We start to come out of the doldrums with WWE, as they do start to push more exciting, younger wrestlers, like Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne (formerly and futurely Matt Sydal of ROH), MVP, Dolph Ziggler, and a few others. It's certainly not a Golden Age yet, but it's really starting to build up to a more exciting era, as long as you can slog through a billion John Cena vs Randy Orton matches.

Sadly, it's meager pickings for Impact and ROH, despite very talented rosters. There are just even worse booking choices than WWE, which is quite an achievement. Sixty minute matches with no definitive winner was an exciting staple of early ROH but it is well rusted by 2009. And while Impact has truly moved almost all the way on from its previous Dinosaur generation, it's still guilty of throwing Mick Foley, Sting, and some other past-primers in a spotlight that still should really belong to the X and Knockout Divisions, which fade into the background a bit this season. You might imagine that this meant more WWE episodes this season, but my ROH & Impact timelines were a little bit behind where WWE was, so this season gets everything properly aligned again.

I wanted to end the season with one of the best Wrestlemania matches of all-time, The Career Vs Streak Match. I mean, we ended Season Nine by saying goodbye to Hulk Hogan, Season Ten saw Shawn Michaels retire Ric Flair, now it's Michaels's own turn to bow out of the competition. And unlike the others, he never came back. NO, HE'S NEVER EVEN BEEN TO SAUDI ARABIA. This was his final Ever match.

1101. Priceless Opportunists, 2008

The Michaels/Jericho feud is one of the all-time best, and though we join it already in progress, it's going to fester beneath most of this season, and never disappoint. Also, Legacy's origin starts in this episode.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Taz, Mick Foley, Mike Adamle, Lilian Garcia, Tony Chimel, Justin Roberts

1. Shawn Michaels vs Chris Jericho
2. World's Greatest Tag Team vs Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes
3. Edge vs Undertaker in a TLC/Loser Leaves WWE Match for the WWE Heavyweight Title
​
4. Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs Brian Kendrick & Paul London
​
5. Chris Jericho (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Kofi Kingston
6. Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs Priceless
7. Edge (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Batista

1102. New Horizons, 2008

Just a series of brutal matches from the names and faces who would dominate the sport in the coming decade.

Announcers: Dave Prazak, Lenny Leonard

1. Nigel McGuinness (ROH Champ) vs Caesaro
2. Daniel Bryan (as Bryan Danielson) vs Seth Rollins (as Tyler Black)
3. Roderick Strong & Naomichi Marufuji vs Sweet & Sour Inc
4. Daniel Bryan (as Bryan Danielson) vs Seth Rollins (as Tyler Black) vs Kenny Omega
5. Austin Aries & Briscoes vs Age Of The Fall in a Steel Cage Warfare Match

1103. Escalation, 2008

We don't often see storylines continue from episode to episode on ROH, so I put these two together to resolve some feuds from the previous episode. Also, I forgot that Ace Steel used to wrestle on stage in ROH before he was a backstage biter in AEW. So I plopped one of his six person tag team matches here in the midst of the Age Of The Fall story, and Daniel Bryan's long awaited rematch with Nigel McGuinness.

Announcers: Dave Prazak, Lenny Leonard

1. Age Of The Fall (ROH Tag Team Champs) vs Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
2. Sweet & Sour Inc vs Ace Steel, Brent Albright & Roderick Strong
3. Austin Aries vs Jimmy Jacobs in an I Quit Match
4. Nigel McGuinness (ROH Champ) vs Daniel Bryan

1104. Stone Cold Impact, 2008

Impact revisits their early glory days by holding an international X Division tournament of high flyers who haven't yet ascended to the main event level. It's long and convoluted, but the semifinal Survivor Series style match was an absolute blast. But most of the episode continues to be about the heavyweights, including Awesome Kong, the woman who helped wrestling companies realize that women had evolved into excellent wrestlers years ago, and maybe it was time to start treating them like the athletes they were.

Announcers: Mike Tenay, Don West, Frank Trigg

1. Tomko vs Shark Boy
2. Awesome Kong (Impact Knockout Champ) vs Gail Kim
3. King Of The Mountain Match
Samoa Joe (Impact Champ) vs Christian vs Booker T vs Rhino vs Bobby Rhoode

4. Totally Not A Survivor Series Match
Team TNA vs Team Japan vs Team Mexico vs Team International

5. Taylor Wilde (Impact Knockout Champ) vs Awesome Kong
6. Full Metal Mayhem Match
Kurt Angle & Dudley Boyz vs AJ Styles, Christian & Rhino

7. Shark Boy & Curry Man vs Rock N Rave Infection
7. Kurt Angle vs AJ Styles in a Last Man Standing Match

1105. Slow & Steady, 2008

Finally, CM Punk reaches the main event scene in the WWE. Sure, he was the ECW champ for a few minutes, but WWECW was such a bummer to watch that I tried to skip most of it. Plus, more Jericho/Michaels and Edge/Undertaker.

​Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Taz, Lillian Garcia, Tony Chimel

1. Triple H (WWE Champ) vs John Cena
2. Matt Hardy (WWE US Champ) vs Shelton Benjamin
3. Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels
4. CM Punk (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs JBL
5. The Undertaker vs Edge in a Hell In A Cell Match

1106. No Surrender, 2009

There's a seemingly objectifying storyline in this episode that goes against the women's revolution, but don't worry, they resolve it in a very Wrestling Way. The highlight of this episode is Mick Foley signing on as an authority figure and all the former WWE guys taking shots at him and "Daddy Vince". Sure, Jeff Jarret returns, but it's for a decent story.

​Announcers: Mike Tenay, Don West, Mick Foley

1. Awesome Kong vs ODB in a Falls Count Anywhere Match
2. Sonjay Dutt vs Jay Lethal in a Ladder Match
3. Steel Asylum Match
Jay Lethal, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Curry Man, Jimmy Rave, Johnny Devine, Petey Williams, Shark Boy, Sonjay Dutt & Super Eric

4. Taylor Wilde (Impact Knockout Champs) vs Awesome Kong vs Roxxi

4. Monster's Ball Match for Impact Tag Team Championship
Beer Money vs Dudley Boyz vs LAX vs Abyss & Matt Morgan

5. Jeff Jarrett vs Kurt Angle
6. Samoa Joe (Impact Champ) vs Sting

​1107. Survivor Series Evolution, 2008

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Taz, Todd Grisham, Matt Striker, Lillian Garcia, Tony Chimel, Justin Roberts

It's Jericho's time at the top of the title scene, as he has another stunner of a match with Shawn Michaels, and then has to defend against Batista. We also see the Hardy Boyz in the singles title scene for a change, and we finish off with a classic Survivor Series match between former members of Evolution.

1. Triple H (WWE Champ) vs Jeff Hardy
2. Chris Jericho (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Shawn Michaels in a Ladder Match
3. Matt Hardy (WWECW Champ) vs Matt Sydal (as Evan Bourne)
4. Undertaker vs Big Show in a Last Man Standing Match
5. Chris Jericho (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Batista
6. Team Orton vs Team Batista in a Survivor Series Match
Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Mark Henry, Shelton Benjamin & Mark Henry vs Batista, CM Punk, Matt Hardy,Kofi Kingston, R-Truth

1108. Final Armageddon, 2008, 2009

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Taz, Todd Grisham, Matt Striker, Lillian Garcia, Tony Chimel, Justin Roberts

Just as it seems everything is going well for the Hardyz, uhhhh, it stops. Plus we see Legacy absolutely dominate The Royal Rumble.

1. Rey Mysterio vs CM Punk
2. Edge (WWE Champ) vs Triple H vs Jeff Hardy
3. Jake Haeger (as Jack Swagger) (WWECW Champ) vs Matt Hardy
4. Jeff Hardy (WWE Champ) vs Edge
5. Royal Rumble
Rey Mysterio, John Morrison, Carlito, MVP, The Great Khali, Vladimir Kozlov, Triple H, Randy Orton, JTG, Ted DiBiase Jr., Chris Jericho, Mike Knox, The Miz, Finlay, Cody Rhodes, Undertaker, Goldust, CM Punk, Mark Henry, Shelton Benjamin, William Regal, Kofi Kingston, Kane, R-Truth, RvD, Brian Kendrick, Dolph Ziggler, Santino Marella, Jim Duggan, Big Show

1109. Final Countdown, 2009

It's Daniel Bryan...I'm sorry...Bryan Danielson's last hurrah in Ring Of Honor before heading off to the sunny pastrues of WWE. Plus, our first look at The Young Bucks!

Announcers: Dave Prazak, Lenny Leonard
​
1. KENTA (GHC Jr Heavyweight Champ) vs Davey Richards
2. The American Wolves (ROH Tag Team Champs) vs Daniel Bryan (as Bryan Danielson) & Seth Rollins (as Tyler Black)
​
3. The Briscoes vs The Young Bucks
​4. Daniel Bryan (as Bryan Danielson) vs Davey Richards

1113. Middlin' Impact, 2009, 2010

A lot of time passes in this episode as The Main Event Mafia angle, while a fun little nostalgic trip, just served as a sort of Senior Citizens Of Wrestling clique with some fun ideas, but not so great wrestling. There is also the silent passing of the announce desk, as Don West gets promoted to backstage marketing guy, and a freshly released from WWECW Taz joins Mike Tenay on commentary. 
​
Announcers: Mike Tenay, Don West, Taz, Lauren Thompson

1. Beer Money Inc vs Dudley Boyz (IWGP & Impact Tag Team Champs)
2. King Of The Mountain Match
Mick Foley (Impact Champ), Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Jeff Jarrett

3. Steel Asylum Match
Christopher Daniels, Alex Shelley, Amazing Red, Chris Sabin, Xavier Woods, Elijah Burke, Jay Lethal and Suicide

5. ODB (Impact Knockout Champ) vs Awesome Kong vs Victoria
6. Bobby Lashley vs Samoa Joe in a Submission Match
7. Kurt Angle vs Matt Morgan
8. Victoria vs Awesome Kong in a Six Sides Of Steel Match

