NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #28 1/22/2003

Written By: Bob Colling

National Wrestling Alliance/Total Non-Stop Action presents Weekly PPV #28
Date: 1/22/2003
From: Nashville, Tennessee

Tribute to the Sheik is shown. Just a picture of him as he recently passed away.

NWA-TNA opening video

Jeremy Borash is in Australia. Borash says that tonight is a big night for them as they are going to be airing their first pay per view for Australia. Borash puts over the fans there and. (Borash is also at the actual show, though)

Opening Contest: Amazing Red/SAT defeated David Young/Shark Boy/Jimmy Yang: SAT’s are attacked before the bell but the SAT comeback to take down their opponents. They go up top and they connect with a triple elbow drop and get a one count. Red with a somersault dive onto Young and Yang on the floor. Red with a springboard kick on Boy and the SAT botch a triple team move where Red missed a swinging neck breaker. Red with a stomp to the midsection of Boy off the top rope as Boy was in a surfboard submission. Jose and Boy start things off legally with Jose driving Boy down with a clothesline in the corner for a near fall. Boy drives Jose down across his shin and tags in Yang who takes Jose out with a springboard missile dropkick. Yang works on Jose in the corner with several shoulder blocks. Jose with a kick right to the face of Yang to gain the advantage. Joel enters and delivers a running yakuza kick on Yang and follows up with a German suplex on Yang for a near fall. Yang with a spinning heel kick and tags in Young. Young blocks a tornado DDT and sends Joel back first into the corner with a northern lights suplex. Red gets the tag and drives Young down with a tornado DDT but only gets a two count. Young comes back with a swinging front slam on Red and tags in Boy. Boy with several right hands in the corner. Red attempts a missile dropkick but Boy meets Red with a dropkick of his own and gets a near fall. Red with a spinning kick to the head of Boy and tags in Jose. Jose with a backdrop and gets a two count. Yang sneaks a tag and connects with a clothesline on Jose and sends Jose to the floor and sends Jose into the guard railing and ring steps. Double vertical suplex on Jose as Young enters and he gets a two count. Boy tags in and goes to work on Jose but Jose battles back with right hands. Boy with a reverse neck breaker and gets a near fall. Jose takes Boy down with a head scissors and a saito suplex. Joel gets the tag and chops away on Boy against the ropes. Joel with a leaping kick to the head of Boy. Joel spikes Boy down with a brain buster and goes to the top rope missing a swanton bomb. Young gets the tag and takes Joel down with a side suplex. Young with a nice springboard moonsault off the top and gets a two count. Double cross body in the ring and both Young and Joel are down in the ring. Red and Yang get tags with Red taking Yang down with a arm drag. Yang drives Red down with a sick power bomb. Red blocks a swinging side slam with a standing arm lock of sorts. All six men start brawling where Boy plants Joel with the Dead Sea Drop. Red with a tornado DDR on Yang, but Yang comes back with a kick to Red’s face. Yang gets crotched on the top rope and Red connects with a middle rope Code Red to pick up the win. **½
After the match, Konnan enters and beats down the losers of the match with a kendo stick. Konnan is escorted out by police, once again. Konnan tells Tenay that Tenay knows what this is all about.

Mike Tenay and Don West talk about what is going to take place later tonight. Don West has a PWI magazine that had Nikita Koloff and Dusty Rhodes on the cover.

S.E.X lead by Vince Russo make their way down to the ring. Russo tells a fan he slept with their mother as he held a sign saying Russo was a virgin. Russo makes sure to point out that buy-rates have gone up 22% since S.E.X. came into TNA. Russo also says their t-shirt is the number one selling t-shirt. Russo asks his boys who would want to face America’s Most Wanted tonight. Russo picks Elix Skipper and Low Ki to face the tag team champions. Russo tells Siaki that he isn’t going give Siaki a easy match, but instead a three way dance. Russo tells Tenay that one of challengers will be Chris Vaughn or Rick Santo the future of TNA. Russo believes a lady should be involved in the match and picks Athena to compete in the three way dance. Russo turns his attention to Jeff Jarrett and says the offer to join them is off the table. Russo assures us that Jarrett will not be the champion tonight. Russo says their will be a four way match for the World Title. Apparently it will be under gauntlet rules. Christopher Daniels, BG James and Don Harris are chosen to be involved in the match. Russo says he has one phone call to make and turns it over to Mike Sanders. Sanders says he has acquired two of the hottest commodities for S.E.X. Sanders says we will meet the new S.E.X. talent development next week. Sanders introduces the second addition to the group, Ashley Hudson. Hudson is the S.E.X. Australian Champion, apparently.

