Bound for Glory 2018 is about to take place this weekend, and for a promotion that has had its fair share of ups and downs (including this past week when they lost their timeslot), the fact that TNA/Impact has lasted as long as it has needs to be considered a success. Like a Terminator robot, this company just refuses to die. So, I felt that on this weekend, I should cover one of their biggest events in history: Bound for Glory 2006.
TNA is still only 4 years old at the time, and this is their first major event to be held outside of either Nashville or Orlando. It's a stacked card filled with legends, stars of the 2000s, and even stars of today still reaching their primes.
Enough talk. Let's get to it.
TNA Bound for Glory 2006
October 22, 2006
Plymouth Township, Michigan
We get the big overhyped video opening that connects all of our souls to the event and makes the company look bigger than it is. (That's right out of the WWE playbook.) The company still hasn't become a transition period for WWE talent yet. So, we have focus on talent like Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Chris Sabin, Senshi, Abyss, and others. Of course, there is still focus on Sting, Jeff Jarrett, Kurt Angle, Christian Cage, and Rhyno too. But if you follow TNA, you know this is going to get more and more into WWE-Lite as we continue on (especially in the 2010s).
1) Kevin Nash Open Invitational X-Division Gauntlet Battle Royal
That is a long name. And Kevin Nash comes out to a generic version of "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin.
1st Competitor is Austin Starr (a very young Austin Aries making his TNA debut).
2nd Competitor is Sonjay Dutt.
It's basically a Royal Rumble with one minute intervals. When we get to 2 men left, it becomes a regular match to determine the winner.
This is still in the era of the six-sided ring. While it gave the company a unique look, it is not exactly a good unique look to be honest.
3rd Competitor is Maverick Matt.
Matt and Aries double-team Dutt. Tenay accuses Nash's trophy of being a bowling trophy.
4th Competitor is JAY LETHAL! (Again, I think he's like 19 or 20 here.)
Lethal does his usual awesomeness.
5th Competitor is A1.
Big spine buster by A1 to Jay Lethal. A1 gets a "You Can't Wrestle" chant. Oh, how I miss those chants.
6th Competitor is Zach Gowen.
Nash puts over the fact that he literally has a one-legged wrestler in his butt-kicking contest. And the announcers make an inside joke about Johnny Ace and WWE. Moonsault by Gowen off the corner. Still impressive.
7th Competitor is Kazarian.
He immediately helps to eliminate Sonjay Dutt.
8th Competitor is Sirelda.
Starr smacks her in the mouth as soon as she gets in the ring. Sirelda gives Starr a sidewalk slam and a low blow. She gets mule kicked down low by Aries. She's eliminated as is A1.
9th Competitor is Shark Boy (pre-Stone Cold ripoff gimmick).
10th Competitor is Alex Shelley
He immediately jumps off the top and hits a Crossbody on Kaz and Lethal. (Shelley is another underrated talent over the years. The guy was great with and without Sabin, but the MCMGs are still a really great tag team in recent history)
11th Competitor is D-Ray 3000. Headbutts by D-Ray. He and Shark Boy team up to do some Battering Rams. They toss Maverick Matt over the top to the floor for the elimination.
12th Competitor is Johnny Devine.
Elimination for Zack Gowen thanks for Devine. Loud chant for "Alex Shelley."
13th Competitor is Primetime Elix Skipper.
Buckshot Lariat by Skipper coming in. Karate kicks for Devine. He climbs the middle of the ropes and hits a moonsault on Devine. He goes to the corner for a springboard move, but his feet buckle underneath him. It looks like he may have torn his knee up. Another wrestler gets tossed out to the floor.
14th Competitor is Short Sleeve Sampson.
The little guy gets in and starts going at it with Starr. Shark Boy and D-Ray are both gone.
15th Competitor is Norman Smiley.
Oh my God. We're getting The Wiggle. Smiley and Sampson both do The Wiggle. Nash makes a joke about seeing that this morning in his hotel room. Sampson gets tossed out to the floor. Thankfully, Shark Boy and a referee are there to catch him to break his fall. Sampson chases a referee in the ring.
