PWG: All Star Weekend 9 - Night 2 DVD Review

PWG All Star Weekend 9: Night 2 (3-23-13) DVD Review

In 2013, I gained heavy interest in independent wrestling. One of the first companies that I heard of when asking around was PWG. Well, its 2014 and I finally got around to checking them out. This is the first PWG event that I've ever seen so I was excited to check it out.

1) Jay Lethal vs. Willie Mack

One thing I noticed early on was how awesome the crowd was. They were on fire! In this match they were evenly split between both competitors as "Let's go Lethal!" chants were met with "Willie Mack!" chants. I've seen Lethal compete numerous times and am aware of how great he is, but this was my first time seeing Willie Mack. I was honestly impressed. The match starts off with Lethal sending Mack to the outside and then delivering three crazy suicide dives to the outside onto him. Also, for anyone who's never seen a PWG show, there are no railings so these guys were basically in the crowd doing this. They get back in the ring and Mack gets control for a bit. When the match first started, I thought that there was no way a guy the size of Willie would be able to do any impressive moves or keep up in a fast pace with Lethal. Turns out, I was wrong. Mack hit a standing moonsault onto Lethal which shocked me. Lethal and Mack kept a good pace and delivered a solid opener. Something to look out for is Mack mocking the Prime Time Players by putting his arm around on Lethal and doing the "millions of dollars" thing. Hilarious.

Match rating - ***

2) Johnny Gargano & Chuck Taylor vs. RockNES Monsters

A good bit of comedy in this match as they wrestle the first few minutes on the apron haha. Yes, the apron. Funny stuff. They get in the ring and the match really gets going and turned out be a really good tag team bout. I was impressed by all four men of which I've never seen compete before. There were some awesome moves hit through out this match. My favorite one being the Tower of Doom on the outside into the crowd. Really good match.

Match rating - ***1/4
3) Paul London vs. Trent?

I'm a long time Paul London fan, but am not familiar with Trent. He didn't really do much to impress me here either. Although, London did what he does best - put on a show. He hit several impressive manuevers during the match which kept this one from being a dud. London has control for the main part of the match and it is a solid affair. Worth a watch to see London do his thing.

Match rating - **3/4

4) AR Fox & Inner City Machine Guns vs. Kevin Steen, Michael Elgin, & Brian Cage (Unbreakable F'N Steen Machines)

I honestly don't even know where to start with this match. It was crazy. Before the match starts something funny happens that is worth mentioning. The ring announcer introduces the Unbreakable F'N Machines and Steen grabs the mic and says "FN? What are we? 12? Say it right." The announcer does say it right this time and introduces them as The Unbreakable Fucking Machines! The match kicks off and its a standard six man tag bout for the first few minutes until it break down and there is action everywhere. This started with all Fox, Ricochet and Swann all diving out of different sides of the ring onto the opposing team and the same exact time. The commentator described my reaction perfectly saying "What the fuck did I just see?" That was the start of a near 15 minute sequence of nonstop action and big moves. These guys left it all in the ring and delivered an action packed match. Steen cuts a good promo afterwards thanking everyone for coming to see them as well as thinking all the other competitors in the match. He also says he got a text from Generico earlier in the day saying he missed this place. Cool stuff, awesome match.

Match rating - ****1/4

5) TJ Perkins vs. Samuray Del Sol

Just a little background for those who don't know, you may know who Perkins is even though you've never seen his face as Perkins wrestles under a mask as Manik for TNA. Also, Samuray Del Sol is now under contract with WWE! I was pumped to hear this news as Sol is an amazing competitor. TJ P and Samuray delivered a phenomenal wrestling match here. It featured lots of high flying manuevers as well as some mat/submission based wrestling. Just as with the previous match, the crowd was chanting "This is Awesome" and that's exactly what it was - awesome.

Match rating - ****

6) Sami Callihan vs. Kyle O' Reilly

Just as most of the other matches, this was my first time seeing these two guys compete. I've heard a lot about Callihan and a little about O' Reilly. Needless to say, they both impressed me. This was a hard hitting, physical, back and forth bout. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole match. These guys left it all in the ring.

Match rating - ****1/2

7) The Young Bucks vs. The Dojo Bros (Roderick Strong & Eddie Edwards) - PWG Tag Team Title Match

Wow. This was honestly one of the best tag team matches I've seen in many years, if not one of the best I've ever seen period. Non stop action, crazy combination moves, and SUPER KICKS. I knew of the Young Bucks from their time in TNA, but this match blew everything they did in TNA out of the water. It was amazing. There's not much else I can say, you need to see it for yourself.

Match rating - ****1/2

8) Adam Cole vs. Drake Younger - PWG World Title Match

Cole and Younger had one hell of a card to follow, but dammit they did it in outstanding fashion. This was my first time seeing Cole and Younger compete and I learned alot about both men. Firstly, they blew me away. Great competitors. Secondly, Adam Cole plays the heel perfectly. Thirdly, Drake Younger is a badass. Younger competed in basically a deathmatch with Sami Callihan the night before to earn this match. One of the most brutal matches ever contested in PWG. Younger suffered a huge gash in his head that took 18 stitches to cover up. Yet, he came into this match and gave it his all, diving off the top turnbuckle to the outside onto Cole into charis, taking numerous suplexes landing on his head, and getting back up numerous times after Cole would knock him down. This match told a great story and I think everyone including me thought he was going to win the title. Amazing match, the story and the crowd put it over the top for me. The ending was cheap, but it's expected coming from a guy with the character of Cole.

Match rating - ****1/4

Overall thoughts: BUY THIS NOW. If you've never seen PWG, I highly suggest taking a look at it. I honestly enjoyed this show more than I do WWE shows. Five out of the eight matches are rated 8 or higher on a scale of 1-10, and the other three are solid contests as well. I enjoyed every single match on this show, I watched it in one afternoon as soon as I got it. It's definitely worth the money. PWG definitely impressed and I will be looking into more of their shows soon.

TNA: Destination X 2008 DVD Review

TNA: Destination X 2008 DVD Review

by Ethan Lewis

1) Homicide & Hernandez vs. Motor City Machine Guns vs. Rock N Rave Infection

What a great way to start the show! Fast paced action that never stopped. Each competitor got their chance to shine. The Machine Guns & LAX were the most impressive in this match while Rave & Hoyt did deliver as well. This match was what a perfect opener should be - filled with fast paced action to get the crowd pumped up.

Match rating - 8/10

2) Jay Lethal vs. Petey Williams - X Division Championship Match

Lethal and Williams are both outstanding wrestlers, so I expected a great match up. That's exactly what they gave us. X Division matches rarely dissappoint and this was no exception. Lethal and Williams went back and forth in a match with tons of innovative moves. Williams' Canadian Destroyer is one of the craziest moves I've ever seen. Awesome match!

Match rating - 8/10

3) Black Reign & Rellik vs. Kaz & Eric Young

Going into this I wasn't expecting much, but I was definitely wrong. This was a solid tag team match with lots of action. Kazarian was the work horse of this match as he pulled off tons of combination moves throughout. The story going into this was Eric Young being afraid of monsters so Kaz told him to get over it or find an alter ego. Well, he didn't get over it as Reign (Dustin Rhodes/Goldust) chased him to the back during the match, but he did find an alter ego. On this night, we saw the debut of Young's new gimmick, Super Eric. He ran down to the ring and helped Kaz clean house for the win. Solid match.

