The Death of the WWE

[Chris the Human]

It's 11.15pm on a Thursday night and the reserved, proper voice over the library's P.A. system has just informed you that you've got fifteen minutes to complete your loans and exit the premises before they're closed for the night. You tuck the two textbooks underneath your arm and are about to start a frantic run towards the service desk when you spot it out the corner of your eye.

Is that Ken Kennedy?

Despite the fact you really should hurry, you stop to look at the cover of the book that caught your eye. Yeah! That's Ken Kennedy! And that's Samoa Joe and... what was his name? He was huge forever. Triple H! Yeah! Man, that takes you back! The title reads 'The Death of the WWE'. They're dead? You didn't know that. You'd been right into wrestling for a while there. Back when Raw went up against Impact and you had to choose whether to buy a Samoa Joe or Johnny Nitro t-shirt, and when arguments at lunch-time seemed to be won and lost on whether or not Christian Cage was a better wrestler than Randy Orton.

Glancing quickly at your watch, you flip the book over to read its glossy back cover.

"The WWE should never have died. Like WCW before it, World Wrestling Entertainment had everything going for it. The sole global wrestling promotion in the world from the time it kill WCW and for almost a decade afterwards, the WWE had successfully changed the way fans looked at wrestling. They had three distinct brands putting on their own pay-per-views, they had their top wrestlers acting in Hollywood released films, and the name 'WWE' had become synonymous with professional wrestling.

But die it did. Some blame it on mismanagement, others on the rise of TNA as a company, and others still just say it was the WWE's time.

What ever the reason, The Death of the WWE aims to look at the reasons behind why the single biggest company in professional wrestling history became just another footnote in the tale of America's love affair with the sport. Come with us as we take you from the days when the WWE was king and TNA was just another upstart promotion with a few disgruntled ex-WWE employees to the day when the world stood still. From the time before anyone had heard of Jimmy Jacobs or Harry Smith to a time when they were the leading lights of their business.

With a foreward by former WWE and TNA wrestler, The Rock, the Death of the WWE aims to provide a blow by blow retelling of the tragic Death of the WWE"

"The library is now closed," the voice booms over the P.A.

You hear the clicking of locks that pre-empts the lights going out. For a terrifying moment you're in utter darkness, and then the sickly yellow of the security lights floods into the room. Locked inside the library - how very Neverending Story of you. But with nothing better to do until they re-open at 8am tomorrow morning, you drag up a comfortable looking chair, open the book, and begin to read...

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I've walked this path before, I know. But where I've come back to other ideas before, this one has always stuck at the back of my mind. What follows is something a little experimental. I like to call it 'reverse writing'. I write this diary having already decided on an outcome (the death of the WWE) and having already given you some details as to who are superstars when it is ends - now I've just got to book myself to that point.

I'll be taking the reins of TNA, and following the WWE's progress in a combination of ways. As it stands it'll be mixture of TEW's booking, my own additions, and possibly some help from outside sources. As it's being written as a history rather than a show by show style diary, there'll be some departures from what has become generally accepted in the Dome. While I will provide some shows (key ones) in detail, I'll sometimes go for a month without describing the happenings of TNA Impact or Raw in detail - instead providing the essential information before describing a defining PPV match or a crucial hiring. At other times you'll get TNA Impact blow by blow.

So, without further ado, let's get started. You were at the first page, remember?

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Perhaps the death of World Wrestling Entertainment was a long time coming. Many have said that the professional wrestling industry is cyclical, and there's certainly evidence of that in the years before the WWE became another footnote in wrestling history. One must only look at the sad fate of World Championship Wrestling to see this. On top of the world in 1997 and bankrupt in 2001 - World Championship Wrestling's fate should perhaps have been a warning to the WWE of what the future could well hold for them.

Some say that the death of the WWE started well before the rise of TNA with the purchase of WCW and the cream of Extreme Championship Wrestling's roster following its own bankruptcy. In a few short months, wrestling fans had gone from having two mainstream wrestling options and a cult level alternative to being forced to watch the WWE (then the WWF) if they wanted their fix of professional wrestling. What should have provided dream matches such as Goldberg vs. Steve Austin, The Rock vs. Sting, and Ric Flair vs. Mankind instead produced considerably less epic clashes such as Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Van Dam, Diamond Dallas Page vs. Sarah Calloway, and Billy Kidman vs. X-Pac.

And after the 'InVasion' (and yes, the capitalisation was intentional) had come and gone, fans gradually began to realise that without competition to push them and create new talents - the WWE would have to shoulder the entire burden of keeping professional wrestling afloat. In their shadow small companies were born and died, but none ever rose to begin to challenge Vince McMahon's giant. The decline was not something people noticed immediately - and the WWE were still raking in the cash well into the 21st century on the back of new stars such as John Cena, Batista, and Edge. While none of them ever reached the global popularity and fame of a Stone Cold Steve Austin or Hulk Hogan, they did well enough to keep fans and stock-holders confident that Vince McMahon still had what it took to run a profitable wrestling company. The problem, though, was that talent could be misused without consequence – bad angles could be played out with the knowledge that the audience had to keep watching if it wanted to see its favourite stars. Ultimately, by killing the biggest threat to their existence, the WWE signed their own death warrant.

That’s not the complete story, however, as this book will detail. Many other factors played a part in the demise of the company and the rise of a new generation of wrestling. The rise of Total Non-stop Action and its cutting edge style was a huge part, but not the only part. Just like the WWE did not ‘win’ the Monday Night Wars as much as they survived them – the same can be true of TNA. They were simply the right business at the right time, and they made sure to capitalise on every one of the WWE’s mistakes.

This book does favour TNA, but that is how history works – it favours the victors. Whilst I will endeavour to provide as unbiased a view as possible, no doubt my affiliation with TNA will bleed into the stories. I apologise to any fans of the WWE product who are offended by this.

Setting the Scene - 2007

Before we begin, it's perhaps best that we at least touch on the state of the industry when our journey begins. The year 2007 saw TNA on the rise after the acquisitions of former WWE and WCW stars such as Kurt Angle and Sting, whilst the WWE endured an injury crisis that saw them deprived of drawcards such as Triple H, The Undertaker, Mr. Kennedy, Rey Mysterio, and Shawn Michaels. With their resources divided between Monday Night Raw, Friday Night Smackdown, and the 'B-show' ECW on Sci-Fi, the WWE were beginning to find life a little difficult as the summer of 2007 rolled around.

TNA, on the other hand, had just come out of a very well received Sacrifice pay-per-view and were building towards a Slammiversary that would mark five years of existence and would see the rising company strike the first real 'blow' of what would later be dubbed the Monday Night War II. But before we launch into the major players and the like, it's perhaps best to look at what had occured so far in 2007.

WWE

New Year's Revolution

Jeff Hardy © defeated Johnny Nitro to retain the Intercontinental Championship

Cryme Tyme defeated The Highlanders, The World's Greatest Tag Team, Jim Duggan & Super Crazy, and Cade & Murdoch in Tag Team Turmoil

Kenny Dykstra defeated Ric Flair

Mickie James © defeated Victoria to retain the Women's Championship

Rated RKO fought to a no contest with D-Generation X

Chris Masters defeated Carlito

John Cena © defeated Umaga to retain the WWE Championship

The injury to Triple H in the match between DX and Rated RKO (a short lived pairing of Edge and Randy Orton) would prove to be a cruel blow to the WWE, with the pairing of Shawn Michaels and Triple H arguably the biggest babyface drawcard the company had at the time. It's interesting to note that of the victors at New Year's Revolution, the likes of Kenny Dykstra, Chris Masters, and Cryme Tyme would all be relegated to what some would call 'Heat Status'*

*Heat was a long lived and largely unimportant B-show for the WWE, featuring workers from the Raw brand who seldom (if at all) appeared on the main program. Perennial Heat stars such as Val Venis would later prove to be useful commodoties to TNA.

