of Miz the match just wasn't anything special, not bad, just nothing memorable.  

Brock Lesnar's music hit as Cole and Lawler were discussing Triple H's condition, but instead Paul Heyman came out as Lesnar's representative. He claimed that since day one the WWE audiences have under appreciated Brock and his abilities. He went on to say that the 'War Machine' felt betrayed that his contract with Laurinaitis was made void.   Heyman finally read a letter from Lesnar himself where he stated that he has quit the WWE. It was a predictably solid promo from Heyman, who was always superb on the mic. 

Before Punk's match with Lord Tensai, Laurinaitis informed him that it he was now in a Handicap match against Tensai and Daniel Bryan.

Lord Tensai and Daniel Bryan defeated CM Punk in a solid enough main event. Punk worked well here and sold Tensai's offense nicely and also made a believable comeback against Bryan later on. Afterwards Bryan applied the Yes Lock to Punk, screaming "Yes!" as he did so, adding to his brilliant heel persona. 

My WWE SmackDown, May 4th 2012 Recap

Sheamus came out and stated how he loved "to fight," wherever and whenever. A frustrated Daniel Bryan then shortly joined the World Champion before their match. 

Sheamus won via disqualification versus Daniel Bryan after Alberto Del Rio and his ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez ran in to attack 'The Great White'. The actual match was very brief but had Bryan logically targeting the same arm he had hurt at Extreme Rules. Del Rio also attacked the arm by applying his signature armbar, Bryan also entered the ring and applied the Yes Lock. Both he and Del Rio then argued after he'd cost 'The American Dragon' the match.  

R-Truth and Kofi Kingston defeated Hunico and Camacho in a fair tag team contest. Truth and Kingston will grow on me I reckon, plus any pairing that helps get attention back to the tag team division is fine with me. Former champions Primo and Epico watched from the stage along with the charismatic Abraham Washington and Rosa Mendes.   

Brodus Clay won via count out versus Jack Swagger, who'd had enough of the tough to beat 'Funkasaurus' and decided to leave. It was a nothing match really, short and forgettable. 

Before his match Damien Sandow claimed that he did not want to face his opponent Derrick Bateman, as he was "simple minded" and it wouldn't teach the fans anything. As he was leaving Batman then reminded us that he'd won a spot on SmackDown by winning NXT (I'd almost forgotten to be honest) and demanded an opponent for the night, and sure enough he got his wish in the form of Ryback.  

Ryback defeated Derrick Bateman in a predictable squash match. Not really much else to add, you've probably seen his routine by now.

Big Show and Randy Orton defeated Cody Rhodes and Kane in a tag team match that was a bit of a mixed bag, decent when Orton was in the ring but quite flat when Show was. I'm hoping that both sets of these feuds are over now, they've gone on as long as they should and haven't really done much for any of them.

Layla defeated Natalya in an enjoyable divas match up, a rarity nowadays. Both women put on a good display.

Backstage AJ once again slapped good friend Kaitlyn after being told to get over her ex Daniel Bryan. I'm not quite sure where they're headed with this crazy turn AJ is taking.

Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan in an entertaining main event. For the majority of the match Bryan was logically attacking Sheamus' injured shoulder that he obviously hadn't fully recovered from. Before the bout the World Heavyweight Champion like a true heroic face refused to turn down the fight. 'The Great White' again like any hero managed a comeback and managed to Brogue Kick (albeit a slightly botched one) Bryan for the one-two-three. During the contest Del Rio (who'd been on commentary, doing a mediocre job on it too) tried to interfere but was quickly scared off by Sheamus.     

My Impact Wrestling, May 3rd 2012 Recap

Ric Flair ordered Hogan out, stating that he was far from pleased about the treatment Eric Bischoff had received last week. Hulk Hogan sure enough came out and told Flair that as General Manager he plans to "step the game up" in Impact Wrestling, it'd be nice to see that some time soon then. He went on to ask 'The Nature Boy' to be a judge on the Gut Check Challenge, after some more exchanged words which included Flair accusing Hogan of not asking him to be a judge but telling him, he agreed to do it.

Brooke Tessmacher and Velvet Sky defeated Gail Kim and Madison Rayne. It was a fairly average tag team bout, not particularly memorable. Tessmacher used Kim's own finisher Eat Defeat on her for the third straight pinfall victory over the Knockouts Champion.

The always confident (or cocky) Rob Van Dam bragged on the mic about his skills and accomplishments in wrestling and added that he's sure he'll defeated Roode for the World title. RVD came across as more of a heel here than a face, he didn't seem remotely humble at all. Bobby Roode sure enough joined him and also bragged, but instead about his title reign and informed Van Dam that he'll be facing Jeff Hardy (they each got to pick each others opponents for the night) while RVD told the champ that he'll be facing Mr. Anderson. 

Devon (c) won via disqualification versus Rob Terry to retain the Television title in a dull match up, did you expect much different? Terry was DQ'd after Robbie E smacked the champion with Terry's board with 'the list' on. 

We were shown backstage footage of the Gut Check judges Flair, Al Snow and Bruce Prichard discussing the potential of young wrestler Alex Silva. I personally quite enjoyed the segment, it was something a bit different and came across quite real.

Rob Van Dam defeated Jeff Hardy in a solid and entertaining, if unfortunately a bit too short (for my liking anyway) contest. For the finish Roode snuck down (how no one spotted him I don't know, but hey, who needs logic in TNA right?) and struck Hardy in the back with his title belt, allowing RVD to kick him in the head and grab the one-two-three.

Bully Ray grabbed Jeremy Borash from backstage and dragged him to the ring, asking him about his part in the Eric Bischoff sendoff last week (where he helped put him into a portable toilet which turned it over). He went on to threaten JB, calling him a "little bitch" and such until Austin Aries interrupted. Aries turned the tables on Ray and reminded him that for years he was the far chubbier 'Blubber Ray'. Bully once again berated AA for his size and spat at him until the X Division champ finally snapped and began beating on him until security pulled him away.  

AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Magnus defeated Kazarian, Christopher Daniels and Kurt Angle in an exhilarating and fast paced tag team match. The action really didn't let up here with a variety of styles from submission to high flying, definitely worth checking out. AJ got the pin on Kazarian for the win after applying a Styles Clash.

After the bout Christopher Daniels gave Styles an ultimatum, either he come out next week and admit the truth about this secret evidence Daniels and Kaz have on him, or they tell everyone anyway. Just end this storyline already, it's already been far too drawn out.

Alex Silva was given the chance to sell himself on the mic in front of the three Gut Check judges after receiving a "No" from Flair and "Yes" from Prichard, why didn't they do this before they'd both voted? Silva gave a drab and cliche-reality show speech about how he'd worked so hard to get where he was and mentioned his deceased father, it didn't go down well with the fans or the judges as Flair asked him to start again. Silva then gave a far better promo where he showed some emotion and confidence, apparently convincing Flair to change his vote to a "Yes," thereby giving Silva a contract with TNA. Alex seemed genuinely emotional after the result, and I believe it.

Bobby Roode defeated Mr. Anderson in a No Disqualification match which was quite average and uninspiring. Hardy ran in during the bout to Anderson's aid but was accidentally Mic Checked by him who mistook him for the World Champion. Roode began striking both men with a steel chair after the bell until RVD also came out and chased him off. But as he was checking on Hardy, Roode raced back to the ring and also beat him down with the chair.