Disc #2, Part 1: TNA Wrestling: The 50 Greatest Moments
They are the extraordinary TNA moments that will echo throughout the history of professional wrestling...the timeless memories that fans will never forget - now chronicled on one amazing DVD release! TNA Wrestling presents The 50 Greatest Moments featuring the most monumental surprising and awe-inspiring events that shaped the face of TNA Wrestling from its 2002 inception until today! The countdown is on - but the question is: which will earn the top spot? On this TNA Home Video release you will witness such history-making moments as:
- "The King of the Mountain" Jeff Jarrett attacks Hulk Hogan in Japan
- Sting's epic return to professional wrestling at Final Resoultion 2006
- The debuts of Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Randy Savage
- Music icon Toby Keith makes his in-ring wrestling debut
- The bloody, brutal and sadistic scalping of Raven by James Mitchell
- Bouts featuring fighting legends Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz
- Elix Skipper attempts the most insane move -- EVER!
- NFL star Brian Urlacher brings the gridiron to the TNA ring
- Hollywood's Chris Rock gets a taste of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- World Series Champion AJ Pierzyniski battles in "Basebrawl"
- The surprise debut of Jeff Hardy against AJ Styles
- Plus exclusive comments from your favorite TNA stars!
The amount of celebrity appearances listed on the back cover immediately jumps out at you, which likely would've caused hardcore fans to scoff in irritation: "They're trying to appeal to the mythical casuals!!!" I shudder at the thought.
Still, Double J attacking Hogan in Japan? Sting returning to wrestling? The claim that some dude named Elix Skipper pulled off the best wrestling move EVER? Jeff freakin' Hardy?!? 15-year-old me would've been pumped to check this out.
I won't go too in-depth with this list unless I feel it really warrants it (or if you, the reader, request more in-depth coverage). TNA actually posted this compilation on their official YouTube page, so you can watch along and provide me your thoughts and opinions if you wish.
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We're treated to a pretty nifty highlight video set to "Fighter" by Candlefuse featuring the various stars of TNA Wrestling, followed by a brief introduction by commentators Mike Tenay and Don West. Rest in Peace, Don. You're sorely missed. The duo exchanges some of their favorite moments before jumping right into the countdown. Let's do the same:
#50: "Rowdy" Roddy Piper humiliates Chris Rose
At first glance, this is a poor attempt to leverage a "celebrity" appearance as one of your top 50 moments. After all, presenting a D-list celebrity seemingly re-enacting a "WrestleMania Moment" that occurred fifteen years prior as one of the more impressive moments in the short history of your company is rather absurd, but you could somewhat understand TNA's insistence on utilizing footage of every celebrity appearance.
We're told by Voiceover Guy that TNA had partnered with 'The Best Damn Sports Show Period," which I recall being a very popular show around the time I started High School. Chrise Rose, a 30-something media personality with loads of potential, is one of the co-hosts of "The Best Damn Sports Show Period" and is standing in the ring with wrestling icon "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
Rose is attired like a wrestling hack: a bedazzled robe over a "Wrestling is Fake" t-shirt, purple boa, and sunglasses. He looks incredibly annoying, which is the idea, but you just know this segment is going to suck. We quickly cut to an interview with Shane Douglas, who has a bit of a shit-eating grin. "The Franchise" says that Rose attempted to embarrass TNA Wrestling, and Piper only did what any of the "boys" would've done: spray him in the face with a fire extinguisher.
That's right, folks. A media personality was sprayed with a fire extinguisher by "The Rowdy Scot" during a Piper's Pit segment. The segment looked like it sucked and it bothered me that TNA would not only include it on a Top 50 moments list, but made it the very first moment their audience would see.
But remember, dear readers, not everything is as it seems.
"But there were a lot of issues coming out of those tapings, which left Dixie Carter telling people she thought the wrestlers should have put on a better performance, and the BDSSP people couldn’t have been happy regarding the treatment of host Chris Rose, when Piper went into business for himself and against the script."
Dave Meltzer states that the segment "may have ruined a long-term relationship between the promotion and the show."