16th Competitor is Petey Williams.
The referee pushes out Skipper and Smiley. He takes his shirt off and dances around. I guess he's a competitor in this. Nope. Williams dumps him to the floor.
Petey hits a Codebreaker on Lethal and a CANADIAN DESTROYER! God, I love that move. (The problem has always been with Petey though that no one pays attention to anything else in his matches. Everyone just wants to see that move, which is sad. Williams is a really good athlete.)
Williams gets dumped out by Shelley. It's Shelley and Devine working on Lethal. Starr eliminates Devine. Shelley gets thrown out onto Devine. It's now just Starr vs. Lethal. (This would be a great main event today.)
Referee is in the ring. Lethal almost catches Starr with a quick win. Brainbuster by Starr. 1-2-3.
Winner: Austin Starr
Match Grade: C+. This was a basic fun opening match with Starr being the iron man. Starr's stay with TNA wouldn't last long for now. Of course, we all know how big of a star Austin Aries would become in TNA/Impact and in ROH.
America's Most Wanted cut a promo about what happened on Impact recently. Gail Kim was assaulted by LAX and "Border Tossed (Crucifix Powerbomb Toss)" by Hernandez. James Storm looks weird without a beard. But at least he has his trademark bottle of beer in hand. And he gives us the classic "Sorry about your damn luck."
2) The Naturals vs. America's Most Wanted vs. Team 3D vs. The James Gang
It's The Franchise Shane Douglas complete with a generic version of "Perfect Strangers" (by Deep Purple) playing him into the ring. Cut his damn music. (No F bomb?! Really?) He introduces his "Franchised" Naturals. For a show that's supposed to be a wrestling company, there's a lot of smut going on here with an entrance involving looking between a woman's legs up to the entrance way. We now get The James Gang (The New Age Outlaws). (James is running SmackDown Live these days. Oh you didn't know? You better call somebody.) Here comes America's Most Wanted, an oft-overlooked tag team in the 2000s. They were a big team in TNA's history. And we get Team 3D (The Dudley Boys), the greatest tag team of the last 20 years.
The bell rings. Nice fast-paced action to start off with AMW and The Naturals. Brother Ray gets the tag and goes after everyone. Ray and James do a double jab to members of the other teams. And they betray the other. (This is a mess so far.)
Now Billy and D-Von decide to do a collision spot in the ring. Tower of Doom Spot involving The Naturals and AMW, while The James Gang and Team 3D brawl on the floor. Pumphandle Slam by James. And now, we're getting the "Everyone gets their big spot in" sequence. You hit a big move, you take a big move. Ray almost gets pinned by one of The Naturals.
D-Von is on the corner and gets saddled up there. But Ray comes over to help out. Doomsday Device by Team 3D. "What's Up" headbutt to the other Natural. Get the tables. But one of The Naturals (Stevens) breaks it up. Natural Disaster (Hangman's DDT) on D-Von for a close 2 count. Miscommunication leads to a 3D. 1-2-3.
Winners: Team 3D
Match Grade: D. What an absolute mess of a match this was. There was no rhyme or reason to this match other than just getting these guys on TV. Nothing was built up or established. It was "get your spots in" and do the finish. This just didn't work for me.
Jeremy Borash is outside of Joe's locker room. And so is Jake The Snake Roberts, the "guide/referee" for Monster's Ball. He tells JB that a snake tends to grow a little bit when you hold it. (Really?) Joe just needs to get prepared. Roberts tells JB if you want to see the snake, he'll show him "the snake." (What the hell am I watching?)
3) Monster's Ball
Abyss vs. Samoa Joe vs. Brother Runt (Spike Dudley) vs. Raven
Joe wants a title shot. Raven is angry that he's disrespecting the Monster's Ball that he's in. The other three wrestlers won't let him forget the match he's in, regardless of the NWA Title situation. Meanwhile, Jake Roberts will not be the referee. Rather, he will be "the guide." (Sure, Jake. If your hand hits the mat 3 times and you declare a winner by raising their hand, you're a referee. You can call it whatever you want. Just stupid stuff here. And it's not Jake's fault either. It's just bad writing here.)
