NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #2 (2024 Redo): Why Don’t They Do That Again?

NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #2
Date: June 26, 2002
Location: Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Alabama
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Ed Ferrara, Don West

So after last week’s not so great debut, we have the followup here, which was taped after the first show. The big story is Jeff Jarrett (shocking I know) vs. Scott Hall, which was set up at the end of last week’s show. In addition, we’re crowning the first ever X Champion, which should be quite a fun way to go. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of last week. Dang that’s a lot of Jeff Jarrett.

Opening sequence.

Commentary previews the show.

Scott Hall vs. Jeff Jarrett

Jackie Fargo and Toby Keith (yes the singer) are here with Hall, who knocks Jarrett down to start. That means an early standoff, which lets Jarrett yell at the referee. Hall slugs Jarrett down and sends him flying with the fall away slam, as he tends to do. Back up and Jarrett snaps off some dropkicks before grabbing the sleeper.

Hall reverses into one of his own but gets suplexed down (they LOVED that sequence) for a delayed two. The discus punch and some clotheslines have Jarrett in trouble but cue K-Krush to break up the Razor’s Edge. Jackie Fargo goes after K-Krush so Keith comes in to hit Jarrett low. A double faceplant finishes Jarrett at 6:58. Ignore that the referee would have seen everything Keith did.

Rating: C+. This was a match that wasn’t exactly lighting the mat on fire but what mattered was the star power. This might not exactly be a top level match on the biggest stage, but it is a pair of big, established names. That is how you get people watching and hopefully they stick around for everything else, though that is quite the tricky situation to make work.

We look at the various women in the lingerie battle royal, including the fight between Francine and Elektra last week.

Cheex vs. Frank Parker

Cheex, who probably weighs over 500lbs, has the Brown Eyed Girl with him. Parker’s clotheslines have no effect so Cheex slams him down and hits the running hip attacks. Parker gets in a cheap shot though and hammers away as Alicia is here to talk to Jeremy Borash. Not that it matters as Cheex fights back and hits the big splash for the pin at 2:10. This was exactly what you would think it would be.

Post match, Borash pays Alicia off.

Next week: Tag Team Titles.

We look back at K-Krush arguing with the NASCAR drivers last week, with Brian Christopher making the save.

K-Krush vs. Brian Christopher

Christopher has Sterling Marlin and Hermie Sadler (the aforementioned drivers) with him. Krush jumps him to start and hits an elbow in the corner but Christopher fights back in a hurry. A running bulldog gives Christopher two but Krush is right back with a suplex. We hit the chinlock for all of a few seconds before Christopher fights up and hits an enziguri. Christopher goes to hammer away in the corner but gets atomic dropped back down. Krush goes to the apron and gets crotched by the drivers. The Hip Hop Drop finishes Krush off at 5:07.

Rating: C. Something tells me Christopher is going to be getting a lot of TV time in the near future and that is only so interesting. There’s a reason he is best known for his time either as part of a team or with his dad and that is likely going to be on display here. The match was little more than an excuse for the drivers to hurt Krush and that is hardly interesting in the first place.

Miss TNA: Lingerie Battle Royal

Joanie, Francine, Shannon, Alexis Laree, Elektra, Taylor, Erin, Sasha, Tyler

This is bra and panties rules and the winner gets a contract. The fact that commentary doesn’t bother mentioning most of the entrants during their individual entrances isn’t the best sign of things to come. It’s a brawl to start as Ferrara talks about wanting to see skin pop out.

Various clothing is removed and Tyler and Sasha are out rather quickly. Erin is gone and a bunch of women get together to eliminate Francine. Joanie is out too and we’re quickly down to four. Ferrara goes over to hit on Francine and gets whipped for her efforts. Shannon and Laree eliminated in the melee, leaving Taylor to eliminate Elektra for the win at 4:48.

