Superstar Sleeze

Kurt Angle vs Desmond Wolfe - TNA Turning Point 2009 Something I have wanted to see since it was deemed an "instant classic" back in 2009 and I thought it was pretty good. Wolfe's arm work is definitely the highlight. Some great torturous holds, and moves like a great Hammerlock/Back Heel Trip combination. Not quite Dick Murdoch good, but it felt fresh and unique. The finish run was a good blending of their moves. Angle had turned the tide with six German suplexes. They traded a Nigel lariat and then an Angleslam. From there, we did Anklelock dance routine paired with a top wristlock. The arm work was mostly forgotten down the stretch, but at least it was remembered there. Nigel counters the Angleslam and hits his finish looking thing (Ace Crusher from the top rope) to absolutely zero heat. Nobody not even the kids or the grandmas bought that finish. Nigel winds up for a clothesline, but Angle hits his own. They are kinda playing up that Nigel is targetting the neck in the latter stages of the match, but why didnt they just go full bore. They do a tombstone reversal sequence leads to the finish sequence. I thought the finish itself was really good. Angle moves from the Ankelock to try for a cross-armbreaker but with Nigel's hands clasped he gets a perfect side triangle choke and immediate tap out. They play up the story that Nigel is a newcomer, but he does not earn his offense. It just happens. The match felt like they were walking throughout it times. Lacked both energy and struggled. The arm work was good and the finish run was laid out well enough. A bit underwhelming honestly, but still on the right side of good. ***1/4

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Christian Cage vs Samoa Joe - Destination X 2007 I keep waiting for Christian to knock my socks off. He is very good but nothing spectacular. Same holds true here. I thought Joe was great as usual. The shine was really good. Showed off Joe's strikes, explosiveness and the cool badass. Christian was pretty good feeding all this. I liked Christian squandering his lucky advantage by going for a chair perfect way for a heel to lose his edge by being greedy. Joe really threw him down. Christian finally gets a DDT on apron. I thought Joe's selling could have been better. I thought he died too soon. Christian had ok heel offense. Joe was great in his comeback really firing on offense. Match really went off the rails. I can finally pinpoint my issue with overbooking. I like overbooking in general and I know I'm kinda alone on this. I hate overbooking when it was non-consequential. There was a steel chair shot AND a ball shot where there was no selling AND Joe hit the next move after each. Respect that! Chair shots and ball shots should be big time blows. The actual finish is good with Christian doing the Survivor Series 96 finish using the ropes. Pretty good match nothing crazy overbooking sucked. ***1/2

TNA X Division Champion Samoa Joe vs Christopher Daniels - Final Resolution 2006 The Joe vs Daniels rivalry is the least discussed of the three pairings of the main X Division competitors. I actually like Daniels and always think he does good work. I know some people dont care for him, but I would like to hear the knocks against him. There is something about him that screams midcard or ceiling I should say. Like you feel like Joe & AJ are main event players, but for some reason it does not feel like Daniels belongs in the main event and I dont know why. It is not size because AJ is just as big if not a little shorter. Anyways, I thought this was a great match between these two. The story going into it is that Joe has concussed and busted Daniels open in the lead up to the match. Daniels comes out firing on all cylinders. I really like how this was a battle of tempo early on. Daniels came out like a bat out of hell and was keeping Joe off balance with a quick pace and a relentless attack. This is always a risky situation because it allows Joe to be reactionary and find an opening. Twice Joe just avoided aerial moves by Daniels and each time Joe ground the match to a halt. He was measuring Daniels and really laying everything. It was inevitable that Daniels was going to have to win this match with a slow tempo approach. He just kept getting countered. He was working in slams to set up his moonsaults, but was not able to negotiate the pinfall. Joe was frustrated by his own inability to submit Daniels. I did think parts of the match were a little too back and forth, but the action was always crisp and interesting. The match hits the finish run when Daniels hits a wicked slingshot elbow drop on the floor. That was some serious flesh on flesh impact. Damn! Daniels sells his hip like a million bucks and when he is looking to get back in the ring Joe rocks him with a kick to the head. Remember the concussion. Then Joe hits the facewash on the guradrail and Daniels is busted. Daniels tries valiantly to come back but it is too late and Joe destroys. Musclebuster and then a musclebuster on a chair followed by wicked Fujita-like knees to the head and best friend AJ has to throw in the towel. The beginning was cool. The middle was a lot of nice signature stuff. The finish run was really great and really put Joe over as a cold, soulless killer. ****

El-P not quite as high as you are on Angle & this match, but I do wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment that I wish this match was way more influential than it was. I think this is one of the most interesting matches from the 2000s. TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe - Lockdown 2008 O, what could have been! I remember many praising this match as the future of American wrestling. So many were calling for pro wrestling to look and feel more like MMA with the UFC boom underway. I had never seen this match before and just knew based on its rep that it was going to have a MMA feel to it. I have become a big fan of Japanese shoot-style over the years and I was curious to see if this would hold up. Granted, I have not watched any RINGS past 1997 yet, that is important to bear in mind. This is definitively different than Japanese shoot-style which is based on Karl Gotch catch wrestling mixed in with some judo and kickboxing. Meaning there is no jiu-jitsu and especially no fighting from your back and so limited guards. This match taking place in 2008 where in a lot of ways Jiu-Jitsu won the MMA war (I am not a MMA expert, yes wrestlers tend to do the best in MMA, but a lot of what we see on the ground is Jiu-Jitsu based) and yes I realize that Kimura is just a double wristlock stolen from Catch Wrestling and Juji-Gatame has Judo origins. I am off on a tangent, my point is a lot of people associate Jiu-Jitsu style fighting as MMA. So you see more guard positioning here and see full mounts. Things you would not see in Japanese shoot style. There are elements of Japanese shoot-style, Joe has a great Oo-Soto-Gari/Hiplock Takeover (I never know if Judo or Catch Wrestling innovated the move I guess since we are in America I should use the Catch name for the move) and Angle responds with a great Saito Suplex. Now they do work in more pro style moves. There are no Irish Whips, which I love. I would love to see wrestling de-emphasize the Irish Whip. We do see rope running and charging. What I love about that is whoever charges ends up on the losing end! Exactly how it should be, if you come charging in to your opponent, 9 times out of 10 you creating an opening for your opponent to calculate and react. Angle is able to chop the knee and move into a great figure-4. Later on the match when Angle is desperate and charges, Joe takes him him down with a Fujiwara armbar into a Crippler Crossface. Thats great Catch Wrestling. I thought Joe's offense coming out of the Figure-4 looked ferocious. I really dug that lariat. Great use of his ROH combination powerbomb->Boston Crab->STF->Crossface. There are some annoying loose Anklelocks and counters in and out of the Anklelock that suck and really undermine all the great Pro/MMA work they were doing. I loved the finish to bring it back home to pro wrestling throw him into the cage, kick his head off and Musclebuster for the win. Incredibly interesting match that I really think every pro wrestling should watch because it is so unique. This is not Japanese shoot style just done in America, this is distinctly different and more based off what you would see in the UFC circa 2008 as opposed to Karl Gotch's vision of Catch Wrestling. I think this style actually taking off would have been a huge boon to the wrestling industry (or selfishly my enjoyment of it) because it feels so different. I would love to see a style that developed now that de-emphasizes Irish Whips and rope running. There is some stuff I didnt like (yes mostly centered around that infuriating anklelock) which keeps me from calling this classic, but it is definitely entertaining and great. I would love to get more and more people's insight on this because I think it is inherently interesting and there would be a wide variety of opinions on it. ****1/4

Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe - TNA Turning Point 2006 Pro Wrestling Hell is watching Kurt Angle do loose chain wrestling based around his anklelock for all eternity. Can I tap out? I guess I could have stopped watching. I was tearing my hair out during all those terrible Anklelocks and then the even worse counters. Actually the most egregious was how easy it was to escape a rear naked choke. I actually thought this match was the more interesting match of the two at first before in devolved into the worst chain wrestling in history. It was built around Angle the wrestler vs Joe the striker. It lasted for two minutes, but it was cool. I will give Angle credit he is actually really good at punching. He has a great right. I really liked his out of control, awkward dive over the top rope to the floor. It felt raw and organic. I liked the brawling on the outside. So I was like alright throw out the wrestler vs striker narrative, lets have a brawl. Then we were doing double wristlocks from a side mount. So I was just confused. From there we were hitting signature spots. Then came Pro Wrestling Hell. This match was a total clusterfuck even before the shitshow finish. Angle taps out to the Coquina Clutch but theres no ref! Angle gets up and punts him between the legs. I have no problem with any of this. The commentators to do a good job putting over Angle is embarassed he tapped out and has snapped. He grabs a chair. This is when I was rolling my eyes. He swings the chair and it hits him in the face. But as Joe is grabbing at his trunks, Angle is floundering reaching for the ropes like a stooge. Dude, you just got hit in the face with a steel chair. Joe taps him out. Nothing mattered in this match. Zero. Why do I keep giving Kurt Angle chances? I am skipping the Final Resolution Iron Man Match because it didnt get good reviews even from people who liked these matches. I am going to watch the Lockdown match because I remember at the time people thought that was the future of pro wrestling with all the MMA influence in the match.

Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe - Genesis 2006 He pulled the straps up! HE PULLED THEM BACK DOWN! I am sorry but that sequence is one of those "Spinal Tap" moments for pro wrestling where I cant help but laugh even though it is supposed to be ultra-intense, hyper-masculine. TNA delivered on a big match that had a big match feel. I read this was TNA's highest PPV buyrate? I wouldnt be surprised this legitimately felt huge at the time. Joe had been undefeated for over a year and this was Angle's first match in TNA. Excellent booking. I was right in the middle of my TNA fandom and was definitely very pumped about this feud. I still remember the headbutt angle. So smart, so good. Even though I never bought any of the PPVs, teenager with no more and too proud to ask my Dad to buy more than one PPV a year. So here I am 12 years later finally watching it. I liked that they kept it short and sweet. It felt like they ran through their standard movesets. We got Joe's snap powerslam, wicked knee in the corner and that sick kick. We got Angle's rolling Germans. Musclebuster kickout. Angle Slam kick out. Anklelock-Coquina Clutch reversal, hey there was a flash of Fujiwara/Maeda in there (Angle getting a toehold in the choke out). Angle going over decisively was the right call. Usual complaints plague this match: not a lot of struggle at all throughout the match. They were not making each other work at all for their offense. The submission counterwrestling besides that flash was terrible and would drive any shoot-style fan crazy. Angle was at his video game worst where you just mash Square enough to break a lock up. I actually thought the beginning was the best with Joe dragging Angle out and slinging him into the railing and then hitting elbow suicida. What the hell was up with Angle gigging himself on a non-head shot, his knees hit the steel steps. The crowd loved "This is Awesome" throughout the match and a "Make him tap" which Angle loved. A modern Clash of Titans match, not too much finish spamming, but nothing that will change your life. ***1/4

Fun fact: This is actually generally considered to be one of the greatest TNA matches of all time. I had no idea. I thought this was just some random novelty match. It is not bad as I said. Just bloated. I stand by my assessment that this is a slightly better version of Omega/Okada from 1/4/17.

