PWInsider - WWE News, Wrestling News, WWE

3/13 THIS DAY IN HISTORY: WWE REVIVES THE HALL OF FAME

March 13th

On this day in history in ....

1968 - Akita Nogami is born.

1976 - Blackjack Mulligan defeats Paul Jones to win the NWA Mid-Atlantic United States Title.

1983 - The Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey & Bobby Eaton) defeat Magnum TA & Mr Wrestling II in a Loser Receives 10 Lashes Match to win the Mid South Tag Team Titles after Mr Wrestling walked out on his partner.  That angle would spark an incredible TA vs. II feud.

1985 - Terry Taylor defeats Ted DiBiase in Shreveport, Louisiana to win the Mid South North American Heavyweight Title, ending DiBiase's fourth and final run with the belt. As a result of this win, Terry Taylor was forced to vacate the Mid South Television Title.

1985 - Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks/Generation Me is born.

1986 - Future Japanese wrestling legends Riki Choshu and Mitsuharu Misawa meet in a singles match for the first time during All Japan's show at Budokan Hall in Tokyo. Choshu defeats Misawa, who at the time was wrestling as Tiger Mask #2.

1999 - ECW ran an event at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Here are the results:
- Yoshihiro Tajiri defeated Little Guido.
- Super Crazy defeated Antifaz del Norte.
- Balls Mahoney defeated Steve Corino.
- Lance Storm vs. Jerry Lynn went to a 20-minute draw.
- Spike Dudley vs. Mustafa ended in a no-contest when the Dudleys and New Jack ran in.
- Super Nova & Chris Chetti vs. Skull Von Krush & Rod Price ended in a no-contest when Sid Vicious came out and destroyed everyone.
- ECW World Tag Team Champions Sabu & Rob Van Dam defeated The Dudley Boyz (Bubba & D-Von) and Tommy Dreamer & Shane Douglas in a Three Way Dance. During the match, Taz attacked Sabu.

2000 - Several title changes on Raw.  Dean Malenko defeats Essa Rios to win the WWF Light Heavyweight Title and Pete Gas pins Crash Holly at a pre-taped vignette in Newark Airport to win the WWF Hardcore Title, though Crash would regain the title before the end of the show.

2001 - During a broadcast of WWF Sunday Night Heat, Crash Holly defeated Dean Makenko for the WWF Light Heayweight championship.

2002 - Christopher Daniels defeats Samoa Joe and Frankie Kazarian in a Three Way match to win the UPW Heavyweight Title in Santa, Ana California, starting his second reign as champion.

2004 - WWE held their Hall Of Fame induction ceremony at The Hilton in New York City. This event marked the revival of the Hall Of Fame, as there had been no inductees since 1996. The inductees were Jesse Ventura, Don Muraco, Tito Santana, Superstar Billy Graham, Big John Studd (posthumously), Sgt. Slaughter, Greg Valentine, Bobby Heenan, Harley Race and The Junkyard Dog (posthumously). Baseball great Pete Rose was inducted into the "celebrity wing" of the Hall Of Fame.  The event was released on DVD and was a success, prompting WWE to make the event a regular part of Wrestlemania weekend.

2007 - WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Skaaland passed away at the age of 82. Skaaland was a long-time manager and wrestler in the company, eventually graduating to promoter.

2007 - WWE broadcast ECW on Sci Fi.  Buck Woodward filed the following TV report:

ECW on SciFi for March 13th opened with an angry Randy Orton confronting Edge backstage about stabbing him in the back by putting him in a match with Bobby Lashley just because they will both be in the Money In The Bank match at Wrestlemania.  Edge said it was good for them to do a favor for Mr. McMahon, and Orton accused Edge of kissing Vince's ass.  Edge insisted they were still a team, and Orton asked if he would have his back tonight.  Edge insisted that he would.

Battle Royale - Elijah Burke, Marcus Cor Von, Kevin Thorn, Matt Striker, Sabu, Rob Van Dam, Sandman, Tommy Dreamer.

The New Breed entered as a group, as did the ECW Originals.  Everyone brawled at the start.  Sandman stood on the second rope to punch Matt Striker, and Striker shoved him over the top rope, into the security wall and to the floor.

Sandman is eliminated.

Rob Van Dam kicked Kevin Thorn in the head.  Striker and Burke double teamed Dreamer.  Cor Von and Sabu tried to suplex each other.  Cor Von lifted Saby, but RVD pulled Sabu down.  RVD lifted Sabu and he double kicked Cor Von who went over the top rope and to the floor (after not going over at first, Cor Von basically jumped over).

Cor Von is eliminated.

Dreamer tossed Burke over the top rope, but he landed on the apron.  Sabu tried a rana on Thorn, but he didn't go over, and hoisted Sabu up and sat him on the top rope.  Thorn then shoved him to the floor.

Sabu is eliminated.

RVD was sent to the apron by Burke, but fought back in.  Thorn had Dreamer almost over at one point.  Striker crotched RVD on the top rope and tried to push him over while standing on the bottom rope.  Burke and Thorn double teamed Dreamer.  Van Dam and Striker fought on the ropes, and Van Dam gave Striker a sunset flip powerbomb into the ring.   Van Dam gave Thorn a spinkick.  Burke choked Dreamer in a corner.  Striker lifted Van Dam in a fireman's carry, but Van Dam turned it into a sunset flip to escape.  Dreamer was trying to get Burke over, but Striker stopped him.  Thron went for a powerbomb on Thorn, but RVD flipped over it.  RVD hit a spinkick, and clothesline and finally used a bodypress to knock Thorn over the top rope and to the floor.  RVD got his hand caught in the ropes, and looked to be holding on, but Striker knocked his hand free and RVD hit the floor as well.

Kevin Thorn and Rob Van Dam is eliminated.

There was a chant for Dreamer.  Striker and Burke attacked him, but Dreamer out punched them.  Dreamer backdropped Striker over the top rope and to the floor.

Matt Striker is eliminated.

Burke charged and hit Dreamer with a double jumping knee to the back.  Burke sat Dreamer on the top rope, stood on the top rope and dropkicked Dreamer.  Dreamer fell, but landed on the apron.  Burke was celebrating, then saw that Dreamer was still on the apron.  Burke hit some punches, but Dreamer held on, landed a right hand and got back into the ring.  Burke went to kick Dreamer with his back to the ropes, but Dreamer caught it, kicked Burke in the nads, then flipped Burke over the top rope and to the floor ending the match at the eight minute mark.

Elijah Burke is eliminated.

Winner: Tommy Dreamer.

The ECW Originals were posing in the ring when Mick Foley's music hit.  Foley was coming to the ring as they went to break.

In the ring, the ECW Originals seemed less than thrilled that Foley was there.  Foley admitted he was there to get a cheap pop and a cheap plug for his book.  Foley referenced his One Night Stand match with Edge against Dreamer & Terry Funk, noting that he "sold out" and that the ECW Originals had every reason not to trust him.  Foley talked about how honest he is about things in his book, and said he wanted Dreamer to read it.  Dreamer dropped the book on the ground, and Sandman stepped on it.  Foley basically said that he did what he did (turned heel) and lessened how loud his "cheap pop" is because he wanted to sacrifice the goodwill he had with the fans to shine a spotlight on the ECW Originals at One Night Stand.  He noted that Sabu never got the credit he deserved.  Foley then said it isn't about One Night Stand, it is about Wrestlemania now.  Foley said that the ECW Originals would get to wrestler in front of 70,000 fans, something he never got to do.  Foley said he would not be on the show, but he would fit his "fat ass" into a seat and would be chanting "ECW, ECW".  The fans sort of picked up on the chant. Foley left, and Joey Styles said Foley was "embracing" his ECW past.  In the ring, Dreamer picked up the book, while Sandman still seemed very agitated, and Dreamer calmed him.

