NWA-TNA PPV #1 (19/06/2002)

Impact kindly put this up on their YouTube channel for free, and it's a really interesting watch with the benefit of 16 years of hindsight. The majority of the in-ring stuff is decent, but there's a lot of time given to some right old shit - needless concert by a terrible country singer, long preview for the Miss TNA match the following week, in ring interview with two racing drivers - just unappealing stuff. There's enough good in ring stuff that I'd probably have bought the second show if I'd had access at the time, but only just.

AJ Styles, Low Ki & Jerry Lynn vs The Flying Elvises (Jimmy Yang, Jorge Estrada & Sonny Siaki)

Fun little spot fest to kick off the promotion, which also sets up the following week, where Styles, Ki and Lynn are all in the mix to win the first ever X Division title. The Elvises attack to start, but get sent out to the floor, where Lynn and Ki follow them with a pair of nice dives. Thought Estrada looked great here, made the most of his ring time with a nice springboard moonsault and a really nice running shooting star. He also lets Ki basically kick his head off. Everyone gets a few nice spots as it all breaks down, and in the melee Low Ki accidentally kicks AJ in the head with a cartwheel kick, allowing Yang to nail Yang Time for the shock win. Decent enough opener.

Teo vs Hollywood

I went into this with low expectations, as US midget matches are rarely good, and they instantly blow a tilt-a-whirl headscissors in the first move of the match. Hollywood hits a decent top rope splash for a two count, but this is sloppy stuff. Teo hits an ugly twisting swanton to win.

The Johnsons vs Psychosis & James Storm

This is pretty infamous, because of the Johnson’s terrible gimmick. Make no bones about it, the idea of wrestling penises is dreadful and nothing about the execution makes it any better, but the match itself is fine for the sub 5 minutes it runs. Of course, putting the identical Shane Twins into masks is a total waste of their main appeal, but they looks good here. Lovely butterfly suplexes by both and a big flapjack on Psychosis. Storm is totally out to impress here, hitting a nice missile dropkick and even popping a rana from nowhere near the end. Psychosis, who is the most natural talent in the match, has the least impact here, but does get a nice facebuster reversal from being powerbombed. The Johnson’s win with a shitty TKO after manager Mortimer Plumtree interferes.

Christian York & Joey Matthews vs The Dupps (Bo Dupp & Stan Dupp)

The Dupps are joined by valet Fluff Dupp. This is again extremely short, but what there was came over fine. Bo Dupp in particular seemed really good. He hits some stiff slaps on Matthews, hits a big boot and gets huge height on a splash. York nails a nice full weight senton for two, but after a clumsy tornado DDT, he gets crotched by Fluff and rolled up by Bo for the loss. This was too short, but like the previous match you got the vibe that a terrible gimmick is holding back a decent heel team.

Gauntlet for the Gold

This is a twenty man royal rumble, with the last two entrants ending up in a singles match for the NWA title. Credit to TNA, they tried to build up the younger, cheaper talent here, letting them shine. Malice makes the final two, eliminating half the field in the process. Apollo gets the iron man run in the match, whilst Justice (the baby Abyss) and Chris Harris both get good runs. Jeff Jarrett start the match, seeing off Buff Bagwell, Lash LeRoux and Norman Smiley right away. However, his elimination eventually comes at the hands of dreadful country singer Toby Keith, who makes an unwelcome cameo. Other notable entrants include Del Rios (the former Phantasio) who comes in dressed as an egregious Scott Steiner rip off, and both Konnan and Rick Steiner who both get huge pops. We eventually get down to a final pairing of Ken Shamrock and Malice, leaving us with…

Ken Shamrock vs Malice

Ricky Steamboat is the guest ref for this. Malice dominates early, looking pretty good in the process, before Shamrock reverses a chokeslam into an armbar in a nice counter. Malice makes the ropes, before Shamrock locks in the anklelock. Shamrock is pretty heelish here, dragging Malice back to the middle of the ring when he’s made the ropes, then not letting go after he makes the ropes again, forcing Steamboat to get to a count of 7 before breaking. Malice tries another chokeslam, but Shamrock reverses to a belly-to-belly suplex for the win. The whole deal was pretty fun, and the final two match-up was fine.

AWA Team Challenge Series

Lovely to see this appear on the Network's Hidden Gems section, a crudely filmed pilot for the AWA Team Challenge Series, filmed in a studio with no crowd. Guys come to the ring, with a green-screened audience badly inserted either side of them. Crowdshots get added in during the matches, crowds who 100% aren't watching these matches, and this is a fascinating mess.

Tommy Jammer vs Tom Burton

Bless Tom Burton for playing to the crowd here, what a pro. You know this is going to be ridiculous when the non-Greg Gagne commentator demands a replay after a Jammer bodyslam. This match is all armdrags and hiptosses from both before Jammer gets a powerslam and a splash to pick up the quick win.

The Destruction Crew (Wayne Bloom & Mike Enos) vs Ricky Rice & Jerry Lynn

Oh man, the camera work here is awful, zooming in on Bloom’s face while the faces work over Enos. For the monster heel team, the faces get in a lot of early offence on Enos. Lynn already looks decent, including holding onto an armbar even when Enos slams him to the mat, but Rice only seems to throw awful armdrags. Finally, Lynn becomes face-in-peril after eating a knee to the back. Enos slams him to the buckle, hits a shoulderbreaker and a powerslam, before a Doomsday Device finishes off Lynn.

Paul Diamond vs Colonel DeBeers

This is basically a two man battle royal. Liked Diamond hitting a flying bodyscissors and actually maintaining the hold on the mat. Diamond misses a corner splash in a nice manner, taking a big bump. The slo mo does the opposite of it’s intended job, making a decent-looking dropkick appear worse by showing DeBeers basically brushing it aside when it hits him. DeBeers hits a really nice looking top rope headbutt, but though he misses a second, he maintains his assault, albeit not very interestingly with some methodical clubbing. However, like an idiot, he goes for a piledriver next to the ropes and Diamond backdrops him to the floor. This was fine.

Sgt Slaughter vs The Terminator

This is a very slow paced match, with both trying to show their dominance during a run of shoulderblocks. Slaughter hitting a running crossbody was unexpected, but looked good. Both guys play to the crowd, so again kudos for that. Terminator wears down Slaughter with some unexciting clubbing, but Sarge hits a second rope clothesline and the Cobra Clutch gets the victory. Inoffensive stuff, Slaughter at least looked decent.

3PW United We Stand, Divided We Brawl

Lovefilm obviously felt that it was too long since I reviewed any 3PW shows, so decided to send me one as my latest rental. Thanks guys (I think)

CJ O’Doyle vs Rob Eckos

Not really much to this, good or bad. It’s just perfectly ok wrestling. O’Doyle has a nice looking powerslam and Eckos’ superkick looked good enough to have won the match (though it only got 2). I enjoyed Eckos’ character work, posing after hitting an Alpine Line, then realising he could pin O’Doyle and rushing to try and get the pinfall. The end sees O’Doyle hit this clothesline that the commentary team have been hyping up (it’s just a clothesline), which only gets two, before Eckos hits a sloppy Alpine Line from the second rope for the pin.