Royal Rumble

The Hardyz defeated MNM

Bobby Lashley © defeated Test to retain the ECW World Title

Batista © defeated Mr. Kennedy to retain the World Heavyweight Championship

John Cena © defeated Umaga to retain the WWE Championship

The Undertaker won the Royal Rumble (the final four being The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Edge, and Randy Orton)

The Undertaker's Royal Rumble win was seen as an excellent way of sending him out. A company man through and through, Calloway had never before won the Rumble, and also became the first person to ever win it from the #30 position. The win set up a feud with Batista for the Smackdown title, and would ultimately end prematurely when Undertaker picked up an injury shortly at Backlash later in the year.

No Way Out

Chris Benoit & The Hardyz defeated MVP & MNM

Chavo Guerrero defeated Gregory Helms ©, Jimmy Wang Yang, Shannon Moore, Daivari, Scotty 2 Hotty, Funaki, and Jamie Noble in a Cruiserweight Invitational to become WWE Cruiserweight Champion

Finlay & The Little Bastard defeated The Boogeyman & Little Boogeyman

Kane defeated King Booker

Paul London & Brian Kendrick © defeated Deuce and Domino to retain the WWE Tag Titles

Mr. Kennedy defeated Bobby Lashley © by DQ

Ashley Massaro won a Diva Talent Invitational

John Cena & Shawn Michaels defeated Batista & The Undertaker

Believe it or not, Ashley Massaro's talent was unveiling her upcoming Playboy cover. The WWE, in their infinite respect for the fans, didn't even let them decide - instead having The Miz announce it before most divas had even shown people their 'talents'. A small mercy, really.

Wrestlemania 23

Mr. Kennedy defeated Edge, CM Punk, Finlay, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, King Booker, and Randy Orton to win Money in the Bank III

The Great Khali defeated Kane

Chris Benoit © defeated MVP to retain the WWE United States Title

The Undertaker defeated Batista © to win the World Heavyweight Championship

The ECW Originals (Tommy Dreamer, The Sandman, Sabu, and Rob Van Dam) defeated The New Breed (Elijah Burke, Matt Striker, Marcus Cor Van, and Kevin Thorn)

Bobby Lashley (with Donald Trump) defeated Umaga (with Vince McMahon) in a Hair vs. Hair match

Melina © defeated Ashley Massaro in a Lumberjill match to retain the WWE Women's Title

John Cena © defeated Shawn Michaels to retain the WWE Championship

The event was deemed as a huge success, with the Undertaker maintaining his unbeaten streak at Wrestlemania, Mr. Kennedy taking his first step towards true superstardom with a Money in the Bank victory, and The Great Khali taking his own first step towards what would later prove to be a disastrous title run from the impressively built but not so talented worker.

Backlash

The Hardyz © defeated Cade & Murdoch to retain the World Tag Titles

Melina © defeated Mickie James to retain the WWE Women's Title

Chris Benoit © defeated MVP to retain the WWE United States Title

Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and Umaga defeated Bobby Lashley © for Vince to become ECW World Champion

The Undertaker © fought to a draw in a Last Man Standing match with Batista to retain the World Heavyweight Title

John Cena © defeated Edge, Shawn Michaels, and Randy Orton to retain the WWE Title

The draw between The Undertaker and Batista proved to be particularly costly, with The Undertaker picking up an injury in the match that would see him have to drop the title to Edge on Smackdown just two weeks later. How Edge had received a title shot on Smackdown is a rather convoluted story that starts with a doctor misdiagnosing Mr. Kennedy (who you'll remember had won Money in the Bank at Wrestlemania) and forcing the WWE to hurriedly remove the briefcase from him by having Edge win it on Raw and cash it in on the following Smackdown. The decision to put the ECW Title on Vince McMahon, who many fans of the original product saw as the antithesis of ECW, was a further nail in the coffin of Extreme Championship Wrestling's proud legacy.

TNA

Final Resolution

Rhino defeated AJ Styles in Last Man Standing

Chris Sabin defeated Christopher Daniels © and Jerry Lynn to win the X-Division Title

Alex Shelley defeated Austin Starr in the Paparazzi Championship series final

James Storm defeated Petey Williams

LAX © defeated Team 3-D to retain the NWA Tag Titles

Kurt Angle defeated Samoa Joe 3-2 in an Iron Man match

Christian Cage © defeated Abyss and Sting to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Title

Looking at the card in hindsight, it looks like a card packed with stars. Certainly the likes of Homicide, Alex Shelley, Christopher Daniels, Rhino, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Abyss, and even Petey Williams would become major players in the future - but it's important to note that at this point, most were still in their embryonic stages as superstars.

Against All Odds

LAX © defeated Team 3-D in a Little Italy Street Fight to retain the NWA Tag Titles

Senshi defeated Austin Starr

Christy Hemme defeated 'Big Fat Oily Guy'

Lance Hoyt defeated Dale Torborg in Basebrawl II

AJ Styles defeated Rhino in a Motor City Chain match

Chris Sabin © defeated Jerry Lynn to retain the X-Division Title

James Storm & Jacqueline Moore defeated Petey Williams & Gail Kim

Sting defeated Abyss in a Prison Yard match

Christian Cage © defeated Kurt Angle to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Title

The card is perhaps notable for the number of gimmick matches on the card. The move, a hallmark of Vince Russo, is all the evidence necessary that the infamous booker was at the company at the time. Suffice it to say, Russo's days at the company were numbered following this event - although only a change of management would bring about his firing.

Destination X

LAX defeated Team 3-D in a Ghetto Brawl

James Storm & Jacqueline Moore defeated Petey Williams & Gail Kim in a Double Bullrope match

Senshi defeated Austin Starr in a Crossface Chickenwing match

Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated The Heartbreakers

Chris Sabin © defeated Jerry Lynn in a 2 out of 3 Falls match to retain the X-Division Title

Rhino defeated AJ Styles in Elevation X

Kurt Angle defeated Scott Steiner

Sting defeated Abyss in a Last Rites match

Christian Cage © defeated Samoa Joe to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Title

The Last Rites match between Sting and Abyss, in particular, was not well received by TNA fans or the general public. The card is again notable for the number of gimmick matches present on the card.

Lockdown

Chris Sabin © defeated Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, Shark Boy, and Alex Shelley in an Xscape match to retain the X-Division Title

Robert Roode defeated Petey Williams in Six Sides of Steel

Gail Kim defeated Jacqueline Moore in Six Sides of Steel

Senshi defeated Austin Starr in Six Sides of Steel

James Storm defeated Chris Harris in a Blindfold match

Christopher Daniels defeated Jerry Lynn in Six Sides of Steel

Team 3-D defeated LAX © in an Electrified Steel Cage match to become NWA World Tag Champions

Team Angle (Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Rhino, Jeff Jarrett, and Sting) defeated Team Cage (Christian Cage, Tomko, AJ Styles, Scott Steiner, and Abyss) in Lethal Lockdown

TNA's trademark Lockdown pay-per-view (in which all matches take place inside a steel cage) was a relative success, with the Lethal Lockdown main event in particular providing a real treat for fans. The finish saw Abyss being forced to submit to both Sting and Kurt Angle, meaning both became #1 contender to Christian Cage's NWA title.

Sacrifice

Chris Sabin © defeated Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt to retain the X-Division Title

Robert Roode defeated Jeff Jarrett

Christopher Daniels defeated Rhino

Basham & Damaja defeated Kipp James

Chris Harris defeated James Storm in a Texas Death match

Jerry Lynn defeated Alex Shelley, Tiger Mask IV, and Senshi

Team 3-D © defeated Steiner & Tomko and LAX to retain the NWA World Tag Titles

Samoa Joe defeated AJ Styles

Kurt Angle defeated Sting and Christian Cage © to become NWA World Heavyweight Champion

Sacrifice was regarded as a turning point event for TNA, with the majority of matches (the exception being the awful handicap match) being better than average and the event signalling the end of TNA's largely symbollic affiliation with NWA. It is this 'new birth' for TNA (which saw the company create its own tag and World Championship titles) that marks the beginning of our tale, as it seems as good a place as any.