Match rating - 7/10

After this match, we see a hilarious backstage segment. Jim Cornette is in his office being aggravated by Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, & Tomko. Angle wants Cornette to over turn the decision made on Impact. Cornetter gets mad and storms out of the office, but Angle's crew follows him yelling. Cornette turns the corner only to run into Bully Ray & Devon. Bully starts yelling like only he can do and it was hilarious. Normally these type segments suck, but I found this one quite funny.

4) Awesome Kong vs. Gail Kim vs. ODB - Knockouts Championship Match

Once again, I wasn't expecting much out of this match and they proved me wrong. Really good Knockout's match here. I often forget how consisent TNA's women's division has been over the years. This match reminded me of that. All three of these women are tremendous competitors.

Match rating - 7/10

5) Team 3D (Brother/Bully Ray & Devon) vs. Shark Boy & Curry Man - Fish Market Street Fight

Purely just a fun match here. It's very enjoyable and funny. There's good action and weapons used, but there is also alot of comedy including Curry Man dancing on the announce table along with Don West, Bully Ray french kissing a fish, Shark Boy putting a twinkie on a fishing rod and catching Ray with it, and Bully Ray throwing fish at Mike Tenay. The action includes Team 3D's Johnny Devine getting thrown through a table, Curry Man being back dropped through the table holding the fish, and much more. Fun, enjoyable, action filled match.

Match rating - 7.5/10

6) Booker T vs. Bobby Roode - Strap Match

There's not normally anything special about Strap Matches as the wrestler's are limited to what they can do. This was no different. It was more about furthering storylines and it did just that.

Match rating - 5/10

7) Rhino vs. James Storm - Elevation X Match

I'm not a fan of Elevation X matches. To win, you have to make your opponent fall off the top of the X. That right there tells you this match wouldn't be good as the competitors are very limited as to what they can do. Rhino and Storm did the best they could under the circumstances, but this gimmick match needs to be done away with.

Match rating - 5/10

8) Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, and Tomko vs. Samoa Joe, Christian Cage, & Kevin Nash

This was your basic six man tag match. Everyone got their moment and it was entertaining to watch. I just didn't view this as a great choice to main event a PPV. None the less, it was a fun little match. Intense and action packed.

Match rating - 7/10

Overall thoughts: I honestly enjoyed this way more than I thought I would going into it. The undercard is solid. There's honestly not a match on there that I didn't enjoy. From the fast paced tag opener to the Knockouts match to the Street Fight, they were all enjoyable contests. The main events however fell short. The only match that delivered was the main event itself (the six man tag). Elevation X and the Strap match were bland and boring for the most part. So, if any of the undercard matches or the main event interest you, then I recommend this to you. I thouroughly enjoyed it, although there were a few duds on the card.

WWE: Best PPV Matches of 2013 DVD Review

WWE Best PPV Matches of 2013 DVD Review

2013 was a very good year for WWE. Some awesome matches happened this year, especially on PPV's. That's where this set comes in to play. I've always been a fan of these sets because I don't normally buy each PPV DVD when it comes out, so it's a good way to re live action from the past year. So without further a due, let's see if this set lives up to it's title.

Disc 1:

CM Punk vs. The Rock - WWE Championship Match - Royal Rumble 2013

I didn't see either of Punk and Rock's matches originally, so I was interested to see if this match was any good or not. A lot of people said it was good, but not great because it was slow. Well, I was honestly shocked at how good it was. It's not a classic or anything, but it is a solid match, much better than Rock's match with Cena last year. I really enjoyed this bout, even the ending with the lights going out and the match getting restarted. Great contest.

Match rating - 8/10

John Cena, Sheamus, & Ryback vs. The Shield - Elimination Chamber 2013

This match had a lot of hype to live up to as The Shield's first match on WWE PPV at TLC in December of 2012 was a classic. Although this match was no where near how great their match at TLC, it was still a solid six man tag match. It was action packed and fun to watch. My favorite part was seeing Reigns spear Sheamus through the barricade. Gets me every time.

Match rating - 7/10

CM Punk vs. The Undertaker - WrestleMania 29

This is one of those matches that keeps getting better with time. I watched this when it originally happened on PPV and was amazed. Then I watched it again when I got this DVD and remembered how great this match was. Punk and Taker went back and forth for 20 minutes in a hard hitting battle. It was without a doubt the best match on that particular night and one of the best of 2013 as a whole. Awesome match.

Match rating - 9/10

John Cena vs. The Rock - WrestleMania 29

I'm not a big fan of The Rock nor John Cena, so this match didn't do much for me the first go round. As you can imagine, I was even less excited when they decided to do this match AGAIN. None the less, it was a decent match. I didn't enjoy it that match, but I can understand why they would put this on here. This encounter may have been just a tad bit better than their previous match, but not by much. There were one or two cool counters, but other than that this is nothing special. Several moments in this match where one man is just standing there for minutes waiting on the other to get up. I found it boring for the most part, but it was still a decent encounter. I personally think I'm being generous with the rating, but being that it was such a big match, I didn't want to rate it too low.

Match rating - 7/10

Disc 2:

The Big Show vs. Randy Orton - Extreme Rules Match - Extreme Rules

Well what can I say.. this was a fun little match. Was it worthy of being put on this set? I personally don't think so. The Rock/Cena match was put on here mainly because of how big it was, but this match.. I have no idea why it was put on here. I'm making this match sound like it was a trainwreck, but it really wasn't. A few weapons were used and there were some nice moments throughout. Orton brings back the punt kick to finish off Show in the end. Decent match, nothing special though.

Match rating - 6/10

Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H - Steel Cage Match - Extreme Rules

Out of all of Brock and Hunter's battles, I believe this was the best one. They waged a war inside the Steel Cage at Extreme Rules. Lesnar injured his knee early and that became Triple H's target. They played this out perfectly with Triple H using the figure four and various other moves targeting the knee. Triple H brings the sledgehammer into play, but it ends up being used against him. Hard hitting match that portrayed Lesnar as the beast that he is.

Match rating - 8/10

Wade Barrett vs. The Miz vs. Curtis Axel - Triple Threat Match for the Intercontinental Championship - Payback

Triple Threat matches are always fun as the action is normally fast paced. This was no exception. Barrett, Miz, and Axel put on a great match to open up Payback. It did it's job to get the crowd pumped and ready for the rest of the show. The crowd was heavily behind Axel and I was too. It was Father's Day and Axel was competing for the championship his father (Mr. Perfect) made famous. Great moment at the end with Axel winning.

Match rating - 7/10

AJ Lee vs. Kaitlyn - Divas Championship Match - Payback

I think everyone can agree that this was the best Divas match of 2013. We don't normally see hard hitting competitive women's matches anymore, but on this night we got one. Kaitlyn and AJ threw everything they had at each other and produced a great match. For a Divas match, this was quite exceptional.

