My Take On 01.03.09: My Top 10 TNA PPV Matches of 2008

Posted by Larry Csonka on 01.03.2009

I continue my look back at the year 2008 with the Top 10 TNA PPV Matches of 2008! Alternate Column Title: The Kurt Angle Show!



Welcome!
As far as PPV is concerned, 2008 is finished. I have said it before and I will say it again, 2008 was a very good year for PPV, much better than 2007. So with the year in PPV complete, it is time to look back at some of the great matches from the year that was in PPV. Today I continue this look back with the top TNA PPV matches of the year. TNA is quite possibly the most bi-polar company in the history of the sport. Great wrestlers, a good mix of young up and comers and veterans, but sometimes they can't help themselves booking wise, and the product ends up suffering for that. Some matches will have the same rating, but will be separated by the importance of the match and or how it helped the performer or performers as far as their careers go. Remember, this is the Top 10 TNA PPV Matches of 2008.

Honorable Mentions
A) (TNA SLAMMIVERSARY) TNA X-DIVISION TITLE MATCH: Petey Williams © vs. Kaz ***¾

B) (TNA LOCKDOWN) LETHAL LOCKDOWN: Team Cage vs. Team Tomko ***¾

C) (TNA AGAINST ALL ODDS) HARDCORE STREET FIGHT: Team 3D and Brother Devine vs. Black Machismo and the Motor City Machineguns ***¾

D) (TNA TURNING POINT) TNA TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Beer Money © vs. The Motor City Machine Guns ***¾

E) (TNA NO SURRENDER) Ladder of Love Match: Sonjay Dutt vs. Black Machismo Jay Lethal ***¾


The Top 10


10) (TNA VICTORY ROAD) (Full Metal Mayhem – Six-Man War Match) AJ Styles, Christian Cage and Rhino vs. Kurt Angle and Team 3D ***¾

We kick off the list with a TNA standard, the gimmick match. But honestly, I really liked the set up to the match, with Team 3D running wild on Cage and Rhino for weeks, and it all working together for this match. It keeps the fires burning for the feuds, while not giving away another Angle vs. AJ singles match or 3D vs. Cage and Rhino. The match was some good stuff, and they usually deliver in these style of matches. First of all they kept the ladder spots to a minimum, they did a lot of tables, which the people have been wanting, included some cool dive spots, one with Cage diving from the top of the truss onto all the heels, which looked great. Angle played it smart, avoiding dumb spots and staying safe while still getting the job done. Unfortunately Devon suffered an ankle injury off of the Dudleyville device, but I give him much credit as he gutted out the rest of the match. A PROFESSIONAL. AJ was making a comeback as we headed towards the finish, fought off Johnny Devine who ran in, had Angle laid out on a table and as he climbed the ladder Frank Trigg hit him with the kendo stick. This allowed Angle to get the slam off of the ladder through the table for the finish. AJ is protected here because he got fucked, and it works. In the end this was a completely wild match as it needed to be with the stipulation. They did good work of delivering there, as well as setting up 3D vs. Cage and Rhino as well as continuing Angle vs. AJ, as well as the Trigg factor. There were tons to enjoy here, especially if you are a fan of the gimmick and style. Good build, good work, and they had stuff to follow up on when they were done, this is a good way to kick things off.

9) (TNA FINAL RESOLUTION {January}) TNA NO-DQ WOMEN'S TITLE MATCH: Gail Kim © vs. Awesome Kong ***¾

We head to #9, and to the Knockouts! This was a time when the division was young, and they were clicking as they were building an under card of ladies, but had Kong and Kim on top, and that was some magic. The previous month was a great set up as they set up Kong as the monster, killing Knockouts, referees and anyone that got in her way. That match was a good match as well, and this was once again AWESOME and even better than the previous month. Kong attacked right away and they brawled on the floor and into the crowd. I saved my "TNA Main Event Style" joke, because this made sense for this match and the feud. They just played variations on the monster vs. resilient face formula, and I loved it because it fits so perfectly with these two. Kong once again snapped and KONG BOMBED Slick Johnson's shorts, she would get a chair and nail him with it. Kim would get the chair, lay into Kong three times to finally get her down and land the big top rope splash, another ref would run out, but she could only cover for a CLOSE 2, which got a sweet neat fall pop. After a chokeslam, Kong only got a 2-count again and went to KONG BOMB the official, but Kim would roll her up for the win. THIS WAS EXCELLENT. Best women's PPV match in years, easily. Some people have complained that this was bad booking, but I disagree. First of all, the match was great and the finish made sense due to the way Kong has continually acted since coming to TNA. Her insane anger cost her the bout, she lost focus, while Kim remained focused because she wanted to survive, and it all made sense. Gail Kim will be missed.

