TNA Live Show Review: One Night Only - X-travaganza

TNA Live Show Review: One Night Only - X-travaganza

TNA kicked off their new set of one-night-only special events by showcasing the much-lamented and missed stars of their famed X Division. Stars old and new joined in the action and for the most part the show impressed us here at Sun Sport.

When Impact Wrestling announced that they would be reducing their Pay-Per-View output to four a year many thought it would be a wise move. This decision could after all help storylines develop and make the remaining events all the more special. To fill in the gaps the company explained they would hold a number of themed one-off PPV's.

The aptly title X-travagana was a fun show that perfectly highlighted the fast-paced division we all know and love. There may have been a few blips here and there, but for the main this was a peek into one of TNA's early success stories. The always dazzling X Division.

The event also highlighted some of the divisions best moments, craziest moves, top matches and a gave look at the always inventive Ultimate X Match. This was a wonderful introduction for newer fans and a welcome glimpse into the past for more loyal fans.

One pet peeve for many (myself included) was the lack of a six-sided ring. That would have been the icing on the cake here.

The Main Event saw former X Division Champ Samoa Joe take on more recent title holder Austin Aries and was the perfect way to round proceedings off. Seeing big man Joe on form and matching the lighter Aries move for move was inspiring stuff. The ending where Aries reversed a 'Muscle Buster' into a roll-up did seem a bit flat though.

Elsewhere Christian Yorke won the slightly confusing Xscape match. If you take away the convoluted rules this was an exciting encounter that showcased the fast-paced style and skill set we all remember the 'X' stars for. York outlasted the risk-taking collection of Matt Bentley, Alex Silva, Lance Dorado, Sam Shaw, Puma and Jimmy Rave.

The Ultimate X battle featured Kenny King, Rubix, Zema Ion and Mason Andrews. It may have been a slow-burner, but when it got going this was a veritable feast of high spots and risky moves. King picked up the win in a nice twist on the finish, snatching the X out of someone else hands before he hit the floor.

Bad Influence took on Petey Williams & Sonjay Dutt in a tag team match that had its high points, but never fully lived up to its expectations. The returning Dutt and Williams were paired up nicely and blended well with the more polished combo of Daniels and Kazarian.  Both teams hit some nice double team moves and nailed some near falls.

 The unpopular win went to Daniels/Kaz, however Williams got some revenge for his team by nailing a very nice looking post match Canadian Destroyer.

The Kid kash/Doug Williams Vs Anthony Nese & Rashad Cameron tag match seemd to be merely a time filler and never really caught fans attention.  It went a bit too long and had no real build up either. The talents of Williams/Kash seemed wasted here.

Rob Van Dam had one of his last TNA matches, taking on former foe Jerry Lynn in Lynn’s final match (as part of his retirement tour). The pace was slow and sluggish throughout and failed to catch fire. The nostalgia aspect did work in parts, Van Dam picked up the win and the locker room came out to give Lynn a proper send off. This was a pale shadow of some of the classics the pair have had over the years.

The Chavo Guerrero and Robbie E match was a pretty throwaway affair that underutilised Guererro and also featured Joseph Park as referee.

One Night Only – Xtravaganza was a successful show that certainly hit more than it missed. It could have easily been cut down to a two hour show though (removing the dull matches). The six-sided ring would have added t the nostalgia factor too.  It was nice to see some old faces back in the company too. Roll on the next themed One Night Only show.

www.impactwrestling.com

BY Phil Allely

Jerry Lynn Interview Highlights

Speaking to The Shining Wizards Wrestling Podcast, Jerry Lynn looked back at his career before his final Ring of Honor match at Final Battle. Highlights from the interview are as follows:

On his run with WCW and the creation of Mr. J.L.: "Brad Rheingans had ties with them, and he had asked me to come to his camp and help train the session he had at the time, and I asked him "It's been seven years, what do I have to do to get a break?" And Brad said, "Well, it's all changed, it's TV now, you have to come up with something visual." So I had an idea in my mind before he mentioned that, 'cause I'd been going to Japan quite a bit for Universal Pro and Michinoku, and saw a lot of cool masks, and no one was doing that in the states. 

