Welcome back to ringside everyone. This is a very special Year End Review edition of At Ringside. But first, I know you’re all dying to know what I got for Christmas, so here’s a quick rundown: Steve Smith Carolina Panthers Jersey, “That’s How I Roll” T-Shirt, Jessica Alba 06 Calendar, Plane Ticker to Philly, Tickets to a Flyers vs. Avalanche Hockey Game, DVD’s, and CD’s. Ok, now lets get started.
January
Current Champions
*World Champion: Jeff Jarrett
*X Division: Petey Williams
*Tag Team: Team Canada
The Month
So TNA ended 2004 by switching from Weekly PPVs to Monthly PPVs, which was a crazy idea at the time but it ended up working out in the long run. At this point, TNA was on the rise but had a lot of old names that still held some type of name value. Johnny B Badd, Diamond Dallas Page, and Dustin Rhodes being the prime examples. The X Division continued to get high marks with the current champion Petey Williams having the awesome looking Canadian Destroyer as his finisher. The biggest concern for TNA was the fact that their World Champion was Jeff Jarrett. Now Jarrett wasn’t the worst wrestler in the world, nor was he the worst promo guy. But the fact was that Jarrett was becoming a lot like the Triple H of TNA. He got 20 minutes of promo time, Main Evented every PPV, and was the owner’s son. The difference was that Triple H didn’t need to over book all of his Main Events. One thing that TNA had going very well for them was their Tag Division. TNA had put together teams like Team Canada, AMW, Kazarian & Bentley, The Naturals, and 3LK. TNA had about 4 more teams than WWE had at the time.
TNA’s biggest problem was the fact that they had brought in so many old guys that couldn’t contribute anymore. Not only couldn’t they contribute but they were going over younger guys and receiving decent pushes. A guy like Dustin Rhodes was going over X Division talent like Kid Kash. A guy like Erik Watts was going over Raven (Yes Raven he was old but he still contributed and never left). They had guys like Johnny B Badd taking up space while a guy like Ron Killings was in a stupid stable. Kevin Nash and DDP were in a #1 contender’s match against up and comer Monty Brown. Erik Watts was being put over TNA mainstay Raven.
But hey, it was a new year and new a beginning for TNA. They had plenty of time to turn it around.
Final Resolution
This PPV holds sort of a place (albeit a small one) in my heart simply because it was the first TNA Monthly PPV that I rented. I didn’t know what to expect heading into the PPV. I had heard great things about Turning Point (mainly due to the cage match) but the Victory Road reviews were mixed.
This PPV didn’t disappoint me. When I saw AJ vs. Sabin vs. Petey in the Ultimate X match I fell in love with the company. Those 3 put on a show and had me at the edge of my couch. That match alone could have been worth the price of the PPV. The rest of the PPV wasn’t bad. X Division vs. 3LK was a nice little match although the wrong team went over. Skipper vs. Dutt put on a nice little show although there was no way Skipper could follow up his Turning Point performance. Kid Kash carried Dustin Rhodes to a decent match that exceeded my expectations. AMW vs. Team Canada was one of the best tag team matches that I have seen in a very long time. Jeff Hardy and Scott Hall could have put on a better match with Hall drunk and Hardy high (although, that may have been the case) but the big story in this match was the shocking return of Abyss. By this point everyone was saying that Abyss and WWE agreed on a contract and that Abyss was sure to be jobbing to Triple H within months. That wasn’t the case though. Abyss returned at Final Resolution to take out Hardy which would begin their feud that lasted for most of the year. Monty Brown correctly defeated Nash and Page although he lost to Jarrett in your typical over-booked Jarrett World Title Match.
Overall the PPV was what we have come to expect from TNA PPV’s. The X Division workers shined, Jarrett defended his title, Abyss returned, and there were a lot of old names to bring name value to the TNA product.
Recap
So January started pretty well for TNA all things considered. Their best worker, AJ Styles, ended the month with the X Division title. A worker who they thought was lost, Abyss, returned and ended up pretty on awesome brawls throughout the year. And Christopher Daniels was about to break out as a singles worker.
The problems were of course still there. TNA had a bunch of names that didn’t belong. Johnny B Badd had all but run his course after his WWF run. Scott Hall brought nothing to the table except a funny promo or two. Dustin Rhodes was never a star in he ring and got over on his Goldust gimmick, a gimmick he didn’t use in TNA. And Ron Killings was stuck in the pit of suck that was 3LK.