Second Contest: Ashley Hudson defeated Jorge Estrada: Long story short here, Estrada has the advantage early on but Hudson manages to send Estrada to the floor and controls the match for a few moments. Estrada with several moonsault but isn’t able to put Hudson away. Hudson rolls through a cross body from Estrada and picks up the win. *
After the match, Mike Sanders tries to recruit Estrada but Estrada rolls out of the ring.

Video highlighting AJ Styles and his mission to be the NWA World Champion. His interaction with Larry Zbyszko is also shown.

Third Contest: AJ Styles defeated Larry Zbyszko: Well, their was a lot of stalling throughout this match. Really, to the point where I can’t even recap what happened. The match really consisted of mat wrestling with Zbyszko taking the advantage with a head scissors and working on the arm of Styles. Styles actually delivered a knee to the midsection of Zbyszko that causes the legend to flip over. Styles nails Zbyszko with a super kick that send Zbyszko to the floor. Zbyszko sends Styles head first into the ring steps as Mortimer Plumtree is watching the match from the top pf the ramp. The referee prevents Zbyszko from leaping off the top rope and this allows Styles to trip Zbyszko up and deliver right hands. Zbyszko takes Styles down with a backdrop and gets a near fall. Styles with a vertical suplex and goes to the top rope. Zbyszko hit’s the ropes and Styles falls off the top. Styles takes Zbyszko down and uses the ropes for leverage to pick up the win. *¼
After the match, Styles goes over to Mike Tenay and puts himself over as deserving a title match. Styles wants Tenay to make that happen.

Backstage, Goldylocks is with Jerry Lynn and Ron Killings. Goldylocks as Lynn what he will do if Vince Russo gets his way tonight. Lynn doesn’t know what he will do and he mentions that TNA puts food on the table for his daughter. Lynn says this is about his family and not his career anymore.

Fourth Contest: Mike Sanders/David Flair defeated Ron Killings/Jerry Lynn: A four men start brawling in the ring before the bell. Flair drops down and Killings is sent to the floor. Lynn rolls Sanders up in the ring for a near fall. Sanders and Flair double team Lynn in the corner but Lynn comes back with a clothesline/bulldog combo to gain control. Lynn works on Flair wit several chops in the corner. Sanders gets a cheap shot on Lynn to help Flair gain the advantage. Flair with a rolling neck breaker and Sanders kicks Lynn in the chest for a near fall. Sanders keeps on saying “Heyyyy” after every pin attempt. Sanders chokes Lynn while the referee is distracted and Flair stomps away on Lynn. Sanders with a snap suplex and gets a near fall. Lynn with several right hands and knocks Flair off the apron. Sanders knocks Lynn down with a spin kick and gets a near fall. Flair takes Lynn down with a snap suplex but only gets a two count. Flair avoids a clothesline and drives Lynn down with a shin breaker. Flair begins to work on the left knee of Lynn and gets a near fall. Lynn reverses a figure four and rolls Flair up but Flair kicks out. Flair with a quick clothesline and gets a two count. Flair continues to work on Lynn with chops and stomps. Flair also chokes Lynn for a few moments. Sanders tags in and works on Lynn with several stomps in the corner. Lynn manages to tag in Killings who cleans house with right hands. Killings with a double head butt. Killings with a scissors kick on Sanders and gets a near fall. Double hip toss on Sanders. Flair nails Lynn with his burlap sack and Sanders pins Lynn for the win. *¼
After the match, Mike Sanders tells Killings that their roster is full and that Killings isn’t allowed to join them.