Jack Victory vs Rockin’ Rebel

This was rubbish. As usual in 3PW, Rebel seems to get paired with someone so bad that the Rebel is the worker of the match. Both guys are working heel here too, and for some reason end up trying to double team the ref, only to both eat a double clothesline. This doesn’t earn a DQ however, and the bout continues with Victory not actually being able to Irish whip his opponent properly! How is that possible? Rebel tries a pin with his feet on the rope, but gets caught by the ref. Victory tries the same, and gets the three count. Afterwards, both guys beat up the ref. Just terrible.

Gary Wolfe vs Damian Adams

Apparently, this was set up Wolfe assaulted Adams, who had beaten him in a previous match. This explains why Adams attacks Wolfe as soon as he hits the ring, working a sustained assault, until a single Wolfe clothesline seems to basically kill him. Like, Wolfe picks him up for a suplex, and Adams is barely on his feet, arm dangling dead by his side. Believe me, the clotheslines certainly didn’t look that impressive. Adams is able to come back with a nice dive to the floor, before Wolfe hits 2 powerbombs in the ring (before the second powerbomb, the commentary team seem aghast that Wolfe is going to try a second powerbomb. “This is inhumane” is uttered, right before Adams kicks out on 2). A Burning Hammer gets the win, and the whole thing is less than four minutes long. Really odd booking, as Adams looked like a chump, despite apparently winning the last match.

There’s another match on the DVD listing, which is supposed to be a bra and panties match between Jasmin St Claire and Gorgeous George, which is basically just them stripping, kissing and spanking Velvet Sky over Tod Gordon’s knee. I’m just glad my fiancée didn’t come in while in was watching this nonsense. Moving swiftly on…

Low Ki vs Ruckus vs Joey Matthews

This is elimination rules, and that actually makes this a really enjoyable bout. The reason being, Joey Matthews wisely stays outside and allows Ruckus and Low Ki to wrestle, only entering when Low Ki has beaten Ruckus, essentially giving us two Low Ki singles bouts instead of the usual three-way nonsense.

Ki/Ruckus, in this situation, is like an appetiser, and is pretty fun in that respect. I enjoyed their little section on the mat, where Ruckus was surprisingly competent, and whilst both guys had some fun offense, Ki’s stuff just looked nastier, finishing Ruckus off with the Tidal Crush and a Ki Krusher.

Ki/Matthews was really good stuff, loved Matthews using the ref to block a Tidal Crush and poking Ki in the eye over the ref’s shoulder. Matthew’s offense is a bit nastier than Ruckus’, and Ki misses a corner charge to give Matthews a focal point to work on. Matthews may not be flashy, but you can tell he’s got a brain for wrestling, everything looks professional and shows no sign of breaking down. You can see why WWE would want him as the anchor for the MNM team. He also isn’t scared of Ki’s blows, taking a big kick right to the jaw. Ki’s rolling kick in the corner looks vicious, and I loved the fluidity of Matthews trying a reverse suplex and Ki quickly countering with a Dragon Clutch. Ki goes for the Ki Krusher, but his shoulder can’t support the weight, and Matthews reverses to a small package for the win. Loved this whole deal.

Monsta Mack & Mike Kruel vs Roadkill & the Blue Meanie

Thought Kruel looked excellent in this match, easily the standout. He schools Meanie on the mat, working a series of holds that actually made “Blue Meanie matwork” seem ok. The heels work a decent enough heat on Meanie, and I loved Mack standing in the middle of the ring, smugly posing to draw in Roadkill, whilst Kruel choked Meanie in the corner behind him. Kruel works over Meanie’s back, with some nasty kneedrops and painful looking forearms. Meanie’s comeback is pretty unexciting, as it consists of him in a Mack sleeper that he just casually escapes from and reverses. Roadkill doesn’t display a single emotion in this bout, even when a tag is disallowed because the ref didn’t see it. He’s equally inexpressive in the terrible finishing run – Roadkill brings out a chain, gets it taken away by the ref, so instead whips out a sock for a mandible claw. As the ref removes this, Mack clocks Roadkill with a chair. Hilariously, the ref definitely sees the chair in his hand, turning around to find Roadkill knocked out in the middle of the ring and Mack still holding a chair. Despite this, he seems happy enough to count the three. Sigh….at least Kruel was decent.

Matt Striker vs Jimmy Snuka

Striker comes out doing an excellent impression of Roddy Piper, you can tell he’s loving himself out there. Striker blindsides Snuka, and hits some weak offence, but gets caught with a REALLY soft backbreaker that puts him down for about 30 seconds and unable to avoid the Superfly Splash. This made Snuka’s 1993 ECW matches look like Iron Man matches.

Sabu vs Jerry Lynn

Sometimes, you just have to accept things aren’t for you. This was very much a case of two aging pros giving the crowd what they want, it just happens to be that I don’t enjoy what they like. Sabu injures his leg early on, which gets briefly worked over by Lynn, but has no impact on the rest of the match. This was really a bunch of spots loosely welded together. Some of those spots were pretty spectacular (Lynn hurling Sabu into rows of chairs and then diving in himself with a big crossbody was nuts) and some were pretty fun (Lynn getting up as Sabu tried the triple jump moonsault, causing Sabu to fall face-first into the chair). But there were no transitions to comebacks, no real sustained selling…just no glue to really hold it all together. As I said, the crowd loved it, so it did what it was supposed to. There’s one terrible spot right at the end, where Sabu is supposed to rana Lynn off the top through a table, but what actually happened is Sabu backflipped off, then a second or two passed before Lynn frontflipped himself onto a table, which didn’t break. A top rope Sabu legdrop got the job done.

Raven & the Sandman vs John Zandig & the Wifebeater

This….this was an utter mess. The basic gist is that 3PW commissioner Raven hates Sandman, taking away his Metallica entrance, his beer and smokes, but still orders him to be his tag partner for this bout. Seems like a partner you can rely on. Raven then accepts it when Zandig asks for a stipulation that he be put in charge if his team wins. For a supreme thinker, this seems like an idiotic request to accept.

So anyway, the bout starts with Sandman and Wifebeater working armdrag and hip toss exchanges. This lasts maybe a minute, before we get a punch-walk section, where they head to the balcony and the Raven/Sandman team throw Wifebeater off the balcony through a table. They return to Zandig, who’s somehow bleeding from the head and work a mild heat on him. After a while, Wifebeater returns and waits on the apron patiently to make a tag. Seems to me like the rules went out of the window when you got slammed off a balcony, mate. He gets in and works over Sandman…then somehow we end up with Sandman playing face-in-peril and Raven coming in as the fired up hot tag. The fuck is going on? Raven bulldogs Zandig through a table, but Sandman decides it’s time to DDT his partner and give the CZW boys the win. This is so Zandig can give him back his beer, fags and Metallica music….only the DVD doesn’t have the licensing for that, so we get a pissy muzak version of Enter Sandman dubbed in for 5 seconds, then the DVD abruptly goes to the credits. It wasn’t boring, I must admit, but certainly not what I would call “good” either.

