TNA Weekly PPV #8
Tennessee State Fairground Sports Arena
Nashville, Tennessee
August 7, 2002

The Spanish Announce Team (Amazing Red, Jose Maximo and Joel Maximo) vs. The Flying Elvises (Jimmy Yang, Sonny Siaki and Jorge Estrada)

The SAT’s came out hot but Siaki’s power advantage turned the tide. Siaki motioned to his partners to leave everything to him; he then hurled Red onto of the Maximo’s on the floor. Siaki refused to take part in Elvis poses. Upset at being constantly disrespected Estrada and Yang abandoned Siaki. The SAT’s proceeded to dominate Siaki, Jimmy Yang returned to the ring and offered to make the tag but Siaki refused. The Maximo’s hit Siaki with the Spanish Fly and Red followed with the Infrared but Estrada and Yang made the save. Estrada and Yang ran wild for a while before Estrada countered the Spanish Fly with a double top rope DDT. Yang and Estrada hit Red with a top rope leg drop/splash combo from opposing corners but Siaki slipped back in to score the win. This was a really fun match. From a storyline perspective it established that Siaki was out for himself and while Estrada and Yang were getting fed up with his nonsense they were still team players. It had multiple layers which was nice. And from an action standpoint nearly everything (bar a bottled double team attempt at one stage by the Maximo’s) was crisp and well executed, briskly paced and with some really neat exchanges. This was a thumbs up all around. ***1/2

NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Ron Killings vs. Ken Shamrock©

Ricky Steamboat was on commentary. They explained that due to television time constraints the match was put on second. This was apparently less of a concern for the main event X-Division title match. Shamrock scored a near fall off a snap powerslam. Shamrock hit a slow motion huracanrana and followed with an Ankle Lock but Killings reached the ropes. A bunch of people began appearing around ringside. Shamrock grabbed an armbar but Killings refused to submit. All of a sudden all the people who were at ringside started brawling, including attacking Shamrock and Killings. Apolo struck Shamrock with a superkick allowing Killings to hit a stunner to become the second NWA champion of the TNA era. A mediocre match made muddier by random interference. Shamrock was largely a flop as champion and, as the unsustainable cracks in TNA’s Weekly PPV model began to show, Shamrock didn’t wrestle in TNA again for two years. **

Steamboat called out Apolo after the match and offered him a title shot. Jeff Jarrett was none too pleased about this. Jarrett accused Steamboat of reverse discrimination because of offering Killings and Apolo title matches in recent weeks. In the same way that accusing Steamboat of racism last week got Killings a title shot, accusing Steamboat of reverse discrimination got Jarrett a number one contenders match against Apolo later in the show. Moral of the story? Accuse TNA authority figures of racism to get your way.

Glenn Gilbertti came out for Jive Talkin’ and was upset that his set was below par. The Dupps interrupted him and announced the Dupp Cup, which was to form the basis of TNA’s new hardcore division. You had to get ten points to win a match. Points were scored as follows:

  1. Put your opponent through a table to score 2.5 points – a burning table gets 5 points
  2. Putting your opponent’s head in the toilets scores 2.5 points – but if the toilet has poo in it that’s bumped up to 3.5 points. Logically poo toilet supersedes regular toilet
  3. If you grab a woman’s bum you get 2.5 points, if you grab a man’s bum you get 3.5 points
  4. If you hit Jeremy Borash you get 2.5 points – same for Sara Lee the ticket lady
  5. If you use a farm animal in any way during a match you get 2.5 points
  6. If you spank your opponents bare bum with Horseypoo the hobby horse you get 2.5 points, however if they like it you lose 2.5 points
  7. If you introduce an opponent to Jay, you get 2.5 points – they neglected to say what Jay was
  8. If you cry “like a pussy” in the ring you lose 5 points. Because no pussies are allowed in the Dupp Cup
  9. If you stick your opponent’s head in a cotton candy machine and it get one full rotation then you get 10 points and win by default. That is perhaps the best of these rules
  10. If you grab an object from a fan and hit someone with it you get 1 point

Stan Dupp, after referring to Gilbertti as flamer, dropped his pants and pulled his shirt off revealing a shirt with a picture of Goldylocks on it. They offered a night with Fluff Dupp to the winner of the Dupp Cup. There are not sufficient words in the universe to describe or unpack what just happened. Somebody has to have an unholy amount of contempt for their audience to present something like this.