So, dear reader, sit back and prepare to laugh, cry, and cheer as we take you on the journey that saw the WWE die an ignoble death and TNA take its place at the top of the professional wrestling world. Who knows? Maybe as you leaf through this book, TNA itself is in the fight of its life against some new upstart promotion. That's the beauty of the business we all know and love.

It works in cycles, and right here, we're at the beginning of another one.

[Blaze09]

This is a great concept. Even though you really gave away the end its still doesn't tell you whats gonna happen. Overall I cant wait for this diary

[RKOwnage]

Yeah, this diary really looks awesome. A lot of detail put into this, but I really don't think it's that big of a deal that the ending was revealed. It seems like it's not so much of a diary as it is a story. If I saw this as a book (as the character in the diary does) then I'd still be compelled to read it. Same with The Death of WCW. I'll be reading, this seems really interesting.

[Jack_Attack]

This looks good. I'll be reading.

[Survey]

Wow. I loved the introduction. I'll be reading.

[CDuffy26]

One of the better backstories that I've read, along with a very interesting concept. While I was reading the first part of the intro, I felt like I was actually reading "The Death of WCW". Can't wait for the next update.

[Guest Senka Surakei]

The backstory is great, and I love the book concept to it. I'm looking forward to reading what you have going, and I hope you do well with the results too!

[Chris the Human]

Cast

Like all epic tragedies, the Death of the WWE is a tale with many players, all of whom would play some part in the death of the WWE and the rise of TNA. To name everyone who made some meaningful contribution to the period now would take an entire book of its own - so instead, let me instead set the scene and introduce a few of the key players when our story begins in May, 2007.

Paul Levesque aka Triple H

Married to Stephanie McMahon and firmly entrenched in the booking team, Triple H was one of the biggest drawcards in the company but often drew criticism due to his seemingly unending presence in the title scene. As this story takes place, Triple H is on the shelf with an injury.

Stephanie McMahon

The daughter of Vince McMahon, her 'Billion Dollar Princess' character on screen wasn't so far removed from her off screen antics. With immense power when it came to booking as well as hiring and firing, it was some of Stephanie's temper tantrum firings, as well as her seemingly suicidal decisions on who to push that played a major part in killing the WWE.

Vince McMahon

The man who revolutionised wrestling when he formed the WWF from the ashes of the territories, McMahon's legacy to professional wrestling is unquestionable. His Wrestlemania dream brought professional wrestling into the mainstream, and he made more stars than any other wrestling promoter. In his own way, Vince was responsible for the WWE's decline with his egoism, but he retired well before the worst of the WWE.

Shawn Michaels

A part of the infamous clique of the Attitude era, 'The Heartbreak Kid' had an unquestionable right to be at the top of the WWE's pecking order. His in ring performances and promos could never be faulted. The issue with him came with his influence over his own booking, which on several occasions saw promising careers snuffed out in favour of keeping him near the top. For those who are familiar with the death of WCW - you might be noticing a common trend.

John Cena

Vince McMahon's answer to the retirement of legendary stars such as Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, John Cena was a far better worker than history may give him credit for. For much of his lengthy stay at the top, he was pushed as a babyface and booed like a heel - and was forced down the fans throats with a seemingly unending run at the top. The pressure burned him out at the relatively young age (in professional wrestling terms) of 34, and after a breakdown, he disappeared from professional wrestling forever.

Jeff Jarrett

Seen by a great many as the man holding TNA back, Jeff Jarrett's relationship with TNA is a complex one. When the company was started by his father, Jarrett was still a relatively big draw as a result of his run in World Championship Wrestling. At the time we begin our story, however, his run at the top in TNA had lead to him drawing what fans call 'X-Pac Heat'. That is to say, he was hated beyond his in ring persona, and fans hated seeing him on their television. At the time we begin our tale, however, he had recently returned as a babyface.

Kurt Angle

One of the unquestionable stars of the 2000s, Kurt Angle made the transition from Olympic athlete to WWE mega-star in good time, and in addition to being one of the greatest workers of the era, was also a tremendously gifted user of the microphone. Sacked from the WWE in 2006 due to a string of drug related problems, Angle was promptly snapped up by TNA and introduced into their title scene. His status as one of the greatest workers of the era made him an immediate player in what would later become Monday Night War II - and at the time we begin, he had won the TNA World Heavyweight Title somewhat controversially at Sacrifice.

Sting

One of the rare few who was at the top of his game during both the original Monday Night War and Monday Night War II, Sting's return to professional wrestling in 2006 brought a great many old school fans to TNA. Despite his age, Sting remained a key player for the company well into the war.

The Title Situation

The WWE at the time had what many would call an overabundance of belts (and this would only worsen when the ECW Television Title and WWE European title were reintroduced further down the line) - and many fans at the time felt that this watered down the title scene. Vince McMahon, in an address given to shareholders in 2007, said that the opposite was true. He felt that a pay-per-view full of championship matches was a bigger draw.

WWE Heavyweight: John Cena

WWE World Heavyweight: Edge

ECW World Heavyweight: Vince McMahon

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Santino Marella

WWE United States Championship: Chris Benoit

WWE Tag Titles: Deuce & Domino

WWE World Tag Titles: The Hardy Boyz

WWE Women's Title: Melina

WWE Cruiserweight Title: Chavo Guerrero

TNA, on the other hand, had a relatively uncrowed championship scene, with just the three titles. At the time the war began, however, they were in an interesting situation. As a result of ending their relationship with the National Wrestling Alliance, TNA found itself with its two most prestigious belts (the World Championship and Tag Titles) removed. Obviously these were immediately replaced with TNA equivalents, but some saw this removal of the NWA legacy as the death of TNA as a regional entity and its birth as a real competitor to the WWE.

TNA World Heavyweight Championship: Kurt Angle

TNA X-Division Championship: Chris Sabin

TNA World Tag Titles: Team 3-D

It's the eve of Judgement Day 2007 and our journey is about to begin. It's a bumpy ride, folks, so I suggest you buckle up.

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The War Begins...

To say it was a 'war' in May 2007 would be the height of exaggeration. As it was, TNA were still leagues behind World Wrestling Entertainment in all facets of the business. WWE pay-per-views, whilst perhaps not of the quality they had once been, were still collecting good buyrates. WWE television ratings were ahead of TNA's sole television offering, and with the exception of Kurt Angle and Sting - TNA had next to nobody on the roster with mainstream credibility. The fans could wax lyrical about Samoa Joe or Christian Cage - but the fact remained that in a global sense, they were smell fish.

It's important to note that at the time, the WWE were going through one of the seemingly annual periods in which they would hemorrhage talent. Some of the firings at this time (such as longtime company man, Scott 'Scotty 2 Hotty' Taylor) would have no great effect on the business, whilst others would give TNA a valuable leg up in the years to come. The most promiment of these firings was perhaps Sabu, an ECW 'original' who had been picked up by the WWE for their ECW revival after having produced some excellent matches in TNA. His run in the WWE, though without gold, had included working high profile matches against the likes of Rey Mysterio and John Cena, as well as participating as part of the ECW Originals team at Wrestlemania. TNA were understandably interested in capitalising on his recent mainstream success - and would pounce as soon as the ninety day non appearance clause in his WWE contract was up.

But he would not be the only ex WWE talent picked up by TNA in the days following what some called 'Stephanie's tantrum'. Former Tough Enough star Dan Rodimer; WWE developmental talents Katie Lea, TJ Wilson, Nattie Neidhart, Terry Ray Gordy, and Steve Lewington; and recently released pair, Rob Conway and Shelly 'Ariel' Martinez.

But none of these would prove to be 'huge' hirings in the short term (although the likes of Wilson, Neidhart, and even Conway would play their part in the future). No, the huge firing came just hours after Judgement Day. But I'm getting ahead of myself there. Let's take a look at the train-wreck that was Judgement Day, shall we?