1114. Title Vs Mask, 2009

CM Punk continues his rise to the top of the WWE, and Chris Jericho, having wrapped up his mega feud with Shawn Michaels, puts on another set of classics against Rey Mysterio.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Todd Grisham, Josh Matthews, Matt Striker, Lillian Garcia, Tony Chimel, Justin Roberts

1. Umaga vs CM Punk
2. John Morrison vs Shelton Benjamin
3. Rey Mysterio (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Chris Jericho
4. Edge (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Jeff Hardy
5. Rey Mysterio (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Chris Jericho in a No Holds Barred Match

6. Edge (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Jeff Hardy in a Ladder Match
7. Chris Jericho (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Rey Mysterio Title vs Mask

1115. Breaking Point

This episode is all about CM Punk and Jeff Hardy with the cheeky return of DX as they begin their battle with Legacy. Also, our first look at Dolph Ziggler as himself and not a cheerleader. And ... there have been, I don't know, thousands of matches between Randy Orton and John Cena, and most of them are unspectacular but this I Quit Match is one of their absolute bangers.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Todd Grisham, Josh Matthews, Matt Striker, Lillian Garcia, Tony Chimel, Justin Roberts

​1. CM Punk (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Jeff Hardy
2. Rey Mysterio (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Dolph Ziggler
3. DX vs Legacy
5. Randy Orton (WWE Champ) vs John Cena in an I Quit Match
6. CM Punk (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Jeff Hardy in a TLC Match

1116.Survival Of The Fittest, 2010

The era of Rollins has arrived (ok, he's still Tyler Black for now) as he fills the gap left behind from the departed Daniel Bryan. Plus, we get an early Young Bucks appearance and a Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens teamup in the same match, and Jushin Thunder Liger makes an appearance.

Announcers: Dave Prazak, Lenny Leonard

1. Survival Of The Fittest Match
Seth Rollins (as Tyler Black), Caesaro (as Claudio Castignoli), Colt Cabana, Roderick Strong, Chris Hero, Delirious

2. Kevin Owens & Sammy Zayn vs Young Bucks
3. Austin Aries vs Jushin Thunder Liger
4. Austin Aries (ROH Champ) vs Seth Rollins (as Tyler Black)

1117. Bragging Rights, 2009

​Settle in for the longest episode in this chronology. Beginning with a fun segment about the incredibly stupid "rivalry" between Smackdown and Raw, this episode mainly focuses on the rise of the next generation of wrestlers, some of whom end up becoming the future of WWE/AEW, some of them disappearing into obscurity. But it ends with probably the best ever Cena/Orton match, a one hour Iron Man battle.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Todd Grisham, Josh Matthews, Tony Chimel, Justin Roberts

1. John Morrison (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Dolph Ziggler
2. Jeri-Show (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs Batista & Rey Mysterio
3. DX vs Legacy in Hell In A Cell
4. Team Smackdown vs Team Raw in a Bragging Rights Match
Chris Jericho, Kane, Matt Hardy, R-Truth, Finlay, Tyson Kidd, David Hart Smith vs Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Big Show, Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, Jack Haeger

5. Randy Orton (WWE Champ) vs John Cena in an Iron Man Match

​1118. TLC, 2009, 2010

Tables, and ladders, and chairs, oh my!It's a nearly all-Gimmick event featuring a mildly diverse cast of wrestlers. It's also our first glimpse of Sheamus in this chronology. 

Announcers: Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Matt Striker, Josh Matthews, Tony Chimel, Justin Roberts, Savannah

1. Christian (WWECW Champ) vs Shelton Benjamin in a Ladder Match
2. John Cena (WWE Champ) vs Sheamus in a Tables Match
3. Jeri-Show (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs DX in a TLC Match
4. Undertaker (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Rey Mysterio
​5. Royal Rumble
Dolph Ziggler, Matt Sydal, CM Punk, JTG, The Great Khali, Beth Phoenix, Zack Ryder, Triple H, Drew McIntyre, Ted DiBiase Jr., John Morrison, Kane, Cody Rhodes, MVP, Carlito, The Miz, Matt Hardy, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Shelton Benjamin, Yoshi Tatsu, Big Show, Mark Henry, Chris Masters, R-Truth,  Jake Haeger, Kofi Kingston, Chris Jericho, Edge, Batista

1119. Three Degrees Of Pain

Nigel McGuinness jumps ship from ROH to Impact under the guise of "Desmond Wolfe" to torment Kurt Angle while AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe revisit their glory days of ROH and early Impact. 

1. Kurt Angle vs Nigel McGuinness (as Desmond Wolfe)
2. AJ Styles (Impact Heavyweight Champ) vs Samoa Joe vs Christopher Daniels
3. The British Invasion (Impact Tag Team Champs) vs Motor City Machine Guns
4. Kurt Angle vs Nigel McGuinness (as Desmond Wolfe)  in a 3 Degrees Of Pain Match
5. AJ Styles (Impact Heavyweight Champ) vs Christopher Daniels

1120. Career vs Streak, 2010

There's some who think that the Undertaker/Sean Michaels match we saw earlier in the season is the greatest Wrestlemania match in history. There's others who think this rematch is even better. Either way, it's Shawn Michael's swan song closing out our season. 