Match rating - 7.5/10

Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio - World Heavyweight Championship Match - Payback

Ziggler and Del Rio have great chemistry together, thus they normally have really good matches. This was shown here as Del Rio and Ziggler pulled off something that is very difficult to do - a double turn. Del Rio came in as the face and left as the heel. He targeted the recently concussed head of Ziggler which in turn caused the crowd to feel sympathy for Ziggler. The match itself was very good and the fact they pulled the double turn off to perfection was astounding.

Match rating - 8/10

Cody Rhodes vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Jack Swagger vs. Wade Barrett vs. Antonio Cesaro vs. Fandango vs. Damien Sandow - World Heavyweight Championship Money In The Bank Ladder Match - Money in the Bank

Wow, this was an awesome match. Everybody in this bout worked hard and put on a show. There were several outstanding spots such as Cesaro delivering a huge uppercut to Barrett as he fell of the ladder, Cody delivering a muscle buster to Cesaro on a ladder and the big ending which saw Ambrose get pushed off the ladder onto Cesaro, Swagger, The Usos, Fandango, and Rollins & Reigns on the outside. Yeah, there was some interference in this match from The Usos and Rollins & Reigns, but it was well done and added to the match. Awesome contest!

Match rating - 9.5/10

Disc 3:

CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar

Punk and Lesnar are two of my all time favorites so I was very excited for this match. It had everything a good wrestling match needs. A dramatic and emotional storyline plus a match filled with brawling, technical wrestling, AND submissions. That's what we got here as Lesnar and Punk exhibiting nearly every style of wrestling in one match and even tampering in a few MMA holds. It was very physical and most definitely a classic. Match of the year without a doubt. It's one of those matches you can watch over and over, but it never gets old. Must watch.

Match rating - 10/10

John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan

As history shows, if you put Cena with an outstanding wrestler, they will have a classic match and this was no different. Bryan and Cena tore the house down in this near 30 minute bout for the WWE Championship. There were so many awesome sequences in this match that I can't name them all, the only thing I can say is, you have to see this match. It's one of Cena's best as well as one of Bryan's. Definitely a match of the year candidate.

Match rating - 10/10

Alberto Del Rio vs. Rob Van Dam - Night of Champions 2013

I was really enjoying this match until the way it ended. I don't understand why WWE would put a match on here that ends in a disqualification. It was a really good match, but the ending left a sour taste in my mouth. Right as things were getting interesting with near falls and what not, Del Rio is disqualified. I wish the match would have went on because it would have gotten a better rating if it did. Good match, bad ending.

Match rating - 6.5/10

AJ Lee vs. Natalya vs. Naomi vs. Brie Bella

Suprisingly this was a very good match. WWE did a good job in choosing what matches to put on this set to represent the Divas divsion. I was particulary impressed by Naomi in this one as she pulled off a lot of cool moves. Natalya did some great work as usual, even executing a double sharp shooter. Although this match didn't last very long, it was good while it lasted. Enjoyable, fast paced Divas contest.

Match rating - 7/10

Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes & Goldust - Battleground

Each man in this match gave it everything they had and put together a solid tag team match. The emotion going into this match is what pushed it over the top though. For those who don't know, if Cody & Goldust won, they would get their jobs back, but if they lost, them along with their father, Dusty Rhodes would be fired. It was an action packed match and very entertaining.

Match rating - 8.5/10

Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena - Hell In A Cell - World Heavyweight Championship Match

Del Rio normally puts on good matches as does Cena, but I just wasn't feeling this one. There were some good exchanges, but other than that it felt like nothing more than a TV match. It certainly wasn't any better than their previous encounters. I think the main reason WWE put this on here was because it was Cena's return match and he won the World Title here. Bland match.

Match rating - 6/10

Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan - Hell In A Cell Match for the WWE Championship - Special Referee: Shawn Michaels

Just like the Del Rio/Cena match, this one didn't do much for me. Bryan hit some cool moves, but other than that this was nothing special. Ironically, Bryan and Orton's best encounters have been on RAW. They main evented three pay-per-view's in a row in 2013, but none of them were as good as their matches on RAW (Street Fight in June and match in December). I don't know if the fact there was interference in all of their PPV encounters had anything to do with it, but none of the matches they had on PPV were above average. This was no exception as they delivered a decent match, but nothing worth going out of your way to see. Triple H ends up interfering and HBK screws Bryan over. That ending didn't help the match either.

Match rating - 6.5/10

Overall thoughts: Well, the question I said we would answer by the end of this review was whether the content of this DVD lived up to it's title. For the most part it did. There were a few duds and things I would have changed though. Instead of Show/Orton from Extreme Rules I would have included the tornado tag match between Bryan & Kane and Rollins & Reigns from Extreme Rules. It was a much better match. Also, instead of the RVD/Del Rio match, I would have included Christian/Del Rio from SummerSlam.

In my opinion, this DVD is worth buying for Punk/Taker, Punk/Lesnar, Cena/Bryan, MITB Ladder Match, & Rhodes Bros/Rollins & Reigns alone. Those are the matches I mainly bought this for and they certainly delivered. If you don't already own any of those matches on DVD and they interest you, I'd suggest picking this up. Punk/Rock, Ziggler/Del Rio, AJ/Kaitlyn, & Lesnar/HHH are solid additions to this as well. Show/Orton, Cena/Del Rio, Bryan/Orton, and Cena/Rock were the only ones I didn't really enjoy watching. RVD/Del Rio is good for a viewing, but the ending ruined what was a pretty good match.

The good does outweigh the bad here. If you don't have any of the PPV's from this year, I suggest picking this up to see the matches I listed in the first sentence of the previous paragraph. Although, if you have SummerSlam, WrestleMania, and/or Money In The Bank PPV, I'd suggest passing on this one as nothing from any other PPV really stood out here besides Rollins/Reigns-Rhodes/Goldust at Battleground and it wouldn't make sense to buy this set just for that one match.

Overall rating - 7.5/10

ROH - Bryan Danielson: American Dragon DVD Review

ROH - Bryan Danielson: American Dragon DVD Review

I was lucky enough to recieve this DVD as a gift for Christmas this year. I've been wanting it for a while now, so it was nice to finally get my hands on a copy. This DVD features some of Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan in WWE)'s greatest matches in ROH from 2002-2005. It features bouts against Paul London, AJ Styles, CM Punk, Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, Jay Briscoe and many more.

1) Bryan Danielson vs. Paul London - 2/3 Falls Match - Epic Encounter

Some people have called this the match of the year for 2002 and after you watch this you'll see why. These two go at it in a solid, hard hitting technical battle that rages on for near 45 minutes. Near falls, high risk manuevers, submissions - this one has it all. Great way to start the DVD with one of the matches that helped put ROH on the map in 2002.

Match rating - ****1/4

2) Bryan Danielson vs. AJ Styles - Main Event Spectacles

Bryan and Styles are two of my favorite wrestlers so I was really looking forward to this one. Needless to say, it didn't disappoint. It was a very physical match in which each man gave it their all. The crowd was on fire and Bryan would respond to them periodically in the match. Even one time saying to a fan in the crowd "What the fuck do you know about wrestling?" On top of all the action in this match, the two trash talked each other throughout the match which added to the greatness of it. Fantastic match.

