By Wade Keller, Torch editor

TNA BOUND FOR GLORY PPV REPORT
OCTOBER 14, 2007
DULUTH, GA. AT GWINNETT CENTER

-The show opened with the James Earl Jones soundalike narrating an inspirational video package with the usual grandious phrases about how all people can't achieve glory on one night, but everyone has a chance to be one of those who do later. And so on.

-Mike Tenay and Don West introduced the event.

Homicide [photo by Wade Keller (c) PWTorch]

1 -- ELIX SKIPPER & SENSHI vs. LAX (Homicide & Hernandez) - Ultimate X Match

Winner earns a tag title shot. They fought at ringside in the opening minute. Senshi hit Hernandez with some kicks, which Hernandez brushed off and then threw Senshi across the ring. At 3:00 Homicide began working his way across the rope above the ring to grab the "X" hanging above the ring, but Senshi chased him up there and yanked him down. Hernandez beat on Skipper in a corner. Senshi made the save, but again got knocked out of mid-air and out of the ring by Hernandez. Senshi takes great bumps, but this is so not the way Senshi should be presented. Homicide hit Senshi with a running dive through the ropes onto the floor. West went berserk. Skipper began to climb toward the "X,"; but Hernandez quickly yanked him down. Hernandez climbed up to the top turnbuckle for the first time, then leaped toward the "X." Skipper went for a save, but was kicked. Hernandez was right next to the "X," but didn't grab it as he waited for Skipper to dropkick him from behind Senshi went for it. Hernandez yanked him down and powerbombed him. Skipper and Homicide fought on the top of the rafter. Skipper stood on top of it and dove down onto Hernandez below in a major spot. "Oh my god, that was insane!" yelled West. Too bad he's been yelling all match so his reaction didn't stand out from more ordinary moments in the match. He does get genuinely excited, so it's not faked, but it's just too much because there's no way to sell huge spots when he reacted at maximum level to anything the least bit cool. Homicide and Skipper both climbed the same rope. Homicide dropped down and took Skipper with him in neckbreaker position. That led to a "Holy sh--!" chant from fans. Homicide set up Senshi for a Gringos Killer off the top rope. Senshi blocked it, knocked Homicide into hanging upside down in the corner, and then hit him with his Warrior's Way double foot stomp. Homicide hung from one leg trapped on the top turnbuckle. A loud "TNA, TNA" chant broke out. Hernandez then tossed Homicide with a Cracker Jack overhead toss. Hernandez then lifted Skipper and Border Tossed him over the top rope onto Senshi and Homicide on the floor at 10:00. Then he climbed over and grabbed the "X" for the win.

WINNERS: LAX in 11:00.

STAR RATING: *** -- Lots of big spots in the midst of nonstop action unlike anything you see with WWE, which is where TNA's focus ought to be at this stage of their existence as a distant no. 2. The crowd ate it up, too. It was so oriented toward one big spot after another all squeezed into just over 10 minutes, so it wasn't a classic by any means, but for a spotfest gimmick match, very much filled its slot on the card well.

-They showed Kurt Angle arriving and then Karen Angle arriving earlier, both separately. Then they showed Kevin Nash arriving. West reminded viewers that Nash had told Angle that he's on his own. Tenay and West then ran down the rest of the line-up in a nicely used 90 seconds to set the stage for viewers who may not have remembered, known, or been able to digest everything scheduled for the rest of the three hour show.

-Crystal interviewed Christian Cage, Tyson Tomko, and A.J. Styles backstage. Christian said the Fight for the Right match is full of wrestlers who want to become like him, the type of person who when he walks into a room, a hush comes over everyone because of his awesomeness. Christian said he should be in the match so he can earn that title shot, but Samoa Joe has derailed him. Cristal asked Styles about this being his "first chance to claim the title in his hometown of Atlanta, Ga." Styles said he's very excited. As he made some shout-outs, Tyson interrupted and said tonight the charade of Team Pacman comes to an end. Tomko told Styles he better not let him down tonight. Styles said he wouldn't. Then he tried to go back to some shout-outs as Tomko dragged him away.

