NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #65 10/8/2003

Written by: Bob Colling

National Wrestling Alliance/Total Non-Stop Action Weekly PPV #64
Date: 10/8/2003
From: Nashville, TN

Jeff Jarrett asks Dusty Rhodes to come down to the ring to discuss what happened between them last week. Jarrett tells Rhodes that he is a typical icon who would even cut his mothers throat to get what he wanted. Jarrett said that it was in his own best interest to leave the arena. Apparently, Jarrett will be getting a title shot in two weeks no matter the winner of the Styles/Rhodes match tonight.

Backstage, NWA-TNA World Champion AJ Styles is worried that Vince Russo has arrived to the building yet. Sonny Siaki and Ekmo showed up and said they are going to take care of business.

Opening Contest: Kevin Northcutt & Ryan Wilson vs. Chris Vaughn & D’Lo Brown: Northcutt and Brown start the match with Brown taking Northcutt down with a dropkick. Vaughn hits a top rope axe handle and wrenches on Northcutt’s arm. Northcutt manhandles Vaughn sending him into the corner but Vaughn escapes and tags in Brown who deals with Wilson now. Brown staggers Wilson with an axe handle and Vaughn tags in hitting a dropkick on Wilson. Wilson counters a hurricanrana attempt in midair planting Vaughn with a power bomb. Wilson pummels Vaughn with right hands in the corner. Northcutt gets tagged and along with Wilson they both deliver splashes in the corner. Northcutt tosses Vaughn with an overhead suplex and a scoop slam. Northcutt mocked Brown but missed a leg drop. Vaughn boots Northcutt in the corner and attempts a tornado DDT but Northcutt hits a northern lights suplex tossing Vaughn into the corner. Vaughn gets free and tags in Brown but the referee was distracted. Brown still gets a few strikes in on the heel team. Brown and Wilson go to the floor following a cross body. Northcutt plants Vaughn with a double under hook piledriver for the win. (**1/2. Actually, not a bad start to the show action wise as Wilson and Northcutt looked like badasses thanks to Vaughn being smaller and capable of taking good bumps for them.) After the match, Brown gets attacked by the Red Shirt Security. Erik Watts comes into the ring with a steel chair and clotheslines Wilson and Northcutt. Brown gets up and clotheslines Wilson to the floor. Watts uses the chair on Northcutt.

Mike Tenay had a sit down interview with Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes said that you’d have to be in the era of wrestling back in 1979 to know how he felt when he won the NWA World Championship. Dusty says the fans make him do crazy things and believes he has one more big win inside of him.

Outside, Jerry Lynn is shown throwing his bags into his car frustrated with Don Callis suspending him.

Second Contest: NWA-TNA X-Division Champion Michael Shane vs. Chris Sabin: They shove each other until Shane slaps Sabin and then begs off before bailing to the floor. Sabin grabs Shane by the hair but Shane returns to the ring where Sabin gets a few strikes before Shane bails to the floor again. Sabin chases Shane on the floor before returning to the ring where Sabin hits a head scissors and dropkick. Shane sends Sabin chest first into the corner and gets control with a few right hands. Shane tosses Sabin over the top to the floor. Shane shows Sabin the trophy that will be his after the match. Shane chokes Sabin with his wrist tape. Sabin comes off the ropes and Shane hits a snap power slam. Shane avoids a kick and backdrops Sabin onto the apron but Sabin punches Shane followed by a nice springboard spinning heel kick. Sabin drops Shane with a yakuza kick and plants Shane with a tornado DDT for a two count. Shane sends Sabin into the corner but can’t hit a super kick. Sabin plants Shane with a Future Shock, but Shane got his boot on the bottom rope. Sabin misses a missile dropkick as Shane sidesteps the move. Shane nails Sabin with a big boot and tries to use the ropes on a rollup but the referee sees it. Shane plants Sabin with a power bomb but again only manages a two count. Shane goes to the floor and grabs the championship saying it will finish Sabin. The referee stops Shane from using it and Sabin hits the Cradle Shock! The referee turns around but Shane kicks out before three! They trade a series of rollups until Shane uses the tights and gets the victory over Sabin. Thus, Shane now has the Super X trophy. (***. While it felt like more of an angle advancement for Shane’s heel push, the action was solid and kept a good pace. I enjoyed it and kind of wish it went on for another three to five minutes.)