It seems as if the other hosts of "The Best Damn Sports Show Period" had also been featured on TNA programming with all but Rose being pro-wrestling, thus why Rose is wearing such an antagnoztic t-shirt during this Piper's Pit segment. Meltzer states that Piper, a product of old-school upbringing, fucking hated Rose's t-shirt, and apparently "Hot Rod" was not the only one.
Meltzer states that, "One person noted that the older wrestlers, like Dusty Rhodes and Konnan, besides Piper, didn’t really care, but most of the younger guys were furious about the 'Wrestling is fake' T-shirt."
Someone had to protect the business. Someone had to smarten up this pretty boy hack. "Hot Rod" was going to stand up for the Boys.
So Piper "bitch slapped" Rose.
Rose was apparently expecting some physical contact, but Piper allegedly went overboard with how hard he struck Rose.
Rose was part of a segment in a prior taping, in which he was hit over the head with a guitar by Jeff Jarrett. It's alleged that another strike against Rose was that he appeared totally uninjured and didn't sell the guitar shot during his Piper's Pit segment. That no good bastard is exposing the business!
Now you may be asking yourself, "What exactly led to Piper spraying Rose with a fire extinguisher?" and that is a fair question because we're not told much of anything about this segment. We're led to believe it's just good ole Piper up to his usual antics, re-enacting a classic moment from the Golden Era of American wrestling.
But there's a reason we aren't shown many highlights of this segment. For one, Piper starts the segment by calling Rose "RuPaul," which was likely intended as a homophobic insult. We're then treated to an appearance by Johnny Fairplay, a reality TV villain who was hated by the TNA roster (Fairplay was apparently being paid $2,600 per appearance, a gross overestimation of his Survivor fame). He made a lot of money and reportedly refused to do anything physical during this segment.
Oh, and here's something rather remarkable: Fairplay was once Piper's assistant and driver, and the duo were involved in a nasty car accident that could've killed them. Needless to say, Piper was no longer a fan of Fairplay, which may have contributed to Fairplay's reluctance to engage in anything physical.
Fairplay came out to no reaction (Dave quips that Savio Vega's appearance caused a genuine pop from the crowd). The plan was for Fairplay and Rose to engage in a few spots, but Piper first sprayed Fairplay in the face with a fire extinguisher. Rose would then deliver "a terrible-looking" bodyslam before turning around and...
...getting sprayed in the face by Piper.
You see, Rose had agreed to be sprayed in the stomach and was allegedly furious that Piper aimed for his face. Piper, of course, insisted it was merely an accident as the hose "got away from him."
Incredible. Absolutely incredible.
The partnership eventually ended, though I'm unsure how much this segment factored into the separation. In case you want to entertain your morbid curiosity, TNA and "TBDSP" would co-produce a 2-night wrestling event titled "The Best Damn Wrestling Event Period." Here's the card for both nights, and yes that Tom Arnold was involved.
#49: Chris Rock comes to the Asylum
Back-to-back celebrity moments? Uh-oh. We get a little breakdown from Voiceover Guy, who explains that Rock needed a wrestling venue for an upcoming film, and he chose TNA's Asylum. Who wouldn't? Jeremy Borash recounts that the TNA roster was very happy to be part of his movie, Head of State, and touted how big of a get Chris Rock was in the early days of TNA. They actually got Chris to say that, "NWA: TNA is the best wrestling in the world" and "If you think this is fake, come get in here and get your ass kicked!"
Per Meltzer in the 10/21/02 WON: "They filmed a scene after the show went off the air where Jeremy Borash as ring announcer introduced a world title match with challenger Ron Harris and champion B.G. James. James then introduced Mays Gilliam (the character Chris Rock plays) which appeared to be filmed for his running for President. His stunt double and James were attacked by Jarrett, Killings and Ron Harris and they were filming a lot of crowd shots"
#48: The debut of Diamond Dallas Page
I have to be honest: teenage JCup adored Diamond Dallas Page in TNA. I knew of him in WCW (I had a Bash 'n' Brawler DDP that quoted his catchphrases) and felt he was given a raw deal during his WWE tenure, so the ancient promoter strategy of utilizing a legend to attract new fans partially worked on your's truly.
