SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following report was originally published on PWTorch.com 15 years ago this week…
NWA-TNA PPV
OCTOBER 1, 2003
LIVE FROM NASHVILLE, TENN.
-A montage aired of highlights from last week’s show.
-Outside the arena, Vince Russo told A.J. Styles he was going to “break bread with Jeff.” The audio was muffled, so it was difficult to tell what was going on, though.
1 — AMERICA’S MOST WANTED vs. ABYSS & KID KASH
Ring introductions took place for this match, but Mike Tenay and Don West couldn’t be heard. Kash slapped Abyss and made him start the match. About 90 seconds into the match, Mike Tenay and Don West could be heard, although the quality of the sound level was really poor. Kash ended up working the bulk of the first few minutes until Abyss tagged in at 4:00. Harris made a comeback with a flurry of energized punches in the corner at 6:00, then tagged in James Storm. At 7:00 Abyss flipped Kash onto Harris for a two count; Storm broke up the count. Kash flew off the top rope toward Harris, but Harris sidestepped him, although it appeared to be more of a miscommunication. Storm got hot-tagged into the ring and hit Abyss with a flurry of punches. He fended off Kash, too, leading to four-way brawling in the ring. Kash flipped off of Abyss’s shoulders as Abyss sat on the top rope and nailed Harris with a moonsault. Storm then flipped Abyss to the mat. All four men were down. Harris got up and speared Kash, then both double speared Abyss to the mat. Kash returned to the ring with a chair and nailed Storm in the face with it. Harris chased after Kash as Abyss gave Storm his Black Hole finisher for the win.
WINNERS: Abyss & Kash at 11:14.
STAR RATING: **
-Terry Taylor stormed to the ring and told the ref about the use of a chair. Kash shoved Taylor. Taylor punched Kash. Abyss went after Taylor, giving Kash a chance to attack Taylor from behind. Kash and Abyss double-teamed Taylor and ripped his shirt off. AMW returned to the ring and ran off the heels.
-Mike Tenay announced that Oct. 22 would feature Jeff Jarrett challenging A.J. Styles for the NWA World Hvt. Title. Tenay and West then previewed the rest of the show.
-Scott Hudson interviewed Michael Shane. When he introduced him as Shawn Michaels’s younger cousin, Shane said Michaels didn’t win the Ultimate X match and he doesn’t hold the X Division Title. He said from now on Michaels will be known as “the cousin of Michael Shane.”
-Jeremy Borash introduced Antonio Pena, the AAA owner and promoter from Mexico. Pena stood mid-ring with Borash as he introduced the competitors for the X match.
2 — MICHAEL SHANE vs. JERRY LYNN – X Title match.
After a slow build in the first few minutes, Chris Sabin walked to ringside and joined Tenay and West at ringside with a trophy. He said he is the longest running X champ and winner of the Super X Cup. He wanted to know why he wasn’t the no. 1 contender. He said next week he was putting his Super X Cup trophy up against the X Champion next week, be it Lynn or Shane. “I will not be ignored!” he said. Sabin then pulled up a chair and sat ringside. Shane saw Sabin and yelled at him. Lynn made a full comeback with a DDT off the second rope for a two count. When Shane again turned to yell at Sabin at ringside again, Lynn speared him to the mat. Lynn then yelled at Sabin, “You’re next!” Lynn blocked a Shane sidekick and then flattened him with a kick of his own. Lynn then hit Shane with a TKO for a near fall. Lynn set up a cradle piledriver, but Shane reversed and dropped onto Lynn for a two count. Lynn then whipped Shane into the stairs at ringside. Lynn bumped into Sabin. They shoved each other. Lynn then shoved Shane back-first into the ring apron edge. Back in the ring Lynn gave Shane a backbreaker, then went to the top rope. Sabin knocked Lynn off balance. Shane then superkicked Lynn for a three count.
WINNER: Shane at 9:55 to retain the X Title.
STAR RATING: **1/2 — The match moved at the pace of an old Hunter Hearst Helmsley match back before he had his streak of good main events, just frustratingly 15 percent too slow to get the crowd engaged in the match. Lynn dropkicked Shane to the floor, then flew off the apron with a huracanrana.
-Hudson attempted to interview Shark Boy and Mad Mikey. D-Lo interrupted and said he was “sorry to break up their promo,” but said he wanted them to know he’d be glad to interfere on their behalf when they wrestled Sonny Siaki & Ekmo later if need be. Don Callis came out and said D-Lo wasn’t going to “go into business for himself.” He told him to go have his match, then pack his bags and leave.