Backstage, David Young confronts Glenn Gilbertti, Johnny Swinger and Simon Diamond about getting hit with a steel chair. Gilbertti says that Young almost earned his spot in the group and Young appears to buy into what Gilbertti is selling.

Third Contest: NWA-TNA World Champions Simon Diamond, Johnny Swinger & Glenn Gilbertti vs. Konnan, BG James & Ron Killings in an elimination match: Diamond and Killings start the match with Diamond hammering away on Killings until a head scissors gives Killings the advantage. BG gets tagged in and holds Diamond for a leaping side kick for a two count. Swinger enters the ring and the champs hit a side slam/reverse DDT combo for a two count on James. Swinger misses a clothesline and James delivers a few jabs. Konnan drops Swinger with a rolling thunder clothesline and locks in a STF until Diamond broke up the hold. Killings leaps off the top to leg drop Swinger on the groin of Swinger. Konnan puts a standing figure four on Swinger but lets go to plant Diamond with a face buster. Konnan dropkicks a seated Swinger but Swinger counters a monkey flip attempt for a two count. Konnan tries to get a win with a few different pin attempts but only gets a near fall. Gilbertti distracts Konnan allowing the champs to hit a double flatliner and Swinger get a three count on Konnan to eliminate him from the match.

Killings enters and power slams Swinger before tagging in James to hit a double hip toss and elbow drop on Swinger. BG knocks Gilbertti off the apron and sends Diamond to the floor. Swinger gets tripped by Konnan and that allows a pump-handle slam by BG to eliminate Swinger from the match.

Gilbertti low blows James from behind to allow Diamond to beat on James with right hands. Gilbertti tags in and drops an elbow on BG after a drop toe hold by Diamond for a near fall. Diamond gets tagged back in and word over BG with strikes. Diamond nails BG with a super kick and that’s good enough to eliminate BG.

That leaves Killings all by himself to fight off Gilbertti and Diamond, which he does with dropkicks. Ron sends Glenn into Diamond and power slams Gilbertti. Diamond grabs Gilbertti to avoid a dropkick from Killings. Gilbertti clotheslines Killings in the corner and taunts the fans until Killings hits a missile dropkick. Killings hits a spinning forearm shot to drop Diamond. Killings connects with a scissors kick on Gilbertti. Killings plants Diamond with a front suplex and pins Diamond to eliminate him.

Gilbertti stomps on Killings as we see David Young sitting at ringside with a chair. Killings plants Gilbertti with a DDT for a two count. Gilbertti sends Killings to the floor where Killings sends Glenn into the guard railing. Killings leaps off of David’s chair and clotheslines Gilbertti on the ramp. David grabs the chair from Killings and whacks Killings over the head with it. Gilbertti rolls Killings into the ring and gets the pin. (*1/2. It was a rather predictable match and the action wasn’t overly entertaining. Young being associated with the group is fine, but I don’t think there is much interest in this angle.)

Backstage, the New Church show off their tolerance for pain where Slash throws darts into Sinn’s back.