This is the first wrestling debut to be covered in the countdown and, like the Diamond Cutter, ya never saw it coming! BANG!
Voiceover guy sets the scene: Raven vs "The Alpha Male" Monty Brown from Victory Road 2004. DDP jumps the guardrail, measures up, and hits Raven with the Diamond Cutter. The crowd went...mild. It honestly didn't come across as a big deal at all, but that's okay. "The Franchise" Shane Douglas, who was a backstage interviewer for TNA at this period in time, tried to get an explanation out of a departing Page. DDP simply says that Raven knows why he's there, looks into the camera, and says, "Hey, Raven...Nevermore" before speeding off in a limo.
Raven then says a few words about this moment (including some really hacky jokes regarding DDP's age). Raven says DDP showing up was just more despair and heartache...but those are the two things he enjoys, so it's whatever. I think they had to bribe Raven to do this interview because he didn't even remotely try to sell this as one of the greatest 50 moments in TNA history. What a worker.
#47: Jeff Jarrett brawls with the Tennessee Titans
TNA is not exactly being subtle here, as 3 of the first 4 moments revolve around celebrity involvement. I get it, but it's also annoying and makes me want to give up this particular entry in the series, but I will soldier on, baby. I'm a pro. Jarrett is at ringside and ranting to the commentary trio of Mike Tenay, Don West, and...Ed Ferrara. Oh boy. A few members of the Titans are sitting to the commentary's left, and Jarrett takes a shot at them losing the Super Bowl, which TRIGGERS the Titans players. They hop the barricade, beat up on Double J, and we fade to black.
Jarrett recalls this moment in an interview (and of course mentions his friendship with one of the players) before we see another clip from this illustrious moment: James Mitchell, Malice, and Crowbar run down for the save. Jarrett brags that one of the players remarked that Malice delivered the hardest hit of his life. Meh. Here's a clip from Jarrett's podcast wherein he discusses this all-time moment, if you're interested in more details regarding this segment.
#46: Jim Cornette joins TNA Management
Ahhhh Jim Cornette. TNA had hyped a new authority figure set to debut at Slammiversary '06, and it's James E. Cornette. They gave him pyro! Cornette cuts a typical promo about TNA being the new face of wrestling, how he's tired of the old one, and touting TNA's 4th anniversary. Cornette lists 3 goals for TNA's success: 1) He wants people who can have great matches; 2). People who can get PPV buys; 3). People who draw ratings. They will stay on Cornette's good side if they achieve this, but they won't make it in TNA if they're unable to meet these expectations. The entire roster was then promptly released.
Big Dave summed it up in the 6/26/06 WON with, "He did a good promo and got a good reaction, but after watching him in ROH where he’s treated as a legend and his promos are incredible, it wasn’t the same. The fans in TNA knew him and treated him like a star, but this wasn’t the first time appearance of a new superstar reaction we’ve seen many times before."
Needless to say, Cornette did not enjoy his time with TNA Wrestling. Here's audio of Cornette discussing his time with TNA if you'd like to hear a first-hand account.
#45: The Gore from Hell
This is a legitimately cool moment as "The War Machine" Rhino "Gored" Abyss through a backstage wall. The visual was pretty awesome as backstage interviewer Shane Douglas and others are seen freaking out over what they just witnessed. We get a kayfabe interview from James Mitchell touting Abyss' toughness. Rhino says Abyss suffered a concussion while he was hurt pretty badly. I think this is the first "cool" moment of the countdown so far.
#44: The Return of Senshi
Christopher Daniels was set to face Jushin Thunder Liger at Lockdown '06, but Liger was unable to compete, leading to a MYSTERY OPPONENT...and it's Senshi, a.k.a. Low Ki. Ah, Low Ki. What an absolute psycho that I kind of miss. Can you imagine the havoc he'd cause in AEW? If only.
This was a well-received PPV by WON readers, as 92.8% voted "Thumbs Up" with this match gaining 10 "Best Match" votes. Big Dave writes:
"The deal was that when Low Ki signed, they had a big fight over TNA getting ownership of the ring name. He wasn’t down with that part, and they needed him for this show, so this was the answer. Sen She means “Warrior” in Japanese. “Warrior” in wrestling language means clinically insane." Zing.