A video of Roddy Piper in a empty arena somewhere cutting a promo on NWA-TNA. Piper says that their was a uproar about the mention of Owen Hart. Piper talks about smacking Russo and says that Russo is the “worst kind of coward”. Piper says that Jeff and Jerry Jarrett are the last people hanging onto tradition so that Russo doesn’t take that away from them. Piper says that Russo has underestimated his competition. Piper says that he is sending hell towards Russo. Piper knows that he promised to not return to Nashville, but he has heard a lot of people talking. Piper mentions Kid Kash as being one of the young guys who is losing his spirit and soul in wrestling. Piper again says that he is sending people towards Russo way to bring him hell.

Fifth Contest: Elix Skipper/Low Ki defeated America’s Most Wanted to win the NWA-TNA World Tag Team Championships: Ki and Storm start the match. Storm works on Ki’s arm with a wrist lock and hammerlock. Ki manages to take Storm down but Storm holds his own throughout the exchange. Ki with a series of chops and clubbing blows but Storm comes back with a few of his own. Ki controls Storm with a series of uppercuts and chops. Storm comes back with a catapult take down and a lariat. Harris gets the tag and drops a elbow to the arm of Ki off the middle rope. Harris with a short arm clothesline on Ki and takes Ki down with a back drop. Storm with a missile dropkick off the top. AMW double team Ki and proceed to throw Ki right into Skipper and the challengers roll to the floor. Skipper rolls into the ring and drives a knee to the midsection of Storm. Storm with a tilt a whirl head scissors take down. Storm with a running back elbow and Harris drives Skipper down with a running bulldog and gets a one count as Ki breaks up the count. Harris mounts Skipper with a series of left hands and a double team back drop on Skipper, which Storm gets a near fall. Daniels grabs Storms foot which allows Skipper to take Storm down with a belly to belly suplex. Ki works on Storm with a uppercut and delivers a few chops and kicks in the corner. Skipper and Ki begin to face wash Storm in the corner. Ki with a springboard feint kick on Storm and Skipper locks in a half Boston Crab. Skipper works on the right knee of Storm. Skipper slows the match down with a sleeper hold on Storm. Storm battles to his feet but Skipper drives Storm down with a slam and gets a near fall. Ki enters and works on Storm while mocking a tag to Harris. Ki with a running forearm shot and gets a near fall on Storm. Ki with a front face lock and Storm makes the tag to Harris, but the referee didn’t see the tag. Daniels is now choking Storm to help his teammates. Ki with a baseball slide dropkick on Storm for a two count. Storm fights back but Ki drives down a overhand blow. Skipper comes off the top and drives a knee to the ribs of Storm and gets a two count. Skipper goes for several kicks, but Storm avoids them and kicks Skipper right in the face. Storm crawls to his corner and tags in Harris, and Ki gets the tag. Harris cleans house with several clotheslines and a spinning power slam on Ki for a near fall. Storm with a swinging neck breaker on Skipper but only gets a two count (not the legal guys). Harris catches Ki and connects with a sit out power bomb but the referee is distracted. Skipper no sells several chops and Harris just begins delivering several shots to the back of Skipper. Harris with a snap suplex on Skipper and Skipper rolls to the floor. Ki with a super kick on Harris and Skipper connects with a double under hook suplex for a near fall. Skipper with a spinning heel kick to the back of Storm’s head. Ki with a kick to Storm’s head and gets a near fall as well. Harris drops Skipper across the top rope and goes for the Catatonic on Ki but Ki has a arm breaker locked in. Storm dropkicks Ki off the move. Skipper is met with a super kick from Storm. AMW go for the Death Sentence but Harris knocks Daniels off the apron. Ki with a kick on Storm. Harris catches Ki’s attempted cartwheel kick and hits the Catatonic. Skipper has the title belt while Daniels distracts the referee. Skipper hits Harris and Ki is placed on Harris who gets the three count! ***
After the match, Triple X taunt AMW as they have won the tag team titles!

Backstage, Goldylocks is with Bob Armstrong. Armstrong doesn’t need Goldylocks to be telling him what to do. Bob says that he only has Jeff Jarrett left to help him fight Vince Russo. Armstrong doesn’t know what to do.

