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Impact Zone – Orlando, Florida – February 12, 2006
Mike Tenay and Don West are on commentary.
PRESHOW MATCH #1: Ron Killings vs. A1
The Truth is a former two-time NWA World Champion, but look at how far down the ladder he’s fallen. A1 is accompanied by Coach Scott D’Amore, Petey Williams, Bobby Roode, and Eric Young, but referee Andre Thomas sends them all to the back before the match can even begin. This distracts A1, allowing Truth to get a quick rollup and almost win the match about 10 seconds in. Truth maintains the advantage, going to work on the arm. He hits a leg lariat for two. They blow an easy looking spot and Truth follows up with the Axe Kick to get the pin at 1:44. What was the point of that?
Rating: DUD
PRESHOW MATCH #2: Lance Hoyt, Shark Boy & Cassidy Riley vs. The Diamonds in the Rough & Shannon Moore
The Diamonds in the Rough are Elix Skipper and David Young, accompanied by Simon Diamond. Moore and Riley start the match. They have a brief back and forth before Young and Boy are tagged in. Boy hits ten mounted punches in the corner and then bites him. Young pushes Boy off and goes for a legdrop but misses. Boy then bites his derriere and hits a neckbreaker for two. Young comes back with a spinebuster and tags Skipper. The Diamonds work Boy over and only tag each other, much to Moore’s chagrin. Moore tags himself in, which shows poor communication on the heel side. Even so, Moore hits a t-bone suplex for two. Skipper returns the favor by tagging himself in and causing an argument. That allows Boy to make the hot tag to Hoyt, who cleans house. The referee loses control as all six men are in the ring. Moore backdrops Riley to the floor and the Diamonds hit Hoyt with a double STO, and Moore breaks up the pin! Now Moore goes after Hoyt and puts on a Maple Leaf but Skipper breaks that up and Moore bails on his partners. That gives Hoyt the opportunity to hit the Texas Powerbomb to give his team the win at 5:51. That was solid preshow fare.
Rating: *¾
MATCH #1: Tag Team Match – The Naturals vs. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong
Aries and Strong were the ROH Tag Team Champions at this time. In fact they both wrestled in ROH the night before this, with Strong beating BJ Whitmer in a #1 Contenders match and Aries losing a Pure Title match to Nigel McGuinness. They beat the Naturals in the first round of a #1 Contenders Tournament via nefarious means, thus the rematch. Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens start off on fire, taking it to both Aries and Strong. The Naturals are former two-time NWA World Tag Team Champions. They focus on Aries in the opening minutes, wearing him down in their half of the ring. The battle spills to the floor, where Aries and Strong stand there and wait for Stevens to hit a Shooting Star Press off the top rope. Stevens appears to have landed hard on Aries’ leg. Back in the ring Stevens fights off both Aries and Strong and goes to the floor, so Aries hits him with the Heat Seeking Missile. Now Aries and Strong are able to focus on Stevens, who has the annoying Jerry Lynn-like habit of constantly fighting back when he should be selling the beating. Eventually Douglas gets the hot tag and he cleans house. Douglas hits Strong with a super hurricanrana and he lands on Aries, so Douglas covers Aries for two. Aries and Strong fight back and knock Stevens to the floor and hit Douglas with a clothesline/German Suplex combo for a two-count. Strong hits a gutbuster and the Sick Kick. Aries covers but Stevens breaks it up. Stevens tosses Strong to the floor and the Naturals go for the Natural Disaster but Strong stops them. Moments later the Naturals are able to hit the move on Aries to get the win at 10:30. Aries and Strong were so good at this point and this match did not do them justice. It was okay but the Naturals, particularly Stevens, don’t really sell and just constantly fight back.
