½NWA-TNA AMERICA'S X CUP - 02.11.04
by Scott Christ
Hold your applause, I'm not bringing back my wonderful TNA recaps. There are very good reasons for why I've given up on watching TNA, reasons like ICP, Jonny Fairplay and Chyna, but I don't want to go into all that. Let me just say that ICP, Survivor and Chyna are three of my least favorite things in the entire world, and furthermore, if you haven't lived in Michigan the past seven years, you don't really know what it's like to truly hate the ICP. Believe me.
I ordered this show because I love tournament-type things, and I wanted to see some good wrestling, which I figured I'd get a little of. Plus, let's be fair, this is a pretty cool idea, and I can have fun with things like this. I also think this is sort of the way for TNA to make some waves, but I guess they prefer crap. These people are stupids.
Also, iNDemand was really screwing up all night with video and audio difficulties, but it only cut out during the PPV broadcast one time. And at truly an opportune time, as well.
--Aired February 11, 2004. Taped on 01.28.04 (singles and tags) and 02.04.04 (eight-man) at the Asylum in Nashville.
--The show starts off with a bunch of videos highlighting crap that's happened between the usual fruits on this show, and I don't care and that's not why I watched this or why I'm writing this, so F you, Erik Watts and Jeff Jarrett, et al. There are also some backstage promos from both teams with the Mexicans playing the heels, because who likes minorities? Not Tennesseeans!
--Commentators are MIKE TENAY and DON WEST. When we see them later, Don is wearing blue, and Tenay's tuxedo of the week is a tuxedo.
--X Factors: Historic NWA vs. AAA Showdown, Team Concept Matches The USA vs. Mexico, X Division in Spotlight as Points System Determines the Winning Team. The points system works as follows: 1 point for a singles match win, 2 points for a tag team match win, 2 points per fall in the eight-man elimination match.
--JUVENTUD GUERRERA (215, Mexico City, Mexico) v. CHRIS SABIN (NWA X
Champion, 216, Detroit, MI): Juvi is the AAA captain, for what that's worth.
Sabin isn't the NWA captain, for what that's worth. Mike and Don talk about the
Super X match between these two, which was a good match and all, but shit. Mike
says this is like the World Cup, Davis Cup or Ryder Cup. Sound is off, so when
Juventud chops Sabin I get to hear it a few seconds later. Every time Don shouts
he sounds like a garbled monster, which is disturbing. Slow start to this match.
"We both have the same idea" x 3, then Juvi drills Sabin with a basement
dropkick, sending Sabin out for a breather. Unique headscissors thing from the
apron to the floor by Juvi. Small "Juice" chant. Not as many juggaloes in this
crowd as I saw last time I watched this crap. Sabin is still on the floor, Juvi
goes in, runs, looks for a suicide dive, but gets kicked in the face instead.
Springboard spinning heel kick from Sabin, cover, 2. Russian legsweep and a
seated octopus. Look, Mike, it's not a move he CALLS the seated octopus
submission hold, that's what it IS. Sabin looks for a concrete crack out of the
corner, but Guerrera spins it around into a freaking wicked headscissors which
Sabin takes directly on top of his head. Springboard 'rana from Guerrera,
pumphandle into a reverse Juvi driver, cover, 2. Juvi with the 5255 (get it),
cover, 2. Sabin gets the concrete crack, and follows up with a brainbuster. Hey,
I'm loving it. Two count again. Into the crazy-go-nuts pin reversal spots that I
can really, truly live without ever seeing again at this point. Juvi goes for a
tombstone, Sabin reverses, Juvi counters back and we get a few more pins. Sabin
goes for a wheelbarrow, but gets bulldogged. Juvi sets him up for something,
doesn't go, Sabin with a power bomb. More pin reversals, goddamn it. Sabin
covers up, Juvi dekes the kick and lands the second one, cover, 2. Both guys
down. Juvi with chops, up top for a 'rana maybe, and Sabin gets the Sabin Edge
off the top. Cover, 2. Sabin picks Juvi up - iNDemand difficulty! Guerrera won
the match, although I don't know how, but I DO know the official time. (10'10")
From what I could tell, missing the last 20 seconds or so, this match was real
good. ½
--I come back to SHANE DOUGLAS talking to JEFF JARRETT. Praise the heavens, just the people I wanted to see. Shane and his friends pledge their loyalty to Jarrett's crew. Jarrett wonders if Douglas has any ideas who the new DOA is, he mentions Tenay. Jarrett is convinced it's Tenay. Please note that SCOTT HUDSON is HERE right now.
