NWA:TNA -- Russo's Revenge!

[LoveMuscle]

Monday, January 12, 2004

Another one of those days. (* sigh *) I guess it’s good to get them out of the way now rather than have them come up on the last Sunday of the month.

TNA XCitement

Hosts: Steven Kavovit and Bart Snake

Kavovit: Hello, everyone, welcome to XCitement! I'm Steven Kavovit, and my co-host is Bart Snake.

Snake: Good to see you again, Steven.

Kavovit: What an exciting main event we have lined up for tonight! Sting will be facing the X champion, Sonny Siaki, in a non-title match.

Snake: You can bet Vince Russo will be at ringside for that one! Sting has been at odds with Sports Entertainment Xtreme off and on ever since he arrived in TNA.

Kavovit: That one should be a classic, and commissioner Mick Foley has scheduled only one other match tonight to allow some extra time for our main event.

Snake: Yeah, our opening match will see Yuji Nagata challenging Donovan Morgan. Let’s head to the ring.

Donovan Morgan comes to the ring with a microphone. He seems surprisingly unmotivated tonight, as he cuts a very lackluster promo. Basically, he just talks about how “excellent” he is.

OR: 78

Yuji Nagata vs. Donovan Morgan: This is a surprisingly good match, given that it’s basically a squash in favor of Morgan. The match lasts just under four minutes before Morgan hits the Double Underhook Piledriver to get the pin.

Winner: Donovan Morgan

OR: 83

CR: 77

MQ: 89

The announcers start to talk about the main event, but they are suddenly interrupted by Cyrus’ music. He comes to the ring with Johnny Smith and Jun Akiyama. Cyrus gets a microphone and then points back to the locker room.

Cyrus: Kaientai, I saw you parading around backstage earlier tonight with those Tag Team title belts, and it just made me sick! You don’t deserve to carry around those belts. I doubt you can even wear the belts around your waist without it sliding down around your ankles! If you’re so proud of winning those belts in a match where most of your competition eliminated themselves, why don’t you come out here right now and put the titles on the line against Jun Akiyama and Johnny Smith?

OR: 81

Kaientai’s music plays, so I guess we’ve got …

NWA Tag Team title match: Kaientai © vs. Johnny Smith & Jun Akiyama (with Cyrus): What a great match! The fans were a little less than excited, however. Was Cyrus right, and the fans can’t see a couple of puny foreigners as Tag Team champions? Or is it that Akiyama and Smith aren’t viewed as serious threats to the titles? Perhaps it’s a little of both. Smith and Akiyama take turns working over TAKA Michinoku, but like in all tag team matches, he makes the hot tag to Funaki, and shortly thereafter he hits the Tornado DDT for the pin.

Winner: Kaientai

OR: 84

CR: 76

MQ: 93

(The NWA Tag Team titles have gained in image from 79 to 81.)

Sonny Siaki comes to the ring with Vince Russo right on his heels. Siaki says the time for talking is over, and he’s ready to kick Sting’s ass.

OR: 87

Sting vs. Sonny Siaki (with Vince Russo): I guess the crowd was saving their energy for this one, because they’re really loud in support of Sting. Plus, they hate Vince Russo, so that’s a double bonus. Sting controls for the first couple of minutes, but by then he’s already blown up, and Siaki soon takes the advantage with a series of rest holds. After several minutes, Sting finally has got his breath back and he begins to take control again. He goes for a Stinger Splash, but Russo pulls Siaki out of the way and Sting crashes into the turnbuckle. Siaki spots an opening and hits the Siakalypse! The ref counts to three, and the fans boo.

Winner: Sonny Siaki

OR: 88

CR: 91

MQ: 82

(Sting dropped in over from 98 to 97. Sonny Siaki gained in over from 84 to 87.)

OR: 84

Rating: 6.27

Attendance: 10044

Best segment: Sonny Siaki over Sting (88)

Worst segment: Interview with Donovan Morgan (78)

Best match: Sonny Siaki over Sting (88)

[LoveMuscle]

Friday, January 16, 2004

TNA XPlosion

Hosts: Jeff Morales and Dick Williams

The show begins with commissioner Mick Foley working at his desk when Jeff Jarrett walks in.

Jarrett: Foley, it’s about damn time I had another World title match!

Foley: Well, hello, Jeff, how are you doing?

Jarrett: Cut the crap, Foley. Are you going to give me a title shot or not?

Foley: Actually, I’ve been paying close attention to you, and I’m not 100% convinced you deserve a title shot.

Jarrett: What!?!

Foley: But I’ll tell you what. I’ll put you in a match tonight, and if you win, I’ll give you a match with Low-Ki for the World title at Super Bowl Party ’04.

Jarrett: Great! I’ll beat whoever I have to tonight, and then I’ll beat Low-Ki.

Foley: By the way, you may care to know who your opponent is tonight.

Jarrett: I don’t care who it is.

Foley: Oh, I’m sure you’ll care, since it’s someone you’ve never beaten before. In fact, it’s the same man that beat you for the World title. Your opponent tonight is Bill Goldberg!

OR: 83

Morales: Hello, everyone, welcome to XPlosion! I'm Jeff Morales, and joining me this week is Dick Williams.

Williams: Hello, Jeff. What an announcement we just heard from the commissioner! Tonight’s main event will be Bill Goldberg against Jeff Jarrett, and if Jarrett wins he’ll get a World title shot in nine days at Super Bowl Party ’04 in Houston.

Morales: That one ought to be a barnburner. Also, Scoot Andrews will be taking on Jacques Rougeau Jr.

Williams: Andrews beat Jacques’ brother, Raymond, a week and a half ago, and tonight he’ll be facing the other Fabulous Rougeau brother.

Morales: But our opening match will see Styles and Lynn in tag-team action against Shane Douglas and Christopher Nowinski.

Williams: Styles and Lynn are already on their way to the ring with their manager, Ron Killings.

Ron Killings takes the microphone and starts talking right away. He’s upset at Mucho Dinero for how they eliminated Styles and Lynn from the Tag Team title match last Saturday. He challenges them to a match at Super Bowl Party ’04!

OR: 90

Styles and Lynn (with Ron Killings) vs. Shane Douglas & Christopher Nowinski: This one’s all Styles and Lynn, as neither Douglas nor Nowinski get in much in the way of offense. Nowinski brawls with Jerry Lynn on the floor while A.J. Styles hits a Spiral Tap on Douglas to score the pinfall.

Winner: Styles and Lynn

OR: 81

CR: 77

MQ: 85

Backstage, the cameras catch Alicia Shamrock at the vending machine, where she’s purchasing a soda. She turns around, and there’s Kid Kash! Kash tells her she has a lot of potential to be a real foxy lady. He points out he’s wearing an Armani suit, a Rolex watch, and a 24K gold chain. He says he’s got the financial resources to provide her with luxurious clothing and jewelry that she can only dream about as long as she’s tied to Ken Shamrock. Ken arrives and wants to know what’s going on. Kash tells Alicia he’ll see her later and then walks away.

OR: 75

Cyrus leads Scoot Andrews to the ring and takes a microphone. He says tonight Andrews will beat the other Rougeau brother. Andrews does his best to look intimidating.

OR: 82

Jacques Rougeau Jr. vs. Scoot Andrews (with Cyrus): Rougeau learns early in this match what I already knew – Andrews is the better technical wrestler. This confuses Rougeau for a little while, since that’s where he usually has an advantage over his opponents. Rougeau resorts to brawling to get an advantage on Andrews, but he’s easily distracted by Cyrus. Andrews regains control and soon hits the Forces Of Nature for the pin.

Winner: Scoot Andrews

OR: 80

CR: 79

MQ: 82

Kid Kash comes to the ring, and greets all the Mucho Dinero fans, which now nearly fills up an entire seating section. He says he meant everything he said to Alicia, and he tells Ken Shamrock to come on down so he can get Alicia untied from her ball and chain. He says it won’t matter to him that she’s a widow.

OR: 85

Ken Shamrock (with Alicia Shamrock) vs. Kid Kash: Shamrock comes charging out of the back and knocks Kash down. He quickly begins pummeling Kash with a series of punches. I guess he heard what Kash said to Alicia. After about 10 minutes, EZ Money steps through the curtain to a loud pop from the Mucho Dinero cheering section. He joins the announcers and says he and Kash accept Styles and Lynn’s challenge for Super Bowl Party ’04. The match continues, and Money says he’s not impressed with Shamrock, even if he is a former World champion. Money wanders over to the ring to distract Shamrock and then returns to the announcers’ desk, leaving Kash in control of the match. Money says he just might want to face Shamrock soon, since he looks so beatable. Kash hits the Money Clip to score the pin.

Winner: Kid Kash

OR: 88

CR: 85

MQ: 91

Cyrus is backstage with Bill Goldberg. He says Jeff Jarrett doesn’t deserve to get a World title match before Goldberg, and then tells us that Jarrett can’t beat Goldberg. Cyrus says tonight’s match is supposed to be all about Jarrett, but instead it will be Goldberg who shows commissioner Foley something.

OR: 90

Jeff Jarrett comes to the ring and gets the microphone from the ring announcer. He said he meant it when he said it doesn’t matter who he faces tonight. He says he’s got some old business to finish up with Goldberg, and he’s glad to get an opportunity to take care of that tonight as well as get a World title shot.

OR: 81

Jeff Jarrett vs. Bill Goldberg (with Cyrus): Jarrett gets in the first few punches, but Goldberg soon proves to be too powerful for that line of attack to work. Goldberg quickly beats down Jarrett as the announcers begin to speculate whether Goldberg would get the World title shot if he beats Jarrett. Goldberg signals for the Spear as Jarrett starts to pull himself up in the corner, but predictably moves out of the way and Goldberg’s shoulder hits the ringpost. God, he’s so dumb! Jarrett works over Goldberg’s shoulder for a few minutes before hitting the Stoke to score the pin.

Winner: Jeff Jarrett

OR: 85

CR: 87

MQ: 83

OR: 83

Rating: 7.59

Attendance: 10017

Best segment: (tie) Interview with Ron Killings and Styles and Lynn; interview with Cyrus and Bill Goldberg (90)

Worst segment: Kid Kash meets Alicia Shamrock at the vending machines (75)

Best match: Kid Kash over Ken Shamrock (88)

[LoveMuscle]

Saturday, January 17, 2004

TNA XHilaration

Hosts: Ahmed Vaughn and Emma Barbecue

The show begins with a live camera on Steve Corino. He says he promised a new arrangement of tag team partners among his wrestler, and tonight we’re going to see how well they work together. He’s scheduled matches against two of the top teams in TNA tonight. The camera zooms out, and we see Psychosis and Jushin Liger. Corino says Liger and Psychosis will beat Excellence Inc. tonight.

OR: 89

(Psychosis gained in over from 80 to 81. Jushin Liger gained in over from 72 to 73.)

Vaughn: Hi, I’m Ahmed Vaughn, and this is XHilaration! My partner this week is Emma Barbecue. How’s it going, Emma?

Barbecue: Pretty good, Ahmed. I’m pumped for tonight’s show. Tonight we have two tag team matches featuring Steve Corino’s Old School wrestlers.

Vaughn: As we just saw, Jushin Liger and Psychosis will be taking on Excellence Inc., and Ultimo Dragon and Super Crazy will face Mucho Dinero.

Barbecue: And neither one of those matches is our main event! That will be Simon Diamond challenging Sting.

Vaughn: Also tonight, Vampiro will be in action against Jody Fleisch, but right now Excellence Inc. is on their way to the ring.

Excellence Inc. gets some microphones before getting into the ring. Donovan Morgan says it doesn’t matter how Steve Corino pairs up his workers, none of them are good enough to defeat Excellence Inc. Michael Modest chimes in that Jushin Liger and Psychosis aren’t “excellent”.

OR: 77

Jushin Liger & Psychosis (with Steve Corino) vs. Excellence Inc.: Donovan Morgan seems right early on, as neither Liger nor Psychosis have much luck against him. Morgan and Modest get Psychosis isolated in their half of the ring, and use their superior teamwork to keep the upper hand for most of the first six minutes. But then Corino rallies the fans behind Psychosis, who dives through an attempted double clothesline, and Morgan and Modest bang heads as a result. Psychosis makes the tag, and Liger keeps the advantage briefly before Modest and Morgan recover enough to use the numbers advantage. But Psychosis has recovered enough as well, and a clothesline sends Morgan and himself to the floor where they continue to fight. The referee tries to separate them and get them back in their respective corners while Liger and Modest continue in the ring. Modest hits a low blow on Liger, and then follows that up with a small package. Suddenly, a masked man wearing a cape zooms in from the back and rolls them over so that Modest is in the pinning predicament, and he quickly returns backstage as the ref notices the pin attempt in the ring. He makes the three count! Liger quickly leaves the ring to celebrate with Psychosis and Corino on the floor as Morgan asks Modest what happened.

Winner: Jushin Liger & Psychosis

OR: 84

CR: 79

MQ: 90

Excellence Inc. return to their locker room and Steve Corino gets the microphone from the timekeeper’s table. He congratulates Psychosis and Jushin Liger on their win, and says that he’s still got another team. Super Crazy and Ultimo Dragon come out and they shake ands with Liger and Psychosis as they return to their dressing room. Corino predicts they’ll be just as successful against Mucho Dinero as Liger and Psychosis were against Excellence Inc.