Match rating - ****

3) Bryan Danielson vs. Jay Briscoe
Unlike the two previous matches on the set, this one didn't last over 20 minutes. It was still a solid match though. Also on an interesting note, CM Punk was on commentary which was cool to listen to. Anyway, back to the match, it was a good back and forth contest. Jay is mostly known for teaming with his brother Mark, but he is a tremendous singles competitor as well and it showed here. This was the opening match of the show it was on so it didn't last too long, but is still worth watching. Solid contest.

Match rating - ***1/4

4) Bryan Danielson vs. CM Punk - Special Referee: Ricky Steamboat

Crazy to think that these two were wrestling in each other in 2004 in ROH and now ten years later, in 2014, they are both top stars in WWE. What a story. This match was really good. Punk taunted Steamboat throughout the match and played the cowardly heel which is always fun to watch. Bryan delivered great wrestling as always using various submissions. One interesting thing to look out for when watching is that a "YES!" "NO!" chant broke out while Punk and Bryan were on the top rope. Boy, was that a shade of things to come haha. Good match.

Match rating - ***1/2

5) Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries - Survival of The Fittest Finals 2004
This was the first time Danielson and Aries met in an ROH ring and they left everyone wanting more. The match started off slow, but soon picked up and these guys delivered one hell of a match up. Once again, this was another very physical match. Bryan busted Aries' chin open with an uppercut - yeah, an uppercut! It was crazy. One of my favorite moments was when Bryan locked Cattle Mutilation on Aries with his bloodied chin, but somehow Aries countered out. Amazing to see. This match was great, but was just a taste of what we were gonna get from these two.

Match rating - ***3/4

6) Bryan Danielson vs. Austin Aries - 2/3 Falls Match - Testing The Limit

Only one word can describe this match - EPIC. These guys went at it for near 80 minutes! 76 to be exact, and the first fall didn't happen until 40 minutes into the match up. Aries and Danielson put on a wrestling clinic and as the commentator said "showed everyone that wrestling is a sport." Speaking of commentators, CM Punk was commentating this match as well and boy, did he add to it. He didn't try and play heel or face, he just commentated the match and give insight which was awesome to listen to. So many great moments in the match, but one I must mention for you to look out for is near the one hour mark, Bryan dives outside the ring, but Aries moves and Bryan lands seemingly on his head, HARD. Aries jaws with the ref who tries to keep him away from Bryan and jumps on the top turnbuckle and drops on an elbow onto Bryan on the floor. Awesome stuff. The only negative to this match was that it got a little slow in some parts of the match, but overall it was amazing. If they would have kept this one around an hour, I think this would have been a perfect match. None the less, it was amazing and is definitely a must watch.

Match rating - ****1/4

7) Bryan Danielson vs. Samoa Joe - World Title Match - The Midnight Express Reunion

This match was a mat/submission based bout. Bryan began working on the knee of Joe and kept doing so throughout the match. He kept the upperhand for the most part of the first half of the bout. When Joe had control he targeted the ribs of Danielson with various submissions such as the STF. The tide turned about half way through the match when Joe got full control. He positioned Danielson outside of the ring in a chair and hit several running kicks slamming his head into the railing. Joe rolled Danielson back in the ring, but when he did he lost control of the match as Danielson went back to the knee. The ending sequence was the best part of the match as the crowd got more and more fired up as the bout went on. Bryan hit a big suplex then locked Joe in Cattle Mutilation, but Joe got the ropes. Joe got back to his feet and came back with a fury of offense with MMA style knees to the head, but Bryan returned them. I won't spoil who won, I'll just leave it at that. Great match that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Match rating - ***3/4

8) Bryan Danielson vs. Jushin Liger - Weekend of Thunder Night 1
The crowd was absolutely on fire for this bout as it was Liger's first time competing in ROH. It was a very good match, but it wasn't a technical showcase that Bryan normally puts on. It was still entertaining though and definitely worth a watch considering this is a dream match for many fans including myself.

Match rating - ***1/2

9) Bryan Danielson & Low Ki vs. Samoa Joe & Jushin Liger - Weekend of Thunder Night 2

This was a very entertaining tag team match. It is one of my favorite matches on the DVD. The crowd was on fire as this was the second night of Liger's debut in ROH and it made this match that much better. Joe & Liger worked very well together, one of my favorite moments being where Joe ran and dove out of the ring onto Danielson, while Liger jumped off the apron on the other side of the ring onto Low Ki. Another cool moment was seeing Joe and Liger take turns doing the ole kick outside of the ring. Great tag team bout.

Match rating - ****

10) Bryan Danielson vs. Homicide - Steel Cage Match - The Final Showdown

This match was different than the majority of the others on this set as it was we saw a more aggressive side to Bryan. Both men end up getting busted open as Homicide brings his fork into the match and both men use it as a weapon. A match like this was a nice choice to spice things up after the previous matches on the DVD against Liger. This is one of my favorite matches on the DVD and the ending is amazing to say the least. Watch this one, you won't be disappointed.

Match rating - ****

11) Bryan Danielson vs. James Gibson - Glory By Honor IV - 9/17/05

From the time these guys locked up I knew this match would be great. It was one of those bouts that clicked right from the beginning. For those who don't know James Gibson was known as Jamie Noble during his time in WCW and WWE. This match shows a different and an extremely talented side that I didn't know he had. Awesome match.

Match rating - ****1/4

12) Bryan Danielson vs. Christopher Daniels - A Night Of Tribute - 11/19/05

Another solid match here as Bryan and Daniels went at it for near 30 minutes. Daniels had already wrestled once on this night against Matt Sydal and AJ Styles, but he still delivered a great performance here. Danielson stuck more his typical mat/submission based approach while Daniels did that as well, he also used some kicks and high flying moves to weaken Danielson. The crowd was heavily behind Christopher Daniels which allowed Danielson to play the heel, which he is very good at, so that was entertaining to see. This match got quite physical as Daniels got busted open and Bryan began biting his wound and spitting the blood out towards the crowd. Great, enjoyable match.

Match rating - ***1/4

13) Bryan Danielson vs. Naomichi Marufuji - Final Battle 2005 - 12/17/05

This match was quite good. It was more fast paced opposed to most of the other matches on this set which was a nice change. Pretty entertaining match although it isn't as awesome as some of the other matches on here. None the less, this was a solid match to close out the DVD.

Match rating - ***1/4

Overall thoughts: There are numerous outstanding matches on this DVD. If you are only familar with Bryan's work in WWE, I highly recommend checking this out as it gives you a look at a different side of Bryan. There isn't a match on this set that I didn't enjoy and there are several I will go back and watch again. Big recommendation.



 

TNA: Turning Point/Final Resolution 2010 Twin Pack DVD Review

TNA Turning Point/Final Resolution 2010 Twin Pack DVD Review

This is the second volume of TNA's twin pack PPV releases. It features Turning Point and Final Resolution 2010. I will review each PPV separately then give my thoughts on the set as a whole.

