TNA SLAMMIVERSARY PPV FLASHBACK REPORT
JUNE 19, 2005
ORLANDO, FLA.
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, PWTORCH EDITOR

-On the pregame show, Jeff Jarrett got into a confrontation with Raven inside the ring. When he stood at ringside afterward, a fan (who was dressed up like Jeff Hardy) heckled him. Jeff yanked him over the railing and beat him up viciously. Police intervened. Later, they cut to the back where Jeff Jarrett was in handcuffs and his father was talking to police officers. Jeff was hanging his head in shame or disgust. This was TNA's way of removing Jarrett from the King of the Mountain match so he wouldn't have to lose "his match."

-The PPV opened with a video featuring highlight clips dating back to the first PPV.

-Mike Tenay and Don West introduced the program and talked about the incident earlier with Jarrett and Raven. Tenay said Jarrett was out of the main event and Raven was in. Raven's not a bad replacement, but TNA could have inserted Samoa Joe in his place and started Joe's TNA career with a bang. They had two chances - one when they hadn't named Sean Waltman as the final mystery entrant, and now tonight since Jarrett took his ball and went home.

1 -- SHARK BOY vs. ZACH GOWEN vs. AMAZING RED vs. ELIX SKIPPER vs. JERELLE CLARK vs. DELIRIOUS

Don West, with the potential unintentional line of the night, said regarding one-legged Zach Gowen, "When he gets in the ring, he's on equal footing with everyone." Clark flipped off the top rope onto wrestlers at ringside. Zach was going to do a flip, but he got knocked off balance by Delirious. Red then dove onto wrestlers at ringside with the Infrared corkscrew. West and Tenay freaked out. Back in the ring, They set up a five person Tower of Doom suplex with Delirious as the main victim. Zach then hit a moonsault for a near fall on Clark. Shark Boy clotheslined Zach over the top rope. Elix had Shark down for a pin, but Red intervened with a flip on Shark. Clark powerbombed Red onto his head and it didn't look like it went smoothly. Red rolled out of the ring. Delirious and Shark Boy went at it. Shark hit the Dead Sea Drop for a pin on Delirious. Tenay screamed, "Now that is how you kick off a three hour PPV event!"

WINNER: Shark Boy at 6:25.

STAR RATING: **1/4 -- Short, but the final few minutes were packed with exhilarating highspots and breathless pacing. A good opening clustermess.

-They showed Abyss doing his thing backstage including punching out some glass.

-Shane Douglas interviewed Shocker backstage. Shocker said he wants to prove to his Mexican fans he is the top luchador. Alex Shelley interrupted and said he is an international hybrid wrestler with experience in Japan strong style, British matwork, lucha, and "if the day is right, maybe a little MMA." Shocker went off on him in Spanish, and then in English said Shelley didn't know what he just got himself into.

2 -- SHOCKER vs. ALEX SHELLEY

West , of course never one for overstatement, said Shocker has "the pride of Mexico on his shoulders." Tenay put over Shocker's reign a the NWA Lt. Hvt. Champion. Fast pace to the match in the opening minutes. At 7:30 Shocker dove through the ropes onto Shelley at ringside, and they butted heads on impact. Shelley showed off some of his European mat wrestling sequences. Tenay said, "This has been a wrestling clinic. You've seen the best of lucha libre and the best of the hybrid style." Shocker scored a leverage pin on Shelley with a roll-up out of nowhere. Shelley looked shocked and dismayed.

WINNER: Shocker at 10:13.

STAR RATING: **1/2

-The first of the Five Best Moments in TNA History countdown aired, which was A.J. Styles defeating Jeff Jarrett to win the NWA World Title in June 2003. Every moment should feature Jarrett losing - assuming he's done five jobs in three years after the babyfit powerplay he apparently pulled this week.

-B.G. James gave a pep talk to Ron Killings and Konnan backstage. They went to a series of clips of the issues between 3 Live Kru and The Outlaw.