--HECTOR GARZA (212, Monterrey, Mexico) v. SONJAY DUTT (210, Bombay, India):
Alright, you know what, no. If Juventud Guerrera weighs 215 pounds, there is no
way in hell Garza weighs 212. And I'm just not buying Dutt at 210 no matter what
you say. You can get away with 210 if the guy is a muscular 180, but when he's a
stringy-but-defined 160, you're pushing it. The story with Dutt is that Lynn
picked him for the team because he was a better fit for team chemistry, and
that's why Chris Daniels and Low Ki aren't on the team, since they're at odds.
Mike brings up Garza's WCW days, and how he looks different now. If I would've
not known that was Hector Garza, I'd have no idea. Dutt with a full revolution
armdrag, but then he runs into a clothesline. Garza charges the corner, Dutt
moves, and Garza falls to the floor. Dutt with a pretty somersault dive, with a
less-than-pretty landing. Back inside, Garza with a dropkick. Garza with another
lazy ass clothesline, cover, 2. Garza is dominating this match. Garza does an
ugly The Rosey, the lazy fuck. Vertical suplex from Dutt, on the apron,
springboard and a somersault, caught, and lazily power bombed with a bounce off
the top rope. Garza stinks. Up top, tornillo hits, 2, 3. (04'49") AAA is up 2-0.
West shits over the tornillo, ew, that thing landed ugly. This wasn't that
horrible, but it wasn't any good. ¼
--Backstage, Hudson talks to JERRY LYNN. Lynn says they have to slow it down and wrestle their style, which is the kind of talk I appreciate.
--MR. AGUILA (chubby, Guadelajara Jalisco, Mexico) v. JERRY LYNN (208,
Minneapolis, MN): Aguila has some weird chest/stomach hair going on. Very
patchy. Mike talks about the Lynn/Essa Rios feud in the WWF that set the world
on fire, or it did if you listen to Mike, which I don't. Don never once says
"Ah-guila," but rather, "Ag-uila." It's really annoying. Aguila seated on the
top rope and dropkicked to the floor. Lynn with a 'rana from the apron, Aguila
makes sure to bump loudly on the ramp. Lynn is firmly in control, here comes the
freaky monster commentary again. Lynn to the floor, Aguila leaps over the
ringpost with a somersault. Don shits. Inside, cover, 2. Powerslam by Aguila.
Second rope springboard moonsault gets two. Aguila talks some junk. "Jerry"
chants are up and Lynn fights back. Greco-Roman knuckle lock + kicks from
Aguila, then he flips around and stuff before doing a bodyslam. Truly effective
wrestling. Aguila with a hairpull takedown, ME-OW. Back suplex from Lynn, both
men down. Lynn with a clothesline, spinning neckbreaker, crappy swinging DDT,
two count. Aguila takes control again, slam, looking for another moonsault, Lynn
moves, TKO doesn't hit, kick, worst piledriver I've ever seen, 3. (07'45")
½
--Backstage, Hudson is with Jarrett and his nerds. FATHER JIMMY JIMMY and THE GATHERING come to pledge their allegiance. These guys are sure Raven is gone. Father Jimmy Jimmy lays odds on Mike Tenay being the DOA, or, at least, knowing who is.
--ABISMO NEGRO (217, somewhere in, Mexico) v. ELIX SKIPPER (220, Atlanta,
GA): "USA" chants to start. I find it odd that they paired the black guy with
Negro. Little flippin', little floppin', clothesline from Skipper gets two.
Negro attempts a clothesline to the floor but they just sort of nudge the ropes
off of it instead. That was pretty terrible. Skipper with a graceful double
springboard moonsault bodyblock for two. Skipper, for some reason, somersaults
from the apron into the ring, then stumbles, then Negro, for some reason, stands
there and waits for him to clothesline him. Crappy pin reversals, Negro gets an
armbar-into-crucifix pin, 2. Skipper with the ropewalk huracanrana for, cover,
2. Negro with a 'rana pinning combo, two count. On Skipper's kickout, they kind
of just lay on each other for a second. This is pretty bad. Basement dropkick
from Skipper. This is slow. This is bad. Crappy belly-to-belly from Negro, 2.