Turning Point 2010

1) Jay Lethal vs. Robbie E - X Division Championship Match

This was a decent way to open the show. The best part about this match was seeing Lethal do his thing, as he is a fantastic competitor. Other than that this match was pretty bland. Cookie interfered and helped Robbie E win and become X Division champ. Worth a watch to see Lethal do some cool stuff, other than that its nothing special.

Match rating - 6/10

2) Tara vs. Mickie James - TNA Knockouts Championship Match

I'm a fan of both women so I was looking forward to this match. It was a solid women's match. Both knockouts fought hard and it was a physical bout that ended in a double countout as they fought through the crowd. After the match was just as good as the match itself. They fought through the crowd then back near the stage, hitting each other with trash cans and broomsticks. They then got back in the ring and had to separate multiple times by security. Good match and great stuff afterwards that would set up another match between the two at Final Resolution.

Match rating - 7/10

3) Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin/Alex Shelley) vs. Team 3D - Tag Title Match & Team 3D's Retirement Match

This bout pitted the greatest tag team of all time against the greatest tag team of today. It was also billed as Team 3D's retirement match. It was the first standout match of the evening. It featured alot of great tag team action and was very fast paced for the most part. Bully Ray ends up getting busted open after being pushed into the steel post and a table is even brought into play. Great match.

Match rating - 8/10

4) Rob Van Dam vs. Tommy Dreamer

Although it's not billed as No DQ or whatever, this is an anything goes "old school" match as the commentators called it. It was a little slow to start with and started to pick up a bit, but then Tommy hit a frog splash and seemingly broke his wrist. This wasn't fake as when Tommy took his glove off you could see the bone poking up under the skin. It was nasty. Dreamer being the tough guy he is, continued the match. It was good especially under the circumstances that Dreamer had a broken wrist. After the match, Dreamer and RVD patch things up and become friends again.

Match rating - 7/10

5) EV2 (Sabu, Raven, Stevie Richards, Rhino & Brian Kendrick) vs. Fortune (AJ Styles, Douglas Williams, Bobby Roode, James Storm & Kazarian)

The stipulation in this match was that if EV2 loses, a member of their team is fired. It broke down into an all out brawl in the beginning, but soon settled down into a normal tag match. Kendrick got hurt or something early on and was taken out of the match, which left EV2 with only 4 members against all 5 members of Fortune. There was some good exchanges in this one, my favorite was seeing AJ Styles and Sabu go at it. Rhino also hit a big gore on Kazarian, I think it was, that sent him flying. Some good action in this one.

Match rating - 7.5/10

6) Abyss vs. "The Pope" D' Angelo Dinero - Lumberjack Match

The Lumberjacks were Pope's 'congregation'. This was nothing more than an average match. There was a shocking twist at the end involving Eric Bischoff and Pope's brother. Nothing special here though.

Match rating - 6.5/10

7) Samoa Joe vs. Jeff Jarrett

Next to the MCMG-Team 3D match, this is my second favorite match of the night. It didn't last incredibly long, maybe 10-15 minutes, but it was very good for what it was. Pretty fast paced action throughout the match. The only downfall in this one was the interference from Gunner and Murphy. The good thing about it though is that it sets up another match between these two.

Match rating - 7.5/10

8) Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Morgan - TNA World Heavyweight Title Match

This was the main event of the show, but it wasn't that great. It's not that it was bad, but it was nothing more than an average match. One interesting note is the referee, "Jackson James", is actually Garrett Bischoff ha. He totally made a bad count near the end after Morgan hit his finisher on Hardy. Hardy moved his leg up, but not his shoulder and the ref said it was only a two count. Terrible call. Average match.

Match rating - 7/10

Final Resolution 2010

1) Beer Money (James Storm & Bobby Roode) vs. Ink Inc (Shannon Moore & Jesse Neal)

Good way to start the show with this solid tag team bout. Ink Inc took control early over Beer Money and dominated a good portion of the match. Beer Money fought back though and this turned out to be a great back and forth tag match. Moore & Neal really impressed me with some of their highflying moves, but Roode & Storm did the same with their exceptional team work. Good match.

Match rating - 7.5/10

2) Tara vs. Mickie James - Falls Count Anywhere Match

Wow, what a match these two put on. The stipulation stemmed from the outcome of their previous match at Turning Point which ended in a double countout. Their last match was good, but this was even better. We saw these two women do alot of stuff we don't normally see from the Knockouts. From dropkicks off the top rope, to a back body drop on the cement floor, it was a wild match that raged from ringside to outside the arena. This battle even raged into the men's bathroom. It was crazy. Great match.

Match rating - 8/10

3) Jay Lethal vs. Robbie E - X Division Championship Match

While this was better than their first encounter it still wasn't anything special. I did enjoy this one quite better than their previous match at Turning Point though so that has to count for something. It was probably better because Cookie was suspended in a shark cage above the ring so she couldn't interfere. During this match we saw Shark Boy come down and put in her in the cage and afterwards he gave her the stunner. Funny stuff.

Match rating - 7/10

4) Rob Van Dam vs. Rhino - First Blood Match

First Blood matches usually aren't all that great, but this one was actually pretty good. They hit some innovative moves and did some good wrestling. RVD even hit a coast to coast on Rhino with a chair in front of his face. Pretty good match.

Match rating - 7.5/10

5) AJ Styles vs. Douglas Williams - TNA TV Title Match

Without a doubt this was one of the best matches of the night. It was a pure wrestling showcase. These two guys put on an outstanding contest that was very physical. Williams even delivered his finisher, Rolling Chaos, on the floor! Awesome match.

Match rating - 8.5/10

6) Generation Me (The Young Bucks) vs. MotorCity Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) - Full Metal Mayhem Match

After the great Williams/Styles match, I wondered if any other match on the card could follow it up. But these guys did it. Ladders, tables, and chairs were involved throughout and they put on a show. These are the two best tag teams in all of wrestling in the past several years in my opinion and seeing them battle it out was phenomenal.

Match rating - 9/10

7) Abyss vs. D'Angelo Dinero - Casket Match

Just like the Lethal/Robbie match, this was better than these guys previous encouter, but it still wasn't anything special. Didn't deserve to be this high on the card in my opinion. It was a solid match though, none the less, and an improvement from their match at Turning Point.

Match rating - 7/10

8) Samoa Joe vs. Jeff Jarrett - Submission Match

As soon as I saw Joe get attacked by Gunner and Murphy before the match, I lost all hope I had for this being a good contest. I was excited for this one because of how good their match at Turning Point was, but when I saw that, it killed it for me. Joe came out limping, but still managed to put on a good match with Jarrett. They could have went without the interference though and it would have been much better.

Match rating - 7.5/10

9) Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Morgan - Special Ref: Mr. Anderson - No DQ match for the TNA World Title

This match was a vast improvement from their bout at Turning Point. Although it was an improvement, it still wasn't outstanding by any means. Just didn't feel like a main event. Anderson being involved helped it a bit and the fact that these two faced each other previously probably helped them put on a better match as well. These guys just don't seem to have good chemistry together. Solid match, worth a viewing, but I doubt it's something you'd watch more than once.

Match rating - 7.5/10

Overall thoughts: When you average all the scores up from these matches it comes out to be 7/10. This set is decent, you get a few really good matches. I'll list them below.