2 -- FIGHT FOR THE RIGHT MATCH

Participants: Jimmy Rave, Lance Hoyt, Shark Boy, Petey Williams, Kaz, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt, Kip James, B.G. James, "Cowboy" James Storm, "Showtime" Eric Young, Robert Roode, "Wildcat" Chris Harris, Junior Fatu. The rules are: 16 wrestlers start outside the ring, the first eight in the ring then fight a traditional battle royal, and then the final two match a "traditional match" (which inevitably, for no logical reason, will almost assuredly last less than three minutes. Fatu was the first in as everyone else fought at ringside. Kaz suplexed Roode into the ring so they both qualified. Shelley leaped in next. When Young tried to enter, Hoyt pressed him on the ring apron to throw him off, but Young fell backward into the ring. It honestly was one of the dumbest sights you'll ever see because there were clearly instances where a wrestler with no opposition stood around waiting to fight someone rather than roll into the ring easily to qualify. Storm leaped in to just beat his own partner Harris for the final slot, although it, too, was ridiculous as Storm clearly waited to time it so it was close "and dramatic" rather than just go in as quickly as possible once he was unopposed. Really poor execution of an idea that in theory is clever and different but has to be meticulously booked; it wasn't.

Young eliminated Storm immediately when the bell rang to start the eight man battle royal. Just to add another ridiculous level of complication to it, Tenay then explained that the eight who made it into the ring will be part of a tournament on Impact where the first eliminated would face the last eliminated, the second eliminated would face the seventh eliminated, and so on. So the battle royal determined bracketing for a tournament, making it virtually irrelevant and arbitrary since there's no sense that the worst wrestlers are eliminated early in battle royals, as there's always a randomness to the events. Fatu sat on the face of Hoyt in the corner. Rather than fight back as Fatu paused for dramatic effect, Hoyt just made a face. It's like a bad pro wrestling spoof movie made by people who hate pro wrestling. Kaz, Young , Roode, and Hoyt teamed up to try to eliminate Fatu. Shelley and Sabin then double dropkicked him over the top rope to eliminate him. Tenay said fan interaction at FanFest during the weekend was "just incredible." For a moment, I thought Justin Credible made a guest appearance. Kaz knocked Sabin off the ring apron with a jump front thrust kick that looked really good. Roode one-arm slammed Kaz off the ring apron to eliminate him; Kaz's landing made a huge thud sound and his reaction indicated it hurt. Roode knocked Hoyt off the top rope as he set up a moonsault. That left Shelley, Young, and Roode. Shelley was knocked off the apron when Roode shoved Young into him.

It came down to Young vs. Roode in a singles match to battle over the no. 1 seed position "and bragging rights," added Tenay, perhaps realizing the pointlessness of the "prize" of being top seed. Tenay noted that Shelley will have to face Sabin in the tournament because they were seeded three and six. Young won with a small package two minutes in.

WINNER: Young in 12:00.

STAR RATING: 1/2* -- Just a bunch of moves and eliminations in an overly complex, convoluted concept match.

-Cristal interviewed Ron Killings and Pacman Jones backstage. Killings said certain football powers that be forced Pacman out of the match, so they'd found a substitute - Consequences Creed. Pacman said he's all about "the streets" and "how to be a champion."

-Karen and Kurt Angle were arguing behind the scenes. The camera found them mid-argument. Karen said he's never been this unreasonable by putting their family in jeopardy by making it personal. Kurt said he made it personal because for the first time he's got Sting right where he wants him. He told Karen to get out of his face.

3 -- RON "THE TRUTH" KILLINGS & RASHEED LUSCIOUS "CONSEQUENCES" CREED vs. A.J. STYLES & TYSON TOMKO

Thanks to PWTorch reader Michael Tyler who sent the following info on Creed: Consequences Creed is Austin Creed. "Awesome" Austin Creed uses an Apollo Creed gimmick. His signature moves include the Monte Fisto and rolling clothesline a la Konnan. He tags with Hayden Young as the Awesome Attraction and are the NWA Anarchy Tag Team Champions. You can check out a few matches of his by going to www.thesuperstation.net for NWA Anarchy.