OR: 87

Mucho Dinero comes out, and they already have microphones. They point out that everyone saw how Liger and Psychosis won, and they say the same thing won’t happen in their match.

OR: 93

(EZ Money gained in over from 82 to 84. Kid Kash gained in over from 83 to 86.)

Ultimo Dragon & Super Crazy (with Steve Corino) vs. Mucho Dinero: The ever-expanding Mucho Dinero cheering section is totally into this match, but the rest of the crowd seems to believe there will be some outside interference in this match, since they’re watching the curtain almost as much as the match. But interference never comes, leaving these four to settle things amongst themselves in this great match. If I ever decided to make a X Tag Team division, these would certainly be two of the featured teams, as both sides bust out some tag team top rope moves that no one can recall ever seeing before. Finally, a little bit of cheating gives Mucho Dinero the advantage. It’s not much later before Kid Kash hits The Money Clip on Ultimo Dragon to get the pin.

Winner: Mucho Dinero

OR: 84

CR: 78

MQ: 91

Alicia Shamrock leads Jody Fleisch to the ring. Tonight he’s going to face Vampiro, but Alicia says she’s looking at the bigger picture. She reminds everyone that the last time Sonny Siaki was the X champion, he lost his belt to Fleisch. She then starts lobbying for commissioner Mick Foley to give Fleisch a shot at Siaki at Super Bowl Party ’04!

OR: 83

Jody Fleisch (with Alicia Shamrock) vs. Vampiro: This one’s also a good match, about the average for the X division. The crowd’s fairly into it as well. But this one’s pretty much all Fleisch. He looks sharp in this match, and the announcers point out that he looks ready right now to face Siaki. Fleisch finishes Vampiro off with a Super Kick.

Winner: Jody Fleisch

OR: 83

CR: 80

MQ: 86

Sting is backstage, and just him appearing on the video screen draws a large pop from the crowd before he ever says a word. He talks about how impressive Simon Diamond has been since debuting in TNA, but then points out that Diamond hasn’t faced anyone like Sting. Another less-than-stellar promo by Sting, but it’s better than some of his recent efforts.

OR: 93

Simon Diamond comes to the ring. He agrees with Sting that tonight is his biggest and toughest match in TNA to date. But Simon has a problem with anyone who overlooks him and dismisses him as a threat just because he hasn’t been in the company very long. Diamond promises to beat Sting tonight and prove that he’s capable of beating anyone every time he steps into the ring.

OR: 88

Sting vs. Simon Diamond: Pretty much the standard Sting match, which features a lot of rest holds to stretch the match out to make up for Sting’s inadequacies at this point in his career. Like always, Sting makes the mega babyface comeback, hitting a Stinger Splash on Diamond. Sting calls for the Scorpion Death Drop, but before he can fully execute the move, Diamond powers out of it, right into a Problem Solver! That quieted the crowd considerably as the referee made the three count.

Winner: Simon Diamond

OR: 88

CR: 91

MQ: 82

(Sting dropped in over from 97 to 96. Simon Diamond gained in over from 85 to 87.)

OR: 86

Rating: 6.57

Attendance: 10019

Best segment: (tie) Interview with Mucho Dinero; Interview with Sting (93)

Worst segment: Interview with Excellence Inc. (77)

Best match: Simon Diamond over Sting (88)

[LoveMuscle]

Monday, January 19, 2004

TNA XCitement

Hosts: Steven Kavovit and Bart Snake

Kavovit: Hello, everyone, welcome to XCitement! I'm Steven Kavovit, and my co-host is Bart Snake.

Snake: Good to see you again, Steven.

Kavovit: What an exciting main event we have lined up for tonight! Ken Shamrock will be facing EZ Money in a match made as a result of last Friday’s XPlosion.

Snake: Money’s tag team partner, Kid Kash, scored an impressive win over Shamrock, leading Money to decide he too wanted to challenge Shamrock to a match.

Kavovit: Also tonight, Jody Fleisch will be in action against Devon Storm, but let’s get to the ring for tonight’s opening match, Jun Akiyama vs. Jushin Liger.

Jushin Liger comes to the ring with his manager, Steve Corino, who happens to have a microphone. He reminds everyone that Liger and Psychosis successfully defeated Excellence Inc. last Saturday and now they deserve a title shot.

OR: 88

(Jushin Liger gained in over from 73 to 74.)

Jushin Liger (with Steve Corino) vs. Jun Akiyama (with Cyrus): This was a very good match, but the fans had a hard time getting into it. Akiyama used his size advantage to dominate Liger early, but then Liger picked up the pace to get a step ahead of Akiyama. Liger continued to use a hit-and-run attack to keep in control before finally hitting a Brainbuster to get the pin on Akiyama.

Winner: Jushin Liger

OR: 77

CR: 68

MQ: 87

Backstage, Ken Shamrock sits in his dressing room, looking at the floor, while Alicia Shamrock tries to cheer him up. She says that now Ken knows what to expect from Mucho Dinero, so he should be able to handle EZ Money. Jody Fleisch walks past and says it’s time for his match. Alicia leaves with him as Ken continues to stare at the floor.

OR: 91

(Alicia Shamrock gained in over from 87 to 89.)

Jody Fleisch (with Alicia Shamrock) vs. Devon Storm: The announcers debate where Ken Shamrock is mentally, but there’s no question what’s on Fleisch’s mind. He gets the early advantage on Storm and keeps it for most of the match, but continually yells for Sonny Siaki. In less than four minutes, Fleisch gets the pin after a Phoenix 720 DDT, then climbs to the middle turnbuckle and signals to his waist in the “I want the belt” gesture.

Winner: Jody Fleisch

OR: 82

CR: 78

MQ: 86

EZ Money comes to the ring with a microphone. He says he saw Ken Shamrock sulking around backstage earlier today, and he figures he must be jealous of him and Kid Kash. After all, they each already have more riches than Ken Shamrock will ever hope to have, they’re better wrestlers, they’re smarter, and they’re more handsome. Money reminds us that Kash beat Shamrock last week, and tonight’s his turn.

OR: 88

Ken Shamrock (with Alicia Shamrock) vs. EZ Money: This was an excellent match that had a lot of fan interest right from the start. Despite his appearance earlier, Shamrock looks pretty motivated, while Money is every bit as good as usual. Money commands early on, but midway through misses a dropkick. Shamrock yells and takes the offensive. He works over Money pretty good for the next couple of minutes, and appears to be setting him up for the Ankle Lock. Money realizes this too and rolls to the floor. As he approaches Alicia, Ken leaves the ring to protect his wife, but Money gets back in. As Ken re-enters the ring, Money is waiting and assumes control once again. Before long, Money hits the Money Clip to pick up the win.

Winner: EZ Money

OR: 88

CR: 86

MQ: 90

OR: 86

Rating: 5.76

Attendance: 10038

Best segment: Alicia Shamrock comforts Ken Shamrock (91)

Worst segment: Jushin Liger over Jun Akiyama (77)

Best match: EZ Money over Ken Shamrock (88)

[LoveMuscle]

Friday, January 23, 2004

TNA XPlosion

Hosts: Jeff Morales and Dick Williams

The show begins with the cameras in commissioner Mick Foley’s office. There’s a knock at the door, and Vince Russo enters.

Foley: Ah, hello, Vince. What’s on your mind?

Russo: You know what I’m here for, Mick. It’s wrong that Scott Hall and Charlie Haas lost the Tag Team titles in a Fatal Four-way match. They deserve to get a rematch soon.

Foley: You mean soon, as in this Sunday at Super Bowl Party ’04?

Russo: You got it!

Foley: Well, there are some other teams that also deserve a title shot. Just a little while ago, Steve Corino was in here talking about Jushin Liger and Psychosis, and he thinks …

Russo: Liger and Psychosis? Are you kidding me? They score a fluke win when some weirdo dressed up like some kind of superhero in a mask and cape helped them to win, and you think they deserve a title shot?

Foley: I’ll tell you what, Vince. Let’s just find out which team is more deserving. Tonight, right here in the TNA Asylum, it will be the team of Charlie Haas and Scott Hall taking on the team of Psychosis and Jushin Liger, and the winner will get the Tag Team title shot this Sunday. And that is final!

OR: 91

(Vince Russo gained in over from 87 to 91.)

Morales: Hello, everyone, welcome to XPlosion! I'm Jeff Morales, and joining me this week is Dick Williams.

Williams: Hello, Jeff. We’ve got a great show tonight, featuring Donovan Morgan taking on Sting!

Morales: And as you just saw, commissioner Mick Foley booked a No. 1 contenders tag match between Scott Hall and Charlie Haas of Sports Entertainment Xtreme and Steve Corino’s team of Jushin Liger and Psychosis.

Williams: The winner will get a shot at Kaientai in two days for the Tag Team titles. Also, Jeff Jarrett will challenge Low-Ki for the World title at Super Bowl Party ’04, and tonight he gets in one last tune-up match before then, when he faces Christopher Nowinski.

Morales: Someone else who’s getting some final work before Super Bowl Party ’04 is D’Lo Brown, who is already on his way to the ring for his match against Bas Rutten.

D’Lo Brown gets in the ring and acquires the microphone from the ring announcer. He says Simon Diamond has scored some impressive wins in recent weeks over Sting and Ken Shamrock, but D’Lo says Diamond still hasn’t beaten him cleanly. He says Diamond’s wins won’t be worth anything after Brown beats in this Sunday.

OR: 82

D’Lo Brown vs. Bas Rutten: This was a very good match that got the crowd more involved as it continued. Rutten used his usual array of mixed martial arts moves, primarily submission-type moves, which led to several near falls for him. But D’Lo showed an impressive display of power by turning some kind of armbar submission into a Sky High. D’Lo then took to the top tope and landed the Lo Down to get the pin.

Winner: D’Lo Brown

OR: 79

CR: 71

MQ: 88

Jeff Jarrett comes out for his match, talking trash about Low-Ki. He says nobody has seen Low-Ki since Jarrett kicked his ass two weeks ago. He points out Low-Ki was the one that called Ken Shamrock a coward for the better part of a month, and now look who’s gone into hiding. Jarrett says Low-Ki only has two more days to hide before Jarrett will get his hands on him.

OR: 89

Jeff Jarrett vs. Christopher Nowinski: It comes as no surprise to anyone that this match is all Jarrett. He dominates the less-experienced Nowinski, hitting the Stroke in about five minutes to score the pinfall. He climbs to the middle turnbuckle and starts yelling to the crowd about what a chicken Low-Ki is, but behind his back Low-Ki has come through the curtain! He pulls Jarrett off the middle rope and delivers a Ki-Krusher! Now it’s Low-Ki who stands over Jarrett and talks trash, finally saying he’ll see him Sunday.

Winner: Jeff Jarrett

OR: 78

CR: 78

MQ: 79

Backstage, we see Vince Russo telling Charlie Haas and Scott Hall what the deal is for tonight’s match with Psychosis and Jushin Liger. They say that’s no real challenge, and they’ll go through them just like they’ll go through Kaientai this Sunday to regain their titles.

OR: 79

Steve Corino leads Jushin Liger and Psychosis to the ring. He gets a microphone and points out that Scott Hall and Charlie Haas never beat anyone to earn the Tag Team titles, and thus don’t hold any claim to getting a rematch. He says they were sham champions, and tonight his team will prove what a fraud they were.

OR: 82

No. 1 Contenders match: Jushin Liger & Psychosis (with Steve Corino) vs. Scott Hall & Charlie Haas (with Vince Russo): This one was a good match, but after the Jeff Jarrett/Low-Ki confrontation they just saw, they’re not quite as loud even though the stakes are much higher in this match than the Jarrett/Nowinski match. Haas starts and tries to use his amateur wrestling background to his advantage, but he soon discovers that both Psychosis and Liger are as technically proficient as he is. So he tags in Hall and lets the big brawler go to work. Hall uses his strength to dominate the smaller Liger and proceeds to pound on him for several minutes. But Hall makes a mistake, and Liger is able to make the tag. Psychosis uses his speed to keep the advantage on Hall, and even knocks Haas off the apron. Psychosis climbs to the top rope and hits the Sky Twister Press! Russo tries to interfere, but Corino cuts him off before be can interrupt the referee’s count. Liger and Psychosis will now face Kaientai at Super Bowl Party ’04.

Winner: Jushin Liger & Psychosis

OR: 81

CR: 76

MQ: 86

Backstage, we see Sting walking to the ring as we hear Donovan Morgan’s music play.

OR: 93

Donovan Morgan is already in the ring, and he’s got a microphone. He tells the production crew to cut his music. He says he hopes Sting is walking out of the building, because if he walks into this ring he’ll get his ass handed to him most excellently.