Ric Flair defeated Carlito by submission

CM Punk defeated Elijah Burke

The Hardyz © defeated Murdoch & Cade to retain the World Tag Titles

Bobby Lashley defeated Vince McMahon ©, Shane McMahon, and Umaga in a Handicap match to become ECW World Champion

Randy Orton defeated Shawn Michaels

Edge © defeated Batista to retain the World Heavyweight Title

The Great Khali defeated John Cena © by DQ

Of these results, a few had long term effects on the WWE. Shawn Michaels' loss was a way of removing him from WWE programming while he recovered from a knee injury and Orton going over was a bemusing decision giving his recent backstage troubles. But with the company without many of its top tier stars, his indescretions were forgotten in favour of keeping one of the company's top draws on deck. Bobby Lashley regained his ECW title only to be attacked by Snitsky (who had embarked on a series of squashes on ECW TV since being repackaged from, get this, a foot fetishist), while The Great Khali's 'victory' over John Cena was the first step towards what would prove to be a nightmarish title run for the Indian actor/wrestler.

But somebody on the card was about to be fired. Somebody on the card was far from happy with their position in the WWE and was about to let Stephanie McMahon know all about it. One of the people on that card was about to get fired and jump to TNA - and in doing so, ignite what would become the fiercest rivallry in professional wrestling...

[Guest Senka Surakei]

Holy snap-sicles, that was amazing. I mean, it wasn't even really anything, but I find myself really wanting to know who's going to get fired. You've got so much forshadowing, and teasers, but I really have NO idea what's going on! I've got to hand it to you, this has got the makings to be the BEST Diary I've ever read, and you've yet to post a show. I won't be posting until you post some more, because I don't want to get in trouble for post-whoring. I just had to say, this is amazing stuff right here. Honestly though, I hope Stephanie gets hit by a car some where in there, and dies.

[Chris the Human]

The Five Year Celebration

June would mark the five year anniversary of TNA's founding and, as a result, Slammiversary was seen as a celebration of TNA's achievements since its formaiton in the aftermath of the deaths of World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling. With the main event already confirmed as a King of the Mountain match (a gimmick match unique to TNA), the month leading up to the event would see the top stars in TNA competing to decide who would headline Slammiversary and become the first ever TNA champion.

Week One, June, 2007

The first Impact in the aftermath of Kurt Angle's controversial title win at Sacrifice saw the Olympic Gold medalist out in the ring for a celebration ceremony and to be officially awarded the new TNA title. The move was another in a long series of confusing booking decisions with regards to Angle's alignment - he seemed to bounce between babyface and heel almost at random, but Sting's arrival to cut off the celebrations left no doubt as to who was the babyface in this particular confrontation. Sting pointed out that although he did tap out to Angle's Angle Lock, he also has a pretty clear recollection of hearing the ref count his pinfall on Christian Cage for the 1-2-3.

This of course brought out Christian Cage, and this put the company's top three drawcards in the ring together. Cage began to quote some archaic rule that would see him retain his title as a result of no definitive decision being made, and this brought out Jim Cornette to announce the already well documented King of the Mountain match for Slammiversary and to let everybody know that there would be ten wrestlers competing for five places in the upcoming match - with Rhino taking on Sting in the first of the qualifiers on this very night. The move to use Sting on free television was a bold one from TNA, who had previously held off on using their bigger drawcards on free television where possible.

RATING: 88%

The introductory segment gave way to Scott Steiner and Tomko preparing for their match in the back. Both men had been involved in a very well received three way tag title match at Sacrifice, but the end had seen Tomko and Steiner clash before Rick Steiner had hit the ring to make the save. On this night, however, the big pair agreed to put their differences aside for their match against Kaz (Frankie Kazarian) and Martyr (Matt Bentley) of the little used Seratonin stable.

RATING: 68%

Seratonin, named for the neurotransmitter responsible for such things as aggression and sexual appetitie, was just the latest of a string of ill fated stables headed up by the prodigiously gifted but perenially misued Scott 'Raven' Levy. At the time Raven had previously lead stables by the name of The Flock (WCW), Dead Pool (WCW), and The Gathering (TNA).

This time around Raven's group consisted of a trio of up and coming talents in the form of Frankie Kazarian (who had rejoined TNA after a failed stint in the WWE), Matt Bentley (the real life cousin of the WWE's Shawn Michaels), and Johnny Devine. For the most part, however, the group had been used as cannon fodder for getting others over - most recently when members of Seratonin were used by Christy Hemme as mercenaries in her lengthy feud with the Voodoo Kin Mafia. Fans of Raven and his charges had grown increasingly agitated at their misuse, but of course, we know that the situation would change in time

[Sam_Van_619]

This is all looking very interesting. I'm looking forward here to reading about the rise of TNA and the downfall of WWE, and I think you're gonna go about it in a realistic manner. Now for the predictions...

TNA Slammiversary 2007

Basham & Damaja vs. Voodoo Kin Mafia in a Tables match

Basham and Damaja are the new guys and VKM are the kind of act who I think you're gonna phase out of TNA. But what is Christy Hemme doing on interviews? Doesn't she have her own issues to worry about?

Robert Roode vs. Eric Young with Young's contract on the line

This should end the entire Young/Roode debacle, as I can't see how you would continue to carry it on after this.

Chris Sabin © vs. Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt for the X-Division Title

Ip-dip-doo...and Black Machismo wins!

The Steiner Brothers vs. LAX vs. Tomko & Giant Bernard in a Contender's match

These are the newest of the three teams, plus I think a match between them and Team 3D might be surprisingly good.

Christopher Daniels vs. Sting

Via trickery and deception...and because a huge win here could catapult Daniels to the next level.

Jeff Jarrett vs. AJ Styles

With some help from Miss Dumas, I feel. Jarrett seems to be in a 'put everyone over' phase, and AJ winning would be good for him.

Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage vs. Rhino vs. Samoa Joe vs. ?? in a King of the Mountain match for the TNA World Heavyweight Title

Very tempted to pick the mystery man, but I'm going with Joe, because you have previously stated that he is the future of TNA. Why not set the wheels in motion early here?

WWE Vengeance

Snitsky vs. CM Punk

Hey, if WWE is doomed then it only makes sense for the bumbling big man to go over the talented not-so big man.

MVP © vs. Chris Benoit for the US Title

I have a feeling Benoit will turn up in TNA sooner or later.

Randy Orton vs. Ric Flair

These guys are going in opposite directions, really, and Flair hardly ever wins.

Deuce & Domino © vs. Cade & Murdoch for the WWE Tag Titles

Champs retain in what I can only assume is the early stages of this feud.

Edge © vs. Batista in a First Blood match for the World Heavyweight Title

Far, far too early for Edge to drop the title back to Batista.

Melina © vs. Candice Michelle for the WWE Women's Title

Candice is not quite 'there' as a wrestler yet.

Lashley © vs. Umaga for the ECW World Heavyweight Title

I needed a title change, and this seemed like the most likely one.

John Cena © vs. The Great Khali in a Last Man Standing match for the WWE Title

Well since this is the DEATH of WWE, why not put the title on the worst wrestler in the entire company.

[Guest Put You On The Game]

Basham & Damaja vs. Voodoo Kin Mafia in a Tables match

Robert Roode vs. Eric Young with Young's contract on the line

Chris Sabin © vs. Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt for the X-Division Title

The Steiner Brothers vs. LAX vs. Tomko & Giant Bernard in a Contender's match

Christopher Daniels vs. Sting

Jeff Jarrett vs. AJ Styles

Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage vs. Rhino vs. Samoa Joe vs. ?? in a King of the Mountain match for the TNA World Heavyweight Title

WWE Vengeance

Predictions welcome

Snitsky vs. CM Punk

MVP © vs. Chris Benoit for the US Title

Randy Orton vs. Ric Flair

Deuce & Domino © vs. Cade & Murdoch for the WWE Tag Titles

Edge © vs. Batista in a First Blood match for the World Heavyweight Title

Melina © vs. Candice Michelle for the WWE Women's Title

Lashley © vs. Umaga for the ECW World Heavyweight Title

John Cena © vs. The Great Khali in a Last Man Standing match for the WWE Title

[Kapalua2483]

Incredible read. It's such a tremendously unique way to tell the story and it's something all writers in the Dome should aspire to do. To come up with such an original idea that it peaks everyone's interest. I can tell you for certain I will be keeping up with this diary with each update.