Thank you to everybody who has contributed thus far. I was doing a bit of reading it sounds like going from 2002-2009 are good goalposts for the first crack at TNA. 2002 is obvious as the start of the company and 2009 seems to be when Dixie really takes the full reigns of the company and then Hogan/Bischoff come in at the start of 2010. So I am going to focus on 2002-2009 first and if I have time I will do 2010 and beyond. The Year 2002 - I think was pretty thorough in my watching of this year so let me know if I missed anything. AJ Styles vs Jerry Lynn vs Low Ki vs Psicosis - NWA TNA 6/19/02 AJ Styles vs Low-Ki - NWA-TNA 9/25/02 2 Out Of 3 Falls X Division Champion AJ Styles vs Amazing Red - NWA TNA 10/30/02 AJ Styles vs Amazing Red - NWA-TNA 12/11/02 X Division Champion AJ Styles vs Low-Ki NWA TNA 7/17/02 NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ron "The Truth" Killings vs Low-Ki - NWA-TNA 10/02/02 Triple X vs Amazing Red/SAT - NWA TNA 12/18/02 X Division Champion Low-Ki vs AJ Styles vs Jerry Lynn - NWA-TNA 8/28/02 X Division Champion AJ Styles vs Jerry Lynn - NWA-TNA 11/6/02 X Division Champion Syxx vs AJ Styles - NWA-TNA 10/23/02 X Division Champion AJ Styles vs Low Ki vs Jerry Lynn - NWA TNA 8/7/02 The year 2003 - I have not seen many people discuss this year when it comes to great matches. What have I missed from 2003? The below three matches I have watched NWA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles vs Low-Ki - NWA-TNA 8/13/03 Low Ki vs Christopher Daniels - NWA TNA 11/12/03 NWA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles vs Dusty Rhodes - NWA TNA 10/8/03 Did some digging and found this: TNA World Tag Team/Steel Cage Match: Triple X vs. America’s Most Wanted (6/25/03, Wednesday PPV) Is this NWA World Heavyweight: AJ Styles vs. Raven (8/27/03, Wednesday PPV) any good???? The year 2004 - AMW vs XXX comes up a lot, but what else? Six Sides of Steel Match: XXX vs. AMW from Turning Point 2004 - Need to watch The Year 2005 - I have seen a good amount of AJ Styles from this year, but I need to re-watch some of it to see if it Greatest Match Ever worthy Against All Odds 2005: X-Division Champion AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels - Need rewatch Final Resolution 2005: X-Division Champion Petey Williams vs Chris Sabin vs AJ Styles in an Ultimate X Match - People seem to like this one, but my initial watch I didnt like it too much. Lockdown 2005: AJ Styles vs Abyss - Number One Contender's Match - Need Rewatch, GME list contender Unbreakable 2005: X-Division Champion Christopher Daniels vs AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe - Need Rewatch, initial watch I thought it was overrated Sacrifice 2005: Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles Bound For Glory 2005 - X-Division Champion AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels Turning Point 2005 - X-Division Champion AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe - Need Rewatch, GME List Contender Recommended to watch for the first time: Monster's Ball Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Sabu vs. Rhyno vs. Abyss from Bound For Glory 2005 The Year 2006 - Again watched a lot of AJ Styles from this year, but nothing that super impressed me. I will say I was a total mark for Paparazzi Productions (Kevin Nash & Alex Shelley), going through the 2006 results made me smile thinking of that. Against All Odds 2006 - X-Division Champion Samoa Joe vs Christopher Daniels vs AJ Styles - Probably AJ's match of the year, I might rewatch Destination X - X-Division Champion Samoa Joe vs Christopher Daniels vs AJ Styles Sacrifice 2006 - NWA World Tag Team Champions America's Most Wanted vs AJ Styles/Christopher Daniels - Probably the second best AJ Match of the Year Slammiversary 2006 - NWA World Tag Team Champions America's Most Wanted vs AJ Styles/Christopher Daniels Hard Justice 2006 - NWA World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles/Christopher Daniels vs LAX No Surrender 2006 - NWA World Tag Team Champions LAX vs AJ Styles/Christopher Daniels - Ultimate X Bound for Glory 2006 - NWA World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles/Christopher Daniels vs LAX - Steel Cage Match Matches recommended for me to watch Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels -Final Resolution 2006 Samoa Joe vs. Scott Steiner from Slammiversary 2006 Samoa Joe vs Kurt Angle - Genesis 2006 Christian Cage vs AJ Styles - Genesis 2006 (Seen no hype around this, but Im intrigued) Samoa Joe vs Kurt Angle - Turning Point 2006 Is Christian vs Jeff Jarrett from Against All Odds any good? Is Christian vs Abyss from Lockdown or Sacrifice any good? I see Low-Ki (Senshi) had an extended run in 2006 any good from that? Is LAX vs AMW any good? The Year 2007 - AJ Styles' wasted year in-ring. I really loved his character work in the Christian Coalition. I would say my peak TNA fandom was 2005-2007. I really loved the promotion then. Nothing AJ did that year excites me on paper. I know this was the year of Chris Harris vs James Storm what else? Matches recommended for me to watch Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe - Final Resolution 2007 Christian Cage vs. Samoa Joe (Destination X 2007) Chris Harris vs James Storm - Sacrifice 2007 Texas Death Match Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles - Sacrifice 2007 Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe - Hard Justice 2007 Christian Cage vs Kaz - Genesis 2007 Ladder Match, this gets some play, is it good? Is Angle vs Christian from Against All Odds 2007 any good? Is the AJ Styles vs Rhino series any good? Is Christian vs Samoa Joe from No Surrender 2007 or BFG 2007 any good? I have the Destination X match listed. The Year 2008 - AJ Styles breaks free from Kurt Angle's and Christian's grips. Some people like the Angle vs AJ stuff. It wasnt for me. I have watched and did not think highly of it. What else is there? AJ Styles vs Kurt Angle - Slammiversary 2008 AJ Styles vs Kurt Angle - Video Game Death Match - Hard Justice - A lot of people like this, but I thought the transitions were poor enough to render only to be very good. TNA World Heavyweight Champion Sting vs AJ Styles - Turning Point 2008 Matches recommended to watch: Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe - Lockdown 2008 Kurt Angle vs Jeff Jarrett - BFG 2008 Is Kurt Angle vs Christian Cage from Final Resolution January 2008 or Against All Odds any good? Is 2008 the first year of Beer Money? Did anything good come out of that? Is Beer Money vs MCMGs from Turning Point 2008 any good? I thought their big run is in 2010? The Year 2009 - AJ Styles last two months are insane! It is too bad El-P ended his project early he really should have saw the year through. I have got to say I am a Main Event Mafia mark. I really thought that was the best incarnation of an NWO/Old Timer's stable since the NWO. Those track suits were bitchin'. TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles vs Sting - Bound for Glory 2009 TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels vs Samoa Joe - Turning Point 2009 - Thought this was better than Unbreakable on first watch. TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels - Final Resolution 2009 - This is contender for greatest TNA match ever and greatest AJ Styles match ever. I love this match! Need to rewatch Matches recommended for me to watch: Kurt Angle vs Jeff Jarrett - Genesis 2009 Chris Sabin vs Alex Shelley - Genesis 2009 Kurt Angle vs Desmond Wolfe- Turning Point 2009 Kurt Angle vs Desmond Wolfe - Final Resolution 2009 Samoa Joe vs Christopher Daniels from No Surrender 2009 any good? Lashley vs Samoa Joe from Bound From Glory 2009 any good? There was a Bobby Lashley vs Scott Steiner PPV feud in 2009?!?! Wow!

TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels - Final Resolution 2009 Daniels puts on a career performance and AJ puts on a performance that is on par with his best. It is very rare I think someone outshines AJ, but I thought Daniels was doing so many of the little things so well and suffocating AJ that I have got to give the nod to Daniels as the better wrestler in this match. This match is worked so much differently than most TNA matches as they let spots breathe, use strikes effectively to set up spots and has psychology that actually follows the angle surrounding the match. I was really floored how friggin good this match was both when I watched it initially in 2013 and now in 2019. The story is how AJ would overcome Daniels' combination of ruthlessness and familiarity with his moves. Daniels takes advantage of two early rope breaks to take cheap shots at Styles. He also rushes in after each cheap shot and cinches in a hold on AJ. He is not gloating. He is here to win. I love his attitude. He takes advantage of AJ's good nature, who still has a soft spot for his friend. There are two really good spots that I just loved from Daniels they showed he was not going to give AJ anything in this match and AJ was going to have to earn every bit of offense. The first one is Daniels is able to counter an AJ kip up by sitting down on an armbar and the second is he is able to pick an ankle on a criss-cross spot because he knows AJ just that well. When the hell do ever see those two spots absolutely quashed. Nothing should ever be taken for granted and I like that Daniels turns the tables. They really work the mat effectively I wish they would work this way more often. I liked the dueling dropkicks. Daniels tries to hit AJ's signature dropkick combination, but AJ is too wise for that and sets up his own and nails it. When AJ does take control because Daniels gets cocky he really lets the fists fly and talks some trash to Daniels. Hate in a TNA match??? Whaaaaaattttttt? They do a great job climaxing AJ's shine. Daniels powders because he is a coward. So AJ baits Daniels by coming out to the apron causing Daniels to charge, but AJ evades and Daniels runs into the post and then as Daniels is selling AJ catapults himself over the top rope crashing down on Daniels. There is a great two spot combination that gets Daniels back in control. The first is a wicked monkey flip that sends AJ crashing into the corner causing a bad landing. The second is a rudimentary clothesline while AJ is on the apron. What makes this so special? Watch how AJ takes this bump. It is so gnarly. Yes, I said Daniels was the better wrestler on this night but if Daniels was wrestling at a A+ level then AJ was wrestling at an A level that's how high quality this match was. When Daniels regains control, he sets up AJ to get smacked with a chair and as the ref discards that chair he Rock Bottoms AJ through an chair (obviously silly as the mangled chair is left behind, but I am going to let it slide). This sets up the back psychology and a really damn good heat segment. AJ gets a hope spot and goes up top to capitalize, but Daniels wails on his back. Then Daniels manages to hoist AJ up and basically do a backbreaker but use the top turnbuckle as his knee. If you are going to do innovative spots, then at least make them violent and that fit in perfectly. Daniels continuing working the back with strikes and holds. I like how AJ re-establishes control first it is by big time punches to the head but when Daniels throws him out of the ring AJ hits a nasty powerbomb on Daniels onto the floor when Daniels tries to hit a huricanrana. Up until that point, Daniels had almost no highspots. Everything was fundamental and ruthless and AJ made him pay. AJ follows up with more strikes and trash talk. This does not feel like a TNA match at all and the TNA crowd does not how to react. I hate to admit, but it was pretty heatless even though this was an insanely great match. There is a great moment when Daniels not only hooks the top rope, but has his foot hooked on the bottom rope too to ensure AJ will not be able to take him over. Daniels uses AJ's own momentum against him crotches him on the ropes (AJ's bumpis great here). I really liked the suplex from this position. Now Daniels is using some wicked open hand palm strikes. They fuck up a super Franeknsteiner. They fight over a suplex and AJ hits a wicked brainbuster on Daniels' injured head. At some point, Daniels has this massive lump on his forehead that just looks gnarly. Phenomenal Forearm gets two when Daniels gets his leg on the ropes. I like that Daniels used this foot there. It showed that the Brainbuster/Forearm would have done him in. They struggle over Styles Clash; AJ hits him with the Pele which is usually the setup for the Styles Clash, but Daniels scrambles for the ropes where AJ hits him with a stiff kick to the back. Daniels throws a desperate open hand strikes. AJ is trying for the German suplex, but Daniels uses the ref and he rakes the eyes to hit an Urnage then hit the BME. Daniels takes his frustration out on AJ's head by punching his head repeatedly and then clawing the eyes. I love the hate and violence. AJ gets a catapult and then follows up with a Styles Clash kickout. AJ gets set up on top rope (maybe Spiral Tap); Daniels hits a big palm strike; goes for another super Frankensteiner this time he eats a super Styles Clash for the 1-2-3! This match unlike most TNA matches actually followed the story of the angle. It was two wrestlers pissed off at each other trying to prove they were better than the other. Daniels was great at heeling it up and he left most of the goofy moves at the door. He was out to use his guile and experience to best AJ. He started off really working the arm well before zeroing in on the back with ferocity rarely seen in TNA. AJ is such a great babyface at both selling and those fiery comebacks. His punches were really on point and he too did not work all his usual offensive spots and instead focusing on executing moves that fit the match and would finish his opponent. I liked the finish a lot because it combined smart escalation (Top Rope Styles Clash) with Daniels going to the well once too often (2nd attempt at Super Frankensteiner). I think this is one of the grossly underrated matches in the history of pro wrestling and easily the Match of the Year for 2009. ****3/4

TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels vs Samoa Joe - Turning Point 2009 I just rewatched this in February 2019. I dont feel that I need to change much of my 2013 review. Except, I do like the Unbreakable match more now having watched them back to back. Oddly for the reasons I say the review. I am always someone who enjoys strikes and submissions. This match is definitely more of a lo-fi version of the Unbreakable match. I think now that is not necessarily the best style for a triple threat match. I think the balls to the wall style of the Unbreakable match is more exciting now than this match where there is not a strong narrative to make the more lo-fi style stick with you. I do think this match is all about AJ Styles as the Man. He is given the most time to shine and he is the one overcoming the obstacles. I still marked out in all the same spots: Phenomenal Forearm->Discus Lariat and the Rolling Cradle. I did like Daniels' suckerpunch at the beginning and I think he heeled it up more here, which I liked. I agree with myself that these style of matches are not great exhibitions of selling, but AJ's register in this match is well...phenomenal! At the end, Taz talks about a star rating and gives it 15 stars. Try **** brutha. Where to begin with this one? It was pretty incredible. I know I would have it ahead of the Unbreakable match, but I think I still like the AAO triple threat for its psychology. This one does not quite have the interesting psychological hook of AAO, but this one is a lot more violent and has a lot more heat on it than the others. Joe and Daniels are totally dicks in this. This match is built to make AJ look like a million bucks and after the malaise of Angle & Sting, I remember why I started this thread because AJ is fuckin killer. This match really feels like TNA giving AJ the keys to the kingdom as it was designed to make him look like the best wrestler in the world. Whether, it was the heated strike exchanges, submissions, spectacular aerial moves or selling, AJ ruled this match. Even little things like his kick to the back of Daniels leg after it had been in a Joe kneebar or his sweet right to Joe's head on the outside showed AJ's psychology. I will say matches like aren't the whole the greatest exhibitions of selling, but there was much better progression in this spotfest than you would see in most. They were not just running from spot to spot, but using strikes as glue and the AJ/Daniels angle as a hook to keep things heated. I do not remember that many well-done strike or submission exchanges in the first series of matches. Here, they worked harder to bring more variety to the match. AJ worked a side headlock in the beginning and an inverted Indian Deathlock with a reverse chinlock bridge. Each time, they worked a smart out. One of my favorite moments was Joe doing a rolling cradle and after AJ kicked out he quashed Joe's momentum with a well-timed spin kick. I don't know if Kobashi/Kawada ever worked that sequence, but it reminded me of them. I actually pumped my fist when AJ did his Springboard Forearm to Joe and then immediately hit a discus clothesline on Daniels. It was a thing of beauty. Daniels starts the Triple Threat off on the right note by sucker punching AJ due to him being miffed that AJ had the audacity to accuse him, King of Decency, that he may be attacking him from behind even though Daniels is openly jealous of AJ's title reign. Throughout the match, Daniels wrestles a much more ruthless style than I ma accustomed to him doing. He was less interested in goofy spots and more interested in punishing AJ. Even though the finisher reversal sequence he worked with AJ was a contrived, it was so quick and fluid you had to be impressed. Samoa Joe, who played the role of shit-stirrer in the angle, looked absolutely great in this match. I did not like his over bumping tendencies in the other matches. In this match, he looks like a badass and one that is vulnerable to the quickness of his opponents' strikes and dives. That is Joe putting over the proper characteristics of his opponents. His offense was top notch and all the stuff you'd expect: facewashes, powerbombing AJ onto Daniels into Crab->STF->Crossface and Musclebuster. You feel that AJ has to overcome the raw power of Joe and the ruthlessness of Daniels, which leads to the finish. Daniels/AJ actually team to take out Joe with Total Elimination (their tag finisher from 2006). Daniels offers the hand to only attempt a sucker punch, but AJ counters. They fight on the top Joe knocks AJ down only for Daniels to take out Joe with STO and BME, but AJ hits both with a Springboard 450 and picks up the win on Joe. I have to say up until the finish; they were working a smart match as AJ was faced with two very different competitors, but was finding different ways to thrive against them both. I like him and Daniels teaming to take out Joe and then the renewal of hostilities. I did not like that Daniels took out Joe on his own and AJ stole the victory. I know that sets up the singles rematch, but there had to be a better way to get there. [I need to rewatch this apparently]