February
Current Champions
World Champion: Jeff Jarrett
X Division: AJ Styles
Tag Team: America’s Most Wanted
The Month
TNA has an infatuation with bringing in “celebs” to increase the mainstream coverage of the company. Now this worked in December when TNA brought in members of the World Champion White Sox but it failed badly when TNA brought in Jeff Hammond. If you don’t know Jeff Hammond, he is some NASCAR analyst. Maybe Steve Price knows more about Hammond but outside of TNA, I didn’t know who he was. I’ll talk more about Hammond when I get to the PPV Portion of February. TNA decided that because Kevin Nash was the first man out of the Triple Threat Match at Final Resolution, that he deserved a title shot. Now at first a Jarrett vs. Nash match doesn’t seem like a 5 Star Match but trust me when I tell you that they exceeded expectations. TNA also decided to team up two of its Main Eventers based on the respect that they had for one another. So Monty Brown and Diamond Dallas Page became a team for the month. Abyss and Jeff Hardy decided to continue their war throughout the month and put on your Monthly PPV Brawl that TNA is starting to become famous for. The big story of the month was the X Division title match. AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels decided to hook up in a 30 Minute Iron Man Match that you knew wouldn’t disappoint.
Against All Odds
Remember Jeff Hammond? Yeah, he was going to team up with BG James to take on Kazarian and Bentley at the PPV. Now I would have been fine with this match if the right team won, but that didn’t happen. Not only did Hammond and BG win, but we witnessed one of the worst finishing moves ever when Hammond dropped an elbow on Kazarian. That of course was probably a contributing factor to Kazarian leaving TNA later in the month. As for the rest of the PPV, it wasn’t half bad. Elix Skipper and Petey Williams put on a very good X Division match with Skipper looking like he was about to break out as a singles star. Raven finally won a PPV match when he went over Dustin Rhodes and started the beginning of the end for Dustin’s run in TNA. AMW defended their tag titles in a very good match against the pairing of Kid Kash and Lance Hoyt. Abyss and Jeff Hardy put on a very good brawl in a weird concept match. It was a ladder match but with two envelops. One envelope had nothing, while the other had a World Title Shot. Hardy ended up grabbing the envelope first, but he grabbed the wrong one and Abyss grabbed the right one later in the match. Sadly, Abyss only got his title shot on an episode of Impact and not at a PPV. Jeff Jarrett and Kevin Nash put on a match exceeding everyone’s expectations but as usual, Jarrett won thanks to some help. The match of the night belonged to AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels though. They went through a 30-minute war that ended up 0-0 when time had expired. In overtime, AJ pulled off the win and thus the year long war had only started between these two.
Another good PPV showing by TNA. Aside from Hammond and the pointlessness of him being involved with the company, most of the matches were watchable and AJ vs. Daniels was the first of many MOTY contenders put out by TNA.
Recap
Not a bad month by TNA. The only down thing was the fact that TNA had lost Frankie Kazarian to WWE. Now this never came back to haunt TNA because WWE never used Kazarian in any way, shape, or form. Plus, it allowed Bentley to break out at a singles star. TNA discovered a formula for their PPVs that they would follow from here on out. A great X Division title match, a great bloody brawl, good X Division action, and an over-booked Jarrett title defense. Simple, but it produced many good PPV’s for TNA.
March
Current Champions
World Champion: Jeff Jarrett
X Division: AJ Styles
Tag Team: America’s Most Wanted
The Month
This month pretty much flew under the radar for TNA. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not like Destination X was a bad PPV for TNA or anything but nothing special really happened outside the company. Trytan made his debut and just like I suspected, it was a complete flop. DDP got his title shot at Jeff Jarrett. TNA decided to bring back Ultimate X 2 months after the last one. Now, I love Ultimate X but it’s a gimmick match that should come once in a great awhile. Using it twice in 3 months isn’t a great while. Jeff Hardy and Abyss continued their feud as did Dustin Rhodes and Raven. Again, not much going on for TNA this month.