Announcers: Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Matt Striker, Josh Matthews, Tony Chimel, Justin Roberts

1. WWE Championship Elimination Chamber
​Sheamus (WWE Champ), Triple H, John Cena, Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston, Ted Dibiase Jr, Batista

2. The Miz (WWE US Champ) vs MVP
3. WWE Heavyweight Elimination Chamber
Undertaker (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs CM Punk, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, R-Truth, John Morrison

4. Chris Jericho (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Edge
5. Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels in a Career Vs Streak Match

There is something macabre about writing up reimagined discographies of older artists, and hanging on to them until they pass, even though it would make posting about them immediate and topical, and therefore seemingly more relevant to people. It's not my style.

I didn't want to wait to post this Tina Turner discography, though. She's an artist who I enjoyed immensely since I first heard "What's Love Got To Do With It" in some neighbor's car when I was in first or second grade. My parents only listened to oldies, so while I was familiar with Tina Turner from "Proud Mary" and "I Want To Take You Higher", I had no idea she was still putting out music. (My musical education at seven was shamefully shallow.)

But ever since hearing that track, I've been a fan. I had cousins who owned the Private Dancer tape, and my parents had no problem with me listening to modern music, it just wasn't their thing, so they bought me Break Every Rule, which I failed to properly appreciate. In fact, I mostly forgot about Tina unless she was on the radio until I joined the Columbia House and BMG scams of the 90s, and first got her Simply The Best, and then all of her solo CDs. I saw What's Love Got To Do With It during its first week in theaters, and I came out of the movie remembering that I had once made a cassete mix of my favorite Turner tracks, and decided I needed to update it.

This first album is nothing like those mixes. I really only knew a few songs from  of her work with Ike when I was a kid. I knew Tina from the radio, and considered plunging into her eighties and nineties work, and sticking "Proud Mary" somewhere a sufficient knowledge of her music.

I was, obviously, an idiot.

I think I reinvested in listening to Tina in 2007ish. I was on the dumb side of a bad breakup, and had made a joke about listening exclusively to Tina Turner songs, and then thought "I mean, I should totally do that. Not to be sad or triumphant but because Tina Turner's music is amazing." So I delved into the sixties material, and discovered that one of my favorite 90s Tina Turner songs was just a rerecording of a 1970s hit.

Like previous Reimagined Discoveries, this is not a guide to The Historically Most Important And Highly Rated Songs  Of Tina's Career, this is just a collection of songs I like that I've put together for an album feel. 

1. We start off with drums, partially because it's a solid beat, partially because I don't want Ike to be the first thing we hear in a Tina Turner discography, important as he was to her early career. Soon the riff pops in, and then Tina's vocal for Honky Tonk Woman comes in fairly gently before we near the chorus. I'm not much of a Rolling Stones fan, so it shouldn't be too surprising that I prefer this cover to the original. She and Ike have released a ton of live versions of this song, but the studio cut from Come Together​ is my favorite version.

2. Sorry to open with two covers but Tina just owned any song she touched, and in the Ike & Tina days, the songs by Not Ike were mostly better than the songs by Ike. Stagger Lee And Billy was a song I was familiar with because my parents listened to the original Lloy Price, which is also a banger. 

3. Early Tina Turner's style was often described as "nice and rough" for her effortless journey from a sweet, soulful beginning of a song to a scorching chorus. She made it easy for people to tag her with this style when she mentions it at the beginning of her iconic cover of Proud Mary, easily the most famous song from the Ike & Tina days. This is another song that's "nearly as" to "more" iconic than the original version (by Creedence Clearwater Revival).

4. I love Sly & The Family Stone. I should probably do a Reimagined Discography of them soon, too. I can't tell you what the first song I heard from them was, but I'm pretty sure I heard Tina's cover of River Deep Mountain High first. The Ikettes just absolutely nail the background vocals on this song. And Tina tinas her way into the stratosphere.

5. We stretch way ahead for the next track. Tina croons her face off to the piano torch song version of A Woman In A Man's World. This was from her first post-Ike album, and it's a gorgeous lament. I didn't want a chronological tale of love narrative to this album because Tina was so much more than her relationship with Ike, so I decided to include this as an intro to, as opposed to a climax to the next track.

6. A Fool In Love is one of the few early songs that starts with acapella Tina before the Ikettes and the band join in. It's from Ike & Tina's first album which is a horror of a realization when you examine their relationship. Like, this was the first time most people heard Tina. You kind of want to reach across time and say "Trust your gut, Anna Mae. He's not a good man. Don't wait almost twenty years to get out!" Musically, you can still feel the 50s all over this early 60s track. It was clearly in their arsenal for a while before their record deal.

7. Let's put the focus back on Tina with one of her own songs, Nutbush City Limits is the song I mentioned hearing the 90s version of before the 70s version. They're both wonderful. But the funk guitar intro on this before the vocals kick in just make you want to dance jaggedly. It's nowhere near as full voiced or catchy as her own reimagining but it's a perfect raw pop rock song. Also, great use of a Moog synthesizer by Ike to make this sound absolutely nothing like any other Tina Turner song. 

8. If You Can Hully Gully is another song Tina co-wrote. A nostalgic song about a 1950s dance where no one was allowed to touch. Probably popular at church socials and other places people should run from.