A video package on Snitsky was shown.

Extreme Expose danced.  No handguns this week, instead they had canes.  Snitsky's music interrupted them and he hit the ring.  The girls ran off.  Two wrestlers were suddenly in the ring, and Snitsky has a handicap match tonight.

Snistky vs. Michael Deke & Danny Jackson.

Snitsky tossed one of them out of the ring, gave a big boot to the other and pinned him.

Winner: Snitsky.

As Snitsky left, he kicked the other guy in the head.

Backstage, Elijah Burke approached CM Punk.  Burke said that Punk had a "bad night" on Smackdown last week (where he lost to Kennedy).  Punk got mad, and Burke said everyone has bad nights, noting that the New Breed had one tonight.  Burke told Punk that in the Money In The Bank match at Wrestlemania, his chances will be better if the New Breed is in his corner.  Burke gave Punk a New Breed shirt, and told him to think about it, then walked off.

Time to hype the Battle Of The Billionaires, with the celebrity predictions from Raw last night, followed by highlights of the angle that closed Raw last night.

ECW Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Randy Orton

After both men had made their entrances, Edge's music hit and he came to ringside in street clothes. Orton and Lashley locked up, and Lashley broke clean on the ropes.  Orton kicked Lashley, but Lashley responded with punches.  Orton clipped Lashley's leg, elbowed it a few times, then hit a kneedrop to the chest.  Orton choked Lashley against the middle rope.  He backed off, and distracted the referee. Edge teased that he was going to hit Lashley, but the referee turned around.  Lashley sprung up and clotheslined Orton.  Orton rolled under the ring and confronted Edge about not hitting Lashley.  Edge was trying to explain that the referee could see him as they went to break.

Back from commercial, Randy Orton had Bobby Lashley in an elevated Boston Crab.  Lashley made it to the ropes to break the hold.  Orton did the Garvin Stomp to Lashley and scored a one count.  Orton let Lashley get up and trash talked him.  Lashley punched Orton, backdropped him and hit an elbowdrop.  Orton raked Lashley's eyes, then hit a series of forearms to Lashley's back.  Orton hit a side backbreaker, then set up for the RKO, but Lashley pushed it off.  Edge grabbed the title belt and got into the ring, but the referee stopped him and Edge returned to the floor.  Orton rolled out of the ring on the other side.  The referee ordered Edge to leave ringside.  Orton complained to Edge for not helping him, but Edge said he had to leave.  As Edge turned away from Orton, he smirked.  Lashley hit Orton from behind on the floor as they went to break.

Back from commercial, Orton was down in the ring and Lashley was getting up on the floor. We saw that during the break, Orton had dropkicked Lashley off the apron to the floor.  Back live, Orton rammed Lashley into the ring steps twice, and then stomped Lashley's head and back as he was bent over the steps.  Orton suplexed Lashley on the floor. Orton got Lashley in the ring for a two count.  Orton stomped Lashley, then hit a kneedrop to the chest for a two count. Orton dropkicked Lashley in a corner, then kicked at him.  Orton dragged Lashley into the ring and went for the Boston Crab again, but Lashley made the ropes.  Orton let Lashley get up, then decked him with a right hand.  Lashley got up, and Orton decked him again.  There was a "Boring" chant and Orton told the crowd to shut up.  Orton whipped Lashley across the ring, then charged.  Lashley moved, and Orton went shoulder first into the ringpost.

Lashley whipped Orton across the ring and hit a clothesline.  Lashley hit a pair of shoulderblocks, then lifted Orton and backdropped him.  Lashley dropped an elbow for a two count.  Lashley put Orton in the Torture Rack, then dropped to his knees.  Lashley got a two count on Orton.  Lashley hit a series of right hands on Orton in a corner.  Lashley then stomped Orton in the corner.  Lashley lifted Orton and hit a running powerslam for the clean pin at the 19 minute mark.

Winner: Bobby Lashley.

Vince McMahon's music hit, and McMahon came out wearing all black.  McMahon stood in the aisle and just stared at Lashley, who dared McMahon to come into the ring, as the show ended.

2008 - A The WWE-themed Larry King Live episode tonight has been bumped in favor of coverage of the Elliot Spitzer's resignation as Governor of New York.   

2008 - The United States Justice Department issued the following press release this evening:

Co-Defendants Sentenced for Roles in Former Wrestler's Sex Trafficking Ring

WASHINGTON, March 13 -- Aimee Allen, 37, formerly of Cartersville, Ga., and now of Williamsville, N.Y., and Cedric Jackson, 41, of Atlanta, Ga., were sentenced today in the Northern District of Georgia on charges of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking, the Justice Department announced today.

Allen was sentenced to 2 years, 10 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and fined $1,500. Jackson was sentenced to 5 years in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and fined $1,500. Allen and Jackson were convicted of these charges on May 1, 2006 when they each entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to commit peonage, sex trafficking, forced labor, trafficking with respect to peonage and forced labor and witness tampering. Allen and Jackson admitted to conspiring with former professional wrestler Harrison "Hardbody" Norris Jr., to recruit and force several women into prostitution and domestic servitude.

According to information presented in court, Jackson admitted to acting as a leader of the ring in the Atlanta area. Specifically, Jackson admitted that he and Norris would bail unsuspecting women out of local jails and use those debts to coerce the women into prostitution in order to make repayment. Jackson further admitted that he provided two women to Norris' forced prostitution business. One of those women testified at Norris' trial that before Jackson handed her over to Norris, she was kidnapped, choked, and sexually assaulted by Jackson.

Allen admitted that she was Norris' most loyal "team leader". According to Allen, since 2001, she helped Norris recruit women, many of whom were poor, homeless or addicted to drugs, to engage in prostitution, by first convincing them that Norris would help them to become female wrestlers.  Allen gave Norris' scheme an aura of respectability as she would tell the women she was in a female wrestling troupe and they could be as well.  However, when they were recruiting these victims, Allen knew that the women would not become professional wrestlers and that they would be forced to engage in prostitution. In her role as "team leader," Allen supervised and monitored the victims who were lured to Norris's home, to ensure that they would not escape or fail to comply with Norris's rules.

According to the evidence at trial, Allen assaulted a woman at Norris's instruction and induced several victims to engage in commercial sex acts, by scaring them with tales of physical repercussions from Norris if they refused to do as they were told. Allen ultimately cooperated in the case and testified against Norris at trial describing his organization and how he controlled women through force, threats of force, debts and fines.

On Nov. 21, 2007, a jury convicted the ring leader of this operation, Harrison "Hardbody" Norris Jr., on multiple charges of sex trafficking and slavery. According to evidence presented at trial, Norris kidnapped some victims and lured others to come live with him by promising to train them as professional wrestlers. Witnesses testified that Norris also obtained victims from other pimps, who "traded" women with Norris. Cedric Jackson was one such pimp from whom Norris received two women. Once in Norris's home, the victims were held against their wills, fined, beaten, threatened with violence, and forced to engage in prostitution and domestic service.

Norris's sex trafficking scheme ran with the assistance of "team leaders" such as Aimee Allen, Michelle Achuff, and Leslie Smith, who presented themselves as female wrestlers in order to recruit victims, monitored victims for Norris, and enforced his rules.

