TNA – Destination X ’05 DVD Review

TNA – Destination X – Orlando, Florida – March 13, 2005

Review by Jacob Ziegler

Introduction

First off, just so everyone knows, I am selling some of my masters I no longer need, so if anyone is interested in some stuff, shoot me an e-mail. I may even make some personalized stuff if you’re really nice to me.

On the Preshow, Chris Candido and Andy Douglas beat Lex Lovett & Buck Quartermain, and Kid Kash & Lance Hoyt beat Jerrelle Clark and Cassidy Riley.

“It is not the critic that counts, The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena Whose face is marred by sweat and blood Who strives valiantly Who errs and comes up short again and again Because there is not effort without error and shortcoming But who does actually strive to do the deeds Who knows the great enthusiasms The great devotions Who at best knows the triumph of high achievements And who at worst, if he fails, fails while daring greatly So his place will never be with those timid souls Who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Some lunatic has a sign in the crowd saying that she would leave her husband for Jeff Hardy, as Mike Tenay welcomes us to the show. His zany sidekick is as always Don West. They put over tonight’s big matches, including Jeff Jarrett versus Diamond Dallas Page, and the Ultimate X Challenge. Tenay says that Abyss was taken away by security after some incident involving Jeff Hardy. He questions the status of the match, while West gets excited about FIRST BLOOD!

MATCH #1: America’s Most Wanted & The 3Live Kru vs. Team Canada w/ Coach Scott D’Amore

It’s an eight-man tag team match to get everybody on the card. That’s pretty sad, given that America’s Mot Wanted are the NWA World Tag Team Champions. 3LK is represented by BG James and Konnan in this match, while Team Canada is Petey Williams, Bobby Roode, Eric Young, and A1. Johnny Devine is on crutches after tearing his ACL and MCL, hence the addition of A1, AKA Alastair Ralphs. I’m guessing Roode will be big one day; perhaps Young too. Konnan debuts the shoe throw of doom, as far as I know. Everyone in this match except A1 has held TNA gold. Tenay receives word that the Abyss versus Jeff Hardy match will indeed be on for tonight. A1 has a cut on his back somehow. He also has some really bad bacne. Team Canada isolates on Chris Harris. Konnan is the house-a-fire, and while he’s really trying hard he just kinda moves at half speed compared to everyone else. It breaks down to a big brawl, and Konnan bodyslams Scott D’Amore off the top rope, which gives Bobby Roode the chance to hit the Northern Lariat to get the win at 8:53. I like that Roode got the fall, and that was an energetic opener and a fine way to start the show.
Rating: **½

Backstage

We go back to Dusty Rhodes’s office, where Traci and Trinity are bickering. Jonny Fairplay shows up and wants another chance to be the assistant. Dusty says the usual gibberish. Dusty says that if he can get two guys under contract by the end of the night he’s in. That was lame.

MATCH #2: Chris Sabin vs. Chase Stevens

This is a random match as far as I know. I don’t think it was even announced ahead of time. Chris Candido and Andy Douglas are at ringside, and are more than willing to interfere. They do some back and forth and Stevens takes control with a blatant kick to the sack. Sabin counters a rollup to get the flash pin at 6:18. That was fine for the time given. I like the pairing of The Naturals and Chris Candido. It becomes a three-on-one beat down until a masked man arrives from the crowd and cleans house. He pulls off the mask and it’s SHOCKER!!!!! FROM THE MCDONALD’S COMMERCIAL!!! I had never heard of Shocker until he debuted in TNA. I guess that match was to serve the debut of this guy who’s been in a McDonald’s commercial.
Rating: **¼

MATCH #3: Bullrope Match – Dustin Rhodes vs. Raven

Raven gets a good face pop for his entrance. He initially refuses to attach the rope to his wrist. Rhodes makes good use of the steel tresses that are holding the cables for the Ultimate X match later on by pulling Raven into them. Rhodes does some other stuff with the rope to put over about how he knows the match because his dad was in a bunch of them. By that logic, I should be able to prescribe medicine. Raven introduces a steel chair, and what looked like an attempt at a bulldog onto a chair is enough to knock Raven out at 6:10. I don’t see the logic of Rhodes going over, and neither does Team Canada, so they come out to beat up Rhodes. AMW comes out to make the save. The match was pretty bad.
Rating: *¼