Destination X
So the tag title’s weren’t defended at this PPV. Instead AMW teamed up with 3LK to take on Team Canada. The match it self wasn’t very good but it was passable enough. After a Chris Sabin vs. Chase Stevens match, Shocker made his TNA debut. Now Shocker was decent in the ring but the main reason TNA brought him in is because he was in some McDonalds commercials. Not the best reason to bring a guy in but whatever, it’s better than Jeff Hammond. Sadly, Dustin Rhodes was still in TNA and getting a win over a guy like Raven. Team Traci and Team Trinity faced off in a match that showed both teams sucked. Yeah, neither Phi Delta Slam or The Disciples Of Destruction lasted very long in TNA and it wasn’t fun while it lasted. Remember Trytan? Yeah, TNA built him up to be the next Brock Lesnar (He even used the F-5 as his finisher) but he was the next Darko Milic. Trytan ended up losing to Monty Brown (although he didn’t really lose) and his TNA career was over. Jeff Hardy and Abyss once again destroyed each other in a very good brawl. Kevin Nash and Kip James battled in a horrible done First Blood Match. I know that either man is once what they used to be but man, this was not very good. The Ultimate X match was probably the worst to date. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad but it just wasn’t as good as the previous Ultimate X matches. The one positive that came out of this was that Christopher Daniels began his long reign as X Division Champion. In the Main Event, Jarrett defeated DDP in a pretty bad match. Monty Brown turned on DDP and after the PPV it was revealed that now Jarrett owed Brown a favor, a favor he has yet to receive. Oh yeah, this PPV also marked the debut of Kip James and Sean Waltman, like they matter.
So overall, it wasn’t TNA’s best PPV. Some passable matches but nothing really spectacular that stuck in your mind the next month.
Recap
I told you, it’s a pretty forgotten month this year for TNA. Not without reason though. The PPV wasn’t great and nothing huge happened in the company. Sure, Monty Brown turned and Shocker debuted but Monty Brown should be World Champion at this point and Shocker was just a media ploy.
April
Current Champions
World Champion: Jeff Jarrett
X Division: Christopher Daniels
Tag Team: America’s Most Wanted
The Month
This month’s PPV was titled, Lockdown. So TNA decided that there should be 3, 6 Sided Cage Matches. Well at first, that idea didn’t seem like a bad idea. But this Dusty Rhodes got an even brighter idea. Every match should be a cage match. Now let me remind you that the only cage match before this one on PPV was AMW vs. XXX at Turning Point. And that was a MOTY Contender. Why ruin that match with a whole PPV of cage matches. I was really down on this idea. To top it off, their Main Event had suck written all over it. It was the team of Nash, DDP, and Waltman against Kip, Jarrett, and Brown. Luckily, that wasn’t the main event. Sadly, it still sucked. In a sad passing, Chris Candido passed away during this month. He was injured in his at Lockdown and never recovered.
Lockdown
So the cages were set up and weren’t taken down all night. As I mentioned before, Candido was injured and later in the week, passed away. I won’t go into his match. Dustin Rhodes defeated Bobby Roode in a pretty bad match. It was 2 out of 3 falls with the 3rd fall being a blindfold match, yeah it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that was going to suck. The X Division Xscape match was good but the wrong man (Shocker) won. Raven and Jeff Hardy brawled with in a cage in a Cage Tables match. The concept sucked and the match wasn’t much better. AMW and Team Canada put on a decent match but it should have been better. The problem wasn’t the match it was the workers. Instead of Roode and Young it was Young and A1, a combo that I don’t really like. Daniels defended his X Division title against Elix Skipper in a very good cage match. Sadly, there was no way it was going to live up to their first cage match and it didn’t. Now before the Lethal Lockdown Match, Kevin Nash was injured (shocker huh?) So they needed a replacement. Who did they gather? None other than BG James. Yes, the match was still horrible. TNA put on the right match last though. AJ Styles and Abyss put on a hell of a show in the cage in a match that earned AJ a World Title shot.
Overall, it wasn’t a very good show. Thankfully enough though, the cage match hasn’t been used since in TNA. I think a whole night of cage matches was enough for any wrestling fan.
Recap
Another down month for TNA. The Lockdown PPV didn’t come off as good as they wanted it to and Chris Candido passed away. But oddly enough, things were about to change for the good.
May
Current Champions
World Champion: Jeff Jarrett
X Division: Christopher Daniels
Tag Team: The Naturals
The Month
Remember TNA’s infatuation with bringing in sort of celebs? Yeah, here’s another example. Dusty Rhodes decided to bring in Tito Ortiz to ref the Main Event match of AJ Styles vs. Jeff Jarrett. Now, I didn’t have a problem with this because he was just going to be a ref and that’s it. Sadly, I knew that it meant that this match was going to be over booked, something no AJ match needed to be. But remember when I said things would be looking up for TNA? In a odd way they were. No, they didn’t make a major signing this month or anything but they cut some dead weight. Dusty Rhodes was out as the head booker in TNA. They instead decided to switch to a booking committee instead of one man. Diamond Dallas Page was released after he refused to cleanly job to Monty Brown. Jeff Hardy no showed the PPV and was suspended. He should have been fired but TNA kept him around because Matt Hardy was a major free agent and TNA was looking to bring him in. Sadly, Matt made the biggest mistake of his career. So things began to look up for TNA.
