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“Second 2 None: World’s Toughest Tag Teams” puts TNA Wrestling, as an organization, into perfect perspective- TNA has so much potential, but yet that potential becomes lost by overbooking gimmicks. On this DVD you will find matches that will leave you in awe. You will also find matches which feel like one big gimmick. The insight of the wrestlers on this DVD, however, compensates for these gimmick matches.
“Second 2 None: World’s Toughest Tag Teams”, a two disc set, features four tag teams- Team 3D, The Motor City Machine Guns, Beer Money, and LAX. Between matches each tag team gives interviews about their careers. Some of the information shared proved to be rather interesting. For example, did you know in the early days of TNA, when Chris Sabin was X-Division Champion, Sabin worked during the week at Subway?
As far as the match list goes, things come out pretty evenly between quality matches and gimmick fests. Matches definitely worth checking out include Team 3D vs. The Motor City Machine Guns from Genesis 2007, The Motor City Machine Guns vs. Speed Muscle (a Japanese tag team) from iMPACT, and Beer Money vs. LAX from Hard Justice 2008.
Overall, fans of tag team wrestling should at least rent “Second 2 None: World’s Toughest Tag Teams” for a viewing. Only the TNA faithful will find this DVD to be a must-own.
This “Best of the Decade” post will be the last of my look back on the previous decade. With tonight’s Royal Rumble officially kicking off the road to Wrestlemania, the biggest event in wrestling every year, I can’t think of any better way to conclude my “Best of the Decade” posts than to highlight some of the more memorable moments from the past 10 Wrestlemanias. So without further ado, here we go!
Wrestlemania X8- The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan
On a technical level this bout sucked. However, the atmosphere created by the fans and announcers (Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler) made The Rock versus Hulk Hogan from Wrestlemania X8 memorable.
Wrestlemania XX- Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit
Say what you want about how Chris Benoit’s life ended, but at the time this bout was more emotional than anything else going on in wrestling. Benoit had been in the business for 18 years, and was fighting for a major world title for the first time at Wrestlemania, against arguably the WWE’s two greatest superstars.
Wrestlemania 24- Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair
I can think of no better way for the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair to retire from in-ring competition in America than to wrestle “Mr. Wrestlemania”, Shawn Michaels, at Wrestlemania. Hopefully, Ric Flair will stay away from in-ring action in TNA so the memory of this great match doesn’t become tainted.
Wrestlemania 25- Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker
As I mentioned above Shawn Michaels is “Mr. Wrestlemania.” HBK earned the nickname by putting on iconic match after iconic match at Wrestlemania. The Undertaker has etched his name into the Wrestlemania history books with his undefeated Wrestlemania record. Together, Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker, at Wrestlemania 25, put on a match for the ages.
Bound for Glory 2006 hosted the rubber match between LAX (Homicide & Hernandez) and AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels for the NWA Tag Team Titles. Styles & Daniels had lost the NWA Titles to LAX in a street fight on an iMPACT! broadcast, but regained the titles at No Surrender 2006 in an Ultimate X match. To prevent outside interference from LAX’s manager, Konnan, the rubber match would take place inside the six sides of steel.
Leading up to the PPV, LAX did everything they could to generate hatred from fans. Homicide, Hernandez, and Konnan attacked Styles and Daniels individually every chance they could. Ultimately, LAX did everything a good heel team should do, and this carried into the Bound for Glory match. Despite the six sides of steel, Konnan found a way to get involved in the match, helping his team regain the NWA Tag Team Titles.
The bout had high exceptions due to the Ultimate X match from the month before. The four wrestlers involved in the match did everything they could to meet those high exceptions and even surpass them. This match showcases TNA at its best, and definitely deserves to be recognized as “Best of the Decade.”
To me, JBL (John Bradshaw Lakefield) proved to be the biggest surprise of the past decade. Who would have thought, Bradshaw, one half of a mid-card tag team, would go on to have the longest world title reign in Smackdown history? When the WWE first booked JBL as heavyweight champion I thought the company was desperately grasping at straws, in order to find a main event wrestler. Little did I realize how much potential talent the former tag team champion possessed.
I think JBL’s greatest attribute as a main event wrestler was his ability to gets fans to hate him. JBL’s promos were some of the best wrestling promos from the past decade. Even as an ECW fan, I could appreciate JBL’s ECW One Night Stand promo where he ran down the ECW faithful
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I know I mentioned this match in my “Best of the Decade” Eddie Guerrero post, but after re-watching the match last night I feel strongly that the bout deserves its own “Best of the Decade” post. Eddie Guerrero winning the WWE Title after everything he went through in life is a feel good story that makes you realize, dreams can come true. Three years prior to this, in 2001, Eddie Guerrero was fired from the WWE for using drugs. Guerrero turned his termination into a wake-up call, getting sober, and eventually returning to the WWE.