Here comes Jake "The Snake" Roberts, our "guide." Roberts is actually not looking too bad here. Thankfully, Jake in 2018 has a new lease on life, and I'm really glad to see he (and Hall) has turned his life around. Here comes Abyss with James Mitchell (a great manager that gets forgotten). I love it when Abyss would cover himself up during the pyro. Next is Brother Runt, looking like something out of Blade Runner. He calls Jake "old man." Raven comes out next with a Hannibal Lecter type of mask on. Wow. This really is a collection of beautiful minds here. And here comes Samoa Joe, who is just here to beat people up. You have to love that. You have a monster, a undersized tough guy, a warped mind, and a Samoan badass who are all being guided by the Master of Psychology Jake Roberts. This sounds really cool on paper.
The bell rings. Joe is fighting 3-1 to start off here. After they toss Joe to the floor, all three turn on each other. Raven drop toe-hold to Abyss into a chair. Joe tosses aside a chair opting to just beat up his opponents with his hands. That's awesome. Abyss catches Joe with a chokeslam. Abyss goes to work on Raven and Runt. Runt gets tossed into the crowd. The crowd catches Runt and throws him back to ringside. Lol. (That's an ECW throwback spot!) JOE DIVES OVER THE TOP ONTO ALL THREE OPPONENTS AT RINGSIDE.
Joe and Raven are brawling up the ramp to the entrance way. Raven hits Joe with the mask he wore earlier, and Joe goes flying off the ramp through the table. Jake is now outside of the ring on the ramp, but he's still keeping his distance. (He knows they have to end it in the ring. So, he doesn't care if they destroy each other in the process. He'll be there to "guide" them to the finish.) Runt and Abyss are climbing up on a part of the stage. Runt is trying to fight off Abyss. Abyss sends Runt down about 12 feet to the stage below. Abyss falls down on top of Runt on the stage, but the camera crew missed it showing Jake's reaction to Runt's fall. Thankfully, we get it on the replay. A "This is Awesome" chant starts up. (Um... it's good. I'll give it that so far.)
Raven and Abyss pull their prey up. But Raven sends Joe back off the ramp through another table. Abyss and Runt are in the ring. Raven pulls Abyss off a cover. Earthquake Seated Splash on Raven by Abyss for a 2 count. Roberts' count is deliberately slow here. (Some of these dirtbag fans are chanting "Jake is high." Seriously, go to hell. For a guy with years of publicized self-abuse, that's a cheap chant.) Joe is back in the ring. Joe is going back at it with Abyss and Raven. Inverted Atomic Drop, Boot by Joe. Senton Splash misses. Low Blow to Abyss. Big powerslam to the chair by Joe. 2 count by Jake. Joe gets sent out by Raven. Father James Mitchell gives Abyss the black bag. Thumbtacks? No! Jake threatens to use The Snake. Jake and Raven are now fighting. DDT by Raven avoided thanks to Abyss attacking. Now, the thumbtacks are out!
Joe pulls Raven out of the ring. Joe knocks down Abyss face first with a senton splash into the tacks!!!! Holy crap. A couple of those tacks came dangerously close to one of Abyss's eye. Oh my God. Choke in on Abyss now. Raven hits Joe with a chair a few times. DDT by Jake to Raven!!!! Joe picks up Raven and hits the Muscle Buster! 1-2-3.
Winner: Samoa Joe
Match Grade: B-. Good hardcore match here with a couple high spots. This is a good display of Samoa Joe's dominance, and the company did a great thing by protecting and letting Joe take a beating and give some as well.
After the match, Jake puts a yellow snake on Raven.
Eric Young and JB talk about his match with Larry Zybyzsko. Larry calls him out for having no confidence or experience. He's going to destroy him in the ring.