TNA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles vs Sting - Bound for Glory 2009  The Main Event Mafia storyline has wrapped up with Sting realizing that he respects the youngsters and his contemporaries are a bunch of snake oil salesmen. AJ respects Sting too. It is a big 'ol lovefest. AJ won the title on the PPV before this in a convoluted 5 man match. Now he has to beat the Man that has been unbeatbale at BFG beating JJ, Angle and Joe for the World Title three years in a row. That is just a great piece of booking by TNA even if it is a happy accident. This match is much better than their previous effort about a year previous. The wrestle a smart, well-laid out tit-for-tat face vs face match. They do a bunch of parallel spots to display that they are equal. Each grabbing a side headlock, each doing a hiptoss, each letting the other into the ring and each whiffing on a move and eating guardrail. Sting shows a bit more fire in this one, but nowhere near the usual hopped up on speed Sting that I am used to from the 90s. AJ does not overcompensate at all in this match. He makes Sting's offense look good and times his own well. Sting even manages to work one of his old favorite WCW spots in with the tombstone reversal, which I admit I marked for. They also do a helluva sequence to get into the Deathdrop only for Styles to kick out. This is where the Styles proving himself comes in as he kicks out of the Deathdrop and powers of the Deathlock. This is the harbinger that Sting's time has passed and Styles is on the rise as his big bombs can't keep the New Ace down. Sting puts on one more show of bravado, but it is not 1990 anymore and the power up is no longer as potent. Sting looks to follow up a headbutt only to take a Pele and Springboard Splash to end the match. This is probably the best TNA Sting I have ever seen and really shows how much a good layout can hide the limitations of wrestlers. Both wrestlers executed the psychology and delivered a very good match. I am looking forward to AJ's reign as World Champion before he ends up in obscurity and an interminable feud with Christopher Daniels.

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Sting vs AJ Styles - Turning Point 2008 This is from the very beginning of the Main Event Mafia. After about 8 incarnations of this storyline, Russo finally got so it was at least interesting TV even though it produced some awful PPV main events. They main evented their January PPV with AJ/Foley/Devon vs Booker/Steiner/Billy Gunn. How this company is still in business is shocking. This is Sting's first PPV defense after defeating Samoa Joe for the belt at BFG 2008. Sting could not care less in this match. He looks like he would rather be anywhere else in the world rather than have AJ hold his wrist. He is just bored in this match. What is weird he does not look that out of place even though it is 2008. He is a giant compared to AJ. He is in decent shape and can still execute everything. The face paint hides how old he is. But he just totally mails this one in. AJ is a spaz in this match and is constantly cutting off Sting as he tries to inject some life in this match with many too many hope spots. He could have tried the old fashion way with some good selling, which he is capable of, but he is a product of 00s and offense reigns supreme in that decade. The best example of my issue with the match is Sting press slams AJ onto the outside in the best spot of the match. Within 90 seconds, AJ hit a backbreaker on Sting. The home stretch was just the usual spots: Scorpion Deathdrop, some Stinger Splashes, Spiral Tap. Then the MEM run out for some weak interference that backfires. AJ whiffs on the Pele and Sting rolls him up for the win. It just kinda ended. The match was just there. I did not think it was out, out bad per se. It was just a really tepid performance from Sting with AJ way overcompensating for that.

Wow, 2013 Martin disagree with you, brutha. I have not watched this match in 5 years. I remember thinking there were a lot of problems with transitions and that Angle is by far AJ's worst opponent. AJ Styles vs Kurt Angle - Video Game Death Match - Hard Justice Ok, I am being a little harsh with that gimmick name. They deemed this a Last Man Standing Match, but it follows Death Match rules. Everyone knows you cant just have a plain 'ol Death Match. What ensued was the most sterile Death Match of all time. I have seen straight Ric Flair title defenses that used the outside more effectively than these two. This time the blame falls squarely on Angle's shoulders. AJ really brought the hate at the beginning of the match before Angle quashed that and made it into one of his spotfests. Angle started off with the Larry Z, which is a great heat tactic, the only problem is the angle they ran right before this talked about how Angle wanted to rip AJ's head off for sleeping with his wife. AJ basically says "Fuck this" and nails Angle with a glorious right. He follows up with a series of vicious strikes. Instead of celebrating his dropkick as being proud of it, he uses it to set up a clothesline to the outside and a dive. They work the outside pretty effectively together. Angle actually overhead suplexes AJ into the guardrail. Angle's European Uppercuts feel violent. They are off to a great start. I really felt like they could build from here into an all-time classic. Then Angle had to do his big spot to scoop up all the heat. They go out to the entrance and Angle hits a somersault off the ramp onto AJ. T-N-A! T-N-A! T-N-A! I can forgive it. He wanted to do one big spot to pop the crowd so be it that isn't going to ruin all the good work they did at the beginning. Angle just doesn't know how to work violent that has to be it. Once they are back in the ring, everything stays in the ring and it turns into a standard TNA match only this time AJ is bringing the hate to have some glue between the spots. He was really using his right hand to effectively set up his spots as opposed to Angle's video game counters. I am a mark for the torture rack so I liked it when AJ did it, but I can see that not being everyone's cup of tea. It is hilarious that Angle lets everyone counter the Ankle Lock at least 3 times a match, but he submits to it on the first attempt by AJ. Yes, AJ had already reversed the Ankle Lock once in this match. At this point of the match, when Angle hits a low blow on AJ it is a Low Blow of Hate. It is a Low Blow of a Desperate Man just trying to salvage a win. AJ is trying so hard to have a classic match and Angle just only knows one mode. Maybe Angle is better as a babyface in hate-filled matches? This is so frustrating because I know these two have a classic in them. Now here come the barrage of spots: Germans, Pele, Angle run up the ropes (this features some good struggle), Olympic Slam, Styles Clash, Super DDT for the win for AJ. I will say I really like they didn't have a finisher win it. That they went with a move that was very big and uncommon for the finish. It was a really good escalation to a big finish Angle sold the Super DDT perfectly. Post-match, AJ knocks him off the stretcher and dumps him on his head. Sting his the Scorpion Deathdrop on AJ to set up the Main Event Mafia storyline. This match is so frustrating because the beginning is really well-executed with both guys utilizing violent offense to get revenge on the other. However, once Angle went to do his big spot off the ramp the match reverted back to your standard TNA match layout. However, they did some really good stuff in that portion. They did a lot more strikes in between spots. There was more struggle and competing over spots. Rather than Slammiversary, where they were just trading spots. I would not put this in the same league as some of the epic AJ matches I have seen. However, it was very good and could have easily been great.

