From The Shelf – TNA Best of the X-Division Volume One (Disc One)

TNA: The Best of the X- Division: Volume 1

Your host is Jeremy Borash, who basically introduces some of the matches and not much else.

X Division Gauntlet from TNA Victory Road 2004
Frankie Kazarian is #1 and Sonjay Dutt is #2. Kazarian tries to dump Dutt but he holds on. Slingshot hurricanrana by Dutt and he hits a tilt-a-whirl DDT. Puma is #3 and Dutt hits a second rope hurricanrana. Falcon Arrow by Puma as LA Park is #4. Park nails everyone with a chair and Kazarian fires away as Park was dancing. Jerrelle Clark is #5 and he hits a hurricanrana on Dutt. Handspring corkscrew press by Clark and Miyamoto is #6. Enzuigiri by Miyamoto and Clark hits the 630 Splash on Puma. Michael Shane is #7 and he and Kazarian hit the high/low on Puma. They dump Puma to eliminate him. They ress Clark to eliminate him. Miyamoto is dumped as well by Shane and Kazarian. Hector Garza is #8 and he fires away on Shane and Kazarian. Nosawa is #9 and he dropkicks the leg of Garza before hitting the Shining Wizard. #10 is Mikey Batts. Wheelbarrow Stunner to Kazarian and Shane hits a hip toss to end Batts’ momentum. #11 is Alex Shelley. Shelley dumps Dutt and Dutt attempts to skin the cat but Shelley dropkicks him to the floor to eliminate him. Kazarian backdrops Park to the floor to eliminate him. #12 is Matt Sydal. Standing moonsault on the back by Sydal and he dropkicks Garza in the corner. Sonny Siaki is #13 and he hits a Northern lights suplex into the corner on Kazarian. He lays out Sydal and Shane an dhe Northern light suplexes Nosawa to the floor to eliminate him. Garza monkey flips Batts to the floor to eliminate him. Jason Cross is #14 and he hits a tilt-a-whirl head scissors on Siaki. Sydal misses a springboard corkscrew press and eats a lariat from Siaki. Brainbuster by Cross to Sydal and Shark Boy is #15. He bites the bottom of Kazarian and Cross dumps Sydal to the apron. Shelley pulls Sydal off the apron to eliminate him. Psicosis is #16. Wheelbarrow suplex by Garza to Psicosis. D-Ray 3000 is #17. Shark Boy and D-Ray battery ram everyone but Siaki clotheslines them both out to get the elimination. Amazing Red is #18. Red fires away on Siaki as Cross dumps Shelley. Psicosis crotches Cross and he goes up. Spinning heel kick off the top by Psicosis but it knocks Cross back into the ring. Spanky is #19 and he cleans house on Shane. Super kick by Shane and Chris Sabin is #20. Tornado DDT to Shane and he and Spanky clothesline Siaki to the floor. Spanky with a reverse hurricanrana taking Shane out. Kazarian goes up but Spanky and Red stop him and follow up. Sabin and Cross join them but Psicosis and Garza cartch them all with the TOWER OF DOOM~!!!! Spinning heel kick by Psicosis to Garza and he hits a tilt-a-whirl reverse DDT on Cross. Psicosis clotheslines Cross out. Enzuigiri by Red knocks Psicosis off the apron. Kazarian kicks Red off the apron to eliminate him. Sabin blocks Sliced Bread #2 and dumps Spanky. Kazarian goes up but SABIN RUNS UP AND HITS A RELEASE GERMAN SUPLEX DRIVING KAZARIAN INTO GARZA!!! Springboard dropkick to the back by Sabin but Kazarian holds on. Enzuigiri to Garza and Sabin charges but gets crotched by Garza. Garza dropkicks Sabin to the floor to eliminate him, leaving us with the final two.

Kazarian sweeps the leg of Garza and he hits a springboard leg drop for 2. Short arm clothesline by Garza and he goes up. Moonsault off the top by Garza gets 2. Slingshot DDT by Kazarian gets 2. Dropkick to the back by Garza and he goes up. Corkscrew press misses and Kazarian gets the inside cradle for 2 as Garza rolls through for 3!!!
Winner- Hector Garza *** (This probably went way too long and had too much filler for its own good. Plus, a gauntlet match really isn’t the best match to highlight the X-Division when it prevents high spots and dives. However, the match had its moments and Garza and Kazarian had a good final segment, so it worked as an opener.)