Hard Justice
The night kicked off with Team Canada correctly going over the horrible team of Siaki and Apolo. After that, Sabin (teaming with Traci) and Bentley (teaming with Trinity) pulled a double switch. Traci turned on Sabin while Bentley turned on Trinity, which reunited Bentley and Traci. Jeff Hardy was supposed to take on Raven in a House Of Fun match but he decided to no show. Who took his place? None other than Sean Waltman. These two put on a very good brawl with Waltman busting his ass for the first time since his Kliq days. In a match that really should have “made” Monty Brown, it turned out to be a flop. DDP wouldn’t job to Brown cleanly so Phi Delta Slam came out to help Brown and it just came off pretty badly. In their first match without Candido, The Naturals and AMW put on a hell of a tag team match. You see, before Candido passed away, The Naturals won the Tag Titles on Impact. It was truly a great moment. Daniels beat Shocker in a decent match. That match also ended the mush TNA was giving Shocker. In the 20 Man Gauntlet, Abyss destroyed everyone setting him up for about his 10th title shot. In the main event, AJ Styles captured the World Title in a match that didn’t need to be over booked but was. Oh well, at least Jarrett wasn’t the champion.
Overall it was a decent PPV and much better than the previous ones. Waltman returned to his old form, Daniels continued his amazing X Division run, AMW and Naturals put on a good tag match, and AJ Styles won the World Title.
Recap
Yes, it was a good month for TNA. Their best and most over worker was World Champion, Dusty Rhodes was out, Jeff Hardy was suspended, and DDP quit. Things were looking up…but what goes up, must come down.
June
Current Champions
World Champion: AJ Styles
X Division: Christopher Daniels
Tag Team: The Naturals
The Month
So while things were going good last month, they took a major hit this month. You see, TNA was on FSN on Friday’s at 4 PM. A horrible timeslot but it was a start. Well that came to an end when TNA didn’t renew the contract. So what did they do? Well, they went through the first part of June with no TV Show. After the PPV, they decided to show TNA Impact on the web, a nice little quick fix. The bad thing was that TNA’s Anniversary show, Slammiversary was this months PPV and they really had no build towards it. Oh well, the show must go on.
Slammiversary
So 3 years ago to this month, TNA was born. I won’t go into their history because this is a Year In Review column, not a History In Review. Back to the PPV. The pre-show was actually important at this PPV. Jeff Jarrett decided to attack a fan. Zybsko then removed Jarrett from the King Of The Mountain Main Event and replaced him with Raven. To kick things off in the ring, Shark Boy won a X Division match. Sadly, that match did nothing for Shark Boy as he continues to wrestle on pre shows. In the next match, Shocker went over Alex Shelley. Decent match, wrong outcome. The James Saga really got hot around this time with BG not wanting to hit Kip. It was a storyline that went on all friggin year and pissed me off every month until it ended (which honestly, it’s not fully over). The Naturals defeated Team Canada and revealed Jimmy Hart to be their new manager. I really liked this move for TNA as I have always been high on Hart as a manager. Now this PPV marked the debut of Samoa Joe. In his first TNA match, he defeated Sonjay Dutt in a very good match that would prove that Joe will kill you and that he could hang with the X Division. Bobby Roode defeated Lance Hoyt but the story here was Hoyt’s attack on D’Amore after the match. That kept D’Amore off screen for awhile so he could focus on his booking duties. The James Saga continued when AMW defeated 3LK. That also ended AMW’s losing streak at like 2. Daniels continued his X Division title run by defeating Chris Sabin and Matt Bentley in a very good 3 way match. In the King Of The Mountain Main Event, Raven captured his first World Title in a move that shocked many. A lot of people were upset by this as they felt that AJ should have held the title longer and wasn’t given a chance but AJ wanted to concentrate on the X Division so he agreed to drop the title to Raven. The match it self was actually pretty good and it was nice to see no Jarrett and Raven win.
Overall it was a pretty good show. Raven was finally given a chance to run with the title and he carried it a good way. Jarrett was also off TV for a while which was another positive.
Recap
This was actually a better month than I thought looking back. Sure they didn’t have a TV slot but in the company, Daniels continued to carry the X Division ball, AJ was going back to the X Division, Samoa Joe made his debut, Jarrett was gone for the time being, and Raven captured the World Title.