Best Matches in this set:

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Team 3D

Tara vs. Mickie James - Falls Count Anywhere Match

AJ Styles vs. Douglas Williams - TV Title Match

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Generation Me (Young Bucks) - Full Metal Mayhem Match

If any of the matches listed above interest you, then I'd recommend picking this up. Those are the only matches that really stood out. Individually, Final Resolution was the better PPV. As you can see, three of the four outstanding matches listed above are from Final Resolution. Turning Point was more about advancing storylines. In conclusion, it's a decent set worth picking up if you the matches listed above interest you.

　

　

　

TNA Bound For Glory 2011 DVD Review

TNA Bound for Glory 2011 DVD Review

1) Austin Aries vs. Brian Kendrick - X Division Championship Match

Amazing way to start the show. These guys got the crowd fired up by delivering an outstanding opening contest. It's everything you'd expect out of an X Division match. Kendrick and Aries delivered a fast paced match and set the standard high for the rest of the show. Outstanding match.

Match rating - 8.5/10

2) Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn - Full Metal Mayhem Match

What better way to follow up an amazing match between Kendrick and Aries than with a Lynn/RVD match up? Good decision putting these guys on next. Lynn and RVD were hitting on all cylinders during this match, delivering a bout reminiscent of their battles in ECW. This is a very enjoyable match. Some unbelievable spots including Lynn doing a sunset flip on RVD onto a ladder leaned up against the railing!

Match rating - 8.5/10

3) Samoa Joe vs. Matt Morgan vs. Crimson

Solid triple threat match between these guys. I wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was, but all three men delivered. Joe did a huge dive to the outside on Crimson, which was followed up by Matt Morgan jumping off the top turnbuckle to the outside on him. Crazy seeing a guy as big as Joe dive out of the ring, much less a 7 footer like Matt Morgan! Good match.

Match rating - 7.5/10

4) Mr. Anderson vs. Bully Ray - Falls Count Anywhere Match

The hits just keep on coming. This was an awesome match that reminded me so much of an ECW match. Anderson and Bully used everything from fan signs (that turned out to be a street sign) to tables to chairs. They even ripped a section of the guard rail up and brought into the ring. Brutal match that ended with two sick table spots.

Match rating - 9/10

At this point in the show, cameras show Eric Bischoff talking to referee Jackson James, and he is revealed to be Eric's son Garrett. They basically agree to screw Sting over tonight. It came as a shock to everyone, although I knew it was Garrett from the start, as I am watching this two years after it originally aired. Good way of revealing him though.

5) Velvet Sky vs. Winter vs. Mickie James vs. Madison Rayne - Knockouts Title Match

The special referee for this match was Karen Jarrett. This match was the weakest on the show. It was mainly because of the unfairness of Karen, constantly not counting and interfering. The wrestling was good but the interference and what not ruined this match.

Match rating - 6/10

6) AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels - I Quit Match

This wasn't the typical brutal "I Quit" match, but that doesn't mean it wasn't great, because it was. The only weapons used were a chair and a screw driver, but as always, Daniels and Styles put on a tremendous match that made up for the lack of weapons used.

Match rating - 8/10

6) Hulk Hogan vs. Sting for Control of TNA

This wasn't a great wrestling match per say, but it had that big time feel to it. The crowd was absolutely on fire. I wasn't a big fan of the whole Immortal storyline, I actually didn't watch much during this period which is what inspiried me to pick this up. I must say, this was a nice ending to the storyline. There's a big twist at the end, I won't reveal it and spoil it for those who haven't seen it. This segment/match was good overall. The energy, big time feel, and twist at the end made this worthy of the rating I'm giving it.

Match rating - 9/10

7) Bobby Roode vs. Kurt Angle - TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match

These guys have great chemistry together. I really enjoyed this match even though it didn't end how I hoped. Lots of submission trading, counters, and near falls. It had me on the edge of my seat. Great match.

Match rating - 8.5/10

Overall thoughts: When you add all of the ratings up you get an 8/10. I think that is an accurate rating for this show. There wasn't a bad match on this, to be honest. Matches that stood out were Anderson/Bully, Aries/Kendrick, RVD/Lynn, and Roode/Angle. Hogan/Sting did as well because of the significance of it. I recommend.

TNA Turning Point 2012 DVD Review

TNA Turning Point 2012 DVD Review

1) Samoa Joe vs. Magnus - Television Title Match

Solid opening contest. I think their previous match at Bound For Glory was better, but this was still a good encounter that was fun to watch.

Match rating - 7/10

2) Tara & Jesse vs. ODB & Eric Young

This was a fun little match. Young did some cool moves and there were some good exchanges throughout. I don't think anyone was expecting a classic here as most mixed tag matches are nothing special.

Match rating - 6/10

3) Rob Van Dam vs. Joey Ryan - X Division Championship Match

Pretty good match here. It was on the same level as the Joe/Magnus match earlier in the show. Solid match, nothing more. Which isn't neccesarily a bad thing. Enjoyable bout.

Match rating - 7/10

4) DOC vs. Joseph Park

I'm not a fan of the Park gimmick so I didn't enjoy this one. I'm a fan of Doc (Luke Gallows in WWE), but you can't really do much with someone with a gimmick like Park has.

Match rating - 5/10

5) Chavo & Hernandez vs. Christopher Daniels & Kazarian - Tag Team Championship Match

Very good tag team match as expected. All four guys are seasoned performers and they put on a solid contest. The show finally started to pick up with this match.

Match rating - 7.5/10

6) James Storm vs. AJ Styles vs. Bobby Roode

And the show hit it off here. Storm, Styles, and Roode went at it for over 15 minutes in a hard hitting back and forth contest. Any match with AJ in it is bound to be great. Pair him with two exceptional performers like Storm and Roode and you get an oustanding match like this one. Best match of the night thus far.

Match rating - 8/10

7) Kurt Angle vs. Devon

Just as the show picked up some momentum, it slowed down again with this match. That's not normally said about a Kurt Angle match, but I just couldn't get heavily into this one. Although it did surprise me as it was better than I expected, but it still wasn't anything special. Nothing bad, but just an average match. Weird to place a match that is nothing but average in the co-main event slot of the PPV, but none the less it was decent.

Match rating - 6.5/10

8) Jeff Hardy vs. Austin Aries - Ladder Match for the TNA World Title

After putting on a classic at Bound For Glory a month earlier, Hardy and Aries entered the final chapter of their feud here in a Ladder Match. These guys left it all out there was some breathtaking spots and awesome moves. One spot that totally blew me away was both men falling off the ladder onto a ladder laid across the top turnbuckle, they then stood up on it and Hardy delivered a twist of fate on Aries on the ladder laying across on the top turnbuckle. Wow, that was dangerous. Aries played the perfect heel in this match, even making his way to the control both and causing the titles to be pulled up to the ceiling so Hardy couldn't reach them haha. Great stuff. Outstanding match and great way to close the show.