Skipper hits that side faceslam thing for two. Negro with a bridging German, two
count, held, another, two count. Now they stand around. These guys suck. Skipper
with what he calls "The Prime Time Submission," which is a great name for a
submission hold by a guy with the nickname "Prime Time." La magistral cradle
from Negro, 2, 3. (06'53")
--ARMANDO QUINTERO is with Juvi, who says their team is the best. Armando brings up Low Ki and Daniels, Juventud gets mad.
--JUVENTUD GUERRERA (215, Mexico City, Mexico) & ABISMO NEGRO (217,
somewhere in, Mexico) v. JERRY LYNN (208, Minneapolis, MN) & SONJAY DUTT
(210, Bombay, India): Mike was under the impression that the NWA team would've
done well in the singles matches and AAA in the tags. Lynn and Negro start.
Equal trading of offense, tag to Guerrera, putting the captains in. Check it
out, these guys are so evenly matched. They should do some moves, then stand up
and look at each other. Tag to Dutt, who is about to get seriously outclassed.
Guerrera gets a kick to the chest. Tag to Negro, Dutt gets a huracanrana and a
tilt-a-whirl headscissors. Full revolution armdrag. If Dutt wasn't such a little
wein he'd be way cooler. Blind tag to Juvi, springboard dropkick. Chops and a
kick. Tag back to Negro, the AAA team has slowed it down, which contradicts
Jerry Lynn's gameplan. Juvi in, both guys are down, tags to Lynn and Negro. Lynn
gets some offense, tag to Juvi, who gets a cross armbreaker. Tag back to Negro,
up top, Juvi slams Lynn, frog splash from Negro for two. Back suplex by Lynn,
good selling. Tags to Dutt and Juvi, Dutt flies in with a crossbody on him. Dutt
on fire, some kind of screwed up slam for two. Juvi goes for the Juvi driver,
Dutt, blocks, chops from Guerrera, again for the driver, Dutt floats over, now
to the apron. Dutt with rights, springboard 'rana into a pin, broken by Negro.
Lynn and Negro to the floor, Guerrera gets a rana on Lynn. Dutt flies over and
shits up his somersault plancha for the second match in a row on Negro. Dutt and
Juvi up top, Lynn breaks it up with a sunset flip bomb, and Dutt hits a flying
elbow - 1, 2, shoulder up. Negro has Lynn on his shoulders, Guerrera's up top -
he misses, and we get double face pins that get two. Dutt with a top rope
huracanrana on Negro, who rolls through, 2, 3. This was decent. (11'37")
½
--Backstage, Hudson is with Sabin and Skipper, who have to win because they're down 5-1. It's their house.
--HECTOR GARZA (212, Monterrey, Mexico) & MR. AGUILA (chubby,
Guadelajara, Jalisco, Mexico) v. CHRIS SABIN (NWA X Champion, 216, Detroit, MI)
& ELIX SKIPPER (220, Atlanta, GA): Aguila and Skipper start and it's like
I'm living in a dream. Snapmare -> kick by Skipper. Garza clearly enters the
ring well before making the tag in full view of Rudy Charles, but Rudy doesn't
mind. Garza with a leap to the top rope and backflip off, but he gets
clotheslined for it. Tag to Sabin. Garza gets armdragged and spends some time to
fix his kneepads, the faggot. I hate Garza. Two god awful dives by the NWA team.
Skipper in with Garza, who drives him into the heel corner and tags out to
Aguila. Dropkicks to both sides of the head by the AAA team, two count. Sabin
makes a blind tag and comes in with a drills him with a tornado DDT. AAA guys
back in control pretty quickly. Clotheslines from both, then a sandwich
clothesline, which let me tell you, just looks stupid. STOP FIXING YOUR STUPID
KNEEPADS, GARZA. Skipper with a spinning heel kick from the middle of the top
rope, two count. I guess he tagged. Or he didn't, I don't know. Headstand
twisting legdrop from Skipper for two. Aguila in and working the arm wringer,
tag back to Garza. Missile dropkick hits, two count. AAA is dismantling Skipper
at this point which would be cooler if Skipper didn't suck. Sabin makes another
blind tag and hits a springboard dropkick on both. Sabin's all up ons, Aguila
and Skipper to the floor. Sabin hits the cradle shock on Garza, Aguila breaks
the pin. Aguila gets a pin on Sabin, Skipper breaks. Skipper with a fancy The
Rosey on Aguila, two count. So I guess no one's illegal at this point. Power
bomb -> Boston crab by Garza, but Sabin gets a victory roll from behind - 1,
2, 3. Eh. (10'48")
--Backstage, Jarrett addresses some refs and security guys, including Rudy Charles, who must've just rushed right back there. Now, Jarrett wants to know what Hudson thinks. Couldn't he have asked him the other times? Doesn't he realize that Hudson was there both times earlier? Hudson suggests Mike Tenay might now, blah blah blah. This shit is horrible.
