TNA’s: The Ultimate X Collection

TNA – The Ultimate X Collection

Review by Jacob Ziegler

Introduction

First off, just so everyone knows, I am selling some of my ROH best of DVDs and a few old shows, so if you are interested please e-mail me.

Also, make sure you read Brad Garoon’s FIP reviews. He has to sit through the shows, the least you could do is read his hard work. And be sure to check out our dual Ring of Honor DVD reviews as well.

This is a compilation mostly to highlight the entire 2003 Super X Cup Tournament (I hope they do that with the 2005 version, hint-hint), with a few extras tossed in. Trivia bit – it is the only TNA DVD to be just one disc.

The opening video is a pretty good hype package of the guys that will be featured on this disc. Mike Tenay and Don West welcome us, as usual.

MATCH #1: Ultimate X Match for the TNA X-Division Title – Michael Shane vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Chris Sabin, 8.20.03

This match is also on the Best of X-Division Matches DVD. This is the first ever Ultimate X match, so it has historical value. Sabin is the champion here. I’m not going to go over the rules or the structure, because I’m assuming everyone reading this has seen one of these by now, since they’ve overused the gimmick. They start off with offense, of course. Kazarian pops up on picture-in-picture to talk about his thoughts going into the match. Sabin and Kazarian make the first attempt to shimmy across the ropes and grab the belt. Sabin knocks them both down with a missile dropkick. Shane is busted open something nasty on the outside. The drama in this one is pretty good, as anytime someone gets up on the cables the crowd goes nuts. The finish is awesome, as Kazarian and Sabin are battling for the belt, and Sabin gets knocked down, so Kazarian thinks he has it, but Shane scurries by him to grab the belt and get the win at 13:27. That was pretty innovative and very cool. All three of the guys put major effort into it, and that’s all I can ask from a match like this.
Rating: ***3/4

Mike and Don talk about how that match lived up to the hype, and put over Michael Shane. They mention the competitors in the next match, and how Shane was the defending champion this time.

MATCH #2: Ultimate X Match for the TNA X-Division Title – Chris Sabin vs. Low Ki vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Michael Shane, 1.07.04

I think this is the only four-way Ultimate X match they’ve ever done. Shane has successfully defended the title nine times at this point, and has become Shane Douglas’s protйgй. Daniels and Ki go after each other right away, putting to bed any ideas that Triple X may reunite. Sabin hits a sweet dive onto Ki and Shane outside the ring. Shane kills Sabin with a chair shot. Daniels is the first man to go for the belt, but Shane uses the chair again. Daniels tries setting up a chair under the belt and jumping for it, but that proves fruitless. Daniels and Ki climb towards the belt, and Ki puts on the Dragon Clutch up there. That’s neat. Daniels falls and Sabin knocks Ki down with a missile dropkick. Shane Douglas and Traci come down to help Michael Shane, but Elix Skipper comes down and neutralizes them. Sabin accidentally takes out the referee and Shane then takes him out with a ladder, on purpose. The ladder is in the ring, and you’re not supposed to be able to climb it to get the belt, but since the referee is out they all try it. Ki kicks Sabin ridiculously hard in the leg. One of the black shirt security guys comes out and removes the ladder. Shane takes a nasty bump through a table (Ki and Daniels were previously indisposed), and Sabin scurries across to grab the belt and regain the title at 15:07. That was even better than the first one, and I really liked having four guys as opposed to three.
Rating: ****

Mike and Don are back to put Sabin over and introduce the Tournament. All of these matches took place on September 3, 2003.

MATCH #3: First Round Match – Juventud Guerrera vs. Nosawa

They start off quick, with Juvi dominating. They go outside the ring, and Juvi hits a dive and plays to the crowd, allowing Nosawa to take over. Nosawa gives Juvi a nasty kick to the face. A few moments later Juvi hits the Psycho Driver, followed by the People’s Elbow for two. Then he hits the Juvi Driver and follows it up with the 450 Splash for the win at 3:25. I think the 450 was a little unnecessary, especially since he almost killed Nosawa with it. That was fine for three and a half minutes.
Rating: **1/4