Match rating - 9/10

Overall thoughts: Well, there were only two standout matches here. Those being the Storm/Styles/Roode match and the Aries/Hardy match. Unfortunately, those can't pick up the slack for the rest of this PPV. Doc/Park was boring. Angle/Devon and Mixed Tag felt like TV Matches. The show felt like nothing more than an episode of Impact up until the Tag Team Title bout as things started to pick up there with the match that followed it, which was Styles/Storm/Roode. Then after the PPV got some good pacing, Angle/Devon didn't deliver a PPV quality match. If they had placed another solid match where Angle/Devon was, the final four matches could have made up for the slack in the rest of the show. This is worth getting to see Styles/Roode/Storm and Hardy/Aries. The main reason I got it was to see Hardy/Aries. So, if either of those matches highly interest you, I'd say get it to check those out, but try to find it at a low price because nothing else on here is worth paying money to see.

TNA Bound For Glory 2012 DVD Review

TNA: Bound For Glory 2012 DVD Review

by Ethan Lewis

1) Zema Ion (c) vs. Rob Van Dam - X Division Championship Match

Really good opening match here. Zema showed everyone he could hang with a veteran like Van Dam in this match. This was one of RVD's finer performances during his time in TNA.

Match rating - 7/10

2) Samoa Joe (c) vs. Magnus - TNA Television Championship Match

These two have great chemistry together. That probably is because they were a succesful tag team together. They know each other very well and it showed here. I really enjoyed this match. The show is going at a good pace as this match was just a notch better than the match before it.

Match rating - 7.5/10

3) James Storm vs. Bobby Roode - Street Fight

To keep the show on pace, they kick it up a notch with this brutal bout. Storm and Roode beat the living hell out of each other with everything from chairs to trashcans. They even used a table. Awesome street fight.

Match rating - 9/10

4) Joey Ryan vs. Al Snow

Good spot on the card for this match as it was kind of a cool down match from the street fight. It wasn't a bad match, but it was nothing more than average. Simple little match, some good action. Cool seeing Snow back in the ring and good way to cap off this storyline.

Match rating - 6/10

5) Christopher Daniels & Kazarian (c) vs. Kurt Angle & AJ Styles vs. Chavo Guerrero & Hernandez - Tag Team Championship Match

Awesome match here. Triple threat tag team matches are always interesting. The names involved gave me high expectations and they indeed lived up to them. Each man got a chance to showcase himself. Such as Hernandez diving out of the ring, Styles doing numerous breathtaking moves, Chavo jumping off the turnbuckle to the outside, Angle doing suplex after suplex, and much more.

Match rating - 8/10

6) Miss Tessmacher (c) vs. Tara - Knockouts Championship Match

Just as the Snow/Ryan match, I think this was placed as a cool down match after the action packed triple threat tag match. Although, this was a solid women's match. Tara is known as an outstanding wrestler, and Tessmacher isn't bad either. She actually impressed me in this match. Solid bout.

Match rating - 7/10

7) Sting & Bully Ray vs. Aces & Eights - No DQ Match

A nice smash mouth brawl with lots of action. These guys took good advantage of the No DQ stipulation as several weapons were used, but not an overload of them. There wasn't much interference, which is a good thing. The interference that did happen was well placed. Great match and the twist at the end is awesome as well.

Match rating - 8.5/10

8) Austin Aries (c) vs. Jeff Hardy - TNA World Championship Match

These guys main evented the show and they showed that they truly deserved to. Awesome match between these two. I'm a huge fan of Aries and he really brought out the best in Hardy in this match. The fans were heavily behind Aries even though he was the heel. Every time Jeff did a move the crowd would respond with boos. A spectacular back and forth contest.

Match rating - 9/10

Overall thoughts: This was a great PPV. It kept a good pace throughout the show and was well booked. There honestly wasn't any bad matches on here. I would definitely recommend checking out this show. The matches that are worth buying this for are Storm vs Roode, the Triple Threat Tag Match, Sting & Bully vs. Aces & Eights, and Aries vs. Hardy. All four of those earned ratings of 8 or higher on a scale of 1-10 and they truly delivered. The RVD/Ion and Magnus/Joe are good additions to this show as well, solid bouts. So if any of the four matches I listed above interest you, I'd definitely say check this out. Great show from top to bottom.

Overall rating - 8/10

TNA Best Of The Bloodiest Brawls: Scars and Stitches DVD Review

TNA: Best of The Bloodiest Brawls: Scars and Stitches DVD Review

By Ethan Lewis

This is the 2nd volume of TNA's Best of Bloodiest Brawls. It features matches that weren't able to make it on the first volume as well as matches that happened after the release of the first one. This DVD features Abyss, James Storm, Chris Harris, AJ Styles, Sting, Rhino, Christian Cage, and many more.

1) Rhino vs. Jeff Jarrett - Turning Point 2005

The DVD opened up with this match. It was a great battle between these two veterans. They battled into the crowd and near the backstage area where Jarrett hit Rhino with a chair knocking him off a scaffold through a table! Solid match and great way to start this DVD.

Match rating - 8.5/10

2) Lethal Lockdown Match: Sting, AJ Styles, Ron Killings, and Rhino vs. Jeff Jarrett, Scott Steiner, James Storm and Chris Harris - Lockdown 2006

Lethal Lockdown matches are similar to the War Games matches back in the day. It starts off with two guys from each team. They have to wrestle for five minutes, then members of each team enter at two minute intervals. After all 8 men are in the ring, the roof of the cage (which is filled with weapons) drops down. The match starts off with AJ Styles and Chris Harris. They go at it for five minutes and get busted open before the rest of the guys get in there. Once all the competitors are in there, all hell breaks loose because the roof drops and so do the weapons. Jarrett busts Steiner over the head with his guitar while AJ and James Storm climb up to the roof of the cage. AJ delivers one of the craziest moves I've ever seen as he sets up a ladder on top of the cage and jumps onto a lighting fixture hanging from the roof and drops down onto Storm who is on a table on the roof of the cage. Crazy match!

Match rating - 9/10

3) AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels vs. LAX (Homicide & Hernandez) - Six Sides of Steel Match - Bound For Glory 2006

These guys never fail to put on amazing matches. They put on one of the best Ultimate X matches I have ever seen a few weeks prior and they set out to top it with this match. In this bout, we see AJ get on top of the cage, which is really sketchy because there is no roof, and he was standing on the tiny edge of the wall of the cage, and he dives off of it onto Hernandez. Awesome! Then we see Hernandez, yes the 6'6 300lb Hernandez do the same thing, but he crashes and burns as AJ moves out of the way. Homicide brings a fork into the match and scrapes the head of Christopher Daniels with it, cutting him open. I'm giving these guys a 10/10 rating because I don't know what more these guys could have done. They put it all out there. You definitely will want to check this one out.

Match rating - 10/10

4) Rhino vs. Christian Cage - Barbed Wire Cage Match - iMPACT - November 2006

Christian can put on amazing matches when he wants to and this proves it. He gets busted open badly and bleeds profusely throughout the match. To win this, you had to either climb out of the top of the cage, which is wrapped with barbwire, or either walk out of the cage door. As mentioned before, this was a brutal and bloody match that I will definitely go back and watch again because it was awesome. Rhino hit the biggest gore I have ever seen, by goring (spearing) Christian THROUGH the cage door! Epic match, especially to be a television match. One of the bloodiest on this DVD.