Fourth Contest: Frankie Kazarian vs. Christopher Daniels: Kazarian takes Daniels over with an arm drag and a clothesline in the corner. Kazarian dropkicks Daniels in the corner and takes Daniels over with a dive over the top to take Daniels out. Kazarian plants Daniels with a slingshot DDT back into the ring. Daniels yanks Kazarian down by his hair and chokes Frankie in the corner briefly. Daniels kicks Kazarian across the back of his head for a two count. Daniels rams Kazarian into the corner and follows up with a chop. Daniels scoop slams Kazarian followed by a slingshot leg drop for a two count. Kazarian and Daniels trade right hands and Kazarian hits a springboard back elbow shot. Kazarian dropkicks Daniels and delivers a slap followed by a twisting leg drop for a near fall. Daniels gets caught on the middle rope but they trade pin attempts. Daniels slams Kazarian down with an STO and hits the Best Moonsault Ever for a near fall. Kazarian gets out of Angels Wings to deliver a bicycle kick. One of Daniels followers gets on the apron to distract Kazarian but Daniels is sent into the follower and Kazarian hits the Wave of the Future for a near fall. Another follower grabs Kazarian’s leg and Daniels hits Angels Wings for the win. (**. An average match with subpar action that you’d expect from the two. It’s an important win for Daniels to stay relevant.) After the match, Daniels says it is time he calls among his brothers.

Backstage, Raven says that pain tolerance that Sinn has means nothing when you’re unconscious.

Fifth Contest: America’s Most Wanted vs. Kid Kash & Abyss: Terry Taylor is the special referee for the match. Abyss and Kash go after AMW before the bell with all four men compete in the ring. Kash is sent to the floor and Abyss gets clotheslined over the top to the floor. Abyss drops Storm chest first across the guard railing. Storm gets worked over by Kash in the corner. Storm works over Kash with strikes but is slapped by Kash to end his momentum. Kash slams Storm and Abyss helps Kash hit a standing moonsault. Abyss tosses Storm into the corner and delivers strikes to pummel Storm. Abyss slams Storm and Kash hits a somersault leg drop followed by a splash from Abyss for a two count. Abyss helps Kash hit a leg drop but Storm kicks out at two on a cover by Abyss. Kash slams Storm and misses a moonsault off of the shoulders of Abyss. Storm struggles but gets the tag to Harris. Harris goes to work on Abyss with left hands. Abyss misses a splash in the corner but knee lifts Harris. Abyss is driven down by a double flapjack. Storm takes Kash out with a cross body to the floor. Harris nails Abyss with a clothesline and goes to the top rope. Harris gets stopped by Abyss by being crotched. Kash enters to clothesline Storm and Abyss nearly gets a three count on a cover.

Taylor knocks Kash to the floor, showing his bias. Harris comes off the middle rope to spear Abyss but only gets a two count. Kash tries to use a chair but Taylor takes it away. Kash kicks Taylor to the floor and Harris tackles Kash to the floor as well. Storm goes for a super kick on Abyss, but Abyss blocks it and rams Storm into the corner. Kash takes Harris out on the floor and Storm hits the Swinging Noose. Kash hits Storm with Smash Mouth and another referee comes in but Storm kicks out. Kash sends the referee to the floor out of frustration. Kash has the chair again but this time gets the chair kicked into his face by Storm to give AMW the win. (**1/2. A decent tag match with Kash working well in his role but still coming up short to get a victory. I thought they worked well together and the action was kept at a good pace to hold my interest throughout.) After the match, Kash is annoyed with Abyss essentially blaming him for the loss. Abyss acts like he is going to choke slam Kash, but for some reason doesn’t do it. Actually, Abyss returns to the ring and gets stopped by a low blow from Kash. Abyss fights back with right hands. Abyss elevates Kash with a backdrop and sends Kash into the ropes but Kash bails out and escapes. I’m assuming this is a face turn for Abyss?

Backstage, Scott Hudson says that D’Lo Brown has left the arena. Don Callis makes fun of Brown mannerisms and threatens to fire Hudson.

Shane Douglas says that he perfected the shoot promo and is going to find someone outside of the business to turn them into the next Franchise. It looks like Douglas is drifting away from Father James Mitchell to do things on his own.