TheKap

[ArenaBG]

TNA Slammiversary 2007

Basham & Damaja vs. Voodoo Kin Mafia in a Tables match

Robert Roode vs. Eric Young with Young's contract on the line

Chris Sabin © vs. Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt for the X-Division Title

The Steiner Brothers vs. LAX vs. Tomko & Giant Bernard in a Contender's match

Christopher Daniels vs. Sting

Jeff Jarrett vs. AJ Styles

Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage vs. Rhino vs. Samoa Joe vs. ?? in a King of the Mountain match for the TNA World Heavyweight Title

WWE Vengeance

Snitsky vs. CM Punk

MVP © vs. Chris Benoit for the US Title

Randy Orton vs. Ric Flair

Deuce & Domino © vs. Cade & Murdoch for the WWE Tag Titles

Edge © vs. Batista in a First Blood match for the World Heavyweight Title

Melina © vs. Candice Michelle for the WWE Women's Title

Lashley © vs. Umaga for the ECW World Heavyweight Title

John Cena © vs. The Great Khali in a Last Man Standing match for the WWE Title

[The Heartbreak Kid]

My friend, you have a future HOF diary in your hands. And by god I am LOVING every post of it! But yeah, just so I'm not postwhoring I'm gonna post my predictions. haha

TNA Slammiversary 2007

Basham & Damaja vs. Voodoo Kin Mafia in a Tables match

-They haven't lost yet to a team by Hemme, why start now?

Robert Roode vs. Eric Young with Young's contract on the line

-Roode should win to continue the storyline. But that's just what I think..

Chris Sabin © vs. Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt for the X-Division Title

-My gut says Sabin has it in the bag, but I wanna see the Black Machismo win. Plus, you never know that you want to get the belt off of Sabin so him and Shelly can work the Tag Team Division.

The Steiner Brothers vs. LAX vs. Tomko & Giant Bernard in a Contender's match

-"Two big name teams, in one ring? I smell money!" - Jim Cornette, Team 3D vs Steiner Brothers = Money

Christopher Daniels vs. Sting

-Daniels will try to work the mind games with Sting, but I think Sting has something up his sleeve.

Jeff Jarrett vs. AJ Styles

- Like someone said above me, Jeff Jarrett is in "put people over" mode.

Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage vs. Rhino vs. Samoa Joe vs. ?? in a King of the Mountain match for the TNA World Heavyweight Title

- I had to think, who would Vince Russo pick to win....Then I smacked myself in the head.

[alancer]

Uve gotten urself another fan.

My Predictions

TNA Slammiversary 2007

Basham & Damaja vs. Voodoo Kin Mafia in a Tables match

Robert Roode vs. Eric Young with Young's contract on the line

Chris Sabin © vs. Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt for the X-Division Title

The Steiner Brothers vs. LAX vs. Tomko & Giant Bernard in a Contender's match

Christopher Daniels vs. Sting

Jeff Jarrett vs. AJ Styles

Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage vs. Rhino vs. Samoa Joe vs. ?? in a King of the Mountain match for the TNA World Heavyweight Title

WWE Vengeance

Predictions welcome

Snitsky vs. CM Punk

MVP © vs. Chris Benoit for the US Title

Randy Orton vs. Ric Flair

Deuce & Domino © vs. Cade & Murdoch for the WWE Tag Titles

Edge © vs. Batista in a First Blood match for the World Heavyweight Title

Melina © vs. Candice Michelle for the WWE Women's Title

Lashley © vs. Umaga for the ECW World Heavyweight Title

John Cena © vs. The Great Khali in a Last Man Standing match for the WWE Title

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Bah. Just when you were finally turning into a Cuber, you go and write one of the most interesting starts to a Dome diary I've ever seen. I knew it's not your first time with this concept, but you're really pulling it off this time. Can't wait for more. As for predictions...

Basham & Damaja vs. Voodoo Kin Mafia in a Tables match - my brain says otherwise, but I'm really hoping Basham and Damaja are just cannon fodder

Robert Roode vs. Eric Young with Young's contract on the line - yeah, Roode's getting a bit of a push, but I don't see Young getting fired.

Chris Sabin © vs. Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt for the X-Division Title

The Steiner Brothers vs. LAX vs. Tomko & Giant Bernard in a Contender's match - big Rick Steiner fan, but for the love of God WHY?

Christopher Daniels vs. Sting

Jeff Jarrett vs. AJ Styles - cheap interference from Lita

Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage vs. Rhino vs. Samoa Joe vs. ?? in a King of the Mountain match for the TNA World Heavyweight Title - something tells me the mystery guy is Carlito, and he's not big enough to win the title in his debut. Angle gets it as a reward for his promo.

Snitsky vs. CM Punk - with all due love to Punk, Snitsky's getting the win here.

MVP © vs. Chris Benoit for the US Title - again, my brain says otherwise

Randy Orton vs. Ric Flair - assuming that the program with Flair is the extent of Orton's punishment

Deuce & Domino © vs. Cade & Murdoch for the WWE Tag Titles

Edge © vs. Batista in a First Blood match for the World Heavyweight Title

Melina © vs. Candice Michelle for the WWE Women's Title - gratuitous title change

Lashley © vs. Umaga for the ECW World Heavyweight Title

John Cena © vs. The Great Khali in a Last Man Standing match for the WWE Title

Again, really enjoying this.

[Cole]

Let me just start by saying...wow. Diaries like this really remind me how much I miss reading a lot of the stuff in the dome, hopefully I just keep up with this one as it goes along. I'm really, really digging it thus far and am pumped to find out the mystery man for TNA and things going forward (some stuff already hinted on) You're writing this very well and I'm expecting it to keep that pace and go further.

As for predictions...

TNA Slammiversary 2007

Basham & Damaja vs. Voodoo Kin Mafia in a Tables match

Robert Roode vs. Eric Young with Young's contract on the line

Chris Sabin © vs. Jay Lethal vs. Sonjay Dutt for the X-Division Title

The Steiner Brothers vs. LAX vs. Tomko & Giant Bernard in a Contender's match

Christopher Daniels vs. Sting

Jeff Jarrett vs. AJ Styles

Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage vs. Rhino vs. Samoa Joe vs. ?? in a King of the Mountain match for the TNA World Heavyweight Title

Thoughts: I see Angle getting the push to go along with the promo that Russo wanted from him, with a feud with the mystery man coming? As for the rest of the card, I'm just going on whims really. If I had to make a stab in the dark guess on who the mystery man is, I'd go with Carlito as he's the only guy (other than Michaels, who you mentioned assists WWE's downfall) that isn't on Judgment Day and then Vengeance.

WWE Vengeance

Snitsky vs. CM Punk

MVP © vs. Chris Benoit for the US Title

Randy Orton vs. Ric Flair

Deuce & Domino © vs. Cade & Murdoch for the WWE Tag Titles

Edge © vs. Batista in a First Blood match for the World Heavyweight Title

Melina © vs. Candice Michelle for the WWE Women's Title

Lashley © vs. Umaga for the ECW World Heavyweight Title

John Cena © vs. The Great Khali in a Last Man Standing match for the WWE Title

Thoughts: Khali has been hinted as a new champ, why not now? As for the rest, I don't see the Snitsky push ending the same with Edge's title reign.

[Chris the Human]

First Blood

At the time the WWE argued the point, but TNA's signing coup for Slammiversary 2007 was indeed the first blood spilled in the Monday Night War. Ignore Vince McMahon's assurances to shareholders that TNA would 'not be a threat until they found their own image', ignore Jim Ross' column continually downplaying the threat that TNA posed, and ignore those who tell you that TNA's 'mystery signing' for Slammiversary was not a body blow to the WWE. He might not have been a signing of Kurt Angle caliber, but his jump to TNA signalled what would become a string of high profile signings for the company. The word had got out - in TNA, you got over because of your workrate, and not your muscle.