3 -- RON KILLINGS vs. THE OUTLAW

Killings missed a scissors kick at 6:30. Gunn then went for a cobra clutch, but Killings escaped and rolled up Outlaw. Outlaw's shoulder was clearly up. A complete mess of a finish. Really awkward. They should have redone it. Gunn clotheslined Killings and gave him the cobra clutch slam afterward.

WINNER: Killings at 7:30.

STAR RATING: *1/4 -- This felt like a match with two supposed main eventers whose goal it was to show why they keep coming up a notch short in being worthy of being built around in any substantial way. The effort was there inside the ring

-The no. 4 moment in TNA history was Raven's debut.

-Douglas interviewed Team Canada backstage. Scott D'Amore said, "When you think of great generals, you think of Hitler and Mussolini. And when it comes to professional wrestling generals, it's D'Amore." Nice. Very nice.

4 -- THE NATURALS (Chase Stevens & Andy Douglas w/Scott D'Amore, A1) vs. TEAM CANADA (Petey Williams & Eric Young) -- NWA Tag Team Title match

On a leapfrog, Eric Young landed awkwardly and feigned a knee injury. It was revealed he was playing possum and he took a cheapshot at Stevens. At ringside, A1 and D'Amore double-teamed Stevens. They went into a series of near falls, then through cheating Team Canada beat up Stevens for a few minutes. Finally at 12:00 Douglas got a hot tag and went crazy on Team Canada, showing really good fire. He gave Petey a full nelson backbreaker for a near fall. Petey came back with a sharpshooter. Stevens broke it up and went for a powerbomb, but Petey countered with a DDT. Douglas then gave Petey a German suplex for a two count at 13:15. Douglas leaped off the top rope and slammed Petey to the mat for a near fall. The Naturals then gave Young their Natural Disaster finisher. Petey broke up the pin at the last split-second. Chaos followed. Petey set up a Canadian Destroyer. Douglas escaped. D'Amore used his hockey stick. Jimmy Hart came to ringside and supplied Stevens with a megaphone to use as a weapon to secure the pinfall win. West yelled, "D'Amore was outsmarted by one of the legends of the business!"

WINNERS: The Naturals at 15:22 to retain the NWA Tag Team Titles.

STAR RATING: ***

-The no. 3 moment was Trinity diving off the top of the cage at the April 2005 PPV.

-Douglas interviewed Sean Waltman who said he is a backstage politician and he finds a way to pull strings and get what he wants. He said despite having a rep for hanging with the Clique, he has no problem standing alone in that ring.

5 -- SONJAY DUTT vs. SAMOA JOE

Tenay said he's been waiting years to see Samoa Joe in person. He said he is the Samoan Submission Machine. He said he's lost one match in the last three years, had a record ROH Title reign, and is currently the ROH Pure Champion. It's not often TNA acknowledges ROH. Or ever. There was a small "Joe, Joe, Joe" chant at the start. Joe slammed Dutt onto the back of his head hard, then threw a chop-roundhouse-kneedrop combination. That started another "Joe, Joe, Joe" chant. Joe gave Sonjay the facewash in the corner. They he charged with a knee and KO'd Dutt. Tenay said Joe is known for his kicks. Tenay said Joe brings the Ultimate Fighting mentality to the wrestling ring. The suddenness of Joe's moves really stood out. Dutt made a comeback and flipped onto Joe at ringside. That drew a "TNA" chant. I feel very safe saying that's the first time Joe's ever heard that in one of his matches. Dutt followed up with some leg strikes and then a springboard dropkick for a near fall. Tenay pointed out that Joe is a trainer at the New Japan Training Dojo in Los Angeles. Dutt remained on sustained offense including a 450 splash for a two count. He went for another corkscrew dive, but Joe moved and then nailed Dutt with an awesome snap powerslam (if you can imagine such a thing). Joe then lifted Dutt off the top rope and hit his Muscle Buster followed by a rear naked choke for the tapout win. Tenay said, "That's the way you make a debut in TNA!" He is very right. Impressive TNA debut.

