May 28, 2003
Your hosts are Don West and Mike Tenay
The show starts with a video package on Raven, focusing on the past two weeks.
Gilbertti is in the parking lot and he yells at Julio and Alexis, ordering them to tell Raven that he will kick his ass. I bet.
CM Punk & Jason Cross vs. AJ Styles & D’Lo Brown
AJ and D’Lo get attacked from behind and knocked out of the ring. Cross then flies out with an impressive twisting tope as his partner runs into a superkick from AJ. He springboards off the guardrail but Punk dropkicks him in mid-air in a mistimed spot. In the ring, AJ beats on both men until he eats a flying knee by Punk, who attacks AJ. They double-team AJ and get a few nearfalls in the process as Tenay runs down the show, which will feature Glenn Gilbertti vs. Raven as the main event. AJ turns Cross inside out with a clothesline and tags D’Lo, who cleans house. D’Lo catches Cross after a springboard ad flattens him with a powerbomb then D’Lo and AJ hit simultaneous moves (D’Lo frog splash and AJ a springboard 450) and get the win (4:29) **.
Thoughts: Good match while it lasted. Its really interesting to look back and see Punk here. He looked like a total indy geek. Anyway, he and Cross looked good overall.
After the match, D’Lo grabs the mic and tells us that his goal was to get respect when he came to TNA and to achieve that, its to become the world champion. D’Lo tells AJ that he has been the victim of politics and warns him that its happening to him as well. He tells AJ that they had to qualify for a tag tournament and just had to face two jobbers. He tells us that in the TNA, Jeff Jarrett is “The Game” as a “Triple J” chant breaks out. AJ speaks and says he agrees with D’Lo and runs down a list of potential challengers, including D’Lo, before stating that they should end the team the way the started it as they both hug it out and pose to the crowd to a 50/50 reaction.
West runs down the show:
Sonny Siaki & Sandman vs. ?????
Justin Credible & Jerry Lynn vs. America
A Hard Ten tournament match
A video highlight package about Jeff Jarrett defending the TNA belt against Sting in Australia
Jeff Jarrett comes out to the ring. He mentions that he hears boos and eggs on the Raven fans in the building. He then cuts a heel promo on the fans and says he is here for Raven, who he claims is in a corner somewhere shooting up. Raven comes out to mostly cheers. Jarrett tells him to speak first and he calls Jarrett a coward and a pussy. He compares him to DDP, but without the work ethic, and compares his political connections to that of the McMahon kids. Raven challenges him to a match but Jarrett says that he doesn’t have the power to make the match then states how on his worst day, Raven still cant beat him. Jarrett calls him an addict that is unfit to represent the NWA. Jarrett then states that he is going to protect Raven because he wants him to be in top shape when they have a match. Jarrett’s music hits and Raven leaves as Bert Prentice hands Jarrett an envelope. He opens it up and looks upset and heads over to Tenay, stating that he has been suspended. Tenay responds by stating they have to go out back. All signs here point towards a double turn, which makes sense since the crowd loves Raven and Jarrett is a much better heel than he is a face. The suspension deal seems idiotic.
Gilbertti addresses SEX in the locker room. He says that he got Jarrett suspended on TV and that he will beat Raven so bad that he would be wishing that he is detoxing. That’s quite the line. He runs down Siaki for looking dumb against a drug addict like Raven and says that he will have to prove himself tonight without the help of SEX. He then orders the Harris Brothers to bring him Chris Harris. That’s a lot of Harris’s.
Asylum Alliance
Sandman & Sonny Siaki vs. BG James & Konnan
BG is back, looking even more out of shape than he was before. Tenay notes that last time he was here, he was in SEX but came from the TNA locker room today. Sandman is drinking beer and holding his Singapore Cane and making masturbation gestures as the match begins. Konnan and Siaki start off with a fast-paced but sloppy sequence. Sandman stays on the floor as Konnan and BG work on Siaki. BG does all his trademark stuff and the crowd couldn’t care less. Sandman continues to avoid his partner then tells him that he is on his own. Siaki hits a neckbreaker and a flipping leg drop before tagging Sandman, who responds by spitting beer in his face and hitting him with a kendo stick as BG hits the pumphandle drop for the win (2:40) ¼*.
Thoughts: An uneventful return for BG James. The Asylum Alliance tournament has been a failure so far as no one is getting over as a result. This match was useless.
Goldylocks is backstage with New Jack, who is slamming water bottles through a table. He cuts a promo on Slash, stating that he will destroy him. Shark Boy comes out holding the Chutes and Ladders game and New Jack leaves to play. Tenay calls them the Odd Couple.
They rundown the scoring system of the Hard Ten Tournament combined with a video package of last week’s match.