The History of TNA: Year One

So, TNA released a DVD a few years back detailing the history of the first year of the company existance. The documentary part is ok, but not especially interesting. What is fun, however, is a collection of the best matches from that first year, which make up the bulk of the extras. These are what I will be concentrating on in this entry,,,

AJ Styles vs Jerry Lynn vs Low Ki vs Psychosis
This is a double elimination match to crown the first X Division champion. Essentially, two guys start, one gets pinned and is replaced by the next guy. When a wrestler is pinned twice, he's out. This goes long, so expect a few paragraphs.

We kick off with AJ and Psychosis. These two seem to match up nicely, but this is only a short match designed to position AJ as the underdog in the tournament. AJ survives a guillotine legdrop and nails the Styles Clash to pin Psychosis for three, but now must face Low Ki having taken some punishment.

A fresh Ki wears down AJ with some kicks and blocks Styles' attempts to outwrestle him with a kick to the head. Ki elevates AJ over the turnbuckle, with Styles hitting his head on the ringpost, then slickly rolls through to lock in a Dragon sleeper, with AJ only just making the ropes. AJ avoids a top rope move and nails a German suplex and a wheelbarrow facebuster to pin Low Ki

Jerry Lynn comes in and is able to dominate Styles quite easily. Within 20 seconds he hits the Cradle piledriver and AJ is done.

Psychosis wisely comes back and nails Lynn from behind with a dropkick. Psy sends Lynn to the floor and hits a swank tope con hilo on Lynn. However, Lynn hits a dropkick on Psychosis as he dives from the top rope and a Cradle piledriver ends Psychosis' night with two eliminations.

Lynn is now weaker for a recovered Low Ki, and Ki works over him ferociously. Lynn is forced to rely on hope spots like a pin reversal from a top rope rana. Lynn gets fired up and matches Ki's striking to send him down with an enzuigiri. Lynn tries for the Cradle, but Ki reverses into a swank standing armbar. Lynn has to lift Ki and power out to break it. I dig Ed Ferrera on commentary highlighting that Lynn's experience allows him to reverse holds easier, just before Lynn reverses a Ki Krusher into a DDT. A Cradle piledriver pins Ki to eliminate him.

We now are left with AJ on one elimination and Lynn with no defeats, but worn out by the last two matches. AJ goes for quick pins and the Styles Clash on Lynn, but Lynn is able to survive the onslaught. Lynn then nails a tornado DDT for a close two. I like that they don't just give AJ the quick pin to even them up, but that AJ has to really battle before even getting to a break even point. AJ does get the clash to pin Lynn, sending it to the final fall.

Ricky Steamboat comes in to officiate, with both men exhausted on the mat. They trade pinfalls in an attempt to win the title, before a double clothesline puts them both down again. Love Don West and Ferrera putting over how great both guys are, that and the crowd reaction makes this feel like a really big time match. Lynn gets a really close nearfall with a facebuster. Both guys are selling the exhaustion so well that every move feels like a realistic match ender. Brainbuster gets two for Lynn. Lynn gets another two from a top rope superplex, but a second attempt sees him get knocked from the top rope and AJ nails the Spiral Tap to win. Fantastic match, the tournament layout made both AJ and Lynn look great, Styles coming back with the win from being in the losing position, whilst Lynn wrestled the vast majority of the match without a break, beating two top guys on the way. The first truly great match in TNA history.

Jerry Lynn vs AJ Styles vs Low Ki
This is a triple threat ladder match for Ki's X Division title. Styles has the right idea early on, grabbing a ladder while the other two fight, but Lynn and Ki cut him off. Ki's kicking gives him an early advantage as he cuts the other two down to size. You'd think this match would be all insane stunts, but they build to the ladder spots, with the opening minutes be all based in the ring with no ladders after Styles' initial attempt. Instead they appear to be trying to incapacitate their opponents before attempting to climb. Love Low Ki hoisting AJ onto his shoulders to charge at Lynn in the corner, with AJ as a battering ram, thus taking out both opponents. This allows Ki to go for a ladder but AJ stops him, and suddenly all three are battling outside. Lynn knocks the other two out on a ladder, and becomes the first to manage to get a ladder into the ring. There is a great bit where Styles just unloads on Ki with a barrage of punches and knees, as if to tell him that AJ is more dangerous to him than the ladder will be. Minutes later, Lynn and AJ knock Ki out on a ladder, so that may not be true. Insane spot, as Ki reverses a Lynn running powerbomb into a hurricanrana onto a ladder. AJ gets stuck upside down, hanging feetfirst from the ladder after Ki blocks his attempts to climb, and Ki choses to kick away at AJ, rather than going for the title, which makes him look foolish. By the time he does climb up, Lynn has recovered and slams him from the ladder. I like the way that, as Lynn is the largest competitor, he uses a few more strength moves, catching Ki in midair and planting him with a powerbomb. Three ladders get set up and Ki makes ANOTHER mistake, locking a Dragon Sleeper on a downed AJ on top of the ladders rather than grabbing the belt. We end up with all three guys climbing separate ladders. Lynn tries to topple the other two, and manages to send AJ's flying, sending AJ to the floor, but Ki manages to bounce his ladder off the top rope and reset his ladder. Lynn instead responds by hitting a piledriver from the ladder to the mat in an insane spot. This leaves Lynn free to grab the title, with the match being tremendous, a really well-built ladder match.

America's Most Wanted vs The New Church
The New Church are represented by Slash and Brian Lee here. The match breaks down into a brawl early, with the New Church getting the advantage outside the ring. Slash decimates James Storm, suplexing him onto concrete and choking him with cables. The Church bring Storm back into the ring, and I like how they try to stop Harris even getting back on the apron. I like Brian Lee wearing Storm out with repeated running elbows, as AMW haven't gotten into the match in the first 5-10 minutes. Storm finally gets the hot tag after an enzuigiri on Slash, but Slash falls into the referee, preventing him from seeing the tag. The crowd is terrible here, as they made no noise for the false tag at all. As Harris remonstrates with the ref, Lee nails Storm with a title belt. Storm manages to nail both New Church members with a double DDT, which means they can't stop him making the tag to Harris. Harris' onslaught is the first period of real offence for AMW. Slash has a handful of powder, but, in classic pro-wrestling fashion, it ends up in Lee's face before Harris spears him for a close two count. Storm locks up Slash in a sharpshooter, but Belladonna distracts the ref. This means that Slash tapping out is missed, and that James Mitchell can run in and level Storm with a spike, which only gets a two count. Lee reverses a Storm flying headscissors into a tombstone in a lovely fluid motion, before trying the same with Harris, who just about reverses the tombstone to one of his own for two. The crowd is finally coming to life. AWM finally pick up the win with the Death Sentance on Slash onto a chair. The overbooking really helped it at the end, with all the nearfalls being convincing, and AMW looked great in battling from behind.

