NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #23: Meet Your New Stars
NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #23
Date: November 27, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West
And we’re in the Vince Russo Era. Yeah I’m as thrilled about it as you are, but there’s no particular way around it. Last week, Mr. Wrestling III helped Jeff Jarrett finally win the NWA World Title before revealing himself as Russo. I’m sure this won’t be a total disaster no matter what. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Goldilocks sings God Bless America in honor of Thanksgiving.
Opening sequence.
Divine Storm vs. Briscoe Brothers
Trinity is here with Divine Storm. Jay gets taken down by Storm to start and can’t quite get anywhere off a waistlock. Mark and Divine come in for an exchange of armdrags until Mark hits a dropkick. A northern lights suplex gets two and it’s back to Jay as Mark is sent outside. Everything breaks down and the Briscoes hit stereo running flip dives and Jay takes Storm back inside for a gordbuster.
Mark is back with a springboard missile dropkick but walks into something like a Blue Thunder Bomb. That’s shrugged off and Storm gets double teamed in the corner, with Storm having to make a save. Mark is sent outside and take down with an Asai moonsault, leaving Jay to grab a sitout brainbuster. Storm is back in with a half nelson driver to finish Jay at 6:07.
Rating: C+. It wasn’t a long match but this was a good choice to get two teams out there and fire up the crowd a bit. If nothing else, the company needs some challengers to come after the Tag Team Titles so building up Divine Storm for a quick shot isn’t a bad idea. The Briscoes were VERY young here but they had a look and the talent to make up for some of the age issues.
A rather sweaty Mike Tenay cuts a promo on how much he can’t stand Vince Russo and what Russo is all about.
We run down the card.
We look back at last week’s World Title change, with Mr. Wrestling III helping Jeff Jarrett take the title from Ron Killings before revealing himself as Vince Russo.
Here is Jarrett for a chat…in theory at least as Russo comes out before Jarrett does. Russo tells Mike Tenay to leave if he hates him so much and go pout with Sean Waltman. The reality is wrestling needs Russo to save it (oh here we go) and he’s here to talk about Jarrett. They met when Jarrett was doing a gimmick where he was spelling his name, but Jarrett was one of the few genuine people in wrestling.
Then one night, Jarrett walked out on the company and left Russo to take the heat while Jarrett jumped on the NWO bandwagon. Then when the WWF took over, Jarrett came back to the WWF and Russo left, while Jarrett lost to a WOMAN named Chyna. Jarrett had to get out of there and needed Russo’s help (uh, right). Eventually Russo got out of wrestling and Jarrett asked him to join this new company, with Russo giving the name (and it was supposed to stand for….well what everyone thinks TNA stands for).
The reality is Jarrett was led around by the nose by some old man he won’t name while Russo got to sit at home. Now though, he thinks that both the WWE and this place suck and he’s here to save the day once again. Jarrett has one chance to join Russo because the change is coming next week. Russo will be here tonight to help Jarrett win again and he wants Jarrett’s answer tonight. Oh boy this show just got a lot worse and I’m sure in Russo’s mind that’s a huge plus or something, because he thinks people being sick of him in five minutes is great.
Mortimer Plumtree complains about other managers not offering enough to bring in AJ Styles.
We recap Goldilocks and April leaving together last week, with Brian Lawler being all upset. Again.
America’s Most Wanted vs. Hot Shots
Stevens offers an early distraction so Storm can be sent into the corner. The double teaming puts him down, with O’Reilly getting in some choking on the mat. That’s broken up in a hurry and it’s off to Harris for the hard knockdown. A low bridge sends Harris outside though and the Hot Shots get to take over in the corner. The old Rockers double flip over into a double right hand to knock Storm off the apron.
Stevens’ Lionsault hits raised knees though and Storm comes in off the hot tag. Everything breaks down and Storm hits the reverse tornado DDT. Harris hits the swinging Rock Bottom on O’Reilly and here are James Mitchell and Bella Donna to watch. The Death Sentence connects for AMW but they go after Mitchell and Donna for the countout at 5:19.
Rating: C+. I’m still not seeing much of the appeal of the Hot Shots, though the division desperately needs some new blood. AMW is turning into a heck of a team and starting to establish themselves as the aces of the division. They’ll need to face someone else besides the Disciples, so why not see what the Hot Shots can do?