OR: 87

Sting vs. Donovan Morgan: The crowd explodes when Sting steps through the curtain, and they only get louder when Sting takes control early in the match. But Morgan turns the advantage, and starts hitting the rest holds. Morgan tries to keep the crowd involved by changing to different holds every couple of minutes, but in the end they’re still rest holds. After ten minutes of stalling so Sting could get his breath back, Sting makes the babyface comeback and looks to be in full command of Morgan. Sting goes for the Scorpion Death Lock, but he’s too close to the ropes, and Morgan is able to grab them, so the referee breaks the hold. Sting seems a little confused by this, and Morgan is able to take advantage, and within three minutes he’s got Sting set up for the Double Underhook Piledriver. He connects, and picks up the stunning pinfall.

Winner: Donovan Morgan

OR: 87

CR: 90

MQ: 83

(Sting dropped in over from 96 to 94. Donovan Morgan gained in over from 84 to 87.)

OR: 84

Rating: 7.59

Attendance: 10028

Best segment: Sting is walking! (93)

Worst segment: Jeff Jarrett over Christopher Nowinski (78)

Best match: Donovan Morgan over Sting (87)

[LoveMuscle]

Saturday, January 24, 2004

TNA XHilaration

Hosts: Ahmed Vaughn and Emma Barbecue

Vaughn: Hi, I’m Ahmed Vaughn, and this is XHilaration! My partner this week is Emma Barbecue. How’s it going, Emma?

Barbecue: Pretty good, Ahmed. I’m pumped for tonight’s show. Tonight we have Michael Modest and Masato Tanaka in action!

Vaughn: Tanaka is making his return to TNA tonight after spending a few weeks touring his native Japan. He’ll be facing Devon Storm, and Michael Modest will be facing Yuji Nagata.

Barbecue: Also tonight, Steven Richards has challenged Jacques Rougeau Jr. to a match.

Vaughn: That’s coming up in a little while, but right now Michael Modest is on his way to the ring.

Michael Modest snatches the microphone from the ring announcer and starts by congratulating his partner, Donovan Morgan, or beating Sting last night. He says that was the most excellent match he’s ever seen. I don’t know what match he was watching, the crowd response made the match better than it really was. Anyway, Modest says that Morgan’s win inspired him, and tonight he’s going to beat Yuji Nagata just as bad as Morgan beat Sting last night.

OR: 79

Yuji Nagata vs. Michael Modest: Unlike Donovan Morgan’s match last night, Modest pretty much controls Nagata. Mostly, he does this with some timely cheating that the referee doesn’t catch. Nagata tries to reverse an Irish whip, but Modest reverses that, and the referee is caught in the wrong place. He collides with Nagata and collapses to the mat. Modest takes advantage of the referee being knocked out and delivers a Low Blow to Nagata. He then retrieves a chair from ringside and blasts Nagata across the back twice before throwing the chair to the floor. Modest covers Nagata, but the referee is still out. Suddenly, the masked man with the cape returns! He picks up the chair and gets in the ring. Modest stands, but takes a chairshot to the head! The caped crusader drags Nagata on top of Modest and leaves as the ref starts to come to. The referee counts the pinfall, and Nagata collects his first win in TNA.

Winner: Yuji Nagata

OR: 70

CR: 72

MQ: 85

(Michael Modest dropped in over from 79 to 78.)

The announcers call the masked man over to their desk.

Vaughn: First of all, tell us about yourself and what your mission is in TNA.

Wrestling: My name is Mr. Wrestling, and I’m here to see to it that these people get the best matches there is. My goal is to eliminate all cheating in wrestling matches. My first target is Michael Modest. He has a long history of cheating. Just look – tonight he used illegal punches and a chair to try and get the win. In the past, he has even gone so far as to use a baseball bat on someone! I’m here to put an end to that.

With that, he takes off.

OR: 86

Steven Richards comes to the ring with a microphone for his match. He says recently everyone has been beating the not-so-Fabulous Rougeau Brothers, and tonight it’s his turn. He plans on beating Jacques Rougeau Jr. tonight just like everyone else has.

OR: 79

Jacques Rougeau Jr. vs. Steven Richards: These two wrestlers try to have a technical match, but it just isn’t working for them. So then thy try brawling for a little bit, but things don’t get any better. This match is so abysmal the fans start to boo regardless of who’s in control. Finally, Jacques ends their suffering when he applies an Abdominal Stretch on Richards, who shortly thereafter taps out.

Winner: Jacques Rougeau Jr.

OR: 67

CR: 75

MQ: 76

Before the next match begins, Michael Modest comes out to the announcers’ desk with a bag of ice on his head.

Modest: Look, I’ll cut right through the crap. This Mr. Wrestling is no superhero. That’s just plain, ordinary Nick Dinsmore! Sure, maybe I did hit him too hard with the baseball bat, and maybe I’ve scrambled his brains so that now he thinks he’s some kind of Saturday morning cartoon character, I don’t know. Nick Dinsmore, Mr. Wrestling, why don’t you use that cape of yours and fly down to Houston for tomorrow night’s Super Bowl Party ’04? I’ll be there, and if you want to get in the ring with me, I’ll be more than happy to kill a few more of your brain cells!

OR: 80

New Jack comes to the ring with a microphone and Masato Tanaka. He tells us that Tanaka has just completed an undefeated tour of Japan, and now he’s come back to TNA. However, he didn’t come back alone. While in Japan, he found someone who was every bit as hardcore as him. If he can get his passport issues straightened out, next week we’ll see the new Hardcore Japanese.

OR: 88

Masato Tanaka (with New Jack) vs. Devon Storm: Tanaka dominates Storm with his arsenal of power moves. He quickly re-establishes himself in TNA with this impressive performance, and he finishes off Storm in about six minutes with the Roaring Elbow.

Winner: Masato Tanaka

OR: 72

CR: 73

MQ: 87

Since the matches tonight were fairly short, the announcers have to stall for time by hyping the card for tomorrow’s Super Bowl Party ’04. But they get a reprieve when Ken Shamrock’s music plays and he comes to the ring with Alicia Shamrock. She gets a microphone before entering the ring.

Alicia: Ken, are you sure this is what you want to do?

Ken nods his head.

Alicia: OK, then. As you all have seen in recent weeks, Ken’s been a little … depressed. He is starting to question himself and his abilities. I’ve tried to tell him that he’s still the same guy who not too many months ago was the World champion. So tonight, Ken wants to challenge anyone in the back that hasn’t faced him in the last month to come out here right now and face him, and if Ken doesn’t win …

Ken takes the microphone.

Ken: If I can’t beat whoever comes forward, I don’t deserve to be here anymore. I’ll quit. I’ll hand up my boots. I’ll retire.

The announcers are shocked by this stunning revelation, and wonder who will step forward to accept this challenge. They start to name off who Ken has faced in the past month, until some unfamiliar music plays. The curtain opens and there stands Chavo Guerrero Jr.!

OR: 92

(Alicia Shamrock gained in over from 89 to 92.)

Oh, did I mention Chavo had a microphone with him?

Guerrero: Ken Shamrock, you should retire! You don’t deserve to be on national television. First, you ran away from the WWF all those years ago when you weren’t successful there. You tried getting back into mixed martial arts, but you were a failure at that too. Tonight, you want to put your career on the line against anyone you haven’t faced in the last month? You haven’t faced me, Shamrock. With the opportunity to send you to the retirement home, I’ll gladly step in the ring with you tonight.

OR: 80

Ken Shamrock (with Alicia Shamrock) vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.: This was a great match, but the fans had a hard time getting into it despite the emotional promo Alicia had before Chavo showed up. Despite whatever Shamrock thinks, he’s still as good as ever, but tonight he’s facing a third-generation superstar who’s been around the business all his life. As the match continues, the announcers give the history of the Guerrero family in the wrestling business. Shamrock looks to be in firm control of the match, but when he whips Guerrero into the ropes, Chavo springs off with a flying forearm! Chavo picks Shamrock up and locks on The Gory Guerrero Special! Shamrock taps! Chavo wins, and I guess Ken Shamrock is now retired.

Winner: Chavo Guerrero Jr.

OR: 75

CR: 79

MQ: 90

(Ken Shamrock dropped in over from 90 to 88.)

OR: 78

Rating: 6.64

Attendance: 10007

Best segment: Ken Shamrock makes an open challenge, Chavo Guerrero Jr. accepts (92)

Worst segment: Jacques Rougeau Jr. over Steven Richards (67)

Best match: Chavo Guerrero Jr. over Ken Shamrock (75)

[LoveMuscle]

Sunday, January 25, 2004

Yesterday was another one of “those days.” Hopefully tonight won’t make it two in a row.

Before the show begins, commissioner Mick Foley comes to the ring. He welcomes everyone to the show, and then he points out that representatives from the two Super Bowl participants are in attendance tonight. He points out the AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers and NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles sitting in the front row. Foley says that in honor of them making it to the Super Bowl, next month’s pay-per-view, Total Elimination, will take place in State College, Pennsylvania! He can say that all he wants, that’s been scheduled for months. He notes the only thing between then is an empty seat, so he introduces the winner of TNA Magazine’s trivia contest, Coqui, and tells him to sit in the chair between Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and Steelers linebacker Kendrell Bell. Coqui takes a seat and looks nervous as Foley instructs him to make sure there’s no hostilities between the two teams.

OR: 87

TNA Super Bowl Party ‘04

Hosts: Jeff Morales and Bart Snake

Morales: Hello, TNA fans, we’re live from the Compaq Center in Houston, Texas, and this is Super Bowl Party ‘04! I’m Jeff Morales, and with me tonight is Bart Snake. Bart, it’s good to see you.

Snake: I'm glad to be working with you, Jeff. I can’t wait for tonight’s show!

Morales: Our main event tonight features Jeff Jarrett challenging Low-Ki for the World title.

Snake: Low-Ki has been as active in TNA than any World champion since Jeff Jarrett, but he’s been laying low after Jarrett attacked him after his title match with Sting a couple of weeks ago. But he returned Friday to attack Jarrett from behind. What will happen tonight?

Morales: Also, Jody will get a shot at the X title when he faces Sonny Siaki.

Snake: Two more members of Sports Entertainment Xtreme, Charlie Haas and Scott Hall, lost their shot at the Tag Team titles last Friday, so tonight it will be Jushin Liger and Psychosis taking on Kaientai for the belts.

Morales: Another interesting tag match tonight will see Styles and Lynn facing Mucho Dinero. These two teams have had a nice little rivalry going for the last few weeks, and tonight they’ll finally get their hands on each other in a tag match.

Snake: Another rivalry that has been going on a lot longer is D’Lo Brown and Simon Diamond. In recent weeks, Diamond seems to have gone on to other things, but tonight his attention better be on D’Lo, or else he could go home with a loss.

Morales: But our opening match tonight will be Mr. Wrestling squaring off with Michael Modest. Modest claims that Mr. Wrestling is actually Nick Dinsmore, whom he beat senseless with a baseball bat several weeks ago. Mr. Wrestling claims he’s trying to get rid of cheaters, and he’s starting with Modest.

Snake: Modest is already in the ring, and that music must belong to Mr. Wrestling, who is making his debut here tonight …

Morales: Unless you believe it’s Nick Dinsmore.

Mr. Wrestling vs. Michael Modest: Modest points out that Mr. Wrestling is wearing the same trunks Nick Dinsmore wore last month at Holiday Hell, complete with the interlocking “ND” logo. The crowd doesn’t really get into this match, which sees Modest intentionally do a lot of cheating just to get Mr. Wrestling riled up. The referee somehow misses all of it, or else he deems it not serious enough to call for a disqualification. A couple of times, when Modest is solidly in control, he tries to unmask Mr. Wrestling, shouting that he’s going to prove it’s Nick Dinsmore. But on the second try, Mr. Wrestling grabs Modest’s arm and turns it into a Crossface! Modest yells as Mr. Wrestling cranks on Modest’s neck a couple of times, but soon Modest has no choice but to tap out.

Winner: Mr. Wrestling

OR: 80

CR: 75

MQ: 85

NWA Tag Team title match: Kaientai © vs. Jushin Liger & Psychosis (with Steve Corino): All five, including Corino, shake hands before the start of the match as the announcers hype that this will be a clean match, unlike the one we just saw. Not only is it clean, but it’s a great match! We get the usual move-countermove-countermove-stalemate sequence that draws some applause from the appreciative crowd. All four are in excellent condition, and they are able to make frequent tags to their partners to keep the pace up for an action-packed 18 minutes that sees both teams in command at various times. At that time, all four men are in the ring, and take turns applying their finishing moves on each other. The last one, though, happens when Funaki hits a Tornado DDT on Liger with TAKA Michinoku and Psychosis on the floor. Funaki covers and gets the pin.

Winner: Kaientai

OR: 85

CR: 78

MQ: 92

(The NWA Tag Team titles have gained in image from 81 to 83.)

While the crowd tries to catch their breath after that match, the cameras cut backstage where Ron Killings is standing by with Styles and Lynn. He says Mucho Dinero has been a thorn in their sides ever since they met in the Tag Team tournament, and tonight they’re going to beat them just like they did in that tournament.

OR: 93

(Jerry Lynn gained in over from 84 to 85. A.J. Styles gained in over from 84 to 85.)