In the same court today, Michelle Achuff, 25, of Lafayette, Tenn. and Leslie Smith 22, of Macon, Ga., were sentenced to probation for making false statements to agents of the FBI. These two women, who previously pleaded guilty to these crimes, were also "team leaders" in Norris's prostitution organization. Achuff and Smith admitted that they provided false information about Norris's activities to federal law enforcement agents, claiming that he was only involved in a legitimate wrestling company, in order to protect Norris. These women also cooperated in the investigation after their guilty pleas.

"With today's sentences, these defendants have been held to answer for their participation in a scheme to exploit and abuse numerous young women," said Grace Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "The Department of Justice will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that those who engage in the terrible crime of sex trafficking are brought to justice."

U.S. Attorney David E. Nahmias said of the sentencings, "Human
trafficking is a form of modern day slavery that robs individuals of their freedom. The chains of confinement are often psychological and hidden.  These convictions and sentences show that those assisting human traffickers--whether in finding victims, transporting victims against their will, ensuring that the victims are not free to leave-or trying to protect and hide the crimes, also may face prosecution and prison time."

Human trafficking prosecutions such as this one are a top priority in the Department of Justice. In the last seven fiscal years, the Civil Rights Division, in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney's Offices, has increased by nearly seven-fold the number of human trafficking cases filed in court as compared to the previous seven fiscal years. In Fiscal Year 2007, the Department obtained a record number of convictions in human trafficking prosecutions.

This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from Smyrna Police Department and Bartow County Sheriff's Office.

Civil Rights Division trial attorney Karima Maloney and Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Coppedge prosecuted the case for the government.

2009 - Former WWE star Andrew "Test" Martin was found dead in his apartment in Tampa, Florida at the age of 33, just four days shy of his 34th birthday.  

Originally born in Whitby, Ontario Canada, Martin was discovered randomly by then-top WWF star Bret Hart in a restaurant.  Recognizing the potential of a 6'6', 300 pounder, Hart offered to train Martin and help break him into the business.  Martin quit his jobs and trained for eight months under Hart and Leo Burke in Calgary.  At the same time, Hart was helping several other young Canadian talents including future WWE champion Edge, and future NWA champion Christian Cage, among others.

He was quickly signed to one of the early WWF developmental deals in the late 1990s, Martin would be brought in for camps under former NWA World champion Dory Funk Jr. and Dr. Tom Prichard.  The camps included names like Edge, Christian, Kurt Angle, Steve Corino, a young Teddy Hart, Shawn Stasiak, Devon (Crowbar) Storm, and Tiger Ali Singh, among others, so there was a huge talent wealth there at the time.

In his 1998 debut on WWF television, Martin appeared as a roadie for heavy metal band Motley Crue during a musical performance where he "removed" a fan that had gotten on stage.  He was quickly made a member of Vince McMahon's Corporation under the ring name "Test", which was short for Testosterone.  He made his PPV debut for the company at the 1999 Royal Rumble, competing in that match and made his Wrestlemania debut at Mania 15, teaming with D'Lo Brown while challenging then-WWF Tag Team champions Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett in Hart's last Mania bout before his death several months later.

After turning babyface, Martin was scripted into a relationship with a young, babyface Stephanie McMahon that was exposed via G-TV, a series of mysterious cameras capturing WWF talents in out of the ring, backstage situations (sort of a predecessor r to today's paparazzi, TMZ type "journalism").  The relationship led to an angry Shane McMahon feuding with Test, which culminated at Summerslam 1999 in Chicago with a "Love Her or Leave Her" match where Test had to beat McMahon in order to be accepted.  Inside the ring, it was probably the high point of his career as the two had a hell of a brawl.  Stephanie and Test's on-screen romance continued, complete with engagement and a wedding live on Raw.

As is the case with all WWE weddings, there was a twist and in hindsight, it was the most successful one for any wedding angle the company has ever produced.  The storyline that top heel Triple H had drugged Stephanie the night before and gotten her to marry him in Las Vegas, revealed on the Titantron in the middle of the ceremony live on Monday Night Raw.  The storyline from that point on focused on HHH vs. Vince McMahon, with Stephanie turning heel on her father, having been in on the plot.  The angle later turned to real life as Triple H is for all intents and purposes married into the company.

From a storyline standpoint, Martin was left out of the top mix of the company's roster and never got as high in the hierarchy as he did during that era.  He was repackaged as heel, teaming with Albert (current New Japan star Giant Bernard) as T&A, managed by the debuting Trish Stratus, who was just breaking into the company as a former fitness model who legitimately was a huge wrestling fan before being signed.  After the team broke up, Martin was back as a babyface and won the European championship from William Regal in 2001.  He dropped the title to Eddie Guerrero at Wrestlemania 17 in Houston after interference from the other Radicalz.

Martin ended up a heel yet again as part of the WCW/ECW Alliance later that year, holding both the WWE and WCW Tag Team belts with Booker T as well as the WWE Intercontinental championship during that period.  At the 2001 Survivor Series, Martin lost the IC belt to Edge, who unified it with the WCW United States championship.  He also had a short run with the hot potato Hardcore championship.  With the idea that the Alliance vs. WWE war was coming to an end and those who lost could be fired, Test went on to insert himself into an "Immunity" Battle Royal, which he won with the gimmick being that he couldn't be let go by WWE for a year.

In 2002, he bounced around a number of different storyline gimmicks.  He was part of the Un-Americans with Lance Storm, Christian and William Regal.  He was Stacy Keibler's charge as she tried to change his image and claim his fans were his "Testicles" in an all-time so bad it was good idea.   He went to the finals of that year's King of the Ring tournament, later losing to eventual winner and current UFC champion Brock Lesnar.  The relationship with Keibler eventually turned into a real life one for the couple.  After she left the company and became an ABC darling via "Dancing With the Stars", Martin would later write online how proud he was of her success and that he often told her while they were dating that she would go on to do something bigger than professional wrestling.

Scott Steiner was brought into the company.  Despite being one of the top names in WCW when it imploded in 2001, Steiner was sent to the mid-card after a feud with then WWE champion Triple H and put into a tag team with Martin.  The two ended up at odds of Keibler's services but later reunited with the idea she was their slave.

Martin ended up out of action with a neck injury and was forced to undergo spinal fusion surgery that would keep him out of action for at least a year.  In a move that was heavily criticized at the time, World Wrestling Entertainment released Martin on 11/1/04, four months after the surgery and at least eight months before he would be able to return.  At the time, WWE's John Laurinaitis promised to give Martin a look when he was ready, but the very idea that Martin, who had spent his entire professional career with the company and had broken his neck working there, could be fired as he recovered, sent a shockwave through the company's roster.

Exactly a year later, Martin discussed the release while writing about the November 2005 passing of former WWE champion Eddie Guerrero, commenting, "Look at me. I break my neck in the ring had to have two discs taken out of my neck and a steel plate put in and was told at the time by Johnny Ace when I asked if my job would be in jeopardy, 'We don't fire people with injuries like that.' Hmm, that's funny, because two months after surgery I got fired because I wasn't working. My seven years of busting my *** for them and putting over the boss's son while my foot was broken in a cast was all forgotten about.When Johnny Ace called me and told me they were releasing me - which of course he put all the heat on Vince - I said to him, 'What kind of message are you sending the boys that if they get hurt they are going to get fired?' So all the guys who don't want to lose their jobs, what do they do? Pop a couple of Percocet or Vicodin and mask the pain because god forbid they say they are hurt and lose their job. I'm not going to name any names, but I know at least a dozen or so wrestlers who are addicted to these things for that very reason. Get hurt, lose your job.   I just turned 30, my back aches everyday, I have a metal plate in my neck, and yes I got in the business at the right time and have a lot of nice things, but is it all worth it? You guys don't see the ugly side of this business. Yes, wrestling is entertainment, but the bumps and bruises are real and sometimes they don't go away. So think long and hard before you get in this business because I can tell you first hand that if you're not working or making them money they don't give a ****."