Rating: **½
MATCH #2: X Division Four-Way Match – Alex Shelley vs. Jay Lethal vs. Petey Williams vs. Matt Bentley
Bentley is a former two-time X Division Champion (and is accompanied by Traci Brooks), and Williams has held the title once before. The former champions start the match against each other. Traci quickly gets involved, distracting Petey long enough for Bentley to take control. Petey tags Shelley and Bentley stays in control. Lethal tags himself in at Bentley’s expense to take on Shelley. They go back and forth at a rapid rate, and Lethal takes the first advantage with a dropkick to the back of the head and a bridging suplex for two. Shelley tags Petey, and they work together to wear Lethal down. Eventually Shelley and Petey get into an argument, which allows Lethal to make the hot tag to Bentley. The referee loses control and everyone is throwing out moves at everyone, and all four men are down. Petey recovers first and takes Lethal down, and then dumps Bentley to the floor. Lethal comes back and hits a Dragon Suplex, and then catches Shelley coming off the top rope with a dropkick to the gut. Shelley comes back with a slingshot DDT on Lethal. Bentley goes after Shelley now, and then turns his attention to Petey, who hits him with the Canadian Legsweep. Petey signals for the Canadian Destroyer as Jackie Gayda comes out to confront Shelley. I don’t remember where that angle ever went, if anywhere. Petey is distracted by laughing at Shelley, allowing Lethal to grab him in a jackknife pin for the win at 10:40. This was fun enough but there are about a million other X Division matches just like it.
Rating: **¾
MATCH #3: Challenge Match – The James Gang vs. The Latin American Exchange
The Latin American Exchange at this point was Homicide and Machete, accompanied by Konnan. The James Gang of course is BG and Kip, the former New Age Outlaws. LAX attacks before the bell rings, and even Konnan gets a few shots in, which is smart. BG and Kip quickly clear the ring and then we start the match proper with Kip and Homicide. Kip dominates, even taking Machete out when he enters the ring illegally. He hits Homicide with an awkward powerbomb. Tags are made and BG continues the domination on Machete. The LAX cheat to get an advantage, even Konnan takes a couple of cheap shots. After brief heat Kip makes the hot tag. Kip throws Homicide to the floor, allowing BG unfettered access to hit Machete with the Pumphandle Slam for the win at 5:59. Konnan jumps BG after the bell, and Bullet Bob Armstrong, who is 66, comes out to make the save and LAX all run scared – no, really.
Rating: ½*
MATCH #4: NWA World Tag Team Championship Match – America’s Most Wanted vs. Chris Sabin & Sonjay Dutt
Chris Harris and James Storm have been the champions since 10.22.05, and this is their fourth defense. Dutt and Sabin beat Team Canada and Austin Aries & Roderick Strong (who had beaten The Naturals) in a mini-tournament to earn this title shot. Sabin is coming into this match with an ankle injury suffered in the match with Aries and Strong last night on Impact, so watch out for that. Storm and Sabin start the match, and Sabin quickly tags out. That doesn’t bode well for his injury. Dutt shows off his agility and keeps Storm on the mat. Sabin tags back in and they effectively double-team the Cowboy. Harris illegally grabs Sabin from the floor and slams his ankle against the ring post, and then slams it off the ring apron. Like it or not, that’s good strategy. The champs viciously attack the ankle and Sabin is writhing in pain. Finally Sabin is able to make the hot tag and Dutt is a house afire. Dutt takes both champions down. Sabin is able to help out a bit, as Dutt hits Storm with an Asai DDT for two. Harris then catches Dutt and tries the Catatonic but Dutt reverses it to a crucifix (sort of) for two. AMW brings a steel chair in the ring but it backfires as Sabin hits a Tornado DDT on Harris right on the chair, and Dutt follows with a standing shooting star press for two. Storm pulls Sabin to the floor and smashes his ankle in the guardrail. That leaves Dutt all alone, and AMW hits the Death Sentence for the win at 10:44. That was a great showing for Sabin and Dutt, and I marvel at how different the careers of Harris and Storm have been since the dissolution of America’s Most Wanted.
Rating: ***¼
Not satisfied with their victory, AMW handcuffs Dutt to the top turnbuckle and Harris grabs a chair. Sabin recovers though and throws the chair in Harris’s face and runs Storm off as well.