MATCH #4: First Round Match – Teddy Hart vs. Jonny Storm

Teddy is probably the dumbest person alive. If you’ve ever seen his shoot interview, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Or if you’ve seen Ring of Honor’s Main Event Spectacles (11.01.03) show. Storm hits a nice double springboard dive to the outside. Teddy is very shiny. He then hits a really nice top rope Asai Moonsault. This is what kills me about Teddy – he could be really good if he gave a shit about listening to anyone and actually respected the business. Storm almost kills Teddy with some kind of head dropping maneuver. Teddy hits a SICK DDT from the top rope. Excuse me, that is a finisher. But Teddy adds the shooting star press, or “Hart Attack” to get three at 3:30.
Rating: **

MATCH #5: First Round Match – Chris Sabin vs. Jerry Lynn

This is the first match of the U.S. bracket, which is a cool way to set up the tournament. Sabin attacks right away on the veteran. Lynn hits his jumping powerbomb off the ropes, but it only gets two. Rudy Charles kicks Lynn’s hand off the ropes while Sabin is going for a sunset flip, which makes me angry, since it SHOULD be a rope break. Lynn hits a TKO for two. Lynn grabs the ref, but Don Callis comes out and threatens to fire him, so Sabin sneaks up from behind and kicks Lynn in the nuts to get the win at 3:42. That was a big disappointment.
Rating: *1/2

MATCH #6: First Round Match – Frankie Kazarian vs. Michael Shane

Kazarian hits a series of armdrags and a dropkick in the corner. Shane comes back and does his usual boring offense. Kazarian gets a flash rollup for two, and a backslide for two. Powerslam gets two. Shane starts stomping the ground to indicate the superkick, but Kazarian blocks, setting up a series of reversals that culminates with Kazarian getting the pin off a hurricanrana at 4:31. Kazarian has pinned the X-Division Champion, but since this was in the tournament, the title was not on the line.
Rating: **1/2

Mike and Don are back to hype up the semifinals. Don is really excited about these semifinals, featuring Juventud Guerrera vs. Teddy Hart and Chris Sabin vs. Frankie Kazarian.

MATCH #7: Semifinal Match – Teddy Hart vs. Juventud Guerrera

Teddy has changed his outfit, because he’s an idiot. Juvi hits a tornado DDT, almost killing Teddy. Teddy goes after the arm and hits a nice Russian Legsweep and they do some nice dance moves as Teddy hangs onto the arm. Juvi hits a headscissors off the second rope. The crowd is solidly behind “The Juice.” They go outside the ring and Teddy hits a lame hurricanrana and an even lamer moonsault. Back in the ring and Juvi is in control, and hits the Psycho Driver for two. Teddy hits Takao Omori’s inverted piledriver, and goes up to the top rope. He hits AJ’s Spiral Tap, which I’m sure he would claim to invent. Teddy hits the same Asai Moonsault that he hit in the first round match. Juvi hits a sick basement dropkick. These guys have hit some serious shit on each other but neither man is really selling anything. Juvi misses the People’s Elbow, but connects on the Rock Bottom for two. Teddy hits that DDT off the top rope, and Juvi kicks out. I can’t believe the stuff they’re kicking out of. The Hart Attack follows, but Teddy seems to have hurt his knee, and Juvi is up like two seconds after taking two finishers in a row. He hits the Juvi Driver, which Teddy no-sells, and he goes up for a Rana. Juvi hits the Juvi Driver off the ropes, which gets three at 7:31. Teddy was also sure to throw his shoulder up right after three. The amount of no-selling in this match is ridiculous. I remember when this match was on people went nuts for it, but it really doesn’t hold up over time.
Rating: **1/2

MATCH #8 – Semifinal Match – Chris Sabin vs. Frankie Kazarian

Winner will face Juventud Guerrera in the finals. Sabin and Kazarian do some complicated stuff that doesn’t exactly work out right. Sabin suplexes Kazarian over the ropes, resulting in a nasty face bump. Kazarian hits a NASTY springboard DDT on the apron, resulting in another sick face bump, this time for Sabin. Kazarian hits an awesome sunset flip piledriver to the outside. This is sick. Kazarian tries a springboard elbow, but Sabin gives him a German Suplex instead. Tiger Suplex by Sabin gets two. Sabin now with a cross-arm necktie submission, but Kazarian gets the ropes. Kazarian hits the Wave of the Future (AKA The Shellshock), nailing Sabin with it, but it only gets two. Sabin hits a nasty kick to the face. Sabin hits a muscle buster, or the “Back to the Future” but it only gets two. Kazarian hits a one-man Spanish Fly, and both men are actually selling. See how that works? Kazarian goes for a victory roll, but Sabin adds one more roll to get the victory at 9:59. That match was AWESOME.
Rating: ****

Mike and Don introduce the final match.