Slash w/James Mitchell vs. New Jack
Mike Sanders is on commentary, attempting to be funny. Slash hits New Jack with a tope and they brawl outside. Slash then rolls Jack inside and they trade shots, tying it up 1-1. They go back outside and trade garbage can shots. Sanders makes fun of West’s sport card selling as these two brawl at a snails pace outside. Jack uses the lid but Slash uses it twice and gets in two shots with a garbage can, going up 6-3. Jack tosses Slash outside and gets a trashcan shot before rolling Slash into the ring. Slash uses the lid twice but Jack ducks out and hits him with a chair, cutting it to 8-5. In the ring, Jack places a tray on Slash’s crotch and uses the wood, making it 8-6. Jack ties it up 8-8 bring in two lids and they trade shots, making it 10-10. Slash goes up 11-10 and he needs to win by two. Its now 12-12 as the brawling looks awful right now and the crowd is just dead. Its tied 13-13 as New Jack goes up top but gets cut off. Jack blocks a superplex then throws Slash off the top to the outside, where is crashes through the table, and Jack wins 18-13 (7:07). DUD.
Thoughts: The scoring system makes these matches seem ridiculous. You’d think you would just knock someone down and hit them ten times repeatedly so you can win the match. Also, it makes the match slow and plodding.
Tenay is with XXX, sans Low Ki. Daniels proclaims XXX as the best team in the world and challenges anyone to come down and face them. He came across well here. Skipper mentions how he beat Kidman and Mysterio in WCW and as wrestled all over the world. Daniels cuts off Tenay after he puts down SEX, stating that tradition is filled with politics by people such as Jarrett and Dusty Rhodes. Daniels did well with the material he had to work with, which was very generic by the way. Its nice to see that after nine years, TNA finally let him cut loose on the mic
We go to the parking lot where the Harris Brothers are talking, then get beat down by Konnan and Ron Killings.
Goldylocks is with the Spanish Announce Team. She asks them about their cousin, the Amazing Red. They say that he isn’t here this week (he was in Japan
XXX vs. Spanish Announce Team
The SAT’s haven’t been around since the beginning of the year. XXX jumps then to start. Daniels destroys Jose then tags Skipper. They hit a double suplex, getting two. Joel comes back with a sloppy crossbody but Skipper escapes by using the matrix and hits a spinning heel kick. XXX stomps a mudhole into Joel for a bit. Joel comes back with another sloppy move, this time a tilt-a-whirl into a rollup. La Majistral gets two. Skipper tosses him down and tags out. Daniels hits an uranage then gets the BME. He suplexes Joel on the ropes and tags Skipper, who hits a springboard leg drop. Joel dodges a charge and hits a springboard kick. He tags Jose, who cleans house. SAT’s hit a double bulldog on Daniels. SAT’s set up Skipper for a double team move but it was botched. Jose hits Daniels with a plancha then the SAT’s try the Spanish Fly on Skipper. The match breaks down as everyone hits each other with their moves. Daniels then crotches Jose on the ropes and tags Skipper, who does his ropewalk hurricarana for the win (6:19) *3/4. After the match, Raven comes into the ring and DDT’s the SAT’s before leaving.
Thoughts: The SAT’s didn’t look good here. This was there last appearance in TNA too. XXX continues to shine but this was a meaningless match.
We are back in the SEX locker room where Gilbertti wonders what happened to the Harris Brothers. Tracy Tracy Tracy Tracy Tracy
Goldylocks is with Erik Watts. They are in a janitor’s closet as she didn’t want to do anything with him. However, she did acknowledge that they did screw last week. Watts sweet talks her and kisses her before he exits, leaving Goldy smitten.
Video package of the mysterious luchador costing Kash his tag match last week.
Kash is in the locker room when a girl walks in wearing a slutty nurse’s outfit, claiming to be conducting a pre-match exam. He tells her that he has a pulled groin then pulls her by the hair and says that she was sent by Tracy
Masked Luchador vs. Kid Kash
Kash comes out limping and holding his crotch. The luchador speaks and its obvious that it is Trinity. She then unmasks as Trinity and no one is surprised. She takes out Kash with a crossbody. Outside the ring, she hits a sloppy rana off the stairs. In the ring, she hits a missile dropkick for two. Sunset flip gets two. Kash reverses a whip then puts her in the iron claw. Trinity breaks it up and botches another move before getting a poor excuse of a crossbody for two. She powerbombs Kash for two then heads up top and nearly kills herself trying a moonsault. Kash saved her from a broken neck. He picks her up and hits the Money Maker for the win (2:17). -*. After the match, Kash calls her a bitch and threatens to kill her.
Thoughts: Terrible match as Trinity botched just about everything she tried. The crowd was dead for this and they have been into this feud since the start. No one wanted to see Trinity as the lucahdor either. This killed the entire feud.