Jeff Jarrett vs Raven
This was the bigest match in TNA history at the time. Raven goes for a pin from a shoulderblock right away, which is the kind of thing I love: just trying an unexpected lucky pin to win the title. Raven initially outwrestles Jarrett, so JJ sends him from the ring with a flurry of punches, a nice reversal of their wrestling styles. Jarrett wins the brawl outside the ring, so Alexis Laree distracts the ref to allow Julio Deniro the chance to interfere. This backfires, as he nails Raven with a chair by accident. Jarrett hits a pescado to eliminate Alexis and Julio, but this gives Raven time to recover and hit one on Jarrett. They fight in the ring as both men are busted open, and Raven manages to retain control, using a sleeper to try and take advantage of JJ's bloodloss. Jarrett manages to break and hit a desperation cutter and both get up in time for a flurry of moves in the ring. Raven nails JJ with a flash superkick for two. Raven manages to kick out of the Stroke at 2. Jarrett does the same following the Evenflow. They roll to the floor, where Jarrett is able to nail an elbow through a table. Back in the ring, we get a ref bump as both men low-blow each other. Suddenly all Hell breaks loose, as the New Church start fighting the Harris Brother outside the ring, and a squadron of ECW guys (Sandman, New Jack, Credible, Saturn) enter the ring to destroy JJ, handcuffing him and superkicking two chairs into his head with a conchairto. The lights go out, leading to Sabu being in the ring, nailing Raven with a chair and taking out all the ECW guys with a plancha. Raven manages to knock himself out by hitting the chair on the top rope when Jarrett moves, leading to a hopeful two count for JJ. Raven undoes the handcuffs and hits the Evenflow for two, but Jarrett reverses another to hit the Stroke for the win. Overbooked, but incredibly fun. It built up nicely to a chaotic conclusion, and Jarrett looked great as the face overcoming the odds.

Hardcore Homecoming 2005

So, Lovefilm finally sent me one of the wrestling DVD's on my list in the form of this Shane Douglas booked ECW reunion show. It has the feel of ECW, with Joey Styles on commentary and filmed in the ECW arena. Question is, is it any good?

Simon Diamond & CW Anderson vs Mikey Whipwreck & Chris Chetti

You know it’s a hit crowd when even the heel team get huge pops. Perfectly decent formula tag match, where Diamond and Anderson take control on Chetti after some initial face offence. Styles prefaced this by pointing out Chetti was the only one of the four who wasn’t wrestling regularly, so it makes sense when he becomes face-in-peril. CW looks the best out of the four men, nailing a lovely looking superkick on Mikey, but even an out-of-shape Diamond or a semi-retired Chetti keep pace and don’t blow anything. This might well be the best match I’ve seen Chetti in. After things break down, we get a series of finishers, culminating with Mikey hitting a Whippersnapper on Simon for 3. Good Heat main event.

Tracy Smothers vs the Blue Meanie

Tracy is accompanied by JT Smith for an FBI reunion. Despite Smothers being awesome, the limitations of the Meanie mean this has to be a comedy match. Luckily, Smothers can do those really well too, leading to a sequence where he fails to slam Meanie, but both Meanie and referee John Finnegan manage to slam him. Finnegan even covers for two. Tracy doesn’t appreciate the negativity of the crowd, advising them to stop or “everybody dies!” Tracy challenges Meanie to a dance off instead. Spoiler: both are terrible dancers. Smothers attacks Meanie from behind during the dance-off, but Meanie isn’t down for long. A corner splash puts Smothers to the mat, but Smith belts Meanie with a chain on an attempted moonsault, allowing Smothers the pin (with foot on rope). Not great, but Tracy was fun here.

Kid Kash vs Too Cold Scorpio

This is the match most likely to steal the show. They do things so well, even the little things like Scorpio adjusting his legs when he has Kash from behind to ensure Kash can’t grab them to escape. Scorpio remains slightly ahead at first and seems to be having fun, but he soon takes things seriously as Kash starts uping the tempo. Scorpio makes his first mistake by missing a pescado, before Kash springboards out and hits a rana on the floor. Kash is in command on the floor as much as Scorpio was in the ring, which he shows by throwing Scorpio from the stage and following with a cannonball. Kash hits Scorp with his own GHC tag belt, but the insult causes Scorp to no-sell it. He gets Kash back in the ring and plants him with a powerbomb and 2^nd rope flipping legdrop for two. A top rope flipping legdrop gets two. Kash tries to fire back with a slightly botched rana for two, but Scorp regains control and hits another powerbomb and a 450 splash to win. Unsurprisingly, match of the show. Great display by both men, especially the contrast between Scorpio dominating in the ring, and Kash dominating on the floor.

 Kronus vs the Bad Breed

This was supposed to be an Eliminators reunion, but Saturn got injured. The Bad Breed go to the ring and mention that due to a stipulation ten years before, they can’t team up. However, they can beat someone up, which doesn’t seem legally enforceable. Also worth noting Ian’s “Operation Exterminate Vince”shirt, which I bet has Vince just shitting himself. Essentially, they batter Kronus, until some familiar music starts and New Jack comes out to even the sides. You know how this goes, they walk around hitting each other with weapons, guys bleed and it’s all pretty dull. At one point a huge scaffold is wheeled to ringside, which New Jack uses to leap from onto a Ian Rotten-covered table.  This isn’t a match as there’s no ref, so the Bad Breed roll to the floor, where upon New Jack takes the mic for a rambling promo. All four men fist-bump, New Jack gives the Bad Breed “much love” and I mourn 20 minutes I’ll never get back.

 Jerry Lynn vs Justin Credible

I like the way the opening section establishes the difference between the two: Lynn outwrestles Credible, so Justin uses brawling to try and take over. Lynn tries a cannonball from a table onto Credible really early which he misses, but both of the act like he hit, which is a bit sloppy. Credible is shown as being one step behind Lynn, only taking over when some Jason distraction allows him to superkick a chair into Jerry’s face. Jason’s usefulness is shown again, as he sets up a chairspot for Credible, making it a bit less contrived. Credible tries to dominate with powermoves, hitting a Bossman slam and a powerslam for two counts, but it’s hard to be convinced by the raw power of a thin man in a wifebeater. Both hit their finishers, both only get two. Lynn crotches Credible on the top rope, and ranas him through the table he used earlier that I’d forgotten all about, which is a nice touch.  Jazz comes out to prevent Jason interfering again, and Lynn reverses That’s Incredible into a cradle tombstone for the win. Surprisingly decent, leagues ahead of their TNA series that sucked.

Raven vs the Sandman

Raven is accompanied by the Blue Meanie and the Musketeer, which must be the worst entourage he’s ever had. Raven decides to substitute the Musketeer for himself, which leads to a Sandman beating for Meanie and Musketeer. Raven takes advantage of this distraction to take over. Raven dominates a lot of the match, fair to say Sandman doesn’t add much to proceedings. Meanie throws powder in Sandman’s face and the Evenflow gets 2 for Raven. Sandman gets in a bit of offence, putting Raven through a table and hitting a swanton onto a ladder with Raven underneath. Swanton through a table gets 2. Meanie comes in to help Raven and hits two shitty moonsaults for 2. A third one is much better, but still only gets two. Don E Allen comes in to help Raven to zero reaction, but Mikey Whipwreck sends him off. Mikey goes to share a beer with Sandman, but turns and hits a Whippersnapper to give Raven the win. Pretty much held together by Raven and overbooking, the result was a mess, but a watchable mess.