9. Keeping the fun dancing alive, we move to The Night Time Is The Right Time. On par with Ray Charles's original scorcher, it's a song I could listen to on repeat as Tina screeches "Squeeze me!" and the Ikettes monotone "night and day" in the background. The breakdown guitar solo is also just good, solid, mid-century rock and roll. 

10. And if the night time really is the right time then why not Let's Spend The Night Together? It's another Rolling Stones song where  prefer the cover to the original. And it's all because of Tina. The arrangement is fine but it's not the star. The Stones' arrangement is better. But Tina's vocals leave Jagger in the dust. And that's not a knock on Jagger. His vocals on the original are fantastic. I just think Jagger sounds like he wants to spend the night together while Tina NEEDS to.

11. The Temptations' Ball Of Confusion is one of my favorite songs of all-time. The arrangement, the lyrics, the message. Perfection. This is one of the few times where I think the original far surpasses Turner's cover but that doesn't mean I don't also want to listen to her sing it. Her version just needs more background vocals than it has, preferably something slightly different than the style in the original.

12. We close out this album with a piano ballad. Another torch song. Sometimes When We Touch is just lush and gorgeous and all the other easy cliches to describe a song that's just emotionally heavy but beautiful to listen to. I always thought this version of the song belonged in the Little Shoppe Of Horrors musical. 

Everything is someone's favorite something, so I'm sure somebody loves the 2007-2010 era of wrestling, but it's not me or anyone I've ever talked to about wrestling. While combing through the Attitude Era/Monday Night Wars involves sifting through a lot of crap, that's more an issue of quantity than quality, combined with industry-wide late 90s misogyny placing womens' wrestling as either a joke (old ladies giving birth to hands and being stripped to their granny panties) or as pure sexualization (see every Playboy match, every lingerie match/pillow fight/evening gown match, etc). But there were also epic stories like Austin vs McMahon, the NWO, Kane vs The Undertaker, etc.

In the late 2000-0s, there are three companies we're focusing on.

Ring Of Honor barely has storylines, its focus is on wrestling matches featuring up and coming talent. And by now, the original crop of superstars has either gone on to Impact/WWE or are soon to be on their way. And while their second "generation" of talent is also immensely talented (and won't be around too long before they head to Impact/WWE), the brand as a whole starts to lose its luster. I can't tell you why. There's still a lot of talent there, and interesting booking decisions, I just started to lose interest in it, as did many viewers.

This season, Impact evolves from a federation of uninteresting dinosaurs (Jeff Jarret's stranglehold on the title scene, for example) plodding their way through nostalgia runs while burying the exciting new, acrobatic talent that they were also mildly pushing (AJ Styles broke through that ceiling, but most of the X division did not) to its own interesting brand of sports entertainment . A lot of talent exchange with ROH, and the influx of some current WWE stars, ends up with the company feeling fresh for the first time since its original pay-per-view.

WWE, meanwhile, is still coasting off their post-Attitude ideas. It's still all about John Cena, the Evolution/DX stable, and the Undertaker. Most of the new blood introduced in this season fizzles out by the end, despite their talent and promise. The storylines just feel stale.

There's also still a massive problem with how women are portrayed. WWE being, by far, the worst, as Vince McMahon continues the unnecessary sexualization of women to satisfy his rape kink, or whatever it is that drove him to allegedly sexually assault all those women he spent millions of dollars of hush money on. ROH just doesn't present a very strong roster of women yet. The only company headed in the right direction in this era was Impact with its Knockout Division that pops up near the end of the season and will be the actual Womens' Revolution that WWE co-opts almost a decade later. Not bad for a company that started with several years of women being nothing more than cage dancers on the entry way or promiscuos harlots with no agency who solely existed to break up friends and tag teams.

​1001. Treading Water, 2006

Just because there aren't a ton of great storylines from this era, doesn't mean there weren't some amazing matches, and some new faces oozing with talent. We get an early look at Dolph Ziggler (who is trapped in the Spirit Squad this season, but he'll have his moment soon), and Bobby Lashley, who, despite having a couple of championship runs in this era, really wasn't used well for well over a decade. There's also a ton of old talent/legends in this episode who put in some entertaining time.

Announers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, JBL, Lilian Garcia, Tony Chimel

1. Chris Benoit vs William Regal
2. Booker T (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Bobby Lashley vs Batista vs Finlay
3. MNM vs Hardy Boyz
4. Team Legends vs The Spirit Squad
Ric Flair, Sgt Slaughter, Dusty Rhodes, Farooq vs Dolph Ziggler, Kenny Dykstra, Mike Mondo, Johnny

5. DX vs Rated RKO
Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, CM Punk vs Randy Orton, Edge, The Hurricane, Mike Knox, Johnny Nitro

6. Mr Kennedy vs The Undertaker in a First Blood Match

1002. New Angles

The addition of Kurt Angle to Impact's roster can not be understated. Tossing him into an immediate feud with Samoa Joe was an inspired decision, and helped make Impact shows events. The ascension of Christian up the card was also impressive, as WWE really dropped the ball with his character.