Dupp Cup
Ed Ferrara vs. Bo and Stan Dupp

Ferrara accepted an open challenge and struck JB to go 2.5 points up. He then slapped Don West’s bum to go to six points. Stan Dupp smashed Ferrara with an unprotected chair shot for a point. Ferrara took another unprotected chair shot followed by a drink, boot and crutch shot to take it to 6-5. Jay, as it would turn out, is a blow up doll and earned The Dupps another 2.5 points. Bo tried to attack Sara but she fended him off with a broom. Ferrara hit Bo with a chair a few times to take it to 8-7.5. Ferrara hit Bo with Horseypoo but Bo enjoyed it and thus Ed was docked 2.5 points.  Bo put Ed through a table to score the win. This could have been harmless silly fun if it hadn’t been coated in so much unpleasantness. I don’t do negative stars but if I did this match would be more than worthy.

First Blood Match
Malice vs. Don Harris

They brawled around the arena. Malice looked for a backdrop onto the ramp but Harris backdropped him and threw him off the stage into the rail. Slash interfered but Harris ran him off. Don Harris hit a slam and somehow came up bleeding, giving Malice the win. I have absolutely no clue what was supposed to have drawn blood. They beat down Harris after the match. *

Jeff Jarrett vs. Apolo

Ricky Steamboat was the guest referee. He prevented both men from using closed fist punches. There was a considerable amount of floor brawling before the match spilled back into the ring. Apolo was busted open. Jarrett locked on a Figure Four but Apolo reversed the hold. Apolo hit a tornado DDT and a superkick but Jarrett got his foot on the ropes. Apolo hit a bridging German, Jarrett kicked out but Apolo shoulders were down so Jarrett won. So Apolo basically beat himself. This was a pretty good match prior to the terrible finish.  Steamboat reneged on giving Jarrett a title shot after the match, giving him a tag title match instead. I’m not sure what the sense was in the babyface authority figure unfairly screwing the heel out of what he fairly earned. **

Evening Gown Match for the Miss TNA Crown
Taylor Vaughn vs. Bruce©

A reminder that Vaughn’s music is simply the words girls repeated over and over. Don West was rooting for Bruce solely so he could see Vaughn in her underwear. Bruce hit a slam and pulled Vaughn’s dress off to win. Bruce then did a little strip tease which revolted West.

TNA X-Division Championship
Jerry Lynn vs. Low Ki vs. AJ Styles©

Fast and furious start with all three men trying to gain a sustained advantage. Low Ki locked on a Dragon Sleeper on both Styles and Lynn but neither would submit. Lynn hit a draping DDT out of the corner but Low Ki made the save. Lynn flung Styles in the air but he managed to turn it into a reverse DDT on Low Ki. Styles looked for a superplex on Low Ki but Lynn took both out with a sunset flip powerbomb. All three tried a variety of pin attempts none of which did the job. Low Ki locked in the Hanging Dragon but Lynn broke it up. Styles hit a springboard moonsault for two. Styles escaped a Ki Krusher but Low Ki reversed into a Styles Clash but AJ kicked out of his own move. Lynn hit Low Ki with a Ki Krusher and Styles hit Lynn with the Cradle Piledriver for nearfalls. Low Ki took out the ref with a cartwheel forearm and got dumped out to the floor. Styles grabbed a chair and waffled Lynn in the head with it. Low Ki pinned Lynn as Styles went for the Spiral Tap but got the three count in spite of Styles connecting with the Spiral Tap. Low Ki was the new X-Division champion.

Despite the poor finish this was a tremendous match. They were placed in the main event (aside from Jarrett appearing afterwards and ranting to steal the thunder of course) and all three earned that spot delivering a well-constructed, exciting three way that didn’t rely on the tired one in, two out formula at all. All three men were in the ring at nearly all times and they smartly worked the match around that. You can understand what they were going for with the finish as technically Low Ki never stopped pinning Lynn but that goes against the way pins have generally been accepted in wrestling for years now (that is any contact with one constitutes a break). A great match and the main event this show badly needed. ****1/4

Final Thoughts: A show that started so promisingly with a fun six man tag fell into a pit of mediocrity and misery in the middle but was redeemed by a superb main event.  Try to make time to watch the Styles vs. Low Ki vs. Lynn match.