Shane Douglas vs Sabu vs Terry Funk

This is a barbed wire rope match, and instantly Douglas and Funk look smarter by the fact they’re wearing t-shirts (not that you would expect Sabu to do so). It seems even smarter as both men are in the barbed wire within two minutes. Indeed, a fair bit of the opening segment is dedicated to all three men getting pushed into the wire. The best of these spots sees Sabu go for a chair-assisted springboard, only for Funk to move the chair, sending Sabu flying into the barbs. As the match progresses though, the barbed wire spots really start to lose their impact through overuse. Things get worse as Funk gets his arm so stuck that they have to cut the wire to free him. At this point, the overbooking kicks in, but in a way that actually makes the match more fun. Firstly, Shane KO’s two referees in a row, the second with a chain wrapped round his fist. Styles then claims that the whole show was  a plot by Shane to cripple both Sabu and Funk, which is a brilliant storyline. Shane starts climbing a rickety ladder, but the lights go off. When they come back on, Mick Foley is in the ring in a ref shirt to a huge pop. He uses socko on Douglas to a chorus of boos, but then amends it to barbed wire socko to a huge cheer! Sabu hits Shane with a chain to the face to eliminate him. Funk recovers and puts Sabu on a table, but climbing the rickety ladder causes it to collapse, and Sabu hits the Arabian facebuster to win. The first half was dull, but the second half was overbooked enough to make it at least entertaining. The overall theme for the show is that the wrestling was below average, but enough smoke and mirrors were used to make the matches fun.

The Best of Mikey Whipwreck

Digging through some old tapes, I found this Mikey compilation I bought about 10 years ago. For the most part, it's his best known matches from ECW, rather than his best matches, but there are a few gems here...

Mikey Whipwreck vs the Pitbull
An ECW TV title match, with Gary Wolfe defending against the highly mismatched Mikey. The Pitbull basically destroys Mikey, sending him crashing to the mat with a standing enzuigiri. Mikey flies over the top rope from a clothesline before getting catapulted over a safety rail. Back in, Whipwreck takes a belly to belly and a powerbomb before the Tazmaniac turns up on the apron to distract Pitbull. Taz takes a kick to the head, but avoids a second one, causing the Pitbull to crotch himself. Mikey rolls on top of the Pitbull and, even though Wolfe raises his shoulder on two, gets the win and the TV title. Basic squash, but a fun angle at the end.

Mikey Whipwreck & Cactus Jack vs the Public Enemy
Terry Funk missed his flight, so Cactus picks a reluctant Mikey to be his partner. Whipwreck tags out right away, and runs off to the back. This leaves Jack on his own to get beaten up, but Whipwreck actually comes back with a small piece of plywood which he uses to clear the ring. Mikey’s first bit of offence is being used by Cactus as a weapon, getting whipped into Rock, before being used as a battering ram to send the Public Enemy to the floor. Mikey actually dominates Grunge in the ring, but is soon getting pummelled again following a DDT onto a steel chair. Whipwreck is face in peril and takes a trademark battering, including a huge powerbomb by Rock and a piledriver from Grunge, but Whipwreck manages to keep kicking out. Mikey is unconscious, so Jack brawls with TPE in the crowd whilst Mikey starts to recover. Back in the ring, Rock moonsaults Jack through a table before going back to Mikey. TPE go for the Drive By, but Jack manages to crotch Rock on the top rope allowing Mikey to cover for the three. Another match that is focused on the angle, but the action was plenty of fun.

Mikey Whipwreck vs the Sandman
This is for the ECW title, and Steve Austin joins us before the match to cut a blistering promo to essentially declare himself the next ECW champ. The big problem with this match is that neither guy really sells much, despite the fact they keep hammering each other with ladders. Indeed, Mikey takes a real beating here, including a Fameasser onto the ladder, but still keeps on getting up. At one point, Sandman props a ladder up on the railings and barrels out with a tope to seesaw the ladder into Mikey’s face, which should have killed Mikey off for good. Instead, Sandman misses a slingshot elbow and Mikey hits a top rope splash onto the Sandman, and a ladder, for the title. Too spotty to be any real good.

Mikey Whipwreck vs Rey Mysterio Jr
Sadly, this is all clipped, making it more of a highlight reel. We do get to see an insane Mysterio tope before it cuts to Mikey winning with La Majistral.

Mikey Whipwreck vs Steve Austin
This was scheduled to be the Sandman taking on Mikey, but Austin beat up Sandman en route to the ring and took his place. Austin is clearly dominant here and, unlike the Sandman match, this provides the match with some structure. Some fans chant “Hogan”, so Austin hits a big boot and legdrop for two in a fun spot. Mikey takes some huge bumps, including a monster over the top rope to the floor. The Stungun gets two for Austin before Mikey wins with a sunset flip. Decent enough.

Mikey Whipwreck vs Taz
This is from Raw in 97, and is a total Taz squash. Mid-match, Sabu dives from the Raw sign onto Taz’s entourage, so Taz responds by throwing Whipwreck over the top rope onto Sabu. Tazmission earns an easy win, but this is a fun curio.

Mikey Whipwreck vs Kidman
Mikey’s WCW debut, and it’s a PPV title match. It was all downhill from here. That said, I liked this more than any previous match on the tape. Mikey plays heel here and, being bigger than Kidman, bullies the smaller guy, which provides a nice change of pace. Mikey’s different attitude allows him to show some nasty looking offense, including wheelbarrowing Kidman face first onto a safety rail. Mikey even gets to reverse a headscissors attempt and powerbomb Kidman! Kidman does get to pop the crowd with a few high spots, including a nice crossbody to the floor, but Whipwreck pops up on a SSP attempt, sending Kidman crashing to the outside. Whipwreck continues to dominate, with a swank top rope clothesline and a monstrous top rope belly to back suplex both getting two counts, before Kidman reverses a powerbomb and hits the SSP for the win. Kidman gave loads to Mikey here, and let the scruffy looking guy most of the fans didn’t know look like a killer. Mikey wasn’t as flash as the other WCW cruiserweights of the time, but his offence looked like it really hurt and he could’ve had a great run as a cruiserweight dick bully. Sadly, he’d be jobbing to Scotty Riggs by the next PPV.

Mikey Whipwreck vs 2 Cold Scorpio
Or 2 GOLD Scorpio as he’s referred to here, putting both the TV title and the tag titles on the line. This starts pretty evenly, but once 2 Cold takes control he starts to decimate Mikey. After getting one or two hope spots, including a flying headscissors and a pescado, Whipwreck misses a crossbody and the Scorpio onslaught is on. Scorpio blitzes Mikey, hitting a tombstone, a moonsault, a powerbomb and a moonsault legdrop, but picking Mikey up on two to be a dick. The ref gets bumped following some brief Mikey offence, but Scorpio is soon well in control with a superkick and another powerbomb. However, his cockiness comes back to haunt him as Cactus Jack takes advantage of the ref bump and knocks 2 Cold off the top rope before hitting the double-arm DDT to allow Mikey to grab the gold. More angle than good match, though cocky Scorpio was a lot of fun to watch.

