NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #14 (2025 Edition): Stop, You’re Going The Wrong Way
NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #14
Date: September 25, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West
Things are in quite the transitional period around here and that makes for an interesting time. If nothing else, it makes for a necessary time, as the show has gone from total insanity to something more coherent, but that doesn’t make it interesting. Last week’s show ended with something of a Kliq reunion and that is not something that has me interested. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
We go to the back where Jerry Lynn is attacking Sonny Siaki, who cost him the World Title last week. The brawl keeps going until security breaks it up.
Commentary previews the show.
Sonny Siaki vs. Amazing Red
This doesn’t seem fair. Red jumps him on the floor to start and they get inside, with Siaki being sent into the corner for a running dropkick. Siaki fires off some running shoulders in the corner and a big backdrop sends Red to the floor. Red gets dropped onto the barricade for some near falls back inside but the bad rips are slowing Siaki down. A bearhug keeps Red in trouble and a superkick makes things even worse. Siaki chokes a bit but Red is back with the Code Red for two. A spinning kick to the head drops Siaki again but he’s right back with a spinning neckbreaker for the win at 7:25.
Rating: C+. Well so much for Red. Not only did he come in with an advantage, but he jumped Siaki to start, only to lose anyway. Siaki is getting more and more featured time and there are worse ideas, but it isn’t going to matter all that much unless he breaks into the holy trinity of the X-Division. Those guys are the ones who matter and everyone else is just kind of there beneath them. Either change that or nothing Siaki does really matters.
Post match Jorge Estrada comes out to say the rest of the Flying Elivses are giving up on Siaki.
We go to the back, where Ron Killings is attacking Amazing Red.
Tag Team Titles: Brian Lee/Ron Harris vs. James Storm/Chris Harris
Storm and Chris are defending in a tables match and this is a rematch from last week when they won the belts. Lee hammers on Chris to start as I wonder why there are tags. The villains are sent to the floor for a pair of dives from the champs but Lee takes over back inside. Ron loads up a table in the corner but gets cut off, leaving Lee to choke Chris instead.
With Storm on the floor, Ron loads up a powerslam…and completely ignores the table and plants Chris in the middle of the ring instead. Chris fights out and brings in Storm to clean house and after sending Ron to the floor, knock Lee through the table at ringside to retain the titles at 6:39.
Rating: D+. This is where TNA, and other promotions for that matter, look bad and I still don’t get it. There are some people who need to be protected and others who can take a loss without any issues. Ron Harris and Brian Lee have next to no value around here and having one of them take a finish for a clean pin is not going to hurt them. If you want Storm and Chris to be a big deal, let them look like a big deal rather than having to knock Lee through a table to win.
Post match Ron wrecks the champs again, but security breaks it up…including Don Harris, who gets in a shoving match with his brother. So yes, the newly crowned Tag Team Champions, and by far the best team in the company, is laid out for the sake of THE BATTLING HARRIS BROTHERS.
Earlier today, Bruce arrived and got in an argument with an elderly woman.
Here is Ron Killings for a chat. He talks about growing up in poverty with five people in one bed but now people who grew up with security are talking about how he should live. There is real prejudice around here because Ricky Steamboat is gone now that Killings won the title. Where is Killings’ merchandise? Or his private dressing room? Killings calls out Jerry Lynn but gets BG James, because they were partners in the WWF (which commentary points out).
James says that he protected Killings in the WWF and now it’s time to slap some sense into his head. After getting annoyed at the WHAT chants, Killings says this is a new reality and James is his b****. The brawl is on and Killings bails, with James saying he isn’t Tom Cruise or Jack Nicholson because he can handle the truth. It’s more stuff from the WWF, but at least it’s something that was only a few years ago at this point.
You can see AJ Styles at a county fair in West Virginia! And that’s the kind of thing that makes this place feel low level.
Brian Lawler insists that everything is fine with April (his girlfriend) and their business is their business. April doesn’t want her talking for him so he yells at her and gets the camera cut off. This really isn’t as interesting as TNA thinks it is.
AJ Styles vs. Low Ki
2/3 falls for the #1 contendership to the X-Division Title. Styles works on the arm to start and then grinds away on a headlock. Ki kicks his way out of a wristlock and drops a hard elbow for two, only to get caught in an atomic drop of all things. Back up and Ki sends him to the floor for the big running flip dive from the apron but Styles gets in a crotching on top back inside. Styles strikes away and grabs a quickly broken chinlock and kicks him down, setting up the Dragon Clutch for the first fall at 6:35.
Styles is right back up with a discus lariat and a delayed suplex into a knee drop. A jumping enziguri knocks Ki to the floor, where Styles drops him hard onto the ramp. Back in and Ki strikes away but Styles sunset flips him out of the corner for the pin to tie it up at 10:57. Styles kicks him out to the floor and gets smart by going after the legs.
Back in and a super shinbreaker sets up something like a spinning toehold to keep Ki down. The Ki Crusher attempt is countered and the leg gives out again so Styles rolls him up for two with feet on the ropes. With the cheating not working, Styles hits the Styles Clash for the pin at 14:43.
Rating: B-. This felt rushed even though they had some time. The good sign here though is that these two (along with Jerry Lynn) are guys you can throw out there in any combination for a good result. That’s what you had here, even if the 2/3 falls deal wasn’t really necessary for the match.
Jeff Jarrett isn’t happy with the suggestion that he’s getting further from the World Title. Tonight though, he has options.