Rating: D. This was barely a match as it was more about everyone running all over the place and getting eliminated. There’s only so much you can get out of something like this and they weren’t hiding the point. That being said, this was bad even under this style’s standards, which says a lot as it doesn’t exactly have standards in the first place.

Post match Francine comes back in, takes out Taylor, and whips her with the belt.

Goldilocks is interviewing Apollo when Bobcat, with David Young, interrupts. Bobcat wants to know why she isn’t getting attention and yells at Goldilocks, who isn’t having it.

Apollo vs. David Young

Bobcat is in Young’s corner. Young’s running shoulders have no effect and a double arm trap belly to belly sends Young flying again. Back up and Apollo misses a charge into the corner as Bobcat hits on Jeremy Borash. A chinlock doesn’t last long so Young grabs a suplex for two, setting up another chinlock. Apollo is back up with a tornado DDT but Young snaps off a spinebuster. Instead of covering though, Apollo yells at Bobcat for being on Borash’s lap. The distraction lets Apollo hit a superkick into a TKO for the pin at 5:27.

Rating: C. This was a nice enough showcase for Apollo, who was treated as a pretty big deal in last week’s Gauntlet For The Gold. The company is going to need to build up some names that aren’t all WWF/WCW castoffs and Apollo could be a nice place to start. He certainly has a good look and that is more than a nice foundation, with the col finisher helping too.

Post match Bobcat gets in the ring with Young and celebrates, leaving Young to walk off.

Here is Joel Gertner to limerick about various things and then talk about the joys of alternative lifestyles. That’s enough to bring out the Rainbow Express and we’re ready to go.

Rainbow Express vs. The Dupps

Hold on though as we cut to the back where the Dupps aren’t going to wrestle. Executive Bill Behrens panics but runs into Chris Harris and James Storm, who he sends to wrestle the match instead.

Rainbow Express vs. Chris Harris/James Storm

The Express jumps them during their entrance but Storm kicks away at Lenny. A tornado DDT puts Storm down and Lenny kisses Bruce’s hand for a tag. Bruce’s sunset flip gets two and everything breaks down for a bit. The Express uses the distracted referee to get in a cheap shot on Storm, allowing Lane to grab the Tiger (Lion) Tamer. Harris isn’t having that and breaks it up with a clothesline, meaning it’s a hot tag to bring in Harris to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Express is rammed together, with Harris grabbing a rollup for the pin at 4:48.

Rating: C-. The right team won, which is at least somewhat due to how terrible the Express is presented. The wrestlers are fine, but it’s playing up every stereotype and treating them as heels, which is hardly a great way to go. Harris and Storm fall into the category of “they’re new and young so maybe try something”, which is something that has to happen in a big way around here.

Here is Ricky Steamboat, in a referee shirt, to bring out World Champion Ken Shamrock for a chat. Steamboat puts over the title as important and Shamrock promises to defend the title with honor. Cue James Mitchell to interrupt, saying he is on a mission from God (his, not yours) and that is why the Disciples of the New Church will control the NWA World Title. Mitchell issues a title challenge for next week against Slash. Shamrock says let’s do it tonight but here is Malice from behind to lay him out. Apparently Malice is getting the title shot instead. Makes more sense.

We look at last week’s six man tag with the Flying Elvises beating AJ Styles, Low Ki and Jerry Lynn. The three losers and Psicosis are in the X-Division Title tournament, leaving Ferrara to ask the logical question: why aren’t the WINNERS fighting for the title?

X Title: Jerry Lynn vs. AJ Styles vs. Psicosis vs. Low Ki

For the vacant title and it’s double elimination, meaning it’s a string of singles matches and you have to lose two falls to be eliminated, with the last man standing being the champion. That’s a unique idea and I could go for seeing it used again. Styles chops at Psicosis to start but gets faceplanted down for his efforts. A superkick gives Styles two but Psicosis knocks him down and hits the guillotine legdrop for two. Back up and a hurricanrana is countered into the Styles Clash to give Psicosis his first loss at 2:01.