Sixth Contest: Sonny Siaki defeated Athena and Chris Vaughn to retain the NWA-TNA X-Division Championship: Siaki works on Vaughn with a clothesline and a drops Vaughn across the top rope. Siaki grabs Athena but is slapped and rolled up by Vaughn twice and gets two near falls. Siaki catches Vaughn and hit’s a death valley diver. Siaki hit’s the Siakilypse but pulls Vaughn up. Vaughn manages to hit Siaki with a wheelbarrow ace crusher but only gets a two count. Moments later, Siaki plants Vaughn with a pump handle into a tombstone pile driver for the win. *
After the match, Desire and Athena continue to brawl while Trinity runs down and connects with a missile dropkick on Siaki. Trinity cleans house until Siaki grabs her. Kid Kash runs down and connects with a hurricanrana on Siaki. Siaki bails from the ring and Desire gets her top ripped off.

Backstage, Goldylocks is talking to BG James and is invited to celebrate with S.E.X. Goldylocks gets champagne poured on her and she isn’t happy. Vince Russo walks in and his not happy because they still have to beat Jeff Jarrett. Russo says that they better get the job done tonight.

Mike Tenay and Don West hype up the main event and the odds that Jeff Jarrett faces tonight.

Jeremy Borash introduces Dusty Rhodes who comes out with a chain wrapped around his fist. The fans chant his name for a few moments before Rhodes begins to speak. Rhodes says that it looks like Russo has things going his way tonight. Rhodes talks about the NWA blood running through Jarrett’s veins tonight. Rhodes is sure that Jarrett will retain the belt tonight. Rhodes mentions that someone from his past decided to come out and drag his laundry into the street. Rhodes needs to have some kind of discussion with Nikita Koloff. Rhodes proceeds to call out Koloff to the ring. After a few moments, Koloff shows up and makes his way through the crowd to the ring. Well, security have a problem getting the guard railing broken up for Koloff. Rhodes wants Koloff to stand on his announcers table so they can have a eye level conversation. Rhodes remembers the days when Koloff stood up for himself, but now he is whoring himself out to Vince Russo. Rhodes talks about Magnum TA and his death in a car accident a few years ago. Rhodes talks about wanting Koloff to take TA place on a show, and Koloff stood for tradition from that time. Rhodes says he is letting what happened go. Rhodes wants Koloff to stand by him and be the Super Powers one more time. Tenay shows Koloff a picture of the Super Powers and asks if he remembers those days. Rhodes continues to ask Koloff to join him in the ring. Vince Russo comes out and says that Koloff isn’t going to cross any lines. Low Ki and Elix Skipper are by Russo’s side. Russo says they are here to save the business. Rhodes tells Koloff he is the tradition of this business. Russo tells Koloff he can either walk to the 1960’s are head to the locker room and change this business. Koloff shoves Russo away and makes his way into the ring. Russo is livid, that is until Koloff his Rhodes with a right hand. Russo tells Rhodes to blow him and S.E.X leave the area. Koloff doesn’t leave with Russo, though. Mike Tenay drops his headset and heads to the backstage area.

Backstage, Mike Tenay is trying to get Jeff Jarrett motivated for the main event match tonight.