D’Lo Brown vs. Simon Diamond: The fans have caught their breath, I guess, as they’re as loud as they’ve been all night for this match. This one’s quite a bit slower paced than the Tag Team title match, but it’s still very good. Diamond uses his wrestling technique to keep the more powerful D’Lo on his back early on, but the fans are swift to get behind D’Lo. I guess they’re down with the Brown. D’Lo comes back with a Spinebuster, then hits a Sky High. Diamond looks as vulnerable as ever tonight, and suffers his first loss in singles action after D’Lo lands the Lo Down to get the pin.

Winner: D’Lo Brown

OR: 88

CR: 89

MQ: 87

(D’Lo Brown gained in over from 80 to 82. Simon Diamond dropped in over from 87 to 85.)

Styles and Lynn (with Ron Killings) vs. Mucho Dinero: The fans were able to continue to keep up the volume through this match as well, which was a great match. More back-and-forth action kept the crowd guessing who would win. Most backed Styles and Lynn, but there were at least 1,500 Mucho Dinero fans in attendance as well, judging by the large suit and tie-wearing contingent. Again, all four end up brawling in the ring, until Styles clotheslines Kid Kash, sending both over the top rope and to the floor. Killings checks on Styles, but Kash is the first one up. He gets a chair and the referee warns him not to hit Styles, so he nails Killings instead. The ref gets out of the ring to check on Styles and Killings, and Kash gets in the ring with the chair. EZ Money whips Lynn towards Kash, who nails him with the chair. Money then picks up Lynn and delivers The Money Clip right on the chair. He pushes the chair out of the ring while Kash gets the referee’s attention back on the action in the ring. He slides in as Money makes the cover on Lynn and counts the pinfall without ever seeing the chair used on Lynn.

Winner: Mucho Dinero

OR: 91

CR: 89

MQ: 93

Backstage, Low-Ki says Jeff Jarrett should know what he was talking about last Friday. He says Jarrett accused Low-Ki of hiding from him, but Low-Ki asks where Jarrett was in the months prior to Holiday Hell. While Low-Ki was winning and defending the World title, Jarrett was nowhere to be found. Low-Ki says after tonight, Jarrett will go running back into hiding with his tail between his legs.

OR: 81

NWA X title: Jody Fleisch (with Alicia Shamrock) vs. Sonny Siaki © (with Vince Russo): Yet another great match, and the crowd is involved as well, but just not quite as much as before. Hopefully they’re saving something for the main event. Incredible high-flying action, but both men know each other so well that they’re seemingly having to invent new moves and countermoves on the fly to combat each other. Fleisch somehow even has found a counter for the Siakalypse, which the announcers point out. Of course, moments later Siaki escapes a Phoenix 720 DDT as well. What goes around comes around, I guess. Russo reminds Siaki that he’s got a move Fleisch has never felt, so Siaki delivers it. Fleisch has no counter for the dreaded Sonny Side Up, and Siaki scores the relatively easy pinfall off it.

Winner: Sonny Siaki

OR: 88

CR: 86

MQ: 91

NWA World title match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Low-Ki ©: Jarrett puts on his best performance in a long time, but probably a lot of that was because of who he was in the ring with, as Low-Ki pulls a very good match out of him. Jarrett hits all of his moves, even the Superplex and the Stroke, yet somehow Low-Ki manages to kick out each and every single time. Jarrett decides to go old school, and applies the Figure Four Leglock. On two occasions Low-Ki seems to have passed out and the referee starts to count his shoulders down, only to kick out at two. But Low-Ki manages to roll Jarrett over to reverse the pressure. The announcers attribute Low-Ki’s ability to withstand that hold to his extensive martial arts background. Both men walk with a limp after their extended time in the Figure Four, but Low-Ki recovers quick enough to hit Jarrett with the Ki-Krusher to successfully retain his title.

Winner: Low-Ki

OR: 87

CR: 88

MQ: 88

OR: 86

Buy rate: 1.94

Attendance: 20437

Best segment: Interview with Ron Killings and Styles and Lynn (93)

Worst segment: Mr. Wrestling over Michael Modest (80)

Best match: Mucho Dinero over Styles and Lynn (91)

[smeyers003]

I haven't been around here for a while, but I think thats gonna change now that I see that one of my favorite diaries ever has returned. Can't wait for you to catch up and keep this going.

[LoveMuscle]

Monday, January 26, 2004

TNA XCitement

Hosts: Steven Kavovit and Bart Snake

Kavovit: Hello, everyone, welcome to XCitement! I'm Steven Kavovit, and my co-host is Bart Snake.

Snake: Good to see you again, Steven.

Kavovit: What an exciting pay-per-view we had last night! Low-Ki, Sonny Siaki, and Kaientai all successfully retained their titles in some great matches.

Snake: I was there, you don’t need to tell me. But tonight’s main event features someone who wasn’t at Super Bowl Party ’04, Bill Goldberg.

Kavovit: Goldberg will be taking on Norman Smiley. Also tonight, Chavo Guerrero Jr. is back after scoring an upset victory over Ken Shamrock two nights ago to send the former world champion into retirement.

Snake: Chavo will be facing Big Vito, and also commissioner Mick Foley will be out with an announcement in a little bit. But tonight we start off with tag team action, featuring Steve Corino’s team of Super Crazy and Ultimo Dragon.

Steve Corino comes to the ring with a microphone, and he’s flanked by Ultimo Dragon and Super Crazy. He admits that Jushin Liger and Psychosis lost their Tag Team title match last night, but then says Kaientai is a good team and he’s sure he’ll get another chance with either Psychosis and Liger or Dragon and Crazy. He says tonight Dragon and Crazy start on their way to a title shot.

OR: 84

Super Crazy & Ultimo Dragon (with Steve Corino) vs. Alex Wright & Steven Richards: A good match, thanks mostly to Dragon and Crazy. The fans smell squash, and that’s exactly what they get. Dragon locks the Dragon Sleeper on Richards, and he soon taps out.

Winner: Super Crazy & Ultimo Dragon

OR: 78

CR: 71

MQ: 85

Chavo Guerrero Jr. comes out next with a microphone, bragging about retiring Ken Shamrock. He says this is just the beginning, and he’s ready to make a big impact in TNA, starting with Big Vito.

OR: 85

Big Vito vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.: The crowd was a little more involved in this match. Chavo got them stirred up during his interview, and they were hoping to see him take a beating. But instead it is Vito who receives a beating, courtesy of Chavo. Chavo cheats on several occasions behind the referee’s back, which helps him keep the upper hand. Finally, Chavo hits a Brainbuster to score the pinfall.

Winner: Chavo Guerrero Jr.

OR: 78

CR: 74

MQ: 83

Mick Foley comes to the ring, which draws a pretty good pop from the crowd.

Foley: It’s good to be back here in the TNA Asylum! Last night, Sonny Siaki defeated Jody Fleisch to keep the X title, and I got to thinking about who would challenge Siaki next. Siaki held the X title for a long time, and he already holds victories over nearly every long-time X division wrestler. As you may recall, I had a tournament several months ago to crown a top contender for the X title. Fleisch won that, and he’s had a couple of chances at the belt on pay-per-views without any success. So what I’ve decided to do is to hold a mini-tournament to crown a new top contender for Total Elimination. But this tournament is only open to those wrestlers who didn’t compete in the first tournament. We’ve had a few newcomers arrive since then, and I’ve had a few phone calls from former TNA wrestlers who’d like to come back here. Starting this Friday on XPlosion, eight wrestlers who haven’t had a chance to get a X title shot will fight for the right to take on Sonny Siaki. And that is final!

OR: 87

Norman Smiley vs. Bill Goldberg (with Cyrus): Goldberg’s appearance elicits a few boos from the crowd, but then Smiley doesn’t seem like much competition to them, so they’re still pretty quiet. Goldberg hits a powerslam, and Smiley writhes on the mat in pain. The announcers call that a “Little Wiggle.” Goldberg hits the Spear for the first time in ages, it seems, and follows that up with a Jackhammer to get the pin.

Winner: Bill Goldberg

OR: 77

CR: 78

MQ: 78

OR: 80

Rating: 5.89

Attendance: 10034

Best segment: Mick Foley announces X division mini-tournament (87)

Worst segment: Bill Goldberg over Norman Smiley (77)

Best match: (tie) Super Crazy & Ultimo Dragon over Alex Wright & Steven Richards; Chavo Guerrero Jr. over Big Vito (78)

[LoveMuscle]

I haven't been around here for a while, but I think thats gonna change now that I see that one of my favorite diaries ever has returned.  Can't wait for you to catch up and keep this going.

←

Good to have you back!

[LoveMuscle]

Friday, January 30, 2004

A.J. Styles showed up this afternoon complaining about a hand injury as a result of a basketball game yesterday. The medics looked it over and decided it wasn’t anything serious, but said he shouldn’t compete for the next couple of days and give it a chance to heal up. He wasn’t supposed to be in the mini-tournament anyway, but we did have him scheduled in a match tomorrow. I guess we’ll hold it off until Monday.

TNA XPlosion

Hosts: Jeff Morales and Dick Williams

The show starts in the locker room, where we see Ken and Alicia Shamrock saying goodbye to several wrestlers, including Ron Killings, Jerry Lynn, D’Lo Brown, and Jody Fleisch.

OR: 79

Morales: Hello, everyone, welcome to XPlosion! I'm Jeff Morales, and joining me this week is Dick Williams.

Williams: Hello, Jeff. As we just saw, Ken Shamrock is in the building tonight, bidding farewell to his now-former coworkers. Last Saturday he lost a retirement match, and as a result Ken’s having to hang up his wrestling gear for the last time.

Morales: But that only adds to what we’ve got in the ring tonight. Monday, commissioner Mick Foley announced that he was having a mini-tournament to determine a new No. 1 contender for the X title, and the only people eligible were those who weren’t in the first X tournament several months ago.

Williams: I haven’t seen the pairings, so we don’t know who will be facing who tonight. However, I have talked with several wrestlers, and I know some of the people involved tonight are Funaki, Devon Storm, Yuji Nagata, Mr. Aguila, and Jushin Liger.

Morales: Well, I can tell you what our first matchup is, as Mr. Aguila is already in the ring, and here comes one half of the Tag Team champions, Funaki!

Funaki vs. Mr. Aguila: This wasn’t the ideal start to the tournament, considering one guy is currently a champion and the other lost his only other match in TNA (although it was to Jody Fleisch – no shame in that). The match is good, but really never seemed to get in the groove, and the fans were more interested in batting around a beach ball than watching the match before security confiscated it. Funaki hits the Tornado DDT to score the pinfall and advance to the semifinals.

Winner: Funaki

OR: 77

CR: 70

MQ: 85

Steve Corino comes to the ring with Jushin Liger. Corino says he doesn’t know who Liger is facing tonight, but he does know that Liger can handle whoever his opponent is.

OR: 88

Some strange music sounds, and Mike Sanders steps through the curtain! The silence is deafening, as three crickets are heard in the background.

Sanders: Now I know what some of you are thinking, and let me tell you that I’m not here to wrestle Jushin Liger. If I were, I would beat his ass from pillar to post. No, I’m here to say that I’m back in TNA, and I’ve brought someone with me. He’s the guy who’s going to beat Jushin Liger on his way to earning the X title shot at Total Elimination. He is Joey Matthews!

OR: 73

Jushin Liger (with Steve Corino) vs. Joey Matthews (with Mike Sanders): The sound you hear isn’t the crowd cheering or booing, it’s the sound of toilets flushing in every public restroom of the TNA Asylum. Matthews didn’t achieve much in the few weeks he was in TNA the first time, and Sanders was equally unsuccessful his first time through. Liger and Matthews put on a good match, but nothing outstanding given that this is supposedly leading up to an X title shot. Sanders trips up Liger to give Matthews the advantage. He’s able to maintain that advantage, hitting a Flying Press to score an upset victory and advance on in the tournament.

Winner: Joey Matthews

OR: 76

CR: 66

MQ: 86

Backstage, we once again see Alicia and Ken Shamrock hugging and shaking hands with some wrestlers, including TAKA Michinoku, Funaki, Mr. Wrestling, New Jack, and Masato Tanaka.

OR: 85

Devon Storm is already in the ring as Mick Foley comes out before the next match. He says that Joey Matthews and Mike Sanders are back in TNA for good, as well as two more wrestlers who are returning after a long time away. Storm’s opponent in this next match is a man who’s been gone for nearly a year. The music plays, and The Amazing Red bounds through the curtain! The fans cheer Red’s return as Foley leaves the ring.

OR: 85

The Amazing Red vs. Devon Storm: Unfortunately, the noise dies down as soon as the match begins. They don’t know what to expect from Red, but Storm is a known quantity. Red looks sharp, keeping the larger Storm off balance. You know, it’s not very often Devon Storm has this kind of size advantage on anyone, but he’s unable to capitalize on that thanks to Red’s quickness. In the end, Red leaps off the top rope and hits the Infrared to get the win.

Winner: The Amazing Red

OR: 79

CR: 72

MQ: 86

The camera cuts backstage, where the Shamrocks are still saying their goodbyes. Among those seen this time are Steve Corino, Psychosis, Super Crazy, Ultimo Dragon, Jushin Liger, and a still heavy-breathing Amazing Red.