Announcers: Mike Tenay, Don West, Jeremy Borash

1. Rhino vs Samoa Joe vs Monty Brown in a Falls Count Anywhere match
2. Gail Kim vs Sirelda
3. Low-Ki (Impact X Division Champ) vs Chris Sabin
4. Rhino vs Christian in a Hardcore Match
5. AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels (Impact Tag Team Champs) vs LAX in a 6 Sides Of Steel Match

6. Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe

1003. The Kings Of Wrestling

Every participant in every match on this card became a top name in the sport. And the continued reign of Daniel Bryan (as Bryan Danielson) in this episode is jaw dropping.

Announcers: Dave Prazak, Lenny Leonard​

1. Daniel Bryan (as Bryan Danielson) (ROH Champ) vs Samoa Joe in a No Holds Barred Non-Title Match
2. The Kings Of Wrestling (ROH Tag Team Champs) vs Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal
3. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong vs Matt Sydal & Shingo
4. Daniel Bryan (as Bryan Danielson) vs Samoa Joe in a Steel Cage

1004. Scramble, 2006

Apart from the titles up for grabs during this episode, there aren't a ton of stakes, just solid matches from people who don't usually get enough spotlight time. Oh, and John Cena, DX and Rated RKO who have more than enough time, but each put in a strong effort here.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, JBL, Lilian Garcia, Tony Chimel

1. Paul London & Brian Kendrick (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs William Regal & Dave Taylor vs MNM vs The Hardy B0yz in a 4-Way Fatal Ladder Match

2.The Hurricane (WWE Cruserwieght Champ) vs Jimmy Yang Wang
3. Jeff Hardy vs Johnny Nitro in a Steel Cage
4. Mickie James (WWE Womans Champ) vs Victoria
5. Rated RKO (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs DX
6. John Cena (WWE Champ) vs Umaga

1005. Heavyweight Impact, 2007

For a company that started off with a highlight reel of smaller, more agile wrestlers in the X Division, we have landed solidly in the super heavyweight era. All the big, beefy boys in this episode beat every shade of hell out of each other here.

Announcers: Mike Tenay, Don West, Jeremy Borash

​1. Abyss (Impact Heavyweight Champ) vs  Christian vs Sting
2. Samoa Joe vs Kurt Angle
3. Sting vs Abyss in a Prison Yard Match
4. Christian (Impact Heavyweight Champ) vs Kurt Angle
5. Christian (Impact Heavyweight Champ) vs Samoa Joe
6. Lethal Lockdown
Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Rhino, Sting, Jeff Jarrett vs Christian, AJ Styles, Abyss, Scott Steiner, Tomko

1006. The Gravest Rumble, 2007

One of the more fun rumbles of the era, this event sets up storylines for literal years to come.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, JBL, Joey Styles, Lilan Garcy, Tony Chimel, Justin Roberts.

​1. MNM vs The Hardy Boyz
2. John Cena (WWE Champ) vs Umaga
3. The Royal Rumble
Ric Flair, Finlay, Kenny Dykstra, Matt Hardy, Edge, Tommy Dreamer, Sabu, Hurricane, Shelton Benjamin, Kane, CM Punk, Booker T, Super Crazy, Jeff Hardy, The Sandman, Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, Rob Van Dam, Viscera, Johnny Nitro, Kevin Thorn, Hardcore Holly, Shawn Michaels, Chris Masters, Chavo Guerrero, MVP, Carlito, The Great Khali, The Miz, Undertaker

1007. Wood Of Honor, 2007

ROH isn't known for rapid title changes, so it's fun to see the belt travel here. Also, the debut of Pac!

​Announcers: Dave Prazak, Lenny Leonard

1. Daniel Bryan (as Bryan Danielson) (ROH Champ) vs Homicide
2. Homicide (ROH Champ) vs Samoa Joe
3. The Briscoes vs Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
4. Homicide (ROH Champ) vs. Takeshi Morishima
5. Matt Sydal vs Pac

1008. Battle Of The Insane Billionaire Rapists

Two of the worst people in American History wrestle by proxy in this episode. I'm sorry they're included, but the match was good. It would be better if they'd both died of lack of heart attacks during it, or if the combined hundreds of women they've sexually assaulted had banded together, showed up during the bout, and had them both arrested where they were sentenced to life imprisonment. America might still have a smidgen of respect. Politics aside, there were some great matches on this card. It's a shame there weren't more opportunities to put Cade and Murdoch in this chronology, and that Mickie James only gets a handful of appearances in this season. Don't worry, she'll be back.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, JBL, Joey Styles, Lilian Garcia, Tony Chimel, Justin Roberts, Howard Finkel

1. John Cena & Shawn Michaels vs Batista & The Undertaker
1. Money In The Bank Ladder Match
CM Punk, Randy Orton, Matt Hardy, Booker T, Jeff Hardy, Edge, Mr. Kennedy, Finlay

2. Batista (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Undertaker
3. Bobby Lashley vs Umaga
4. The Hardy Boyz (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
5. Melina (WWE Womans Champ) vs Mickie James
6. John Cena (WWE Champ)  vs Shawn Michaels

1009. Deja Pay-Per-Vu, 2007

An unusual title change begins a pay-per-view not too dissimilar to the previous episode. 