Martin returned to the ring in the summer of 2005, working for Nu-Wrestling in Italy, which was being booked by former WWE star Rikishi Phatu.  He made several convention appearances as well.  

During this period, Eddie Guerrero died in a Minnesota hotel room due to an enlarged heart giving out on him, a complication from the drugs he had taken during his career.  Martin, completely removed from WWE at the time, wrote, "I'm actually wondering who's next? Who's next to die? I can think of at least 15 to 20 people who have died from various things - mostly prescription pain killers. For all you wanna be wrestlers who wanna get in this business, especially now when WWE doesn't pay you anymore than you would make at a 9 to 5 job, let me break some things down for you.  When I started wrestling I had never seen or heard of Vicodin or Percocet or Soma. How come so many wrestlers die from these medications and football players and hockey players don't? The answer is simple - wrestlers, especially WWE wrestlers, work five days a week all year long taking bump after bump in the ring. A doctor explained it to me like this: Every time you take a fall in the ring it's like getting rear-ended by a car going 20 mph, so how many bumps in the ring a night do you take? Multiply that by how many times a week you work all year long. That's a hell of a lot of whiplash and pain.   I can remember hearing a conversation from some unnamed WWE head guys talking about how this certain person needs to go to rehab but they couldn't send him because he was to important to the show. That's the reality people that is how we are treated."

Despite being extremely critical of WWE's use of Eddie Guerrero's name after his death, including one blog where he said it wanted to "make me puke", Martin was still brought back to the WWE fold.  He was signed to a new deal in March 2006 and placed into the relaunched ECW brand later that year as a heel.  He most notably feuded with then-ECW champion Bobby Lashley late in the year going into 2007.  After being defeated by Lashley clean several times, he disappeared from television.

Despite his earlier writings about the drug scene in the wrestling business, Martin ended up suspended under the WWE Wellness Policy and was released shortly afterwards.  At the time, Martin claimed it was a mutual release that he asked the company for.

After departing WWE, Martin made several appearances for TNA in the summer of 2007, billed as "The Punisher" Andrew Martin, teaming with Sting and Abyss in a a winning bout against AJ Styles, Christian and Tomko.  With a feeling his huge physique was neon sign for the impending United States Congress investigation into the business following the Benoit family tragedy and also a feeling that his attitude didn't jibe well with the TNA locker room, he wasn't signed and was never brought back.

Through his Myspace.com account, Martin would often write about different views on the wrestling business and was critical of what WWE's developmental program had turned into after it was moved to Florida.  In one blog, he complained that too many of the students would care too much about partying and not enough about studying tapes and learning the business.  One talent signed to WWE who was stationed in FCW at the time responded that other than dropping Kelly Kelly (who he was dating) off, Martin had never actually come to the facility.

Martin was arrested for a DUI in April 2008.  The police report at the time claimed Martin failed a field sobriety test and that he continued to fall asleep in the arresting officer's vehicle after being taken into custody.  At the time, The Tampa Tribune noted that he had a history of traffic violations but Martin responded, "Considering I don't drink alcohol or do drugs I don't know how the DUI is going to stand."  When the newspaper asked Martin if he was still a wrestler, he commented that it was something he "didn't want to get into."

As noted, in recent years, Martin had been dating WWE Raw Diva Kelly Kelly and at one point, he publicly praised her for saving his life when he had a medical emergency, believed by some to have been an OD.  According to those I spoke to tonight, the two had split recently, about 6-8 weeks back.  Although Martin had pushed that he was retiring from the business as far back as December 2007, he was still making appearances overseas.  As recently as last month, he worked in Japan on shows promoted by Big Van Vader and was scheduled to leave this week for a European tour of several countries.

2010 - John S. Hill, who wrestled professionally as Gentleman Jerry Valiant of the Valiant Brothers tag team in the WWWF, passed away this past at the age of 68 following a battle with alzheimers.  Jerry and Johnny Valiant held the WWWF tag team championships for a little over six months in 1979 after Jerry came in to replace Jimmy Valiant, who was forced out of the team temporarily due to health issues.

Hill, working under a mask as the Destroyer, had his greatest singles success in Jim Barnett's WCW in Australia, defeating Bearcat Wright for that version of the World championship.  He later unmasked and revealed his real name.

Hill worked a number of different territories under different masked personas, including  The Stomper, The Assassin (feuding with the Original Sheik) and Mr. X, among others, often losing the mask and revealing himself on the way out or to start a new direction.

Beyond those runs, Hill worked under a number of other ring names, including Guy Mitchell (a name he adopted after being incorrectly billed during a TV Broadcast in the old Georgia territory), and Jerry Heenan, where he was "related" to Bobby Heenan early in Heenan's wrestling career.

Hill was survived by his wife and son as well as several brothers and sisters.

2010 - WWE announces Drew Carey for the WWE Hall of Fame in a promotional deal that seemed more designed to promote a new series for Carey on the Game Show Network than to legitimately honor Carey for his involvement in pro wrestling, which was all of a cameo in a Royal Rumble match.

2010 - Former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis joined the HDNet MMA broadcast team.

2010 - TNA ran Pittsburgh, PA.  Steve Vance filed the following live report:

TNA Pittsburgh house show was solid. Great, hot, crowd with tight matches. IF TNA can capture the feel of this show and execution of these matches on Monday nights - it can truly give WWE a run for its money. Onto the review....

This is the first time that TNA has come to Pittsburgh and the Ches-a-rena has a bit of a cave feel to it - kind of retro-cool. As we enter, Don West is at the merchandising booth on our left , while Kurt Angle is signing stuff over to our right. The venue is small, but it is sold out and packed. Hard to estimate the crowd - maybe at 1500 or 2000. There are no risers, only floor seats, but all the seats are good. We are sitting on the entrance side near the announcers table - five rows back of what will be the heel corner for tag matches - pretty much looking straight at the ring post..

Jeremy Borash steps into the center of the ring and sets up the show and the main event with the offer of back stage passes. Seems AJ Styles says "no passes, I want my privacy" while hometown hero Kurt Angle has said, "I want the fans to come visit me in the back. He plugs Pittsburgh's reputation as a "wrestling town" to a big pop.

First match is X-Division #1 Contenders match - Amazing Red vs Kazarian. Respectful handshake at beginning and Kaz dominates with power. MId-match - Red makes a nice comeback with superior speed and gets a near fall. Match goes back and forth with near falls both ways and the crowd was really into it. Give the split crowd edge to Red on a 60-40 basis. Kaz wins with a slightly botched suplex - splash off the top rope. Basically, Kaz suplexed Red, but rather than release it, he followed it on over with his own body with the intention of having Red land on the bottom with Kaz on top- ala a big splash. However, it looked like Red slipped out as he fell and instead of landing flat - he landed awkwardly on his side, taking all of Kaz's weight on top of him. Kaz took the pin but Red was down for a long time afterwards. He got up - Kaz showed respect with another handshake and posed in the ring while the ref helped Red to the back as Red held his ribs. This was an exciting first match and showed why the X-Division is a strength of TNA

Next up Dr. Stevie vs Rhino. Stevie came in to crowd's boos and fan fave Rhino rushed the ring following his entrance. Stevie bailed allowing Rhino to pose for the fans. The ref backed up Rhino to let Stevie back in the ring but Stevie jumped Rhino for an early heel advantage as the ref called for the bell. Stevie beat up Rhino with a few near falls until Rhino delivered a big clothesline mid-match to turn the tide. Rhino continued to show offense, but Stevie kept negating it and avoided a Rhino "gore". Rhino delivered some more power moves including a corner splash and big clothesline to set up the "gore" for the win. A lot of ECW chants during this match.