The WWE diehards will argue that the WWE always pushed workers based on their abilities in the ring. After all, this was the company that gave us Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart. Yeah, that's true, some truly gifted in ring workers came out of the WWE. But they're also the company that gave us Hulk Hogan, Batista, Lashley, The Great Khali, Mark Henry, and countless other big men whose names perhaps don't bear mentioning aside from the punchline to some wrestling in joke.

Speaking of which, those who argued that workrate was being pushed in the WWE only had to look at the opening match of 2007's Vengeance pay-per-view to find a rather glaring contradiction. CM Punk, an indy darling and incredibly over with WWE fans despite no real effort to push him as the star he would one day become, was forced to do the job to Snitsky. Yes, the foot fetishist we mentioned earlier, went over (clean, I might add) one of the most popular and talented rising stars the company had. Why? God knows. While the original plan may have been for Snitsky to rise as another 'unbeatable giant' to square off with Cena (and that's ignoring the fact that, in his previous run on Raw, he was infinitely beatable) - the fact remains that it never happened. So what was achieved? The fans who had paid good money to see CM Punk wrestle instead saw him being squashed and pinned following a big boot that would make Hulk Hogan stir in his grave if he'd ever just retire and die (at the time of this writing, the old bastard is still holding people down in Japan's Classic Wrestling Experience touring show.

(65/67/62)

This jaw-dropping spectacle was somewhat made up for by a modestly entertaining clash between MVP and Chris Benoit, a pair who had been feuding since Wrestlemania over the United States Title and had produced some truly tremendous clashes (the best of which came at Judgement Day, with MVP beating Benoit 2 out of 3 falls). While this was perhaps the lowlight of their feud, the win did two things. It cemented MVP as the star he was destined to be, and it further put a nail in the coffin of Chris Benoit's WWE career. Described as 'uncharismatic' by WWE management, the one time champion and consistent performer was just one of many workers on the WWE roster beginning to wonder what he had to do to get a push.

(71/74/67)

This was followed up by Ric Flair going over Randy Orton as part of his continued punishment for demolishing a hotel room in Italy. With so many main event players down and out, Flair's renewed push despite his age (the man was already a veteran when the original Monday Night War was in its embryonic stages) was perhaps justified. And while I'll not defend Randy Orton's atrocious behaviour (which would become a career trademark), it could be argued that having Ric Flair force Orton to tap out like a little bitch damaged his credibility. Not exactly a brilliant move when you're a company already struggling for top tier talent. But we'll give them the benefit of the doubt on this one, shall we?

(81/90/63)

Those who were watching at the time can perhaps remember what a disorganised mess the WWE tag team scene was. Gone were the golden days of tag team wrestling in which fans would tune in for classic TLC matches between the Hardys, Edge & Christian, and the Dudleyz - and usher in the days of gimmicked teams such as Cryme Tyme and The Highlanders who would enjoy a brief push and then fade into obscurity. But such is the mind of a WWE booker. They find a new toy, enjoy it immensely for a few weeks, and then discard it in the back yard to be chewed on by a dog. Tonight's offering was a continuation of Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch's feud with the Hardy Boyz. After several weeks of asking to shake hands with the babyface pairing, Cade & Murdoch changed tactics by challenging Smackdown's (also heel) champions, another gimmick team by the name of Deuce and Domino*

* Deuce, also known as Solo Snuka, would go on to become something fairly special in the War. Domino? I hear he's selling used cars in Hartford, Connecticut.

The match, an absolutely offensive piece of crap that saw all four competitors lumber about the ring as if they were attempting to recreate Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan's infamous Cage Match from the original war, ended with Murdoch's brutally dangerous Code Red leading to the 1-2-3 on Domino. Cade & Murdoch took the Smackdown titles with them to Raw, meaning Raw (apparently) had a division capable of feuding over two titles whilst Smackdown's tag teams would have to content themselves with pursuing the equally laughable Cruiserweight Title.

(49/42/57)

The next few matches were considerably less offensive. Edge retained the title he had won just prior to Judgement Day by defeating Batista in a First Blood match to continue their fairly enjoyable feud. Batista had, sadly, seen the best days of his career some two years previous - and despite having not debuted until 2003, was already staring down retirement. Edge won through typically heelish measures, smearing blood from a wound on his knee he'd 'prepared earlier' on Batista before smartly covering the evidence again in time for the referee to reward him the victory.

(80/87/67)

Melina, who had been something of a revelation in a Women's division rocked by the retirements of Lita (Amy Dumas to TNA fans) and Trish Stratus in late 2006, defeated Candice Michelle to retain her title. It was by far the worst match on the card, but that had come to be the norm when it had come to women's wrestling in the WWE. While Candice Michelle, a glorified model and softcore porn actress, was at pay-per-views - Beth Phoenix had recently been released because she was 'too chunky' to be a WWE Diva.

(41/48/26)

Vince McMahon's 'noble' attempt to get ECW over by having himself crowned as its champion and embarking on a months long feud with Lashley came to a head in the next match, as Lashley managed to defeat Umaga in a one on one match to retain his ECW Title. Given that on previous occasions he'd been able to beat two main eventers and future champions (Ken Kennedy and Randy Orton) and teams of three - it perhaps seemed a foregone conclusion that he could win a simple one on one match. Especially when the one on one match was against one of the men who couldn't beat him when it was 3 on 1.

(67/72/58)

And the main event? Who can forget the day that they read the news?

The Great Khali defeated John Cena and become the WWE Heavyweight Champion. Digest that for a moment, if you will, The Great Khali - who had, as an in ring worker, killed somebody earlier in his career - had been booked as the WWE Champion. This at a time when Vince McMahon was assuring his workers that they would be booked on their merits and not on their look. The 7'3", 420lb Great Khali whose repetoire for the match consisted of overhand chops, headbutts, and a two handed chokebomb was the champion at the same time that Chris Benoit was stranded in midcard mediocrity (and wasn't that a familiar thing for him?), Val Venis remained a heat staple, CM Punk was forced to job out to Snitsky, and room couldn't even be found on the PPV for the likes of Finlay or Chavo Guerrero.

The match itself was a dire offering, with Cena putting in a valiant effort to do the impossible - carry The Great Khali to a match that wasn't likely to cause irreperable brain damage. He failed. A sixteen minute 'epic' saw Khali basically beat Cena from pillar to post before tossing him off the entrance ramp and through a stack of conveniently placed tables. Fans waited for the seemingly invincible Cena to get up or to throw a punch or to show some of defiance.

He didn't.

John Cena jobbed clean to the Great Khali and lost the WWE Title. The haters can bleat about his reign being too long at the time all they like, because they were about to endure something far worse.

(66/76/45)

Despite the atrocious effort from a workrate perspective (the best match on the card, MVP vs. Benoit, managed just *** in PWI's review of the event), the event still drew a 1.93 buyrate and an attendance of 20,443. Impressive figures. But one must bear in mind an adage that rang particularly true for WCW. "When you're hot, people will buy anything irregardless of the quality' - the WWE had been able to churn out substandard events for some time without fear of repurcussion - and in their arrogance, they ignored the rising threat of TNA and continued to offer fans a product they didn't want to see.

And that's not to say that the WWE were consistently putting out bad events, either. By all accounts, Wrestlemania 23 was a quality event. The Royal Rumble was a quality event. But for every well booked event or masterfully written push there was a worker being forced down the fans' throats against their will or a snooze fest Raw or Smackdown main event to endure. For every **** match there was a fifteen minute Vince McMahon promo and a deplorable diva catfight. The fans were starting to get fed up with it, and although TNA hadn't yet become mainstream enough to draw their attention, the foundations were being laid by the WWE's own bookers.