"And at the time the Power Rangers were pretty popular on TV so I thought I'd come up with something similar to that but not exactly like it. And they (WCW) said that was exactly what they were looking for. So when I showed them the outfit, they brought me in, but they gave me such a lame name. But I was probably the last thing they had on their minds, because they had a lot of heavy hitters, with the NWO and stuff. I would tell people, no, that's Jushin Liger.

His time in ECW: "It was ironic that I even went to ECW because when I was living in Atlanta wrestling for WCW I'd get together at my buddy's place and watch ECW, and I always swore up and down that was one company that I would never work for. I was watching Balls and Sandman trading chair shots, then they'd hit each other with anything the fans handed over the rail; frying pans, Super Nintendos, and microwave ovens. It was crazy. But I ended up there anyway... 

"I had a tryout match in WWF with Taka Michinoku, and when that aired, Paul E. knew I wasn't with WCW anymore, and he had Chris Candido hunt me down. He asked me if I wanted to do a couple shots. So I was like OK, this is what I want, and one more thing: I don't want some idiot hitting me in the head with a frying pan. It worked out alright at first, but then I wound up getting clocked in the head with that kendo stick, a few chairs here and there, and I don't know how many tables I went through, and how many Van Daminators I took."

On working with Justin Credible and taking the next step: "At first, I would come up with ideas involving here and there, tables and who knows what else, and I always asked permission first, and I'd get shot down. And finally, Justin and I had a 2-out-of-3 falls match at the Arena, and I told Justin before the show that we're not going to ask permission to do anything out there. We're just going to go out there and do what we do. And after that, everything changed. I was just tired of being held back. I had more freedom."

Working with Rob Van Dam: "The first time I wrestled Rob, I came back through the curtain, my nose was bleeding, my lip was bleeding, I had blood coming out of my shoulder, my head was stuck turned to the side, and Al Snow sees me and said "you look like you've been through a war," and I looked at him and said "it's not supposed to be like this!" It's funny, Rob and I played rough, and it seems like every match either he or I or both of us got popped open. And the more they (the fans) were digging it, and the louder and rowdier they are, the harder we worked." 

The creation of the "New F'N Show" moniker: "This is the coolest thing. I never could never think up a weird, wacky gimmick for myself, you know, some show biz name or anything like that. And in Asbury Park at Living Dangerously, I think it was Rob and I in his first PPV match, after a series of moves, one whole section of the crown started chanting 'New F'N Show.' And the name just stuck. It was kinda cool that the fans gave me that name."

On the current state of pro wrestling: "When you have the bookers and storywriters hired from Hollywood, and they know absolutely nothing about wrestling, it becomes, you know, what do you do? When I do seminars, I tell guys watch older wrestling from the 80s. It was working, they must've done something right. Like in the earlier days of TNA, I liked the way they were furthering storylines. When I was in the feud with AJ Styles, we would do stuff like one of us would jump the other in catering, and we're fighting over tables and stuff instead of going to the ring and having a Def Comedy Jam with microphones. It's ridiculous. 

"There's so many times with guys out there sounding like two kids on a playground going 'my dad can beat up your dad.' If you're really pissed off and you're serious, and you're in a built up feud and there's heat, you're like alright, sh##'s on, let's go. That's why I miss the old NWA days where the Four Horsemen followed Dusty into the parking lot of the TV studio and jumped him. Stuff like that. Or when Eddie Gilbert and Tommy Rich in the USWA, Tommy Rich just bloodied him and Eddie came out and apologized, he had tears in his eyes, a heartfelt apology, and then he turned on him again. It was brilliant. Old school worked. Old school psychology will still work, you just fit the fancy new moves like a piece in the puzzle, where they make sense. Otherwise it's just a stunt exhibition. 

