August 6, 2003
Your hosts
are Don West and Mike Tenay
Rawhide Strap Match
Simon Diamond & Johnny Swinger
w/Glen Gilbertti vs. America’s Most Wanted
This is a
non-title match and unlike a traditional strap match, the straps are attached
to the ring ropes. The match starts with a brawl outside the ring that is won
by AMW. Inside, Harris hits Diamond with a Thesz Press and a clothesline.
Gilbertti pulls the strap away from Harris and that allows the heels to gain
the advantage. They neutralize Harris in the corner then toss him outside,
allowing Gilbertti to whip Harris with the strap. Diamond gets two off a suplex
then they go back to double-teaming Harris. Diamond charges but Harris
clotheslines him down then backdrops Swinger to the floor before making the tag
to Storm. He runs wild on Diamond until Swinger runs in then hangs Storm over the
ropes. Gilbertti rolls in Storm and Swinger covers for two. Storm gets whipped
repeatedly as the ref is distracted. Storm fights away and makes the tag to
Harris. He hits Swinger with a full nelson slam and a backdrop before whipping
him. He clotheslines Diamond and the match breaks down, with AMW gaining the
upper hand. Gilbertti runs in but gets speared by Harris and he gets whipped by
AMW. Harris gets caught with a double flapjack and Swinger sets him up for a
suplex but Storm gets underneath him and turns it into a powerbomb mid-move.
That move woke up the crowd. Harris puts Diamond in the Sharpshooter and Storm
whips him repeatedly. Swinger takes out Storm then breaks up the hold with a
chairshot. He covers but only gets two as the crowd goes nuts. He grabs another
chair but the ref takes it away. Gilbertti slides in another chair but Storm
superkicks it into his face but that only gets two. AMW sets up Swinger for the
Death Sentence but Diamond superkicks Harris in the face as Storm is in midair.
Harris puts Diamond on his shoulders and Storm climbs on top and gets the
Hanging Noose for the win (11:05) ***1/2. After the match, Swinger and
Gilbertti run in and attack AMW. They then take the belts and walk out of the
arena.
Thoughts: A
damn good match. They really had the crowd going at the end and this was a
tough crowd all night long. These guys have fantastic chemistry and this feud
has gotten off to a great start. Its awesome to see that AMW found another team
to feud with.
Jerry Lynn
is blocked from entering the arena by Red-Shirt Security. Don Callis comes out
and says that despite the fact Lynn is a good wrestler, he was too violent last
week and now suspended from the company,as he offended their target
demographic. Callis hands him a list of rules he needs to follow and Lynn throws
a hissy fit before leaving. This segment was very effective in making Lynn look
like a complete pussy.
Up next is
a promo of the guys competing in the four-way X Division number one contender’s
match. Michael Shane says that he is the cousin of Shawn Michaels. Joey
Matthews cuts an awful promo about how he loves money. Danny Doring gives one
of his goofy promos and Shark Boy is with Norman Smiley and he only wants to do
the Big Wiggle as Smiley tries to get him to focus. This match did nothing at
all in making these guys seem like a threat to the belt.
X Division Number One Contender’s
Match
Michael Shane vs. Joey Matthews vs.
Danny Doring vs. Shark Boy
Doring
takes down Shane to start until Matthews makes a blind tag and double teams
Doring. Shark Boy takes them both out with a missile dropkick and takes down
Matthews with a headscissors. Doring and Shark Boy work together, as does Shane
& Matthews and they go back and forth for a bit, in an elimination match.
Shane gets a one count on Doring as he and Matthews continue to team up. They
start a car-crash spot, highlighted with a tope con hilo by Shane. This match
is completely heatless and there is no chemistry between any of the workers. Shark
Boy hits the DSD on Matthews but gets clotheslined by Doring, who the hits him
with a top rope leg drop. All of a sudden, Elix Skipper runs out and clears the
ring. He stands on the announcer’s table and cuts a promo stating he will beat
up all these punks until he gets to face Jerry Lynn. He leaves and the camera
focuses on the match, as Shane eliminates Doring with the Sweet Chin Music (7:01),
then does the same to Matthews (7:12). Shark Boy dodges the attack and gets two
off a neckbreaker. He hits Shane with
mounted punches in the corner but Shane fights back and hits a Fisherman’s DDT
for the win (8:12) ½*.
Thoughts: What
a clusterfuck. The mid-match promo by Skipper didn’t help anything either. The guys
in the ring had no chemistry at all and besides a few highspots, it was awful. Shane
has lloked good but trying to make him into the next Shawn Michaels is not
working at all.