--TERRY FUNK is in the ring. "I wanna be very honest with you people last - tonight. Here tonight I wanna be honest with ya. As I - you know, they always refer to me as a living legend. I really don't like that crap, I really don't. I don't think of myself as a living legend, I think of myself as somebody that's busted his ass for 30 years in a business called wrestling. And it's been tough. The same way it's tough for you people to go out there and do your daily job. But that's what it is for me. It's a job. And it's a tough job. But I'll tell ya one thing, I love it! I always have loved it! My father has loved it before me! And I'll love it to the grave. I wanna come back in this ring, one more time, and I'll tell ya what, I called up a friend of mine, and a friend of all of y'all's out there. And I said, 'Hey, I need you, Raven. I need you to come and be my partner.' And he said that he would. And I promise you, that we are going to do some ass-kicking. And that's a promise."
--To ringside, Mike has just gotten word from the back that Funk & Raven v. Gathering is confirmed for next Wednesday. But that's not all - the Insane Clown Posse, ICP, in a juggalo streetfight, as they take on a couple of Jarrett's crew, and they're gonna do it ICP style. Whatever, Don West. Also, next week, Jonny Fairplay's new interview segment with Chyna. This is where I decide to never watch this shit again in my life.
--EIGHT-MAN ELIMINATION MATCH - TEAM AAA (JUVENTUD GUERRERA, ABISMO NEGRO,
HECTOR GARZA & MR. AGUILA) v. TEAM NWA (JERRY LYNN, CHRIS SABIN, ELIX
SKIPPER & SONJAY DUTT): AAA is up 5-3 coming into this, and falls are worth
two points here, so that means to win, the NWA team has to have at least two
people left when all the AAA guys are eliminated. See? I know basic math. Tenay
and Don have done a pretty great job with this thing all show, which I have
neglected to mention and feel as though I should. I usually just make fun of
them. AAA Captain Juventud Guerrera and Skipper start. I feel bad rooting for
the AAA guys, since I'm American and all (USA! USA!), but Juventud Guerrera is
so much awesomer than these other guys that I can't help it. I just want some
nasty Juvi drivers and stuff. Basement dropkick from Juvi, tag to Aguila, who
finally gets it going with some backflippage, but gets caught with a slam for
two. NWA Captain Jerry Lynn is tagged in. Aguila with four springs off the ropes
into an ... armdrag. See, that's what I hate about cruisers. What is that shit?
Sabin is tagged, he lands an enzuigiri. Aguila tags to Garza. The heat for this
match is really great, which is remarkably rare for Nashville. Garza with a
dropkick and some front kicks, whip to the corner, follows with a clothesline.
All the AAA guys are looking so much more comfortable in this match, which is
understandable, I guess. Abismo Negro comes in, and Sabin dominates both of them
with some fancy offense. Negro nails Sabin with a dropkick, Sabin tags to Dutt.
Dutt with a somersault bodyblock, two count. Crazy armdrag, and he finally hits
the somersault plancha respectably. You Can't Powerbomb Sonjay Dutt, 2. Kick
from Negro, tag to Juvi, who runs right into a belly-to-belly, and Dutt tags
Lynn. Juvi flips out of a German attempt and nails a tilt-a-whirl headscissors,
then runs into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. This is fun stuff. Tags to Skipper
and Garza, which may be less than fun. Wait no - Garza rules. I take it all
back, Garza rules as he drops to his knees and then kicks Skipper in the thigh.