4) Loser Is Fired
Larry Zbyzsko vs. Eric Young
Larry has been accused of being part of a corrupt regime. But Jim Cornette, the new authority figure in TNA, has forced Larry into this match against Eric Young.
Young almost jumps out of his skin after a pyro goes off behind him. The bell rings.
Eric does the classic point to the heel (boo!), point to the face (Yea!) gimmick. "Fire Larry" chant. A lot of showboating going on here. Still stalling with more taunts. MORE of the finger pointing by Eric Young. Just get to it. Fight, dang it! Fight!
A tie up! A miracle! Larry gets in an abdominal stretch. Reversal by Eric. Larry gets the referee away and hip tosses Eric. Larry goes to hit Eric with a foreign object from his tights. But Eric gets him with a low blow. He hits Larry with that object. 1-2-3.
Winner: Eric Young.
Match Grade: C. I'm passing this for one reason: It was fast. If it had lasted any longer, I would have thrown this out. No one wanted to see Larry wrestle in 2006, and I know I didn't want to see Eric Young on TV longer than a few minutes at best. Good booking and the right call in terms of match placement and time given.
A video package plays for Senshi with Mortal Kombat worked in. (They were a sponsor for the show.)
Here comes Jim Cornette, representing TNA Management. He's got a bad cold and can barely talk. But he wouldn't miss this for anything. He announces that if Samoa Joe interferes in the main event at all, he will be fired. Here comes Kurt Angle to a really good ovation. Streamers are being thrown in the ring for Angle. (What is this? Ring of Honor?!) It sounds like Angle is dealing with a cold too. Loud "Angle" chant from the crowd. He doesn't need a buffer to keep Samoa Joe. He talks trash about Joe...
AND JOE RUNS DOWN TO THE RING! THEY'RE GOING AT IT AT RINGSIDE!!!! PULL APART BY SECURITY! AWESOME! That's a great way to get heat on this type of feud. (Of course, TNA ruins it by having the match happen the next month and having Angle beat Joe right off the bat.) Joe and Angle take turns breaking away from security to run at the other. Again, good build here for the eventual match.
5) X-Division Championship
Senshi (c) vs. Chris Sabin
Senshi (aka Low-Ki) has been an unstoppable force since returning to TNA. Meanwhile, Sabin is a former 2x X-Division Champion. Really good opening package for this match that makes this X-Division (Jr. Heavyweight/Cruiserweight Championship) match feel like a big deal.
Sabin is somewhat a hometown act here, hailing from Hell, Michigan (the suburbs of Detroit). Having just seen Senshi recently on MLW, his look really hasn't changed that much in the last 12 years.
The bell rings. Rolling tie ups to start us off here. No goofy moves here. Both guys are just kicking and striking each other. Sabin hits a Ricky Steamboat-esque arm drag. Nice reversals by both men in the opening moments with Senshi getting a kick to the back of Sabin's head to take the advantage.
Senshi continues to press his early advantage here. BIG CHOP by The Artist Also Known as Low-Ki. Sabin finally fights off Senshi with chops and strikes. BUT he runs into the feet of Senshi in the corner. Senshi has a leg-scissors hold around Sabin's midsection. Dueling chants for both men. Chops exchanged by both men now. BIG kick to the midsection and stomp to the head by Senshi for a 2 count. At this point, everything Sabin does is met with a big move by Senshi. Wheelbarrow kick by Senshi decks Sabin in the corner. SPRINGBOARD MISSILE DROPKICK OFF THE TOP ROPE BY SABIN!
Sabin is now on the offense. Senshi is thrown outside. Big dive through the ropes by Sabin to Senshi, sending Senshi into the rail (On the replay, Senshi's leg was bent really badly on that landing outside). Sabin gets an enzugiri, gets him in the Tree of Woe, and nails Senshi with the dropkick to the face for a 2 count cover. Senshi gets Sabin in a Dragon Sleeper, but Sabin backs him up into the corner. Sabin catches Senshi setting up a cartwheel kick with a big dropkick of his own. SPRINGBOARD TORNADO DDT BY SABIN for a CLOSE 2 count.