Scott
Hudson is with Erik Watts. He refers to himself in the third-person then says
that Russo will be handcuffed to him during the Heavyweight Title match between
AJ Styles and D’Lo Brown. Also, if Sonny Siaki, Trinity, or Joe Legend interfere,
Styles will lose the title.
In the
ring, Shane Douglas cuts a promo about how great he is and how he pinned Raven
last week. Douglas looks like a fucking mess, just completely bloated and
similar to how Curt Hennig looked before he passed. This goes on for too long
until Raven runs in and attacks Douglas. He has a bodybag with him as they
start brawling. Raven hits him with the Raven Effect and attempts to put him in
the bag but James Mitchell and the New Church appear on the screen, with Julio
and Alexis all tied up. Mitchell says he can either stay in the ring and finish
off the man who caused him humiliation or for once put others before himself.
Raven stands for a second then leaves to look for the Gathering. For all that
TNA has done wrong at this point, they have been brilliant in turning Raven
into a face. It has been masterful, actually.
Scott Hudson
is with Larry Zbyszko, who will face Kid Kash tonight. Larry promises to rid of
Kash, who he refers to as a wannabe.
Kid Kash vs. Larry Zbyszko
Lots
of stalling to start. The fans start chanting “where’s your walker” at Larry,
who then does an impression of someone using a walker. Larry grounds Kash and
they take it to the mat, with Larry gaining the upper hand. Larry works on Kash
in the corner, who comes back with a double springboard crossbody block that Larry
was out of position for. Kash pushes the ref then gets slapped down. He locks
on a sleeper then turn it into an iron claw, which Larry breaks by squeezing
Kash’s balls. Larry hits a backdrop and rubs Kash’s face into the mat. Abyss
runs in and charge nito Kash by accident but hits Larry with the Black Hole
Slam as the ref is checking on Kash, who then covers for the win (6:01) ¼*.
Thoughts:
A nothing match that the crowd didn’t care to see. The legends deal with Kash is
alright but Larry wrestles a dated style that caused this crowd to make fun of
him for being old. Kash is still one of the best heels in the company
Raven is
backstage screaming while looking for the Gathering but it turns out that they
are in the ring. Mitchell tells Raven he is surprised that he took the moral
high ground as Raven runs out and takes out the New Church until Shane Douglas
runs in and Raven gets destroyed. Julio breaks free and tries to help but he
gets tossed outside. Mitchell sets up the bodybag and Douglas rolls him inside
and the New Church stomp away.
Another
video package airs on the day in the life of Mad Mikey. He is still pissed off
at everyone. This was fine for what it was, a lower-card comedy act, and it was
funny at times.
Scott
Hudson is backstage with Glen Gilbertti, Simon Diamond, and Johnny Swinger.
Gilbertti uses a bunch of country references to mock AMW. Anyway, AMW run out
and attack them and they wind up back into the ring. Gilbertti attacks AMW with
the straps then they all attack AMW, until security clears the ring.
A video
package on the feud between Frankie Kazarian and Chris Sabin airs.
X-Division Title Match
Frankie Kazarian vs. Chris Sabin
(Champion)
The match starts with a very fast-paced sequence
that is won by Kazarian. Sabin then catches Kazarian with a release German
suplex, with his head whacking the middle turnbuckle. Sabin hits a clothesline
for two. He roughs up Kazarian before getting two off a suplex. Kazarian
counters a uranage with a crucifix and that gets two. Sabin grabs a chinlock
but Kazarian is able to eventually kick him to the floor. He slides out and
they do a sequence that ends with Kazarian hitting a DDT on Sabin on the
rebound after being backdropped against the ropes. In the ring, Kazarian hits
Sabin with an Ocean Cyclone Suplex off the top rope and that gets two! Sabin
eats boot off a charge but is able to eventually leap up top and hit him with a
belly to belly and that gets two. They trade punches until Sabin kicks Kazarian
into the ref. He then grabs the belt and hits Kazarian and the ref counts to
three. Referee Andrew Thomas then runs out and orders that the match must be
restarted. As soon as it starts, Kazarian hits Sabin with the Wave of the
Future (7:21) **1/2. Rudy Charles then runs out and grabs the belt and orders
that he is taking the belt and will go talk to Erik Watts to get an official
decision.
Thoughts:
Not their best match and the ending was terrible, actually. It looks like they
will eventually build up to a three-way, including Shane, which should at least
produce some good matches.
