TNA: The Asylum Years Vol 1 - DVD Review

DVD Review: TNA The Best of The Asylum Years Vol. 1

By Phil Allely

TNA is a relatively young company by all accounts and yet it has come on so far in it’s eight year lifespan to date. This the latest release from it’s archive is proof if needed that the company has been determined to prove itself as a viable wrestling organisation right from day one.

This DVD taken from TNA’s vaults is a great snapshot of just how far the company has come. Way back when it started out in 2002 TNA ran monthly Pay-Per-View events and had no weekly TV presence., what we have here over a two disc set are some of the best and most memorable matches from the 2002-2004 period.

The Asylum title refers to the Nashville Fairgrounds venue, where these shows took place, a renowned wrestling mecca for decades and one that many felt suited TNA perfectly.

Even back then with low budgets and an affiliation with the NWA, TNA had a great relationship with its performers and was in a position to hire in some of the biggest names on the independent scene. Some guys were like Sting, who has stayed with TNA since then, whilst others have drifted in and out depending on their financial situation or their schedule. Across the two disc you can see some legends such as The Stinger, Terry Funk, Raven, Shane Douglas, Road Warriors, Sabu, Lex Luger and many more make their TNA debuts.

Match wise the ones on offer here give a wonderful glimpse into the booking of TNA in its early days, without weekly TV to tell its stories the monthly PPV’s were used well to get developments across, mostly they left the in ring action to tell it for them and it really did work.

2002’s TNA had not yet moved onto a six sided ring and it’s odd to see guys like AJ Styles, Sabu and Abyss in one back then. Of course now they have returned to it once more, but this is where it all began and you can see the hunger in the performers eyes, as they fight to build up TNA.

Each match/section of the discs are book-ended with talking heads from TNA stars past and present, who discuss the match, storylines and much more, these really do build up a nice picture of what you are about to see. This is a history lesson as well as a wrestling box set and it works very well indeed.

TNA: The Best of The Asylum Years 2002-2004 is a wonderful introduction to the companies early days and shows some of its current headliners, as they plied their trade and learnt the ropes from the trusty veterans who gave TNA chance.

You can pick this two disc set up now from all good stockists and find more at www.tnawrestling.com