"This is awesome" chant by the crowd. On this, I agree. These guys are killing each other and telling a good story here. Sabin gets Senshi on the corner. He climbs up. HURRICANRANA!!! WAIT, SENSHI ROLLS THROUGH AND HITS AN IMMEDIATE DOUBLE STOMP (WARRIOR'S WAY) ONTO SABIN! (Great sequence here with both men working together to get that off without a botch or any type of mistake.) 1-2 KICKOUT by Sabin!
Senshi gets Sabin with a big kick off the middle rope for a 2 count. Sabin catches him in the corner with one of Sabin's patented boots to the face. CRADLE SHOCK by Sabin!!! 1-2-KICKOUT BY SENSHI!!! (That's Sabin's finisher, by the way.) The crowd explodes!
Sabin and Senshi are on the corner. He's going for Cradle Shock off the top. But Senshi kicks him in the chest repeatedly. They're both back on the mat. EXPLODING RUNNING DROPKICK by SENSHI! WARRIOR'S WAY OFF THE TOP ROPE! The crowd again is going crazy here. Cover. 1-2-SABIN GETS HIS FOOT ON THE ROPES RIGHT BEFORE 3.
Dragon Sleeper by Senshi. ELBOWS TO THE FACE by Senshi, but SABIN ROLLS HIM UP! 1-2-3!!!! The crowd gives a really good reaction for the finish here. After the match, Jerry Lynn, Jay Lethal, and Sonjay Dutt come out to celebrate with Sabin.
Winner: Chris Sabin (NEW X-Division Champion)
Match Grade: A-. The first great match on this show. Both guys busted their butts in the ring, hit their big moves, and gelled their styles to create a fast-paced, competitive match that worked to its crescendo. And it's one of the rare times when I think kicking out of finishers added to the match.
Christian Cage cuts a promo about beating up Rhino, who was like a brother. He calls Rhino a bum, cuts a cheap heat heel promo on the local town, and talks about Rhino's mom's cooking sucking.
6) 8 Mile Street Fight
Rhino vs. Christian Cage
They show a video of Christian Cage walking around the backstage area while his music plays. And here comes Rhino through the live crowd. Again, Rhino is a hometown act here. Rhino takes the time to pose in the ring and back on the ramp for his pyro before going back after Cage. (Because NOTHING says "I want to beat someone up" like posing for the crowd for your pyro before you do it. That's eye rolling stupid there. Again, not Rhino's fault.)
Rhino is shown running through the backstage area and runs right to a fight in the parking lot with Christian. Several cars get hit and a garbage truck as well. Well lit for a backstage area. Look they even brought lighting from outside for it. Boxes get knocked over by Christian thanks to Rhino. Rhino gets Christian on top of a zamboni, and he's driving the zamboni into the arena. They're fighting on top of the zamboni, and Christian takes a dive off of it to the floor. Christian now running away from Rhino, but Rhino gets him on the ramp. They're now using a plastic street light, with Rhino hitting Christian with it. Rhino is pulling out signs and taking chairs from the fans at ringside.
They finally get into the ring. Street sign to the back of Christian. 2 count. This is literally a garbage match. Rhino calls for the Gore, but he gets a steel chair for his trouble. Christian and Rhino now are brawling outside the ring. Rhino is selling a concussion storyline, and the referee checked on him outside the ring. Rhino continues to attack Christian into the fans. He takes a beer and does his best Sandman impersonation. Christian gets sent into the hockey glass and back over the railing to ringside.
Rhino gets a table from underneath the ring. A table is set up, but both men end up going back into the ring. Belly to belly by Rhino. Another table is set up in the corner. 8 Mile Road sign to the head of Rhino. Christian shows off the sign, slams it down, and spits on it to get some (CHEAP) heat. Christian now goes under the ring and gets a ladder.
Back in the ring, Rhino is busted wide open by Christian. Christian gets tripped up and smacks a ladder face first. Ouch. Rhino misses a dive onto Christian on the ladder. Unprettier by Christian for a 2 count. Ladder smacked right into the face of Rhino. He gets some steel chairs and a straight jacket?! (Is Scott Steiner on this show?!)