OR: 82

Yuji Nagata vs. Syxx-Pac: Syxx-Pac returns to TNA after more than a year away from the company, even before I arrived. The fans seem like they could care less whether or not he’s back. Either that or else they strongly suspect Nagata’s one-match-long winning streak will come to an end. If so, they’re right as Syxx-Pac ends a surprisingly dull opening round to the mini-tournament when he gets the pinfall on Nagata following a X-Factor.

Winner: Syxx-Pac

OR: 77

CR: 70

MQ: 85

OR: 79

Rating: 6.91

Attendance: 10047

Best segment: Interview with Steve Corino and Jushin Liger (88)

Worst segment: Mike Sanders returns, introduces Joey Matthews (73)

Best match: The Amazing Red over Devon Storm (79)

[LoveMuscle]

Saturday, January 31, 2004

TNA XHilaration

Hosts: Ahmed Vaughn and Emma Barbecue

The show begins backstage, where we see Ken and Alicia Shamrock still saying their goodbyes to other wrestlers. This time, the group we see them with includes Jeff Jarrett, Sting, and commissioner Mick Foley.

OR: 92

Vaughn: Hi, I’m Ahmed Vaughn, and this is XHilaration! My partner this week is Emma Barbecue. How’s it going, Emma?

Barbecue: Pretty good, Ahmed. I’m pumped for tonight’s show. Tonight we have D’Lo Brown taking on Scott Hall!

Vaughn: That’s a pretty good main event. Also tonight, the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers will take on Johnny Smith and Jun Akiyama.

Barbecue: And last week, New Jack promised us we’d see a new Hardcore Japanese team.

Vaughn: That’s our opener, as we see Shane Douglas and Christopher Nowinski already in the ring. That’s New Jack’s music, so he must be on his way out right now.

New Jack comes out with a microphone and Masato Tanaka. He says his new find will team up with Tanaka to form the most hardcore team of Japanese wrestlers to ever appear in this country. With that, he introduces Tomoaki Honma to the crowd. They cheered politely, but somewhat less than enthusiastically. I guess they’re willing to give New Jack the benefit of a doubt, but they want to see him in action for themselves before they’re willing to make any judgments about Honma.

OR: 86

The Hardcore Japanese (with New Jack) vs. Shane Douglas & Christopher Nowinski: As expected, this one’s basically a showcase to introduce Tomoaki Honma to the TNA fans. He delivers some impressive power moves on both Douglas and Nowinski and shows some nice teamwork with Masato Tanaka. Honma delivers a Roaring Elbow of his own on Douglas to get the pin.

Winner: The Hardcore Japanese

OR: 77

CR: 72

MQ: 82

Chavo Guerrero Jr. comes to the ring and gets a microphone as the announcers wonder what he’s doing out here.

Guerrero: Last week, I beat Ken Shamrock to send his old ass to the retirement home. Ever since then, it seems all I see on TNA programs is Shamrock saying goodbye to everyone in the back. Well, I’m sick and tired of it. You lost, Ken! You said it yourself, if you lost you’d retire. Now it’s time for you to live up to your word. Go home and sit in the rocking chair.

Ken Shamrock’s music plays, and he comes to ringside with Alicia Shamrock and Jody Fleisch.

Ken: I said if I lost I’d retire, but I’ll do it under my own terms.

Guerrero: What are you talking about? You lost, so you’re retired. Your time has past, Shamrock, and it’s time for you to leave.

Alicia: What my husband is saying, Chavo, is that he will retire after tonight. However, he wants to have one last match for all these fans at the TNA Asylum who have supported him all these years. It’s not going to be the kind of match he had with you last week, Chavo. It will be a clean match that he can be proud of, and it will be against someone he has a lot of respect for. Tonight, Ken Shamrock will wrestle his last match, and it will be against his friend, Jody Fleisch!

Chavo fumes in the ring as Ken Shamrock and Fleisch high five and then shake hands with a few fans at ringside before returning back to the locker room area.

OR: 77

Cyrus leads Johnny Smith and Jun Akiyama to the ring. He says the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers have looked quite a bit less than fabulous ever since coming to TNA. Cyrus says he’s decided that calling them “fabulous” must be sarcastic, as everyone backstage laughs at them when they’re introduced like that. He says tonight the joke’s on them, and the only ones laughing tonight after their match will be Johnny Smith and Jun Akiyama.

OR: 92

(Jun Akiyama gained in over from 81 to 82.)

Fabulous Rougeau Brothers vs. Johnny Smith & Jun Akiyama (with Cyrus): The Rougeaus seem determined on proving themselves tonight, and actually have a decent match for a change. The crowd is pretty strongly behind them. The match is fairly even, until some miscommunication causes Smith and Akiyama to collide. Jacques Rougeau Jr. tags in Raymond Rougeau, and he cleans house on the still-groggy members of Cyrus’ Virus. He knocks Akiyama to the floor, then hits the Quebec Press on Smith to get the pin.

Winner: Fabulous Rougeau Brothers

OR: 82

CR: 80

MQ: 84

Backstage, Scott Hall and Vince Russo are discussing what they’re going to do to D’Lo Brown. Hall finished his cup of … whatever he’s drinking tonight, and says that he’ll finish off D’Lo with no problems.

OR: 83

D’Lo Brown comes to the ring and gets the microphone. The then proceeds to cut a very poor promo on Scott Hall. What’s up with that? He calls Hall an alcoholic – that’s nothing new. I guess after that I’m supposed to want to see them fight.

OR: 73

D’Lo Brown vs. Scott Hall (with Vince Russo): Russo frequently assists Hall, which helps him get the advantage. However, D’Lo won’t be denied, and he manages to get control back from Hall. Brown floors Hall with a lariat, and then climbs to the top rope. He hits the Lo Down to score the victory.

Winner: D’Lo Brown

OR: 83

CR: 82

MQ: 84

Alicia Shamrock comes out before the next match to serve as the special ring announcer for the main event. She introduces Jody Fleisch, who comes out and shakes her hand, and then she introduces her husband, Ken Shamrock, once again stating that this is his last match. Alicia then takes a seat at ringside.

OR: 94

(Alicia Shamrock gained in over from 92 to 93.)

Jody Fleisch vs. Ken Shamrock: The fans seem to have a hard time getting into this match. I think they’re skeptical about Shamrock’s retirement, since we’ve all seen how many times wrestlers retire and then unretire. In fact, I guess you could say Shamrock came out of retirement for this match. But it’s a great match, as Shamrock puts on one last display of the technical ability that made him a World champion, but Fleisch also shows his dazzling array of high-flying moves that he used to win the X title several months ago. They go on for almost 25 minutes until Chavo Guerrero Jr. runs in and attacks Shamrock, drawing several boos from the crowd who was enjoying this great match. The referee calls for a disqualification, awarding the match to Shamrock. Fleisch spins Chavo around and hits the Phoenix 720 DDT! He helps Shamrock to their feet and they celebrate over the fallen Guerrero.

Winner: Ken Shamrock by disqualification

OR: 86

CR: 81

MQ: 92

OR: 84

Rating: 6.44

Attendance: 10037

Best segment: Alicia Shamrock introduces Ken Shamrock and Jody Fleisch (94)

Worst segment: Interview with D’Lo Brown (73)

Best match: Ken Shamrock over Jody Fleisch (86)

[LoveMuscle]

Sunday, February 1, 2004

In personnel moves, Bas Rutten was promoted from a Lower Midcarder to a Midcarder. The program we had planned for him and Ken Shamrock was totally scrapped when Shamrock announced his retirement. However, we thought that Rutten shouldn’t be punished for Shamrock’s decision, so we gave him the promotion he deserved.

As mentioned, Ken Shamrock is now retired, but he wasn’t the only one retiring from TNA this month. One of our writers, Trina Andersson, also retired. We have hired Luigi Berkley to replace her.

Also this month, Steven Richards’ contract ran out, and we have decided not to renew it. Like most of the wrestlers who have recently left us, he has signed with Danger And Violence Extreme. Someone who didn’t sign with DAVE was Crash Holly. Our doctors re-evaluated him and have decided that even when he does return from his injury, he won’t be able to compete at the same level as he had prior to his accident.

Here’s what our active roster looks like today (faces in blue, heels in red, tweeners in black, all followed by their current over):

MAIN EVENT

Sting (94)

UPPER MIDCARD

none

MIDCARDERS

Jody Fleisch (89)

TAKA Michinoku (89)

Jeff Jarrett (86)

Raymond Rougeau (86)

A.J. Styles (85)

Jerry Lynn (85)

Jacques Rougeau Jr. (84)

Super Crazy (84)

Big Vito (83)

Masato Tanaka (83)

D'Lo Brown (82)

Ultimo Dragon (82)

Mr. Wrestling (81)

Psychosis (81)

Funaki (75)

Jushin Liger (74)

The Amazing Red (74)

Tomoaki Honma (72)

Yuji Nagata (72)

Norman Smiley (70)

Kid Kash (86)

EZ Money (84)

Brian Lawler (71)

Low-Ki (92)

Bill Goldberg (91)

Scott Hall (88)

Donovan Morgan (87)

Sonny Siaki (87)

Charlie Haas (84)

Simon Diamond (84)

Jun Akiyama (82)

Scoot Andrews (81)

Shane Douglas (81)

Johnny Smith (78)

Michael Modest (78)

Chavo Guerrero Jr. (76)

Christopher Nowinski (76)

Devon Storm (76)

Vampiro (76)

Alex Wright (75)

Syxx-Pac (75)

Bas Rutten (73)

Joey Matthews (72)

Mr. Aguila (70)

LOWER MIDCARDERS

none

OPENERS

none

JOBBERS

none

MANAGERS

Ron Killings (95)

Alicia Shamrock (93)

New Jack (93)

Steve Corino (92)

Cyrus (92)

Vince Russo (91)

Mike Sanders (73)

NON-WRESTLERS

Mick Foley (96)

TAG TEAMS {members} (experience)

Fabulous Rougeau Brothers {Jacques Rougeau Jr. & Raymond Rougeau} (98)

Kaientai {TAKA Michinoku & Funaki} (64)

Excellence Inc. {Michael Modest & Donovan Morgan} (48)

Brothers In Paint {Sting & Vampiro} (30)

Styles and Lynn {A.J. Styles & Jerry Lynn} (26)

Mucho Dinero {EZ Money & Kid Kash} (8)

TITLES (image) {current holder}

NWA World (91) {Low-Ki}

NWA X (87) {Sonny Siaki}

NWA Tag Team (83) {Kaientai}

[LoveMuscle]

Monday, February 2, 2004

TNA XCitement

Hosts: Steven Kavovit and Bart Snake

The show begins in commissioner Mick Foley’s office, where he’s busy working at his desk when Shane Douglas barges in.

Douglas: Dammit, Foley, what kind of organization are you running? You let someone like New Jack bring in anyone they want to? He springs this new guy, uh, Tokyo Honda, on me in a tag match last Saturday, and what do you do about it? Nothing!

Foley: Now calm down, Shane. Tomoaki Honma is a well-respected wrestler in Japan, and bringing him here to TNA was quite an accomplishment. Besides, he pinned your ass!

Douglas: Look, I don’t care! He doesn’t deserve to be here, and …

Foley: Wait a minute, Shane. Let’s talk about who deserves to be in TNA and who doesn’t. In fact, that’s what I was working on when you stormed into my office. You see, in a less than four weeks we’ve got a pay-per-view event called Total Elimination. I figured that we can’t have an event named that without putting some meaning behind it. So what we’re going to have is a Total Elimination Battle Royal. Over the next ten shows, we’ll have a qualifying match. Those who lose the qualifying matches will be entered into the Battle Royal, and those who are eliminated during the Battle Royal will be Totally Eliminated. So, Shane, since you don’t think Tomoaki Honma deserves to be here in TNA, tonight’s first qualifying match for the Total Elimination Battle Royal will be Honma vs. you.

Douglas: Me? Do you realize New Jack could interfere and cause me to lose, putting my career here in jeopardy?

Foley: Oh, yeah, I realize that. Now if you think you deserve to be in TNA more than Honma, why don’t you go to the ring right now and prove it?

Douglas looks upset as he turns and leaves Foley’s office.

OR: 93

Kavovit: Hello, everyone, welcome to XCitement! I'm Steven Kavovit, and my co-host is Bart Snake.

Snake: Good to see you again, Steven.

Kavovit: What a shocking announcement from the commissioner’s office! A Total Elimination Battle Royal will take place, and tonight the qualifying matches begin with Shane Douglas taking on Tomoaki Honma.

Snake: And that’s not even our main event! Sting is here, and he’ll be taking on Kid Kash.

Kavovit: Mr. Wrestling will be out in a little while, but right now Shane Douglas is already making his way to the ring, so let’s go there now!

Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying match: Tomoaki Honma (with New Jack) vs. Shane Douglas: This one’s a little more evenly matched than last Saturday’s tag match involving these men. Douglas cheats a lot, but Honma manages to fight back, causing Douglas to drop to his knees, apologizing and begging for mercy. Honma will have none of that, and he starts pummeling Douglas with punches. Honma hits the Roaring Elbow and gets the pin. Douglas becomes the first entrant in the Total Elimination Battle Royal.