AJ Styles vs Kurt Angle - Slammiversary 2008 -Disturbing Trend: AJ's matches are totally disconnected from storyline, probably not his fault - Heated Angle: Centered around Angle's jealousy that AJ has a crush on his wife and thus Angle beat living shit out of him on TV. Big bladejob by AJ. - So they wrestle a classic championship match. The Announcers and I are like whaaaaaattttttt - AJ is proud of hitting dropkicks on the guy just mauled him like a week ago. Like I said it feels like an underdog who is proving himself to the ace veteran rather than a blood feud match - Angle is King of Shitty Transitions. It feels like a video game. The guy controlling Angle just kept mashing R2 until he broke up his opponents's grapple attempt and starting hitting moves. -Angle's heat segment and AJ's comeback were great. Angle bloodied AJ's nose, toyed with him in the corner and AJ's is a great fired up babyface. Match feels like an elite match after the rocky start because they established what they wanted and I accepted it. Crowd is chanting "Angle Sucks!" and "AJ". The wrestlers are over not the moves. -Angle, King of the Shitty Transitions decides enough of this wrestling stuff and just starts hitting Germans. After this nobody can string together more than two moves. The crowd starts chanting "This Is Awesome!". The moves are over not the wrestlers. - Karen Angle hits the ring and the match is instantly 5 stars. I mean overbooking is bad. Who am I kidding? Overbooking has never looked so good. -Karen holds onto the chair and in that moment AJ is able to use the distraction to hit the Styles Clash to win. Wait I thought AJ and Angle were feuding??? Nope I guess all the face heat is for Karen as she gets her comeuppance on Angle. Only for Angle to rock AJ with the chair and Angle to threaten to hit Karen. Rematch BABY! The beginning was fine once you got over the fact they weren't going to brawl, the middle rocked, and the home stretch was standard TNA/Angle, the finish sucked the meat missile.

Slammiversary 2006 - NWA World Tag Team Champions America's Most Wanted vs AJ Styles/Christopher Daniels NOW, this match is the perfect melding of X-Division with Southern tag team wrestling in a way that satiated my inner mark. AMW's channel MX hard by doing some funny comedy spots at the beginning of the match: Storm's head ending up repeatedly in Harris's crotch and Storm unknowingly headscissoring Harris over the top rope on a skin the cat. I liked this babyface shine better than the last one. The heels smartly get the faces outside where Gail Kim helped them gain the advantage and Storm took out Styles' legs while on the guardrail. The theme of these matches is definitely how the faces are full of piss and vinegar, but are too overzealous sometimes and that lets AMW take over. AJ is a pretty face in peril than Daniels and makes the heat segment more interesting. Daniels for his part is a really good hot tag and love how the match is structured for the babyfaces to overcome each of AMW's tricks: Gail (with a butch woman, I was hoping for Jackie), a chair, handcuffs, bottle, ref bump before finally taking the titles. The finish run was really exciting and really had you pulling for Styles/Daniels as resilient challengers and AMW as desperate champions. The use of the frogsplash/BME as the finish was pitch perfect. Definitely one of my favorite matches as it used all the good tropes from a Southern-style match: early heel clowning, effective heat, put the faces at a disadvantage and eventually the good guys come out on top with all the best parts of the X-Division: MOVEZ~! [Sounds like ****]

I want to an exploration of TNA for the Greatest Match Ever Project, please send all recommendations for non-AJ Styles matches (I have watched most AJ Styles matches).

Sacrifice 2006 - NWA World Tag Team Champions America's Most Wanted vs AJ Styles/Christopher Daniels We get a pre-match interview from AMW, Gail Kim and Jackie Gayda's Totally Bitchin Rack. I totally forgot Jackie was with the company and apparently this was her exit as she announced she was pregnant and summarily fired. Charlie Haas is one lucky man. This match was pretty good and I really liked the energy of the babyfaces from the get-go as they got the crowd rocking. AMW worked a solid heat segment on Daniels, but nothing to write home about. The hot tag to AJ is where this one fell apart as Daniels totally neglects he had the shit beat out of him and just starts rattling off moves. Normally I hate the Tower of Doom spot, but Daniels adds an intelligent wrinkle by shoving everyone off and hits a high cross-body and gets a two. Then the match degenerates into a spotfest which forces the babyfaces to stop selling and the heels to kick out of babyface highspots, which is killing my vibe on this match. I dont know why a BME/Frogsplash should ever be kicked out of by a heel. Daniels treats the DVD as a transition move bothers me. There are a couple of botches. The finish is that Gail, who is not allowed at ringside, "throws" a nightstick down from the rafters giving AMW a win. It was a fun match, but nothing I would consider a classic.

Destination X - X-Division Champion Samoa Joe vs Christopher Daniels vs AJ Styles Easily the least of the three triple threat matches, but that isnt that much of a knock on this and more of a praise to how well-done the other matches. I like how in the previous match, AJ and Daniels were at each other's throats because they knew they couldnt pin Joe so they thought their best chance to win was against each other. However, this time they do a lot more teaming up against Joe including the nice symmetry of the two savings each other from Joe death blows (Ole Kick to guardrail and Musclebuster to chair). I believe the angle was set up well for Daniels to take it because he had the most sympathy due to the concussion. I think they could have stretched it out and give Daniels a big singles victory over Joe. In an effort to preserve the streak Ultimate X was smart. I just wish we got a Joe/Daniels rematch and Daniels got his win. [Sounds like ***1/2]

Against All Odds 2006 - X-Division Champion Samoa Joe vs Christopher Daniels vs AJ Styles At first, I was like am I crazy or is this better than the more heralded Unbreakable match and after the sick Joe/AJ combo Back Drop Driver head drop on Daniels, it was pretty clear this is the better match. It is tighter and more efficient clocking in at around 16 minutes of action. There are just as many MOVEZ~! (aforementioned sick head drop, the monkey flip callback this time into a Boston Crab, Joe's suicide dive with AJ bumping like a champ). However, this time the match is structured so much better! Joe comes off as such a badass in this match. He dominates pretty much the entirety of the match. This leads to a cool sub-storyline where AJ and Daniels are constantly trying to beat each other because they know they cant pin Joe, really smart angle. Daniels wrestles so much better as the uber-sympathetic, concussion-prone babyface. It gives him so much more direction in the match and really makes him seem so much more relevant especially on his comeback attempts. AJ had a tough role because the match was really centered around the Joe/Daniels dynamic. I liken AJ to a good guitar fill in a song with badass riff. Joe/Daniels are that badass riff, but that fill in between verses is just as much as a hook. AJ gives you so much variety and intelligence in any match that I dont think he could ever be a detriment. I dont think this was as good as my current top two, which were a couple beast match. However, as a SMART spotfest (still very much a spotfest), this is one of the best. For all the praise Unbreakable gets, definitely sit down and watch these two side by side and decide for yourself because I dont think Against All Odds gets enough praise. [Sounds like I should rewatch this ~****1/4]