Tenay explained that Styles & Tomko won their tag title shot because of last month's PPV - one of those details that TNA viewers (including me) can't keep track of because there's just so many stips thrown out there one after another, without enough time to drive them home. West said because "professional football" won't let Pacman wrestle, they've found a new member - skirting the issue of whether TNA allows championship teams to just rotate partners. The team name is 'Truth & Consequences," although they came out to a Team Pacman graphic. West and Tenay said this is quite a wildcard thrown at Styles & Tomko since they had no time to prepare for Creed. Creed is a black guy with a fro, American flag patterned shorts, is shorter than Styles, and very muscular. He had a look that was right out of the "Good Times" sitcom from the '70s or the Jackson Five. He moved around the ring with nice athleticism that fit well with Killings's style. When Tomko tagged in at 2:00, Creed quickly tagged in Killings. Styles and Creed had some nice fast-paced exchanges. At 6:00 a four-way brawl broke out. Styles got Northern Lights tossed into the corner. Tomko gave Creed a quick overhead suplex. Pacman yanked down on the top rope, so Tomko fell to the floor. Tomko, though, caught Creed when he dove at him. Killings flip dove over the top rope onto Tomko at ringside. Styles then did a flip dive onto all three. Pacman stood on the ring apron with a wad of money. Styles yanked it out of his hands. Killings went for a roll-up, but rather than count, ref Earl Hebner gathered the money and pocketed it. By the time he made the count, Styles kicked out. Tomko and Styles gave Killings a double team corkscrew to the mat for the pin.

WINNER: Styles & Tomko to capture the TNA Tag Team Titles in 9:00.

STAR RATING: ** -- Decent action, silly finish with the ref grasping for money. One of those silly comedy spots best kept to a separate environment than a tag title situation because there isn't likely to be ramifications, but if the belts are to be taken seriously within the world TNA creates, that must result in an announced fine or suspension for the ref.

-Borash asked Karen backstage if she realizes how much money goes along with that World Title. She said she knows. Karen then noticed Kevin spending time with a blond woman. She told the woman to scram. She told Kevin that he has to talk to Kurt because Sting is going to kill him. Nash said Angle is more stubborn than Scott Hall, so he's not going to waste his time. Karen said if he loses the title, they both lose their meal ticket. "You don't think I know how much he pays you for his bogus sessions? What are you going to do, wrestle again? You take one more blow to your knees, you'll be in a wheel chair." Nash said, "I'm not gonna wrestle. I don't know what you're smoking if you think that. But I will go and talk one more time to Kurt." He then sarcastically thanked her for being a buzzkill on his making a move on the blond lady.

A.J. Styles [photo by Wade Keller (c) PWTorch]

4 -- "BLACK MACHISMO" JAY LETHAL vs. CHRISTOPHER DANIELS - X Division Title match

They just couldn't get themselves to save this for the semi-final spot or at least the second half of the show to gives some sense of prestige to this title so it could at least feel like a Smackdown-Raw relationship between these two titles rather than an ECW-Raw relationship. Tenay noted before the match that Daniels beat Lethal in a non-title TV match just days after beating Angle for the belt. At least that match ended up meaning something in the big picture, leading to a title match for Daniels. It was still too early to justify Lethal losing even with this storyline. West said he thinks Karen is sincere in her feelings because she is a mother and knows that her husband went too far messing with Sting's son. Machismo let out an "Ohhh yeahhh!" before the match. The announcers still provide no insight into Machismo and whether he's doing a tribute to Randy Savage, thinks he's Randy Savage, or if it started as a spoof and now he's bought into it seriously, or what his deal is. Viewers are certainly wondering and would like a little deeper insight into what makes him tick after all of these months. After some opening back and forth rapid action, Daniels took control. At 8:00 Daniels hit a BME for a near fall, reacting with frustration after the kickout. Lethal hit a full nelson suplex to stun Daniels. Both lay on the mat as the crowd chanted "TNA, TNA." Lethal blocked a subsequent huracanrana attempt off the top rope, then went for his signature top rope elbow. Daniels moved and Lethal landed hard. Daniels made the cover, but Lethal kicked out just before three. Lethal hit his Lethal Combination (back-breaker into a face-plant) off the top rope for a clean win.

WINNER: Lethal in 10:00 to retain the X Division Title.

STAR RATING: ***1/4 -- Good match. They told a nice story within the ten minutes they were given, but it felt rushed and crammed into not enough time. They could have used four extra minutes minimum to slow things down a little.

-Cristal interviewed Scott & Rick Steiner backstage. Scott talked about it being a tables match against Team 3D, which translates into nobody had the guts in TNA to force anyone of the four to actually take a pin.