Winner: Tomoaki Honma

OR: 76

CR: 71

MQ: 81

(Tomoaki Honma gained in over from 72 to 73.)

Mr. Wrestling comes to the ring and gets the microphone from the ring announcer.

Wrestling: As you all know, it is my quest to end all cheating from TNA. And after watching XHilaration last Saturday, I’ve reached the conclusion that some of the biggest cheaters in TNA are currently working for Cyrus. So right now I challenge anyone working for Cyrus to come out and face their destiny.

Cyrus’ music plays, and he steps through the curtain along with Scoot Andrews.

Cyrus: What ever made you think that any member of The Virus cheats? I can’t recall us ever being disqualified for cheating, and the referees here in TNA are good enough that they’d catch any cheating that occurred. But, if you insist on wrestling one of my boys, Scoot Andrews here is more than willing to get in the ring and give you a wrestling lesson.

OR: 84

Mr. Wrestling vs. Scoot Andrews (with Cyrus): surprisingly enough, Andrews wrestles pretty cleanly, and it’s a very good match for the first five minutes. Then Cyrus trips up Mr. Wrestling, and Andrews pounces to grab the upper hand. Andrews dominates for the next four minutes, but the fans slowly rally behind Mr. Wrestling and giving him the spark of energy he needs to make a comeback. He regains control, and soon thereafter locks on the Crossface, and Andrews taps out.

Winner: Mr. Wrestling

OR: 82

CR: 76

MQ: 89

Kid Kash comes to the ring with a microphone as the announcers point out that nearly a quarter of the fans here tonight are cheering him, and many of those are dressed up in suits and neckties. Kash says that tonight he will be facing the biggest challenge he’s ever had as a singles wrestler, and he’s glad that so many Mucho Dinero fans showed up tonight to cheer him on as he faces Sting. A real good interview, much less heelish than usual for Kash.

OR: 90

Sting vs. Kid Kash: With all the Mucho Dinero fans, as well as the usual Sting love-fest, the crowd was really into this match. It quickly degenerates to the usual Sting match, with a flurry of Sting offense followed by rest holds. The action eventually picks up again with Sting making his patented comeback, but Kash puts a quick end to that. He whips Sting into the ropes, and goes old school, hitting his old ECW finisher, the Bawitaba. The announcers call it the Lottadollas. Well, sounds about the same and fits his current gimmick better, so I’ll go with it. Kash scores the pin off the Lottadollas.

Winner: Kid Kash

OR: 87

CR: 90

MQ: 83

(Kid Kash gained in over from 86 to 88.)

OR: 84

Rating: 5.83

Attendance: 10016

Best segment: Interview with Kid Kash (90)

Worst segment: Tomoaki Honma over Shane Douglas (76)

Best match: Kid Kash over Sting (87)

[LoveMuscle]

Friday, February 6, 2004

TNA XPlosion

Hosts: Jeff Morales and Dick Williams

Morales: Hello, everyone, welcome to XPlosion! I'm Jeff Morales, and joining me this week is Dick Williams.

Williams: Hello, Jeff. Last week, commissioner Mick Foley created a mini-tournament to crown a new No. 1 contender for the X title. The four matches we had last week were scintillating, and tonight’s semifinals should only be better.

Morales: Yeah, tonight’s semifinals feature Syxx-Pac vs. The Amazing Red, and Joey Matthews will be challenging one half of the Tag Team champions, Funaki.

Williams: On Monday, though, Foley announced that this month’s pay-per-view, Total Elimination, will feature a Battle Royal in which every one except the winner will be fired from TNA. Tonight we’ll have another qualifying match, where the loser is forced into the Total Elimination Battle Royal.

Morales: And we haven’t even talked about tonight’s main event! That one will pit Excellence Inc. against Styles and Lynn.

Williams: We’ll talk more about that one throughout the night, but right now Mike Sanders and Joey Matthews are on their way to the ring.

Mike Sanders gets a microphone before joining Joey Matthews in the ring. He says last week’s win over Jushin Liger was no fluke, and tonight Matthews will prove it by beating another Japanese wrestler, Funaki.

OR: 74

Funaki vs. Joey Matthews (with Mike Sanders): The fans have a hard time getting into this match, even though it’s a good one. Funaki controls the action for most of the match until he tries to bounce off the ropes on the wrong side of the ring. Sanders pulls the top rope down, and Funaki spills to the floor. Matthews distracts the referee while Sanders whips Funaki into the steel steps. Sanders rolls Funaki back into the ring. As Funaki struggles to get back on his feet, Mathews climbs to the top rope. He hits a Flying Press, and the referee counts the pin. Sanders gets in the ring, and him and Matthews start putting the boots to Funaki. TAKA Michinoku is out quickly to chase away Matthews and Sanders, saving his partner from what would surely be a brutal beating.

Winner: Joey Matthews

OR: 77

CR: 69

MQ: 86

The cameras cut backstage to commissioner Mick Foley’s office. There’s a knock at the door, and the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers enter.

Raymond: You wanted to see us, Mick?

Foley: Yeah, come on in, both of you. You know, I heard what Cyrus said about you last Saturday, and to a certain extent he’s got a point.

Jacques: What do you mean?

Foley: Well, I think even you’ll have to admit that your time in TNA up to this point hasn’t been very successful.

Raymond: Mick, you know that TNA is the top wrestling promotion in the world. The best and most talented workers are here. We’ve just taken a little longer to adapt than we had anticipated.

Foley: That may be, but you’d better adapt faster. You see, coming up in a little more than three weeks is Total Elimination, where we’re going to have a Total Elimination Battle Royal. I have put both of you in qualifying matches. Jacques, tonight you will face Chavo Guerrero Jr. Raymond, tomorrow you will face another member of Cyrus’ Virus, Scoot Andrews. I hope that you both see just how close you are to being totally eliminated from TNA, and maybe now you’ll start to show me why I brought you here in the first place. And that is final!

OR: 93

The Amazing Red vs. Syxx-Pac: The fans are a little more into this one, but mostly just by chanting “Syxx-Pac suxx,” or something like that. But it’s a very good match, and that helps get them more involved as the end of the bout approaches. Syxx-Pac has done his homework, apparently, as he grabs the ropes to block the Infrared. But a couple of minutes later he falls victim to the Red Star Press. Red will now face Joey Matthews next week for a X title shot.

Winner: The Amazing Red

OR: 79

CR: 71

MQ: 88

Chavo Guerrero Jr. comes to the ring looking quite upset. He gets a microphone and says he can’t believe commissioner Foley thinks Chavo should be in a qualifying match for the Total Elimination Battle Royal. Once again, Chavo takes credit for retiring Ken Shamrock and also points out that he’s undefeated in TNA. He promises that will continue tonight against Jacques Rougeau Jr.

OR: 74

Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying match: Jacques Rougeau Jr. vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.: The announcers joke that the winner gets the rights to the “Jr.” moniker. Ha. The noise from the crowd picks up too, as they find Chavo’s antics in the ring to be quite annoying. Rougeau takes Chavo to the mat early, but before long Chavo uses his superior speed to gain the advantage over his older and slower opponent. Eventually, Chavo applies The Gory Guerrero Special. Jacques holds out briefly, but eventually submits. Chavo won’t release the hold, and the referee threatens to reverse his decision and disqualify Chavo. But Raymond Rougeau comes running in, so Chavo drops Jacques and leaves before Raymond can get a hand on him. Raymond checks on his brother, and much finger-pointing is exchanged between Raymond and Chavo.

Winner: Chavo Guerrero Jr.

OR: 80

CR: 78

MQ: 83

(Chavo Guerrero Jr. gained in over from 76 to 78.)

Donovan Morgan is backstage, saying that it’s about time Excellence Inc. got a shot at the Tag Team titles. He says tonight they’re going to show everyone they’re one of the elite teams in all of wrestling when they beat Styles and Lynn tonight. Michael Modest appears and says everything’s ready. Morgan nods, and they walk off as the announcers wonder what Modest was talking about.

OR: 85

Meanwhile, Styles and Lynn are already in the ring, and Ron Killings has a microphone. Guess what – he thinks HIS team deserves a Tag Team title shot.

OR: 89

Styles and Lynn (with Ron Killings) vs. Excellence Inc.: Both teams prove they deserve a Tag Team title shot in this match, which many observers say is the best match they’ve ever seen. Interesting reaction from the crowd – most cheer Styles and Lynn, but the well-dressed Mucho Dinero fans boo them. Either that, or else they’re disappointed Mucho Dinero isn’t wrestling tonight. Great back-and-forth action as both teams seem content to put on one of the finest displays of tag-team mat wrestling ever. But eventually Jerry Lynn seems to have taken command of Donovan Morgan, and signals for the Cradle Piledriver. Michael Modest drops off the ring apron, runs around the ring, and starts brawling with A.J. Styles on the floor! While the referee attends to that, Mucho Dinero runs in from the back with chairs. Chair shot to Lynn! Killings gets up on the apron, but he too takes a chair shot to the head. EZ Money and Kid Kash quickly leave as the referee turns around, only to see Lynn laid out and Morgan getting back on his feet. Morgan picks up Lynn and busts out the Helicopter Bomb! The pinfall is academic then. Mucho Dinero get back in the ring and continue to work over Lynn. Styles gets in the ring, but Lynn’s not able to help, and the numbers game overwhelms him as well. After a couple of minutes, Money and Kash decide they’ve done enough damage and finally leave.

Winner: Excellence Inc.

OR: 90

CR: 84

MQ: 96

OR: 83

Rating: 6.91

Attendance: 10009

Best segment: Mick Foley books the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers in Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying matches (93)

Worst segment: (tie) Interview with Mike Sanders and Joey Matthews; Interview with Chavo Guerrero Jr. (74)

Best match: Excellence Inc. over Styles and Lynn (90)

[LoveMuscle]

Saturday, February 7, 2004

TNA XHilaration

Hosts: Ahmed Vaughn and Emma Barbecue

Vaughn: Hi, I’m Ahmed Vaughn, and this is XHilaration! My partner this week is Emma Barbecue. How’s it going, Emma?

Barbecue: Pretty good, Ahmed. I’m pumped for tonight’s show. Tonight we have EZ Money taking on Stingl!

Vaughn: That’s a pretty good main event. Also tonight, Raymond Rougeau will face Scoot Andrews in a qualifying match for the Total Elimination Battle Royal.

Barbecue: Last night, Raymond’s brother, Jacques Rougeau Jr., lost his qualifying match, so he’s already entered into the Battle Royal.

Vaughn: And later on, we’ll hear from Mr. Wrestling once again. But right now, the X champion, Sonny Siaki, is making his way to the ring for our opening match.

Sonny Siaki comes to the ring with Vince Russo. Siaki takes the microphone and the crowd begins to boo.

Siaki: Last night, I saw that Joey Matthews and The Amazing Red made it to the finals of commissioner Mick Foley’s little tournament thingy to find a new challenger for my title, and I have to say I wasn’t very impressed. Do either of you know what it takes to hold this belt? Well, let me give you a little demonstration. Tonight I’m going to be wrestling Brian Lawler. Just to make things interesting, I’m going to put my title on the line. I don’t have to do that, I’m doing it for your benefit. I don’t want people blaming me for whipping your ass at the pay-per-view too easily. So just sit back and watch, and see how a real X division champion is supposed to handle himself.

OR: 82

NWA X title match: Brian Lawler vs. Sonny Siaki © (with Vince Russo): The announcers are stunned by Siaki declaring this match to be a title match, and then they question what Lawler’s done to deserve a title shot. The crowd is into it right off the bat. While they’ve never been behind Lawler much in the past, they just hate Siaki, and especially Russo, so much that they want to see them lose. But that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen. Lawler gets in a few good shots, but this one is basically all Siaki. He nails Lawler with the Siakalypse to score the pin.

Winner: Sonny Siaki

OR: 80

CR: 76

MQ: 84

On the video screen, the fans see a highlight package showing Mick Foley’s announcement last night that Raymond Rougeau would be in a qualifying match for the Totla Elimination Battle Royal. Included in the clips are some of Cyrus’ comments about the Rougeaus from last week and footage of Jacques Rougeau Jr.’s loss last night.

OR: 82

Cyrus leads Scoot Andrews to the ring. Cyrus says the only reason commissioner Mick Foley put Andrews into this Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying match is because he lost to that goofy cape-wearing Mr. Wrestling on Monday. Cyrus challenges Mr. Wrestling to face a member of The Virus. As for tonight, he says he meant every word he said about the Rougeaus last week, and Jacques Rougeau Jr. only proved him right last night by losing his way into the Battle Royal. Cyrus says Raymond will be joining him in that match.

OR: 92

(Scoot Andrews gained in over from 81 to 82.)

Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying match: Raymond Rougeau vs. Scoot Andrews (with Cyrus): Oddly enough, Rougeau controls most of this match, much to Cyrus’ dismay. Rougeau hits a Tiger Bomb, then signals for the Quebec Press. But suddenly the video screen comes to life, and Chavo Guerrero Jr.’s face appears! He says that one Rougeau in the Battle Royal just isn’t enough. Andrews recovers while Rougeau is distracted. Rougeau turns around and walks right into the Forces Of Nature! Andrews gets the pin as Chavo laughs on the video screen.