July
Current Champions
World Champion: Raven
X Division: Christopher Daniels
Tag Team: The Naturals
The Month
So TNA moved to the web for the time being. Nothing wrong with that I guess, I mean, at least they were still putting on shows and not just doing monthly PPV’s with no build. The good news for TNA is that they brought in WWE cast off Rhino. I have always been a fan of Rhino and felt he was under-used in WWE so I was happy to hear that TNA signed him. The bad news was that TNA wanted to bring in Matt Hardy but Hardy decided to forgo a push for money. The month also marked the month of a major (and long over due) push for Abyss. TNA decided to pair Abyss up with James Mitchell, one of the best moves I thought TNA has ever made.
No Surrender
The show kicked off with AMW defeating the team of Bentley & Shelley. I was kind of upset by this as I thought Shelley & Bentley could have made for a very good tag team in the dying division. Next, Sonjay Dutt won a Super X qualifier match. More on the Super X Cup next month. Siaki and Apolo beat Simon Diamond and David Young, nobody really cares about them though. Samoa Joe continued his impressive winning streak by defeating Chris Sabin in a very good match. Team Canada defeated the pairing of The Naturals with Lance Hoyt. The James Saga continued when Monty Brown and Kip James defeated Konnan and Ron Killings of the 3LK. BG James had a chance to hit anyone and everyone with a chair but decided against it and did nothing but walk away. AJ Styles and Sean Waltman put on a hell of a match with Jerry Lynn as the ref. This match would lead to a Lynn vs. Waltman match in the next month. Christopher Daniels continued his X Division dominance by defeating Petey Williams in a very good match. In the Main Event, Raven defeated Abyss in a bloody brawl for the World Title. After the match Rhino came out and Gored Raven setting up next months feud.
Overall it was a very good PPV for TNA. The main event was a hell of a brawl, good X division match, and Rhino made his TNA debut.
Recap
Aside from the whole Impact being on the Internet thing, this was a good month for TNA. Sean Watlman continued to prove that he wanted to wrestle again and Rhino made his debut. The only bad part is that Matt Hardy decided to go back to WWE and not jump to TNA.
August
Current Champions
World Champion: Raven
X Division: Christopher Daniels
Tag Team: The Naturals
The Month
So after No Surrender, TNA continued to broadcast over the web. That really sucked this month because TNA decided to book a Super X Cup Tournament with the winner receiving a X Division Title shot. TNA also decided to put a poll up on their website on who they wanted to see Christopher Daniels face at the PPV. Now this was a very good idea as fans could vote on a ROH Worker that they wanted to see in TNA. Sadly, Jeff Jarrett returned to the ring and was right back into the Main Event. During this month the X Division rivalry of Joe, Styles, and Daniels was really starting to heat up and it was really bad for TNA that this feud wasn’t shown on TV.
Sacrifice
The show started off with a combo of X Division workers defeating the Diamonds In The Rough. I really started to feel bad for Elix Skipper around this time. Alex Shelley correctly defeated Shocker. I don’t believe Shocker was been on a TNA PPV since this match. Abyss continued his run by defeating Lance Hoyt. In a non-needed rematch of last month, 3LK defeated Monty Brown and Kip James. Yes, the James Saga continued. Christopher Daniels kept his run going by defeating Internet Poll Winner, Austin Aries. Aries impressed TNA officials after this match and is now a regular in TNA. Jerry Lynn defeated Sean Waltman in a very good match considering Lynn hadn’t been in a TNA ring for a while at this point. Team Canada defeated the combo team of AMW and The Naturals. After the match, The Naturals and AMW got into a verbal spat that would start their feud. In the Super X Cup Finals, Samoa Joe defeated AJ Styles in a MOTY contender. Joe won with some help from Daniels but the match was awesome nonetheless. In the main event, Rhino and Jarrett defeated Raven and the returning Sabu. The storyline here was if Jarrett pinned Raven, he would receive a World Title shot. Well, Rhino ended up pinning Raven and next month, Rhino got the title shot.
Overall it was an above average PPV. The Main Event was a very good brawl and AJ/Joe was awesome. Those two matches alone probably saved the show.
Recap
So Impact was still being shown on the Internet but TNA was working through that. Rhino quickly proved to pay quick dividends for TNA, as he was already a Main Event player. Joe also proved to be worth the pick up as he had earned himself a X Division Title match even though he was bigger than X Division standards. Things were heading in the right direction.