5 -- SCOTT & RICK STEINER vs. TEAM 3D - Two out of Three Tables Match

They brawled in the aisleway before getting to the ring. Scott threw some beer in the face of Ray. Rick made it to the ring with Devon first. They did the ol' stand-up brawl through the crowd, which helped them avoid having to be athletic or take bumps. At 6:00 they returned to the ring and Team 3D put Rick through a table to take a lead. Scott made a comeback against Brother Ray, who sat on the top rope making a cartoon fear-face as Steiner took his time walking over to him, then gave him his signature Frankensteiner off the top rope to send Ray through a table. Ray almost overshot it, but his head and shoulders made enough impact to break it at 9:00. Brother Ray whipped the Steiners with his spiked belt. Team 3D set Scott on another table at 12:00. The table collapsed as soon as Scott was set on it. It made the tables looked pre-broken, which tends to ruin the intended effect because it brings into question the authenticity of the other tables, even though in reality there's no benefit to gimmicking the tables to break easily. They set Scott on a new table, grabbed chairs, shoved ref Rudy Charles aside, and then set up a finish when Shelley & Sabin ran to ringside and distracted them. Scott got up. Devon swung a chair at Scott, but Scott ducked and Devon hit Ray's chair which sorta hit Ray. Scott then lifted Devon onto his shoulder and Rick bulldogged him through it for the win.

WINNERS: Steiners in 13:00.

STAR RATING: *1/2 -- Gave fans what they had any right to expect. Satisfactory.

-Borash interviewed some of the TNA Knockouts backstage, but when Awesome Kong walked in, they all fled the scene.

6 -- TNA KNOCKOUTS BATTLE ROYAL for the TNA Knockout Title

Ms. Brooks and Jackie Moore began the match. Shelley Martinez entered third. Next was Awesome Kong followed by ODB. Kong eliminated Shelly, Brooks, and Moore. That left ODB vs. Kong. Angel Williams entered next. She hit Kong with an enzuigiri. ODB and Angel double-teamed her. Christy Hemme was out next and she instantly got destroyed by Kong with a contorting inverted body vice type move, then a powerbomb. Gail Kim ran out next and hit Kong with a dropkick off the top rope. Tenay said he liked seeing her take the fight right to Kong. Medics came to ringside to check on Hemme. "She broke her back, let's face it!" said West, diagnosing things from the announce table. Everyone teamed up to eliminated Kong, who went briefly entirely topless in the process when her outfit snapped open. A DVR freeze-frame revealed full double nipple exposure for several frames. She has two. Expect screen captures of that online right about now. West giggled a little but didn't openly acknowledge it. Talia Madison was out next. Angel Williams was eliminated next. ODB and Kim exchanged chops mid-ring. Roxxi Laveaux was the final entrant. It came down to Roxxi vs. Gail in a standard singles match, which will for no good reason as always last less than two or three minutes. Kim missed a top rope dropkick leading to a near fall for Roxxi. Kim fired right back with her finisher for the win.

WINNER: Gail Kim in 13:00 to capture the TNA Women's Title.

STAR RATING: *1/4

-Nash met with Angle backstage. He offered to schmooze Sting a little and say that he apologizes for losing his son and hitting his son. "Hopefully he accepts your apology and you two can go out there and have a nice, competitive match," he said. Angle said he's sharper than ever. He said Nash has lost his edge. Angle said if anyone needs to apologize, it's Sting for slapping his wife. Nash said it's been proven Sting didn't slap his wife. Angle said he's delusional. Nash said he won't be there for him because he's caused Sting to snap. Angle laughed and asked if he can even get in the ring. "When you get up, I hear your knees creek," said Angle. He told Nash to go buy a ticket and sit front row "with all of the other idiot fans." Nash yelled, "If you lose this title match, I lose everything." Angle told him he's already lost everything. He closed with, "Excuse me while I go take a great big nasty Nash." Nash threw a chair.

Samoa Joe [photo by Wade Keller (c) PWTorch]

7 -- SAMOA JOE vs. CHRISTIAN CAGE - with Matt Morgan as special enforcer at ringside