Earl Hebner came out to ref the TNA knockouts bout - but only got a smattering of disorganized "you screwed Bret" chants. Finally, enough of the chants became prevalent to where he pulled of his regular ref shirt to reveal a ref T-shirt with the words "Damn right I did" on it. You were left with the impression he would heel out the match - but he called it straight.

Sarita and Taylor Wilde out first to crowd pops. Both looked good. Beautiful People - Madison Rayne and Velvet Skye came out next and interacted with crowd - holding their noses, spraying perfume. These girls CAN wrestle and it was a back and forth match with standard heel double teams, hot tags by the faces, and ref distractions. In one series of events, Velvet Sky (I believe) ended falling into the arms of Earl Hebner - like when a male dancer dips his female partner. Earl paused - looked at the crowed - and kissed her. She woke up out of her stupor, spitting, and gagging! Madison Rayne also did a move on Taylor Wilde that was both incredibly sexy and painful at the same time. She somehow got Wilde's head between her legs and she did series of thrusts that shoved Wilde's head into the canvas. Eventually, after some near falls the knockout champs retained the titles. Did I mention we were sitting in the heel corner? That means we came to really appreciate the Beautiful People who lived up to their name.

Doug Williams X-Division champ defended against Abyss and the power of the Hogan ring. Williams jumps Abyss who no-sells. Finally, Williams gets in some offense and is effective. Williams uses speed to avoid the majority of Abyss power moves. Williams did a good job in this match and used his heel tactics to keep Abyss at bay. Eventually, Williams uses the title to hit Abyss and tries for a cover. Abyss kicks out and Hulks up. Abyss goes on the offensive with most of Williams efforts now being ineffective. Black Hole slam for the Abyss win and he does Hogan poses and crowd calls to the joy of all in attendance. Williams did a great job of not looking weak in this match and Abyss showed real charisma with his Hogan-esque performance.

We go to intermission.

After intermission Brutus Magnus comes out to sing God Save the Queen and is interrupted by fellow Brit - Rob Terry. Brutus does his best to attack Rob as he is entering the ring - but a clothesline from hell to set the tone and then a power move (which I forgot) and its lights out for Brutus. Rob Terry wins in a squash.

Beer Money vs. Pope Jarrett. BM comes out and works the microphone and the crowds offering more back stage passes. They play up to the crowd until eventually a Steelers chant starts going. At that point, Beer Money indicates they are Cleveland Browns fans - heeling out to the crowd - and tearing up the passes. Jeff Jarrett enters and gets a "thank you Jeff" which he acknowledges with sincerity. Pope comes in to "pimp" and the crowd loves it. Standard tag team match - but Beer Money is so smooth - nothing looks standard about it. Heel antics, double teams, hot tags, lots of near falls, Jarrett struts and strokes, Pope pimps, and best of all - Beer Money played a bit of a comedy routine. Storm got pantsed - maybe more than anyone bargained for - because his butt was hanging out for a full moon and then some. They also did some "accidental" gay stuff - falling into each other's crotches - which led them both to the water bottles to get the taste out of their mouths and Jarrett and Pope to bring them back into the ring the hard way. Jarrett did most of the heavy work for his team and did it well - in the end, Beer Money takes the loss.

It's time for the main event and AJ styles makes his way to the ring - for some sass on the microphone - telling Angle "that he might make the rules in regards to back stage passes, but AJ makes the rules regarding the title and this will be a NON-title match." Angle makes his appearance and they get down to business. Angle has control until a low blow by AJ and then he blasts Angle's leg - which sets up the rest of the match with AJ working on Angle's leg. Kurt tries for his signature moves but AJ manages to avoid them. Figure four by AJ, but Angle makes it to the ropes. Exploding clothesline by Angle and series of suplexes by Angle - near falls galore - Angle ankle lock but AJ escapes - eventually an Angle Slam and the pin. A disgusted AJ says he doesn't like Pittsburgh or Angle, but that he respects Angle.

Angle stays in ring to say thanks to fans. Invites his own kids to the ring - for a big pop. And then stays behind to take pictures with folks in the center of the ring. JB gets on microphone and says "thanks to Kurt Angle everyone gets to go backstage, because we're bringing back stage out to you!" The faces come out for autographs - Taylor Wilde, Sarita, Kaz, Abyss, Rhino, Pope, Jarrett, all hang out with fans along the rails signing autographs.

JB tells the fans that this was a great show, crowd was great, "thanks for the sell out", and TNA will come back to Pittsburgh with a PPV! Big pop from crowd and that's the show.

Don West is hawking Angle T-shirt and 4 DVD pack for $20 as we go. Earl Hebner is selling his T-shirts - autographed for $10. And Jeff Jarrett is signing autographs at the location where Kurt Angle was earlier in the night. Angle is still in the ring taking pictures with folks in the center of ring.

2011 - TNA held their 2011 Victory Road PPV in Orlando, FL, a show hampered with an awful two minute main event caused by issues with Jeff Hardy, who would then be sent home by the company:

Welcome to tonight's TNA Victory Road PPV coverage.

Before we go any further, we'd like to ask anyone who is financially able to do so to please donate to the Red Cross' relief efforts in Japan by texting REDCROSS to 90999, which will donate $10 to the cause with that cost being added to your mobile bill. Thanks.

Bully Ray vs. Tommy Dreamer

Bully Ray cuts a promo putting over Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff. He then turns to Tommy Dreamer and starts talking about him. Dreamer comes to the ring. Ray tells Dreamer that he, Hogan and Bischoff are “like this now” and tonight is now No DQ with Falls Counting Anywhere. He asks Dreamer what he thinks, so Dreamer attacks him.

Dreamer cleans house early including a high cross bodyblock. Bully cuts him off with a clothesline but misses an elbowdrop. Dreamer tosses Ray out of the ring to the floor. Dreamer takes a drink from a fan at ringside and slugs Ray with it, then spits one in his face. Dreamer has a fan hold a chair up and runs Ray into it, which Taz called “old school.”

Someone handed Dreamer a huge stuffed Minion from “Despicable Me” and drilled Dreamer with it. Taz didn’t know what it was and joked that Borash needed to google that. Dreamer dragged Ray into the crowd, where he slammed his head into the guard rail for bleacher stairs, then hit Ray with a stick. He led a TNA chant but was nailed by Ray as he returned over the rail. Ray gave Dreamer an atomic drop on the railing, then nailed him.

Ray beat Dreamer with a kendo stick. He grabbed Dreamer and placed him on the stairs. He went to slam Dreamer with a chair but Dreamer moved. Dreamer nailed Ray and tossed some weapons that just happened to be at ringside into the ring. He nailed Ray with a cane to the head. Dreamer went under the ring and pulled out a blowup doll. You know, because those things are always under the ring. Dreamer nailed Ray in the head and Ray fell into the “69” position with the doll. Dreamer splashed both and covered Ray for a two count.

Dreamer went to come off the top rope with a road sign but took too long so Ray nailed him in the head. Ray superplexed Dreamer into the ring. TNA had a great overhead shot of the move. Ray went for the Bubba Bomb but Dreamer slipped out and DDT’d Ray for a two count.

Dreamer went under the ring for tables just as the crowd began chanting for them. He slipped one into the ring and began setting it up. Dreamer set Ray up for the piledriver on it but Ray backdropped Dreamer away. He killed Dreamer with a trash can shot to the head. Fans began chanting for Devon. Ray nailed a big boot to the face but Dreamer grabbed the bottom rope.