Rhino is now put in a straight jacket and tied in. Christian gets the chairs. Conchairto avoided by Rhyno. Low blows and kicks by Rhino. The referee gets him out of the straight jacket. Both men fight on the apron next to the table at ringside. Piledriver off the apron through the table on Christian!!!! Dang! It only gets a 2 count in the ring though.
Rhino is going for another spear, but Christian throws him right into the table in the corner. He only gets a 2. Unprettier on the steel bars of the table!!! 1-2-Kickout again! Christian gets a chair. He places a mountain of debris from this match onto top of Rhino (ladders, signs, table parts) and SMACKS them again and again and again on top of Rhino. 1-2-3. Stupid finish. Seriously, what damage does having things placed on you and smacking them with a steel chair do to a human body? Getting hit with momentum does something. But this... weak finish.
Winner: Christian Cage
Match Grade: C+. There's no doubt that these guys worked hard. But the match just doesn't age well in terms of accepting some of the goofy stuff that TNA did here or expected us to believe with the finish. That being said, Rhino was made to look like a tough guy. And Christian continues to be the cocky heel that keeps pulling out victories. So, I can't hate on it too much. Still, this wasn't nearly as good as I remembered it being.
Konnan cuts a good promo backstage about the match and AMW.
Don and Mike buy time on commentary while the ring crew erects the cage and clears out the ring from the previous match.
7) NWA World Tag Team Championships
LAX (w/ Konnan) vs. AJ Styles/Christopher Daniels (c)
We get a video package set to a generic version of "Numb" by Linkin Park.
I hate the Six Sided Ring. I actually liked the Six Sided Steel Cage though. I don't know why, but it just reminds me somewhat of the UFC Octagon.
They show a live view of people in the audience and lavish on how many people are there. And you can see a row of people coming back down from the restroom and concessions. Lol. So, this shows how long it is taking this crew to erect this cage. There's something really old school about seeing that, but if this were 2018, every face would be in a cell phone by now tweeting "LOL. Deez tewls cant bild a stel cagge."
LAX FINALLY come out to the ring and circle the cage. The funny part is two guys are stuck in the ring after working on the cage, and LAX takes their damn good time coming up the cage. You notice one guy in a black shirt trying to be patient but just wanting to get the hell out of the cage. Finally these guys are allowed out of the cage. Lol.
And here come Daniels and Styles each wearing their trademark hooded outfits. Styles looks so young here, and he still looks young today despite being in his early 40s now.
The fight is on! All four men are brawling in the cage. Hernandez is fighting with Styles. Homicide and Daniels are going all over the cage. Styles and Daniels team up on Hernandez. Double team elbows and knees to the big man. Finally, it's a tag match inside the cage. Homicide is in and he gets a classic AJ dropkick. Daniels is now in. Styles tries to hype up the crowd, who had to sit on their butts for 10 minutes waiting for this cage to be put up. Homicide does the same thing seconds later. AJ misses a dive at Homicide and eats the cage. Hernandez just launches Styles through the ropes into the cage.
Daniels is now double teamed by LAX. Frequent tags by LAX. Electric Chair into an Elbow Drop by LAX. Belly to belly suplex by Homicide to Daniels. AJ is shown in the corner bleeding. Tag to Homicide. (Just a thought here: Since there's no DQ in a cage match, why aren't these guys just going at it? The tag team dynamic inside a steel cage just doesn't really work well once you think about the fact that there's really nothing stopping a breakout brawl.) Daniels continues to be assaulted by Homicide. A fork to the face of Daniels by Homicide (with an assist by Konnan who threw it in)! He's going ABDULLAH THE BUTCHER on Daniels's face with the fork!!! Now Hernandez is tagged in and works on Daniels. BIG DEADLIFT POWERBOMB INTO THE WALL OF THE CAGE AND BACK ON THE MAT BY HERNANDEZ. Tequilla bottle is now in the cage. Homicide spits it in Daniels' face and pours it all over him. Both men are on top of the corner. Daniels rams Homicide's back of the head into the cage and HITS A BIG JUMPING HIP TOSS OFF THE TOP ROPE TO THE MAT ON HOMICIDE! Dang.