MATCH #4: The Disciples of Destruction w/ Traci vs. Phi Delta Slam w/ Trinity

The video package doesn’t manage to make this match any more appealing to my senses. The “hot women competing over Dusty Rhodes’s affections” storyline is not one I want to see… ever. This wastes no time in sucking. I wonder if guys like this think they’re good. Like, do the Harris’s ever wake up in the morning and go, “man, I’m really lucky I’m an identical twin or else I’d never get work in wrestling because I suck so much.” Wow, this is really happening and they’re really calling it a match. One of the Harris guys tosses Trinity over the guardrail, which she practically no-sells. The Harris’s do the “switch,” which allows one of the Harris’s to get the weakest looking big boot ever for the three count at 10:18. Traci is now Dusty’s assistant. That was truly a disaster of a match, and I’m not surprised that neither team lasted long after this.
Rating: DUD

Backstage

Dustin Rhodes and AMW are complaining about Team Canada. Jonny Fairplay comes in and tries to talk to them. He offers to be their manager. Storm proposes that they give Fairplay “the test.” They proceed to put a saddle on him and try to ride him. That was pretty gay.

MATCH #5: “The Alpha Male” Monty Brown vs. Trytan

Speaking of people who didn’t last long in TNA, here’s Trytan! Honestly, the dude is freakishly huge. Trytan overpowers Monty to start, and I can’t believe he’s getting this much offense on one of their most over guys. I’m a big fan of Monty but this is getting pretty brutal to watch. Monty takes control and goes for the Pounce, but the lights go out and some jackass in all black is in the ring. Monty hits the Pounce on him instead and covers him for three. So, Monty wins, I guess? What a stupid finish to an already bad match.
Rating: ½*

Backstage

Shane Douglas is with Diamond Dallas Page, who will be challenging for the NWA World Championship tonight. Ya know, they were doing this match in WCW near the time the company died, so I’m not sure what made TNA think it was a good idea to revisit it. The weirdest thing is that Shane Douglas is nowhere in this promo, and DDP just says some of Jarrett’s catchphrases to no one in particular while doing some weird stretching and then it just cut out. Ooooookay.

MATCH #6: Falls Count Anywhere Match – Jeff Hardy vs. Abyss

This is our second rematch from Against All Odds last month. This match has been dubbed the “Final Assault.” The video package makes Hardy look motivated. It also makes him look like a complete tool, so perhaps he’s both. Hardy is SOUNDLY booed by the Impact Zone. Good for them. Abyss takes out a camera man as they fight backstage almost right away. Hardy takes that bump that they showed a bunch of times on TV over and over. They make their way back to the ring and do some more brawling with the chair. Abyss brings out the ladder and Hardy delivers his signature legdrop. Abyss comes back and hits the shock treatment. Hardy eventually gets the Twist of Fate onto a ladder for the three count at 15:48. That was a fun enough brawl, and I always like seeing Hardy get thrown around. Abyss is unhappy, so he goes under the ring for some thumbtacks. He delivers the Black Hole Slam to a shirtless Hardy. That was a great time to have that match, because the crowd was seriously dying.
Rating: ***

Backstage

Team Canada is backstage gloating about their victory. Jonny Fairplay intervenes and says he needs a tag team. It’s only fair, since D’Amore has five guys and he only needs two. D’Amore, and the rest of Team Canada, disagrees.

MATCH #7: First Blood Match – Kevin Nash vs. The Outlaw

They start off by brawling, in a huge shock. The crowd is pretty quiet for the most part. They finally pick up when Outlaw grabs a screwdriver and tries to jab it into Nash’s face. This is followed by more slow-paced brawling. Outlaw gets busted open, but Jeff Jarrett’s lawyer (whom I have no memory of) and a doctor come out to wipe off the blood, while Jarrett hits Nash in the head with the NWA Title belt, busting him open. Rudy Charles wakes up and declares The Outlaw the winner at 11:20. Wow, a terrible finish to a boring match. Nash attacks Outlaw after the match and can’t even give Outlaw the powerbomb without falling down. Tenay blames it on the loss of blood, but Nash barely has half of his forehead covered.
Rating: ¾*

DISC 2

MATCH #8: Ultimate X Challenge for the TNA X-Division Championship – “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles vs. “The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels vs. Ron “The Truth” Killings vs. “Primetime” Elix Skipper

