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June 10th
On this day in history in ....
1960 - In St. Joseph, Missouri, Ernie and Emil Dusek defeat George and Sandy Scott to win the Central States version of the NWA World Tag Team Title for the third time.
1960 - Ray Gunkel defeats Fred Blassie to win the Florida version of the NWA Southern Heavyweight Title, ending Blassie's 13th reign and beginning his sixth.
1961 - Luther Lindsay and Bing Ki Lee defeat Bill Savage and Tito Kopa for the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title.
1968 - Polish wrestler and strongman Wladek Zbyszko, born Wladek Cyganiewicz, passes away at age 76.
1970 - Sam Steamboat defeats Ripper Collins in Honolulu, Hawaii for the NWA Hawaii Heavyweight Title, ending Collins' fourth reign and beginning Steamboat's second.
1974 - Jerry Lawler defeats Ricky Gibson to win the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Title in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning his second reign.
1978 - Dutch Savage and Jimmy Snuka win the NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Title for the sixth time, defeating Bull Ramos and The Iron Sheik.
1979 - In Asheville, North Carolina, Ricky Steamboat defeats Paul Jones to win the NWA Television Title, beginning his second reign and ending Jones' third.
1979 - Bruiser Brody defeats Mark Lewin to win his second WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title in Dallas, Texas, ending Lewin's second reign.
1983 - Harley Race defeats Ric Flair in St. Louis, Missouri, to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title, beginning his seventh reign (the first wrestler to ever hold the title seven times) and ending Flair's first. As a result, Race vacated the NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title, held since May 13, and the NWA Central States Heavyweight Title, held since June 2, ending the fifth and eighth respective reigns of those titles.
1984 - Superstar Billy Graham defeats Billy Jack for the Florida State Heavyweight title in Orlando, his second and final run with the belt.
1984 - Angelo Mosca, Jr. defeats Ivan Koloff to win the NWA Canadian Heavyweight Title in Toronto, Ontario.
1988 - All Japan Pro Wrestling runs at Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan, before 11,800 fans. The results were:
- Mitsuo Momota pinned Tsuyoshi Kikuchi.
- Masa Fuchi pinned Tatsumi Kitamura.
- Motoshi Okuma and Haruka Eigen defeated Takagi and Kenta Kobashi.
- Shunji Takano defeated Boone by submission.
- Rusher Kimura and Goro Tsurumi defeated Mighty Inoue and Isamu Teranishi.
- John Tenta defeated Havana the Terror by submission.
- The Great Kabuki defeated Rip Rogers by submission.
- Ashura Hara, Toshiaki Kawada and Samson Fuyuki defeated Tiger Mask (Mitsuharu Misawa), Shinichi Nakano and Takashi Ishikawa.
- Genichiro Tenryu pinned Danny Spivey to retain the NWA United National Heavyweight Title.
- PWF World Tag Team Champions Jumbo Tsuruta and Yoshiaki Yatsu defeated NWA International Tag Team Champions The Road Warriors (Animal and Hawk) by disqualification, to retain the PWF title and win the NWA International title. The titles were unified, and became the AJPW Unified World Tag Team Title.
1988 - Masa Saito and Riki Choshu end the third IWGP World Tag Team Title reign of Tatsumi Fujinami and Kengo Kimura in Hiroshima, Japan.
1988 - Johnny Smith defeats Chris Benoit to win the Stampede British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight Title in Calgary, Alberta, beginning Smith's second reign.
1988 - Atlantis defeats Kung Fu for the NWA World Middleweight Title in Mexico City, Mexico, ending Kung Fu's second reign.
1996 - The Monday Night Wars were in their infantile months at this time, with WWF Monday Night RAW scoring a 2.7 for their show, taped two weeks earlier on May 27. The show featured The British Bulldog defeating The Undertaker by countout in the main event. WCW Monday Nitro's live show fell just short with a 2.6 rating. Nitro's main event saw WCW World Tag Team Champions Sting and Lex Luger defeating Ric Flair and Arn Anderson by disqualification.
1998 - David C. defeats Nick Dinsmore to win the NWA Ohio Valley Heavyweight Title in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
1999 - WCW airs a live edition of Thunder from Syracuse, New York, which picked up a 3.1 rating. The results:
- Konnan and Rey Mysterio, Jr. defeated Psychosis and Villano V.
- Buff Bagwell defeated Ernest Miller by disqualification.
- Randy Savage pinned Brian Adams.
- WCW World Television Champion Rick Steiner pinned Fit Finlay.
- Perry Saturn and Kanyon fought to a no contest.
- Perry Saturn and Chris Benoit defeated Diamond Dallas Page and Kanyon to win the WCW World Tag Team Title.
1999 - In Dallas, Texas, The Brotherhood (Knuckles Nelson and Rick Fuller) defeat Team Extreme (Kit Carson and Khris Germany) by disqualification to win the held up NWA World Tag Team Title. It was held up March 3 when The Brotherhood failed to appear to defend against Team Extreme in North Richland Hills, Texas due to heavy snow. At the same event, Kevin Northcutt defeats Rodney Begnaud to win the vacant NWA Texas Heavyweight Title, which had been stripped from Steven Dunn for no-showing that night. Also, Jimmy James defeats Canyon to win his second NWA Texas Hardcore Title.
1999 - Vic Violent and Rukkus defeat Faku and Mark Davis to win the vacant NWA Wildside Tag Team Title in Loganville, Georgia. The title had been stripped from Billy Black and Joel Deaton on the same night, due to Black's attack on NWA Wildside promoter Bill Behrens.
1999 - Extreme Championship Wrestling ran Charlotte, NC at the Grady Cole Center with the following results:
-Chris Chetti pinned Tony Devito (w/ Bill Wiles) with the springboard moonsault.
-Skull Von Krush pinned Roadkill with a DDT.
-El Mosco pinned Super Crazy with the Sky Twister Splash.
-Buh Buh Ray & D-Von Dudley defeated Little Guido & Tracey Smothers following the 3D.
-Jerry Lynn pinned Yoshihiro Tajiri with the cradle piledriver.
-Steve Corino pinned Tom Marquez with the fisherman's suplex.
-ECW World Champion Taz defeated Spike Dudley via submission with the Tazmission.
-Sabu (w/ Bill Alfonso) pinned Justin Credible (w/ Jason) with the triple jump moonsault.
-ECW TV Champion Rob Van Dam (w/ Bill Alfonso) pinned Balls Mahoney with the Five Star Frog Splash.
2000 - Boomer Payne defeats Super Hentai for the Pittsburgh Wrestling League (now NWA East) Three Rivers Heavyweight Title in North Versailles, Pennsylvania.
2002 - Steve Austin walked out of a Raw taping in Atlanta and did not appear on the show. Without clearing it with anyone in management, he booked a ticket home for himself and wife Debra and left Atlanta after working the Raw house shows the previous weekend. Originally, he was scheduled to face Brock Lesnar on the show. Apparently, no one in WWE management communicated with Austin as to what he was going to do on Raw until Jim Ross called him the day before and told him. Austin then chose to walk out and go home, feeling that him losing to Lesnar with no prior buildup between the two didn't make sense from a business perspective. Due to Austin's leaving, the whole show had to be rewritten since it was to have focused on Austin beating Ric Flair the previous week and having Flair become his assistant. Austin's absence caused major rewrites and a totally new direction on the show. WWE changed things up and booked a Vince McMahon vs. Ric Flair match on the spot where Vince McMahon "won control" of Raw and Smackdown. Vince had no plans on wrestling before arriving at the show to find out that Austin was gone. It also put Flair in the confusing position of being a heel to Austin one week and a face to Vince the next. WWE later released a statement on Austin's leaving, saying "On Monday, June 10, 2002, Stone Cold Steve Austin again failed to appear for the scheduled Raw event in Atlanta, instead choosing to return home to San Antonio without notice and without company approval." The story went on to say that they understand that Austin wasn't happy with his character's direction, but what he did was unprofessional. They finished with this line: "Therefore, Stone Cold Steve Austin is no longer an active member of WWE's talent roster." He would return to the company by the end of the year.
2004 - The Associated Press issued the following article:
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Former professional wrestler Richard "Dirty Dick" Van Slater has been sentenced to a year of house arrest followed by two year's probation for stabbing his former girlfriend.
Van Slater was sentenced Tuesday in Pinellas Circuit Court after pleading no contest to one count of aggravated battery in the December stabbing. Besides the house arrest and probation, Slater was ordered to stay away from the victim and pay restitution, fines, and investigative and court costs of more than $1,800.