Post match AMW loads up the Death Sentence on Donna but the Disciples Of The New Church run in for the save. Security breaks it up.
Dory Funk Jr. (who apparently wrestled in a dark match) says he will be watching Jeff Jarrett’s match as he has a vested interest.
Tag Team Titles: BG James/Curt Hennig vs. Disciples Of The New Church
The Disciples are defending and do a full entrance despite being in the arena about a minute and a half ago. James Mitchell (along with Bella Donna) is here with the Disciples and says he has an interest…..IN EVIL! Hennig atomic drops Slash into the corner to start and it’s quickly off to James.
That means the champs get to choke on the ropes but James is right back with a clothesline to the floor. The shaky knee gets two on Lee and it’s off to Hennig to work on the knee. Most of a Figure Four has Lee in trouble and it’s back to James to stay on the leg. What looks like a low blow gives Lee a needed breather though and it’s back to Slash.
The cobra clutch has James in more trouble but he fights up, only to get caught in a sleeper. That’s broken up and it’s back to Hennig to clean house, including the HennigPlex to Slash. That’s broken up by Lee as everything breaks down. And never mind as AMW runs in to jump the Disciples for the DQ at 10:35.
Rating: D+. Sweet goodness James is hard to watch. He doesn’t do much anything other than punch and feels like he’s just there for the sake of star power. The problem is he has almost nothing to back it up in the ring and this was another good example. The match was nothing worth seeing, with Hennig not being able to do much out there with this assorted cast of characters.
Post match AMW and the Disciples brawl to the back while Hennig and James aren’t pleased.
Don West and Mike Tenay are happy about the company’s official website launching and some charity stuff. Nothing wrong with that.
EZ Money vs. Alex Winters
They go with the grappling to start and Money can’t get anywhere with the arm. Instead he hits a Buckshot Lariat and avoids a slingshot dive, setting up a rocking horse of all things. Back up and Winters tries to jump over Money in the corner but seems to get kicked low. The Crash Landing finishes for Money at 3:19.
Rating: C-. I liked Money when he was Jason Jett at the end of WCW but that wasn’t coming through here. Instead this was a dull, slow match with Money doing a lame squash. Nothing to see here and I wouldn’t be surprised if Money was…well given how this promotion works, he’ll probably get a push instead of leaving as a result.
Bruce insists that his name is Alan Funk and he and April are just friends. Maybe she can be Miss TNA from now on. If that stupid Bruce stuff is done, I’m much happier with this show.
Sonny Siaki vs. Crimson Dragon
Siaki starts in on the arm before they run the ropes for a crisscross. Dragon’s springboard armdrag doesn’t do much and they stare at each other a bit. Dragon sends him to the corner for a kick to the head, followed by a diving clothesline on the floor. Back in and Siaki just throws him over the top for a nasty crash. They get inside again with Siaki hitting a slingshot atomic drop but Dragon kicks him in the face for two more. Dragon gets crotched on top though, allowing Siaki to hit a big overhead belly to belly superplex. The swinging neckbreaker finishes the Dragon at 5:14.
Rating: C. That’s really not a good choice for back to back matches as while this was slightly better, it was just a tiny step above Money’s squash. Siaki has been a borderline main eventer for awhile but here he is winning a nothing squash. I could go for him being in a higher spot than this, but that might just be for the sake of avoiding another dull match.
Post match Siaki says he wants better competition.
April is distraught over Brian Lawler freaking out over her being in the shower with Bruce last week. Everyone knows Bruce is gay but Goldilocks says no one is buying this. April thinks Goldilocks is jealous and Goldilocks walks off, saying she doesn’t have time for this.
Here is Brian Lawler, looking downright mopey, to talk about how he has given his heart to a woman he thought loved him. Then it turns out that she’s doing whatever with Sean Waltman, she’s in the shower with Bruce and now apparently she’s having an affair with Goldilocks. He hasn’t been able to sleep and he has migraines so as of right now, he’s quitting wrestling. Thank goodness, as Lawler is regularly one of the worst things on this show.
Commentary talks about what happened and we cut to Lawler, who is leaving with Priscilla and grabbing her in a rather personal place.
Video on AJ Styles.
