UWF-TNA Monster’s Ball 6/10/2006

UWF/TNA Wrestling
Date: 6/10/2006
From: Wayne, NJ

Jeremy Borash is in the ring and tells the crowd that they have brought the Spike TV cameras with them. Thus, perhaps something cool is happening or they are just using crowd shots for a TV package.

Opening Contest: Petey Williams vs. Shark Boy: Boy shoulder blocks Williams and delivers a stomp to the face. Boy counters with a hip toss and is slapped by Williams. Boy dropkicks Williams followed by an arm drag and a dropkick. Williams ducks a clothesline, but Boy sends Williams over the top to the floor. Boy hits a slingshot crossbody to the floor to take Williams out. Boy chops Williams around ringside and returns to the ring to hammer away on Williams. Williams breaks free with an atomic drop and puts Boy in the tree of woe. Boy bites Williams ass to break free from the hold. Boy tries for a sunset flip powerbomb to the floor, but Petey is able to hit a leg drop on the apron instead. Williams works over Boy in the corner with stomps and chokes Boy. Williams dropkicks Boy over the middle rope leading to a near fall. Williams clotheslines Boy in the corner to keep the advantage. Williams controls Boy on the mat with a chin lock. Williams decks Boy with a short arm clothesline. Williams goes to the top rope, but Boy cuts Williams off with a right hand. Williams shoves Boy off the ropes, but Boy decks Williams on the top turnbuckle to hit a hurricanrana. Boy hammers away on Williams with right hands. Boy backdrops Williams and delivers a clothesline. Boy misses a clothesline and drops Williams with a neckbreaker for a near fall. Boy rams Williams into the corner face first and delivers more right hands. Boy bites Williams forehead and delivers a facebuster. Williams kicks Boy and looks for the Destroyer, but Boy counters with a rollup for a two count. Boy tries for a rollup, but Williams rolls through and locks in the sharpshooter. Williams prevents Boy from reaching the ropes, but Boy manages to eventually reach the ropes. Boy boots Williams in the corner, but Williams counters the DSD and hits the Destroyer to win the match. (***. That may have been the perfect opening match for this card. Shark Boy did very well providing some hope spots and his offense was strong. Williams gave a lot to make it a competitive match and it held my interest. The crowd was loving the action, too. The ideal start for a TNA live event.)

Second Contest: Homicide vs. Jerry Lynn: Homicide backs Lynn into a corner and backs off cleanly. Lynn backs Homicide into a corner, but Homicide counters. Homicide misses a clothesline and Lynn arm drags Homicide across the ring. Homicide kicks Lynn in the midsection and delivers a spinning elbow strike. Homicide shoulder blocks Lynn, but Lynn responds with an elbow and dropkicks Homicide to the floor. Homicide chokes Lynn over the middle rope and delivers right hands. Lynn fires back with strikes to stagger Homicide. Homicide is dumped to the apron and clotheslines Lynn, but misses a senton. Lynn leg drops Homicide over the middle rope and they both fall to the floor. Lynn backdrops Homicide into the crowd. Lynn dives over the railing to take Homicide out. Homicide drops Lynn over the top rope and Lynn crashes to the floor. Homicide delivers a neckbreaker for a two count. Homicide tosses Lynn overhead with a suplex. Homicide tries for a splash, but Lynn gets his knees up and hits a crossbody for a two count. Homicide stops Lynn with a jawbreaker and splashes onto Lynn over the middle rope. Homicide keeps a chin lock on Lynn, but doesn’t get a submission. Lynn elbows free of the hold, but a knee strike and a snap suplex by Homicide stops that. Lynn almost wins with an inside cradle, but Homicide responds with a clothesline for a two count. Homicide goes back to a chin lock on the mat. Homicide dumps Lynn through the ropes to the floor. Homicide takes Lynn out with a somersault suicide dive! Homicide tries for a cover, but Lynn kicks out at two. Homicide kicks Lynn a few times and tries for a slam, but Lynn counters with a reverse DDT. Lynn backdrops Homicide and connects with a few clotheslines. Lynn drop toe holds Homicide into the corner. Lynn headbutts Homicide on the groin in the corner. Homicide tries for a piledriver, but Lynn plants Homicide with an Air Raid Crash for a near fall. Homicide drives Lynn down to the mat with a cutter. Homicide clubs Lynn over the back of the head, but only manages a two count. Homicide kicks Lynn, but Lynn hits the TKO for a near fall after avoiding the lariat. Lynn signals for the cradle piledriver, but Homicide gets out of it. Lynn counters the Cop Killa with a rollup for a two count. Lynn spikes Homicide with the cradle piledriver to win the match! (***1/2. What the hell? I was not expecting that kind of match, but I should have known better. That may be the best TNA singles match for Homicide to this point and possibly his whole run. The crowd loved it and the action was really good throughout. Hell of a match!)