September
Current Champions
World Champion: Raven
X Division: Christopher Daniels
Tag Team: The Naturals
The Month
To me, this was the month where TNA turned it all around for good. No this wasn’t the month that they made their SpikeTV debut, no this wasn’t the month where a major star made his jump, and no this wasn’t the month where a former worker with name value was returning. This was the month where AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe made huge stars out of themselves. Of course, TNA fans and die hard wrestling fans knew those guys but in this month, casual fans started to notice these guys. Also during this month, TNA held the Chris Candido Memorial Tournament. This tourney pitted a newcomer with a veteran. I liked this idea and I liked the team that won it (Alex Shelley and Sean Waltman) but sadly, Waltman turned into the Sean of old at the PPV. Still, the no show of Sean Waltman wasn’t going to slow TNA down.
Unbreakable
Elix Skipper continued to get buried as the 3LK defeated the Diamond In The Rough to open the show. Austin Aries and Roderick Strong put on a very good match and showed TNA officials that they deserved an X Division push. Kip & Monty defeated Apolo & Hoyt. Chris Sabin defeated Petey Williams in a very good X Division match. After the match, Matt Bentley stated that there would be an Ultimate X Match at Bound For Glory. Abyss defeated Sabu in a match that would start their bloody feud that lasted the rest of the year. Bobby Roode defeated a returning Jeff Hardy. I was very happy to see Hardy job to Roode, he deserved to job after the shit he pulled. The Naturals won a 4 team tag match. The match included AMW, Team Canada, and the Candido Cup Winners (Shelley & Waltman). Well as I said, Waltman no showed so Shelley was screwed until a Candido relative helped him out. Raven retained the World Title against Rhino in a awesome brawl. Jarrett and Hardy got involved in the match but luckily, that lead to nothing between them down the line. In the Main Event, it was my Match Of The Year when AJ Styles defeated Christopher Daniels & Samoa Joe to win the X Division Title.
Another good PPV by TNA. If anything, Joe/Styles/Daniels was worth your entire 30 bucks. Luckily for you, Abyss/Sabu and Rhino/Raven were both very good brawls and Sabin/Bentley and Strong/Aries were both good X Division action.
Recap
This was the turning point (no pun intended) for TNA. They were about to debut on Spike. Oh but wait, something more happened in this month. You see in Canada, Raven faced Jeff Jarrett for the World Title. Well since TNA had to have Jarrett as their World Champion for the SpikeTV debut, Jarrett won the belt. But he won it with the help of a heel turning AMW and a returning Scott D’Amore. But goofy Jarrett title win aside, it was still a good month.
October
Current Champions
World Champion: Raven
X Division: Christopher Daniels
Tag Team: The Naturals
The Month
To me, this was the month where TNA turned it all around for good. No this wasn’t the month that they made their SpikeTV debut, no this wasn’t the month where a major star made his jump, and no this wasn’t the month where a former worker with name value was returning. This was the month where AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and Samoa Joe made huge stars out of themselves. Of course, TNA fans and die hard wrestling fans knew those guys but in this month, casual fans started to notice these guys. Also during this month, TNA held the Chris Candido Memorial Tournament. This tourney pitted a newcomer with a veteran. I liked this idea and I liked the team that won it (Alex Shelley and Sean Waltman) but sadly, Waltman turned into the Sean of old at the PPV. Still, the no show of Sean Waltman wasn’t going to slow TNA down.
Unbreakable
Elix Skipper continued to get buried as the 3LK defeated the Diamond In The Rough to open the show. Austin Aries and Roderick Strong put on a very good match and showed TNA officials that they deserved an X Division push. Kip & Monty defeated Apolo & Hoyt. Chris Sabin defeated Petey Williams in a very good X Division match. After the match, Matt Bentley stated that there would be an Ultimate X Match at Bound For Glory. Abyss defeated Sabu in a match that would start their bloody feud that lasted the rest of the year. Bobby Roode defeated a returning Jeff Hardy. I was very happy to see Hardy job to Roode, he deserved to job after the shit he pulled. The Naturals won a 4 team tag match. The match included AMW, Team Canada, and the Candido Cup Winners (Shelley & Waltman). Well as I said, Waltman no showed so Shelley was screwed until a Candido relative helped him out. Raven retained the World Title against Rhino in a awesome brawl. Jarrett and Hardy got involved in the match but luckily, that lead to nothing between them down the line. In the Main Event, it was my Match Of The Year when AJ Styles defeated Christopher Daniels & Samoa Joe to win the X Division Title.
Another good PPV by TNA. If anything, Joe/Styles/Daniels was worth your entire 30 bucks. Luckily for you, Abyss/Sabu and Rhino/Raven were both very good brawls and Sabin/Bentley and Strong/Aries were both good X Division action.