Slater, 52, was arrested Dec. 27 after he stabbed Theresa Marie Halbert with an 8-inch butcher knife and "watched her bleed" in her home, according to the arrest report from 2003. Prosecutors charged him with aggravated battery. Slater was a professional wrestler who competed mainly in the Southeast for 20 years, using the names "Dirty Dick" and "Mr. Unpredictable." He retired from wrestling in 1996.
2005 - The first of two nights of the third-annual Jeff Peterson Memorial Cup is held at Brandon All-Stars in Brandon, Florida. The results:
- Ricky Reyes defeated Jay Fury in a first round tournament match.
- Matt Sydal defeated Tony Kozina in a first round match.
- Petey Williams defeated Jerrelle Clark in a first round match.
- SCW Heavyweight Champion Vordell Walker defeated Tony Mamaluke in a first round match.
- Roderick and Sedrick Strong defeated Steve Madison and Erick Stevens.
- Sonjay Dutt defeated Todd Sexton in a first round match.
- Chris Sabin defeated Delirious in a first round match.
- Jimmy Rave defeated Eddie Vegas in a first round match.
- NWA Florida X Division Champion Mikey Batts defeated James Gibson in a first round match.
- A.J. Styles defeated NWA Southern Heavyweight Champion Lex Lovett to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Title. After the match, Lovett announced his retirement.
2005 - TNA negotiations with WGN to pick up Impact end without a deal. The promotion would go on to sign a deal with SpikeTV, which continues through today.
2005 - On the same weekend as WWE held their "ECW One Night Stand" Pay-per-view in New York City, a "Hardcore Homecoming" event, put together by ECW founder Tod Gordon, former ECW World Champion Shane Douglas and TNA's Jeremy Borash, was held in the former ECW Arena in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Interesting to note, Terry Funk turned down a lucrative offer from WWE to work the One Night Stand PPV, instead wanting to wrestle at this event (Funk felt he could not give his best effort in two high profile matches that weekend). Here is Buck Woodward's original live coverage of the event:
We are live in the Viking... er, New Ala .... uh, the sweatbox in South Philadelphia best known as the ECW Arena, with live coverage of tonight's "Hardcore Homecoming" event.
The show unofficially got kicked off with the appearance of John "Hat Guy" Bailey taking his traditional seat in the front row to a big ovation and "Where's Your Hat" chant. When he produced the hat, an "ECW" chant started, followed by a "Hat Guy" chant. There was a "We want Styles" and a "We want Gertner" chant as well.
Ring announcer Bob Artese (complete with hats to throw to the crowd) and timekeeper Rocky Musciano came out to officially begin the show. Bob Artese then said he wanted to thank the man that made everything possible all those years ago, and a "Gordon" chant started up. Artese introduced "the founder of our promotion" and Tod Gordon came out to a big ovation. Gordon stopped to greet all the ringside fans before entering the ring. A huge "ECW" chant broke out. Tod thanked the fans, and put over the talent in the locker room. A huge round of applause, and another ECW chant started. Tod thanked the fans for making it all possible. Another ECW chant rang out. The mic stopped working (wow this is authentic), and a "You f***** up" chant rang out. Gordon then left the ring, and Joey Styles and Cyrus came to the ring.
There was a huge "Joey" chant, which Joey quieted so he could yell out "Oh my God". Another ECW chant. Get the feeling there will be a lot of those tonight? Joey said he was glad to be there, and a "Welcome Back" chant started up. Joey started to continue, but was interrupted by a "Well, well, well" as Joel Gertner came to the ring, to a huge ovation. Joey held the ropes open for Joel, and Gertner did the "floppy dance" to another pop. Joel then delivered one of his classic innuendo laced introductions. Even Cyrus was smiling. After Joel finished, a "F*** you Cyrus" chant started, and Cyrus acted like he was moved by it. Cyrus shook Joel's hand, and said he was going to try and stay in character, but Joel cracked him up. Cyrus said the building was still hot, Joey still takes all his heat, and Joel still does the funniest two minute promo in wrestling. Cyrus then turned heel on Joel and said he was still fat and pathetic. Joel tackled Cyrus, and Styles had to pull them apart. Cyrus rolled out of the ring and stomped off to the back, as Joey raised the arm of Gertner and officially kicked off the show.
Simon Diamond & CW Anderson vs. Mikey Whipwreck & Chris Chetti.
Mikey started off the match with Simon, hitting a shoulderblock, then trading armdrags. Mikey hit a series of rights in the corner, then shoved off Simon's monkey flip attempt. Mikey hit a second rope bodypress, then tried for a Whippersnapper, but Simon shrugged it off. Anderson tagged in, and said he wanted Chetti. Chetti tagged in, and soon he and Mikey were playing ping pong with Anderson's head, punching him back and forth. Anderson mounted a comeback, and went for a spinebuster, but Chetti blocked it and hit an ax kick for two. Simon clotheslined Chetti from the apron to give his team the advantage, and tagged in. Diamond and Anderson worked over Chetti for a while, hitting a double facedriver for two when Mikey broke up the pin. Chetti battled back against Anderson, and dodged a charging CW, who slammed into the buckles. Chetti made the hot tag to Mikey as Simon tagged in as well. Mikey cleaned house, dropkicking Simon and giving Anderson a FrankenMikey. Mikey and Chetti took their opponents in opposite corners and pounded them. Simon and Chetti were whipped together (with Chetti then falling into Simon's groin) in the melee, and Anderson superkicked Mikey for a two count. Anderson set up for a superplex, Mikey reversed it into a DDT, but Anderson blocked that and hit a spinebuster. Chetti grabbed Anderson and hit the Amityville Horror. Simon grabbed Chetti and gave him the Simon Series. Mikey then grabbed Simon and hit the Whippersnapper for the pin at the seven minute mark.
Winners: Mikey Whipwreck & Chris Chetti.
After Mikey & Chetti left, the fans gave Diamond & Anderson a round of applause and an ECW chant.
Tracey Smothers vs. The Blue Meanie.
Tracey Smothers was accompanied to the ring by original FBI member J.T. Smith. J.T. took the mic and said "When you think we're out, you pull us back in". J.T. began to sing "Fly Me To The Moon" but was interrupted by The Blue Meanie and the BWO theme. Meanie did his old dance routine, to a pop. A "BWO" chant broke out. Then we had a "Where's My Pizza?" and "Meanie Ate It" chants. Meanie grabbed a headlock to start, then hit a shoulderblock and began doing some Hulk Hogan style posing. Smothers grabbed a waistlock, but Meanie butt-butted his way out of it. Meanie slammed Smothers twice, and when Smothers stumbled into referee John Finnegan, Finnegan slammed him! Meanie, then Finnegan, took turns covering Smothers for two counts, as Smith protested from the floor. Tracey regrouped on the outside, then reentered the ring. Smothers got on the mic and said "If I hear another BWO chant, everyone dies." So, there was another BWO chant. Smothers then complained about Meanie cheating, and double teaming him with the referee. Smothers said he wanted to settle things right now ... with a dance off. Smothers danced first, to "Stayin' Alive". Meanie then did his classic dance, to the BWO theme. Both got ovations for their performances. Tracey ambushed Meanie as he was finishing his performance, and the match was back on.
Smothers beat down Meanie in the corner, then distracted the referee so J.T. could get some shots in. Meanie came back, hitting a bulldog and a bodyslam. Meanie then delivered the People's legdrop, and an avalanche in the corner. J.T. got on the apron, and Meanie knocked him off. Meanie then hit another avalanche, and went to the top rope. J.T. hit him with brass knucks before he could do the Meaniesault, and Smothers got the pin at the eight minute mark.
Winner: Tracey Smothers.
After the FBI had left, Meanie was given a round of applause and a "Meanie" chant.
Bob Artese then talked about how over the years, we've lost some of the people who used to entertain fans in this building. Images of Louie Spicolli, Road Warrior Hawk, Rocco Rock, Big Dick Dudley, Pitbull #2, Eddie Gilbert and Chris Candido were shown, with each getting an ovation from the crowd.
