Views from the Hawke’s Nest: 1PW All or Nothing 2006 – Night 1

March 4, 2006
Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England

 

1PW World Title Tournament First Round Match
Abyss vs. Darren Burridge

Abyss won nearly instantly with a Black Hole Slam.

 

1PW World Title Tournament First Round Match
Christopher Daniels vs. Jerry Lynn

The crowd was irrationally hot just for the idea of this matchup. As a result, Lynn and Daniels did not have to do anything too extraordinary to keep them invested. They basically just went from spot to spot with no rhyme or reason. It worked though and was easy to watch. Daniels won with a pinning combo. (***)

 

Colt Cabana & Spud vs. Jody Fleisch & Jonny Storm vs. Southern Comfort (Chris Hamrick & Tracy Smothers) vs. The Rottweilers (Homicide & Rocky Romero)

This was a shtick-fest with a handful of highspots thrown in here or there. It really got over with the crowd but there was nothing about it that was all that memorable. It was a nice buffer match for a tournament though. Hamrick and Smothers won with a Doomsday Blockbuster Device on Cabana. (**3/4)

 

1PW World Title Tournament First Round Match
Austin Aries vs. Samoa Joe

This was a “Smackdown version” of their match but these two had such a natural dynamic in the ring. It would probably would have been more engaging if Aries was working babyface against the much bigger Joe, but it was not a big deal in the context of this show. Joe ended up winning with the Muscle Buster. (***1/4)

 

1PW World Title Tournament First Round Match
AJ Styles vs. Sterling James Keenan

Any chance this match had to be good were ruined by Keenan’s work on top. He dominated the majority of the match, and it was so boring with nothing of substance happening whatsoever. The idea that Keenan has ever been considered good by anyone completely baffles me. AJ could get nothing out of this guy. He at least won though after hitting the Clash. (Keenan took the Clash on the top of his head for whatever reason.) (*)

 

1PW World Title Tournament Semifinal Match
Abyss vs. Christopher Daniels

This matchup came across as surprisingly fresh given how long both guys were in TNA. In another surprise, they decided to not do a typical indie-style match and instead worked my favorite kind of match: the big man vs. little man match! Abyss cut Daniels off very early and controlled the majority of the match. Daniels teased comebacks throughout, but Abyss mostly remained in control until he finally finished Daniels with a Shock Treatment. Big thumbs up for this one. (***1/2)

 

1PW World Title Tournament Semifinal Match
AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe

Due to them being stuck in TNA together for so long, AJ and Joe’s in-ring rivalry really does not get the hype that it probably deserves. As far as I am concerned, they bring out the best in each other, and I doubt I could ever get sick of them going at it together.

AJ always steps up his physicality in matches with Joe, and this forces Joe to bring way more intensity than usual. Everything was worked at a pace that suggests both men were desperate to prove they are better, and that they truly have to give everything they have just to survive the battle.

That was all here in this one and then some. I also dug the finish, as they did something different than usual. AJ, who fought from underneath for most of the match, caught Joe with a wild kick to the head and then hit the Spiral Tap. It was one of those sudden finishes that felt believable, satisfying, and still left plenty of room for more matches. Great stuff here. (****1/4)

 

Christian Cage vs. Rhino

Despite being one of my favorite wrestlers ever, Christian has never been someone whom I get excited to watch in regards to his appearances on the independent scene. They are never bad, but the matches always seemed to be worked for the wrong audience. This was no different.

Rhino and him also made a tactical mistake here in terms of kicking out of each other’s finishers. Their match was very pedestrian as it was, and it really could have used the spark that would have come from the two of them desperately avoiding finishers. Doing the Wrestlemania kickouts on a random indie show always comes off as a bit awkward. Anyway, Christian won after a second Killswitch. (**)

 

1PW World Title Tournament Final
Abyss vs. AJ Styles

This was structured similarly to the Abyss/AJ match, but it was missing the spark and had a terrible finish. Sterling James Keenan was at ringside for the whole main event. He introduced a steel chair at one point to the match and then directly impacted the finish. AJ was running the ropes, Keenan tripped him, and AJ then became easy prey for the Black Hole Slam. That was an underwhelming way to finish what was previously a fairly strong tournament. The match was also solid before the finish. (**3/4)

7.5

The final score: review Good

The 411

While this show had some matches that I clearly did not care about at all, there were enough good matches (and even one great match) that made this a very fun experience. If nothing else, the show proves yet again that TNA had the in-ring talent to become one of the best promotions in the world.