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, JBL, Joey Styles, Todd Grisham, Lilian Garcia, Tony Chimel, Justin Roberts.

1. Umaga (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Santino Morella
2. Undertaker vs Batista in a Last Man Standing Match
3. Melina (WWE Womens Champ) vs Mickie James
4. The Hardy Boyz (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
5. Candace Michelle (WWE Womens Champ) vs Melina
6. The Hardy Boyz (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs World's Greatest Tag Team in a Ladder Match
​
7. John Cena (WWE Champ) vs Randy Orton vs Edge vs Shawn Michaels

1010. The Greatest Sacrifice, 2007

This is just a solid use of many of superstars on the Impact roster. Yes, quite a few will go through/already went through their time in the WWE (or WCW & AEW, in the case of Sting), but each of them were all in for Impact at this point and put on some incredible matches, even if the Impact storylines were pretty weak.

​Announcers: Mike Tenay, Don West, Jeremy Borash

1. ​Chris Sabin (Impact X Champ) vs. Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt
2. Jeff Jarrett vs. Bobby Roode 
3. Chris Harris vs. James Storm in a Texas Death Match
4. Low Ki vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Alex Shelley vs. Tiger Mask in a 4 Corners Match
5. The Dudley Boyz (as Team 3D) (Impact Tag Team Champs) vs. LAX vs. Tomko & Scott Steiner
​
6. Christian vs. Kurt Angle vs. Sting for the TNA Heavyweight Championship

1011.  Respect Is Earned, 2007

This is a fun episode that includes a rare locker room emptying brawl in ROH when Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn challenge The Briscoes to a title match.

Announcers: Dave Prazak, Lenny Leonard

1. Caesaro (as Claudio Castagnoli) vs Yamato
2. Homicide & Colt Cabana vs Adam Pearce & Brent Albright
3. Takeshi Morishima (ROH Champ) vs Shingo
4. Daniel Bryan (as Bryan Danielson) & Takeshi Morishima vs Kenta & Nigel McGuinness
5. The Briscoes (ROH Tag Team Champs) vs Caesaro (as Claudio Castagnoli) & Matt Sydal
6. Delirious vs Roderick Strong
7.  ​The Briscoes (ROH Tag Champs) vs Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn

1012. Championship Rollover, 2007

We begin with Dusty Rhodes's final wrestling match, which also happens to be our first glimpse of his son Cody, who will soon be all over this chronology. But we also have that wonderful night where Randy Orton was arbitratily given the WWE title, lost it immediately in a match, and then regained it before the night was over. Plus, Rey Mysterio fares better as The Silver Surfer than whoever played him in the Fantastic Four film.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, JBL, Joey Styles, Todd Grisham, Lilian Garcia, Tony Chimel, Justin Roberts.

1. Randy Orton vs Dusty Rhodes in a Bullrope Match
2. John Cena (WWE Champ) vs Bobby Lashley
3. Rey Mysterio (WWE Cruserweight Champ) vs Chavo Guerrero
4. Randy Orton (WWE Champ) vs Triple H
5. Umaga (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Jeff Hardy
4. Triple H (WWE Champ) vs Randy Orton

1013. Kings Of The Mountain, 2007

More devestating heavyweight action from the company that earned its reputation by featuring the lighter weight flippy flippy guys.

Announcers: Mike Tenay, Don West, Jeremy Borash

1. King Of The Mountain Match
Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Christian, Chris Matthews

2. Gail Kim & Eric Young vs Ms Brooks & Bobby Roode
3. Kurt Angle (Impact Champ) & Samoa Joe (Impact X Champ) vs Dudley Boyz (Impact Tag Team Champs) for All The Belts

4. Samoa Joe vs Christian 
5. Kurt Angle (Impact Champ) vs Sting

1014. Undeniable, 2007

We're seventeen years, and three companies into their friendship/feud here in 2023, but in this episode we see Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have their first potential implosion. Plus, the debut of Awesome Kong in our chronology. Get used to seeing her for a while.

​Announcers: Dave Prazak, Lenny Leonard

1. Caesaro (as Claudio Castagnoli) vs Matt Sydal
2. Takeshi Morishima (ROH champ) vs Daniel Bryan (as Bryan Danielson)
3. The Hangmen 3 vs Delirious, Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn
4. Awesome Kong & Daizee Haze vs Lacey & Sara Del Ray
5. Austin Aries vs Roderick Strong
6. Takeshi Morishima (ROH Champ) vs Nigel McGuinness

1015. Cyber Sunday, 2007

A little romp of an episode where we get to see the top talent fight as the top talent, and we get to see Cody Rhodes battle with his future tag team partner, and underrated mentor, Hardcore Holly.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, JBL, Tazz, Joey Styles, Lilian Garcia, Tony Chimel, Justin Roberts

1. Triple H vs Umaga in a Street Fight
2. Hardcore Holly vs Cody Rhodes
3. Team Triple H vs Team Umaga
Triple H & Jeff Hardy & Kane & Rey Mysterio vs Umaga & Viscera & Finlay & Mr Kennedy & MVP

4. Hardcore Holly vs Cody Rhodes
5. Randy Orton (WWE Champ) vs Shawn Michaels
6. Batista (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Undertaker in Hell In A Cell

1016. Regenesis, 2007

We got to see her once in an ROH episode, but here's where Awesome Kong becomes a dominant force in wrestling. I don't think I can overstate how much better Impact's Knockout Division was, compared to WWE's Divas. Sure, WWE accidentally gave us Chyna, Trish Stratus, Lita, and Mickie James. But, apart from Chyna, the other women were hired as beauties. That they learned to wrestle, and became very talented at it, is a happy accident for history. Awesome Kong and Gail Kim and ODB joined the industry to wrestle. And were treated like people who joined the industry to wrestle.