Elix Skipper/Brian Lawler vs. Scott Hall/Syxx Pac
April is here with Skipper and Lawler. Pac and Skipper trade missed kicks to start until Skipper throws him down. Lawler dances on the apron (as he does) and it’s off to Hall. We pause for Lawler to order April to stay in a chair on the floor, allowing Hall to come back on Skipper. A chokeslam gives Hall two but the villains get together to crotch him on the post a few times.
Lawler and Skipper take turns beating on Hall, who finally clotheslines his way out of trouble. Naturally, Lawler is on the floor checking on April, even as Pac comes back in to clean house. The fall away slam sets up a missed Bronco Buster but Skipper dives into the X Factor for the pin at 9:12.
Rating: D+. And again, it’s a problem of focusing on one idea and not realizing that it isn’t very interesting. Why in the world should I care about Lawler and April? There is nothing to April save for her being with Lawler, who isn’t interesting in the first place. That was the entire focus of the match and it’s not like Hall is able to do much to keep up the interest between the bells.
Post match Jeff Jarrett is in with a Stroke each to Hall and Pac. Don Harris makes the save.
AJ Styles hits on Goldilocks and wants to face Jerry Lynn for the X-Division Title in, say it with me, a ladder match.
Jorge Estrada vs. Kid Kash
They fight over wrist control to start but Kash messes with Estrada’s hair. That leads to a standoff as a rather nerdy man is shown watching from the stage. Estrada fights back and hits a clothesline to the floor, setting up a dive which is almost left low. Kash is right back up to chop away and a double jump flip dive drops Estrada for two. Estrada hiptosses him into a running shooting star press for two but a pumphandle faceplant drops Estrada again. They chop it out until Kash hits a DDT for two. Back up and Estrada drops him for a Lionsault into a Swanton for the pin at 6:06.
Rating: C+. You had two guys who can do flips and dives doing flips and dives until one of them won. That’s the kind of filler match that is entertaining but doesn’t feel overly important. At least Estrada has something going on with Sonny Siaki, though it’s still a bit difficult to make him seem important or serious when he’s in an Elvis suit.
Post match Estrada calls out Sonny Siaki, who comes out to apologize for the issues with the rest of the team. He’s willing to turn in his Flying Elvis uniform…and we see a video of him burning it earlier today.
We recap the X-Division getting behind Jerry Lynn trying to win the World Title last week, only for Siaki to cost him.
X-Division Title: Jerry Lynn vs. Ron Killings
Only Lynn is defending in a lumberjack match. Killings tries to bail to the floor to start but is quickly tossed back inside. Lynn hammers away in the corner and a middle rope bulldog gets two. Back up and Killings hits a middle rope shoulder into a wheelbarrow faceplant for two of his own. Lynn is tossed outside where the lumberjacks check on him, which earns Amazing Red a shot to the face from Killings.
Back in and a kneeling MuscleBuster gives Killings two more and we hit the chinlock. A powerslam plants Lynn as AJ Styles has set up a ladder on stage. Lynn gets a boot up in the corner but charges into a powerslam. The front facelock, with feet on the ropes, keeps Lynn in trouble but he fights out and grabs a reverse DDT. Back up and they slug it out until Killings sneaks in a low blow. The cutter is blocked though and Low Ki gets in a cheap shot, setting up Lynn’s TKO to retain at 9:07.
Rating: B-. Again, no surprise that this worked, as Lynn is one of the few people around here who can wrestle with anyone and Killings is certainly fine enough. Lynn getting a win should set up a rubber match between the two of them, or Ki getting a World Title shot of his own. This was another example of the X-Division being treated seriously and that is very refreshing to see.
Don West hypes up next week’s show, with the ladder match confirmed.
Jeff Jarrett vs. BG James
Naturally James runs his mouth before the match and promises a beating before getting in his catchphrase. James punches him down and dances before a right hand sets up the shaky knee drop. Jarrett comes back with an enziguri but James’ dancing punches send him outside. Some chair shots to the back knock Jarrett into the crowd, where he takes over. They go back to ringside where Jarrett gets in some chair shots of his own, setting up the running crotch attack to the back inside.
Jarrett grabs a sleeper but James fights up into one of his own, meaning it’s the required belly to back suplex counter. James hits a big boot and rains down some right hands in the corner. Jarrett is sent into a chair in the corner but here are Elix Skipper and Brian Lawler. The latter offers a distraction but Jarrett runs into him by mistake. James goes after both of them, allowing Jarrett to get in a chair shot to the head for two. Another comeback is on but this time Lawler and Skipper run in for the DQ at 9:08.
Rating: D. I know I’m getting repetitive with these criticisms, but it’s the same thing again: the least interesting people are getting these spots because they’re stars with names. That might make sense on paper, but it’s also making for some awful television. James was busted open last week and his dad has been attacked, so he’s out there doing his funny dancing stuff to pop the crowd. It’s almost tolerable if he’s having a good match, but this was just more slow paced stuff that wasn’t any good in the first place.
Post match the brawl is on, with Syxx Pac and Scott Hall running in for the save. Ron Killings runs in with belt shots and the villains stand tall to end the show.
Overall Rating: C-. It really is amazing to see how much this show feels divided in two. You have the X-Division having fun, fast paced and athletic matches where they all feel like they’re trying to break out and become stars. Those parts are often good, but the rest of the show feels like “here are a bunch of former WWF names, you’ll probably remember them, ignore that their stuff is terrible.” It’s a problem that has plagued many a promotion and it’s doing so again here. Having those people around is ok enough, but just cut down on their focus really fast.
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