MATCH #5: Falls Count Anywhere Match – Rhino vs. Abyss
Abyss is accompanied by Father James Mitchell. They waste no time in taking it to each other, slugging back and forth. It doesn’t take long for the battle to spill to the floor and out into the crowd. They make their way back to the ring with Rhino in control. Rhino goes under the ring and grabs a slew of weapons, including a trophy. Why would that be under the ring? They trade weapon shots and Rhino is the first one busted open. Rhino takes Abyss down with the trash can lid, and then sets the trophy on Abyss’s groin and slams it with a baseball bat. Abyss goes to the floor and is able to suplex Rhino on the ramp. He sets up two tables and then stacks two more tables on top of them. Abyss tries to powerbomb Rhino off the ramp through said tables but Rhino blocks it and goes for a Gore but Abyss gets a boot up, sending Rhino crashing off the ramp. They make their way outside the building and each swing and miss with a baseball bat, and then go back to the arena. Back at ringside Rhino puts a table in the ring while Mitchell hands Abyss a staple gun. Abyss shots Rhino in the head a couple of times with the staple gun, and then throws another table into the ring. Rhino fights back with a belly-to-belly suplex and goes for another Gore but Abyss catches him and Chokeslams him through a table for a two-count. Abyss grabs a bag of thumbtacks but as he shows them off, Rhino hits a Gore through the table he set up earlier! Unfortunately for Rhino, that only gets two. Rhino gets distracted and chases Mitchell into the crowd, and Abyss follows. They fight in the bleachers and Abyss takes the wall down! That’s pretty cool. They’re right above the four table stack, and Abyss goes for a Chokeslam but Rhino blocks it and hits the Gore, sending Abyss crashing through the tables. Rhino climbs down and gets the pin at 15:27. That was a good hardcore match, and probably the best match these two ever had together.
Rating: ***
MATCH #6: X Division Championship Match – Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles
Joe has been the champion since 12.11.05, and this is his second defense. I expect the action in this one to be fast-paced. Since AJ and Daniels are embroiled in a lovers’ quarrel, all three men go after each other in the early going. AJ throws dropkicks at Joe and Daniels, and then hits Daniels with a backbreaker. Daniels powders so AJ turns his attention to the champ. Joe blocks a suplex attempt and drops AJ with a front suplex. Daniels gets back in the ring and its chaos again. He knocks Joe to the floor, but it’s AJ who tries to capitalize. AJ throws Joe into the guardrail and gets back in the ring. He puts Daniels in a Muta Lock. Joe breaks that up and puts AJ in an STF, so Daniels locks Joe in a Koji Clutch at the same time! That falls apart and the offense continues being unleashed at a rapid rate. Joe takes Daniels out with the Face Wash, and then nails AJ with the STJoe. He knocks Daniels off the apron again and AJ charges, but Joe ducks and AJ flips over the top rope and wipes Daniels out. Joe then delivers the Elbow Suicida to take both challenges out. Back in the ring AJ levels Daniels with a discuss clothesline and Joe hits AJ with a running knee strike. Joe then covers Daniels for two. The champ continues to dominate, but he’s starting to look frustrated. Joe hits Daniels with the snap powerslam and then goes for a Cross Armbreaker. Daniels wisely gets to the ropes to break it. Joe goes for the Muscle Buster but AJ stops him and hits an enziguiri. Daniels is able to trap AJ in the Koji Clutch and Joe breaks it up. Joe focuses on Daniels, but the Fallen Angel is able to hit Joe with an impressive release German Suplex and a uranage slam. Daniels goes up and hits the Best Moonsault Ever but it only gets two. He then foolishly calls out the Angel’s Wings, but AJ breaks that up and goes for the Styles Clash but can’t connect. Joe drills Daniels with a lariat but again only gets two. He goes for the Muscle Buster on AJ but the Phenomenal One slips out and hits Joe with the Pele. AJ then hits Daniels with the Rack Bomb for two. He then hits Joe with the back flip inverted DDT for another two-count. AJ sets up for the Styles Clash but Daniels breaks it up. Daniels hits Joe with a Death Valley Driver. AJ and Daniels both go up top, and Joe knocks Daniels down, and then hits AJ with the Muscle Buster to get the pin at 16:07. It wasn’t as good as their first three-way match, but this was non-stop action from bell to bell and very little time when all three men weren’t in the same place at the same time.