Simon Diamond makes his way out for a talk show segment. Diamond can’t help but reminisce about ECW when he hears the crowd chant the letters. Diamond says that he should have left ECW when he had the chance and gone to WCW. Diamond says the fans stopped going to ECW shows and that’s why it was closed down. Diamond says that his show, Simon Says, is going to be the hottest show in the world. Diamond is going to bring out someone who is the man who stirs the drink in TNA. Diamond says this man will reclaim the King of the Mountain title and recapture the NWA World Championship at Slammiversary. This man also issued an open challenge for the show tonight. Diamond introduces Jeff Jarrett to join the segment. Jarrett insults New Jersey saying everyone is losers. Jarrett says that nobody has accepted his challenge. The challenge is answered by Jay Lethal, who is from New Jersey. Jarrett brags about beating Lethal in two minutes on Impact. Jarrett knows that Lethal’s parents are there and taunts his mother in the crowd. Lethal wants Jarrett to put his nickname “King of the Mountain” on the line as the match starts…

Third Contest: Jeff Jarrett vs. Jay Lethal: Lethal gets a few rollups on Jarrett, but can’t get a three count and Jarrett bails to the floor. Simon Diamond has remained in Jarrett’s corner for the match. Jarrett returns to the match and takes Lethal down followed by a strut. Jarrett keeps wrist control on Lethal, but Lethal responds with a right hand. Jarrett backdrops Lethal coming off the ropes and struts again. Lethal delivers a forearm and a springboard dropkick to knock Jarrett to the floor. Lethal struts to taunt Jarrett on the floor. Jarrett pulls Lethal to the apron and delivers an elbow strike. Jarrett leaps onto Lethal’s back over the ropes, but Lethal blocks a strike from the floor and baseball slides Jarrett. Lethal continues with a suicide dive to the floor! Lethal heads to the top rope and hits a crossbody for a near fall. Lethal hip tosses Jarrett and connects with a dropkick. Lethal heads to the top rope, but is shoved off by Jarrett. Jarrett sends Lethal into the guard railing ribs first and drops Lethal with a right hand on the aisle. Lethal’s mother has come down to the front row. Jarrett rolls Lethal into the ring and sends Lethal chest first into the corner. Jarrett sends Lethal into the corner again chest first. Jarrett puts a sleeper on Lethal and brings Lethal down to the mat. Lethal elbows free from a sleeper and puts a sleeper on Jarrett, but Jarrett quickly breaks out with a back suplex. Lethal hammers away on Jarrett followed by a dropkick and a heel kick. Lethal signals for a tornado DDT and spikes Jarrett to the mat for a near fall. Lethal heads to the top rope, but Diamond gets on the apron. Lethal knocks Diamond off and hits a diving headbutt for a near fall. Diamond gets on the apron and holds Lethal leading to Jarrett hitting Diamond. Lethal almost pins Jarrett with a rollup. Lethal’s mother comes to ringside and chases Diamond with a guitar around ringside and to the backstage area! Lethal tries for the Stroke, but Jarrett blocks it and Lethal hits a springboard DDT from the apron, but Gail Kim gets Jarrett’s boot on the bottom rope to save the match. Lethal has a dragon suplex attempt, but Jarrett low blows Lethal and hits a jumping Stroke for the win. (**1/2. Obviously Lethal isn’t going to pin Jarrett, but it was a solid match with Lethal getting some shine in his home state. Jarrett playing a lucky heel is fine and he did enough to help Lethal look like a threat on some level. I enjoyed Lethal’s family getting involved, even if that’s a done to death angle.)

Fourth Contest: The James Gang vs. Team 3D: Kip and D-Von kickoff the tag match. D-Von backs Kip into a corner, but backs off cleanly. Kip works over D-Von with a headlock before being sent into the ropes and neither man budge on a shoulder block attempt. Kip misses a clothesline and D-Von hits a hip toss and arm drag to send Kip to the floor to regroup. Kip hammers away on D-Von, but D-Von connects with a leaping clothesline for a near fall. Kip bails to the floor again. Brother Ray gets a microphone and laughs at a few kids saying that the James Gang suck. Ray gives them a microphone to continue the chant and laugh some more. Ray tags into the match and stomps around to scare BG to the floor. BG arm drags Ray to the mat and Ray regroups in the corner. Ray arm drags BG and BG goes to the floor again. BG kicks Ray in the midsection and delivers more strikes on the mat. BG kicks Ray and jabs Ray several times. Ray responds with jabs and an eye rake followed by an elbow strike. D-Von tags into the match and decks BG to the mat with a right hand. D-Von scoop slams BG and comes off the ropes with a leg drop for a two count. BG is met with a shoulder block coming off the ropes. Ray keeps BG on the mat with a sleeper. BG decks Ray with a clothesline and pummels Ray with right hands on the mat. Kip gets involved and continues to strike Ray on the mat. Kip chokes Ray over the middle rope. Kip backdrops Ray for a two count.