X-Division Championship- Petey Williams © w/Scott D’Amore vs. AJ Styles
If Williams loses, D’Amore is gone from TNA. Small package by Styles gets 2. Wheelbarrow roll-up by Williams gets 2 and they trade some near falls before they reach a standstill. Williams trips up Styles but Styles catches him with a hurricanrana from his back. Dropkick by Styles and Williams bails. Enzuigiri to the back by Styles and he rams Williams against the railings. Summersault plancha to the floor by Styles!!! Jawbreaker by Williams and he drop toe holds Styles into the ropes. D’Amore gets a cheap shot in and Williams puts Styles in the tree of woe for OH CANADA~!!! Springboard pele by Styles gets 2. Styles goes up but Petey crotches him and puts him in the tree of woe again. Petey goes for Oh Canada against but Styles brings him down with a German suplex!!! Pele by Styles and he fires away on Williams with forearms. Back suplex by Styles and he hits a springboard forearm for 2. Tilt-a-whirl side Russian leg sweep by Williams and they trade counters before Styles drives Williams into the corner with the Alabama Slam. Styles gets the jackknife roll-up for 2 as D’Amore distracts the ref. Williams grabs the hockey stick but the ref prevents him from using it. Williams nails Styles with the belt for 2!!! Styles puts Williams on top and follows up. D’Amore grabs the leg of Styles, allowing Williams to block the superplex. WILLIAMS LEAPS OFF THE TOP INTO THE CANADIAN DESTROYER FOR 3!!!
Winner and Still X-Division Champion- Petey Williams ***1/2 (They packed a ton of stuff into this match and both guys were motivated to have a killer match here. They had some awesome spots but the D’Amore interference sucked and they didn’t have time to have a natural groove to the match but they did as much as you could do in a ten minute period. )

Christopher Daniels vs. Chris Sabin from TNA Impact 1-14-05
Winner of this match joins Ultimate X at Final Resolution along with Petey Williams and AJ Styles. Feeling out process and Sabin clotheslines Daniels to the floor to end that. Summersault plancha to the floor by Sabin as we go to break!!!
Back and Sabin springboards in but Daniels catches him with the flatliner on the way down. Daniels chokes Sabin in the ropes and he hits the Final Cut for 2. Neck crank by Daniels but Sabin begins to fight out, so Daniels pulls him down by the hair. Back suplex by Daniels and he continues to work the neck of Sabin. Daniels blocks a hurricanrana attempt with a powerbomb for 2. Daniels hammers Sabin on tha mt and he goes back to the neck crank. Sabin fights out so Daniels catches him with the DVD for 2. Daniels bends Sabin in the ropes and he hits a suplex for 2. They trade blows and Daniels throws rapid head butts. Enzuigiri by Sabin and both men are down. Sabin cleans house and he hits a sit-out powerbomb for 2. Tilt-a-whirl back breaker by Daniels and he hits the STO for 2. Springboard Tornado DDT by Sabin gets 2!!! They trade counters and Sabin rolls up Daniels off the Angel’s Wings attempt for 3!!!
Winner- Chris Sabin ***1/2 (Sweet TV match! Daniels stuck with his game plan of working the neck of Sabin and I loved how the pace and aggression of the match picked up with both men realizing this is an opportunity this is an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.)

Ultimate X Match for the X-Division Championship- Petey Williams w/Scott D’Amore © vs. Chris Sabin vs. AJ Styles from TNA Final Resolution 2005
They trade blows to start and Sabin chases Williams on the floor. Back in, Sabin and Styles get shots in on Williams and Styles presses Sabin into a corner dropkick on Williams. Styles looks to springboard onto the X but misses. Williams pulls Sabin to the floor and Styles hits the summersault plancha to the floor onto both!!! Styles goes up but Sabin stops him and follows up. Sabin dropkicks Styles, causing him to get crotched on the top rope. Sabin climbs the X but D’Amore stops him, allowing Williams to pull him down into an inverted atomic drop. The ref tosses D’Amore!!! Williams sends Styles face first ionto the steel structure and he hits a suplex on Sabin. Back suplex by Williams and he grabs the Sharpshooter on Sabin. Styles climbs the X but Williams brings him down. Release German suplex by Williams and he covers, forgetting there are no pin falls here. Williams puts Styles in the tree of woe for OH CANADA~!!!! Pele by Styles and both men are down. Styles and Sabin prevent each other from climbing and Williams climbs the X while Styles holds Sabin up. DOOMSDAY HURRICANRANA OFF THE X BY WILLIAMS TO SABIN!!!! Side Russian leg sweep by Williams to Styles and both men climb. Styles throws some kicks to the back of Williams but Sabin pulls Styles down. Styles goes for the springboard forearm but he misses completely, but Williams ends up falling anyway. Sabin climbs the X but Styles goes up to go after him. FRANKENSTEINER OFF THE X ONTO STYLES!!!! Williams and Sabin trade counters until Styles hits a double springboard reverse DDT on both!!! Styles climbs the X BUT SABIN SPRINGBOARD DROPKICKS STYLES TURNING HIM INSIDE OUT ON THE WAY DOWN!!!!!!!! Williams clotheslines Sabin out and the momentum sends him crashing as well. Williams climbs the steel structure but Styles follows and they brawl on the steel. Williams wraps Styles’ arm in the steel to bring him down to the floor. Sabin hits the Cradle Shock on Williams. Sabin climbs the X but Styles brings him down. He tries the Styles’ Clash but Sabin grabs a cross arm breaker. Styles breaks with a powerbomb and he powers Sabin into the Styles’ Clash!!! Styles climbs the X but his arm gives out, so he crashes back to the mat. Canadian Destroyer by Williams to Styles!!!! Williams drop toe holds Sabin into the ropes and he hits a swinging DDT. Williams goes up but Sabin stops him and he HITS THE RAZOR’S EDGE INTO THE CORNER!!!! Sabin and William climb the X and they have a tug of war for the belt. STYLES SPRINGBOARDS INTO THE BELT AND GRABS HOLD OF IT FOR THE WIN!!!!
Winner and NEW X-Division Champion- AJ Styles ****1/2 (This is one of my favorite matches in TNA history. First the negatives, there were some glaring blown spots that, had they been hit, would have added even more the match. I also had issue of the quick recovery time coming off the spots as they would hit something incredibly high impact and then be back at attempting to climb again. Besides that, this was incredible, innovative action for the time period and all three guys busted their ass to put on something special. This is the gold standard for the Ultimate X match and the AJ Styles bump is one of my favorite bumps in wrestling history. )