Sixth Contest: Sinn vs. Raven: Raven goes right after Sinn with stomps and strikes in the corner to start the match. Raven has a dog collar and wraps the chain around his fist to punch Sinn several times with it. Well, it didn’t take long for Sinn to get busted wide open. Raven chases after Father James Mitchell but Sinn clotheslines Raven to get control in the ring. Sinn works over Raven with strikes in the corner and chokes him. Raven drops Sinn with a discus clothesline and a clothesline after sending Sinn chest first into the corner. Raven plants Sinn with a running bulldog out of the corner. Raven spikes Sinn with a DDT and wins the match. (*1/2. A simple extended squash for Raven as it was exactly what it should be as he looks to end the heel stable.) After the match, Raven hangs Sinn across the top rope until Mitchell gets a cheap shot in and Slash enters to hit a neck breaker. Slash gets the chain but misses Raven. Raven nails Slash with a super kick and trips Slash with the chain and whips him a few more times. Vampiro runs down and saves Mitchell by hitting Raven with a DDT. Vampiro brings Raven towards the balcony and they try to hang Raven again like they had done. Raven is hung again from the balcony and Vampiro punches him a few times. CM Punk runs over and makes the save while Julio Dinero battles Slash causing them to run away.

Mike Tenay announces a three hour mega event known as Bound For Glory, which will be coming soon.

Backstage, Vince Russo shows up to the arena apparently drunk and gives AJ Styles a pep talk before his title defense against Dusty Rhodes.

Main Event: NWA-TNA World Champion AJ Styles vs. Dusty Rhodes: Styles gets backed into a corner but Dusty just backs off. Styles kicks the legs of Dusty to get the advantage but Dusty works over AJ with strikes before hip tossing the champ across the ring. Rhodes knocks Styles off the apron to the floor. Rhodes chops Styles against the railing and sends Styles shoulder first into the guard railing. Dusty brawls with AJ in the crowd and rams AJ face first onto a steel chair. AJ gets control of the match by pummeling Rhodes with right hands in the crowd causing Dusty to get busted wide open. Styles leaps off a chair but is met with a strike to the midsection. Rhodes tosses a chair into AJ’s face and sits down to regain his breath. They battle back towards ringside where Styles has control. Back in the ring, Styles knee lifts Dusty in the corner. Rhodes drops Styles with an elbow strike. Dusty drops to his knees as AJ delivered a knee strike and locks in a chin lock. AJ hits a cross body off the ropes and gets a two count. Styles misses a springboard 450 splash as Dusty rolled out of the way. Dusty wraps AJ’s leg around the ring post. Dusty puts the figure four on AJ but isn’t able to get a submission out of the champion. AJ tosses the referee out of the ring to the floor and AJ taps out to the figure four but the referee isn’t there and Rhodes thinks he won. Russo tosses Styles the baseball bat and AJ whacks the knee of Rhodes. AJ struggles to his feet and decides against going to the top rope. Instead, Styles puts the figure four on Dusty and uses Russo for extra leverage. AJ uses the ropes and Dusty begins to fade. Dusty passes out and AJ gets the three count. (*1/2. Well, it could’ve been worse, I suppose. However, I don’t know how this benefits AJ as a heel champion if he has a hard time beating an icon like Dusty Rhodes.) After the match, Russo wants Styles to take Dusty out. Dusty has a beer bottle that Russo had brought to the ringside area. AJ doesn’t seem to want to do this but begins to hammer away on Dusty. Russo takes out security for trying to help Rhodes. Ekmo and Sonny Siaki enter the ring and attack Dusty. Chris Harris and James Storm enter the ring and brawl with Siaki and Ekmo. Ekmo and Siaki send AMW out of the ring and they work over Dusty. They try to take off Dusty’s tights but here is Jeff Jarrett with a steel chair. Jarrett cleans house with chair shots making the save for Rhodes. Russo says that it is over for Jarrett saying the NWA-TNA World Championship match won’t happen for Jarrett on October 22nd. Dusty wants a six man tag match for next week, which is accepted.

Final Thoughts:
The undercard delivered this week while the main event wasn’t all that entertaining. TNA has got a good roster and yet Dusty Rhodes is in the main event scene with AJ Styles, which is just bizarre to me. Several angles were advanced and again, some action was solid throughout, just nothing overwhelming amazing or memorable.

Thanks for reading.