Recap
This was the turning point (no pun intended) for TNA. They were about to debut on Spike. Oh but wait, something more happened in this month. You see in Canada, Raven faced Jeff Jarrett for the World Title. Well since TNA had to have Jarrett as their World Champion for the SpikeTV debut, Jarrett won the belt. But he won it with the help of a heel turning AMW and a returning Scott D’Amore. But goofy Jarrett title win aside, it was still a good month.
October
Current Champions
World Champion: Jeff Jarrett
X Division: AJ Styles
Tag Team: The Naturals
The Month
So now TNA started rolling. They had just put on an awesome Triple Threat Match and they were about to debut on SpikeTV. Now, the time slot on SpikeTV wasn’t the greatest thing ever (11 PM on Saturday) but it was a start. Also during this month TNA was about to put on their version of Wrestlemania entitled Bound For Glory. TNA had big plans for the PPV, some worked, most didn’t. They brought back Kevin Nash after he recovered from his injury (little did they know…he would be injured again) and they brought in Team 3-D (The Dudley Boyz). Bound For Glory looked good on paper, as they say in hockey (and most other sports): “That is why they play the game.”
Bound For Glory
Well the show started off bad. TNA had learned the day before that Kevin Nash had been injured and couldn’t compete in the Main Event at the PPV. So the scramble was on. The solution was to hold a 10 man gauntlet with the winner getting a title shot right after the gauntlet. In wrestling action, Samoa Joe defeated Jushin Lyger in a match that should have been better but wasn’t due to the time. Still a good effort from the two. The Diamonds In The Rough picked up a much needed win against Apolo, Siaki, and Shark Boy. Monty Brown defeated Lance Hoyt in a match that was much better than expected. Team Canada defeated 3LK. The story here was the fact that Kip James hit Team Canada and not Konnan after the match. Petey Williams defeated Matt Bentley and Chris Sabin in an Ultimate X Match. Sadly, this didn’t live up to the hype as the X kept falling from the wires, pissing off the fans and the wrestlers. AMW defeated The Naturals to retain the Tag Titles (they had won them on the previous Impact). Rhino defeated Abyss, Sabu, and Jeff Hardy in the Monsters Ball 2 Match. This match had some crazy spots including Hardy’s Swanton off the TNA Logo and Rhino’s piledriver off the middle ropes through the table. Another awesome brawl by TNA. AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels put on another amazing Iron Man Match. AJ won with 2 seconds left in the time limit to retain the X Division Title. Rhino won the 10 Man Gauntlet (which featured Main Event stars and not jobbers). Then right after the gauntlet he defeated Jeff Jarrett to win the World Title. After the match, Team 3-D came out to help Rhino fend off AMW, Team Canada, and Jarrett.
On paper this PPV should have been great. But Joe/Lyger was cut short, The X kept falling, and Nash got hurt. So TNA booked a lot of the PPV on the fly and it actually came off pretty well. Rhino won 3 matches in one night and overcame the odds to win the World Title and AJ/Daniels impressed like only AJ and Daniels can do.
Recap
This was the turning point (no pun intended) for TNA. They were about to debut on Spike. Oh but wait, something more happened in this month. You see in Canada, Raven faced Jeff Jarrett for the World Title. Well since TNA had to have Jarrett as their World Champion for the SpikeTV debut, Jarrett won the belt. But he won it with the help of a heel turning AMW and a returning Scott D’Amore. But goofy Jarrett title win aside, it was still a good month.
November
Current Champions
World Champion: Rhino
X Division: AJ Styles
Tag Team: America’s Most Wanted
The Month
Well TNA started off the month with a Prime Time Special on SpikeTV. The special came off very well in my opinion. They re-tried the Ultimate X Match and it came off like it should have at Bound For Glory, a 6 Man X Division tag match stole the show, and oh yeah, Jarrett regained the World Title. Still, the ratings for Impact were what SpikeTV wanted and were very good considering the time slot. TNA got better news as a former WWE star decided to jump to TNA. That’s right, he jumped, he wasn’t released and he wasn’t fired, he jumped. Why? BECAUSE THAT’S HOW HE ROLLS!
