Hunter's Torn Quad

Raw's Elimination Chamber match has: Jeff Hardy, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, JBL, Umaga and HHH. Smackdown's Elimination Chamber match has: Undertaker, Batista, MVP, Finlay, the Great Khali and Big Daddy V. I can see the logic in loading up No Way Out with two Chamber matches, but that Smackdown line-up is murder. With the Raw EC, people can buy or be happy with at least four people winning it (Hardy, Shawn, Jericho and Hunter). But with the Smackdown Chamber match your choices are limited to Undertaker and Batista. This really highlights how limited Smackdown is in terms of accepted main event talent, and I'd be tempted to try and find a way to put Rey and/or even Edge in there. Big Show is probably going to Raw, but Smackdown needs him more at this point. Even though he wouldn't win the Chamber match, it needs some kind of depth to it.

For what it's worth, and I guess it could be a fake story put out to try and find moles, Alvarez is saying that it's likely that Cena is getting the belt at No Way Out.

The Rumble itself was so-so, with the action only really being any good when the more talented workers were involved. It got really unwieldy at the end with far too many people in the ring at once. Cena's return was a big surprise, and the reaction of the crowd, going from incredibly positive to incredibly negative was great. While it's good to have big surprises from time to time, I don't know that I'd have made the return of Cena one of them, because it negates the ability to build it up and draw money from it. Still, the reaction to his return was almost worth it.

He certainly looks well.

Criticizing Triple H, HBK and Undertaker for 'usually losing viewers unless pushed against certain people' is pretty funny, considering the segments that Lashley 'drew viewers' with, at least to any serious degree, were ones with Vince McMahon or John Cena, two of the biggest ratings getters in the company. Lashley wasn't a bad worker, but he was overpushed. He lacked any one tangible or intangible ability required to be accepted at the level he was pushed at.

The taping is still taking place. I think TNA's logic is that with Kurt almost certain to lose to Nakamura, why waste time getting the match over, when they can spend the time getting over Tiger Mask and Curry Man, with Curry Man presumably being the way Christopher Daniels is going to be brought back.

I think he means that literally. Undertaker did kick out of it, as in physically kicking Bret off when he had the hold applied, which I don't think anyone had done before.

- Xplosion Match: Judas Mesias defeated Elix Skipper. - ODB defeated Angelina Love. After the match, she challenged Awesome Kong to a match at Against All Odds. - The Motor City Machineguns & Jay Lethal came to the ring and accepted the challenge from Team 3D for a Hardcore Street Fight at Against All Odds. Team 3D interrupted and they all ended up brawling. - Tomko defeated Eric Young. After the match, James Storm attacked Eric and tried to drink a beer with Tomko, but Tomko hit him. - Kaz defeated Senshi. After the match, Black Reign attacked Kaz. - VKM comes out and Kip wants to know who BG's partner is. BG reveals it to be his father, Bullet Bob Armstrong. They all embrace and leave together. - Abyss defeated Lance Hoyt. Jim Mitchell reveals Abyss' secret and it's that Mitchell is Abyss' father. - Robert Roode defeated Sonjay Dutt. - In a three way elimination match, Christian defeated AJ Styles and Samoa Joe. Joe was eliminated first after getting disqualified for getting caught with a chair that AJ used. Joe was mad and was arguing with Matt Morgan, but Kevin Nash came out and got Joe to calm down and leave. Christian then pinned AJ to win the match.

Yeah, and then her boyfriend would have got beaten up. Quite an option he gave her there. Even though Lita wasn't directly threatened, it was still rape, because she didn't give consent of her own free will, without threat or coercion. And no, it doesn't matter that it wasn't Lita herself who was under threat. Look it up.

How about Jeff tries to recreates his big Swanton from Raw, Orton moves, Jeff crashes and burns, and Orton crawls back into the ring and the referee has to count Hardy out? Orton can claim to have won, but Hardy points out that Orton didn't really beat him, and goads Orton into a gimmick rematch. They can even make it a Ladder match. That way, Orton looks strong going into WM by beating Hardy in Hardy's type of match, but Hardy doesn't have to get pinned.

10,000 is stretching it at best, and even then it'll have to be mostly papered. The only real drawing match they have right now is Nakamura vs. Angle. Before 1/4, I would have put Nagata vs. Goto on a strong semi-final level, but not with how Goto was treated against Muta. With one real strong main event and nothing really inspiring underneath, at least right now, I'll be stunned if New Japan get even 7,500 paid. Anything above that is likely to be paper, unless they really load up the undercard. For the record, their last Sumo Hall outing drew barely more than a half full house, with 6,500, and who knows how much of that was paper.

1999. When Russo has to write around an actual wrestling match, he's totally and completely lost. Easily the worst Rumble of the last few years. As uninspiring as 1995 was, at least it was shorter than the usual Rumble match.

Only way that happens is if it's a fight in the UFC and, for many reasons, that isn't happening. Though on the off-chance it did, Angle would get slaughtered in embarrassing fashion.

Monster reaction? I won't doubt he got one but the big reaction there consisted of two guys screaming like little girls. Ignore those two and listen to everyone else, and watch the reaction of the fans. The whole thing got over huge that night, and Edge was monster over, if for one night only. Not that he isn't over big now, but that night was a peak.

A handheld better captures the monster reaction Edge got.

Of course he raped her. Consent gained through coercion is NOT real consent.

Showdown with Jillian Hall.

Betting line on Nakamura doing a match in TNA and getting pinned after being hit by a bottle of sake?

Latest Observer says Rey got himself a reduced house show schedule because he didn't think his body could hold up to a full-time schedule anymore.

They should at least air clips of it, and put it into context, given how Angle is facing one of them, Nakamura, in title unification match next month and that Nakamura is going to show up on Impact to build the match. Common sense dictates they get the build going as soon as possible. If Angle vs. Nagata is the only complete match they show, fine. But even for TNA it would be stupid not to show at least clips of the main event, considering the upcoming Angle vs. Nakamura match, and, time allowing, clips of the other matches too.

You missed this part out:

I think BJ's aggression and fearlessness might work against him, as I think his cardio might still be suspect, for a number of reasons. Maybe it's the Countdown show doing it's job, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Stevenson come into the fight with the better mindset and for that to play a major role in the outcome. While I expect BJ to win, I can't help but think Stevenson is going to be able pull off the upset.

Lawler did that to Raven as well; on one of the first Raw's after Raven returned, Raven DDT'd Lawler on the floor by the commentary table, and after they came back from the break, Lawler was back doing commentary acting upset but not selling the DDT at all.