The fans in the Cow Palace Arena made the match feel extra special, as they were fully behind Eddie Guerrero throughout the bout. Michael Cole did a good job of explaining the significance of the match to the casual viewer by talking about Guerrero’s past before the match started. The bout itself progressed nicely, with Brock Lesnar dominating Guerrero early on. Guerrero tried to get the advantage by taking out Lesnar’s leg but Lesnar remained in control. Eddie never gave up though, and with a small assist from Goldberg, Guerrero managed to realize his dream of becoming WWE Champion
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While I have not seen much of Samoa Joe in Ring of Honor, his work in TNA Wrestling alone, places him, at least in my mind, as “Best of the Decade” worthy. Joe debuted in TNA at Slammiversary 2005 and for three years remained at the top of the company. Samoa Joe’s time in the X-Division occurred when the X-Division was at its best and I don’t think that is any coincidence. . Wrestling fans talk a lot about Joe’s matches with AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels but Joe also had entertaining matches with Chris Sabin and many others in the X-Division.
His transition into the heavyweight division started great. Joe’s matches with Sabu (Lockdown 2006) and Scott Steiner (Slammiversary 2006) were very enjoyable. Personally, I think Samoa Joe should have won the TNA Heavyweight Title at Bound for Glory 2006, but hey, it wasn’t my call. Samoa Joe enjoyed a good six month title reign in 2008 anyways. In between late 2006 and 2008 Samoa Joe delivered entertaining matches, especially with Christian Cage and Kurt Angle
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Internet wrestling fans highly praise Shawn Michaels versus Chris Jericho from Wrestlemania XIX, and rightfully so. The build for the match took months, something you don’t see much of anymore in professional wrestling. Most feuds aren’t given enough time for a proper build. One month Wrestler A will feud with Wrestler B and the next month Wrestler A will be fighting with Wrestler C. The Shawn Michaels/Chris Jericho storyline proved to be a breath of fresh air. Chris Jericho became obsessed with ending Shawn Michaels’ career while Michaels looked to prove he could still go in the ring. Considering Shawn Michaels’ past performances at Wrestlemania, Chris Jericho wanted nothing more than to end Shawn’s career at wrestling’s biggest show of the year.
The match itself delivered as Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho successfully told a story in the ring. To diehard wrestling fans Shawn Michaels versus Chris Jericho was as big of a dream match as The Rock versus Hollywood Hogan from the previous year’s Wrestlemania. The only difference between the two matches is the talents of the wrestlers involved. Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho possess more pure wrestling talent than The Rock and Hogan
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“Sherlock Holmes”, starring Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law as Dr. John Watson, is interesting at best. While nothing about the movie stands out as bad, there is very little which is attention grabbing. The interesting aspect of “Sherlock Holmes” originates from my fascination with television shows like “Criminal Minds” and “Psych”.
In many ways “Sherlock Holmes” is the predecessor of these shows. “Criminal Minds” is about a group of FBI agents who work together to solve heinous crimes by studying the behavior of criminals. “Psych” is about a fake psychic detective who uses his ability to notice the unnoticeable to convince the Santa Barbara police department he is a psychic who can be an asset to their department. In many ways the characters on “Criminal Minds” and “Psych” are modern day Sherlock Holmes, considering a lot of Sherlock Holmes detective work was based on his observation of human behavior
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Being a fan of TNA Wrestling since 2004 I have not been very happy with the changes Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan have been making to TNA. I became attracted to TNA because everything about TNA was different, down to the ring. TNA had a better tag team division than the WWE and exciting high flying action with the X-Division. With the switch back to the traditional ring and the downplaying of the X-Division (which really isn’t Bischoff or Hogan’s fault) TNA comes across as dull and ordinary to me.
By pulling stunts like the “Orlando Screw Job” TNA comes off as lame. Taz kept asking “Is history repeating itself?” which seemed rather stupid as Hulk Hogan had nothing to do with the Montreal Screw Job in 1997. Overall, the whole segment came across as TNA trying too hard
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In my last “Best of the Decade” post I highlighted AJ Styles, a wrestler who enjoyed a very successful decade. In today’s post I am highlighting somebody who had a very similar decade, Rey Mysterio. The decade for Rey Mysterio started with the part of his career which no one talks about- wrestling without a mask in WCW. After WCW went out of business in 2001 Rey Mysterio disappeared from mainstream wrestling in America. In 2002 Rey Mysterio resurfaced as he joined the WWE and was placed on the Smackdown! brand.
For the rest of the decade Rey Mysterio entertained the WWE Universe with his great athleticism and high flying ability. Mysterio had many memorable matches, including matches with the likes of Tajiri, Eddie Guerrero, and Kurt Angle. The highlight of Rey Mysterio’s decade has to be when he won the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 22
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