BG continues to choke Ray over the middle rope. Kip chokes Ray to help as the referee is distracted by D-Von. BG sends Ray into the corner back first. BG can’t keep Ray down and goes to a sleeper. Ray hammers away on BG and runs into a boot in the corner. BG drags Ray to the corner and tags in Kip. Kip elbows Ray to the mat and keeps control with a chin lock. Ray ducks a double clothesline and knocks both men down with a clothesline. D-Von is tagged in and cleans house with several strikes. D-Von delivers slams to both men for a two count on Kip. Ray gets involved and Kip accidentally punches BG to the floor. Ray slams Kip and D-Von goes to the top to hit the What’s Up. BG decks Ray from behind and misses a strike on D-Von. D-Von tosses BG to the floor. Kip whacks D-Von over the head with a chair shot to steal the match. After the match, Kip whacks Ray over the back with a chair shot. James Gang setup a table in the ring. Kip ends up going through the table with a 3D. (*. I mean, that was not a good match. They stalled quite a bit early on and did some comedy that didn’t connect with me. I don’t think they really had their wrestling boots on to put on a good match this time around.)

Shark Boy is the special referee for the next match.

Fifth Contest: Gail Kim vs. Traci Brooks: Kim backs Brooks into a corner, but cleanly backs off. Boy has his hands on their breasts and gets slapped. Kim spits at Brooks and delivers a clothesline. Kim decks Brooks to the mat with an uppercut leading to a near fall. Kim nails Brooks with a short arm clothesline. Brooks fights back with strikes and a chop to stagger Kim. Brooks kicks Kim, but Kim puts a tarantula on Brooks for a moment. Kim locks in a leg lock, but Brooks doesn’t give in. Brooks reaches the ropes. Kim goes to the middle rope and misses a leg drop. Brooks clotheslines Kim and drop toe holds Kim over the middle rope. Brooks clotheslines Kim leading to a near fall. Kim kicks Brooks and sends her into Boy in the corner. Brooks sends Kim face first into Boy’s groin. Brooks takes her shirt off to splash Kim in the corner. Brooks drives Kim down to the mat with a bulldog to win the match. After the match, Shark Boy bites Kim’s butt to end the segment. (DUD. Well, I was not expecting Kim to do a job to Brooks here at all. They changed the commentary team due to some offensive comments last night, but I think in a comedy attempt, the other commentary guy kind of says things that have some double meanings. Whatever.)

Sixth Contest: NWA Tag Team Champions America’s Most Wanted vs. AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels: Harris and Daniels kickoff the tag title match. Daniels gets a wrist lock on Harris, but Harris breaks free with a forearm and controls Daniels with a wrist lock of his own. Daniels steps on the back of Harris and stomps Harris to the mat. Daniels heel kicks Harris and drop toe holds Storm into a 69 position to add to the Brokeback Mountain chants. Styles splashes Storm in the corner and Harris lands into a doggy style position and the champs bail to the floor to regroup. Styles forearms Storm and they run the ropes avoiding each other until Styles connects with a dropkick. Styles dumps Storm over the top to the apron and Storm accidentally head scissors Harris over the top to the floor. Storm is dumped to the floor and the challengers hit stereo crossbody dives to the floor! Storm returns to the ring, but tags out to Harris quickly. Storm decks Daniels from behind to allow Harris to gain control of the match with axe handles to the back. Storm comes off the middle rope with a strike to the chest. Storm plants Daniels with a helicopter slam leading to a near fall. Storm sends Daniels to the floor and Styles jumps into the ring trying to get involved. Harris drops Daniels onto the railing before sending Daniels back into the ring where Storm gets a near fall.

Daniels elbows Storm, but is stopped by a Harris knee from the apron and Storm gets a two count. Storm has a under hook on Daniels and drives Daniels down to the mat for a near fall. Harris stomps on Daniels and eye rakes Daniels to stop his momentum. Harris hooks Daniels for a suplex and drives Daniels to the mat for a two count. Storm chokes Daniels over the middle rope and delivers a right hand in the corner. Storm misses a splash in the corner and Daniels kicks Storm on the side of the head. Styles is waiting on the apron for a tag and gets the hot tag. Styles cleans house with strikes and drives Harris down with a gut buster. Styles works over Harris in the corner with a right hand and a splash. Storm plants Styles with a spinebuster for a near fall. Harris tries for a full nelson suplex, but Styles counters with a Pele kick! Storm catches Styles and Harris hits the Hart Attack clothesline for a near fall. AMW look for the Death Sentence, but Daniels makes the save and plants Harris with a Death Valley Driver. Styles connects with a standing moonsault for a two count on Harris! Storm knocks Styles to the floor.