Everyone’s got a nickname! The video package hyping this match makes it clear that the whole story is between Styles and Daniels. This is a three-tiered match. It starts off as a tag team match, with Styles teaming up with Skipper against Daniels and Killings. The loser of that fall is eliminated, and we go to a three-way match. Once again, the loser of the fall is gone. The last fall will be a traditional Ultimate X match, with the remaining two men. Don West helpfully points out that Skipper and Daniels could not team together because of the cage match that they lost to AMW back in December. That’s the kind of detail the WWE would ignore. DW has always wanted to see Truth wrestle Skipper, because they’re black and all. AJ wants Daniels, but Daniels wisely avoids him. AJ and Daniels fight outside the ring, so Skipper takes the opportunity to hit the Sudden Impact on Truth to eliminate him at 8:06. Daniels hits a cool moonsault from the top of the cables onto both men. Daniels and Skipper work together long enough for Daniels to turn on Skipper and take advantage. Skipper eventually recovers, and AJ hits a shooting star press using the cables hung above the ring. That guy is crazy. Skipper hits the Sudden Death on AJ, but Daniels catches him with a quick rollup to get the pin and eliminate Skipper at 17:10. We’re down to AJ and Daniels, one on one. Daniels goes for the belt right away. The referee gets bumped and AJ goes up and grabs the title. But since the referee can’t see it, Daniels gives AJ the Angel’s Wings and grabs the belt, and the referee awards him the match at 25:19 to win the X-Division Championship. That’s a good finish, and I think it’s fair because Daniels knocked AJ out long enough to pin him. That was also a unique match with the three gimmicks.
Rating: ***¾

Play Fair

Jonny Fairplay finds Buck Quartermain & Lex Lovett and declares them to be the tag team he’s been looking for all along. They seem intrigued.

MATCH #9: NWA World Heavyweight Title Match – “King of the Mountain” Jeff Jarrett vs. Diamond Dallas Page

There are few people I would rather see champion less than Jarrett, but DDP is one of them. Nash is another, for those wondering. The video package shows mainly how hard DDP tried to get “it’s time” over as a catchphrase, which is extremely lame. I mean, the guy is clearly pushing 60, how can it possibly be his time? This is a “ringside revenge” match, so all people who have been wronged by Jeff Jarrett will police the ringside area. This brings out Monty Brown, The 3Live Kru, and Larry Zbyszko. Jarrett has his own backup, namely Chris Candido and The Naturals, and that attorney guy. This is not a lumberjack match though. Tenay says that Jarrett won the WCW Title from DDP, and the converse is also true, so this is a rubber match. What about the match with David Arquette? The battle spills to the floor and DDP uses a trash can. This one must be under relaxed rules. He brings a rolling chair from the Spanish announce table into the ring. Jarrett utilizes the figure-four and the sleeper, but Page is able to fight back. The guys outside the ring start fighting, and Outlaw hands Jarrett the guitar. BG James comes in to take the guitar, as he and Konnan interfere RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE REFEREE. Confusion causes BG to nail Konnan with the guitar, and Truth is concerned. I’m more concerned about the status of Rudy Charles’s eyesight. The Outlaw comes in and gives DDP the Fame-Ass-Er, but DDP kicks out at two. Sean Waltman comes in to interfere and cleans house on Jarrett and Outlaw. The interferences continues as my patience is officially lost. Monty Brown comes into the ring and gives DDP the Pounce and puts Jarrett on top for the pin at 21:40. Great, turn one of your most over babyfaces heel just to put over Jeff Jarrett. FUCK THAT. That match was the usual overbooked nonsense, and they turned their natural successor to Jarrett’s throne over to his side. I’m not happy with that.
Rating: **

BONUS

– Outlaw Interviewed
– DDP’s Message for Jeff Jarrett
– DDP & Trinity Warm Up
– Someone call security!
– The D.O.D. & Their Choppers
– AMW & 3LK Prepare
– AMW & Dustin Return
– Jeff Hardy Battles Abyss
– Hardy vs. Abyss *Graphic*
– Fly Like A Fallen Angel
– X Division Robbery

This is the usual collection of random backstage footage. I’d still rather have the Preshow matches, or some footage from Impact, but whatever.

The 411: This is a snoozer of a show, with only two matches reaching *** or higher. I’m still annoyed about the Monty Brown heel turn, and the main event was extremely lame up to that point anyway. The X-Division Title match is pretty good, but it’s available elsewhere.
Final Score:  5.0   [ Not So Good ]