Written by: Bob Colling
National Wrestling Alliance/Total Non-Stop Action presents Weekly PPV #50
Date: 6/25/2003
From: Nashville, TN
Opening Contest: NWA-TNA World Tag Team Champions Christopher Daniels & Elix Skipper vs. America’s Most Wanted in a steel cage match: AMW gets a mixed reaction during the introductions, which is kind of surprising. All four men start brawling as soon as the bell sounds. Harris works over Daniels in the corner with chops but Harris is taken over with a suplex by the champs. Harris plants Daniels with a running bulldog and AMW tosses Skipper into Daniels. Harris backdrops Daniels and follows up with a clothesline. Harris is sent face first into the cage by the champs and Skipper decks Storm on the apron. I don’t understand why they are going with traditional tag rules in a cage match. Skipper continues to toss Harris into the cage to maintain control of the match. Harris has been busted open as he gets worked over in the corner. Skipper hits a springboard moonsault on Harris! Daniels gets the tag and only gets a near fall. Harris knocks Daniels down with a leaping clothesline but is stopped by a kick from Daniels who gets a near fall. Skipper sends Harris into the cage to maintain control of the match but Harris runs over Elix with a clothesline!
Storm gets the hot tag and he cleans house dropping Daniels with punches. Storm counters a reverse DDT and lifts Skipper into the cage. Storm follow up with a swinging neck breaker on Daniels and a snap power slam for a two count. Daniels stops Storm with a low blow and sends him into the cage face first. Daniels leaps onto Storm as he is pressed up against the cage to double the impact. Harris is bleeding big time right now. Storm is bleeding now as well. Triple X hits a vertical suplex/ top rope cross body combo on Storm for a two count. Storm and Skipper collide in the middle of the ring. Harris gets the hot tag as does Daniels with Harris dropping the champs with clotheslines. Harris backdrops Skipper into the cage! Harris drives Daniels head first into the cage a couple of times. Harris pummels Daniels with left hands as Daniels has been busted wide open. Harris hits a full nelson slam but Daniels kicks out at two. Daniels counters the Canatonic and plants Harris with the Angel’s Wings for a near fall.
Daniels is stopped by Storm with a clothesline but cuts Storm off on the top rope to avoid the Swinging Noose. Daniels rams Storm head into the cage and hits a Flatliner off the top to the canvas! Skipper drops Harris with a belly to belly suplex before ramming Harris into the cage head first. Elix continues with a float over headlock suplex for a two count. Skipper is trying to climb out but is stopped by Harris to hit a top rope power bomb! Harris goes for the cover but Skipper somehow manages to kick out at two. Daniels plants Storm with a spinning neck breaker for a two count. Harris crotches Daniels on the top rope and now they are trading right hands. Harris spears Daniels off the top rope but only gets a two count on a cover attempt! Skipper plants Storm hits the Play of the Day but not very well. Skipper climbs the cage again and proceeds to leap off the top of the cage to hit a cross body onto Storm but Storm manages to somehow kick out at two!
Skipper gets knocked off the top of the cage and crashes to the floor. That leaves Daniels in the ring by himself and he tells Skipper to get back in the ring. Skipper gets knocked off the cage and Daniels is met with a super kick from Storm! AMW sets Daniels up for the Death Sentence, which wasn’t a leg drop but a forearm drop, and Daniels kicks out at two. Skipper tries to get in the cage again but is knocked off. AMW goes for the Death Sentence again with Harris going to the top of the cage and hitting a leg drop onto Daniels to win the match and titles! (*****. Yeah, that was a perfect steel cage match and these four guys put on the greatest match in TNA history up to this point. This was incredibly well done and the fans ate it all up. I couldn’t have entertained that anymore than I did. Superb job by both teams. An incredible steel cage match and perhaps the best way TNA has ever started a show. Unreal match.)
D’Lo Brown comes down to the ring and wants a title match against NWA-TNA World Champion inside the steel cage. Brown says this isn’t about titles but about respect. He calls out Style sot explain why he joined Vince Russo. Styles makes his way down to the ring and that leads to a brawl and a title match!
Second Contest: NWA-TNA World Champion AJ Styles vs. D’Lo Brown in a steel cage match: Brown attacks Styles still in his street clothes but the match is going on anyway. Brown drops AJ throat first across the top rope and drops Styles with a Thez Press before hammering away on the champ. Styles climbs over the cage but is knocked off and falls face first to the floor! Brown follows up with an overhead suplex on the outside! Brown has a steel chair and whacks Styles over the back. Brown sends AJ back into the ring and a referee enters now as well. Brown gets a near fall following a clothesline. Styles stops Brown with a low blow and whacks D’Lo over the head with a steel chair. Brown has been busted wide open as Styles hammers away on Brown. Styles knee drops a chair onto D’Lo’s face. Styles rams Brown head first into the cage as D’Lo is bleeding pretty badly. Styles slams the cage door shut into Brown’s head.