WINNER: Joe at 6:22.

STAR RATING: **1/2 -- Great squash debut win. Joe gave enough to pay Dutt respect, while also really showing what sets him apart. He surprises people who look at him and have a certain set of expectations, and then see him work and there's more A.J. Styles in him than anyone could have previously imagined with the speed and power and intensity of his style.

-A Raven promo aired. He sat on a staircase with candles in the background. He said he is a malignant cancer and the only way to survive is to kill the host, but he doesn't believe his opponents have it in them to take the step toward human barbarism (or something along those lines). He predicted an NWA Title win.

6 -- BOBBY ROODE (w/Scott D'Amore) vs. LANCE HOYT

Good opening action. Five minutes in, when Hoyt went to the top rope for a moonsault, D'Amore distracted him and D'Amore powerbombed him to the mat for a near fall. Hoyt fended off usage of the Canadian flag as a weapon, but then was distracted by D'Amore again. Roode then clotheslined Hoyt from behind, who looked like an idiot for standing there with his back to his opponent. West screamed, "How much of this do we have to take? I'm sick of this tired load." D'Amore said a few weeks ago on Impact he promised that Hoyt would learn a painful lesson. He said school is not over yet. Roode then stomped away on Hoyt. D'Amore went for a moonsault, but Hoyt moved and then gave Roode a big boot. The crowd chanted "Hoyt, Hoyt, Hoyt." D'Amore was trapped. Hoyt yanked on the back of D'Amore's tights to keep him in the ring. With his butt exposed, West called it the worst moment in TNA history. "Hide the kids!" he said. Hoyt then hit his moonsault, although amazingly for someone his size he did it in a way where there appeared to be zero impact on D'Amore given the camera angle they used. D'Amore was stretchered out.

WINNER: Hoyt at 7:24.

STAR RATING: **1/4 -- Solid seven minute match. The D'Amore interference is predictable and repetitive. It's what managers do, but they don't historically do it in every single match in much the same way. At least in this case, his constant interference was done to build up Hoyt moonsaulting him.

-Douglas interviewed Styles backstage in the locker room. In a nice touch, Douglas was sitting as not to tower over Styles. TNA usually doesn't think of those little things. Styles said everyone in the world face adversity, whereas some see it as an opportunity. He said he considers King of the Mountain the biggest opportunity of his career. He then hugged the NWA Title belt. It got a bit corny at the end, harkening back to "The World's Sexiest Man Jason" seductively rubbing the ECW TV Title belt for 37 minutes on an early ECW TV show.

7 -- AMERICA'S MOST WANTED vs. KONNAN & B.G. JAMES

Konnan used his shoe early as a weapon. AMW took control early, tagging in and out against Konnan. Konnan soon tagged James in. AMW beat on James for a few minutes. Pretty blah match in the early minutes. Not much crowd enthusiasm, either. AMW won with their Hart Attack finished after Konnan was distracted by Outlaw at ringside and wasn't available to tag in.

WINNERS: AMW at 6:54.

STAR RATING: 1/2*

-A no. 1 moment of TNA was Elix Skipper's head scissors off the top of the cage in January 2004.

8 -- CHRISTOPHER DANIELS vs. CHRIS SABIN (w/Trinity) vs. MICHAEL SHANE (w/Tracy)

Nonstop spots for ten minutes, but no sustained storyline within the match to speak of. Sabin dove over the top rope and flipped onto Daniels at ringside at 9:00. Tracy tripped Sabin, so Trinity answered by tripping Shane. Tracy and Trinity entered the ring and chopped each other, then rolled around on the mat. It wasn't Dawn Marie vs. Jackie, but it was okay. West suggested, "All women should be required to wrestle in outfits like that." Daniels held Trinity and as Sabin gave Shane the Cradle Shock. Sabin passed up a chance to help Trinity, and Daniels slammed her to the mat hard. Tenay and West pointed out that with Sabin, everything is "just business." That left Sabin vs. Daniels one-on-one at 11:00. After several minutes of good action, Daniels hit the BME at 15:15 for a near fall. Sabin hit a DDT off the ropes for a near fall. Sabin went for Cradle Shock, but Daniels instead hit Angel's Wings for the clean win.

