TNA Sacrifice 2005
PRE-SHOW - Great. Good video packages, a good segment, an eh match, and the announcement of the move to SPIKE TV. As an aside, during the SPIKE TV announcement, they introduce Bob Carter (not Dixie) as their “investor.” So yes, Dixie really is wasting daddy’s money.
JIMMY HART & THE NATURALS PROMO - Good, and stuff with Jarrett was good
Started off great, but really felt like it ended prematurely
JAMES MITCHELL PROMO - Awesome (“tonight Abyss is going to do things to you so unbelievably cruel that even Saddam Hussein would consider them to be excessive”)
Why was there No DQ when the chair was used?
TAG TEAM MATCH WITH B.G. JAMES AS THE SPECIAL GUEST REFEREE:
There was an utterly awesome video package to introduce this match. Tenay and West were pretty bad on commentary during this match though. There were a few moments where they were just as bad as Gabe at his worst “announce like a booker, not like an announcer” stuff.
CHRISTOPHER DANIELS PROMO - Great
STUFF WITH JARRETT & AMW - Great promo by Harris. Jarrett was great, too. Storm… not so much.
I would have given it a seven if not for the random low-blow right in front of the referee. Great selling by Lynn. Great aftermath, too!
SUPER X CUP 2005 TOURNAMENT FINALS:
Awesome match, and a good way to set up for the Unbreakable three-way
RAVEN PROMO - Good
IF JARRETT PINS RHINO, HE GETS A TITLE SHOT, BUT IF RHINO PINS JARRETT, JARRETT CANNOT HAVE ANOTHER NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE SHOT FOR A YEAR:
Apparently this was a NO DQ’s match. I say apparently because it was never announced or hyped as such, but all of the wrestlers and the referee seemed to think it was.
I really liked the overbooking here. It made Jarrett look smart, reignited Abyss vs. Hardy, helped start off the eventual Abyss vs. Sabu feud, and added to the crazy rapid-fire violence that was the story of this match. They really packed a lot into fifteen minutes here. I also really liked the choice they made for who got the pin and who took the fall,, as it allowed them to both set up and sensibly stall various things in the title picture to pay off at different, more staggered times.
Final Thoughts
Overall, a very good show from TNA.
SONJAY DUTT, CHRIS SABIN, & SHARK BOY vs. THE DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH (Simon Diamond, David Young, & Elix Skipper) - 5.75/10
JIMMY HART & THE NATURALS PROMO - Good, and stuff with Jarrett was good
ALEX SHELLEY vs. SHOCKER - 5.25/10
Started off great, but really felt like it ended prematurely
JAMES MITCHELL PROMO - Awesome (“tonight Abyss is going to do things to you so unbelievably cruel that even Saddam Hussein would consider them to be excessive”)
LANCE HOYT vs. ABYSS (w/James Mitchell) - 5.5/10
Why was there No DQ when the chair was used?
TAG TEAM MATCH WITH B.G. JAMES AS THE SPECIAL GUEST REFEREE:
Konnan & Ron “The Truth” Killings vs. Kip James & Monty Brown - no rating. Good segment.
There was an utterly awesome video package to introduce this match. Tenay and West were pretty bad on commentary during this match though. There were a few moments where they were just as bad as Gabe at his worst “announce like a booker, not like an announcer” stuff.
CHRISTOPHER DANIELS PROMO - Great
CHRISTOPHER DANIELS vs. AUSTIN ARIES - 6.25/10
STUFF WITH JARRETT & AMW - Great promo by Harris. Jarrett was great, too. Storm… not so much.
JERRY LYNN vs. SEAN WALTMAN - 7.25/10
I would have given it a seven if not for the random low-blow right in front of the referee. Great selling by Lynn. Great aftermath, too!
TEAM CANADA vs. AMERICA’S MOST WANTED & THE NATURALS (w/Jimmy Hart)- 6/10
SUPER X CUP 2005 TOURNAMENT FINALS:
Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles - 8.25/10
Awesome match, and a good way to set up for the Unbreakable three-way
RAVEN PROMO - Good
IF JARRETT PINS RHINO, HE GETS A TITLE SHOT, BUT IF RHINO PINS JARRETT, JARRETT CANNOT HAVE ANOTHER NWA WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE SHOT FOR A YEAR:
Raven & Sabu vs. Rhino & Jeff Jarrett - 7.25/10
Apparently this was a NO DQ’s match. I say apparently because it was never announced or hyped as such, but all of the wrestlers and the referee seemed to think it was.
I really liked the overbooking here. It made Jarrett look smart, reignited Abyss vs. Hardy, helped start off the eventual Abyss vs. Sabu feud, and added to the crazy rapid-fire violence that was the story of this match. They really packed a lot into fifteen minutes here. I also really liked the choice they made for who got the pin and who took the fall,, as it allowed them to both set up and sensibly stall various things in the title picture to pay off at different, more staggered times.
Final Thoughts
Overall, a very good show from TNA.