TNA's Greatest Match

[Just call me Dan 0]

I really only got into TNA around the time Samoa Joe was brought in. I'd like to find some great stuff from the past and would like you all to talk about some possibilities. What has been TNA's best match yet? Not just on workrate, but overall, which one takes the cake for you?

[BUTT 0]

AJ/Daniels/Joe from Unbreakable. Which you've probably seen, but still, I feel it's the best. As for the pre-Joe era, there are two AMW vs Daniels & Elix Skipper cage matches that everyone loves.

[razazteca 0]

Psicosis vs Low-ki vs AJ Styles vs Jerry Lynn for the X Division title. The near falls at the end of the match between AJ Styles and Jerry Lynn is what makes it great.

[Guest]

The AJ DVD with the stuff on it from 02-whatever it is has good stuff on it, but it does get repetitive after a while.

 

Note that I'm not a big AJ fan.

[Astro101 0]

Psicosis vs Low-ki vs AJ Styles vs Jerry Lynn for the X Division title. The near falls at the end of the match between AJ Styles and Jerry Lynn is what makes it great.

 

I still have not seen it as I started watching TNA at around episode 4 or 6. It's not on youtube is it?

[Guest]

I don't think it is. It's worth looking for around the internet.

[cabbageboy 0]

I can't hardly single out a match during the initial 2002 period, but all the Styles/Lynn/Lo-Ki stuff was great.

 

I also think Chris Sabin vs. Juventud was a really awesome match, but I dunno if it is TNA's best ever.

 

If I flat out had to say a best ever TNA match I'd go with Joe/Styles, the match where Joe won the X title. I give it a nod over the 3 ways with Daniels for a couple of reasons: First, a great 1 on 1 match is preferrable to a great 3 way. Second, I've just never cared about Christopher Daniels.

[Man Who Sold The World 0]

Well, put it this way, my buds *HATE* wrestling, but watched a Low-Ki/AJ Styles/Jerry Lynn match and were cheering and "ooh"ing as it progressed. So, yeah, any one of those matches from their series gets a vote from me.

[Just John 0]

I'd concur with Joe/Styles from Turning Point. It's got pretty much everything you need for a great match. Good story, lots of intensity, good spots that all make sense and aren't forced, good face/heel work, and an great emotional finish. After seeing AJ get the crap beat out of him for so long, you want him to complete the face comeback, but he passes out from the kukina clutch with his arm just inches from the ropes. Not a happy ending, but not all good stories have happy endings. I'd give it **** 1/4. The story puts it way above all the usual spot-driven matches that get lots of praise (including the Styles/Daniels/Joe 3-way).

[razazteca 0]

Psicosis vs Low-ki vs AJ Styles vs Jerry Lynn for the X Division title. The near falls at the end of the match between AJ Styles and Jerry Lynn is what makes it great.

 

I still have not seen it as I started watching TNA at around episode 4 or 6. It's not on youtube is it?

Go buy the Best of AJ Styles DVD it has the AJ vs Low-ki vs Jerry Lynn series on it.

[King Cucaracha 0]

The Styles/Sabin/Petey Ultimate X is probably the best of the UX Matches, so I'd put that on your list.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Personally, my favorite TNA match to date (besides Joe/Styles) has been Elix Skipper/Christopher Daniels vs. Jerry Lynn/The Amazing Red vs. Chris Sabin/Jonny Storm vs. Shark Boy/Jason Cross. None - NONE - of the falls are clean in this match, but it's notable for two things: the first being Sabin's debut to TNA, and the other being the first real blow to Sports Entertainment Xtreme.

[hyperchord24 0]

I've seen Styles v. Joe v. Daniels and it's one of the most entertaining matches I've ever seen. Mind you, I haven't seen much GOOD wrestling, but still. I have no idea which one it was. I believe Styles won and Daniels was going in the champ.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

That's Unbreakable.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

For me, TNA's greatest match is the Joe/Styles/Daniels three-way from Unbreakable. I gave it ***** on first watching it. I thought it might not be warranted after a while, thinking it might have just been one of those spotfests that are thrilling the first time around but don't stand up to repeat viewings, but a second viewing only confirmed the ***** I gave it. I didn't find the match to be a typical spotfest, and labelling it one might even do it a disservice. Every big spot hit perfectly, anything that might have been blown was covered up in such a way that, at that pace, has to be applauded, and, to me, everything all three men did told a story. What makes it even better is that they had to call the last five minutes in the ring, and with a match of that style and pace, to do that and not have anything look out of place or bad, is a further testament to how great the match is and how much poise all three have.

[DCMaximo 0]

There was a show in July 2003 which opened with AMW vs Daniels + Skipper in a cage, followed by Kazarian/Sabin, both of which were nudging ****+, so that show's worth hunting down

[Zack Malibu 0]

There was a show in July 2003 which opened with AMW vs Daniels + Skipper in a cage, followed by Kazarian/Sabin, both of which were nudging ****+, so that show's worth hunting down

Coincidental that you say that, as I popped in a random unlabeled tape last night, and that episode is one of the events on it (cage match just finished now as a matter of fact). I've been contemplating which shows to convert to DVD, so this one may be the first.

