By Wade Keller, Torch editor

NWA-TNA PPV
MAY 26, 2003
LIVE FROM NASHVILLE, TENN.

-After clips aired of the Scott D'Amore-Jerry Lynn and Christopher Daniels's promo for last week, Mike Tenay and Don West introduced the show.

1 -- GAUNTLET MATCH

Team Canada: Captain Petey Williams, Johnny Devine, Eric Young, Bobby Roode
Team NWA: Captain Jerry Lynn, Elix Skipper, Chris Sabin, The Fallen Angel
Team All Japan: Captain Nosawa, Mitsu Hirai Jr., Taichi Ishikara, Hirai Nobukazu
Team AAA Mexico: Captain Hector Garza, Abismo Negro, Mr. Aguila, Heavy Metal

Two wrestlers began the match and every minute a new wrestler entered "randomly." It began with Christopher Daniels vs. Johnny Devine. The final three were Young, Skipper, and Garza. Skipper eliminated Young at 17:00. With the final two in the ring, top rope eliminations no longer counted; the winner had to score a pinfall or cause a submission. Garza scored the pin at 18:32.

WINNER: Hector Garza of Team AAA (Mexico) at 18:32.

STAR RATING: *1/4 -- Some okay spots, but really just an overly long crowded blob of undefined personalities randomly entering each minute and eliminating each other. Really a waste of time if they're not going to feature wrestlers fans care about or try to weave some sort of interesting storyline into the actual match. They didn't do either.

-Clips aired of last week's NWA World Title main event.

-Jeff Jarrett came out and demanded Mike Tenay enter the ring. Jarrett then demanded that he get his title shot against Ron "The Truth" Killings next week. Vince Russo then walked out. Jarrett said, "Just when you thought you got rid of me..." He told Russo he was the last person he expected to see in the Ultimate X match. Russo said even though he despises Jarrett, he was always going to give him a title shot. Russo shook hands with Jarrett, then told him that he'd have to face not just Killings, but also Chris Harris, Raven, and A.J. Styles in a five-person "King of the Hill" match. Russo explained that any wrestler who scores a pinfall has the right to get the NWA World Hvt. Title belt and hang the title to become King of the Mountain. Anyone who is pinned during the match must spend two minutes out of the mix in a penalty box at ringside. That's an interesting twist on the usual pulling the belt from the cable hanging from the ceiling.

-Hudson interviewed Team NWA. Lynn vowed things would be different in this tournament because they'd end up the winners.

2 -- BOBBY ROODE & JOHNNY DEVINE vs. CHRISTOPHER DANIELS & ELIX SKIPPER

After three minutes of nice exchanges with all four, it settled into Team Canada beating on Skipper. When Devine missed a moonsault, Skipper hot-tagged Daniels. Daniels cleaned house and landed a double-springboard moonsault on Roode for a near fall, broken up by Devine. Skipper tagged in and hit a cross bodyblock at 8:00. Roode came back with a fireman's carry into a TKO for a two count. They went into a series of nice four-way spots. Roode hit a sitout powerbomb on Skipper. Devine then hit his Devine Intervention Moonsault, but Daniels broke up the pin attempt. Roode and Devine then superkicked and suplexed Daniels. Roode gave Daniels a spinebuster for a near fall at 10:30. Roode tossed Devine overhead with a Dragon suplex onto Daniels. Devine landed right on his own head, but didn't seem phased. Skipper knocked Devine off the top rope Daniels threw Roode to the floor. Daniels and Skipper high-fived as they set up Devine for a powerbomb/neckbreaker double team combo finisher for the win.

WINNERS: Daniels & Skipper at 11:22.

STAR RATING: **3/4 -- Good tag match.

-Clips aired of Dusty Rhodes & James Storm vs. Kid Kash & Dallas last week. A promo then aired with Kash talking about putting the tag belts on the line against Storm & Dusty next week. He said they wouldn't underestimate Storm & Dusty again. Dusty cut a classic Dusty-like promo joking about the tag belt would fit around his waist and how his body was all broken down.

3 -- TAICHI ISHIKARA & MITSU HIRAI JR. vs. HEAVY METAEL & ABISMO NEGRO

WINNERS: Team Japan when Hirai pinned Metal after an Exploder Suplex at 7:53.

STAR RATING: * -- Just a spotfest with some nice moves and a few clunkers. This style doesn't do much for me because you can take any minute sequence, shuffle it randomly anywhere in the match, and it's pretty much the same match. Even with the biographical info being thrown out by Tenay, it's too little too late to really differentiate these four in any meaningful way.

-Hudson interviewed Scott D'Amore who gave a final pep talk to Team Canada.