Winner: Scoot Andrews

OR: 80

CR: 78

MQ: 82

Mr. Wrestling comes to the ring with a microphone. He says he accepts Cyrus’ challenge and says he’d be glad to take on anyone Cyrus has. But tonight his mission to rid the world of cheaters brings him to Sports Entertainment Xtreme. He says Scott Hall used to be a man of fair play, but ever since he went to the dark side and joined SEX, he has committed a lot of cheating, for which he needs to be punished.

OR: 82

Not surprisingly, that brings out Scott Hall and Vince Russo. Russo gets a microphone and starts cracking jokes about Mr. Wrestling’s appearance while Hall laughs and finishes off his drink. Russo says it’s hard for him to imagine someone coming out here in public wearing a cape and mask and having his underwear on the outside can find something about anyone else that deserves to be punished more than that. Hall drains his cup and slides under the bottom rope, and the match is on.

OR: 85

Mr. Wrestling vs. Scott Hall (with Vince Russo): The match starts as a brawl, giving Hall the immediate advantage because that’s about all he can do in a ring. But eventually, Nick Dinsmore … uh, I mean, Mr. Wrestling uses his superior mat wrestling skills to get Hall off his feet. From then on, Mr. Wrestling keeps Hall down for most of the rest of the match. Hall makes a minor comeback, but that only serves to put him in the proper position for Mr. Wrestling to lock on the Crossface. Hall quickly taps out.

Winner: Mr. Wrestling

OR: 83

CR: 82

MQ: 84

On the video screen, we see clips of Sting’s loss to Kid Kash on Monday, and hear EZ Money cutting a promo on Sting. Some really nice work by the production department.

OR: 91

EZ Money comes to the ring, slapping hands with the large contingent of Mucho Dinero fans on one side of the aisle. He gets a microphone and says it has become painfully obvious to everyone that Sting has nothing left but his name. He says it’s hardly worth his time to wrestle Sting, so he plans on finishing off Sting early so he can get home in time to see the stock market weekly wrap-up on television.

OR: 87

Sting vs. EZ Money: Despite EZ Money’s bravado, this one isn’t a short match. I guess he’s going to have to miss his TV show. Well, he’s got lots of money, he probably has TiVo. It falls in line with Sting’s other matches recently, featuring lots of rest holds to help keep Sting fresh. Sting runs through all his moves, but yet once again can not get a pinfall. Money makes his own comeback and hits the Money Clip, and the referee counts to three.

Winner: EZ Money

OR: 86

CR: 89

MQ: 81

(EZ Money gained in over from 84 to 86.)

OR: 84

Rating: 6.51

Attendance: 10018

Best segment: Interview with Cyrus and Scoot Andrews (92)

Worst segment: (tie) Sonny Siaki over Brian Lawler; Scoot Andrews over Raymond Rougeau. (80)

Best match: EZ Money over Sting (86)

[LoveMuscle]

Monday, February 9, 2004

TNA XCitement

Hosts: Steven Kavovit and Bart Snake

On the video screen, we see footage shot from commissioner Mick Foley’s office from earlier today. We know it was from earlier today because of the helpful “earlier today” label in the corner. The camera is facing Foley, and we can see there’s two men seated across from him, but we can just see their legs.

Foley: So both of you want to work in TNA. I’ll tell you what – right now we’re having qualifying matches for a thing called the Total Elimination Battle Royal. If you guys want to work here, you’ll have to survive through a qualifying match. You think you’re up to it? Good, we’ll get you in right away. Tonight, you, the Ricky Martin look-alike – what’s your name?

???: It’s …

Foley: IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOUR NAME IS! Ha ha, that never gets old. Anyway, tonight you’ll be facing Vampiro. As for you, on Friday you’ll face Norman Smiley in a Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying match. Now if either of you lose, you’ll get one last chance to stay in TNA by winning the Battle Royal. Understood? Good, because that is final!

OR: 95

Kavovit: Hello, everyone, welcome to XCitement! I'm Steven Kavovit, and my co-host is Bart Snake.

Snake: Good to see you again, Steven.

Kavovit: Tonight we have a Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying match with Vampiro taking on someone who’s trying to get a break here in TNA.

Snake: Vampiro is no pushover, so whoever it is will definitely have their hands full tonight.

Kavovit: Also tonight, Raymond Rougeau will be looking for a little revenge against Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Snake: Chavo defeated Raymond’s brother, Jacques Rougeau Jr., in a Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying match last Friday, and then just two days ago he cost Raymond his qualifying match against Scoot Andrews.

Kavovit: And in out main event tonight, Kaientai will be putting their Tag Team titles on the line against Mucho Dinero.

Snake: Mucho Dinero has been on quite a roll in both tag team and singles action, but tonight they face a big test when they face the Tag Team champions for those belts.

Kavovit: But that’s coming up later. Right now, Vampiro is already in the ring, and … is that “La Vida Loca” I hear playing?

The announcers don’t know what the guy’s name is until the ring announcer says it. So we’ve got …

Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying match: Ricky Marvin vs. Vampiro: This is Marvin’s debut, and Vampiro is winless so far in TNA, so the crowd is something less than enthusiastic. In fact, a guy in section 213 can be heard snoring. Vampiro controls his less-experienced opponent for most of the match, as the announcers declare Marvin’s stay in TNA to be a short one. But then Vampiro whips Marvin into the ropes and goes for a dropkick, but Marvin hangs on to the ropes and Vampiro crashes to the mat. Marvin quickly climbs to the top rope as Vampiro gets up. He turns around, right into a Flying Huracanrana! The announcers call it a Ricky Rana, so I’ll go with that. Marvin covers, and gets a quick pinfall! He celebrates his win as Vampiro quickly gets to his feet. He spins Marvin around and delivers Nail In The Coffin! Vampiro delivers a couple of kicks to the kid before walking away in disgust.

Winner: Ricky Marvin

OR: 70

CR: 59

MQ: 81

(Vampiro dropped in over from 76 to 75.)

Chavo Guerrero Jr. comes to the ring and starts talking trash about Raymond Rougeau. He points out that since both of the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers are in the Total Elimination Battle Royal, at least one of them will be totally eliminated from TNA at the pay-per-view. He says that would still leave too many Rougeaus here.

OR: 82

Raymond Rougeau vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.: Raymond looks fired up early on as he completely destroys Chavo. But, sure enough, Chavo cheats to bring the onslaught to a screeching halt. He stays on Rougeau, maintaining the advantage for the rest of the match before locking on The Gory Guerrero Special. Before long, the referee calls for the bell, but Chavo won’t release the hold! Suddenly, Jody Fleisch comes out and hits the ring. Chavo turns and sees him, and his eyes get big. He drops Rougeau, but takes a boot to the stomach and a Phoenix 720 DDT from Fleisch. Fleisch helps Rougeau to the back as Chavo slowly recovers in the ring.

Winner: Chavo Guerrero Jr.

OR: 80

CR: 78

MQ: 82

(Chavo Guerrero Jr. gained in over from 78 to 79.)

Mucho Dinero come to the ring, acknowledging their large following in the crowd. They say they’re glad to be getting another shot at the Tag Team titles, and they won’t let all their fans down tonight. That draws a mixed reaction from the crowd – cheers from their fans and boos from all the rest.

OR: 89

NWA Tag Team title match: Kaientai © vs. Mucho Dinero: This great match features lots of high flying and some mat wrestling, a mixture that with these four results in a great match. Neither team can keep the upper hand on the other for much more that two or three minutes until at around the 17-minute mark, when a hot tag to Funaki eventually results in all four men brawling in the ring. EZ Money and TAKA Michinoku tumble out to the floor, and the referee goes out there as well, trying to separate them. Meanwhile, Kid Kash hits the Lottadollas on Funaki and tries to get the pin, but there’s no ref. But here comes A.J. Styles and Jerry Lynn! They jump in the ring and attack Kash. Styles climbs to the top rope as Jerry Lynn picks up Kash. Spike Cradle Piledriver! That’s gotta hurt. Styles and Lynn leave as Funaki recovers, never knowing about the outside interference. He picks up Kash and hits a Tornado DDT as the referee finally gets back into the ring. Funaki scores the pin before Money can break it up.

Winner: Kaientai

OR: 89

CR: 86

MQ: 92

(The Tag Team titles have gained in image from 83 to 85.)

OR: 84

Rating: 6.08

Attendance: 10038

Best segment: Mick Foley schedules the next two Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying matches (95)

Worst segment: Ricky Marvin over Vampiro (70)

Best match: Kaientai over Mucho Dinero (89)

[LoveMuscle]

Friday, February 13, 2004

TNA XPlosion

Hosts: Jeff Morales and Dick Williams

Morales: Hello, everyone, welcome to XPlosion! I'm Jeff Morales, and joining me this week is Dick Williams.

Williams: Hello, Jeff. Tonight we have the finals of the mini-tournament to crown a new No. 1 contender for the X title. The Amazing Red will face Joey Matthews, with the winner getting a title shot against Sonny Siaki at Total Elimination.

Morales: Also tonight, Mr. Wrestling will face his latest challenge from Cyrus, as he’ll be facing another member of The Virus.

Williams: And that brings us to our main event tonight. Sting will be facing the undefeated Chavo Guerrero Jr.

Morales: That one should be a barnburner. But right now, Norman Smiley is making his way to the ring.

Williams: Tonight he’s in a Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying match, but we still don’t know who his opponent is!

Morales: Last Monday, commissioner Mick Foley gave two newcomers a chance to work in TNA if they could win either a qualifying match or the Total Elimination Battle Royal itself. Ricky Marvin pulled a major upset by knocking off Vampiro on Monday, so we’ll see who the other new guy is.

Norman Smiley gets a microphone and says he’s so hyped for his match tonight that he promises not one, but TWO Big Wiggles after he wins. Uh, first things first, big guy.

OR: 73

Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying match: Norman Smiley vs. CIMA: Dick Williams shows off his knowledge of Japanese wrestling by talking about what a big star CIMA is in Japan. The fans act as though they could care less about CIMA, or Smiley too for that matter. This one’s pretty much all CIMA, as he hits a variety of high-flying moves on Smiley, showing his potential in the X division. CIMA scores the pin after hitting a move Williams says is the Shubain.

Winner: CIMA

OR: 72

CR: 61

MQ: 83

(Norman Smiley dropped in over from 70 to 69.)

Mike Sanders is backstage with Joey Matthews. He tells him that since the last man standing between him and a X title shot is The Amazing Red, he might as well start making plans for his match against Sonny Siaki at Total Elimination.

OR: 70

Commissioner Mick Foley comes to the ring to a large pop from the fans. I guess he’s the special guest ring announcer for the finals of the tournament he put together to crown a new No. 1 contender for the X title. He introduces The Amazing Red first, then Joey Matthews and his manager, Mike Sanders.

OR: 94

The Amazing Red vs. Joey Matthews (with Mike Sanders): The fans still could care less about these two men, as they get really quiet after commissioner Foley leaves the ringside area. Red controls the first minute or so, but Sanders grabs his ankle, distracting him long enough for Matthews to get the advantage. Matthews works over Red for the next 8 or 9 minutes. By then, the fans start to realize this is a very good match and start rallying behind Red, and sure enough he is able to make a comeback and reclaim the upper hand. Sanders obviously sees his man is in jeopardy of losing, so he hops up on the apron to distract Red. Red takes a swing at him, but Sanders ducks. He then grabs Red and holds him as Matthews charges, but Red escapes and Matthews collides with Sanders. Red’s ready – Red Star Press! Red covers Matthews, and the referee counts to three. Red celebrates, but quickly Sanders is in the ring, and before long a two-on-one beatdown ensues. A couple of referees come out and help get Sanders and Matthews away from Red, but not after Red has taken a good beating.

Winner: The Amazing Red

OR: 80

CR: 71

MQ: 89

The cameras cut backstage to The Virus’ dressing room, where Cyrus is getting Johnny Smith ready for this match against Mr. Wrestling. Well, Cyrus calls him Nick Dinsmore instead of Mr. Wrestling. I don’t know why – doesn’t he know who Smith is wrestling tonight? Actually, it’s a really strong segment from Cyrus, who does a good job conveying how much he hates Mr. Wrestling for pretending he’s not Dinsmore.

OR: 93

(Cyrus gained in over from 92 to 96. Johnny Smith gained in over from 78 to 79.)

Mr. Wrestling arrives in the ring with some new Superman-sounding music. I’m glad to see he’s really getting into this character. He once again professes his dislike of cheaters and says tonight he will once again show everyone that cheaters never win.

OR: 88

Mr. Wrestling vs. Johnny Smith (with Cyrus): OK, what’s up with the crowd tonight? They just haven’t gotten into much of anything tonight, other than Foley’s surprise appearance. Once again, a very good match does little to draw the crowd into what’s happening in the ring. This one’s almost a replay of the Mr. Wrestling/Scoot Andrews match from a little over a week ago. As you can guess, Smith and Cyrus cheat early and often, and Mr. Wrestling somehow is able to recover each and every time. Maybe he does have super powers? One power he definitely has is the ability to make people tap out to the Crossface, and that’s exactly what he does to Smith. Mr. Wrestling celebrates his win, but Cyrus gets the house microphone and tells him he’ll have to face Jun Akiyama on Monday.

