1) AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels - 2002 Ted Petty Invitational Night One - 11/1/02
I don't think there's a better way to start this set than with a Styles/Daniels match. They never cease to amaze me no matter how many times I see them square off. The case was no different here which actually surprised me. Considering that IWA is a smaller Indy company, I didn't expect Styles & Daniels to leave it all in the ring like they did. This match was the definition of a lost gem because it's every bit as good as their famous bouts in TNA. Ian Rotten called it the best match in IWA Mid South history at the time on commentary. It was THAT good. Words won't do it justice but there's one exchange that I just have to mention. AJ went for his signature inverted DDT, Daniels countered out and went for the last rites, as he went for it, AJ reversed immediately and nailed Daniels with the inverted DDT. Exchanges like that are what made this match (and all Styles/Daniels matches) so great, they knew each other so well that they do multiple never before seen counters that will make your jaw drop. Some other highlights here include several picture perfect moonsaults from Daniels and AJ somehow managing to kick out of Angel's Wings. Awesome match!
Match rating - ****1/4
After the match, Ian Rotten came to the ring and gave props to AJ & Daniels for giving their all in front of 150 people. Styles went around and slapped hands with all the fans afterwards. This was an amazing way to start this DVD. Phenomenal match and moment. No pun intended.
2) AJ Styles vs. Super Dragon vs. M-Dogg 20 vs. Matt Stryker - 2002 Ted Petty Invitational Night Two - 11/2/02
I must say that I was pretty pumped for this one. Styles was extremely on point on the previous night during his epic match with Daniels, pair that with the other participants in this match and you've got a potentially great bout. I'm a Super Dragon mark so I was looking forward to seeing him mix it up with AJ and M-Dogg is crazy so I expected tons of insane stuff from him. As for Matt Stryker, I've heard alot about him but never seen him for myself until this match. While this wasn't as wild of a spotfest as I was expecting, it was still quite good. Things started off in chaos, but soon settled down and the story of the match became Styles' injured leg. All the participants took turns working it over during the match which perfectly set up for Styles big comeback. This change in momentum led Styles to a victory after hitting a Styles Clash on M-Dogg 20 off the top rope onto Super Dragon. Crazy ending to a good four way bout.
Match rating - ***1/4
3) AJ Styles vs. Ace Steel - Ultra Styles Clash Weekend Night One - 2/21/03
This match was built up way too much on commentary. So much so that there wasn't any way for it to live up to expectations. These two didn't work extremely well together as there were several noticeable moments of miscommunication. It was a decent bout although it felt like it didn't quite get into high gear and it ended pretty abruptly.
Match rating - **3/4
After the match, Colt Cabana comes out and runs down both Styles & Steel before focusing his jabs at Styles as a way of building up their match for the following night.
4) AJ Styles vs. Colt Cabana - Ultra Styles Clash Weekend Night Two - 2/22/03
Styles' match with Ace Steel on the previous night was pretty lackluster so I hoped this one would live up to expectations. The promo from Cabana hyped it up a bit as you could tell he got under Styles' skin. There was a bit of comedy to start off however things got serious soon and Cabana would end up with a cut near his eye that swoll up and began to bleed about half way through the match. The final few minutes were very competitive and hardhitting which made for a solid match between these two.
Match rating - ***
5) AJ Styles vs. Todd Sexton - 2003 Ted Petty Invitational Night One - 11/7/03
Styles entered the Ted Petty Invitational for the first time in 2002, one year prior to this match. He was defeated by Christopher Daniels in an awesome first round match. This year, he faces a fellow NWA Wildside competitor who is making his debut in IWA here, Todd Sexton. You could tell these two had worked together before because they put together a nice match with a good amount of kicks and highflying. Solid showing for Sexton and a great victory for Styles.
Match rating - **3/4
6) AJ Styles vs. Jerry Lynn - 2003 Ted Petty Invitational Night Two - 11/8/03
Around the time that this match took place, Styles & Lynn had alot of buzz around them thanks to their classic series of matches in TNA. That buzz led to this match which in my opinion is a lost gem. This was every bit as good as their bouts in NWA/TNA. The chemistry these two have is just amazing to watch. It was extremely hard fought and featured several near falls & exchanges that had me on the edge of my seat. One in particular saw Lynn hit a massive german suplex on Styles off the top rope, cover him, and Styles kicked out at the last second. Great stuff all around here. Another awesome, but forgotten chapter in the Lynn/Styles saga.
Match rating - ****
7) AJ Styles vs. Danny Daniels - 2003 Ted Petty Invitational Night Two - 11/8/03
Styles came to the ring pretty beaten up because this match took place during the same night as his bout with Jerry Lynn. Daniels wanted to put the IWA Heavyweight Title on the line however Ian Rotten stopped him which led to Styles rolling him up and nearly getting a victory only seconds into the match. This was a pretty straight forward match as it didn't tell much of a story and the action was non stop from bell to bell. In a tournament like the Ted Petty, matches like this have to be done because you can't expect guys to go 20 minutes multiple times in one night. Fun for what it was.
Match rating - **1/2
Overall thoughts: This really surpassed my expectations although I honestly shouldn't have expected any less from AJ. The matches with Lynn and Daniels are both lost classics. As said before, they're every bit as good as their more well known TNA bouts. Those are the two main reason to watch this disc however the other stuff was entertaining as well which you may expect because I don't think I've ever seen a bad AJ Styles match. Good stuff.
Follow me on Twitter @EthanPWT along with this blog @ThePWTruth!
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