Technical difficulties
initially prevent us from seeing Three Live Crew at a trailer park but it
appears after a few minutes. Konnan and Killings arrive and ask a guy working
on his car where BG is who is then shown rubbing himself after pointing them in
the right direction. BG is shown cleaning his carburetor in the river as the
creepy guy is shown stalking them. Killings then chases him and that is how
this awful segment ends. Also, Three Live Crew will be back in the Asylum next
week.
Christopher
Daniels cuts a promo in the crowd. This went on for an eternity, due to the
fact that it took the crew forever to set up the cage. Anyway, he talks about how he is here to show
us that sports entertainment has changed his life. Poor Daniels is just dying
out there as he talks about how tradition got him nowhere and it is just
stagnation. He tries to get those in the crowd to undergo metamorphoses and
then attacks a fan who throws a drink on him. Jeff Jarrett comes out and grabs the
mic. He cuts a promo on Daniels and grabs a chair and sits in the ring as they
continue to set up the cage. He promises he will not leave until Daniels comes
back out. Black-Shirt security run out as does the Red-shirt security and they
fight as Daniels attacks Jarrett from behind. The Red-Shirt guys allow Daniels
to get the upper hand. None of this got over well at all.
A video
package airs on the feud between AJ Styles and D’Lo Brown. It lasted a long
time.
America’s
Most Wanted runs down and interrupts West and Tenay as they run down next week’s
show. Harris says that next week, they will have a six-man tag match against
Gilbertti, Diamond and Swinger, with Dusty Rhodes as their partner, who is
introduced via telephone.
Tenay is
with AJ and Vince Russo in an interview recorded earlier in the day. AJ says
that he is associated with Russo as he will do whatever it takes to keep his
NWA-TNA Heavyweight Belt. This goes on for a while, with Russo not saying a
single word until the end, when he tells AJ he can leave, then threatens Tenay
to say whatever problems he has with him to his face. Russo promises that the next
time Tenay disrespects either him or AJ he will be held responsible then they
end up yelling about Jarrett, like every other conversation that these two have
on-air.
Scott
Hudson is with D’Lo from earlier today. He said little of note other than that
he would never align with Russo. No one is buying D’Lo as a potential champion.
Steel Cage Match for the World Heavyweight
Title
D’Lo Brown vs. AJ Styles (Champion)
w/Vince Russo
Watts and
Russo are handcuffed, attached by a long chain. The crowd is mild, as the long
time it took to set this up probably took away their excitement. They start by
going back and forth, with neither man able to gain the advantage. D’Lo gets a
scoop slam and a hiptoss. He attempts to catapult AJ into the cage but he is
able to hold himself up and come back with a back elbow smash. D’Lo turns him
inside-out with a clothesline as Watts is shown dragging Russo around the ring.
AJ kicks D’Lo in the nuts on a float over attempt then stomps away. D’Lo
catches AJ in midair and rams him into the cage. AJ is between the ropes and the
cage as D’Lo grinds his head on the cage, busting him up. He heads up top but
AJ cuts him off then dropkicks him off the ropes. AJ hits D’Lo with a charging
dropkick and busts him up with that. D’Lo is able to catch AJ with a Samoan
Drop. He hits AJ with a bunch of suplexes before hitting the Alabama Slam. D’Lo
hits a frog splash but that only gets two. D’Lo charges but AJ backdrops him
into the cage. He the hits the Styles Clash but D’Lo kicks out at the last
second. D’Lo catches AJ and rams him into the cage before hitting the Sky High.
He tosses down AJ and heads up to the top of the cage but Russo throws powder
into the eyes of Watts, who then rams him into the cage, causing D’Lo to fall.
Both men are down then AJ eventually covers for the win (10:18) **1/4. Siaki,
Trinity, and Legend enter the ring, as does Russo, for the celebration. Russo
runs down D’Lo as the show goes off the air.
Thoughts: Disappointing
match with an anti-climactic ending. AJ sold a majority of the time and the cage
prevented him from performing his high-flying moves.
Final Thoughts: Well, TNA has two really good feuds
going on right now, between Raven and Shane Douglas & the New Church, and
the feud between AMW and Diamond & Swinger. It looks as if Jarrett will
feud with AJ for the belt after he is finished with Daniels, as there is no one
else for AJ to feud with. The X division is starting to improve, with the
addition of Shane and Kazarian too. However, a lot of these matches have bad
finishes and that needs to improve. Overall, this was a fine show.
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