Brown battles back with right hands and sends Styles head first into the cage. Brown runs over Styles with clotheslines and a swinging side slam for a two count! Brown plants Styles with a sit out power bomb and heads to the top rope. Oh shit, Brown is going to the top of the cage. Vince Russo enters with a baseball bat and taunts Brown wanting him to come down. Russo takes out the referee and Styles tosses a chair at Brown on the top rope. Styles follows up with a top rope back suplex as the match ends in a disqualification. Styles continues to work over Brown with a steel cage. AJ whacks Brown in the midsection with a baseball bat. Jeff Jarrett runs down with a guitar but is stopped by security. (**1/2. No way that was ever going to get close to that opener but the match was fine and continues the feud between the two men. However, a steel cage match ending in a DQ just doesn’t sit well with me.)
Outside, Shane Douglas attacks Julio Dinero and Alexis Laree. Dinero missed a super kick and accidentally hit Laree. Douglas entered the building and went to the Pirch to cut a promo. Douglas recalls throwing the NWA World Championship down nine years ago and saw Raven trying to bring the title back to life. Shane wanted to come in but officials wouldn’t return his phone calls. So, Douglas made a deal with the devil. Raven comes out and brawls with Douglas until Glen Gilbertti and CM Punk got involved. Jarrett and Gilbertti left them laying until Jeff Jarrett came over to make the save with a steel chair.
Third Contest: Justin Credible vs. Jerry Lynn in a lights out match: Lynn attacks Credible outside hammering away on Justin and sends Credible through a fencing! Credible gets control rubbing Lynn’s face against fencing. Lynn low blows Credible in the back of a truck and sends Credible into some pallets. Lynn sends Credible through a table in the backstage area. Lynn sends Justin over the guard railing and tries to use a chair but is stopped. Lynn drops Credible throat first across the railing. Lynn leaps over the railing to dive onto Credible and hammers away on him. Lynn drives Credible shoulder first into the dancers pole and Lollipop gets hurt leaving the cage. Lynn checks on her but goes back to Credible nearly hitting the cradle piledriver on the entrance way! Justin attempted the That’s Incredible but Lynn counters and rolls Credible up for the win. After the match, Lynn goes back to check on Lollipop but is attacked from behind. Credible tosses Lynn off the stage onto the railing and handcuffs Lynn to the cage. Credible works over Lynn with a steel chair ramming the chair into Jerry’s ribs several times. Lynn is busted wide open now. (**. Well, it was a quick match but an enjoyable one at that. They have good chemistry but relied on brawling and weapons in this one.)
Backstage, Glen Gilbertti lets his men know they he wants Shark Boy’s mask. The group is no longer being called S.E.X. because Vince Russo stripped them of the name.
Fourth Contest: NWA-TNA X-Division Champion Chris Sabin vs. Frankie Kazarian in a non-title match: Sabin has the early advantage working over Kazarian’s arm but Frankie gets some work done as well. Sabin takes Frankie over with a standing hurricanrana. Kazarian hits a springboard back elbow and a few dropkicks to send the champ to the floor. Kazarian hits a slingshot DDT from the apron into the ring but only gets a two count on a cover attempt. Kazarian dropkicks Sabin for a two count and goes to work in the corner briefly. Sabin quickly comes back with a tornado DDT but only gets a near fall. Sabin sends Kazarian over the top to the floor in the corner. Sabin takes Kazarian out with a somersault dive over the top to the floor. Sabin sends Kazarian shoulder first into the ring steps. Sabin hits a springboard clothesline back in the ring but only gets a near fall. Sabin scoop slams Kazarian and delivers a leg drop for a two count. Sabin dropkicks Kazarian for a two count.
Kazarian atomic drops Sabin and nearly wins with a rollup moments later. They begin to trade rollups with both men getting near falls. Sabin drops Kazarian with a kick to the back of his head. Sabin maintains control with a head scissors on the canvas. Kazarian soon comes back with a bicycle kick. Kazarian hits the Back To The Future but Sabin kicks out at two. Frankie is stopped on the top with Sabin hitting a release German suplex, despite Sabin slipping! Kazarian counters the Future Shock to deliver a Death Valley Driver into the corner. Kazarian attempts a springboard dropkick into the corner but Sabin moved. Sabin drives Kazarian down with a swinging back breaker for a two count. Sabin misses a baseball slide and hits the ring post groin first. Kazarian counters the Future Shock to hit the Wave of the Future for a near fall! Sabin nearly wins with a double hook German suplex. Sabin heads to the top but Kazarian drops Chris with a super kick. Kazarian hits the Flux Capacitor and gets the three count. (***. A solid match that saw them win over the crowd after such an explosive start to the match. I was concerned they wouldn’t get the proper crowd reaction but the fans got into it after a few minutes. A good finish.)
Backstage, Shane Douglas issues a challenge to Raven and Jeff Jarrett to a tag match against himself and Glen Gilbertti.