Joe and Morgan crossed paths and had a brief staredown as Joe walked to the ring. The crowd had a battle of chants - "Instant Classic!" and "Let's Go Joe!" They exchanged some chops and slaps a minute in. Joe charged Christian with a knee in the corner, then put his boot across his face for a face wash with several swipes. He followed up with a running low dropkick to Christian as he hung upside down in the corner. Joe set up a suplex on the ring apron, but Christian escaped with an eye rake, then kicked him using the middle rope as a fulcrum, and followed up with a dive off the ropes. Joe moved and Christian hit the railing. Joe followed with a suicide dive elbow to the floor. Really nice start to the match. Joe gave Christian the "Ole Ole" running boot to the face at ringside. Christian countered seconds later with a DDT out of nowhere onto the mat at 4:00. West did a nice job explaining how Joe let his guard down to catch his breath and Christian, a smart veteran, used that moment to muster all the energy he could to counter Joe's momentum - and it worked. If West stopped yelling and presented that kind of analysis that adds a sports-like feel and draws you into the strategy and logical progress of a match, he'd be better off. Joe kicked Christian out of the ring. Christian backed into Morgan at ringside to stop him from retreating. Joe dove at Christian, but barely caught him and landed hard on the mat. Joe caught his breath, threw Christian into the ring, and went at him with clotheslines as the crowd chanted "This is awesome!" Christian went for a desperation dive, but Joe moved and then pointed to his head. Then he hit Christian with a Stan Hansen-style hard, charging lariat with a nice yell for extra effect. He followed by setting up a Muscle Buster, then applied a sleeper. Christian slipped out and tried for an Unprettier, but Joe easily shoved him off and powerbombed him into the top turnbuckle, followed by a big boot and a senton splash for a two count. When Joe mounted the second rope, Christian knocked him down and went for a pin with his feet on the rope for leverage. Joe went for his clutch, but Christian slipped out and stomped Joe. Joe kicked back from the ground and then nailed a snap powerslam for another two count at 10:00. They battled on the second rope and shoved each other off; Christian fell to the floor and Joe fell to the mat. Tomko walked to the ring. Morgan ordered him to the back. Punches were exchanged. Styles slipped past them both, but as Styles tried to spring into the ring, Morgan yanked him down and threw him into Tomko's arms. Morgan chased them to the back with a chair. Christian then kicked Joe between the legs and gave Joe an Unprettier. Joe kicked out. Christian applied a sleeper. Joe powered out and applied his rear naked choke. Christian tapped.

WINNER: Joe in 14:00.

STAR RATING: ***3/4 - Very, very good match, something if TNA tried to put together multiple times on each PPV and once in a while in a showcase environment on TV could really help set them apart from WWE and in general attract fans to pay for their product. One with a lot of Joe's signature spots and mannerisms. Both guys are their best. Would have loved another five minutes to play out a little more because it seemed like it was building still when they went to the obligatory distraction at ringside before the finish. This was my main reason for recommending the show and it delivered.

-Nash approached Sting backstage. He said Kurt is stubborn and what he did was wrong, but it's gone too far. Sting yelled, "It went too far when he put his hands on my son." Sting said it's not about wrestling, it's about respect, something Kurt knows nothing about. Nash asked about turning the other cheek. Sting asked what was up about Nash anyway. Nash said, "He's all I got." He said this is the closest he's ever gonna get to the main event again. Sting said, "I'm really sorry, but tonight, game over." I'm not sure about this angle where they portray Nash as this sad figure who wants to start for the high school football team but can't because of bad knees so he's just hanging around. But it depends on where it's going.

8 -- ABYSS vs. RHINO vs. RAVEN vs. BLACK REIGN - Monster's Ball Match

Lots of weapons and objects used in a brawl. Reign followed Raven up the rafters. Raven told Reign to jump from the balcony, but Reign hesitated, so Raven leaped off the apron onto Abyss who was stacked on several tables at 5:00. At 8:00 back in the ring Raven poured thumb tacks on the mat mid-ring. James Mitchell ran out and offered Raven a bag of broken glass to also use. Raven accepted. Abyss reversed things and gave Raven a Black Hole Slam on the glass and tacks for the win. Mitchell threw a fit on the stage as he looked on.

WINNER: Abyss in 9:00.

STAR RATING: *1/2 -- It was what it was and what you'd expect in this type of match.