Ray began beating Dreamer with the Singapore Cane. Ray kept beating Dreamer as he screamed at him on the mic. Ray said this one was for Devon and went to put Dreamer through the table. Devon’s music hit and out came Devon’s sons Terrance and Terrell. They made their way to the ring. Devon came from behind and woke Dreamer up. He snuck behind Bubba and Devon and Dreamer nailed Team 3D through the table on Ray.

Dreamer scored the pin.

Your winner, Tommy Dreamer!

Fun brawl, but I am begging Dreamer to protect himself when he’s taking shots to the head. Beyond that, I enjoyed this. Ray has dropped some weight and really has done a great job freshening himself up. Dreamer worked this like he had something to prove and the direction helped build more steam for the Devon-Ray feud.

Christy Hemme interviewed TNA Knockouts champions Winter & Angelina Love and Velvet Sky. Hemme said that a lot of people were shocked that Winter saved Sky. Winter said that her actions proved that she has no issue with Sky, and the only issues are Sky’s jealousy and delusion. She said that she’s just happy that Angelina is seeing that for herself. Sky looked shocked and asked Love if that was true but the champions walked out. Sky asked what was going on.

TNA Knockouts Tag Team champions Angelina Love & Winter vs. Rosita & Sarita

Sarita took the mic early and said that tonight was going to be a great night because she and Rosita were going to win the Tag Team belts. She said that the champs have some strange love triangle thing going on and they aren’t focused. She started ranting in Spanish to get heat and said tonight, they were going to take the belts to start Mexico taking back what is rightfully theirs.

Rosita and Love kicked off the match. Love grabbed a side headlock. Rosita used kidney shots to escape but Love shoulderblocked her down. Sarita tagged in but was caught with a headlock takeover and sent into the champs’ corner. She went running back into Love, who nailed a suplex.

Winter tagged in with Sarita eating a backbreaker for a two count. She nailed a Northern Lights suplex, which Rosita broke up. Rosita seemed nervous early on. Love tagged in. Rosita tried to help but the cousins nailed each other. Love nailed a slam for a two count on Rosita, then tagged in Winter. Rosita used a back heel trip to take out Winter and tagged Rosita, but another screw-up as Sarita dropkicked Rosita.

Love and Winter tagged in and out, controlling Sarita, until Rosita grabbed Love on a rebound and yanked her hair. Rosita tagged in but missed a legdrop. The champs tagged in and out, including a nice doubleteam when Love kicked Rosita with a Yakuza Kick as she was dropped into a Samoan Drop by Winter. Sarita grabbed a Tag belt and tried to use it but Love nailed her, then followed her to the floor, beating on her.

Winter turned to see the fight and Rosita grabbed the belt to nail Winter. Velvet hit the scene and grabbed the belt. Winter rolled up Rosita but the referee was outside. The pin was reversed and Rosita scored the pin. The idea here is that the former champs were blaming Sky.

Your winners and new TNA Knockout Tag Team champions, Rosita & Sarita!

We went to a vignette of The Jarretts on their honeymoon. Jeff’s daughters were with them. Everyone was having a great time on rides except Karen. She demanded their babysitter take the kids back to the hotel but Jarrett instead made the call it was time for pizza. Jeff’s daughters, who have done some acting, including a Taylor Swift video, were good here, as was Karen’s look of disgust at her honeymoon being at a theme park. Maybe Seaworld would have been a better choice?

Christy Hemme interviewed Matt Morgan. Morgan said he was pissed Hernandez took away his moment to become TNA champion. Morgan said that he wasn’t impressed Hernandez spent some time in Mexico. Morgan said that just as quickly as Hernandez rose to prominence there, Morgan can slap him back down. Morgan said that when he was done with Hernandez, his sights are back on the TNA title. He said that he doesn’t care who has it – he wants it. Usual good Morgan promo.

Matt Morgan vs. Hernandez – First Blood

Morgan went right after Hernandez early, beating him to the mat and stepping on his throat. Hernandez went to the floor and tried to smash him into the ring steps. Hernandez prevented it but was then nailed and slammed into the steps. The referee checked for blood but there wasn’t any. Hernandez staggered around the ring, trying to regain his senses.

Hernandez nailed Morgan as he returned to the ring and caught him with a shoulderblock. He grabbed a stick, broke it over his knee and began working over Morgan. He tried to stab Morgan in the face (think Tully Blanchard vs. Magnum TA) but Morgan held him off. Hernandez choked Morgan against the ropes, then raked his back. Hernandez ripped at Morgan’s eyes. He drilled Morgan with a series of rights but was caught with a sideslam.

Hernandez came back with a running shoulderblock before Morgan could build any momentum, then beat him down with a series of clubbing blows. Hernandez caught Morgan with a shoulderblock in a corner where the turnbuckle was exposed. Hernandez rebounded off the ropes but was caught with a discus clothesline.

Morgan worked over Hernandez and drilled him with a Fall Away Slam. He went to the outside and grabbed the broken stick. This didn’t get the reaction you’d think. Hernandez kicked Morgan in the mid-section and went to the top rope but was slammed off the top. Morgan signaled for the Carbon Footprint but someone hit the ring. The referee and security dragged him out. Hernandez pulled out a chain but Morgan stopped him, grabbed the chain and nailed Hernandez with it. The referee was knocked down during the “melee”, according to the announcers.

Morgan went after Hernandez, who, I kid you not, grabbed a vial of fake blood and squirted it all over Morgan’s chest. Jackson James came to the ring, saw the blood and called for the bell. As it turned out, Hernandez was bleeding from the chain punch.

Your winner, Hernandez!

The match was OK but the finish was really, REALLY contrived. I get that the idea was to continue building James as the modern day Danny Davis, but this was a little too silly. I don’t think anyone got anything out of this.

Christy Hemme interviewed Generation Me. Jeremy Buck acted like he didn’t want to wrestle Max. Max said it was his birthday and said that as a birthday present, Jeremy came up with the idea that no matter what, Max would win the belt. Jeremy looked like he had no idea what Max was talking about. Max said it was going to be about Generation Max tonight. Max was good here.

Jeremy Borash interviewed X-Division champion Kazarian. Kazarian said he was in the first ever Ultimate X match and is willing to do things that no one else is prepared to do. He said that like Charlie Sheen, that is “winning.” Kazarian said the match can shorten careers but can also make careers and tonight, it’s going to make his career. Good promo.

They went to a vignette where Robbie E was cool and collected about tonight as he got a drink while Cookie was losing her mind about the match. E said that it was GTX tonight, “Gym, Tanning, X-Division belt.” She looked at him like he was nuts. E walked off and Cookie turned to the person serving the drinks and said, “Please tell me you have vodka in there.” That was funny.

They aired a great video on the Ultimate X match

TNA X-Division champ Kazarian vs. Jeremy Buck vs. Max Buck vs. Robbie E – Ultimate X

The storylines here are that Cookie is freaking out while Max expected Jeremy to help him win. Kazarian’s really found himself in the last few months and you can feel this star aura when he comes out as compared to the past. E got tossed to the ring early. Generation Me worked over Kazarian with several double team moves but Kaz avoided a charge by Jeremy. Kazarian springboarded himself to the cables but was pulled down. That was impressive.

Robbie E attacked Kazarian and worked him over in the corne He whipped Kazarian into the corner, where he bumped to the floor. He took out Generation Me and started to work his way across the cables. Kazarian followed and nailed him off the cables, then dropped off with a legdrop.