MATCH #9: Final Match – Juventud Guerrera vs. Chris Sabin

I remember people going nuts for this match too, so let’s see how it holds up. They keep harping on the X Division being about no limits rather than weight limits, but everyone in it is a Cruiserweight, and they always talk about guys being former Cruiserweight Champions. Both guys do the exact same moves, showing that they know each other so well. Sabin almost KILLS Juvi with a powerbomb, then delivers an enziguiri. That’s just mean. Sabin continues to go on offense, putting on the necktie submission that he used on Kazarian earlier. Juvi hits a nasty basement dropkick, but it only gets two. Sabin is right back on offense though, putting on a surfboard submission. Juvi hits Kazarian’s Flux Capacitor for two. They do a series of near falls and can’t stand afterward because they’re so dizzy. Or Juvi just fell over and Sabin fell to try and make Juvi not look bad. They do another series of dizzying reversals that ends up with Juvi getting a victory roll for two, Sabin rolling out of it, but Juvi reversing it to a bulldog. That was awesome. Juvi hits a missile dropkick and kips up, motioning for the Juvi Driver. Sabin floats over and hits the Hurricane DDT. Juvi does a double underhook piledriver, and almost kills Sabin. I can’t believe Sabin didn’t break his neck there. That same move would later seriously injure Jerry Lynn. I’m still in shock about that ridiculous move. Juvi hits the Juvi Driver and goes up for the 450, but Sabin gets his foot on the ropes. Juvi goes for the Psycho Driver, but Sabin reverses to a Muscle Buster and rolls him up for the three count and victory at 14:46. That was a wicked cool match, and I can’t believe Chris Sabin is still alive.
Rating: ***3/4

Mike and Don hype their shows, their DVD’s, their website, and other assorted TNA stuff.

BONUS MATCH: Elimination Match – Petey Williams vs. Nosawa vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Primetime Elix Skipper vs. Jerry Lynn vs. Amazing Red, 3.24.04

This is Red’s big return match. He gets a nice reaction from the crowd, and Don West is pretty excited. Kazarian and Skipper start out, and play-by-play is real hard to do in matches like this, so don’t expect too much here. Petey Williams looks so different here than he does now. I refereed for him once, and it was the second time he used the flippy piledriver. This is just an offensive spectacle. We learn that Chris Sabin is out with an injury, so he’ll probably have to forfeit the title. Lynn comes in and pins Nosawa with the Cradle Piledriver at 5:31. Petey is in now and going after Lynn. Petey goes for a Rewind Hurricanrana, but Lynn counters, only to eat a Rana out to the floor. Kazarian pins Skipper off-camera at 7:30. Lynn goes for the Cradle Piledriver on Kazarian, but he reverses and goes for one of his own. Lynn reverses into a neck drop. Kazarian pins Lynn with help from Petey at 9:27. Red eats a sick double-team DDT. Petey hits the flippy piledriver on Red, and he and Kazarian celebrate. Before Red can get pinned, Kazarian hits the Wave of the Future on Petey at 11:10 to eliminate him. We’re down to the last two men. Kazarian goes for the Flux Capacitor but Red reverses to the Code Red for a near-near fall. The finishing sequence is really cool, except that the last move was a stupid standing shooting star press by Red at 12:08. There was some neat stuff in that match, especially between the last two guys.
Rating: ***

The 411: This is a really cool DVD, and it was a good concept to have the entire Super X Cup Tournament on there, and the non-tournament matches are very good too. Chris Sabin is in half of these matches, so if you’re a Sabin fan this DVD is for you. I recommend the DVD to anyone else as well, because it’s really quite good.
Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]