OVERALL: 69%

BEST SEGMENT: Edge celebrates his win (93%)

WORST SEGMENT: Candice Michelle vs. Melina

MOTN: MVP vs. Chris Benoit

BUYRATE: 1.93

ATTENDANCE: 20443

----------------------------------------

Now that we've digested that particular nugget of Wrestlecrap (and it should be noted that it was something of a new low for the WWE, and not one even they were willing to repeat), let's take a look at what TNA were offering just seven days later, shall we?

In the free pre-show match (a tradition TNA would continue well into the War), Sean O'Haire made his in ring return by teaming with Martyr, Havok, and Kaz to take on Shark Boy, Chris Harris, Ron Killings, and Jerry Lynn. These seemingly mish-mashed pre show events were nothing remarkable, but it should be noted that this clash - featuring a mixture of styles and with nothing on the line, still garnered a ***1/2 rating from PWI.

That's right, the free pre-show match was better than any of the matches present on the WWE's PPV the week prior.

Sean O'Haire, once tagged in by his team, didn't tag back out. He dominated all comers and pinned Shark Boy (the least important member of his team from a booking standpoint) with an Argentine Neckbreaker for the 1-2-3.

(70/62/78)

The opening match of the night saw a continuation of VKM's largely uneventful feud with Christy Hemme. At Sacrifice her latest team, Basham & Damaja, had managed to defeat Kip James in a 2 on 1 handicap match after hospitalising BG James prior to the event. The new pairing managed to make it 2-0 against Hemme's foes with a victory in a largely disappointing Table match. Hemme's presence at ringside proved the difference, as Kip James wasted valuable time attempting to put her through the table and was caught from behind by Damaja and put through the table with Brain Damage for the 1-2-3.

(70/74/64)

Next up was the match for Eric Young's contract, which was set to end what had been a largely ignored feud between the up and coming Roode and the inexplicably popular Young. Young had been producing some top quality matches on Impact in the weeks leading up to the event, so it was perhaps a little odd to see him lose the match, irregardless of Roode's push. The stipulation meant that Young would be 'fired', although in the whacky world of wrestling, nobody is ever really fired. Roode won the match with help from Ms. Brooks, and the Payback got the 1-2-3 to 'end' Eric Young's TNA career.

(68/59/77)

It can perhaps be noted that, thus far, the card had been relatively low key. The days when TNA's undercard would be stacked with **** or above matches were some way off coming to fruition, but the company still prided itself on providing the best quality wrestling in the mainstream (it can perhaps be argued that indepedent promotions such as Ring of Honour were providing the best pure wrestling at the time), and delivered with a series of entertaining but not brilliant matches.

Next up was the X-Division Title match between Chris Sabin, Jay Lethal, and Sonjay Dutt. There was a time that the X-Division had boasted talents such as Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, and AJ Styles - but with all three moving onto more high profile feuds, the division was, at the time, at something of a low. Whilst there's no debating the talents of those involved in this clash - it's perhaps fair to say that the X-Division, once a selling point for TNA, had taken a back seat to the main event scene since Vince Russo's advent as head booker. Irregardless, the rematch of the Sacrifice X-Division title match produced the match of the night from a workrate standpoint.

Sabin's reign, a relatively dour one by X-Division standards, came to an end after he was rolled up by Sonjay Dutt following a flying axe handle from Jay Lethal. Lethal was imitating Randy Savage at the time and 'Black Machismo' was understandably unhappy when his sometime stable-mate rolled Sabin up to get the 1-2-3 and the title off of his offence. After the tension following the title match at Sacrifice, fans perhaps expected the two men to throw down and brawl over the gold. But, in a rare sign of patience, Russo instead allowed Lethal to grudgingly shake Dutt's hand and congratulate him on capturing the gold. Kevin Nash, the mentor of the pair for some time, stood at the top of the ramp and shook his head in what could have been disgust.

(74/64/84)

With Team 3-D away on Japanese committments, fans would have to wait for the expected showdown between the reformed Steiner Brothers and Team 3-D. In its place, fans were instead given a remarkably enjoyable three way contender's match. The match between Team 3D, Tomko & Steiner, and LAX at Sacrifice had proven to be a success - and so to did this one between The Steiner Brothers, LAX, and Tomko & Giant Bernard.

The match was a well planned brawl, with all three teams getting in plenty of offence to keep the egos involved happy (although to Homicide and Hernandez's credit, they were company men and probably wouldn't have minded a less even share of the offense pie). The focus of the match was understandably on the rivalry between Tomko and his partner, and Scott Steiner and his brother, Rick. Whenever members of either team were in the ring together, the crowd noise lifted and the match picked up in intensity. With all sexual allusion aside - they stiffed the shit out of one another, and the fans lapped it up.

And yes, I realise just how sexual that sounds.

But a dream match was on the cards, and there was only ever going to be one team winning - Scott Steiner hitting his Exploder Suplex on his former partner, Tomko for the 1-2-3. LAX, such a prominent tag team for almost a year, were perhaps forgotten in the mix - but the future held bright things for Homicide, at least. Hernandez... well, let's just say that the WWE's penchant for big men would eventually come a-knockin'

(75/72/81)

In the formative stages of what would prove to be a career making feud for Christopher Daniels, the Fallen Angel took on Sting in a match that had been two months in the making. Daniels' apparent worship of Sting had come to a head when his attempted interference had cost Sting his place in King of the Mountain, and Sting did a tremendous job of giving that impression as he wasted no time in going after Daniels from the outset. Keeping true to his fawning, deranged worship - Daniels initially accepted every punch or chop with a sadistic grin, but after being suplexed, seemed to find some of the passion that he'd shown when promising to kill Sting if he couldn't convince him to return to the path.

What this 'path' was, we'd yet to discover, but if Christopher Daniels was willing to kill a man over it, we'd best believe it was important. Or so Russo would have us believe.

The match was an enjoyable too and fro, with Daniels showing no qualms about using underhanded tactics to beat his messiah, including reaching for the trademark baseball bat at the match's conclusion. While the referee prised it from Daniels grip, Sting pounced - whipping his tormentor into the corner and following it up with a Stinger Splash for the 1-2-3. The match over, Sting offered a hand to Daniels in recognition of his efforts, but Daniels instead slapped the Stinger. Slapping a man as popular as Sting was tantamount to hitting Mick Foley right after he'd earned himself a cheap pop - and cemented Daniels as a real main event player.

(76/74/79)

AJ Styles went over Jeff Jarrett in the lead up to the main event, the former X-Division and TNA champion able to hit the Styles Clash after Amy Dumas shoved Jarrett off the top rope and followed it up with a senton bomb. The move got a babyface reaction, harkening back to Dumas' days as the valet of the always popular Hardy Boyz. More would be said if it were necessary, but it was largely a fill in match on a card, and I'd have a lengthy tome indeed if I commented on the significance of every match.

(78/79/76)

And so it was time for the main event. The make or break move from a booking perspective. When a 'mystery participant' or 'mystery partner' is promised, fans are inevitably disappointed. On the rare occasion that it pays off (such as Hulk Hogan's inclusion as the third member of nWo), the fans laud the decision. Most other times though (such as Tatanka being Matt Hardy's mystery partner to face MNM at No Way Out 2006) it's a bitter disappointment. By promising a mystery participant in the company's trademark match and on its fifth birthday, Russo and the TNA booking team had taken a tremendous gamble.

The participants began to make their way out for the match. Christian Cage came out to a sound booing from the crowd, Rhino entered to a cheer that would only grow as time passed, Samoa Joe due his standard 'smark' reaction, and Kurt Angle came out to the most heat of the night. But what of the fifth competitor? Unfamiliar music hit, the lights dimmed, smoke billowed from the entrance ramps, and... nobody came out.

The bell rang and the referee called for the match to begin, but fans and participants alike were still without their fifth competitor. Who had attacked Raven? Who had been lucky enough to progress straight to the title match?

"It was exciting. I was nervous as hell," Jay Reso (Christian Cage) wrote in his biography 'Leading the Coalition', "Not that we didn't know he was coming out, just that we were all nervous about how the fans would react. We knew we had something big, but we didn't know if the fans would see it for what it was. This wasn't just another guy debuting - this was one of their guys debuting. This was a guy who had challenged for the WWE title coming into the company just weeks after appearing on WWE PPV. It was a huge coup for us".