Genesis
The Larry Zybsko/Raven battle really started to heat up around this time. Raven was upset at the booking committee because he hadn’t gotten his World Title Rematch. So he took it out on Zybsko. Well at the PPV Raven took Zybsko’s first opponent, PJ Polaco (Justin Credible). 3LK defeated Team Canada in a hockey stick street fight. Kip James and Konnan shook hands after this match and all seemed fine and dandy. Next, Christian Cage made his TNA debut and got on the mic. He addressed some rumors and made some shoot comments at WWE. Scott D’Amore came out and asked Christian to join Team Canada. Monty Brown defeated Jeff Hardy in a contender’s match. Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels survived the Elimination X Match. All seemed fine between the two X Division stars but in the end, Joe turned on Daniels (and nearly killed him) and broke the X Division code. Abyss defeated Sabu in another very good brawl. AJ Styles retained the X Division title when he defeated Petey Williams in a good X Division match. In the Main Event, Team 3-D and Rhino defeated AMW and Jeff Jarrett in a very good 6 man brawl. After the match Christian came out and declined D’Amore invitation to Team Canada. BECAUSE THAT’S HOW HE ROLLS!
Another strong PPV from TNA with the debut of Christian Cage being the icing on the cake. BECAUSE THAT’S HOW THEY ROLL! (Yes, I love that catchphrase, sue me)
Recap
BECAUSE THAT’S HOW TNA, THE X DIVISION, AND CHRISTIAN CAGE ROLL!
December
Current Champions
World Champion: Jeff Jarrett
X Division: AJ Styles
Tag Team: America’s Most Wanted
The Month
Remember how TNA loves bringing in mainstream guys to gain mainstream attention? Well this month was another example. Luckily for TNA, this appearance worked out the best. TNA brought in AJ Pierzynski of the World Champion Chicago White Sox. Bringing him in gained TNA a lot of mainstream attention from major sport outlets. TNA President Dixie Carter also announced that something would happen at Turning Point that would change the face of TNA in 06. That man was Sting. Oh yeah, Styles and Joe were going to wrestle, but you don’t care about that now do you?
Turning Point
The show kicked off with Abyss and Sabu going at it in a Barbed Wire Massacre. If you like barbed wire and blood, then you’ll love this match. Matt Bentley and Austin Aries defeated Alex Shelley and Roderick Strong in your typical X Division Throw Together Match. Chris K(anyon) was Larry Zybsko’s next opponent for Raven. Raven went over and continued his war with Larry. Team Canada and 4LK faced off for the 1,000 time. Team Canada won when Konnan turned on the James’. Sabin, Dutt, and Torborg defeated the Diamonds In The Rough. Johnny Damon and AJ Pierzynski helped out the winner. Christian Cage pinned Monty Brown cleanly in a Contender’s Match. Some where shocked by this match as most thought it would end in a Double DQ but the right move was made when Christian won cleanly. Team 3-D got revenge on AMW in a Tables Match. The title’s weren’t on the line in this one as it was nothing more than a revenge match for Team 3-D. In another MOTY Contender, Samoa Joe stayed undefeated and captured the X Division Title when he beat AJ Styles. This was stiff, awesome, and told a great story. Christopher Daniels returned after the match to save AJ from a further beating. In the Main Event, Jeff Jarrett retained the World Title when he defeated Rhino. After the match, the lights went out and the Scorpion Logo was shown. I was pretty upset that Sting didn’t show as where the fans.
Another good showing by TNA. Christian’s TNA In Ring PPV Debut was a success, they gained mainstream attention, and AJ/Joe tore the house down. Also, Sting was about to show which can only draw more viewers.
Recap
So that’s basically where we are at today. Sting is coming to TNA, Joe and Daniels are in a feud, Team 3-D and AMW are continuing their feud, and Christian Cage owns you.
TNA 05 Awards
Oh you thought you were done reading? Think again. I’ve still got to pass out some awards. I’ll keep it short, I promise.
TNA Wrestler Of The Year: There were a number of workers I could have picked for this one. Samoa Joe, Raven, Jeff Jarrett, and even Christopher Daniels. But the man I picked has one most Wrestler Of The Year awards and he’s winning mine as well.
Winner – AJ Styles
I don’t need to give an explanation on why I picked him. He’s AJ Fuckin’ Styles.
Biggest Shocker Of The Year: There were a lot of surprises in TNA this year. It kicked off with Abyss returning when everyone thought he was WWE bound and it ended with Sting. But come on, we all know who I picked.
Winner – Christian Cage Jumps
And that’s why he won it, he jumped. It’s not like he was fired or released and TNA picked him up. Christian Cage turned down a WWE contract offer and went to TNA because he wanted to. Why? Say it with me, BECAUSE THAT’S HOW HE ROLLS!
That’s all the awards I’m going to pass out because I’ve typed a lot and you’ve read a lot.
The End
I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and everyone a safe New Year. Bitch at me for making this column so long at AMPLine4Life@aol.com and join me next time At Ringside.