Winner: Mr. Wrestling

OR: 81

CR: 73

MQ: 89

Backstage, the cameras spot Sting walking to the ring for the main event. As he walks past a door, it opens and Chavo Guerrero Jr. jumps out with a chair! He nails Sting a couple of times, knocking him to the floor. Chavo tosses the chair aside, and then he walks to the ring.

OR: 94

(Chavo Guerrero Jr. gained in over from 79 to 82.)

Chavo Guerrero Jr. gets in the ring and takes a microphone, and then tells all the fans he’s sorry, but there’s not going to be a main event match tonight, so they might as well go home. Aargh! I hate it when they say things like that! In fact, several people are seen leaving their seats, headed for the exit. Chavo says Sting is nothing, and anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool.

OR: 74

Suddenly, Sting’s music plays, and he limps through the curtain. The fans cheer as they return to their seats for …

Sting vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.: I think even the fans are starting to catch on to the fact that Sting is washed up. Sting and Chavo run through the typical Sting match formula. You should know it by now – a flurry of moves at the beginning, an extended period of rest holds while Sting catches his breath, and then the pace picks up for the finish. So let’s just skip right to the finish, as Sting fights out of the 5-minute headlock (so named because of how long it lasts) and uses a barrage of punches and chops to knock Chavo to the corner. Sting whips him to the other corner, but misses the Stinger Splash. Chavo gets right on him, applying The Gory Guerrero Special and getting Sting to tap out. Sting taps out? I know, I can’t believe it either.

Winner: Chavo Guerrero Jr.

OR: 85

CR: 86

MQ: 84

(Sting dropped in over from 94 to 93. Chavo Guerrero Jr. gained in over from 82 to 84.)

OR: 82

Rating: 7.51

Attendance: 10043

Best segment: (tie) Mick Foley introduces The Amazing Red and Joey Matthews; Chavo Guerrero Jr. attacks Sting (94)

Worst segment: Interview with Mike Sanders and Joey Matthews (70)

Best match: Chavo Guerrero Jr. over Sting (85)

[LoveMuscle]

Saturday, February 14, 2004

TNA XHilaration

Hosts: Ahmed Vaughn and Emma Barbecue

Vaughn: Hi, I’m Ahmed Vaughn, and this is XHilaration! My partner this week is Emma Barbecue. How’s it going, Emma?

Barbecue: Pretty good, Ahmed. I’m pumped for tonight’s show. Tonight we have Chavo Guerrero Jr. taking on Super Crazy!

Vaughn: That’s a pretty good main event. Also tonight, Jacques Rougeau Jr. will face Scoot Andrews.

Barbecue: Two more of Cyrus’ Virus, Johnny Smith and Jun Akiyama, will be in action against The Hardcore Japanese.

Vaughn: But our opening match is another Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying match. Tonight, Ultimo Dragon will wrestle Devon Storm, and the loser is entered in commissioner Mick Foley’s Total Elimination Battle Royal.

Barbecue: That music must mean Steve Corino and Ultimo Dragon are on their way out to the ring, so let’s go to ringside and watch this match.

Devon Storm is already in the ring as Steve Corino leads Ultimo Dragon to the ring, and Corino retrieves a microphone.

Corino: This match is utter bullshit! Is there anyone in this building, besides commissioner Mick Foley, obviously, who feels Ultimo Dragon should be in this Total Elimination Battle Royal? Is there anyone who thinks he should even risk that possibility by being in a qualifying match? If anything, Ultimo Dragon should be given a shot at the World title! Devon Storm, no disrespect, but tonight you will be made into an object – a display as to how much commissioner Foley was wrong to put Ultimo Dragon into this match.

OR: 86

Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying match: Ultimo Dragon (with Steve Corino) vs. Devon Storm: Corino’s prediction is pretty accurate, as Dragon totally outclasses the slower Storm. The match ends in exactly three minutes with Storm tapping out to the Dragon Sleeper.

Winner: Ultimo Dragon

OR: 71

CR: 71

MQ: 87

Backstage, Cyrus gets Johnny Smith and Jun Akiyama ready for their match against The Hardcore Japanese. Cyrus continues his impressive hot streak, cutting a well thought-out promo on The Hardcore Japanese as Smith and Akiyama can only stand in the background, grunting and trying their hardest to look intimidating.

OR: 89

New Jack leads The Hardcore Japanese to the ring and tries his best to match Cyrus on the microphone, but comes up a little short. Still, he does have the crowd fired up for the upcoming tag match, so I guess he did his job.

OR: 86

(Tomoaki Honma gained in over from 73 to 74.)

The Hardcore Japanese (with New Jack) vs. Jun Akiyama & Johnny Smith (with Cyrus): Well, maybe I was giving New Jack too much credit, because the noise died down as soon as the match began. But it is an excellent match, even though the fans don’t seem to care. There’s a slight pop when Masato Tanaka tags in for the first time, but that’s about it. This match is a lot slower paced than the first one, as Tanaka and Honma are brawlers while Smith and Akiyama are mat wrestlers. Both sides alternate being in control and in peril, but ultimately the heels collide, and The Hardcore Japanese debut a new finishing move, the Stereo Roaring Elbows, on Akiyama. Honma gets the pinfall off that. As New Jack and The Hardcore Japanese celebrate their win, Smith and Akiyama get into a little shoving match until Cyrus gets in the ring and tries to separate them. Eventually, Scoot Andrews also comes out to help keep Smith and Akiyama from coming to blows.

Winner: The Hardcore Japanese

OR: 72

CR: 71

MQ: 90

Cyrus gets a microphone, and my expectations continue to rise. Cyrus starts to berate Jun Akiyama and Johnny Smith for their recent lack of success, both as a team and in singles competition. Cyrus tells Akiyama that he’s got Mr. Wrestling on Monday (well, actually he said Nick Dinsmore, but we know what he meant), and he’s giving them one more chance as a team next Saturday. Cyrus then says he knows he can count on Scoot Andrews to come through for him, and he tells Smith and Akiyama to go sit in the back and watch the next match between Scoot Andrews and Jacques Rougeau Jr.

OR: 91

(Scoot Andrews gained in over from 82 to 83.)

Jacques Rougeau Jr. vs. Scoot Andrews (with Cyrus): The announcers remind us that it was only a week ago that Andrews defeated Jacques’ brother Raymond in a Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying match, although they neglect to mention Chavo Guerrero Jr.’s involvement. Andrews does an admirable job carrying Rougeau to a good match, and gets rewarded in the end when he gets the Forces Of Nature for the pin.

Winner: Scoot Andrews

OR: 73

CR: 80

MQ: 84

Speak of the devil: Chavo Guerrero Jr. is backstage, talking about his match against Sting last night and his match against Super Crazy tonight. He says he’s tired of wrestling old, slow, crippled wrestlers because it takes so long to wrestle them, like he had with Sting last night. I love shoot comments that aren’t meant to be. He says he knows tonight’s match will be much faster paced, but that just means he’ll win a lot quicker.

OR: 81

Steve Corino comes to the ring once again, this time with Super Crazy. He’s a little more calm this time, since there’s no threat of elimination on Crazy like there was on Ultimo Dragon earlier tonight. Corino says that Chavo Guerrero Jr. has been running roughshod all over TNA since he arrived nearly a month ago, and tonight Super Crazy will be the one to put him in his place.

OR: 85

Super Crazy (with Steve Corino) vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr.: What a great match! Considering who was involved, however, it’s really no surprise. Crazy surprisingly controls Chavo and scores several near-falls in the first six minutes, but Chavo cheats to turn the tide. No, really, Chavo cheats. Where’s Mr. Wrestling when you need him? Anyway, Chavo continually cheats while staying in command despite Corino’s protests to the referee. Chavo applies The Gory Guerrero Special, and Super Crazy taps out. Suddenly, Jody Fleisch runs in from the back and once again hits a Phoenix 720 DDT on Chavo! Fleisch stands over the fallen Guerrero, and a smile slowly speads across his face as the show ends.

Winner: Chavo Guerrero Jr.

OR: 76

CR: 77

MQ: 94

OR: 80

Rating: 6.04

Attendance: 10026

Best segment: Cyrus tells Jun Akiyama and Johnny Smith to watch Scoot Andrews’ match (91)

Worst segment: Ultimo Dragon over Devon Storm (71)

Best match: Chavo Guerrero Jr. over Super Crazy (76)

[LoveMuscle]

Monday, February 16, 2004

Saturday was “one of those days.” You could almost see it coming, the way the crowd has been responding to a lot of the matches recently. Also, Jun Akiyama complained about Masato Tanaka being a little too reckless in their tag match. But outside of the ring, there were a lot of good points: Several stories were advanced, and Cyrus continued his hot streak on the microphone. He’s taken three nobodies who haven’t really been given much of a push and has done everything he could to get them over.

TNA XCitement

Hosts: Steven Kavovit and Bart Snake

Kavovit: Hello, everyone, welcome to XCitement! I'm Steven Kavovit, and my co-host is Bart Snake.

Snake: Good to see you again, Steven.

Kavovit: Tonight we have a Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying match with Bas Rutten taking on Big Vito.

Snake: That should be a good match. Also tonight, Mr. Wrestling will answer Cyrus’ latest challenge when he faces Jun Akiyama.

Kavovit: Mr. Wrestling has defeated Scoot Andrews and Johnny Smith, so tonight he … wait a minute, that’s Low-Ki’s music! What’s this all about?

Low-Ki steps through the curtains to some massive heel heat, and then he walks over to the announcer’s desk.

Kavovit: Ladies and gentlemen, the World champion, Low-Ki! What are you doing here tonight?

Low-Ki: Did you see XHilaration last Saturday?

Kavovit: Yes, I did.

Low-Ki: Then you saw Steve Corino suggest that someone like Ultimo Dragon was worthy of a World title shot. Can you imagine that masked goof as the World champion?

Kavovit: Well, I …

Low-Ki: And I would just imagine that they’re not the only ones who think they’re deserving of a World title match. So tonight I’m going to put on another demonstration of why I am the World champion and that there’s nobody in TNA who can take this title from me. Ultimo Dragon, Steve Corino, you’d better get ready. Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it. Tonight you’re getting your ass kicked!

OR: 92

Total Elimination Battle Royal qualifying match: Big Vito vs. Bas Rutten: Like most of these qualifying matches, the fans are really having a hard time getting too involved in them, since they usually feature some of the less over workers in the company. Tonight is no different, and even though Vito and Rutten put on a good match, the crowd is less than enthusiastic. Rutten gets a lot of cheating, such as using choke holds, poking the eyes, and other things to try and get some heat, but to no avail. Rutten finally locks on the Guillotine Choke, and Vito taps out.

Winner: Bas Rutten

OR: 77

CR: 71

MQ: 84

(Big Vito dropped in over from 83 to 82. Bas Rutten gained in over from 73 to 74.)

Mr. Wrestling comes to the ring and gets the microphone. He says just for educational purposes, he looked cheating up in the dictionary and found Jun Akiyama’s picture! He says that just proves that his quest to eliminate cheating still has a long way to go.

OR: 78

Mr. Wrestling vs. Jun Akiyama (with Cyrus): The announcers talk about the friction between Cyrus, Akiyama, and Johnny Smith that happened just two days ago, and note that Cyrus isn’t quite as into this match as he usually is. Sure, he’s at ringside. But he’s nowhere near as vocal as he normally is. The action in the ring quite often left Mr. Wrestling in a position that would leave him vulnerable to interference behind the referee’s back by Cyrus but instead he doesn’t get involved. With it pretty much being a one-on-one match, Mr. Wrestling proves to be too much for Akiyama to overcome without Cyrus’ aid, and he gets locked into the Crossface. Akiyama taps out, and Cyrus only shakes his head.

Winner: Mr. Wrestling

OR: 80

CR: 75

MQ: 86

Steve Corino leads Ultimo Dragon to the ring and retrieves a microphone from one of the ring crew. He says this is the kind of respect him and his guys deserve. He tells commissioner Mick Foley to watch this match and see for himself that Dragon didn’t belong in a Total Elimination qualifying match.

OR: 91

NWA World title match: Ultimo Dragon (with Steve Corino) vs. Low-Ki ©: Great match, which finally got the crowd to wake up a little. Dragon scored four or five near-falls early in this match, but the fans didn’t seem to buy Dragon as a serious threat to win the belt. In fact, this one looked like a really good X division match with all the high flying both men were doing. But the last move wasn’t an aerial move – it was a Ki-Krusher, which Low-Ki used to get the pinfall to retain the title.

Winner: Low-Ki

OR: 87

CR: 81

MQ: 93

OR: 84

Rating: 6.20

Attendance: 10001

Best segment: Low-Ki gives Ultimo Dragon a World title match (92)

Worst segment: Bas Rutten over Big Vito (77)

Best match: Low-Ki over Ultimo Dragon (87)