Mikey Whipwreck vs Sabu
Sabu is wearing a neckbrace. Wonder how much this will affect him. In the early stages, he actually acts like it is, grounding Mikey and positioning his body to stop him reaching the ropes. This is sadly the one time he acts like his neck hurts, as his next move is to hit a top rope rana on Mikey. From this point on, Sabu says “fuck it” and forgets that he’s got a neck injury, using a chair to dive on Whipwreck on the outside. To his credit, Mikey doesn’t forget Sabu has a neck injury, hitting him with a DDT, an enzuigiri and then ripping the neckbrace off before elbow dropping Sabu through a table on the outside. Mikey goes for a countout win, but Sabu doesn’t even hint at building tension, getting in on a 4 count. Sabu gives up all pretence of selling, hitting Mikey with continued highspots, before hitting him with a DDT through a table on the floor. Back in, this gets the win. Mikey tried, but Sabu was awful here.

Mikey Whipwreck & Tajiri vs Simon Diamond & Johnny Swinger vs Tommy Dreamer & Jerry Lynn
This is a triple threat elimination match. I liked the opening section which saw Lynn and Tajiri in a blistering sequence whilst Simon just knelt on the mat open mouthed. It soon breaks down into a brawl and the camera man follows Tajiri and Dreamer through the crowd. Being handheld, this becomes impossible to follow. After what feels like forever, the action returns to the ring, where all four faces dropkick chairs into Simon and Swinger’s faces. Dreamer hits Mikey with the DDT, but CW Anderson pulls him out of the ring. This distraction allows Simon and Swinger to eliminate Dreamer with the Problem Solver. They then try a Doomsday Device on Tajiri, but he spits green mist in Diamonds face, leaving him prone on the top rope for a Whippersnapper, which gets the win. Too messy to be any fun.

Mikey Whipwreck & Tajiri vs the FBI
This is essentially a squash for the vast majority of the match. That said, a Guido/Tajiri sequence at the start of the match is terrific. The chemistry between Whipwreck and Tajiri is incredible here, as the decimate Guido and Mamaluke with double teams. I also dug the use of a table here, using it to slide chairs to the outside of the ring into Big Sal to stop him interfering. Whipwreck hits a vile looking one-man conchairto on Guido busting him open. The FBI get granted a small heat section until Mikey reverses a Mamaluke flying headscissors into a stungun to make the hot tag to Tajiri. Tajiri is so fucking good, everything he does is here is gold. Mikey hits a Whippersnapper through a table on the outside (which makes no sense as he goes through the table first), but inside Guido takes advantage of Big Sal distracting Tajiri to hit a Tomikaze onto a chair for the win. Plenty of fun.

Mikey Whipwreck vs Little Guido
This is from Border City Wrestling, and is billed as Mikey’s last match, which would last two years. They play a lot of this for comedy, with Guido stooging for Mikey’s offence, including getting hit with comedy weapons like a plastic sword and a straw doll. Guido sells a custard pie to the face as death. The match is pretty enjoyable given the context, though Mikey is noticeably not as smooth as Guido in the ring. Mikey mists the ref by accident, meaning a Guido Tomikaze doesn’t get counted. A second effort gets a 3 count, but the ref then spots Whipwreck’s foot under the rope. A top rope Whippersnapper through a table (still makes no sense) gets the win for Mikey.

MLW Reload 2002

Back when I was first getting into the indies, this was the first non-WWE/WCW/ECW tape I ever bought. I think the lure was getting to see so many different styles on one show. MLW flew in guys from Mexico and Japan for the show, and not just any old guys, but proper stars like La Parka, Shocker, the Far East Connection and Satoshi Kojima. Unfortunately the business model wasn't sound and they swiftly went out of business. However, the production values were top notch for an indy, plus we get the benefits of Joey Styles commentating.

Fuego Guerrero vs Super Crazy
Guerrero is Amazing Red under a hood, a fact outed by both Joey Styles and the crowd who chant “Red” at him. The opening moments see Guerrero staying one step ahead of Crazy, including a beautiful flying headscissors. Crazy uses his smarts to take control, using two different sunset flip reversals to out-do Guerrero, but again falls prey to the speed of Guerrero, who sends him out and hits a beautiful plancha. Back inside, Crazy is able to regain control and really starts to dominate. Crazy nails a springboard moonsault and a corkscrew elbow, before getting two on a cocky cover following a powerbomb. Guerrero manages to reverse a second try into a tornado DDT. They manage to blow the Code Red, but Red hits a swank looking enzuigiri. A spin kick sends Crazy outside, and Red follows with a spectacular corkscrew moonsault. Back in, a Red Star Press gets two, but Crazy avoids a senton and hits a powerbomb for the win. Excellent opener, Crazy gave Red a fair bit here and everything Red did looked really crisp.

La Parka vs Shocker
La Parka slaps Shocker across the face on a handshake, and they launch into a really nice sequence of counters and reversals, ending in the applause stance. Shocker sends Parka outside and feints a dive, but his cockiness backfires as Parka suckers him outside and kicks him as he re-enters the ring. Shocker then takes a 360 bump from a La Parka shoulderblock, but Parka soon outbumps him, first landing on his head on a backdrop, then flying over the top rope to the floor on a monkey flip. La Parka rallies back and nails a corkscrew moonsault, before hitting a senton for two. Shocker briefly fires back, avoiding a Parka chairshot by dropkicking it into Parka’s face, but his subsequent suicide dive sends him headfirst into a chairshot. Somehow, Shocker regroups and nails Parka with 3 sentons for 2. La Majistral gets 2. Shocker then tries a Bronco Buster, but gets greeted with a boot to the groin, and a Parka corkscrew bodypress gets the win.

Christopher Daniels, Ikuto Hidaka & Dick Togo vs The SAT & Quiet Storm
I will go on record now as stating this is the best SAT match I’ve ever seen. I’d also add this isn’t Daniels, Togo and Hidaka carrying them, more a case of the SAT and Storm bringing themselves up to their opponents level. The SAT work really tightly here, not blowing anything and, thanks to the match structure, not just turning this into a spotfest. All 6 guys take it in turns to work a sequence in the early stages, before the heels (ostensibly Hidaka, Togo and Daniels, though the fans love some Dick) throw their opponents out of the ring, where it all starts to break down. I’d forgotten that Quiet Storm is actually pretty good at working the gusty little tough guy role, levelling Daniels with a big clothesline. Togo comes in and lands face first on an SAT drop toehold. Daniels comes in, which leads to a somewhat convoluted submission hold involving the SAT, Daniels and Togo. Togo nails Joel with an awesome looking DDT to take over, and Joel is the face-in-peril. The heels work over Joel so effectively that the same fans who were chanting “Dick” earlier start up an SAT chant. Hidaka works over the knee of Joel, before Dick nails him with a big swanton. Dick then hits a big brainbuster for two. The heels work in a fun spot where they lure the faces in, distracting the ref, so they can take turns posing on the prone body of Joel Maximo. Joel eventually makes the hot tag and all the guys bust in, leading to a series of dives, culminating with a springboard corkscrew moonsault by Hidaka. Back in, Hell has still broken lose as Storm hits Hidaka with a Widow’s Peak for 2, Daniels gets two following a BME on Jose and the SAT hit the Spanish Fly on Togo (possibly injuring Togo’s ankle) for a broken up two count. We end up with just Storm and Daniels in the ring, with Daniels picking up the win following a Roll The Dice neckbreaker. Fantastic match.