Video on Jerry Lynn.
X-Division Title: AJ Styles vs. Jerry Lynn
Styles, with Mortimer Plumtree, is challenging and yes, they’re actually doing this match again. Lynn isn’t happy with the early trash talk and slugs him down, followed by a basement dropkick to the back for an early two. Styles is tossed over the top for the big crash to the floor, followed by the baseball slide.
That’s shrugged off and Styles peels back the mats for a DDT onto the exposed concrete. Back in and Lynn is busted open so Styles hammers at the cut, with Plumtree even getting in a shot of his own. Lynn is able to crotch him on top though and a kick to the face sends Styles outside again. Plumtree’s distraction doesn’t work as the charging Styles hits barricade and it’s a jumping back elbow to give Lynn two.
Styles is able to send him outside though, with Lynn getting in a foreign object shot. Back in and a reverse tornado DDT gives Styles two but Lynn is back with a running Liger Bomb for the same. Styles’ belly to back faceplant gets two more and they go up, with Lynn managing a super gordbuster. With nothing else working, Plumtree tries a foreign object but Lynn takes it away and knocks Styles silly to retain at 12:36.
Rating: B. While it’s a match that can never go wrong, it’s also a match I don’t need to see again for a good while. The nice thing here is they did something a bit different by having Lynn go after Plumtree and using the weapon to even things up somewhat. Easily the best match on the show thus far, but they really need to find someone else to go after this title.
BG James and Curt Hennig are willing to put up $5000….on golf?
Don West hypes up next week’s show.
Earlier today, Dory Funk Jr. sat down with Mike Tenay and talked about his NWA World Title reign and various opponents. He also hyped up the World Title match tonight and hopes people will be talking about it twenty years from now. Not likely, but a nice sentiment.
NWA World Title: Ron Killings vs. Jeff Jarrett
Killings is challenging and raps himself to the ring. We get the Big Match Intros before Jarrett gets rolled up for a fast two. Jarrett gets his boots up to cut off a charge in the corner and a middle rope sunset flip gets two. They trade rollups for two each and it’s an early standoff. That doesn’t work for Killings, who hits him in the mouth, so Jarrett takes him down by the leg.
The Figure Four is quickly broken up and Jarrett is sent outside, with Killings hitting a quick dive. A frog splash gives Killings two and we hit the sleeper to put Jarrett down for a bit. Back up and Jarrett’s dropkick is countered into a sitout powerbomb. Killings goes up and gets superplexed back down, followed by an enziguri which doesn’t look to come anywhere near connecting.
Jarrett kicks him low and of course denies it before loading up a chair in the corner. Killings sends him into said chair for two, only to miss one heck of a moonsault. With nothing else working, Jarrett pulls off a turnbuckle pad before sending Killings…outside and over the barricade (helpfully labeled the HEEL SECTION). They brawl around the arena and climb a lighting structure, which they fall off for the crash through a table. That’s enough for the double countout at 11:08.
Well hang on as here is Bob Armstrong to say there will be a winner so we keep going. They get inside and slug it out, with Jarrett being hot shotted onto the exposed buckle. Jarrett gets up again and the referee is bumped (of course) so cue Russo. The guitar is handed in but Jarrett smashes it on the post instead. Three straight Strokes retain the title at 14:18.
Rating: C. And yeah there it is. As usual, this is more about Russo than anyone else and it drags everything down. Russo being out there with Jarrett, either together or on opposing sides, feels like flashbacks to the dying days of WCW and that’s not a good thing. The match was decent enough as you had two talented wrestlers in there, but then it all goes to Russo again, which is likely going to be the start of a recurring trend.
Post match Russo says Jarrett has one chance to be with him or against him. Jarrett goes back inside and yells at Russo to end the show.
Overall Rating: D+. You can see things going in a bad direction from here and that’s not an encouraging sign. Aside from the usually good Styles vs. Lynn match and maybe AMW vs. the Hot Shots, this was a show built around people who aren’t interesting and who are likely going to get a lot more screen time. Having to watch Russo, Lawler and to a lesser extent Jarrett get this much focus isn’t a good sign. It doesn’t help that a lot of the rest of the show felt like mostly meaningless filler. Not a good show, and unfortunately it’s probably indicative of where we’re heading.
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