3 — D-LO BROWN vs. CHRISTOPHER DANIELS (w/his minions)
Tenay said they were just told that Lynn stormed out of the arena in his wrestling gear without commenting to Hudson. West said he must be frustrated with the whole situation. At 3:00 D-Lo encountered the minions at ringside who just kinda creeped him out and distracted him. Daniels then dove onto D-Lo. Tenay said the minions seem to take a passive-aggressive approach to aiding Daniels. D-Lo came back by dropping Daniels over the ringside barrier. Then he climbed to the top rope and dove toward Daniels. Daniels moved, so D-Lo landed on a chair in the corner at ringside. Daniels rammed D-Lo against the ringpost. Daniels hit a springboard moonsault off the middle rope for a two count. He followed with an abdominal stretch with a variation with his leg over D-Lo’s head. “TNA management consultant” Callis walked out to observe, flanked by the red shirted security guys. D-Lo rolled up Daniels for a surprise two count at 6:15 followed by a neckbreaker. D-Lo backdropped Daniels and then throwdown slammed him to the mat for a two count. D-Lo hit two hard clotheslines, but then the minions grabbed his leg. D-Lo sling-shotted over the top rope onto the minions at ringside. He then climbed to the top rope. The red shirted security distracted him, giving Daniels a chance to knock him off the top rope and then give him the Last Right’s finisher for the win.
WINNER: Daniels at 8:01.
STAR RATING: *3/4 — Solid match. There’s still a casualness to D-Lo and softness to Daniels’s offense that undercut the intensity of the match.
-Hudson interviewed Erik Watts and a member of the white shirted security who suffered a separate shoulder last week. Watts asked Callis to step up and pay the man’s medical bills. Callis said he’ll get right on that as soon as finishes installing the spa in the locker room. Callis said the wrestlers are independent contractors who are given opportunities, and accept the risks that come with it. He pointed out that Watts booked the match between the two security teams last week, so he ought to pay the bills.
-Tenay told West he can’t believe how insensitive Callis is to the situation. Tenay then introduced the Roddy Piper sitdown interview.
-Piper asked how many wrestlers would still be alive if pro wrestling promoters offered health insurance. Tenay said there are two national wrestling companies, and WWE and TNA have both closed the doors on him. Tenay asked him if he would turn away from wrestling now and dedicate himself to TV and movies. Piper said he is wrestling. He said he can’t become something else. Tenay said he’s conducted hundreds of interviews, and the hardest question he’s ever had to ask: “Roddy Piper, any final words?” Piper began talking, but the audio cut out and they went to the crowd yapping instead, so we don’t know what Piper said. Tenay asks “the most important question of his career” and the answer doesn’t air. Nice. Lots of splices in this second part of the sitdown interview, so it actually made some sense and wasn’t full of rambling nonsense.
4 — SONNY SIAKI & EKMO vs. SHARK BOY & MAD MIKEY
Ekmo splashed and pinned Shark Boy after Siaki meandered through the first few minutes of the match.
WINNERS: Ekmo & Siaki at 4:42 when Ekmo pinned Shark Boy.
STAR RATING: 1/2* — Pretty blah.
-D-Lo saved Shark Boy from a post-match attack by the heels. Trinity attacked D-Lo with a low blow from behind. Red shirted security jumped D-Lo and then handcuffed him. Tenay said Callis did warn D-Lo.
-A sitdown interview aired with Simon Diamond, Johnny Swinger, Glenn Gilberti, and David Young. Tenay asked Swinger about his emergency appendectomy surgery. He said Tenay doesn’t really care. He said he came back in a week from what would have sidelined all others much longer. Gilberti said he is their manager to protect them from the interests that brought down Sports Entertainment Extreme. Tenay asked if it was safe to assume Young was now part of the group. Young nodded, but Gilberti said he was just a one week replacement. Young asked what he had to do to earn his keep. Gilberti said he could take his place against Sandman and then maybe he would reconsider letting him in the group.
-Hudson interviewed Dusty Rhodes and Jeff Jarrett. Hudson’s mic was out for the first ten seconds of his interview. Technical problems all night tonight. Dusty talked about teaching Styles a lesson. Jarrett talked about taking care of business tonight and winning the NWA World Title in three weeks.
5 — SANDMAN vs. DAVID YOUNG
Young attacked Sandman in the midst of his long parade around ringside spewing beer. Young hit some early offense and played to the crowd. Fans chanted a “Let’s Go Sandman” chant. Young went for a moonsault, but Sandman lifted his knees. Sandman beat up Young at ringside for a minute. Back in the ring Young took over with an overhead suplex into the corner. Sandman fought back and gave Young a huracanrana off the top rope at 4:00. He followed with a somersault splash onto Young at 4:15 for the win.
WINNER: Sandman at 4:18.
STAR RATING: *1/4 — Some nice moves and intense brawling in this short match.
-After the match, Gilberti, Diamond, and Gilberti attacked Sandman, then walked to the ring. West gave away that the heels would be turning on Young by sympathizing with him and saying he hoped they all reunited. They teased that they were on Young’s side, then attacked him. 3 Live Krew (Konnan, B.G. James, Ron Killings) made the save.