9 -- KURT ANGLE vs. STING - TNA World Hvt. Title match

They started the "I want to kill you" match with a collar and elbow hookup and a clean break by Sting against the turnbuckles. Angle then went to a wristlock a minute into an "I want to kill you" match. That's the problem with including "kill" into match hype - you can only wrestle one kind of match consistent with that. What they're wrestling is the type of match they should have if they had hyped this the way I'd have preferred and think would have drawn the most money, which was two legends and icons testing each other, with the TNA Title and career pride and legacy as the focus. A few backstory tweaks could have added subplots, but nothing that would prevent this type of match from making sense. Angle bailed out at ringside at 2:00. When he returned, Sting clotheslined him to the floor and then followed him out, slamming him head-first into the announce table. Angle spent the next few minutes in control with matwork. At 10:00 Sting came back with a spinebuster for a two count. When Angle lifted Sting for an Olympic Slam a minute later, Sting rolled it into a pin attempt for a near fall. Angle then went for his unreleased suplex series and hit three of them leading to a two count at 11:00. Angle went for an anklelock, but Sting countered right into a Scorpion Deathlock. Karen Angle ran to ringside just as Kurt teased tapping. The ref and Sting both turned to her. Nash entered the ring and clotheslined Sting, then rolled back out of the ring. Security escorted Karen to the back as Angle hit an Olympic Slam. The ref was still occupied with Karen, so Angle turned to yell at the ref. Finally the ref ran back to the ring and Angle made the cover, but Sting had time to recover and kicked out at 14:00. Angle went for a belly-to-belly off the second rope, but Sting knocked him down and went for a splash. Angle lifted his knees and then scored a near fall on Sting. Angle powerslammed Sting, then went to the top rope for an unsteady moonsault attempt. He flipped in mid-air and actually landed on Sting with a double stomp. Sting kicked out as Nash cheered him on at ringside. Ankle applied an anklelock in mid-ring. Sting spit at Nash, powered out, and flipped Nash right into Nash at ringside. Angle went to clothesline Angle, but hit the ref by mistake. Sting then gave Angle the Death Drop. Sting saw the ref was down, so he called for a replacement ref. A second ref ran out, but as he counted, Nash yanked him out of the ring and punched him. Nash then entered the ring and attacked Sting with a series of elbows and knees in the corner, his signature offensive series. They doubled on Sting, but Sting ducked and knocked both Angle and Nash down with a double arm clothesline. He knocked Nash out of the ring, but when he turned, Angle gave him a low-blow. Angle then grabbed Sting's black bat and swung it at Sting. Sting was supposed to stop it, but it went right through his hands and hit Sting in the face. Sting no-sold it anyway, and hit Angle with it several times. Nash tried to come in, but got caught on the top rope. Sting nailed him with a bat to the face. Angle got to his feet, but was uneasy. Sting gave him a Scorpion Death Drop for the pin.

WINNER: Sting in 18:00 to capture the TNA World Hvt. Title.

STAR RATING: ***1/4: Good match up until the crazy, zany bag-o-tricks overdose that two wrestlers the caliber and stature of Sting and Angle don't need to have a satisfying big-show main event. Still, a good main event that delivered enough to add to, not take away, from the show, including a major title change.

REPLAY RECOMMENDATION: Yes, a good show. Far from perfect, but enough really good action to be worth it for TNA fans who were on the fringe.

KELLER'S STAR RATING QUALIFICATION KEY

DUD: Not just below-average, but without redeeming qualities either due to incompetence, inexperience, lack of effort, or mistakes. A bad finish to a below-average match can also rate a DUD.

ONE STAR: Below average match, but passable.

TWO STARS: Average everyday match, usually between five and ten minutes, with nothing memorable about it, but nothing wrong with it. A shorter match can also earn two stars if it was better than average for five minutes, but didn't last long enough to justify a three star rating.

THREE STARS: Very good match, but lacking something to take it to the next level. It might be a match between two average wrestlers that overachieved or a match between two excellent wrestlers that underperformed. Contains some element that makes it stand out from a typical average match and it effectively fulfilled it purpose in the context of the rest of the show.

FOUR STARS: Excellent match, entering match of the year territory. Everything fell into place. Several elements of the match were dramatic or emotional enough to get the crowd into the action. In almost every case, a match needs to have a satisfying finish to rate four stars or higher. A poor finish can take what is otherwise a four-star match and drop below. It's tough to reach four stars unless a match goes past 15 minutes.

FIVE STARS: A rare masterpiece where the match transcends what is usually considered a great match. To rate five stars, there can't be one fault to the match - not a poor finish, or a poor start, or some missed moves, or inconsistent selling, or corny ref bumps, or tired cliched spots, or a dead crowd, or lack of emotions expressed by the wrestlers. Each segment of the match has to fit into the larger story of the match. It's tough for a match to reach five stars unless it lasts at least 20 minutes.

NOTE: Sometimes being the "first of a kind" can elevate a match rating, such as being the first ladder match or first Hell in a Cell or first TLC match or first War Games, making an excellent match better in it that incorporates a new match stipulation effectively. The same match two years later, after a gimmick is repeated over and over again, may have lost the novelty factor and thus not score five stars.

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