4 -- "SHOWTIME" ERIC YOUNG vs. TAICHI ISHIKARI vs. MR. AGUILA vs. JERRY LYNN - Ladder match

Tenay said Ishihari had never been in a ladder match before. He also recounted Lynn's wins in ladder matches before. They began with some dives and Lynn kicking the ladder into Aguila. Lynn battled Ishikari in the ring. Tenay and West talked about the pressure on Young, since he's the newest member of Team Canada. They did a decent job setting up some internal storylines for this match. Aguila dropped Lynn off the top rope across a ladder at 3:30. Aguila set up a ladder in mid-ring, but Young stopped him from climbing it. Young then dropkicked the ladder into Aguila's face. When the ladder then bounced back into Young, West said that's an example of how unpredictable the ladders are and how they don't always do what you want them to. Lynn and Young worked with one ladder at ringside while Ishikari and Aguila battled inside the ring with the other ladder. Lynn went for a tornado DDT on Young off the second rope onto the ladder draped over the apron and ringside barrier, but Young blocked it. Aguila kicked away at Ishikarri's leg in the other corner. The match turned into an interesting trainwreck with all four interacting. After Lynn slammed Young onto the ladder propped against the top rope, Aguila moonsaulted onto him, but ended up hurt himself. West said this is the type of match where even when executing offense, you end up in pain. Aguila whipped Lynn toward a ladder in the corner, but Lynn blocked it. Aguila, though, countered with a powerbomb of Lynn onto the ladder. Aguila went for a springboard moonsault, but Young moved so he landed hard on the ladder himself. Ichikari went for a DDT on Lynn, but Lynn countered with a suplex onto the ladder. With Ishikari and Aguila ailing at ringside, Lynn and Young climbed opposite sides of a ladder. Aguila knocked them over. Young recovered, but Ishikari slammed Young onto the ladder. Then in a teeter-totter spot, Lynn and Aguila flung Young over the top rope to the floor in the spot of the night. Ishikara and Aguila climbed opposite side of the ladder. Aguila hit a sunset flip on Ishikari from the top of the ladder. Lynn then set up the ladder in the corner and pointed at Young at ringside. Aguila stopped Lynn from climbing. Aguila then climbed the ladder and dove toward Lynn with a legdrop, but Lynn moved. An exhausted Lynn climbed the ladder, but Young stopped him. Young then climbed to the top of the ladder. Lynn slammed him off the top to the floor. Lynn then moved the ladder to center ring and climbed it. Ishikari dropkicked Lynn off the ladder. Aguila crawled back into the ring. He and Ishikari climbed opposite sides of the ladder. Aguila threw a weak punch on Ishikari. Young then tipped the ladder over and knocked them both out of the ring. Young set up the ladder again and climbed it. Once he got to the top, Lynn also began climbing. Lynn punched away at Young and then set up a cradle piledriver off the ladder. D'Amore then broke a hockey stick across Lynn's back. Young climbed the ladder and grabbed the "X" hanging above the ring to win.

WINNER: "Showtime" Eric Young at 18:42.

STAR RATING: **** -- The four-way element at times worked against the match at times and for the match at other times. The final few minutes were excellent.

-Hudson interviewed new NWA World Hvt. Title holder Ron Killings. Konnan and B.G. James threw in a few words, too.

-Tenay and West plugged next week's line-up including the King of the Mountain NWA World Title match, the tag team title match, and Frankie Kazarian vs. Amazing Red.

-Team AAA cut a promo through an interpreter expressing supreme confidence in Hector Garza as their leader in the Ultimate X match.

5 -- CHRIS SABIN vs. HECTOR GARZA vs. PETEY WILLIAMS - Ultimate X

In this match, they had scaffolding holding cables about 12-15 feet above the ring forming an X. Just above the cables crossing point was an "X" that the winning wrestler had to grab.

Williams, while hanging upside down by his legs from the X cable, turned a grasp by Garza into a DDT to the mat. Garza was down for a while. When Garza did try to grab the X, Williams grabbed his legs. Then Sabin springboarded into a dropkick, knocking Garza to the mat. Sabin sold a knee injury. Sabin and Williams engaged in some one-on-one action as Garza recovered again. Williams showed nice fire Jens Pulver style, but ended up getting thrown over the top rope onto Garza at ringside. Sabin then springboarded with a bodyblock onto both Garza and Williams on the floor. Sabin went to whip Garza into the railing, but Garza reversed him. Williams then whipped Garza into the railings on the opposite side of the ring. Back in the ring, Williams hung from the cables and then flew off onto Garza with a flying headscissors. Sabin climbed to the top rope, but Williams caught him and set up a superplex. Sabin blocked it. Williams climbed onto Sabin's back, but Sabin turned it into an overhead salto slam. Garza recovered and went after Sabin with a tilt-a-whirl slam mid-ring. Sabin enzuigiri'd Garza. Williams then gave Sabin his Canadian Destroyer flip piledriver, one amazing looking move. Garza stood first, but was grabbing the back of his head. All three climbed different corners of the ring. All three headed toward the middle by hanging from the cables. All three knocked each other to the mat simultaneously. With Garza knocked out of the ring at 13:30, Williams and Sabin moved via cable to the middle of the ring. Sabin knocked Williams to the mat, fended off Garza's last ditch effort, and grabbed the "X" to win. Team NWA waved NWA and U.S. flags around the ring in celebration.

WINNER: Sabin at 13:42.

STAR RATING: **** -- Another really good Ultimate X match.

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