Jarrett is backstage with Bill Behrens. He tells him that he needs to leave because he is suspended. Jarrett refuses to leave and threatens to wipe his ass with the suspension papers.
The camera cuts to the SEX locker room. The Harris Brothers are back and they look perfectly fine as they are joking around with each other. Chris Harris walks in and Gilbertti tells him that he believes Storm’s reason for missing the show (personal issues) is bullshit. Harris agrees and Gilbertti says that he pulled some strings and that tonight, his partner will be the X Division Champion, Chris Sabin. Harris shakes Gilbertti’s hand then threatens if he is double-crossed.
We finally get a bracket of the Asylum Alliance tournament. The winner of the upcoming match between Justin Credible & Jerry Lynn vs. Chris Harris & Chris Sabin will face BG James and Konnan in the semi-finals.
Asylum Alliance
Justin Credible & Jerry Lynn vs. Chris Sabin & Chris Harris
Sabin did not display any hint of a personality when he first came to TNA. The crowd did not react at all to the guy. Tenay again brings up that Storm is not here due to “personal reasons.” Sabin and Lynn start out with a clunky sequence of typical X Division counters. Lynn Lynn Lynn Lynn Lynn dodges a corner charge with a leapfrog but Sabin yanks Lynn Lynn Lynn Lynn Lynn Lynn Lynn Lynn Lynn Lynn
Thoughts: The match started off clunky but ended up being okay. The pull-apart at the end wasn’t much. The announcers continued to hint throughout the match that Harris would be turning heel. Seeing how as this is TNA, that probably wouldn’t be happening.
Erik Watts is now backstage, replacing Goldylocks. He plugs the main event in the most over-the-top way possible. Raven shows up and threatens violence towards Watts but states that he will not because he makes him laugh. Watts gets serious and tells Raven that he wants him to kick ass. They are wasting a lot of time trying to get Watts over.
West and Tenay mention the one-year anniversary that is happening three weeks from today. The brackets for the Asylum Alliance are shown. They mention how Chris Harris will have to make a decision on which partner to use going forward.
Glen Gilbertti vs. Raven
Raven backs Gilbertti into the corner, who then ducks outside. Raven ducks a chairshot and sends Gilbertti into the guardrail. He drags Gilbetti into the crowd and continues the beatdown. He suplexes him on the floor and drags him out back. The crowd is quiet as Raven uses a chair then drags Gilbertti near the ring. Gilbertti somehow gains the advantage (the camera went wide angle and we missed what happened) and they are now inside the ring. Gilbertti gets a chair but is knocked down when he enters the ring. Gilberrti fights back but whiffs on a clothesline and Raven puts him in a Cobra Clutch. After a struggle, Gilbertti escapes and hits a poor excuse of a short-armed clothesline. Raven punches away in the corner then goes back to the Cobra Clutch. Gilbertti breaks the hold using a jawbreaker and he stomps away. He sets up the chair but Raven blocks a drop toehold attempt and bounces the chair of Gilbertti’s head. He gets a nearfall after another chairshot then sends Gilbertti into the chair with a drop toehold. Raven continues to destroy Gilbertti until the Harris Brothers enter the ring. Julio and Alexis run in and they brawl. The Harris Brothers destroy them and they go to the floor. In the ring, Gilbertti assaults Raven with a chair, working on the ankle. He uses an ankle lock and Raven eventually makes it to the ropes, only for Gilbertti to put it on again. Raven escapes and fights back. He hits a discus clothesline and a running kneelift. Bulldog gets two. Raven is still selling the injured ankle as he pounds away. Clothesline gets two. Sonny Siaki is at ringside as Raven hits the Raven Effect. Siaki pulls the ref out of the ring before he counted to three and he yells at Siaki. Raven is disracted and Gilbertti hits a low blow then a stunner but that only gets two. The crowd is a bit louder as Gilbertti accidentally clotheslines the referee. He misses a clothesline and eats a superkick. Raven covers but Sandman runs out and nails Raven several times with the Singapore
Thoughts: The match was overbooked but it the psychology of the match itself was solid. Gilbertti’s offense looks awful and is not passable at all for a main event though. Russo’s return did not special and also did nothing for Gilbertti, who came off looking like a chump when being saved by Russo.
Final Thoughts: The promotion continues to show little in terms of direction. No one buys Gilbertti as a main eventer and the tournaments are largely terrible. They killed the Kash/Trinity feud, which actually had been getting a great reaction from the crowd. Russo’s return did not garner a big reaction but it did surprise me a little bit I guess seeing as Gilbertti put down Russo in an interview a few weeks prior. Jarrett’s suspension deal was lame too as no one bought that he would actually be leaving the building. Also, him as Raven’s “guardian” is another stupid idea.
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