"Here Comes The Hotstepper" began playing, and Johnny Grunge and Pitbull Gary Wolfe came to the ring, as the fans swung their arms like it was an old Public Enemy entrance. "Back In Black" then started playing, and Tammy Sytch came out to a huge ovation. A "Candido" chant rang out. Bob Artese then introduced all three people to the crowd. A "Rocco Rock" chant then broke out. Grunge thanked the fans for letting them make a dream come true. An "ECW" chant rang out. Grunge put over the tag team legacy of the Public Enemy and the Pitbulls, then gave the mic to Candido. Tammy got a "Show your t***" chant. Tammy joked that enough of them were being shown off in the dress she was wearing. Tammy said that everyone who was watching "on the monitor in the sky" had the best times of their lives in this building.
Roadkill and Danny Doring then came out, to a big ovation. A "You f***** sheep" chant started.
Doring got on the mic, and started arguing with Hat Guy. Doring said he was trying to pay homage. He said he didn't want to downplay the accomplishments of anyone who had just been shown on the screen. However, he wondered how they could pay homage to any teams without mentioning the greatest tag team of all time. Wolfe cut him off, saying Doring and Roadkill weren't worth "the sweat on his balls". Roadkill and Doring attacked Wolfe and Grunge, beating them down in the ring. Roadkill brought a table into the ring, while Tammy ran off to the back, then returned .... with 911. 911 chokeslammed Doring, then Roadkill. Grunge and Wolfe set up the table in the ring. Roadkill was put on the table, and Grunge gave him a top rope elbow drop, putting Roadkill through it. Hotstepper started back up, and as the fans danced, 911 gave Roadkill another chokeslam into the remnants of the table. 911 went to lift Tammy on his shoulder, and slipped, starting a "You f***ed up" chant. All four then took a knee in the ring, and paid tribute to those up above, before exiting the ring. Sytch did the Candido strut and held up the Triple Threat sign before leaving.
Kid Kash vs. 2 Cold Scorpio.
Kash came out and complained about being called in as a substitute for this show (he is subbing for Chris Candido). Some fans chanted "You sold out" and Kash ripped on them. Kash said he did all the work to get himself over in Philadelphia, and all he got for it was "not being paid, and a bad back". The fans chanted for him to shut up. Kash continued to heel the crowd, and said it was time to see "the old hardcore vs. the new hardcore". 2 Cold Scorpio then came out, carrying his Noah GHC Tag Team Title belt. Scorpio got on the mic and said it was good to be back, getting a "Welcome Back" chant from the crowd.
Scorpio tried to shake hands to start, but Kash gave him a middle finger in response. They shoved each other, then traded punches and forearms. Stalemating, they broke off the exchange. They ran the ropes, each dodging the other one's moves, and stalemated again. They traded holds, with Scorpio starting to work on the arm of Kash. Kash broke free of an armbar and dropped an elbow for a two count. Scorpio kicked Kash in the gut, then applied a rear chinlock. Scorpio chopped Kash against the ropes, then hit a dropkick and followed it with a superkick. Scorpio sent Kash to the floor, then went for a pescado, but Kash moved out of the way. With Scorpio on the floor, Kash dove into the ring, then hit a slingshot rana onto Scorpio on the floor. Kash kicked Scorpio on the outside, sending him into the guardrail. Kash chopped Scorpio against the rail, and raked his back with his nails. Scorpio battled back with chops and punches, and they fought up the rampway. Kash tossed Scorpio off the ramp and into the chairs. Kash then dove off the rampway into a somersault senton in the crowd, hitting Scorpio.
Kash went back to the ring, and Scorpio eventually made his way back as well. Kash hit a baseball slide as he made his way back to the ring, then tried to use Scorpio's title belt, but Scorpio avoided it, and hit a series of rights on Kash. Scorpio and Kash battled on the floor, but back in the ring it was all Scorpio, hitting a second rope somersault legdrop and a Tumbleweed off the top for a two count. Scorpio missed a bodypress attempt, and Kash hit a moonsault on a standing Scorpio for a two count. Kash hit a walking the ropes rana for another two. Scorpio hit a superkick, followed by a buzzsaw kick, for a two count. The crowd was popping for the near falls. Scorpio then hit a powerbomb and the 450 splash for the pin at the seventeen minute mark.
Winner: 2 Cold Scorpio.
After Scorpio left, the fans gave Kid Kash a big ovation.
John Kronus came to the ring, and Bob Artese talked about how The Eliminators were supposed to have an "open challenge" reunion tonight, but Perry Saturn had broken his neck. Artese said that Kronus had agreed to stand behind the open challenge anyway. Out came Axl Rotten, followed by Ian Rotten, the Bad Breed.
Axl took the mic and asked the crowd if it had been too long since they had seen "the violence". Axl talked about his feud with Ian, and said they were going to "beat the s***" out of someone Bad Breed-style. They attacked Kronus, with Ian dropkicking a chair into Kronus' face in a corner. Kronus was soon busted open, and the Bad Breed gave him Conchairto.
"Natural Born Killaz" then blared, and New Jack hit the ring to a huge pop. Jack, armed with a chain and garden shovel, attacked the Bad Breed, and the bloody brawl was on. Ian and Axl were soon bleeding, with Kronus choking Axl with the chain, and New Jack producing a fork and stabbing Ian in the head with it. On the floor, Axl hit Kronus with a chairshot, while Ian got control of the fork and went to work on New Jack with it. Kronus whipped Axl into a table on the floor. Jack hit Ian with a sign, and piece of it flew into the crowd, which someone caught as a souvenir. Axl and Kronus fought up to the top of the ramp, then Axl hiptossed him back down it. Jack pointed to various ledges in the building that he had jumped off of. Almost on cue, security wheeled a scaffolding to ringside. Axl blasted Kronus, who was a bloody mess, with a chairshot on the floor. Kronus poked Axl in the eyes, and they got back into the ring, where Kronus hit a chairshot. Jack and Ian battled on the floor now, and were soon joined by Axl and Kronus.
An ECW chant broke out, and New Jack started to climb the scaffold. In the ring, Kronus set up a table, and kept Axl Rotten on the floor. Kronus put Ian on the table, and kicked Axl out of the ring again. Jack dove off the scaffold and put Ian through the table. It just dawned on me that we don't have a referee in the ring, so I guess this isn't "officially" a match. Ian was tossed out of the ring, as was Axl, and New Jack and Kronus celebrated, holding up the old Gangsta "X".
The music stopped, and New Jack took the mic. Jack put over the Bad Breed, to a lot of applause. Jack thanked the fans for remaining loyal to all of them over the years. New Jack said there were three letters that mean more in the alphabet than any other, and the fans knew what they were. The fans chanted "ECW". New Jack then mentioned the "Invasion" show on Sunday night, and a "F*** You Vince" chant started up. New Jack then commented, in his own unique way, that no one from Atlanta or Connecticut was truly ECW. New Jack put over the ECW locker room, and said that ten years ago to this month, he came into the ECW Arena and turned it upside down. New Jack said if he dies tonight, he can die proud, because he came back home tonight. New Jack again thanked the fans, and said there was still another half of the show yet to come. Jack said the show was like sex with a "fine ass bitch" and promised everyone would go home satisfied. New Jack then talked about having the, ahem, females in the crowd come back to the Hilton tonight for a party. Of course, New Jack used a lot more profanity and colorful language to get his point across.
Ring Announcer Stephen DeAngelis came out to begin the second half of the show.
Justin Credible, with Jason, vs. Jerry Lynn.
DeAngelis introduced Lynn, back from an extended absence, as "The New F***ing Show". Credible stalled at the start, jawing with the fans. The fans began clapping for action, and Credible bailed to the floor. They finally locked up, and Lynn hit a shoulderblock, sending Credible to the floor. Lynn and Credible traded armbars, and Lynn armdragged Credible to the mat. Credible shoved referee Pee Wee Moore, and Moore shoved him back. Credible went to punching Lynn, then chopped him in the corner. Lynn fired back with punches of his own, and took Credible down with a headscissors and an armdrag. Lynn went to work on the arm, but Credible fired back with punches. Lynn hit a bulldog, slid under Credible, and tripped him, setting up for a guillotine legdrop on the apron. Credible and Lynn battled on the floor, and Lynn hit a running senton off the apron, off a table, into the third row, hitting Credible. An ECW chant rang out.