AJ is tagged in and goes after LAX. BACKFLIP DDT by AJ. Now all four men are fighting in the ring (because the match calls for it?). Flapjack to Hernandez into the cage. High/Low on Homicide. Big dropkicks and attacks by AJ/Daniels on Hernandez. Pele to Homicide while Daniels grates Hernandez's face into the cage. Daniels and AJ now use the fork on Homicide, busting him open. So much action going on now. Daniels gets tossed into the cage by Hernandez... who turns into another Pele kick by AJ. "TNA" chant from the crowd. AJ is climbing the cage. Hernandez and Homicide get kicked off. AJ is on the top of the cage. Oh god. Homicide climbs up too. Daniels has Homicide on the top rope. Here comes Hernandez! HERNANDEZ POWERBOMBS DANIELS WHO BACK SUPLEXES HOMICIDE DOWN. AJ HOLDS ON TO THE TOP OF THE CAGE! CROSS BODY BLOCK OFF THE TOP OF THE CAGE ONTO HERNANDEZ! WOW! The crowd explodes, as they should. Cover broken up by Homicide.
These guys continue to hit big moves on each other in the ring. Hernandez now climbs the cage?! HE'S ON THE TOP! HE JUMPS OFF THE CAGE AND HITS NOTHING BUT MAT! DAMN! THAT'S ONE HUGE DUDE DOING THAT MOVE. (Props to Hernandez!) Konnan gives Homicide a coat hanger. He uses it on Daniels. KONNAN IS CHOKING DANIELS THROUGH THE CAGE WITH THE COAT HANGER! Styles is fighting LAX by himself. Styles Clash broken up by a big lariat by Hernandez! GRINGO KILLER (VERTEBREAKER) BY HOMICIDE! 1-2-3!!!!
Winners: LAX (NEW NWA WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS!)
Match Grade: A-. It took a long, long time to get this match in the ring, but once they did, these four just had a great cage match. Despite what I said earlier about the tag dynamic being weird in a steel cage, these guys produced a great back and forth contest with a lot of high risk moves coupled with logical tag team wrestling. All four added something awesome to this match. The heels win the match by cheating, and the faces look like heroes even in defeat. Good booking here.
Afterwards, LAX continues the assault on Daniels and AJ. They're heels. That's what they're supposed to do. (Cue Jim Cornette voice/Bruce Prichard impersonation in your mind. Lol.)
Don and Mike have to stall for more time as the ring crew cleans up the ring and deconstructs the cage.
A video package plays for Sting vs. Jarrett. They try to make Sting God, calling him The Alpha and The Omega. I love Sting, but he's not God. He's not Chris Jericho or Kenny Omega either. He's just Sting, and that's equally as awesome as Jericho or Omega.
Main Event
NWA World Heavyweight Championship
"The Icon" Sting vs. "The King of the Mountain" Jeff Jarrett (c)
Special Outside Enforcer: King Angle
**If Sting loses, he will retire.
Jeremy Borash does the ring introductions. Jeff Jarrett gets a loud boo from the live crowd. He's wearing the Ten Pounds of Gold proudly. And here's Sting who was supposed to be transformed. It's just Sting with a new outfit and red added to his Crow facepaint (not Wolfpac Sting all red, but just a big red block on both sides of his face). Thing Sting 1996 outfit with black hair and Crow facepaint added on.
The bell rings. Tie up early on. Jarrett gets a couple moves in early to sell the fact that Jarrett has Sting's number. Again, Jarrett establishes dominance with a hip toss off the corner. Jarrett catches Sting again with a jab to the face. Sting is selling frustration. And again, Jarrett catches Sting with a dropkick. Sting rolls to the outside for a break while Jarrett does his Double J strut in the ring. (Good opening here. Up to this point, everyone just thought Sting was going to run through Jarrett. Here, they've established that Jarrett can not only match Sting but possibly beat him tonight.) Angle tells Sting to get back in the ring.