Kazarian nailed Jeremy coming in but was nailed and caught with a faceplant. Max started making his way across the cables. E nailed Jeremy with a neckbreaker. Kazarian clotheslined Max, knocking him off the cables. E drilled Kazarian with a big knee and a series of elbows. E went to go up and over on Kazarian but was trapped in Fade to Black. He slipped out but was nailed, taking a nasty bump onto the ring steps.

Kazarian nailed E but then ate a dropkick through the ropes by Max. Max monkeyflipped Jeremy onto the top rope, where he hit a springboard moonsault to the outside. That was awesome. Maz stared calling for Jeremy to return but Kazarian caught him and nailed him on the floor. Max and Kazarian battled back and forth. Jeremy caught him with a rebound dropkick. This is a lot of really good stuff so far.

Max tried to work the cables but was pulled down by Kazarian. Generation Me nailed him with a sandwich dropkick. Max made his way across the cables. Jeremy blocked Kazarian on the cables and they battled, then crashed. Max almost made it to the belt but Kazarian grabbed his legs and swung him. Max fell into the ring and Kazarian nailed him with an Ace Cutter in mid-air. Nice move.

E recovered and began crossing the wires. Max pulled him down and they went back and forth. Max kicked off an E charge in the corner and nailed a Buff Blockbuster off the ropes. Max, who has been on fire here, went to the top rope but was shoved into the metal structure by Kazarian. Ouch!

Jeremy Buck and Kazarian battled back and forth in the corner. Jeremy nailed Robbie E then drilledKazarian again. They ended up doing a Tower of Doom superplex out of the corner with all three. This is a hell of a stunt show. All four men were down and out.

Kazarian nailed the Reverse Piledriver on Robbie E but was walloped by several kicks from Jeremy Buck. With Max still out, Jeremy went to the top rope but was nailed by a Kazarian boot. Kazarian went for the Flux Capacitor and nailed it, turning it into almost a splash-like move on the way down. It looked sick.

Robbie E and Kazarian battled to get to the belt first. Generation Me dragged E off and nailed him with a double superkick. They turned their attention to Kazarian, swinging his legs until he crashed and burned. Jeremy went to the top but Max was pissed and pulled him down. They argued and Max went to the top. Jeremy finally said the hell with it and went up anyway. They met at the center and began beating the other while hanging from their legs. Jeremy finally collapsed.

Robbie E brought in a ladder and nailed Kazarian with it as Max was knocked off. Kazarian walked the wires, using the structure to hold himself as E set up the ladder and climbed it. They struggled over the belt but Kazarian eventually pulled it off and grabbed it. He kicked E off the ladder, the fell down into the ring. They didn’t ring the bell until Kaz landed on the floor.

Your winner, Kazarian!

If you like lots of crazy moves and aerial spectacles, this was right up your alley. I was really blown away by the amount of punishment these guys all took. This may have been Max Buck’s best showing to date. Jeremy Buck looked real good. E looked strong and Kazarian continued his ascent in the company. I really enjoyed this.

We are back with the Jarretts on their honeymoon. Karen was hot and wanted to go back to the hotel. Jeff said that he knew just what everyone wanted. Karen thought he meant going back to the hotel for champagne, but it was a second pizza pie. Karen was mad but Jeff promised he had something great for everyone. He told Karen she was getting wet. I guess that means they are going on the Popeye rapids ride, which could be great for comedy. The kids were all really good here.

Christy Hemme interviewed Beer Money. They tried to get Hemme to bend over and shake her rear end. She told them to have some respect. Robert Roode said that were showing everyone what disrespect was. He said that they’ve gotten to the top of TNA by showing respect to everyone they were in the ring with. He said that Shannon Moore seems to have forgotten what respect is. James Storm said that when they are done with Ink, Inc. tonight, he will find out what respect is, but respect won’t save him from his ass-whipping tonight. “Sorry about you damn luck.”

TNA Tag Team champions Beer Money vs. Ink, Inc.

Jesse Neal started with James Storm. Neal showed some fire, slapping Storm and scored a two count with a neckbreaker. He scored another with a high cross bodyblock. Robert Roode and Shannon Moore tagged in. They have a nice back and forth exchange with some good counter-wrestling. Roode takes out Moore with a clothesline and powerslams Neal for a two count. So far, so good.

James Storm tagged in but Moore nailed him from behind as he rebounded off the ropes. Neal wasn’t happy about it. Moore tagged in and worked on Storm, nailed a legdrop for a one count. Moore cinched in a side chinlock. He tried to fight his way out but Moore grabbed his leg to snap him to the mat. Neal tagged in and drilled Storm in the ribs. Neal hit a nice swinging neckbreaker and cinched in a chinlock.

Moore tagged in and stomped away at Storm. Neal tagged back in and caught him with a running back elbow for a two count. Ink, Inc. tagged in and out, holding down Storm. Moore spit at Roode to get under his skin. Moore charged Storm in the corner but Storm slipped out of the way and Moore crashed and burned.

Roode made the hot tag to Neal. They exchanged punches back and forth in the center of the ring with Roode finally getting the better of the deal. Roode went to backdrop Neal but was caught with a kick to the face. Roode came back to nail a spinebuster for a two count. Neal fought back but was caught with a double elbow. Moore had blind tagged in and hit the ring. All four battled. Moore nailed headscissors on Roode, then a rana on Storm.

Moore nailed a moonsault on Storm, but Roode tried to grab him in a suplex. Moore slipped out and used a faceplant for a two count. Ink, Inc. went for a double team move but Roode shoved Neal into Moore in the corner then hit the Northern clothesline on Neal. Roode went to the ropes to suplex Moore but he used a series of elbows to nail him and send him back to the ring. Moore hit a flip off the ropes on Storm but Roode drilled him with a powerslam for a two count.

Neal nailed Roode with a headbutt from behind but was caught by Storm with a kick from the outside. They slammed Moore. They went for DWI but Neal speared Storm. That left Roode to be hit with a Moore neckbreaker but he kicked up at the last second. Nice false finish.

Moore was pissed about the count and grabbed the Book of DILLIGAFF. He instructed Neal to pull up Roode but he hesitated. Storm drilled Neal with the superkick. Beer Money nailed Moore with DWI and scored the pin.

Your winners and still TNA Tag Team champions, Beer Money!

Another fine tag match under Beer Money’s belt. Ink, Inc. looked really good here. Really enjoyed this. The type of nice back and forth tag matches you don’t see in WWE these days.

Beer Money showed respect to Neal, shaking his hand. Shannon Moore took a sip out of Storm’s beer and spit on them. Neal was pissed. Moore yelled at him that he needed to harden up. He told Neal he wasn’t a student anymore and the only way they are going to be champs is if he hardens up.

Christy Hemme interviewed Ric Flair and Matt Hardy. Flair said that Hardy has a cold heart and he has a vision to be the man. He said that tonight, AJ Styles needed to beat the man. Hardy said that he’s told Styles what the business has done to him personally and professionally and it’s going to do it to Styles one day as well. He said that the only thing at the end of the rainbow is Hardy. He said that it’s nice to naive but that doesn’t make you money or famous. Great to see them calling the guy who’s been here headlining from the first PPV young and naïve, but what do you really expect? Beyond that, promo was fine.

AJ Styles vs. Matt Hardy

Hardy’s added some muscle. Styles controlled the match early with several chops and took down Hardy, holding him on the mat. Hardy nailed Styles with an elbow after sending him into the ropes. Styles rebounded with a big dropkick to the face. Hardy went to the floor. As he returned, Styles leapt up and landed on the apron for a springboard but was nailed by Hardy. Styles escaped and drilled Hardy, sending him to the floor. Styles went for a flip dive but Flair grabbed his leg as he rebounded. Styles turned to Flair, allowing Hardy to drill him with a clothesline for a two count.