Lynn tossed Credible back over the rail and into the ring. Jason tossed Credible a chair, but Lynn DDT'd him into it. Credible was busted open, and Lynn worked Credible over, using his blood as war paint. Jason tried to toss in another chair, but Lynn intercepted it. Credible kicked the chair into Lynn, however, to take the advantage. Credible stomped Lynn down in a corner, and with Jason holding a chair in front of his face, Credible hit a running knee. Credible gave Lynn a powerbomb out of a corner into the chair for a two count. Credible applied a rear chinlock, but Lynn came back with a sunset flip out of the corner for two. Credible hit a spinning side slam, then flung Jerry to the floor. Jason worked over Lynn on the floor, while Credible distracted the referee. Credible pulled Lynn into the ring for a two count, then went back to the chinlock. Credible hit a powerslam, and the fans chanted "F*** You Aldo". Credible went for a baseball slide in the corner, but Lynn moved and Credible crotched himself on the ringpost.
Lynn hit a short arm clothesline, followed by a traditional clothesline. Credible tried to block a backdrop into a piledriver, but Lynn turned it into a Kryptonite Krunch for a two count. Jason hit Lynn with a chair as he bounced off the ropes, and Credible grabbed him and hit That's Incredible (spinning tombstone) for a two count. A "Let's Go Jerry" chant broke out. Justin went for the piledriver again, but Lynn blocked it and hit a cradle piledriver. Credible barely got his shoulder up at two, and the crowd applauded. An ECW chant broke out. Lynn went to the top rope, but Jason shoved him off and into the ring. Credible went to the top rope, but Lynn fell into the ropes and crotched him. Jason got on the apron, but Lynn gave him a springboard dropkick to knock him down. Lynn then gave Credible a top rope rana through the announcers table on the floor. An ECW chant broke out, followed by a "Holy S***" chant.
Lynn rolled Credible into the ring and covered him, but Jason pulled the referee out of the ring and knocked him out. Lynn went after Jason, but this allowed Credible to attack Lynn. Jason and Credible set up Lynn for a spike piledriver, but Jazz ran in from the crowd and knocked Jason off the ropes, into Credible. Jason and Jazz went at it, with Jazz hitting a neckbreaker on Jason, then doing the old Rick Rude hip swivel. Jason went to the floor, where Jazz followed. Jason grabbed Jazz and kissed her, and Jazz responded by kicking him in the nads. In the ring, Lynn grabbed Credible for a tombstone, but Credible reversed it, only to have Lynn reverse it again and hit a cradle tombstone for the pin at the 23 minute mark.
Winner: Jerry Lynn.
A "New F'N Show" chant rang out, followed by a "Welcome Back" chant. Lynn got on the mic and said he would "toot his own horn for a minute". Lynn said his birthday was this Sunday, and that he "wasn't bad for a forty two year old". Lynn left to a big ovation.
As Justin Credible got up in the ring, he was given a big ovation and an ECW chant.
Sandman vs. Raven.
Raven came to the ring accompanied by his Flock, consisting of The Blue Meanie and The Musketeer. The Sandman then made his famous entrance, the the delight of the crowd, he also dragged out a ladder, which he left at ringside. After the introductions, Raven took the mic, and said he got twice the pop The Sandman did, because he is a "much bigger star". Raven said Sandman's pop was just below that of Jason. A "F*** him up, Sandman" chant started up. Raven said it was an embarrassment for a star of his magnitude to be here, since he had action figures made in WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. Raven then ripped on the fans and the building, pointing out that they were even too stupid to know they were being insulted. Raven said Sandman wasn't worth his time, and said Sandman couldn't even get through the Musketeer. Musketeer drew his sword, and we had a dual, with Sandman caning both him and Meanie. Raven hit Sandman with the mic, and the match was on.
Raven caned Sandman repeatedly with the cane, and when it had no affect, he hit him in the groin with it. The fans chanted "Johnny Polo" at Raven. Raven hit a series of rights, but Sandman came back with a series of European Savate Kicks. They battled to the floor, and Sandman put on the Musketeer's hat as he pounded Raven around the ringside area. Sandman tried to suplex Raven into the ladder that was lying on the floor, but Raven reversed it and sent Sandman into the ladder. Raven whipped Sandman into the ladder after putting it up against the guardrail, then tossed it into the ring. Raven whipped Sandman upside down into the rails. They made their way back into the ring, where Meanie had tossed in a table. Sandman teeter-tootered the ladder into Raven's face. Raven was busted open, and Sandman set up a table in a corner. Meanie tossed a handful of powder into Sandman's face, and Raven hit a DDT.
Raven went to bulldog Sandman into the table in the corner, but Sandman threw Raven off into the table. The Flock tried to run in again, but Sandman caned them away. Sandman then put the ladder on top of Raven and gave him a top rope somersault senton. Sandman set up another table, ducked a cane shot from Raven, and gave him a Russian legsweep. Sandman put Raven on top of the table, and gave him a top rope senton through it. Sandman covered, but Meanie pulled the referee from the ring. Meanie attacked Sandman and gave him a neckbreaker, then a Meaniesault. Meanie gave him a second, and Raven called for a third. Meanie's pants fell down on the second and third ones, but he still hit the move. Raven covered, but Sandman kicked out at two. Raven set up a chair and went for a drop toe hold, but Sandman stopped him and threw the chair at him. Sandman hit Meanie with the chair as well, then put the ladder on his head and spun around, hitting Raven and Meanie. Sandman then threw the ladder at the Musketeer.
DONN E. ALLEN then hit the ring, laid out the Sandman, and pulled off his shirt to reveal a shirt that said "49 F'N 8" (a play off his ranking in the PWI 500). Mikey Whipwreck ran down, and knocked Donn E. out of the ring. Sandman moved like he was going to attack him, but Mikey pulled out a couple of beers. They toasted, then Mikey kicked Sandman and gave him a Whippersnapper. Raven covered Sandman and got the pin.
Winner: Raven.
Raven, a now bloody Meanie, and the Musketeer walked off, and the Sandman was given an ovation as he got up.
Terry Funk vs. Sabu vs. Shane Douglas is next. Terry Funk came to the ring, to a huge ovation and chants. Funk took the mic, and asked if the fans would indulge him for 20 minutes. Funk said they wanted to get "wired" tonight. With that, a ring crew came out .... with barbed wire.
The main event will now be a no-ropes barbed wire match.
Or so it seemed. After the ropes were taken down, the crew was ordered to bring the barbed wire back into the locker room. There appears to be a lot of debate going on in the locker room over the situation. The fans have chanted "We Want Wire" but now music is playing, and there seems to be a lot of confusion.
After about two minutes, the crew came back out and started stringing up the barbed wire again! I guess the match is on!
Terry Funk vs. Sabu vs. Shane Douglas - No Ropes Barbed Wire Match
Shane Douglas came out first, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, his arms heavily taped. He pointed to the curtain, and out came the Queen of Extreme, Francine. The two were very careful to avoid the barbs as they entered the ring. Shane took the mic and said "Cut the F****** Music". A "Thank You Shane" chant broke out. Shane thanked the fans, and a "ECW" chant broke out. Shane said the man that owns that company now can "Kiss our hardcore asses". Shane said they had "brought hardcore back to life". Shane said that in every family, there are squabbles, and he and Francine were no different. Shane said that tonight was the night for them to put their differences aside and do things right. Shane said that the last time he wrestled in this building, it was against Terry Funk, and he made a promise that the next time he faced the Funker, he would cripple him and retire him permanently.
Sabu then made his entrance, accompanied by whistle-blowing Bill Alfonso. Sabu was given a "Welcome Back" chant from the fans, and was wearing his usual wrestling gear.
Terry Funk, accompanied by Tammy Sytch, then made his entrance. Funk is wearing his wrestling tights and a T-shirt, and has also taped up his arms. After Funk got into the ring, streamers were thrown in from the crowd, and an "ECW" chant rang out. Sytch then returned to the back.
The ring introductions were made, and a "Terry" chant broke out. The match is on!
All three men circled the ring, and they had a three way lockup. They did a two-way headlock spot, with Shane grabbing Funk, and Sabu grabbing Shane, then running behind Funk and pushing Shane into the barbed wire. Sabu whipped Funk into the barbed wire, then did the same to Shane. Sabu called for a chair, then hit a leg lariat off the chair into Funk, who was against the wire. Sabu covered Funk for a two count, then applied a short-arm scissors. Douglas broke it up, then Funk and Sabu double teamed Douglas. They whipped him into the wire, but Shane slid out of the ring. Funk and Shane started fighting on the floor. Sabu dove off a chair in the ring and hit a plancha on both men on the floor. Sabu and Shane went back into the ring, but Terry pulled Sabu back out and threw him into a table. Shane and Sabu then worked over Terry on the floor, rubbing his head against the bottom strand of wire. Shane then grabbed Sabu and raked his face against the wire.