Rating: ****
MATCH #7: Revenge Match – Team 3D vs. Team Canada
Team Canada is represented by Bobby Roode and Eric Young, former two-time NWA World Tag Team Champions. They’re accompanied by Coach Scott D’Amore. Brother Ray and Brother Devon blindside Team Canada to take the early advantage. It’s all Team 3D in the early going. There’s no getting around it at this point – Brother Ray was obscenely fat at this point in time. Coach D’Amore interferes to give his boys the advantage, taking Devon’s head bandage off and scraping his head against the steel steps, reopening the wound on his forehead. TNA suffered from way too much D’Amore when he was around. Roode and Young focus on Devon now, particularly on his bloody forehead. After what seems like forever the fat guy gets the hot tag and cleans house. Fat Guy hits Young with a superplex for two. Team Canada distracts the referee and uses the hockey stick but Fat Guy kicks out. Young misses a moonsault and Fat Guy tosses Roode to the floor. Team 3D then hit Young with the 3D for the win at 13:13. Team 3D was pretty awful at this point, and all their matches were the same.
Rating: *½
After the match America’s Most Wanted comes down to assault Devon and the Fat Guy. They try to put Devon through a table, but for some reason Ron “The Truth” Killings makes the save. Truth hits Young with a guillotine legdrop to drive him through the table.
MATCH #8: NWA World Heavyweight Title Match – Jeff Jarrett vs. Christian Cage
Jarrett has been the champion since 11.3.05, and this is his second defense. Larry Zbyszko and TNA have literally promised a match with no shenanigans, so let’s see if that holds true. Speaking of the Living Legend, he comes down to ringside with his consultant Dave Hebner, and they announce that Earl Hebner will referee this match. This would be right after the Hebner brothers got fired from WWE for illegally selling their merchandise, proving that TNA will hire anyone that used to work for WWE in any capacity no matter what reason they got fired for. Jarrett is accompanied by Gail Kim. Tenay remarks that Jarrett has been the champion for two-and-a-half of TNA’s four years of existence. Yikes.
The champ tries to intimidate the challenger early on but nothing doing there. Cage goes for an early Unprettier but Jarrett slips out. Jarrett tries to frustrate Cage by being a jerk but Cage withstands that and continues to control the early going. They take it to the ring apron, where Cage hits his inverted DDT! That’s a spot that could have come later in the bout. Cage goes up top and dives off but Jarrett moves and Cage crashes into the guardrail. Back in the ring Jarrett stays in control, hitting a dropkick for two. Jarrett chokes Cage against the ropes, and Hebner pulls him off by the hair. I hate it when referees put their hands on wrestlers for any reason. While Jarrett and Hebner argue, Gail hits Cage with a hurricanrana off the top rope. West notes that if the referee had seen that she would have been fired, as if Zbyszko and Dave Hebner couldn’t see that from wherever they’re watching. Jarrett does that “jump right into perfect position to get powerbombed because I’m not trying a real move” spot that he does. Cage then puts on a Figure-Four Leglock and Jarrett gets to the ropes with Gail’s help. Jarrett hits an enziguiri. He then puts on a Sharpshooter, and Cage begs the referee not to ring the bell. Two things – why do so many guys have problems putting on that move (Jarrett’s version looks like crap), and why is TNA obsessed with bringing up old WWE storylines? Cage reverses to an equally crappy looking Sharpshooter but Jarrett kicks out of it and Cage falls head-first into Jarrett’s groin. Back on their feet Cage unleashes a flurry of offense. Cage hits a DDT for two. Hebner gets bumped on the ankle and goes down. Cage goes up top and Gail grabs his ankle to stop him. Jarrett goes up top and hits the Super Stroke. Hebner crawls over and counts to two, and then gets bumped again, this time to the head. Cage hits the Unprettier but Hebner is out. Mark “Slick” Johnson comes out to make the two-count. Cage goes for the Stroke but Jarrett breaks it with a blatant low blow. Johnson appears ready to disqualify Jarrett, so the champ kicks HIM in the groin. Gail throws a chair in the ring, but it backfires as Cage dropkicks it back into Jarrett’s face. There’s no referee to count though, so Cage foolishly chases Gail and tries to hit her with the Unprettier but Jarrett stops him by blasting him with the guitar. Hebner slowly recovers but Cage kicks out at two. Gail tries another rana but this time Cage catches her with a powerbomb. Cage finally hits the Unprettier to get the pin and win the title at 16:15. They promised a match with no interference, no weapons, and no shenanigans, and then delivered interference, weapons, and shenanigans. Also, the long-term goal of the company was to just put the title back on Jarrett so he could drop it to Sting, which makes what should have been Christian Cage’s big moment just a blip on the TNA radar.
Rating: **