Garza with a 'rana from the top, Negro flies off the top with a frog splash and
gets two? Are we using lucha rules? I mean, if we are, fine. Super WILD spot
where they all do holds to each other (well, four of them) and Sabin breaks it
up with a springboard kick. Guerrera gets a springboard legdrop on Skipper. All
hell has broken loose, and Dutt's the only man on the apron. Tag to Dutt, he's
in with Garza. Dutt with a nice 'rana and an armdrag as they note how good Dutt
has been in this match. Oops - Garza hits a standing moonsault for 3. (09'23")
AAA leads 7-3. Negro in with Skipper, which is again suspicious to me. Skipper
with the Prime Time Submission Hold, and Negro taps (as best he can). (10'21")
AAA leads 7-5. Skipper crashes to the floor, and Aguila flies over with a
somersault. Lynn comes next with a crossbody. Sabin's on the top turnbuckle,
Guerrera follows him and "does" a huracanrana, sending Sabin onto everyone.
Then, to finish it off, Garza hits the corkscrew plancha from the top onto
eeeeverybody. Tenay goes on and on about his boner for Hector Garza, as he's
done in the other matches. Sabin and Garza in, Garza's up top. Moonsault misses!
Sabin covers, 2, shoulder up. Cradle shock! 1, 2, 3! (12'25") 7-7 tie now. This
is EXCITING. Skipper with a gorgeous double springboard moonsault, Aguila comes
back with a spin kick. MICHAEL SHANE looks on from the ramp while Aguila
stretches Skipper and Juvi drops the leg on him. I love it. Aguila nails the
shooting star on Skipper - 1, 2, 3. (13'38") AAA is back in the lead, 9-7. Lynn
and Sabin against Juvi and Aguila now. Same bunch of pin reversals from their
singles match, blah. Exact same "cover then OOPS I was kicked in the face" spot
from the singles match too. Juvi driver, no, Cradle shock, no, Juvi driver, no,
small package, 2. Roll-up by Juvi, 2. Negro and Garza are still at ringside
cheering their teammates on. Cradle shock hits NASTY for 2. Damn. Juvi's out.
Juvi's great. Sabin puts Guerrera up top, but Juvi fights him off. Guerrera
calls for it - 450 doesn't happen, and he lands on his feet. Juvi driver! 1, 2,
3! (17'05") AAA leads 11-7, and all Lynn can do, down 2-on-1, is force a tie and
then a captain's match. Emerald fusion on Aguila! 1, 2, 3. (17'42") 11-9 and the
captains are left, what do you know? Skipper and Dutt cheer from the ramp.
Lynn's limping some so Guerrera, hot shit that he is, dropkicks the knee and
goes to the single crab. Lynn gets the rope, but Garza pulls it away. Lynn is
pulled back to the center and Juvi goes into what I could best describe as an
arm STF. Guerrera with the figure four. By god, Juventud Guerrera is my favorite
wrestler. Lynn turns it over! Juvi turns it back, Lynn gets the ropes and the
hold is broken. TKO hits! 1, 2, shoulder up! Lynn goes for the cradle
piledriver, no go, Juvi driver! 1, 2, SHOULDER UP. Skipper, Dutt and Sabin lead
a "Jerry" chant. This is freaking GREAT. Guerrera goes for a springboard 'rana,
Lynn catches him with a power bomb. Guerrera bridges up on the count, Lynn goes
for the emerald fusion again, reversals galore, 911 JUVI DRIVER! Yeeeees, Lynn
is dead. 1, 2, 3, AAA wins it 13-9. (22'14") Don West reacts like someone just
shot his dog. ANTONIO PENA storms the ring with a single bottle of tequila,
which seems like a dangerous thing to be throwing at peoples' eyes, Mexicans or
not. Great stuff, and it really pulled the whole concept of the show through.
¼
Jarrett storms the ring and tries to run the Mexicans off, which is annoying as all hell. He calls Tenay into the ring, they trade jibber jabber, Jarrett threatens to fire him, Tenay says Jarrett doesn't have the balls, and then Jarrett fires him. Shut up, TNA. I'm glad this ended on this note, though, if only because it reminds me why I don't watch this crap anymore.
The America's X Cup will hopefully be a yearly thing, but I wouldn't count on it really. The eight-man was fantastic and the opening Guerrera-Sabin match was pretty good, but the rest was bad -> decent, if never unwatchable. Juventud Guerrera is on a whole other level apart from the rest of these guys and better than any of the WWE cruisers, which isn't saying a ton with what those guys have to work with. I wish WWE would put on a small level show like this and let their small guys have a night, kind of like a Pride Bushido show or something, but that's never going to happen, and probably with decent reasons, so whatever.
See you for No Way Out on Sunday.