Sabu and Funk were both bleeding from the forehead now. Shane whipped Sabu chest first into the wire. Funk hit a series of rights on Shane, but stumbled backwards into the wire. Sabu rubbed Shane's face into the wire, then put Terry in a camel clutch briefly. Sabu went for a chair launch on Shane, but Funk pulled the chair away and Sabu went into the wire. A "Sabu" chant rang out. Funk gave Sabu a neckbreaker. Sabu's pants were torn up from the wire. Shane twisted Funk between two strands of wire, but Sabu pulled Shane off and put him in a sleeper. Shane reversed into his own sleeper, then Funk got behind Shane and applied a sleeper. The fans applauded the spot. Funk covered Shane for a two count, then rolled off and covered Sabu for a two count.
Shane then covered Sabu and Funk, but they both kicked out, tossing Shane into the bottom strand of wire. Shane rolled to the floor, and Sabu taped up his leg. Funk gave Sabu a stunner. They went to the floor, and Funk gave Sabu a piledriver on the concrete. Funk tossed Sabu into the crowd, and Funk followed him. Sabu threw a chair at Funk, then hit Shane, who was at ringside, with one as well. Back in the ring, Shane dropped Sabu gut first across the top strand of wire. Terry Funk tossed several chairs into the ring. Funk got back in and threw a chair into Sabu's head. Funk hit Sabu with another chair shot, sending him into the wire, then whipped him across the ring into the opposite strands. Shane attacked Funk, then ripped at the face of Sabu. Funk got his arm entangled in the wire, and it had to be cut free. Bill Alfonso got on the apron and pulled Douglas into the wire, prompting Francine to attack him. The two had a catfight on the floor, with Fonzie yanking up her dress. Security broke them apart.
Funk gave Sabu a hangman in the barbed wire, twisting it around the neck of Sabu. Shane hit Funk with a chair, then hit the referee as well. Sabu was cut free of the wire on the floor, which was tangled in his hair and tights. We got a new referee, as Douglas tried to pin Sabu and Funk. Funk hit the chicken punches on Shane, then threw a chair into his back. Most of the locker room came out on the entranceway to watch the match.
Funk rubbed Sabu's face in the barbed wire, as Shane knocked out referee #2. Shane took a chair and laid out both opponents, then drove the chair into the back of Funk's neck. Shane went back and forth, hitting both men with chairshots. Douglas gave Funk a rolling reverse necksnap. Douglas called for a ladder, then dropped Sabu chest first across the barbed wire. Shane was given a ladder, and set it up in a corner. The ladder was very wobbly. As Shane climbed up it, the lights went out.
When the lights came back on, Cactus Jack was in the ring. The place went ballistic.
Cactus pulled Shane off the ladder, then gave him Mr. Socko, which the fans actually booed. Cactus then gave him a double arm DDT, which was cheered. Cactus, then wrapped Mr. Socko in barbed wire, and gave it to Shane, which got a big pop. Funk put Shane in the Kiwi Roll, and rolled him around the ring. Shane managed to reverse it, but Sabu hit him with a chair, and Funk got him back down. Cactus (who had a ref's shirt over his Cactus Jack shirt) counted the pin.
Shane Douglas is eliminated. Douglas received an ovation as he left the ring.
Funk and Sabu tried reversals in a sunset flip, then Funk catapulted Sabu into the wire. Funk set up a ladder in the ring, and a table. Sabu was placed on the table, and Funk climbed the ladder. The ladder collapsed under Funk's weight, and he fell through the table at the front. The table collapsed, and Sabu fell to the mat as well. They were both down in a heap of broken table and crushed ladder. Sabu got up first, set up a chair and gave Funk an Arabian Facebuster off the chair. Foley counted the pin.
Terry Funk is eliminated.
Winner: Sabu.
The locker room came out and circled the ring, as Sabu, Alfonso and Cactus helped Funk to his feet. A "Terry" chant broke out, followed by a "Sabu" chant, then a "Foley" chant. A "Thank You Shane" chant then started (with Shane not even out). Funk was then applauded as he left, and a "Please come back" chant started. Shane Douglas came back out, took a bow, then returned to the back. Funk and the rest of the crew walked out, as a final "ECW" chant rang out.
Mike Johnson explains the backstory behind the barbed wire match, which was touch and go for most of the day. ... At one point after Terry Funk announced the match to the live crowd, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission ordered the wire returned to the locker room. They were able to come to an agreement to have the match, which saved the show on so many levels it's impossible to write in one article. Had they been unable to salvage the barbed wire aspect after announcing it, the show would have been ruined despite anything Sabu, Terry Funk, and Shane Douglas could have conjured up. There was a lot of irony behind the match taking place as well, as Hardcore Homecoming used CZW's promoter Maven Bentley for the license for the show and the last barbed wire bout in Philadelphia was April 2003 at a CZW event. There's no word on what led the Commission to giving the go ahead on the bout, but my feeling is that they loosened up on the rules due to the percentage of the gate they were receiving since the ticket prices were so high. The Commission's Frank Talent actually told several fans after the New Jack match, "You got your blood and later you'll get your barbed wire." The barbed wire match itself was a Terry Funk idea.
2006 - TNA debuted in Wayne, New Jersey. Mike Johnson filed the following live report:
Petey Williams pinned Shark Boy with the Canadian Destroyer.
In a great match with tons of false finishes, Jerry Lynn pinned Homicide with a cradle piledriver. While on the floor, Lynn hit a running dive into the crowd on Homicide.
In a segment taped for Spike TV, Simon Diamond introduced his new talk segment, "Simon Says". He introduces Jeff Jarrett. Jarrrett said he had an open challenge for tonight saying he'd fight two men or five women or a dozen kids. No one came out. Diamond called Jeremy Borash into the ring to declare Jarrett the King of the Mountain, but Borash instead introduced Jay Lethal as Jarrett's challenger.
Jeff Jarrett pinned Jay Lethal in a good match with the Stroke. Lethal challenged Jarrett to put up his King of the Mountain nickname before the match. Jarrett insulted Lethal's family before the match, which led to a later spot where Lethal's mom grabbed the guitar and chased Diamond.
James Gang defeated Team 3D. Team 3D came out to Highway to Hell, which was their theme in ECW in 1995 and 1996. They did a ton of fun stuff in this match playing off the crowd, which is mostly families. Kip pinned Devon after a chairshot when BG attacked Bubba as they were preparing to hit the 3D. James Gang set up a table in the ring after the pin but 3D made a comeback and his the Deadly Death Drop through a table on Kip.
Traci Brooks pinned Gail Kim. In a TNA Knockouts match. Shark Boy was the special referee. There were fans doing the Bentley Bounce when Brooks came out.
AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels defeated NWA Tag Team champions America's Most Wanted in a non-title match in a double pin situation with the ref ruling Styles and Daniels won. A good match, but not at the level of their last PPV bout. Gail Kim tried to interfere. They two traded mic work afterwards to build their Slammiversary PPV bout.
In the main event, Samoa Joe, Rhino and Abyss brawled through the crowd, including Samoa Joe skateboarding a chair dropkick to Abyss' face while he was against the guard rail. Joe got the biggest pop of the night. Joe was whipped face first into a chair wedged in a corner. Abyss chokeslammed Rhino through two chairs. Abyss went outside to grab tacks but was gored through a table. He went to gore Rhino but was stopped with a kick to the face and choked out.
2007 - Former WWF Intercontinental and Tag Team champion Tito Santana was inducted into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame in Texas. "This means a lot to me.I'm very proud to be a Hispanic and come from being a migrant worker and growing up with nothing, really. I'm very grateful to have gone as far as I have," Santana, who grew up in the area, commented.
2008 - Taryn Terrell debuted on WWE TV as Tiffany, an assistant to Teddy Long.
2008 - Variety reported that former WWF champion Steve Austin has signed a deal with Original Media, the company behind reality series "L.A. Ink" and "Miami Ink" to develop a reality series that would be based around Austin. Original Media will partner with management/production company Caliber Media to create the series and also develop additional projects for Austin. According to the report, WWE would not be involved in the project, nor would Austin be using the "Stone Cold" moniker in the project. The project never saw fruition, although Austin would go on to host the revived WWE Tough Enough.