[k thx 0]

I'd have to go with the Styles/Lynn/Low Ki series.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

There was a show in July 2003 which opened with AMW vs Daniels + Skipper in a cage, followed by Kazarian/Sabin, both of which were nudging ****+, so that show's worth hunting down

Coincidental that you say that, as I popped in a random unlabeled tape last night, and that episode is one of the events on it (cage match just finished now as a matter of fact). I've been contemplating which shows to convert to DVD, so this one may be the first.

I'd say convert everything from Russo's TNA debut (Truth vs. Jarrett in November '02) until Super X. It's all pretty interesting stuff in there, with Kid Kash's rise as one of TNA's top heels (though he became, IMO, their top heel during Dirty Dutch's period of booking) being a huge highlight, as well as all of the "XXX vs. X-Division" madness that was had between XXX/AMW matches and feuds.

 

And yes, I remember the first TNA cage match. That's a fucking classic. I don't remember any of the Sabin/Kazarian matches being that good, but I dislike Kazarian anyway.

 

And something has to be said for the short Kid Kash/Amazing Red feud. The matches weren't amazing, none reaching over ***1/2 I'd say, but they're worth watching to see just how great of a pure prick heel Kid Kash can be. One of my favorite heels ever.

[The Flamboyance 0]

Psicosis vs Low-ki vs AJ Styles vs Jerry Lynn for the X Division title. The near falls at the end of the match between AJ Styles and Jerry Lynn is what makes it great.

 

I still have not seen it as I started watching TNA at around episode 4 or 6. It's not on youtube is it?

 

The second time Ive seen it was on Youtube. It might not be there anymore but it's worth looking for.

[Conspiracy_Victim 0]

All this talk about the Low-Ki match made me look him up on Youtube, and I found this, quite possibly one of the nastiest looking wrestling moves I've seen in a long time. He and Homicide team up to demolish Chasyn Rance.

 

[cynicalprofit 0]

No love for Hart/ Juvi?

[cynicalprofit 0]

No love for Hart/ Juvi?

[Guest Hotbutter Spoontoaster]

Nope, no love for Hart/Juvi.

[Guest Hotbutter Spoontoaster]

Nope, no love for Hart/Juvi.

[Guest ChampKind]

Everyone's mentioned the Low Ki/Styles/Lynn series, and the Joe/Styles/Daniels stuff is pretty well known. Those are the best, but some worthy also-rans are:

 

- The second Ultimate X with Daniels, Ki, Shane and Sabin

 

- AMW vs. Team Canada from Final Resolution '05

 

- If you're into brawls, I really liked Douglas vs. Raven Hair vs. Hair match from Sept. '03

 

- Joe vs. Sabin from No Surrender

[JustJoe2k5 0]

Another great match is Amazing Red vs. Low Ki from TNA's first or second show in the second arena they ran the weekly pay-per-views in. Their Ring of Honor match is talked about alot, but I felt their TNA match was just as good and it had a much better flow to it.

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Eh...the TNA match was basically the RoH match cut in half. The RoH match flowed a little better, but the TNA one is much easier to digest.

 

As far as Douglas/Raven hair-v-hair...are you mental? Of the few matches they had involving one another during that trainwreck of a feud (though, to be fair, it didn't become a trainwreck until Dirty Dutch took over the booking) the only good one was the first. THAT was a fucking brawl. I need to find the date on it, because it just may have been TNA's best pure one-on-one brawl.

 

Speaking of good brawls...

Truth/Jarrett. I and II. I would say Destiny (Raven/Jarrett I for those that that don't know), but the ending totally killed the match for me. The first two Truth/Jarrett brawls (the debut of Russo was in the first one) were damned good, especially the second which had less stalling and more fighting. This was back when The Truth was just starting to lose his initial push (after a pair of some of the best NWA World title matches of the TNA era: vs. Lynn and vs. LowKi; the second Truth/Lynn match was for the X-Division title, mind you), so he was still something of a hot commodity (albeit cooling down). Easily two of my favorite brawls in TNA history.

 

You know...come to think of it...how many NWA World title matches during the TNA era have been as good as the ones Truth was involved in? LowKi, Jerry Lynn, the pair with Jarrett...I can't think of too many other memorable NWA World title bouts that didn't involve Raven or AJ Styles (who I think may be the only one to out-do Truth in terms of OVERALL quality of World title bouts, but Truth's were better because they were more than big bumps and highspots). And I mean memorable for a GOOD reason.

[Rendclaw 0]

Unfortunately, I didn;t see even half of those matches, though you were doing your weekly report on them... it was either you or Dames. I forget.

[luke-o 0]

I can't remember who he was facing, but it was an amazing red match, and Don West got up on the announce tabl;e and cheered him on. I saw it on Classic TNA once. Good match.

 

Dunno why, but Lance Hoyt vs Abyss springs to mind, really liked that one.

 

And Joe vs Sabin was awesome.