And so the match began in earnest, all four competitors occasionally glancing up the ramp to see if the fifth man had decided to make an appearance. Mike Tenay and Don West demanded that Jim Cornette send somebody out. "We were promised five men!" West brayed, "Who's the mystery man?"

Sound familiar? Of course it does. It's the same formula WCW used to make Hulk Hogan's eventual alignment with the nWo more dramatic. The fans at home who weren't already curious were caught in the infectiousness of West and Tenay's own frustration.

"We'd not been told who the fifth man was," Tenay later revealed, "The only people who knew were Dixie (Carter), Vince Russo, and the four men in the ring. Management wanted us to be every bit as surprised as the fans at the arena and watching at home. We'd just been informed that he was a former WWE star and that we couldn't refer to him by his WWE ring name. To be honest, it was hard as hell coming up with a list of alternate names for a dozen possible debuts. I'm just glad I got it right".

Samoa Joe made a bee line for Kurt Angle, whilst Rhino wasted no time in laying in to his former friend, Cage. Cage and Rhino quickly spilled to the outside, giving Angle and Samoa Joe a chance to wow the crowd with the tremendous in ring chemistry that had made their eventual match a dream match (one that Vince Russo, in his infinite idiocy, had given away almost immediately upon Angle's arrival in TNA). Angle come off on top, a German suplex forcing Joe to roll to the outside just as Rhino re-entered the ring and readied himself for a Gore. He charged, but Angle ducked to the side and sent Rhino crashing into the ring post. His celebrations were short lived, Cage rolling him up for the 1-2-3 and banishing him to the 'penalty box' for two minutes.

The only man currenlty eligible to hang the title, Cage retrieved the belt from the official at ringside, but was stopped from doing so by Samoa Joe - who locked him in the coquina clutch from behind. The belt fell limp from Cage's grasp, and the former champion was forced to tap out. Cage went to the penalty box with Angle, whilst Joe was quick to pick up the belt and go outside for a ladder. He'd retrieved it and was on his way up when Rhino pounced, Goring the ladder and sending Joe throat first into the ropes. His cover wasn't successful, though, and he'd have to contend with Angle's return to the match just seconds later. But Angle didn't immediately charge in, instead waiting for Cage to be released before the pair hit the ring. At first Rhino had things under control, but the numbers game told, and Rhino was treated to an Unprettier from Cage. Alliances never last in pro wrestling, and Cage found himself doubled up by a German Suplex immediately after laying Rhino out. One became three, as was often the case with Angle, and then the pin was made. Cage went back to the penalty box, and now only Rhino and the mystery man were ineligible to hang the title.

Angle wouldn't get a chance to hang the belt, though, because Samoa Joe was already back in the ring having recovered from his earlier fall. He and Angle slugged it out into the corner while Rhino staggered to his feet. A hard whip from Angle saw Joe eat the Gore, and Rhino covered only to have Angle break it up with a boot to the back. Cage was also loose again, and things were again back to four men in the ring. Cage was in the process of sliding a ladder into the ring when Kurt Angle broke off from his brawl with Rhino to baseball slide into the ladder - sending it into Cage's face. He then retrieved it for himself, but was prevented from setting up up by a scoop powerslam from Rhino. The intense, fired up former ECW champion had Angle set up for his Rhino Driver when he ate a flying boot to the face from Samoa Joe. A period of Joe dominance ensued, with the fan favourite beating the pair into submission (including his trademark facewash to Angle in the corner) before setting the ladder up and retrieving the title. The match was into its thirteenth minute as Joe climbed the ladder, and Cage's dropkick from the turnbuckle sent the Samoan Submission Machine crashing back to earth. The move obviously took something out of Cage, and it was a case of all four men being down and the fans willing their favourite to stand.

Cage was first up, but he was followed soon after by Angle. An Angle Slam put Cage down, and the pin was made to send him back to the penalty box. A second Angle Slam to Rhino sent him to the penalty box as well. In what was a trademark gesture, Angle stripped off the straps from his wrestling attire, roared, and turned his attention to Samoa Joe - who was staggering to his feet. Angle was ready to deliver a third Angle Slam, but Joe rolled through it and kicked Angle to the gut. The Muscle Buster ensued, and the 1-2-3 sent Angle to the cage! Joe was the last man standing and had a good thirty seconds to get up the ladder and hang the TNA Title to become champion.

As he prepared to do just that, however, the unfamiliar music hit, the lights dimmed, and the smoke billowed again. Was this the mysterious fifth man? Joe certainly believed as much - dropping the title and beckoning for whoever it was to show their face. The music droned on, the lights flashed on and off, and Samoa Joe missed his window. Christian Cage was back in the ring and wasted no time in sending Samoa Joe to the outside with a dropkick. He scrambled for the belt and was on his way up when the cage opened and Rhino prepared to return to the match. The two former friends battled up the ladder but it was Cage who won out, sending Rhino to the mat with a hard right and continuing the climb. He was painfully close to hanging the belt when Kurt Angle made it to the ladder and tipped it. Cage came to earth and ATE A GORE. That needed to be capitalised. The timing was just magical, and one of many reasons why I still love this match to this day. Rhino wasted no time in pinning Cage to send him back to the cage. Samoa Joe returned to the ring and went right after Angle - who attempted an Angle Slam over the top rope but instead found himself dragged to the outside by his longtime rival. Cage was in the cage and Angle and Joe were brawling on the outside. As Rhino realised his position and began to climb the ladder - Joe had crushed Angle against the security barrier with his Ole Kick and both men were gasping for air on the entrance ramp. Rhino turned and began to climb the ladder.

"Wait a minute," Tenay's commentary read, "That's Carly Colón! That's Carly Colón!"

Carly 'Carlito' Colón had finally decided to make an appearance, choosing his run to perfection as he ran down the ramp with a chair in his hand. Rhino's back was to the action as Colón belted first Angle and then Joe with the chair, effectively putting them out of action as he entered the ring, tossed the chair aside, and brutally laid Rhino out with what would eventually be known by such names as the "One Way Ticket to Retirement" or "the Career Killer". The full nelson lungblower, a more brutal maneuvre than his WWE finisher, put Rhino out and Colón covered for the 1-2-3. Cage watched on helplessly as his penalty timer saw him with thirty seconds left to hang the belt. Rhino was out. Angle and Joe were out. Colón climbed for his life, hung the belt, and the crowd didn't know whether to boo or cheer. Some were ecstatic, some were furious - but none were silent.

(84/86/80)

(93 for the Carlos Colón debut)

A mystery participant had been promised and hyped - and a mystery participant had arrived and lived up to the hype. Carlos Colón, who would reach dizzying levels of fame under the name 'Carlos the Jackal' or just 'Carlos', had made an impact on his debut that not only shook things up in TNA - but sent a loud and clear warning to the WWE.

"If you're not willing to use them, we will. If you're going to let them slip, we'll make them stars".

Carlos 'The Jackal' Colón wasn't the first disgruntled WWE star to find a new lease on life in TNA, and he wouldn't be the last either.

OVERALL: 78%

BEST SEGMENT: Carlos Colon debuts

WORST SEGMENT: Robert Roode vs. Eric Young

MOTN: Sonjay Dutt vs. Chris Sabin vs. Jay Lethal

BUYRATE: 0.60

ATTENDANCE: 7611

It should be noted that despite the hype surrounding the mystery debut, the buyrate was a good deal behind the WWE, and no larger than the average TNA buyrate. This is perhaps indicative of the mindset at the time. Fans immediately thought of the WWE when they thought of wrestling, and as such, TNA often got overlooked in the mix. Suffice it to say, those days were numbered.

Edited May 22, 2007 by Misanthrope

[Kapalua2483]

That was a very good "Chapter" I suppose or perhaps just a page in the book but it was very well written and leaves me wanting more badly. Carlito being the first to jump over in a big way was huge and he's definately an accurate type of person that would jump as well!