2008 - Hulk Hogan went on Larry King Live to defend himself and his family after tapes of phone conversations Hogan had with his then-incarcerated son Nick painted the family in a terrible, uncaring light. While on the show, Hogan commented, "Well, my gosh, if you rewind back to the original sentence from the judge, the judge sentenced Nick to eight months minimum security. And from the moment he was sentenced, he walked out of jail. And we were all thinking he would be in minimum security for eight months.
They took him straight to the mental part -- the mental ward of the hospital and put him in a very small padded cell. And from that padded cell, we worked all through that weekend -- because it was on a Friday, waited until the next week and we thought were having him moved to a better spot, but they moved him to a maximum security area, where most of the prisoners were altogether in cell with pods, and 10 or 15 prisoners per pod that they had the use of a phone and they could see a TV.
But Nick was moved to maximum security, but at the end of the hallway in a solitary confinement, so -- which is usually used for punishing hardened criminals.
Well, you know, the tape that you just heard was my son, who was -- at the time of the accident, he had just turned 17. When he was sentenced, he was still a 17-year-old child, a juvenile, however you would like to, you know, classify him.
For him to walk out of the courtroom on a Friday thinking he was going to probably be following the guidelines of the judge's sentence, minimum security for eight months -- for him to be walked into the mental ward of the jail and be locked in a padded cell, it caught all of us off guard. We had no idea that, you know, there was not adequate housing for a juvenile in an adult prison.
So when he first went in there, it was on a Friday and there was -- we panicked because this is -- wasn't what he was sentenced to. So we fought through this weekend and being locked up with no door or a window or no human contact, you know, for a 17-year-old, was tough when you didn't expect that.
So as we -- I mean I've sat in the same chair -- you know, from the day he was sentenced, he would call me if he had an opportunity to get to a phone. And they'd let him call early in the morning, like 5:30 or 6:00. I would sit in that chair from the moment I got the call until 11:00, 12:00 at night making phone calls. And I've been there ever since, until he got moved to where he's at now.
But it just -- it just never ended, because after that move, he went to the maximum security solitary confinement, where even the hardened criminals...
Well, at the end of the day, if you were in my situation, a desperate father with this tragic accident that happened with John, who we love to death, especially when I knew Nick couldn't be moved, when the sheriff and the judge and the prosecuting attorney said yes, we should move him, when the legal team shut us down. We were desperate. It was like the whole world crashing around my son.
Solitary confinement; most hardened criminal unravel after two or three days. Nick survived in there 28, 29 days. During that period of time, as I'm sitting there, 28, 29 days with hardly any sleep, I did everything I could, from laugh to cry with my son, to try to tell jokes, to try to be serious, to try to keep him present and aware and walking in the spirit of god and say, be grateful if we get a break. Be grateful if somebody hits us with another slam-dunk where emotions do -- be grateful that we know what is in front of us.
As I was going through these motions, I was trying to help give Nick some type of relief, because he is consumed with the unknown, solitary confinement, where nobody ever agreed this would be the punishment to unravel this kid mentally. As I was just digging to try to find a way for my son to get through another day or another hour, you know, I was trying to explain to him that it is in god's hand or god's will or it is what people have said for thousands of years.
Did I say things wrong? Yes.
Yes, sir. I said it incorrectly because my son, every could tell, every time I called or every time he would call me, that as the days went by and we couldn't get him out, especially when the sheriff, the prosecuting attorney, everybody said we want to move him and then there was no movement. We were desperate. I didn't, even though they were trying to protect him physically because he's a juvenile in an adult prison, his mental state was unraveling. And I just had no way to help him. I was desperate. And I never meant to hurt John or the Graziano family."
2009 - PWInsider.com broke the following story: "Ring of Honor's current PPV run will end as of this Friday's Take No Prisoners PPV, sources have confirmed. I am told that ROH opted not to renew their deal with PPV producer G-Funk Entertainment several months back and the contractual agreement between the two sides ends with this PPV.
One source stated the company was "suspending" PPVs, with the wording given in a way that could mean that down the line, they will return to PPV in some fashion. With HDNet involved in ROH's weekly series, one could surmise they could conceivably handle production for PPV down the line.
In speaking to several ROH talents, the news wasn't much of a shock as nothing had been taped or announced for PPV of late and ROH needed to hand a final product in to InDemand for the PPV provider to give final approval a month before airing. The feeling among the wrestlers I spoke to was that the weekly TV show was far more important in the long-term scheme of things.
ROH debuted on PPV in July 2007 with "Respect is Earned", the first in a series of bi-monthly PPVs. The final PPV, Take No Prisoners (which will air this coming Friday) was taped last April during Wrestlemania XXV weekend.
In related news, the final PPV will not be airing on DirecTV. ROH had a per-PPV deal with DirecTV and with this being the final PPV, DirecTV opted not to go forward with airing it via that provider. As you can guess, the planned Video on Demand ROH service on DirecTV is also kaput. "
2009 - LAX's Shawn Hernandez was cleared to return to the ring by doctors from a neck injury, far sooner than originally expected.
2009 - Mick Foley announced he was working on a fourth memoir, "Countdown to Lockdown."
2010 - TNA President promised a nice surprise for the upcoming TNA Slammiversary PPV. That surprise turned out to be the debut of Tommy Dreamer, who would only last a year with the company before departing.
2010 - WWE aired an episode of Superstars on WGN, drawing a 0.8 rating, with 1,017,000 viewers. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
We start off tonight’s show with the Raw brand and your announcers are the convalescing Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole.
Match Number One: Alicia Fox versus Gail Kim
They lock up and Fox with a side head lock and take down. Gail with forearms but Alicia pulls Gail down by the hair and gets a near fall. Alicia returns to the side head lock and connects with a shoulder tackle but she takes too long and Gail trips her and gets a jackknife cover for a near fall. Gail with a clothesline for another near fall. Alicia with an Irish whip but Gail with a kick and she hits a head scissors take down from the turnbuckles. Alicia gets into the ropes but Gail misses a charge. Alicia catches Gail on a cross body attempt and Fox with a Northern Lights suplex for a near fall. Alicia punches Gail and then she slams Gail but Gail with a forearm. Alicia blocks a tilt-a-whirl head scissors and hits a back breaker for a near fall. Alicia with a hard Irish whip and gets a near fall. Alicia with a chin lock and her knee in Gail’s back. Gail with elbows but Alicia with another tilt-a-whirl back breaker for another near fall. Alicia misses the scissors kick and Gail with a back elbow and clotheslines. Alicia with a knee to the midsection and a kick to the back. Alicia with an Irish whip but she misses a charge into the corner and Gail with a power slam for a near fall. Gail with a cross body into the corner and then she goes up top but Alicia knocks her down and Alicia with a scissors kick while Gail was on the top rope for the three count.
Winner: Alicia Fox
Match Number Two: Zack Ryder and Primo versus Yoshi Tatsu and Goldust
Zack and Yoshi start things off and they lock up. Zack backs Yoshi into the corner and he woo woo woos and pushes Yoshi but Yoshi chops back. Zack with a knee and side head lock followed by a shoulder tackle. Yoshi with a hip toss and arm drag into an arm bar. Goldust tags in and he hits an elbow from the turnbuckles to the arm followed by a shoulder tackle and clothesline for a near fall. Ryder with a kick and forearms but Goldust with a leaping butt bump. Ryder with a knee and he tags in Primo. Primo with punches and kicks to Goldust. Goldust with a reverse atomic drop followed by a catapult onto the knees and Yoshi with a senton for a near fall. Yoshi with more chops to Primo and forearms. Yoshi with a cravate but Primo with a knee and kick. Yoshi sends Primo over the top rope to the floor and Yoshi misses a pescado. Primo with a kick as we go to commercial.
We are back and Ryder with a head lock on Yoshi and the arm is isolated. Yoshi with a chop but Ryder with a flap jack and he gets a near fall. Primo tags back in and he hits an elbow drop for a near fall. Primo with kicks to the back and an Irish whip followed by a drop kick. Primo gets a near fall and Yoshi with his foot on the ropes. Ryder tags in and hits a knee drop for a near fall. Ryder with a body scissors. Ryder with a kick to the head and then he chokes Yoshi in the ropes. The referee is distracted by Zack and Goldut and Primo kicks Yoshi in the head. Primo tags in and hits a diving head butt and gets a near fall. Primo works on the neck but Yoshi with elbows and hits a spinning heel kick and both men are down. Primo grabs Yoshi’s leg for a moment but Ryder and Goldust tag in. Goldust with clotheslines followed by the drop down uppercut followed by a reverse atomic drop and bulldog. Goldust with punches in the corner and Ryder pushes him off and Goldust with a near fall after a power slam. Primo and Yoshi get involved and Primo suplexes Yoshi over the top rope. Goldust sends Primo to the floor but Goldust turns around into the leaping leg lariat and Ryder gets the three count.