Main Event: Jeff Jarrett defeated BG James, Don Harris and Christopher Daniels in a gauntlet match to retain the NWA-TNA World Heavyweight Championship:
First Elimination: Jarrett works on all three men nearly sending Daniels out of the ring. The numbers game quickly take control and they try to eliminate Jarrett by sending him over the top to the floor. Jarrett with a clothesline on BG but is met with a leg lariat by Daniels. Jarrett is sent to the floor but through the middle rope. Jarrett sends Daniels into the guard railing and hits all three men with a chair. Scott Armstrong prevents BG from using the chair. Jarrett has been busted open, somehow. BG rams Jarrett into the ring steps and Don delivers a chair shot over the head of Jarrett. Don Harris is also busted open. They brawl into the crowd where Jarrett is hit with chairs and right hands several times. Jarrett gets a chair and begins to hit everyone with it but the numbers game catches up again on Jarrett. Jarrett is placed on a table and Daniels leaps off the balcony but misses his dive and crashes through the table. Jarrett with mores chair shots on everyone. Jarrett is crotched on the guard railing by BG and Don. BG works on Jarrett in the ring with several right hands and chokes Jarrett on the bottom rope. Don follows up with a right hand of his own. BG with several left jabs and Don connects with a running big boot. BG with a knee drop but only gets a two count. BG with a inverted atomic drop and a pump handle slam but Jarrett gets his foot on the bottom rope. BG shoves his brother in the corner. Don with a power bomb on Jarrett but Scott gets in the face of BG show slaps him. Scott takes his referee shirt off and low blows BG. Scott low blows BG and delivers right hands. Jarrett backdrops Don Harris over the top to the floor.
Second Elimination: BG James is quickly clothesline over the top as well. Dusty Rhodes has come down and is beating up BG James.
Third Elimination: Jarrett backdrops Daniels down but Daniels locks in a submission hold. Rhodes beats up S.E.X. in the backstage area locking for Russo. Daniels has a arm and leg submission on Jarrett. STO by Daniels and hits the Best Moonsault Ever but isn’t able to follow up quickly. Daniels covers but only gets a two count. Daniels with several right hands and goes up top. Daniels leaps off but Jarrett stops Daniels in midair and this the Stroke to win the match. **
After the match, the NWA locker room empties and celebrate with Jarrett. Jeremy Borash enters the ring and interviews Jarrett. However, RAVEN enters the ring and beats down Jarrett. Raven plants Jarrett with the Evenflow DDT and steals the belt. Raven staggers up the ramp way but walks over towards Russo and he leaves with S.E.X.

End of show

My Take: The opening contest was kind of sloppy but it served its purpose to showcase what some of the X-Division guys can bring to the table. David Young looked rather good in this matches, as well. Amazing Red has to be in line for a push at some point. The fans are really behind him and a X-Division title run would be good for him. I’m assuming that Konnan is beating down the X-Division guys because if you have noticed, their aren’t any Mexican wrestlers, at all. I’m assuming that because he told Tenay that he knows what it is all about.

Well, the only good thing about the series of matches that Russo made was the tag team title match. Those four guys seem to have a good mix of styles and put on a good match. Obviously, the X-Championship match wouldn’t be a good match because the champion is a heel. That was expected. The World Championship match would have been good if it was just Daniels. No need for BG James and Don freaking Harris to be in any form of main events.

I have no interest in Ashley Hudson as he doesn’t really bring anything new or exciting to the product. End of story.

As expected, Styles/Zbyszko wasn’t any good because of how drastically different their styles are. Thankfully Styles won the match was losing to Zbyszko would have really hurt his momentum going towards a main event push.

The Sanders/Flair vs. Lynn/Killings match wasn’t any good. I thought David Flair was rather impressive just on the fact that he delivered a few wrestling moves, which is a few more than he ever did in WCW. The match was really just a beat down of Jerry Lynn. Really looks like TNA is making Lynn out to be a family man with the constant mentions of his daughter and his previous rough times.

The tag team title match was good, but I was expecting something a little better. I’m expecting a length feud between these two teams because the more they work together the better the matches will end up being. Triple X, at the moment, is the one bright spot of the stable S.E.X.

The X-Championship match was not suppose to be any good, and it really wasn’t. However, Chris Vaughn, for the few moves he showcased, actually looked pretty damn good. If he is the future of TNA, then the future of at least the X-Division looks pretty good, in my opinion.

I thought the segment with Dusty/Koloff/Russo was actually done fairly well. I will not understand this if Koloff doesn’t actually join S.E.X. It was a nice way to get the point across that perhaps Koloff doesn’t know what he wants to do, and by leaving on his own perhaps he still doesn’t know who to side with.

The gauntlet match was just a brawl. Really, that was all. S.E.X. is made to look weak yet again as three guys couldn’t even throw Jarrett over the top rope, which would have won them the match. That is pathetic. The debut of Raven, was a great surprise. Raven literally had just left WWE, and was misused horribly over there, I thought. Now, being a realistic main event threat in TNA, Raven could really make things interesting. TNA just got themselves a good brawler and a great talker.

Overall, a decent opener, good tag team title match, and a great debut in Raven to end the show. Hopefully, Raven is used properly by TNA. He is a great talent, at this point.

Thanks for reading.