Fifth Contest: Erik Watts vs. Kid Kash: Watts catches Kash on a springboard attempt to hit a backdrop. Watts misses a splash in the corner but backdrops Kash over the top to the floor. Kash kicks Watts while on the ring steps to hit a head scissors on Watts on the outside. Kash continues with a top rope clothesline but Watts kicks out at two. Kash keeps Watts on his knees working on the arm. Watts nails Kash with a bicycle kick and hits a leg drop for a two count. Kash dropkicks the knee of Watts and hammers away on Watts some more. Watts tosses Kash into the corner a few times and plants Kash with a side slam for a two count. Kash attempts a springboard cross body but Watts caught him and hit a power slam for a near fall. Watts messes up his bump for the double springboard hurricanrana. Kash follows up with a tornado DDT and argues with the referee. Kash attempts the Money Maker but Watts easily counters with a double leg slam. Erik runs over Kid with clotheslines. Kash rams Erik into the corner to knock the referee dwon. Watts plants Kash with a power bomb and checks on the referee. The mystery guy (Abyss) comes in to hit a swinging side slam and Kash gets the victory. After the match, Goldylocks checks on Watts. (*1/2. There were a few botches on Watts part, but it could have been a lot worse.)
Outside, Shark Boy and New Jack goof around in a kiddie pool tossing rings around an inflatable octopus.
Sixth Contest: The Sandman vs. Sonny Siaki in a Hard Ten match: Siaki attacks Sandman from behind during his entrance with trash can lids. As you’d expect, this match features a lot of weapon shots in order for the guys to get points. Sandman comes back from a 9-3 deficit to win the match 11-9 after putting Siaki through a table on the floor. After the match, New Jack comes over and has a few beers with Sandman. They will be wrestling next week.
Backstage, Jeff Jarrett and Raven talk about whether or not they can trust each other. Raven believes they will be okay as long as Jarrett doesn’t hit a Stroke on him from behind. He worded it differently, of course.
Outside, Mike Sanders attacks Shark Boy trying to drown him in the pool. Sanders doesn’t attempt to steal the mask per Glen’s request.
Backstage, Sonny Siaki informs everyone that he has aligned himself with AJ Styles and Vince Russo. Trinity enters the scene and attacks Goldylocks. So, it looks like Trinity is with the group as well.
Main Event: Glen Gilbertti & Shane Douglas vs. Raven & Jeff Jarrett: Douglas tries to attack Raven but is met with right hands. Jarrett runs down and helps Raven fight off both men. Raven tosses Douglas into the ring while Jarrett sends Gilbertti into the railing. Raven flies over the top rope onto both Douglas and Gilbertti! Jarrett deck Douglas but almost hits Raven when Douglas moved out of the way. Shane is met with two right hands instead. Raven tosses Douglas into the railing while Jarrett whacks Gilbertti over the back with a steel chair in the crowd. Gilbertti gets a few chair shots in on Jarrett and taunts the fans. Raven is holding his ankle rolling on the floor. Raven is struggling to put weight on the ankle but continues to work over Douglas. Raven drop toe holds Douglas face first into a chair. Raven does the same to Gilbertti. Raven sends Gilbertti over the guard railing back to ringside. Douglas misses a dive off the apron and hits the guard railing chest first. Jarrett slams Gilbertti face first onto the announce table and whacks Glenn over the head with a chair. Jarrett collides with Raven on the apron knocking Raven to the floor and Glenn nearly pins Jeff following a swinging neck breaker.
Jarrett is double teamed by Gilbertti and Douglas while Raven is holding his ankle on the floor. Jeff nearly gets a pin with an inside cradle. Jarrett gets the tag but the referee was out of position and didn’t see the tag. Jarrett continues to be worked over in the corner. Gilbertti locks in a sleeper hold right in the middle of the ring but Jarrett isn’t going to fade away that easily. Jarrett breaks the hold with a jaw breaker and looks to tag in Raven who is on the apron now. Raven gets the tag and cleans house on the heels with clotheslines. Raven drops Douglas with a clothesline and hits a bulldog/clothesline combo on the heels to get a near fall on Douglas. Raven plants Douglas with the Raven Effect but Gilbertti makes the save on the cover attempt. Gilbertti tosses Jarrett over the top to the floor leaving Raven in there by himself. Douglas dropkicks the leg of Raven and Gilbertti has a chain. Jarrett whacks Gilbertti over the head with a guitar and Douglas misses his cue to pull the referee out so the referee pulls himself out! That was hilarious. James Mitchell comes down to ringside as Raven dumps Douglas to the floor. Mitchell tosses a fireball into Raven’s eyes and that causes the disqualification. (*1/2. Okay, so the ending moments of the match were done pretty horribly due to Douglas not realizing his cue to pull the referee out. So, the final two minutes were really lackluster and just a mess. James Mitchell back on television is awesome as he is a great character. The match was pretty bad, though. This felt like a WCW Thunder main event quality bout.)
Final Thoughts:
Well, the show was a good one thanks in large part to the first half of the show. Go check out that tag title cage match between AMW and Triple X. Just a great match between four guys who wanted to make a name for themselves and told a great story. Kazarian/Sabin was solid, too. It’s downhill from there but luckily the first half was that strong to make up for it all.
Thanks for reading.