Winners: Zack Ryder and Primo
We go to commercial.
We are back and it is time for the Smackdown half of the show and your hosts are Matt Striker and Todd Grisham.
We start off this half by looking at the final part of Raw when the NXT Originals made an impact.
Match Number Three: Kofi Kingston with Michael McGillicutty versus Luke Gallows with Serena
They lock up and Gallows backs Kofi into the corner and gives a clean break. Kofi with a drop toe hold into a front face lock. Kofi with a side head lock and Gallows tries to power out of the hold. Kofi blocks a hip toss but he cannot avoid a shoulder tackle. Kofi escapes a slam and he kicks Gallows in the leg. Kofi with forearms and punches but Gallows with a knee and uppercut followed by another punch. Kofi with a drop kick and Gallows goes to the apron. Kofi with another drop kick and Gallows is sent to the floor. Kofi goes to the apron and he hits a cross body onto Gallows as we go to commercial.
We are back and Kofi gets a near fall on Gallows. Kofi with a forearm but Gallows with a forearm and a belly-to-back suplex for a near fall. Gallows with a series of elbow drops for a near fall. Gallows with a Japanese choke on Kofi but Kofi with a kick to escape. Kofi tries for a cross body but Gallows catches him and hits a fallaway slam for a near fall. Gallows with an uppercut and suplex for a near fall. Gallows returns to the Japanese choke. Gallows with a knee and forearm to the back. Gallows with an Irish whip but he misses a charge into the corner. Kofi with chops to Gallows followed by a leaping clothesline and it is time for the Boom Drop and he leaps into the corner and punches Gallows and backs off but Gallows with a big boot for a near fall. Kofi avoids a slam but Kofi misses Trouble in Paradise when Gallows holds on to the ropes. Gallows with a body block and he gets a near fall. Gallows tries for the spinebuster slam but Kofi with SOS for the three count.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
We go to credits.
2010- TNA aired an episode of Impact, drawing a 1.0 rating, with 1,276,000 viewers.. Stu Carapola filed the following TV report:
We open the show with a look back at last week's episode as Mr Anderson solidified his alliance with Jeff Hardy against Beer Money, AJ Styles and Frankie Kazarian fought over the favor of Ric Flair, and RVD won a four way main event...after stealing Samoa Joe's win.
Slammiversary is just days away, but tonight, Kurt Angle returns to the ring and footage of Jeff Jarrett and Sting from Sacrifice!
But for right now, let's go to the ring with AJ Styles, Frankie Kazarian, Desmond Wolfe, and Beer Money, and Ric Flair is nowhere in sight. AJ acknowledges this, and says that in his absence, he's going to take control of the situation, the situation being that he just discovered that they're in an 8 man tag tonight, but the problem is that there are five of them, and in this world, five does not work. AJ says there were four Beatles, four members of the Fantastic Four, and four members of the Four Horsemen. But AJ has a simple solution to the problem...and he tells Kazarian to hit the bricks. This leads to Kazarian getting in AJ's face, but then Ric Flair's music hits...and out comes Jay Lethal in his Ric Flair gimmick. Lethal says that AJ is not The Man and he never will be, there's only one man who can be in charge and that's...the Nature Boy, and AJ is looking at God right now. Lethal tells us how much his outfit cost and then rips on AJ's outfit, and says that AJ will never be like him because he's the 16 time (stops to take off his jacket, dance, and elbowdrop it) CHAMPION! AJ was right about one thing, there is an 8 man tag tonight, and he's going to start by introducing his time. He specializes in big men, and the first member of his team tonight is...ABYSS! Big surprise there. Lethal says that as far as Chelsea's concerned, she's going to come around when she comes, WHOOOOO! Up next is a man so nice they named him twice, Mr Anderson! Wait, I'm going to guess the fourth guy will be Jeff Hardy. Just a shot in the dark. AJ points out that Lethal only has three guys, but Lethal responds that Abyss is big enough to count for two, and then Lethal's team rushes the ring...and lose the brawl. At least until some music hits, and it's Jeff Hardy! He comes running out of the crowd looking like Doink the Clown and clears the ring. Looks like we have our teams for tonight!
We go backstage to Brian Kendrick, who's meditating and now understands his purpose: he's here in TNA to capture the X-Division Title, a title for the truly courageous that knows no limitations.
Let's go to the ring for our first match...
Brian Kendrick vs Homicide
Ahhhh, I can just imagine the kind of match these two could have on the indies. Douglas Williams' music hits before the match starts and he comes out to do commentary. Kendrick and Homicide patiently wait for him to sit down before starting. This whole segment is like an ROH 2002 reunion. Homicide backs Kendrick to the corner and breaks clean, but Kendrick makes the mistake of mouthing off to Homicide and gets laid out. Homicide tries to tear his mouth open before laying him out again with a clubbing forearm to the back. Another face gouge, but Kendrick boots him in the gut on the break. This just pisses Homicide off, and he goes back to beating up Kendrick. Homicide goes for the Cop Killa but Kendrick escapes and tries a charge but eats elbow. Homicide with a t-bone suplex for 2, then puts the boots to Kendrick and chokes him out with his foot. Homicide with a facewash and then another one, then hauls Kendrick to his feet and hits a Michinoku Driver for 2. Homicide goes for the Ace Crusher but Kendrick blocks and gets Homicide in the corner and works him over. Kendrick goes for a whip but instead Homicide yanks Kendrick face first into the corner and hits a flying mare, then chokes Kendrick with the wrist tape. Kendrick fires back with a pair of forearms and an enziguiri that sends Homicide out of the ring to the ramp. Kendrick follows him out and repeatedly rams Homicide's head into the ramp and then rolls back in the ring. Homicide goes under the ring and dumps out a toolbox and picks up a hammer and a screwdriver, and tries to decide which to use on Kendrick. He settles on the screwdriver, but that stupid referee is a killjoy and won't let him use it, and as they argue Kendrick boots Homicide in the face and gets the 3 count.
Winner: Brian Kendrick
We go backstage as about ten guys are trying to pull Jesse Neal and Brother Ray apart.
After commercial, we come back and Jesse Neal is in the ring calling out Brother Ray as Shannon Moore tries to calm him down. Team 3D comes out as security blocks them from getting in the ring. Well, at least Brother Ray is, because Brother Devon is still trying to calm him down. Ray finally gets in the ring and tells Neal to go ahead and say what he has to say. Jesse says that if Ray has a problem, to be a man and say it to his face and to stop laying them out and leaving cards on them. Ray says he doesn't know what he's talking about, but Jesse's turned into an arrogant punk, and he needs to remind Jesse that he's one of the most legit tough guys in the business and it's getting to the point where he needs to take him out. Jesse says he always showed him respect, and Ray says he doesn't need his accolades because he's nobody, and before he came to Team 3D he was nothing more than a failure in the Navy. After Slammiversary, if Brother Ray has anything to do with it, he'll be a failure in the wrestling business too. Ray calls Shannon a bitch and says that if he has something to say, then say it. Shannon says that the Book Of DILLIGAF says he's a bully and a douchebag, then tells him to take his puppet and get out of here. Devon seems to take offense to that, but tells Shannon he'll give him a pass on that. Jesse gets a pass because they trained him, but Devon never liked Shannon from the beginning, but he understood the situation. Devon then turns around and tells Ray that he needs to get his head on straight and leave Jesse alone, then Devon drops the mic and walks off. Ray pauses to consider this, then suckerpunches Jesse from behind and runs off.
Now that we've got a break in the action, let's take a look back at Sacrifice as Sting brutalized Jeff Jarrett, bloodied him, injured his arm, and pinned him, then confronted Hulk Hogan when he came out to attend to Jarrett and get him into an ambulance. Coming up next, Jeff Jarrett will speak for the first time since Sacrifice, from his home in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
But before that, we go backstage to Eric Bischoff and Miss Tessmacher, who are with Matt Morgan. Morgan wants to know who his partner is going to be at Slammiversary, and Bischoff says he's found the perfect partner for Morgan, and Morgan's going to love him. He then informs Morgan that Hogan is at the top of the ramp with Morgan's partner, and their rematch for the tag title is up next! Wait a minute, I thought Jeff Jarrett was next! HOW CAN THIS BE???