Psicosis – 1 loss
Styles – 0 losses
Ki – 0 losses
Lynn – 0 losses

Low Ki comes in to kick away at Styles, including an enziguri. Another Styles Clash is broken up and they go to the corner, where Ki reverse superplexes him into a dragon sleeper. Styles makes the rope so Ki kicks him in the face, only to miss a Phoenix splash. A hard clothesline takes Ki down again and a belly to back faceplant gives Ki his first loss at 4:21 total.

Psicosis – 1 loss
Ki – 1 loss
Styles – 0 losses
Lynn – 0 losses

Lynn is in next and immediately hits the cradle piledriver to pin Styles at 4:41 total.

Psicosis – 1 loss
Ki – 1 loss
Styles – 1 loss
Lynn – 0 losses

Psicosis comes in to dropkick Lynn down but he’s back up with a middle rope bulldog for two. A headscissors sends Lynn outside and there’s the big flip dive to drop him again. Back in and a top rope spinwheel kick gives Psicosis two but he gets dropkicked out of the air. Another cradle piledriver pins Psicosis to officially eliminate him at 7:42 total.

Ki – 1 loss
Styles – 1 loss
Lynn – 0 losses
Psicosis – Eliminated

Ki is back in to kick Lynn down for two and a power drive elbow gets the same. A super hurricanrana connects but Lynn rolls through into a sunset flip for two of his own. There’s an enziguri to stagger Ki again and Lynn hits a jumping Fameasser from the apron. Ki tries a triangle choke but gets powerbombed down for a VERY near fall, with the fans not exactly seeming convinced by the kickout. Ki’s fisherman’s buster is countered into a DDT (nicely done) and the cradle piledriver gives Lynn the pin at 12:02 total.

Styles – 1 loss
Lynn – 0 losses
Psicosis – Eliminated
Ki – Eliminated

So it’s down to Styles vs. Lynn, with Styles needing to beat him twice in a row to win the title. Styles is right back in with a discus lariat and a spinwheel kick gets two. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gives Lynn two of his own but Styles blocks a sunset flip and hits a slingshot splash for two. Lynn’s tornado DDT gets two more and they’re both down for a breather. Back up and Styles’ neckbreaker gets two, followed by Lynn’s rather snappy Liger Bomb out of the corner getting the same. Styles is right back with a Styles Clash for the pin at 16:05 total.

Styles – 1 loss
Lynn – 1 loss
Psicosis – Eliminated
Ki – Eliminated

It’s one fall to a finish for the title and Ricky Steamboat comes in to referee. They trade pinfall reversal sequences to start until Lynn knocks him to the floor. There’s a whip into the barricade to drop Styles but he’s right back with a shot of his own. Back in and Lynn hits a reverse suplex to drape Styles over the top before reversing a hurricanrana into a flipping faceplant for two.

Back up and Styles hits the fireman’s carry backbreaker for two of his own but Lynn’s brainbuster gets two more. The sleeper goes on, with Styles jawbreaking his way to freedom. Styles goes up and gets superplexed back down for two and Lynn is getting frustrated. Lynn takes him up again but gets shoved down, setting up the Spiral Tap to give Styles the pin and the title at 25:59.

Rating: B. This was a really cool idea and something I could go for seeing again. The double elimination stipulation made it feel like the best person won and helped cover the idea of the last person entering having a huge advantage. Styles is someone who has already stood out and beating someone with the status of Lynn is only going to help move him along.

We look at all of the falls in the title match.

Commentary previews next week to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Good enough show here, though the promotion is firmly still in the “getting its feet wet” stage. They have only presented about three and a half hours of content and are still getting their initial champions set. That should make for some good enough shows, but they are still having some of the freak show aspects with things like Cheex. The main event is rather good though, as they are trying to find a mixture of established names and young up and comers, which seems to be working well enough, at least so far. It’s way too early to tell though and that is going to be the case for a long time.

 

 

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