Terry Funk vs Chris Candido
This very much is not a good match. Candido is wearing the Funk-esque trunks he wore at the end of his brief WCW run. Funk starts out stalling and frustrating Candido, but his movements look like he’s in slow motion. Tammy Sytch manages to give Candido an advantage by grabbing Funk’s leg on a break and they head outside for some unspeakably dull brawling. Candido tries to enliven things with some big bumps, first taking a suplex from the ring to the floor, then taking a nasty looking spill over the safety rails. He then tries to top this by taking a piledriver on the floor, which is concrete protected by some carpet. Funk doesn’t help him much, hitting something that looked halfway between a suplex and a brainbuster (called as a DDT by Styles) on the metal ramp. Candido brings a ladder into the ring, and Funk awkwardly falls over trying to pick it up. I know that the Funker was pretty old at the time, but this is not one of his better performances. They botch….something ladder related in the corner, earning some boos. Candido gets two from a diving headbutt, but misses one from the ladder, then takes an odd looking bump over the top from an Irish whip. Tammy gives Funk a low blow while the ref is distracted (though he seemed pretty cool about all the ladders in the ring), but Funk no-sells it and gives her a DDT, before treating her to a bloody bite on the backside. With Candido back in, Funk hits an awkward looking neckbreaker through some chairs. Candido tries a small package on a spinning toehold attempt, but Funk reverses to a small package of his own for the win. My notes end with the phrase “bag of wank”, which sums this match up perfectly.

Steve Corino vs Vampiro vs the Sandman
This is scheduled for a 1-on-1 match between the Canadians, before “Enter Sandman” summons the arrival of the Sandman. Vamp and Corino double-team Sandman from the start, with Vampiro hitting the Nail In The Coffin early doors, before getting attacked by Corino. We get a rather average brawl out of the ring, though Sandman and Corino take some nasty-looking bumps on the steel ramp from Vampiro. Vamp looks to be in the best shape of the three men, and hits both with some firm looking kicks. Sandman’s role seems to be pretty much just putting weapons in the ring as he contributes nothing else, leaving Vamp and Corino to have some decent exchanges. Vamp and Sandman fight outside, which allows Corino to set up a piece of the safety rails in the ring, balanced on four chairs. This kinda backfires as Sandman superplexes Corino onto the railing, but Vamp comes along and pins Sandman, who has managed to hurt himself in the process. However, to my shock, it turns out this is an elimination match, so we continue with Vamp and Corino. They look really good in the ring together, though Vamp has the advantage due to Corino still feeling the effects of the superplex. Corino hits the Old School Expulsion out of nowhere for two and hits a second rope cutter for the win. Bit of a mess and would really have been better without Sandman.

Sabu vs Taiyo Kea
Magnificently, Styles claims that Sabu is in the best shape of his career, then points out the bandages on Sabu’s shoulder in the same sentence. That said, Sabu looks really “on” here: his strikes look good and there’s not of his usual sloppiness on his highspots. Sabu misses a baseball slide and gets tossed into the safety rails, before Kea hits a pescado. Back inside, Kea locks in a sharpshooter, and I really dig the way he kicks Sabu in the back while flipping him over. Sabu manages to bail outside and avoids a second pescado, before throwing Kea into the crowd and hitting an insane chair-assisted dive. Sabu tries to set up a table, but takes too long and Kea throws him back in the ring. Kea goes to the top rope, but Sabu gets up to nail a sick looking top rope DDT. Sabu tries for the triple jump moonsault, but Kea droptoeholds him face-first onto the chair. Kea goes up top again, but gets caught by Sabu, who hits a perfect top rope rana, followed by a springboard legdrop for two. Sabu goes back to the table from earlier and puts Kea through it with a legdrop. Back in, the triple jump moonsault only gets two. Sabu runs the ropes, but gets caught with a Frankensteiner by Kea. An enzuigiri sends Sabu face first onto a chair. Kea gives Sabu two Hawaiian Crushes (TKO) then hits the Hawaii 5-0 for the win. Pretty good match, both guys seemed on, though it was a little spotty in places. I really liked the way that, rather than hit a finisher and risk Sabu kicking out, Kea decided to hit 3 in a row to ensure Sabu wasn’t going to escape.

Satoshi Kojima vs Jerry Lynn
This is for the vacant MLW title. I’d like to highlight that Kojima’s entrance attire is fucking awesome. This match is mainly Kojima dominating Lynn, but Lynn using his veteran wiles to escape from moves and hit counters. Kojima takes Lynn down early and locks in a STF, forcing Lynn to the ropes. Kojima starts to subtly heel it up, not breaking cleanly and pretending not to understand English. Kojima hits a flurry of strikes in the corner,, but misses an 2nd rope elbow. Lynn send Kojima to the corner and hits a flurry of his own. Kojima no-sells 3 Lynn clotheslines, but Lynn manages to reverse a slam into an inverted DDT for two, Lynn avoids a lariat and hits a German suplex, which he really has to fight for, for 2. Lynn then hits a tornado DDT for two. Kojima avoids a Lynn clothesline and hits him with a Sky High for two. Lynn comes back with a TKO for two, but Kojima blocks a cradle piledriver attempt and nits a Michinoku Driver for two. A huge Lariat gets the win, and the MLW title, for Kojima. I really like the way they’d put over the Lariat as a death finisher- Styles had talked earlier about Kojima being mentored by Stan Hansen, and the ref recoiled when Kojima hit it. Really fun match, and a more than adequate main event.

TNA Destination X 2011

Kazarian vs Samoa Joe
The crowd here are VERY pro-Joe, with a smattering of boos everytime Kaz gets some offence in. Joe dominates the vast majority of the match after Kaz makes the poor decision to attack him at the bell. Joe beats him up inside the ring and out, including casually moving out of the way when Kaz tries a dive from the apron. Kazarian does a good job of fighting from underneath, landing occasional blows to show he’s still alive, but it’s not until he nails Joe with a high springboard dropkick that he gets some real offence in. Kaz loses a strike exchange with Joe, so wisely decides to use his speed to stay ahead, nailing Joe with a few springboard moves. Joe regain control though, and nails his still-impressive suicide dive. Joe locks in the Kokina Clutch, but Kaz makes the ropes. A second attempt, delayed by Joe arguing with the ref, is reversed by Kaz and leads to a victory roll for the Kazarian win. Decent opener, with Joe getting to look like a killer, but Kaz getting the win by surviving.