Jarrett and Sting are in the ring. Jarrett spits on Sting. It's on. POWERBOMB by Sting. He's finally got momentum going. Snake Eyes into the corner. Jarrett is sent over the top to the floor. Angle and Jarrett are shoving each other. Angle tells Jarrett to go back in the ring. Sting tells Jarrett to come back in the ring. Jarrett won't. So Sting goes out and goes on the attack. They're fighting all over ringside and into the camera men. Lol. Angle throws the referee back into the ring, telling him that he's got this outside the ring stuff. Sting gets whipped into the rail. Angle takes a chair from Jarrett. Sting and Jarrett now brawl up the ramp. SUPLEX on the metal ramp! Sting goes to hit Jarrett with a chair, but he takes it from Sting. Jarrett gets thrown right into Angle who has the chair. Sting goes after them, but Jarrett catches him with a DDT on the metal ramp (more like a snap suplex in execution). Sting gets dropped ribs first into the rail.
Both men are back in the ring. Jarrett continues to attack Sting. Sleeper Hold on Sting. (Boos from the crowd.) Sting fights out. They botch a sequence, but they pull it back together with a big double crossbody spot. (It seems to me that Sting may be a bit winded. He's really trying to get some air on the mat.) The referee counts to 9. OLYMPIC SLAM ON THE REFEREE BY KURT ANGLE. He throws the referee out, and he tells Jarrett and Sting to get it on! So, Kurt has basically become the referee now.
Sting fires off with some punches. Inverted atomic drop. Big lariats by Sting. Stinger Splash into the corner. Scorpion Deathdrop! 1-2-JARRETT KICKS OUT! THE STROKE by Jarrett. 1-2-SHOULDER UP from Sting. (Sting is sweating so much that most of his makeup is already off.) Tombstone Piledriver by Sting. Shoulder up at 2.9 by Jarrett. Sting climbs up the corner, but Jarrett catches him with a low blow. Jarrett goes on the top rope. He goes for The Stroke, but they both go off the corner without any move. Jarrett gets knees up as Sting goes to splash Jarrett on the mat. Figure Four by Jarrett. Sting almost gets counted down. Sting reverses it. Jarrett gets to the ropes. ANKLE LOCK BY JARRETT IN FRONT OF KURT ANGLE! (That's good heel work here.) Sting rolls through, sending Jarrett to the floor.
Sting is limping in the ring. He grabs the baseball bat. Kurt takes it from him. Jarrett has the guitar! HE SMASHES IT OVER STING'S HEAD. Wait! STING IS HULKED UP NOW! He decks Jarrett and knocks him down. SCORPION DEATHLOCK! HE SITS DEEP INTO IT! JARRETT TAPS OUT!
Winner: Sting (NEW NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION)
Match Grade: B. Good main event here, despite a botch and maybe Sting's conditioning being a factor. These guys delivered a solid main event that may have been rushed due to the time left on the show. (I think the match lasted around 15 minutes.) Angle only added to the drama of the match with his involvement. And again, I liked the fact that they made Jarrett look like a legitimate threat to win this match. Could it have been better? Sure, but it wasn't terrible by any stretch of the imagination.
Show Grade: A-. All things considered, I think this was a great event in TNA's history. So many of the matches ended up on the B level. And it's the type of show where there's something for everyone. If you want Cruiserweight action, PLEASE see Senshi vs. Sabin. If you want blood and violence, three of these matches on here (Monster's Ball, 8 Mile Street Fight, and the Cage Match) fit that. If you want goofy stuff, the opening gauntlet battle royal and Young/Zbyzsko fit that mold. If you want nostalgia, there are matches on here for you. And the main event left you with a legendary good guy regaining a championship he had held 15-16 years prior. Again, this had something to fill in all those boxes. Good show to check out overall.
That'll do it for now. Until next time, take care of yourselves. Spread some awesomeness.
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