Senshi (not Sen She) and Daniels were former Triple X members, adding a little sauce to this match. We get a few clips - including Senshi kicking out of the Best Moonsault Ever - before the finish, which saw Senshi using the ropes to cheat his way to a victory. Their blowoff should be inside the Six Sides of...oh, this was a Six Sides of Steel match. Oh well. Big Dave gave this 3.5 stars, and I'm tempted to check this one out despite the stupid cage gimmick.
#43: The Road Warriors come to TNA
This was back in 2002 and the Road Warriors came to the rescue of a future "legendary tag team" in America's Most Wanted. "Legendary" might be strong, but I loved that team. They ruled. Jeremy Borash talks about the "Road Warrior Pop" and "Road Warrior Pop '85" and said this was the "Road Warrior Pop '02." Sure. There's something comical about these two legends running down in their street clothes and full face paint.
Chris Harris comments that debuting wrestlers usually come out to entrance music or pyro, but the pop of the crowd was all he could hear. He was blown away by their reception and says it was one of the most memorable moments of his career and I bet he's telling the truth.
#42: Jushin "Thunder" Liger faces Samoa Joe
This occurred at the 2005 Bound for Glory and was billed as an "international dream match." Voiceover guy says Liger is "a true pioneer of the X-Division style," and Joe agrees with that sentiment as he recalls the match in an interview. Here's an interesting tidbit from Dave in the 11/7/05 edition of the WON:
"Samoa Joe vs. Jushin Liger was originally slated to go 20:00. Even when they changed the show around and added the gauntlet Battle Royal, they were still supposed to do a longer match. It’s not exactly clear why it happened, but they were in there working the beginning of a long match, and at about 5:00 in, the ref told both guys to go home and they rushed their final spots in. Liger expressed interest in returning, and they have an idea for a potential TV special in 2006 that he’d be a major part of."
This match opened the pay-per-view and went less than 8 minutes in length. What a bummer. We get a few highlights + the finish (Joe's muscle buster and then a rear naked choke). They did a great job of making this match look like a clash, but I imagine many were disappointed with how short it was.
#41: The Team 3D Funeral
This was a heralded segment back in October 2005. Planet Jarrett - composed of Jeff Jarrett, Gail Kim, Abyss, James Mitchell, America's Most Wanted, and Team Canada - held a mock funeral at the Dobbs Funeral Home for the careers of Team 3D. Whomever was in charge of producing this segment felt particularly cheeky as we're treated to a close-up of the funeral guestbook and it's quite a who's who: Kevin Dunn, Paul H., Vince & Linda, Paul & Stephanie, Pat & Sylvan, and Bobby Roode. Pat & Sylvan is an apparent reference to Pat Patterson and Sylvan Greiner, who were subject to Rumors & Innuendos during this time.
James Mitchell, with Abyss at his side, offers a "eulogy" that refers to Team 3D as parasites and other putdowns as the rest of Planet Jarrett feign tears. Team Canada has brought their hockey sticks because THEY'RE CANADIAN, while America's Most Wanted toast one another with a couple of beer bottles.
Mitchell calls for America's Most Wanted to take the lectern. This is truly emotional for the duo as they approach Team 3D's caskets, drape a Brother D-Von t-shirt beside a framed photo of the bloodied Dudley, and proceed to pull out another frame...except it's a plain of piece of paper with "T-Shirts -- Now Reduced" as the header. The prices of said reduced t-shirts? $12.99, $8.99, & $7.99. As a bigger person, it absolutely grinds my gears that their (presumably) XL or XXL shirt is $12.99 instead of $10.99. Heels, indeed.
What follows is essentially your typical shit-talking, "comedic" dialogue. I chuckled every now and then. The zenith of this memorable segment sees James Storm open up the casket and take a hot piss inside of it. Hey, at least he didn't Katie Vick this segment.
Here's a bit of a breakdown from the 10/17/05 WON:
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