Daniels knee strikes Storm in the corner, but misses a second one and Storm nearly wins after a clothesline. Daniels slams Storm to the mat and signals for a moonsault. Daniels misses the BME, but palm strikes Harris. Storm superkicks Daniels and avoids a kick by Styles. Styles hits a springboard reverse DDT! Harris tries for Catatonic, but Styles counters with a rollup for a two count! Harris dumps Styles to the apron and Styles hits a springboard forearm smash! Daniels tosses Gail Kim into the ring and Styles grabs her looking for the Styles Clash. Daniels stops Styles and Daniels wants to do the Angel Wings. They settle on spanking Kim. Daniels and Styles try for rollups, but Storm and Styles get stereo pins. The referee awards the match and titles to Styles and Daniels. AMW try to attack, but are dumped to the floor. Oh, it’s non-title match. (***. Okay, I’m not entirely sure they announced this as non-title, which just feels like something WCW would do to get a huge pop and the crowd not realize the titles didn’t change hands. That’s a little annoying. Despite that, this was a good match once they got going. This show took place right before Slammiversary, so they were able to put together parts of their PPV match, I’m sure. These guys work really well together and the crowd was into the action.)

Main Event: Samoa Joe vs. Abyss vs. Rhino in a Monster’s Ball: All three men brawl to start the match with Abyss getting the advantage. Abyss sends both men into opposite corners and splashes Joe, but is elbowed by Rhino. Abyss breaks out of a double clothesline, and is met with a leg sweep/clothesline combo. Rhino forearms Joe and takes Abyss out with a crossbody to the floor. Joe takes both men out with a suicide dive to the floor. Joe sits Rhino on a chair and hits a running boot into the guard railing. Joe sends Abyss into the railing and sits Abyss on a chair, too. Joe runs and knee strikes Abyss in the ribs. Joe low blows Abyss and kicks Abyss over the railing into the crowd. Rhino hammers away on Joe, but Joe smashes Rhino with a chair shot. All three men are in the crowd trading strikes. Joe sends Rhino into a few rows of chairs. Rhino whacks both men with chair shots over the back. Abyss hammers away on Rhino as they go further into the crowd. They are all on the bleachers trading more strikes. Joe kicks Abyss down the bleachers to the floor. Joe chops Rhino a few times as Rhino asked for the chops. Rhino knocks Joe down on the bleachers. They work their way back towards the ringside area. Joe dropkicks a chair into Abyss against the railing for a two count.

Rhino whacks Joe over the head with a chair shot. Rhino sits Joe on a chair and boots Joe against the railing. Rhino punches Abyss, and is backdropped over the railing back to ringside. They are back in the ring where Joe and Rhino trade chops. Joe jabs Rhino to the mat. Rhino plants Joe with a spinebuster for a two count. Abyss pulls Rhino out to the floor and rams Rhino into the guard railing. Abyss tosses a few chairs into the ring. Abyss also grabs a table from under the ring. Abyss wedges a chair in the corner, but Joe hits Abyss with a trash can lid several times. Joe jabs Abyss a few times in the corner, but Abyss manages to send Joe face first into the chair in the corner. Rhino whacks Abyss with a chair shot leading to a near fall. Rhino sets a table up in the corner and is hit by Joe with a trash can lid. Joe chops Abyss in the corner, but Abyss responds with a clothesline. Abyss gets a chair and sets a couple of chairs up in the ring. Rhino elbows Abyss in the corner and tries for a GORE, but Abyss counters with a chokeslam onto two chairs for a two count as Joe makes the save. Joe chops Abyss a few times, but Abyss elbows Joe. Joe powerslams Abyss onto a chair for a near fall. Joe atomic drops Abyss followed by a running kick, but misses a senton splash and lands on a chair. Rhino GORES Abyss through the table in the corner. Rhino staggers back and low blows Joe to get out of a choke. Rhino hits a belly to belly suplex on Joe. Joe kicks Rhino to avoid the GORE and locks in the chokehold to win the match by submission. (*1/2. A rather tame Monster’s Ball, but since it’s PPV weekend that shouldn’t be a shocker. A basic match with them doing a formula match. Nothing really stood out action wise as it was mostly brawling to fill time.)

Final Thoughts:
The crowd was hot for mostly everything and there’s a lot of quality wrestling to make this an easy thumbs up.

Thanks for reading.