Match rating - 9.5/10

5) Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe - Genesis 2006

This was the first ever match between these two and the crowd was on fire. From "Let's go Angle" chants to "Joe is gonna kill you" chants, the crowd added alot to this match. Some people were somewhat disappointed because this wasn't a technical wrestling clinic, but this was still an amazing match and from what I've heard Angle and Joe put on that type of a match the next month at Turning Point. Anyway, this was simply awesome. A great match that will leave you wanting more, which is why I will soon be getting Turning Point 2006 to see their next encounter.

Match rating - 9/10

6) Abyss vs. Sting - Last Rites Match - Destination X 2007

This was basically a casket match. It wasn't bad, but it was one of the weaker matches on this DVD. Some cool moments include Abyss chokeslamming Sting onto the casket and breaking the top of it in. Good match, but you probably won't watch it more than once or twice.

Match rating - 7/10

7) James Storm vs. Chris Harris - Texas Death Match - Sacrifice 2007

Although the set began to slow down with the previous Abyss/Sting match it certainly picked back up to speed here. Harris and Storm put on one of the most brutal and best hardcore style matches I've seen. They began the battle outside and fought through the crowd then headed back to the ring, but not before Harris dove over the railing into the crowd with a crossbody onto Storm. Several tables were involved and there was loads of blood as Storm got busted open terribly by being catapulted under a table. Outstanding match, one of the best on this DVD.

Match rating - 10/10

8) Abyss vs. Tomko - No Disqualification Match - Slammiversary 2007

I didn't expect this to be a good match. I figured it would be a bland match without any spots, but they actually shocked me! This was a really good match. Started off kind of slow, but soon picked up. Glass and thumbtacks were brought in early and both men were slammed into them. Then here come the spots, Tomko chases Abyss up the ramp with a barb wire bat then they climb up a scaffold type thing near the stage and Abyss throws Tomko off of it then dives off it himself, crashing onto Tomko. Solid match.

Match rating - 8/10

9) Abyss vs. Judas Mesias - Barbed Wire Massacre 2 - Against All Odds 2008

While this was quite bloody, it wasn't too great of a match. Certainly not as good as the first Barbed Wire Massacre. Suprisingly this was one of the weaker matches on the DVD. Just like the Sting/Abyss match, it's worth a watch, but I doubt you'll watch this bout more than once.

Match rating - 7.5/10

Overall thoughts: This is a solid compilation with several matches that are worth getting this to see if you haven't. Those matches being: Styles/Daniels-LAX, Angle/Joe, Rhino/Christian, Storm/Harris, and Lethal Lockdown. So that means there are 5 outstanding matches on this set, what about the other 4? Rhino/Jarrett and Abyss/Tomko are solid matches. Abyss/Sting is decent, but not great. Abyss/Mesias was disappointing. If any of the 5 matches I mentioned above interest you, then I'd definitely recommend. Solid set. I enjoyed watching it, I'd say it's worth a viewing.

Overall DVD rating: 8.5/10

Thanks for reading and follow me on Twitter @StylesClashx!

TNA Destination X 2012 Review

TNA Destination X 2012 Review

by Ethan Lewis

Just as 2011's Destination X, this was a solid pay-per-view. It featured an X Divison Title tournament which culminated in an Ultimate X match, Styles vs. Daniels in a Last Man Standing Match, Joe vs. Angle in a BFG Series Match, and the main event, Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

1)Mason Andrews vs. Rubik vs. Dakota Darsow vs. Lars Only

The whole first half of the pay-per-view is an X Division Tournament with the winners of each match earning a spot in the Ultimate X Match for the X Division Title later in the night. This was the first match of the night and the winner would earn a spot in the tournament. I had never seen any of these guys wrestle, but man they put on a show. Awesome fast paced X Division action. Each of these guys truly deserved a shot at the X Division Title. So much talent.

Match rating - 8/10

2)Mason Andrews vs. Kid Kash

As soon as Andrews won the previous match, Kid Kash ran down to the ring and the first match of the tournament began. Andrews still put on a great peformance even though he had already wrestled for 15 minutes in the previous bout. This was a great back and forth match. I really enjoyed it.

Match rating - 8/10

3)Kenny King vs. Douglas Williams

The next match in the tournament pits Kenny King against Douglas Williams. I'm a fan of both guys so I expected a great match, which is what we got. Another great match here.

Match rating - 8/10

4)Sonjay Dutt vs. Rashad Cameron

I've seen Dutt wrestle several times, but I had never seen Rashad Cameron wrestle before this match. I was impressed with Cameron, he hung right in there with Dutt and they put on a great match. It was a bit shorter than the previous three matches, but was good for what it was.

Match rating - 7.5/10

5)Zema Ion vs. Flip Cassanova

Before this match, Jesse Sorenson made his return after breaking his neck. It was a great moment. Now onto the match, it was pretty much a squash. It only went 3-4 minutes. Won't spoil who won, but this segment/match is worth watching just to see Sorenson's return promo.

Match rating - 5/10

6)Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle - Bound For Glory Series Match

Joe and Angle always put on great matches and this was no different. These two put on a solid fifteen minute match with alot of great action. This was actually my first time seeing these two face each other so I can't compare to their previous matches, but needless to say I was impressed. They have great chemistry.

Match rating - 8.5/10

7)Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles - Last Man Standing Match

These guys have a storied history. They've wrestled numerous times and have never put on a bad match against each other. This was no different. It was a solid contest with weapons such as chairs and tables used. My favorite spot was Styles hitting the Styles Clash on Daniels off the ramp through a table. It was awesome.

Match rating - 8/10

8)Mason Andrews vs. Kenny King vs. Sonjay Dutt vs. Zema Ion - Ultimate X Match for X Division Title

All of these guys earned their place in this match earlier in the night and they definitely showed that they deserve it. Dutt seemingly got injured in the match and left, but soon come back in, only to be hurt again. If you watch the second disc of this DVD you will see what happened as Dutt explains that his shoulder popped out of place. Anyway, this was a really good match.

Match rating - 8/10

9)Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode - TNA World Title Match

This was the match I was most looking forward to as a long time fan of Aries. It was an awesome match. It lasted around 20 minutes or more, but it was so great that it went by really quick for me. Roode is one of the best today and his chemistry with Aries is undeniable. Amazing way to end the show.

Match rating - 9/10

DVD Bonus Features:

As you will find out, this comes as a 2 Disc Set, as do most of TNA's PPV's. It features some awesome extras such as an inside look at Aries. They talk with him about alot of stuff like the upcoming match with Roode, how he almost quit wrestling in 2011 before TNA called and much more. There's also a Before The Bell feature where they talk to Kenny King and Dakota Darsow about competing on this night and X Divison pioneers Chris Daniels & Kazarian give their thoughts on each competitor as well as various other things. Cool stuff.

Overall rating - 8/10

There wasn't a bad match on this show except maybe the short squash between Zema Ion and Flip Cassanova. The good definitely overshadows the bad. This is worth getting especially if you're an Aries fan because you get to see him finally win the TNA World Title. Other than that, you get a solid Angle/Joe match, a good Ultimate X, and several good X Division matches. I recommend to fans of Aries and the X Division.

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