Hardy nailed several elbows and legdrops on Styles. Styles maneuvered Hardy back out of the ring to the floor. He nailed a moonsault to the floor off the apron. Hardy sent Styles into the ringpost. Hardy nailed Styles in the floor. He whipped Styles into the guard rail but Styles slid underneath it, nailed Hardy and hit a springboard off of it. That was friggin’ awesome.

Styles worked over Hardy until Hardy grabbed him with a toss backwards into the buckles. Hardy tossed Styles to the floor and distracted the referee. Flair chopped Styles on the floor several times. Earl Hebner warned Flair to stay away. Flair shoved him and Hebner shoved back. Hardy tossed Styles back in and used a catapult to send Styles into the bottom rope throat first.

Hardy beat down Styles with several shots across the back and locked in a front choke while scissoring Styles with his legs. Hardy tried to force Styles to tap but Styles grabbed the ropes with his feet. Hardy choked Styles against the ropes. When the referee forced him away, Flair used a testicular claw on Styles. Hardy dropped several elbows but Styles kicked up.

Styles fired back on Hardy to escape a side chinlock, nailing several chops. Both men ducked a clothesline then nailed the other at the same time. They staggered until Styles nailed an enziguiri. Good stuff.

They battled back and forth with punches. Styles ducked one and unloaded on Hardy, then drilled him with several clotheslines and a running back elbow. Styles nailed a backbreaker type move, dropping Hardy’s head across his knee, then a suplex for another two count. Hardy missed a discus clothesline and was caught with the Side Effect, scoring a two count.

Hardy went to the ropes and drilled Styles with a double sledge. He called for the Twist of Hate. He went for it but Styles turned it into a backslide for a two count. Styles nailed a discus clothesline. AJ went for the Styles Clash but Hardy dropped to his knees. Styles went for it again but Hardy snapped him onto the mat and covered him. Styles got his shoulder up.

Hardy charged Styles in the corner but ate and elbow. Styles nailed a moonsault but Ric Flair distracted the referee. Flair poked Styles in the eye IN FRONT OF THE REFEREE. No DQ. Styles nailed the Pele Kick on Ric, who bumped off the apron. Hardy nailed Styles, then hit a moonsault for a two count. Styles avoided the Twist of Hate and sent Hardy into the corner. Hardy ascended the ropes but Styles nailed the Pele Kick.

Styles went to the top and nailed the Spiral Tap, scoring the pin.

Your winner, AJ Styles!

Very good match.

Styles drilled Flair low on the way out.

We are back with The Jarretts. Karen has had enough of this, saying it’s a family vacation not a honeymoon. She said she loves the kids but Jeff knows what’s missing. Jeff said that he knows what’s missing and he misses him too – Kurt Angle. Jeff said that he’s shown he’s the better man so on Thursday, he’s going to call a truce. Karen said that she wanted to know where the kids were. Jeff said that they were off having fun. She demanded they find them and leave. The girls returned, soaked and began hugging Karen just as an entire huge amount of water was dumped on the entire family. Karen began freaking out as Jeff picked her up and spun her around. This was hilarious.

Christy Hemme interviewed Mr. Anderson. Anderson said that RVD should know that this is business and Anderson has to go through him to get back to being the number one contender and get the match everyone has refused to give him the last six weeks. He said that he’s a nice guy but he’s an a**hole. He said that bad guys and douchebags finish last but a**holes always finish first.

Rob Van Dam vs. Mr. Anderson

Anderson cut a promo before hitting the ring saying he was the a**hole that was going to win tonight. Dueling chants as the match starts. They battled back and forth with strikes and punches. They avoided each other’s moves early until Hardy covered him for a two count using body scissors to twist Anderson into a pinfall situation. They faced off.

They go back and forth with some decent exchanges of back and forth wrestling. Anderson shoulderblocked RVD down. Van Dam went for a leapfrog but didn’t make it all the way, colliding down onto Anderson. They acted like Anderson had scouted Van Dam and used the move to his advantage. Anderson worked over Van Dam in the corner with a clothesline and kicked away at him.

Van Dam mounted a comeback. Anderson went to the floor, where he was hit with a sliding kick and a plancha to the floor. Van Dam draped Anderson across the railing and went for a corkscrew guillotine but legdrop but Anderson slipped out of the way. RVD nailed the railing hard. Anderson worked over RVD’s knee. Anderson kicked away at Van Dam’s legs and hamstring, then began dropping several knees across it.

Anderson continued working on RVD, who finally kicked him off during a charge in the corner. Rob went for a whip but Anderson cut him off. Vam Dam slipped out of the way of a DDT. He went for a rolling thunder but was hurting. Anderson grabbed him for a Samoan Drop but RVD grabbed a side headlock. Anderson nailed a back suplex to kill RVD’s momentum. He snapped RVD with a spinning neckbreaker for a two count.

Van Dam fought back until the two looked to have clunked heads legit. Van Dam nailed a clothesline and hit high cross body into the ropes with both flying over the ropes to the floor. They battled on the outside. Anderson hit the Mic Check on the ramp. The referee (Jackson James, naturally) counted both men out.

Double countout, no winner.

The fans began chanting “restart the match” while a smaller group was chanting “No.”

The match was decent but you could see a few moments where they zigged instead of zagging. They worked hard to make up for it, but with that finish, it came off a little flat. The crowd loved chanting for both.

Backstage, Jeff Hardy said Sting stole his title unfairly. He said that he used to idolize Sting when he was a kid but he was going to make sure there is no Second Coming of Sting. He said he was going to do what he does best – kick ass and take back his title tonight.

They aired a nice video on Sting’s career.

TNA champion Sting vs. Jeff Hardy

They had Jeremy Borash with the big time ring introductions.

Eric Bischoff came to the ring and said there was a slight change of plans. He said they had a situation on March 3rd when the network got involved in their business. He said that since Hardy was taken advantage of in a blatant way, he wants Sting to know that he’s going to be fair. He offered his hand to Sting and asked him to shake it. Sting refused. Bischoff told him to have it his way and said that to make it a level playing field, he and Hulk Hogan got together and made it a No DQ match. He said that since Hardy couldn’t prepare for Sting, they allowed Hardy to know so Sting couldn’t prepare. Sting shoved Bischoff down.

Hardy is wasting time trying to tease throwing a shirt out to mess with the crowd. Sting gets tired and goes after him. Sting unloads early with several punches, then hits Hardy with a Scorpion Death Drop, scoring the pin. Yep.

Your winner and still TNA champion, Sting!

Hardy immediately jumps up and is pissed, kicking at the ropes.

That was it. Seriously. I know Jeff Hardy has a court date coming up this week, so everyone can start to wonder about whether that has any bearing here but no way in hell could you consider this a worthy PPV main event.

Mike Tenay and Taz went through footage of every match on the show to close the PPV. You could hear the Impact Zone chanting “bullsh**” live in the building and booing.

2012 - Ty Bailey, who worked directly under John Laurinaitis as Vice President, WWE Talent Relations was let go by WWE.  Bailey, who had an NFL background before coming to WWE, oversaw the developmental system and was in charge of booking talents as extras for TV Tapings, among other responsibilities. He had replaced Mike Bucci in the position. Bailey had been with the company since December 2005.

If you enjoy PWInsider.com you can check out the AD-FREE PWInsider Elite section, which features exclusive audio updates, news, our critically acclaimed podcasts, interviews and more by clicking here!

• Tweet