Iron Man Match for the X-Division Championship- AJ Styles © vs. Christopher Daniels from TNA Against All Odds 2005
Thirty minutes on the clock for this one. Feeling out process and Daniels rolls Styles up for 2. Jackknife roll-up by Styles gets 2 as does a wheelbarrow roll-up. Clothesline by Daniels and Styles misses a dropkick. Styles connects on the second attempt, forcing Daniels to bail. Hurricanrana off the apron by Styles and they trade blows on the floor. Back in, Styles begins to work the arm of Daniels. Styles throws some kicks as Daniels begins to fight back for 2 and he goes back to the arm. Daniels finally bails to regroup and Styles catches Daniels with a baseball slide. Springboard dive onto the floor by Styles!!! Daniels knocks Styles off the apron, driving him into the railings. Back in, Daniels throws some shoulders to the gut in the corner and he throws some knees at Styles. Knee to the gut by Daniels and he drops an elbow for 2. Daniels drives Styles sternum first into the corner and he hits a release back suplex. Daniels drives his shoulder into the gut of Styles again and hits the Arabian Press for 2. Daniels drives his knee into the sternum of Styles but Styles fights out. Discus clothesline by Styles and both men are down. Styles cleans house and hits a spinning heel kick on Daniels. Springboard reverse DDT by Styles gets 2. Suplex into a neck breaker by Styles gets 2. Back suplex by Styles and he goes up but Daniels stops him. He follows up and Styles fights him off. 450 splash eats knees and Daniels hits the Angel’s Wings for 3!!! Daniels 1-0.

Gut buster by Daniels and he hits an inverse back stabber on Styles. Backdrop by Styles and Daniels catches Styles with the abdominal stretch. Styles hip tosses out and Daniels catches him with the stun gun for 2. Gut buster again by Daniels gets 2. Handspring back elbow by Styles and both men are down. Styles throws some kicks and he hits the DVD back breaker for 2. Springboard forearm by Styles gets 2. Springboard reverse DDT by Daniels gets 2. Blue Thunder Bomb by Daniels gets 2. Pele by Styles and both men are down!!! Styles fires away on Daniels and Daniels comes back with the Samoan drop. BME misses and Styles hits a German suplex. Angel’s Wings by Styles gets 2!!! Daniels drives Styles into the corner to block the Styles’ Clash and Styles catches Daniels with a roll-up for 3!!! Tied 1-1.

Daniels knocks Styles to the floor and he sends Styles into the post. Styles is busted open and back in, Daniels covers for 2. Daniels hammers the cut of Styles and he throws some rapid head butts. Daniwels hammers the cut again and he hits an STO for 2. Daniels hammers away on Styles and hits a head butt for 2. It’s the final minute as Styles begins to fight back. Flatliner by Daniels and he catches Styles in the Koji Clutch!!! Styles begins to fade but the bell rings before the ref can make it official!!! Daniels grabs the microphone and orders Dusty Rhodes to give him sudden death since he had Styles beat. Dusty allows sudden death, so we continue!!! Daniels hammers away on Styles and he hits the Final Cut for 2. Daniels puts Styles on top and follows up. Styles blocks the Frakensteienr and he hits a hurricanrana off the second rope. Styles rolls Daniels into the Styles’ Clash for 3!!!
Winner and Still X-Division Champion- AJ Styles ****1/4 (Awesome match. This is one of the smooth, most well worked Iron Man matches that you will see. They didn’t go overboard on the pin falls and I loved that the rib work played into a fall and carried over into the story of the second tier of the match. Styles and Daniels make magic together and this was another example of their incredible chemistry. )

8.5

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

To Be Continued...