-Backstage Russo went into his screaming mode in Jeff Jarrett’s face. He told Jarrett he is his friend and the only one who cares about him. He asked Jarrett to forget the past and takes thing into the future. Jarrett said he is going to wrap the guitar around his head. Russo fled.
-James Mitchell entered the ring with Sin, Slash, Vampiro, and Shane Douglas. Mitchell said Raven is officially done. He thanked Douglas for giving him the chance to scalp him, he drove the final nail into his coffin by throwing him off the balcony and hanging him, putting him out of his misery. He said it has been a pleasure doing business with him and he’d be glad to help him out in the future. Mitchell then announced that it was time for he and Vampiro to move on to phase two. “I assure you it will be darker and more nefarious than anything you could conceive of in your wildest nightmares,” he said.
6 — 3 LIVE KREW vs. SIN & SLASH & VAMPIRO
Douglas did commentary with Tenay and West at ringside. He said after 20 years he has accomplished everything he possibly could, but is preparing to crown a New Franchise. He said there are some impressive wrestlers who deserve his mentorship. Tenay asked who he had his eye on, but Douglas wouldn’t spill it. A few minutes into the match, Vampiro tagged in against Konnan. Konnan scored with a clothesline, then tagged in James. Vampiro took control over James, who sold for the heels for the next few minutes. James hot-tagged Killings in, who dropkicked Sin and Slash to the mat. Then he ducked a Vampiro clothesline with the splits. Chaos followed with Killings kicking Vampiro to the mat in the ring while the rest brawled at ringside at 6:00. Killings covered Vampiro, but Mitchell distracted the ref. Vampiro then clotheslined Killings with the cane. The ref saw it and called for the bell.
WINNERS: 3 Live Krew via DQ at 7:05.
STAR RATING: *1/4 — Passable six-man match.
-Raven then ran out and attacked Vampiro and Mitchell. He symbolically took the chain off from around his neck and then wrapped it around Mitchell’s neck. Douglas ran into the ring to save Mitchell, but Raven beat him up, too. He knocked Douglas out of the ring with a discuss clothesline. He then played to the crowd with his arms extended. He said he has nothing left to lose and would make Mitchell suffer. He said he will eliminate Mitchell’s men one at a time until it’s just he and Mitchell left. “Dream blood,” he said. “I will have my retribution.” He told him his heart will beat “Ra-ven” at night. The crowd chanted “Raven, Raven.” Good stage-setting promo for Raven’s mission.
-West plugged next week’s show. He said there would be a rematch with Kash & Abyss vs. AMW with Terry Taylor as special referee, plus Sabin vs. Shane for the X Title, and Chris Vaughn & D-Lo Brown vs. Red Shirted Security.
7 — JEFF JARRETT & DUSTY RHODES vs. A.J. STYLES & VINCE RUSSO
Russo wore a helmet, pads, and a hockey jersey. Jarrett and Dusty took turns working against Styles in the opening minutes. At 5:00 Styles used Russo’s bat against Dusty’s left leg. Russo begged Styles tag him in. Russo whipped Dusty a couple of times, then tagged Styles back in. Styles went into a leghold on the mat. Styles dove at Rhodes as he was draped over the middle rope, but Dusty moved and then tagged in Jarrett. Jarrett gave Styles a high backdrop, then knocked Russo off the apron. Trinity dove at Jarrett off the top rope, but Jarrett caught her and powerbombed her. Then he kicked Styles to the mat and went for the figure-four. Russo entered the ring. Jarrett grabbed his leg and Russo did an exaggerated drop to the mat, yelling in pain even before Jarrett did anything to him. He has no ring sense at all. Styles swung a bat at Jarrett, but Jarrett blocked it and then hit Russo with the bat. Russo writhed in pain. Jarrett then gave Styles his Stroke finisher off the top rope. Dusty gave Styles an elbow drop and spanked Styles as he pinned him for the win.
WINNERS: Dusty & Jarrett at 9:40.
STAR RATING: ** — Another decent match, but nothing more. Styles carried the athleticism. Dusty and Jarrett did a nice job with the structure and pacing.
-Styles threw a fit at ringside afterward, throwing a Mad Mikey-style tantrum. Styles said nobody gets away with embarrassing him like that. He challenged Dusty to a one-on-one match. Russo got in Styles’s face and told him not to do it. Styles slapped Russo in the face and told him he doesn’t own him. Hurray. Finally Styles’s stood up for himself against his abusive little league dad. Russo actually went down and sold the slap. Dusty said he wanted the match to be a title match. Styles agreed. Jarrett got in Dusty’s face and confronted him over going after a title match before he got his chance. Dusty shoved Jarrett. Several refs and security got between them as they jawed at each other.
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