WINNER: Daniels at 17:10 to retain the X Division Title.

STAR RATING: ***1/2 -- It's a tough match to grade, depending on what someone is looking for. This had a lot of good moves and felt exciting throughout, but when all was said and done, it felt like too many spots and not enough story. That's often the case with Sabin and Shane matches.

-Douglas interviewed Monty Brown backstage. He has one of the more unique interview styles in wrestling and it feels genuine in its goofiness. He will be a WWE star some day based on his growing confidence and competence behind the mic alone. He wiped his forehead at the end of his promo on the microphone in a gesture that The Rock would be jealous of for creativity and coolness.

9 -- A.J. STYLES vs. RAVEN vs. SEAN WALTMAN vs. MONTY BROWN vs. ABYSS -- NWA World Hvt. Title match

They showed a fan in the crowd holding up a sign wishing the new dad, A.J. Styles, a Happy Father's Day. Styles brought a big ladder to the ring with him. Waltman dove off of the penalty box cage to attack Raven at the start. Styles leaped off the ladder with a clothesline on Abyss at ringside. Brown then hit Raven with a Pounce in the opening minute and scored a clean pin. Raven had to go the penalty box for two minutes. West and Tenay reminded viewers of the rules, which is that once you score a pin, it makes you eligible to hang the belt in the middle of the ring and win the belt. If you get pinned, you get trapped in a penalty box for two minutes and cannot score a pin during that time (although you get to rest). Styles dove onto Abyss at ringside. The match settled briefly into Waltman vs. Abyss. Brown then cut off Waltman's attempt at a Bronco Busters. Raven came out of the penalty box. Brown powerbombed Waltman for a pin. Styles, Brown, and Abyss went at it. Brown gave the Pounce to Styles, who took a convincing bump against the turnbuckles. Abyss then scored a pin on Styles at ringside at 4:10. Styles entered the penalty box with Waltman. Raven threw a trash can at Abyss who had Brown on his shoulders. Raven then hit Brown and Abyss with trash can lids. Styles and Waltman were shown shaking hands, apparently reaching an agreement to work together in the match. Brown powered Raven over his head with a released slam. Waltman was released from the box. He brought a trash can into the ring. Waltman tried to shove the can into the ring, but it wouldn't fit, just like Mantaur's headgear (that's an "Ultimate Insiders with Russo & Ferrara" reference). Waltman gave up and grabbed the trash can that was already inside the ring. Styles was released just as Abyss gave Brown a Black Hole Slam for a pin. Brown was headed to the box. Styles hit a Spiral Tap onto Abyss on a table at ringside at 8:45. Styles then covered Abyss for the pin. Waltman hit an X Factor off the ladder for a pin. Raven used the staple gun against Waltman's head. Waltman fired back with a low blow. Then Waltman used the gun on Raven's crotch. "He just performed a vasectomy right in the ring!" screamed West. That's a first. Waltman threw Styles and both tumbled over the top rope to the floor. Abyss grabbed the title belt and began climbing the ladder. Brown ran under the ladder and gave Abyss a Pounce off the ladder and threw a table. Raven then DDT'd Brown onto a table. Raven climbed the ladder. Abyss climbed the other side. Styles stood up at ringside and couldn't believe what happened while he was knocked out. The crowd chanted, "Raven, Raven" after the match. Tenay said Slammiversary will go in history as an "incredible, incredible event."

WINNER: Raven at 14:17 to capture the NWA World Hvt. Title.

STAR RATING: ****1/4 -- Raven may be among those who are benefiting from the ECW PPV and his name being back in the mix lately. An absolutely crazy match, but they managed to create a sense of order and consequence from the chaos and big spots.

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