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5/21 WWE Superstars TV Reax

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (9.0): Best: Jericho vs. Punk. Worst: nothing really. This one was just a nice show all-around. Even the least good thing - Regal-Kofi - wasn't bad. That match sits lowest on the show's totem pole simply because it was the least important in PPV terms. The match was reasonably good and the commentary took care of the developing U.S. title picture on Raw. The whole WWE vs. Denver is a curious thing to me. It all comes down to one thing: Denver made the playoffs. If they hadn't, there wouldn't be a story here. What would WWE have done then? If that were the case, I would have passed the free time to Miz (dressed in a heelish throwback jersey), who's on a big roll. For the second time, a Dreamer-Christian match goes to some kind of dirty finish. A three-way for ECW at Extreme Rules is all but official. Jericho-Rey will happen again at Extreme Rules, so it made sense to touch on that in the promo. But I did like how Jericho focused on the Jericho-Punk match by belittling Rey in the process. He made the closest upcoming match his more important focus while still playing the small card with Mysterio. The Jericho-Punk match was very nice with subtle gems in it: the way the abdominal stretch was worked and commentary tallying the Jericho-Punk scoreboard. Could there be a MITB case defense coming up to explain the Jericho-Punk match-ups?

5/21 TNA Impact TV Reax

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (8.0): Best: Lethal/Creed vs. Sabin/Shelley vs. Daniels/Suicide; Angelina promo. Worst: Foley vs. "Champ." Sacrifice is on Sunday, and where does TNA stand? Let's take a look at the checklist, shall we? Jarrett is officially in the running for the Ultimate Sacrifice match. Check: saw that one coming. West keeps trying to shove "Daniels is Suicide" down our throats despite the storyline reveal being someone else. Check, but it's being played out very well. Lauren did say "Chris Daniels" during an interview, but it still makes no sense that Daniels isn't using his first name...unless the Suicide reveal involves another wrestler named (or a returning Kaz is renamed) Chris. Booking is set for Beer Money to win the tournament and continue their storyline with 3D. It's about as check as check can get. What this didn't answer at first was how The British Invasion are keeping LAX's Feast or Fired cases. But then Cornette couldn't control the Knockouts contract signing, so I guess we'll just have to tolerate the incompetence. Mick Foley's championship opponent reveal would be a complete letdown. Big check, and I'm not the only one who didn't find it funny. I didn't hear much reaction in the crowd. It did serve the purpose of stacking the deck in favor of the heels - Foley, Angle, and the face-as-heel Sting. I suppose it also served the purpose of further perpetuating Foley's off-the-wall character, but this was still a horrible piece of the final sell for the main event PPV match. In other places, Kevin Nash should never not wear pants again. I do not like what I'm seeing with TNA turning Eric Young into a whiny heel. I also think there was a lack of thought, as he sounded heel in the promo with Jarrett, but behaved like a face in the ring with Sting. Lauren was getting a real workout: she chased down Abyss in Dr. Stevie's office in one segment, then gave an unfrazzled interview with A.J. Styles. I swear, though, that the interview with A.J. was either a carbon copy redo of a previous interview or just a complete replay of one already done. Cornette couldn't control the chaos that was Kong powerbombing Rudy Charles into a table. That said, I give Angelina major props for saying and delivering the right words to set off the moment. The Jenna-Sharmell story can only have a bad ending, and could affect what could be a good Booker-Styles match at Sacrifice. Compared to WWE Judgment Day, Sacrifice's storylines and matches look better on paper. We'll see how they really compare come Sunday.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on these shows for a "TV Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on Superstars, Impact, or Smackdown click here.


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