"There's a lot of guys that are in this to prove how tough they are. It's not about that. If you do this for any significant amount of time, you're gonna lose. The human body wasn't made for this whatsoever... Brad Rheingans, the guy who trained me, told me the secret to having a good match every time is if you and your opponent go out there and try to make each other look like a million bucks. But now it's so many guys that are like 'I wanna get this in.' It's all me-me-me. And when I'm gonna be in there with someone like that I'm just like 'oh, God, this is gonna be like pulling teeth' and 'am I gonna get out of this alive?' and all, and they forget the show isn't about one person, it's a team effort."

If there was anyone he didn't look forward to working with: "I'll have to admit, Rob and I were practically married it seemed for a couple of years there, and there were some nights I just wanted an easy night. And when I saw my name with Rob I was like 'oh, boy.' 'Cause he wasn't going to let up, I wasn't going to let up, we were wrestling each other three nights in a row on a weekend, it was crazy, and all those house show matches were PPV matches, I think."

If the future includes opening a wrestling school: "That's a tough gig. You gotta have a building, you gotta have a ring, you gotta have insurance in case someone gets hurt. Most people who wanna get into wrestling don't have money. I wouldn't want to put someone on a payment plan 'cause who's to say they won't quit after a few weeks and then run around and say Jerry Lynn trained me, and they're the drizzling sh##s. So I'd collect all the money up front, but no one has money. So that's a tough gig."

For more with Jerry Lynn, including his time in Global (GWF), his chemistry with Justin Credible, working up the ladder in wrestling, the family atmosphere and the fans in ECW, his time in the WWF, watching roller derby and wrestling growing up, the faceplant against Rob Van Dam, injuries over the years, the beginnings of the X-Division, his favorite metal bands, his upcoming, and last, match for Extreme Reunion with Homicide, and the possibility of coming out of retirement for Rob Van Dam's last match, go to ShiningWizards.com and listen to Episode 66.

Jerry Lynn Interview Highlights

jerry Lynn joined The Big Mosh, "The Chairman of the Board" Todd Vincent, and Jim Molineaux for his final-ever interview on Monday Night Mayhem, which is now available for FREE download, exclusively on the WrestleView Radio Network (available here). Highlights from theinterview are as follows:

His motivation for continuing to wrestle, despite thinking the subject of "retirement" for the past five years: "I love it. I have a passion for this that nobody will ever understand. The person that may realize this is Jake 'The Snake.' I've seen a lot of people come and go, but if you want to last, you must have a true passion for it to keep going through all of the politics, the injuries, and the sacrifices you make. And what I love about this is that you never stop learning. I'm still learning. There is so much more that I want to keep learning about it."

Being selected by Ring of Honor at "Final Battle 2012" to compete in one of his final matches:"It's going to be a big night. It's my last Ring of Honor show. It is very emotional. I've always been the one to say 'There's no crying in wrestling.' I've already started to feel a little misty-eyed. It's going to be a big show, because Ring of Honor had a big part in rejuvenating my career towards the end. Plus, the building (The Hammerstein Ballroom) is special too."

The one thing he wishes he could have done over in his career and the advice he gives to those just starting in the business based on that: "One of the only regrets I have is I didn't feel comfortable taking a move one time. I got talked into doing it, and it messed up my arm for life. So I always tell young guys that if you ever don't feel comfortable doing something, don't be afraid to say no, because it is your life on the line."

If his forthcoming retirement is just from wrestling inside the squared circle or if he will be stepping back entirely: "In-ring that it. I don't have a choice in the matter. My body is done. My bump card is full. I'm on fumes now, and I'm really pushing it. I’m just trying to get around to a lot of my regulars one last time. There's a couple of independent groups like Crossfire in Nashville, and Extreme Rising, and there might be a few others that may be interested in using me as a road agent behind the scenes to help them with the shows. You never know. I may be interested in being a trainer for the WWE one day. But that needs to be put on the back burner right now, because then I'd have to pick up and move the family. But again, they would have to be interested in me. I couldn't just show up and say 'I’m here!' But I would love to be involved behind the scenes, because I have a passion for this. There's a lot more I'd like to learn."