Announcers: Mike Tenay, Don West, Jeremy Borash
​
1. Christian vs Kaz in a Ladder Match
2. Gail Kim (Impact Knockout Champ) vs Awesome Kong
3. Kurt Angle (Impact Champ) vs Christian
4. Gail Kim (Impact Knockout Champ) vs Awesome Kong
5. LAX vs Rock & Rave Infection vs Motor City Machine Guns
6. Awesome Kong (Impact Knockout Champ) vs Gail Kim vs ODB

1017. Reckless Abandon, 2007

Nigel McGuinness's reign in ROH is beautifully brutal. Plus, the debut of Age Of The Fall is our introduction to Tyler Black, who is just a couple of years away from becoming WWE legend, Seth Rollins.

Announcers: Dave Prazak, Lenny Leonard, Becky Bayliss

1. Takeshi Morishima vs Daniel Bryan (as Bryan Danielson)
2. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn vs Age Of The Fall vs Hangmen 3 vs Vulture Squad in a Tag Team Scramble

3. Nigel McGuinness (ROH Champ) vs Austin Aries
4. Daniel Bryan (as Bryan Danielson) & Austin Aries vs Age Of The Fall
5. Go Shiazoki vs Necro Butcher
6. Nigel McGuinness (ROH Champ) vs Seth Rollins

1018. Point To The Sign, 2007, 2008

Ok, so it's not Sting yet, but another WCW holdout finally joins the ranks of WWE, as Michael Buffer finally says his trademark "Let's get ready to ruuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmble!" at the actual Royal Rumble. Oh, and a surprise entrant in the rumble wins, and gets their chance to main event Wrestlemania.

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, JBL, Taz, Jonathan Coachman, Joey Styles, Lilian Garcia, Tony Chimel, Justin Roberts, Michael Buffer

1. Shawn Michaels vs Mr Kennedy
2. Jeff Hardy vs Triple H
3. The Great Khali vs Finaly
4. Beth Phoenix (WWE Womans Champ) vs Mickie James
5. Batista (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Edge vs Undertaker
6. Royal Rumble
The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Santino Marella, The Great Khali, Hardcore Holly, John Morrison, Tommy Dreamer, Batista, Hornswoggle, Chuck Palumbo, Jamie Noble, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Umaga, Snitsky, The Miz, Shelton Benjamin, Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper, Kane, Carlito, Mick Foley, Mr Kennedy, Viscera, Mark Henry, Chavo Guerrero, Finlay, Elijah Burke, Triple H, John Cena

1019. Up For Grabs, 2008

The future of WWE/AEW continue to climb their way through the rankos of ROH, as Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens become bigger attractions, and Kenny Omega debuts in our chronology.

​Announcers: Dave Prazak, Lenny Leonard

1. Erick Stevens vs Roderick Strong
2. Nigel McGuinness (ROH Champ) vs Go Shiozaki
3. Age Of The Fall (ROH Tag Team Champs) vs Daniel Bryan (as Bryan Danielson) & Austin Aries

4. Daniel Bryan (as Bryan Danielson) vs Caesaro  (as Claudio Castagnoli)
5. Delirious vs Kenny Omega
6. Nigel McGuinness (ROH Champ) vs Kevin Owens

1020. The Last Ride, 2008

We ended the last season with Hulk Hogan's final WWE match (he has another Impact run in our chronology, but it's more angles than a matches), so it makes sense to end this season with the final WWE match of Ric Flair, which is Way Better. And, um, ok, he Also has some Impact matches after this, but I don't think any of them will be making our watch list, and we will most assuredly not be watching the utter trainwreck of Ric Flair's "final match" or any other final matches that might be in the future. This also starts a trend of celebrity matches that are actually good. Floyd Mayweather may not be Bad Bunny or Logan Paul, but he is a massive step up from Mr. T and Lawrence Taylor (who did great for celebrities but didn't show a tremendous wrestling skill set).

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, Jonathan Coachman, Joey Styles, Lilian Garcia, Tony Chimel, Justin Roberts, Howard Finkel

1. WWE Heavyweight Champ Elimination Chamber
Triple H, Shawn Michaels, JBL, Chris Jericho, Jeff Hardy, Umaga

2. Money In The Bank
CM Punk, Shelton Benjamin, Mr Kennedy, Chris Jericho, Carlito, MVP, John Morrison

3. Floyd Mayweather vs The Big Show in a No DQ Match
4. Randy Orton (WWE Champ) vs John Cena vs Triple H
​5. Edge (WWE Champ) vs Undertaker
6. Shawn Michaels vs Ric Flair