Bound For Glory 2005 - X-Division Champion AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels I like how they knew they werent going to top their previous efforts so they tried to do a totally different match by using the classic build with the side-headlocks to start. I liked how Styles kiboshed Daniels on his Stampede roll-through on an armdrag back into the headlock and how Styles punted Daniels in the ribs on a drop down. However, things never really got off the ground floor even though the first ten minutes were well-worked. The next ten or so really felt like "Let me hit my modified slam, now you hit your modified slam" there was no sense of struggle and thus zero heat. The best sequence of this period of a great fired-up AJ and Daniels' selling of it. Daniels is wrestling 8 million times better in this match and makes AJ look a lot better. I actually think this was an off night for AJ as he wasnt showing his usual level of charisma. In the last ten minutes, they start hitting their dives and everyone wakes up. They go through a nice exchange of rollups and AJ even does an All Japan no-sell off a German into a wicked lariat to really get the place rocking. The finish is a tame one as it is just the Styles Clash at the buzzer. No sense of struggle or urgency throughout this match killed the heat for me. I thought the beginning was going to go somewhere interesting, but nada. This was AJ's weakest performance all year by far. Daniels worked hard in this match, but it was not enough to get this match over the hump, a good match, but in a lot ways disappointing. [Sounds like I liked the first one more and I really dont have much of a recollection of this one. ***1/2]

Unbreakable 2005: X-Division Champion Christopher Daniels vs AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe I would hazard to say this is the most famous match in TNA history and is very much a product of its time period. There is a lot of excellent stuff in this match, but there is a lot of weird booking issues in this match. For my money, AJ vs Abyss is still a level above this match. Joe could be a better wrestler than AJ, but his instincts are awful. He lets people get way too much shit on him and he kills his unqiueness. You can defend letting AJ getting him into a Torture Rack because he is letting the babyface shine, but I think there are plenty ways of letting AJ shine without that. Indefensibly, he lets Daniels Death Valley Driver him. Why would you ever let a heel shine like that? In Joe's defense, he had the hardest role in the match, he had to be a heel for AJ and a babyface for Daniels. He was clearly more comfortable working with AJ. Which brings me to my next point, Daniels is a horrible heel. This match proves in my mind pretty definitively that Daniels is a step below both AJ and Joe. It isnt that much of a knock because AJ and Joe were probably the two best wrestlers in 2005 in North America. It is just Daniels is pretty good at everything, but excellent at nothing. He cant fly or bump as well as AJ and he cant be as violent as Joe. Instead of differentiating himself in an obvious fashion by cheating like a muthafucker doing anything it takes to keep his belt, he just wrestles this poor man's AJ/Joe hybrid style that does nobody any favors. He gets a heat segment that should have been Joe's. Daniels looked way too strong in this match and it was a detriment to the story. Some people turn off selling, well Daniels turns off heeling. Of course, there were some incredible sequences. The opening was pitch perfect and set up for Daniels to play a bitch boy that has to cheat (ala Flair) to keep his title, but he dropped that. I LOVE AJ's quick rollups it was a perfect way to show how AJ could be a threat to Joe. The springboard Shooting Star by AJ was sublime. The All Japan sequence from Joe/AJ ending with an amazing German by Joe was the best sequence in the match. Pretty much everything from Joe/AJ was fucking amazing. Joe had some pretty fun combinations back in the day. I miss Joe. I would say the first 20 minutes or so, I would said this was an easy Top 5 match for TNA, but the last 5 or so kinda soured me when Daniels took over the match. Why was Joe doing desperation cover? Ugh that should have been Daniels. The finish was booked so fuckin weird. I would still say it has an outside shot at Top 5 right now because how well the action was packed. AJ has the prettiest right hand of someone who debuted post-Attitude Era. Why the guy uses shivers at all is beyond me because his right hand looks great! What I liked was even though they didnt really use a heat segment in a conventional sense, it never felt like "your turn, my turn", which irks me to end when I see that. What I meant by a product of the time period is that it was very en vogue to have shades of grey wrestling matches where everyone looks good and everyone is kept strong usually at the expense of the babyface (though in this case it was Joe). I think it was the best possible match of that type and was really well-executed. [May need a rewatch but I do hate triple threats. I am thinking around ****]

Sacrifice 2005: Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles Finals of the Super X Cup This is what I am talking in terms of non-memorable. I totally forgot this match and its circumstances. Basically, the winner gets a shot at Daniels' X-Division Title. I forgot how good 2005 Joe was. Joe was so explosive in a way that very few were. I would say on the level of a Dr. Death. Those two men are the very few who wrestle with such a lethal combination of quickness and power. This match does not touch Williams' best work because Joe doesnt always work with urgency in the match. AJ is a great pinball for Joe (an absolutely sick bump onto the floor off a kick and then slides into the announce table). Joe, for his part goes overboard much like Vader, goes a little overboard in bumping for AJ (a German suplex would have been perfect in a latter bout to pop the crowd instead it is thrown out in the first match). Also since I am in full All Japan mode, I loved the direct All Japan cosplay as Joe plays Kawada and AJ plays a great version of Misawa with a flurry of elbows. While they outright steal All Japan spots it doesn't feel like an All Japan match instead a weird mish-mash of America and Japan. A good comparison is the Liger vs Otani match from 1997 which is the New Japan juniors doing an All Japan match with Otani cast as Kobashi (such a perfect role for him) and Liger as Misawa (again perfect casting choice). This match never reaches that level, but it is a very good first installment. The finish was smart as it protected AJ and made Joe still look like a beast. The musclebuster was so fuckin sick. I would say this one the level of the Against All Odds match in that is a very good match, but not something I would put in the Top 10 of a decade (with TNA we are looking at a decade). I am going to watch the Unbreakable 2005 match, which I remember liking a shit ton back in 2006, but my tastes have definitely changed. It has some very stiff competition from AJ vs Abyss in that cage, which was so amazing. [Sounds like I had it around **** I think I am going to focus on rewatching Turning Point match but this sounds great]