Okay, we go to the Jeff Jarrett interview, which is interspersed with video clips flashing us back in the Jarrett-Sting feud. Jarrett says that at Sacrifice, the guy we saw was not the Sting he's known for years. He's going to get his revenge, but it won't be for a while. Jarrett goes on to say that Hogan coming to TNA was a blessing, but Sting doesn't see it that way. Jarrett has a special connection to Slammiversary, but now he'll have to explain to his three daughters why he'll be home instead of at Slammiversary this year. He promises that he'll be back, and he'll get his answers.
Matt Morgan comes out to get ready for his tag title match, and he is followed by Hulk Hogan, who makes fun of Morgan for crying about the tag title situation. He says there's a reason he's in the ring by himself: he's never seen someone stab so many people in the back as fast as Morgan has. Hogan says everything he's done is about to come back to him right now, and introduces his partner...Hernandez! Hernandez comes running down the ramp and dives over the ropes onto Morgan and starts kicking the crap out of him. Hernandez beats Morgan out of the ring, around ringside, and back in the ring. Hernandez with a running shoulderblock in the corner and then nearly plants Morgan through the mat with a huge spinebuster, then chokes him out with his t-shirt. Morgan is out cold as Hernandez walks off and Hogan, on commentary, says that he's going to make it official for Slammiversary: Matt Morgan will take on Hernandez. Hogan gets up and raises Hernandez' hand and they walk off together as security and the trainers come out and strap Morgan onto the gurney. They're about to carry Morgan out of the ring when the Wolfpac music hits, and here comes the Band for our next match!
TNA World Tag Team Title Match: The Band vs Matt Morgan & Hernandez
Hey, that's the official match at least. Bell rings, Young covers Morgan, and the referee counts three.
Winners: The Band
We go backstage to Christy with Rob Van Dam, and she wants to know what RVD thinks of Sting's recent unpredictable behavior. RVD says his strategy's the same, and he knows Sting wants the belt, but he's going to have to come get it from him because he's Rob...Van...Dam, not some- oh wait, Sting nails RVD from behind with the bat, chokes him with the bat, then stands over him and starts raining down rights and lefts to the face of RVD. Sting grabs the title belt and walks off as RVD is left laying.
We go to commercial, and when we come back RVD is being attended to backstage. He asks where his belt is, and Christy says Sting took it. RVD gets a determined look on his face and goes stalking off in search of Sting.
Kurt Angle comes to the ring and says that he's going to wrestle Frankie Kazarian at Slammiverary, and Kazarian is an excellent X-Division wrestler. With that in mind, he asked a good friend of his to come out and face him tonight to help him prepare for Kazarian, and he told him to hold nothing back. Amazing Red comes out, shakes Kurt's hand, and our next match starts...
Kurt Angle vs Amazing Red
Angle takes Red down with a shoulderblock, but Red catches him with an armdrag and a flying headscissors. Red flips out of a German Suplex attempt, but Angle gets an overhead belly to belly instead. Angle takes a charge but Red uses his momentum to send him to the floor. Red comes off the apron with another flying headscissors on the floor, then rolls Kurt back in. Red goes for a springboard something, but Angle moves and Red crashes into the mat, and Angle follows that up by flattening him with a clothesline. Angle goes for another suplex and Red reverses to a DDT. Red goes to the apron and gets a springboard DDT for a very close 2, but Angle comes out of nowhere with a German Suplex. The straps come down and Angle goes for the Angle Slam, Red slips out and gets a Shining Wizard and a really ugly kneeling Frankensteiner that drove Angle's head right into the mat. Red misses another high flying move and Angle hits the Angle Slam for the win.
Winner: Kurt Angle
Angle helps Red to his feet and raises his hand.
We go backstage to Sting, who says that he is in possession of the belt, but after this Sunday he'll own it. Right now the word of the day is deception, and that's what the belt represents right now: deception. He turns the belt around to show that he's defaced it by scrawling the word "deception" across the front. Sting continues: change is coming, and it's showtime. Sting gets a good chuckle out of that one as we go to commercial.
We go to a video package hyping the history of TNA leading into Slammiversary, and we get comments from Dixie Carter, Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, and Sting as they debate the World Title Match. We then run through the rest of the card and Dixie wraps us up by putting over the roster for all their hard work in building TNA into the brand it is today.
We're backstage and following Rob Van Dam as he searches for Sting. He has an epiphany, and decides to head up to the rafters and search for Sting up there.
Time to go back to the ring for our next match...
AJ Styles, Desmond Wolfe & Beer Money vs Jay Lethal, Abyss, Mr Anderson & Jeff Hardy
Lethal and Roode start and Roode with a knee to the gut and a forearm, then lays in a stiff chop on the ropes, but Lethal with a handspring elbow, Tajiri-style. Lethal tags in Abyss and he starts working Roode over in the corner. Abyss tries a charge in the corner but Roode moves and Storm comes in to double team Abyss, Abyss goes for a double chokeslam, they fight their way out, but Abyss kills them with a double clothesline anyway and tags in Anderson. Anderson works on the arm and then he and Hardy do some quick tags while working over Storm's arm. Hardy goes up for the 10 punches in the corner, then mares Storm for 2. Storm goes to the eyes and tags in Wolfe, but Hardy with a vertical suplex for 2. Wolfe gets to his feet and takes Hardy to the corner and tags in Styles, who repeatedly rams shoulders into Hardy's midsection. Styles with a slam and a kneedrop for 2. Styles HITS THE CHINLOCK! Wolfe tags back in and all three heels in the corner put up their boots so Wolfe can ram Hardy into them. He tries it again but of course Hardy reverses and Wolfe eats the boots. Hardy gets caught in the corner though, and gets stomped out. Anderson and Lethal both try to help, but as usual, the ref is so busy getting them out of the ring that he doesn't notice the heels beating Hardy up. Beer Money with a double suplex on Hardy and Roode blatantly chokes him before dropping a knee for 2. Roode catapults Hardy into the bottom rope and covers for 2. Hardy tries to make a break for the corner but Beer Money shuts him down and Storm goes to a front facelock. Hardy makes the tag, but the referee was distracted by AJ Styles in the ring so he didn't allow it. Styles tags in and puts the boots to Hardy, but Hardy hits a chinbreaker, spinkicks Styles, and finally makes the hot tag to Jay Lethal. Lethal comes in like a house of fire and beats up all the heels. Lethal with a backdrop and a pop up neckbreaker on Styles. Wolfe with a DDT on Lethal, but Anderson comes in and hits the Finlay Roll on Anderson, and...well, everyone comes in and hits their finishers on everyone else, ending with Wolfe killing Abyss with a lariat. He tells Chelsea, sitting at ringside, to give him her chair, and she hesitates but Desmond ends up grabbing it from her...then turns around and gets the chair punched into his face by Abyss. Styles nails Abyss from behind and sends him to the floor and then winds up in a skirmish with Lethal that ends when he hits the Styles Clash for the win.
Winners: AJ Styles, Desmond Wolfe & Beer Money
Great match and an awesome finish!
We go backstage to Sting, who says that he wasn't going to make it easy for RVD because it's all about deception, and he's going to be waiting right there for RVD.
We go backstage and RVD is still looking for Sting, and finds him as Sting jumps him from behind (wearing the title belt) and proceeds to beat him up with whatever he can find backstage. RVD fights back as they make their way out toward the concession stand and RVD chokes Sting out with the t-shirt rack. RVD rams Sting into the scaffolding under what appears to be the bleachers, and then the brawl makes its way under the bleachers with RVD in control, but Sting gets a shot in and rams RVD into a garbage can on the other side. They finally make their way out through the crowd and onto the rampway and finally back into the ring. RVD regains control and tears off Sting's jacket then chokes him with it. RVD yanks the title belt off of Sting, then chokes him out in the corner with his boot before hitting a basement dropkick. RVD goes outside and grabs a chair and wedges it in the corner. Sting recovers briefly and starts a comeback, but RVD superkicks him in the face and Sting goes down. RVD comes in for the kill but Sting Tullys RVD into the chair, then takes it and slams it across RVD's back. Sting reclaims the belt and grabs a mic. Sting tells RVD that the belt is deception and it's his until Sunday, then he tosses the belt to RVD and walks off.
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