Douglas Williams vs Mark Haskins
Haskins is the mystery opponent for Williams, an opponent none of the crowd have heard off. Still, this shouldn’t give them the right to be total dicks, which unfortunately, they are. For despite putting in a good performance, they shit all over Haskins. The opening sequence is particularly fun, with Williams slightly dominating on the mat, but still falling prey to a couple of pinfall attempts. Williams is larger and more experienced, so it makes sense he controls much of the match, but Haskins does some really nice stuff. I especially like the way that, when Williams hits him with a forearm to break a hold, Haskins replies with a straight headbutt. Haskins also takes a nasty looking bump on the ring apron. Haskins does slip a couple of times (which the crowd shit on him for), firstly in the middle of an otherwise smooth sequence of offence whilst trying a springboard clothesline, and secondly when trying for a Shooting Star Press, though this plays into the finish: having wasted a few seconds by slipping, he misses the SSP and Williams rolls him up for 3. A pretty good match, a terrible crowd.

Generation Me vs Eric Young & Shark Boy
Pretty much pure filler, though it does provide a timely reminder of just how good Eric Young is. He works a terrific sequence with Max Buck, before GenMe take over on Sharky. GenMe’s double-team offence is pretty fun, but this is just short fun and, after another excellent display by EY, Max falls prey to a Chummer and a wheelbarrow cutter for the win.

Robbie E vs Alex Shelley vs Amazing Red vs Shannon Moore
I’m going to be honest from the start here: Robbie E has swiftly become one of my favourite guys to watch in TNA. For an average-decent worker saddled with a goofy lower-midcard gimmick, he’s really making the most of it to become really fun to watch. He’s a really good seller, as well as using the goofy D-Von Dudley “seizure” sell when he takes harder bumps, which he does plenty of here. I also appreciated a bit early on where Shelley smugly pushes Red, who is tied up in the corner, only for Red to spit back at him, showing a bit of hate in what could otherwise be simply a spotfest. Moore is a bit dull, but wins me over by stealing the Finlay “apron grab” spot to stop some Robbie E offence. This isn’t quite as non-stop as previous Ultimate X matches, but is still pretty fun. Robbie earns some bonus points with me by stopping midway across the cables for a quick fistpump. He gets knocked down from the cables, prompting another seizure-sell, and Red and Moore both climb up looking to grab the X. Moore actually climbs to the top of the X rigging and kicks down to knock Red off the cable, but this has given Shelley ample time to make his own way to the centre and he drags Moore down to claim victory for himself. Not the best Ultimate X, but as the PPV wasn’t sold around this match (which they often are), it’s not as important. This felt more like a fun, midcard match than a show-stealer, but is still worth a watch.

Rob Van Dam vs Jerry Lynn
The first few minutes of the match consists of very little offence, more a series of reversals and counters to put over how well these two know each other. This ends in a total stalemate, which allows Lynn to show just a little frustration. RVD opens the ropes to let him back in following a trip to the outside, but Lynn attacks him on a handshake to become the defacto heel for the match. This makes sense to me, giving the match a bit of intensity rather than it being an exhibition. Also, as RVD has to wrestle here every week, making Lynn the heel is the right thing to do. Lynn hits a nice cannonball from the apron, which is pretty nuts for a man in his 40’s with a bad back. RVD regains control and looks for the 5*, but Lynn recovers quickly and sends him off the top to the barricades. Lynn’s continued frustration leads to him grabbing a chair and a nice spot where Van Dam ducks the chair shot, but Lynn uses his familiarity with him to avoid the legsweep and drop a leg on RVD’s head, sending him face first to the chair. Lynn tries another chairshot, but this time RVD hits the Van Daminator and the 5* for the win. It’ll come as no surprise to learn that 10 years of injuries and knocks have slowed the pace of this match-up down, but this was still plenty good and Lynn looked especially good considering how worn down he is.

Austin Aries vs Zema Ion vs Low-Ki vs Jack Evans
I always struggle to write up matches like this, so don’t expect too much play-by-play. This is a terrifically fast match up where stuff is going on at all times, but crucially is all arranged in a way that make perfect sense. The added bonus is that the spots are all really crisp. No-one really gets an advantage to start, until Aries manages to hit flying nail-rakes on all three guys. Because the winner gets a TNA contract, we get a lot of quick pinfall attempts getting broken up, the best example being a rolling bridge from Low Ki on Aries, which gets broken by Evans leaping from off-screen onto the exposed Low Ki. There is also a terrific moment where Low Ki is outside and the other three all want to hit a dive on him. Evans gets cut off by Ion, who in turn gets cut off by Aries. Aries then tries a dive himself, by which time Low Ki has recovered and greets him with a big kick to the head. Aries is subtly positioned as the heel through his arrogance and posturing. After 10 minutes of action, we get to the ending sequence which includes Ion hitting a 450 splash on Low Ki, Evans getting knees to the back while attempting a 630 on Ki, before Aries hits Low Ki with a brainbuster for the win. I like the fact that they didn’t use the least known guy (Ion) as the guy to drop the fall, instead putting him on a level with the other three. Very fun match.

Brian Kendrick vs Abyss
Kendrick bounces like a pinball off Abyss on a crossbody attempt right at the start, putting across pretty clearly the size difference. Abyss soon dominates and actually gets to look like a monster for a change, while Kendrick keeps trying to fight back, which nicely shows his fighting spirit. The whole Sun Tzu bit is slightly silly, but it does provide a realistic opening for Kendrick to make his comeback, dropkicking Abyss and busting him open. Kendrick shows some real fire on his comeback, including a nice suicide dive, but Abyss smoothly reverses a Sliced Bread attempt into Shock Treatment. A slightly telegraphed ref bump leads to Kendrick hitting Sliced Bread before the inevitable chicanery. Bischoff comes down, only to get knocked out by Kendrick, before Gunner, Scott Steiner and Bully Ray come down to beat up Kendrick. The X Division guys come to make the save, and Kendrick reverses a chokeslam into a victory roll to win the X Division title. I actually enjoyed this and feel the interference didn’t hurt Kendrick here: he clearly had Abyss beaten before the ref bump and he’s the one who got beaten up by Immortal while the X Division guys never touched Abyss.

AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels
Following the RVD/Lynn match, we get another face/face respect match. Jeremy Borash makes a nice point on commentary, highlighting how both guys have children named after the other one. Like RVD/Lynn, both guys know each other very well and a nice sequence where both manage to evade a dive attempt by the other highlights this. Also, neither guy hits any high impact offence in the opening parts of the match, instead trying to outwrestle the other. As you’d expect, there are some very smooth sequences, including AJ rolling out of the ring to escape a hold, only to be met straight away with a Daniels suicide dive. Daniels gets a little more aggressive than AJ when he gains the advantage, hitting three back suplexes in a row. AJ takes this a a cue to start hitting a bit more vigourously, nailing a pescado to Daniels’ back, where Borash highlights how AJ will know about the broken bone in Daniels’ back. It’s in ways like this that the match slowly evolves from exhibition to full-on match and, while it may not reach the classic status TNA hoped for, it’s still a great main event. The end sees a BME attempt meeting AJ’s knees, leading to a Styles Clash for two. Daniels then gets knees up on a springboard 450 attempt, but Angels Wings only gets two for him. Styles manages to knock Daniels from the top rope and hit a spiral tap for the win (a move, Borash points out, won him his first X Division title. Seriously, get JB back every month). A fitting way to end what has been, surprisingly, a really good PPV.