Lockdown 2005: AJ Styles vs Abyss - Number One Contender's Match So in a card full of cage matches, what do AJ and Abyss do to ensure differentiation they spend the first half brawling outside. I actually think that is pretty smart given the circumstances The spots AJ hits during the babyface shine are ridiculously awesome and breath-taking. It was the perfect way to establish AJ's speed as a threat to Abyss' unmitgated power. When Abyss took over with those vicious cage door shots on AJ, AJ went into Ricky Morton mode and I knew we were entering classic match territory. Once in the cage, Abyss did some great power offense and a classic Southern-style, bloodbath cage match developed with AJ timing each hope spot for maximum effect. I even liked the inclusion of thumbtacks because it played into the sadism of the match. The finish has everyone on their feet cheering for AJ. One of the better David vs Goliath type matches because AJ never tried to out power Abyss or force Abyss to look weak. AJ shined through his speed offense and wrestling a smart match. Of all the matches, I have seen so far, seek this one out. [Yeah ****1/2 sounds right based off memory & review but definitely need to rewatch] AJ Styles vs Abyss - Lockdown 2005 Steel Cage Match So in a card full of cage matches, what do AJ and Abyss do to ensure differentiation they spend the first half brawling outside. I actually think that is pretty smart given the circumstances of the match, which Don West poignantly points out. This is actually one of the best Don West calls ever. His hyperbole is well-suited for a match as violent and as brutal as this and he actually does well to describe the strategy. AJ would find the cage restrictive as opposed to outside the cage where he would have more freedom to evade Abyss and create opportunities to attack. That's why AJ decided to start the match outside the ring by flying through the door wiping Abyss out. The spots AJ hits during the babyface shine are ridiculously awesome and breath-taking. It was the perfect way to establish AJ's speed as a threat to Abyss' unmitigated power. I loved how Abyss remained strong during this. AJ could not Irish Whip Abyss. He had not done enough to earn that. So when Abyss reversed the Irish Whip, AJ slid under the railing to avoid that shot and then hit the rana. In a similar moment, AJ avoided the stairs and flew into the stands soaring above the fans. He then went flying with a beautiful forearm on Abyss back over those same fans. That could be one of the single coolest spots in the history of pro wrestling. As Don West so eloquently describes, AJ goes to the well one too many times and ends up tumbling over the railing and crashing on the floor. AJ did such a fantastic job setting up his aerial maneuvers to make them plausible. Abyss sold them as exactly as they should with a register but not enough to do serious damage to the monster. I thought the arena brawling was good. I liked Abyss' response to AJ's defiance, goozling him and then hurling him back first into some steel fencing. The match really kicks into the next gear when AJ decides he will die for our sins. AJ takes like 8 million ridiculously awesome bumps in this match. First it is the crazy snap back bumps after Abyss whips the steel cage door into his face, which causes AJ to bleed. Then in the ring, AJ just get ridiculous elevation on all sort of bumps as Abyss hurls him. The best part of this match is AJ never dies. He keeps fighting back and he keeps letting us know he is there. I loved how AJ spun out of cover instead of kicking out. Great way to sell within a cover. Once in the cage, Abyss did some great power offense and a classic Southern-style, bloodbath cage match developed with AJ timing each hope spot for maximum effect. I loved how the hope spots were all about driving Abyss' head into hard metal objects and they were also a taste of his own medicine because Abyss was setting these spots up but AJ was countering them. Really good shit here. AJ was averting disaster but it looked like his nine lives ran out when Abyss finally wrangled him in the Black Hole Slam, which was a great nearfall from Abyss, the first really strong nearfall of the match. Abyss understands he needs to up the ante so he pours out the thumbtacks. Loved the struggle and drama of who would go into the thumbtacks. It is AJ hitting a Styles Clash into the thumbtacks! I love how both men sell. My only nitpick is that really should have been the finish. I thought the finish was a little overwrought. AJ realizes he needs to up the ante so he ascends to the top of the cage. Abyss throws the ref into the cage and this causes AJ to lose his balance, which by the way is insane. Like AJ could have killed himself there, he is a nut. What I didnt like was the whole hanging with the chain it didnt feel like much and didnt like how AJ was able to survive, climb back in and hit a sunset flip powerbomb on the tacks for the win. It was a literally perfect match up until the chain hanging spot. If someone wanted to argue this is the greatest David vs. Goliath match, I would listen. AJ shined throughout this match. He came in with an excellent gameplan, he bumped like a madman, wrestled a smart counterwrestling match, hit two massive moves late. Really awesome performance. Credit to Abyss for not just being an imposing monster, BUT not wrestling small. He resisted the Irish Whips early and he did not let himself look vulnerable at all until he started having head bashed into steel. Abyss made himself a mountain to scale. That made AJ's victory all the sweeter. My pick for the best match of 2005 anywhere in the world! ****3/4

I watched a bunch of AJ Styles long before this match database was a thing and I am getting around to copy & pasting them. Against All Odds 2005: X-Division Champion AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels Wow, way better than I remembered and a true joy to go back and watch. The opening is really well done and makes AJ looks like a million bucks. Daniels sells the arm so well even during his heat segment and puts on a clinic working over AJ's mid-section. AJ, for what is worth, not holds his ribs, but actually sells it like he is sucking air. The only time I have seen that is in Japan. AJ is fuckin good. The finish to the first fall may be one of my favorite finishes ever. AJ goes for a big bomb to polish off Daniels, but on the 450 he eats knees, which plays right into the mid-section work and Angel Wings (AJ with a full layout because he is ALL MAN~!) sees Daniels goes up 1-0 in sublime fashion. The rest of the match is well-worked and AJ times his hopes spots so well and keeps the crowd constantly heated. Im ok with AJ getting the pin in a quick rollup, but I would have liked it better done Steamboat style with a ton of desperation cradles rather than kinda out of nowhere. My main critique is that match is structured weirdly down the stretch because you have Daniels in desperation to get the last pin and AJ just trying to hang on (emphasized by his bladejob). They do the Koji Clutch and AJ is saved by the bell. I hate this because I think the babyface should be the guy doing this down the finishing stretch. Daniels needed to really heel this portion up to save it. Then of course AJ pulls it out in OT in really weird booking. It was like they wanted to protect AJ due to weak as finish in regulation, but then they cut off Daniels' balls. Classic match until last 5 minutes, which leads to believe there will be better matches. [AJ vs Daniels have amazing chemistry, part of me thinks I should re-watch this one. I am pretty sure it is ****+ based on my review & memory]

I reviewed a ton of AJ Styles matches long before this match database existed. I am going to finally copy & paste them. Final Resolution 2005: X-Division Champion Petey Williams vs Chris Sabin vs AJ Styles in an Ultimate X Match I watched this match because it made someone's Top Ten TNA matches and I have no idea what that guy was smoking. This is a fun spot exhibition, but it is nowhere near the best match of a promotion. What I like about above average matches is that certain things become pronounced. One of those things is how much better is AJ is at everything than your standard X-Division wrestler. He sells better, he punches better, he bumps better, he makes everything you watch count. From the iconic flip bump off the turnbuckle to actually selling his hand during the match, AJ totally outclassed these guys. [I didnt seem to like this one too much did I?]