TIE - 7) (TNA FINAL RESOLUTION {January}) TNA WORLD TITLE MATCH: Kurt Angle © vs. Christian Cage **** and (TNA AGAINST ALL ODDS) TNA WORLD TITLE MATCH: Kurt Angle © vs. Christian Cage ****

I will admit it, I am copping out a bit here, but I feel that I have good reason. Early in 2008, Christian Cage and Kurt Angle were the set up feud for Joe vs. Angle. It was the set up because it was designed to strengthen Angle as he headed into war with Joe, and also to get Cage out of the main event scene. It kept Angle string because he won, but also hated because he won through nefarious means, which kept Cage strong, but also was enough to move him onto other things. I expected these to be very good matches, they have the history and the chemistry. Seriously, Cage and Angle work so damn well together, and I really loved these two matches. They were different enough that you can watch them back to back and not feel like you have seen a repeat, but I feel that they go together, like a book that has two distinctive parts to it. These matches had action was well thought out, everything they did was clean, it made sense and in my opinion were worthy of the PPV main event spot.

6) (TNA GLOBAL IMPACT) IWGP 3rd Generation Title Match: Kurt Angle © vs. Yuji Nagata ****

Before anyone starts to bust my balls, yes I realize that this was NOT a PPV, but, Global Impact was not just an Impact either. Shades of gray as Vinnie The Ru would say, but, I'LL ALLOW IT! The "TNA Global Impact" was something I was looking forward too, and the announcement of an Angle Nagata match certainly had my attention. While Angle had good 2007 matches, the sentiment around this time was that he was finished, broken down, and that he couldn't work a "straight wrestling match" to save his life. In my opinion, this match helped to dismiss that notion. Angle went to Japan, and in front of a very different crowd not only got over well, but also put on one hell of a wrestling match with Nagata. Yes the "IWGP 3rd Generation Title" had all kinds of bullshit surrounding it, and yes most didn't recognize it, but it added to Angle's character at the time and gave us THIS very match, and it is because of that that I have no ill feelings towards the IWGP 3rd Generation Title. Very simply this was an excellent wrestling match between two greats, and if you didn't grab the Global Impact DVD, you really should.

5) (TNA TURNING POINT) FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE: Kurt Angle vs. Abyss ****

The Highlight of the Turning Point PPV was this match right here. Abyss and Kurt Angle went out there and busted their asses for 18-minutes in a falls count anywhere match. Quite honestly I think if they could have went without some of the slow ass crowd brawling at the beginning that it could have been even better, but it was all building to the climax, so it served its purpose. The bottom line is that it delivered in my opinion, but also I think it all depends on if you like this style of match. If you do you likely loved this. It was a great match that had the crowd the whole way, maybe more than any match on the show did. Great heat, big moves, kick outs of all the big stuff and in the end Angle survives while defeating the monster, but also Abyss isn't hurt in the loss due to how it was booked. Abyss takes a lot of shit from people that say he can't work a lick without the PLUNDAH, but for the most part this was very light on it. Brawling, the chair, and that's about it. Abyss can bring it, and as I have mentioned, he and Angle have great chemistry and always seem to deliver no matter what style of match they work. Angle is a crazy fucker, but bless him, he always tries to steal the show, whether it is in his best interest or not.

4) (TNA BOUND FOR GLORY) Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett ****

For months they have been laying the foundation for the first ever Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle match. There were teases with the music, random guitars appearing, Jarrett finally coming back and then the sparring sessions on the mic all led to this. It went from "professional" to "personal" in the blink of an eye, Mick Foley was added to the picture and with all of that mixed together, there were a lot of expectations going into this match. In the roundtable before this very show I said, "I have high hopes for this match. Angle has quietly been having good matches all year, and Jarrett is criminally underrated in my opinion. I figure Foley has something to do with the ending, leading to an Angle vs. Foley match." Well, high hopes met, another great match from Angle, Jarrett delivers after a long absence, and Foley had something to do with the finish which likely still will lead to Foley vs. Angle. Sometimes I look like I know exactly what I am talking about! Excellent stuff here from a wrestling standpoint and this was my match of the night. Angle continued to prove himself here as he had another great match against another different opponent, and Jarrett continues to prove critics wrong. He gets a lot of flack and people have this idea that he can't work, which is as far from the truth as you can get. Sure a perfectly clean finish would have been perfect, but this was the first match and it had to lay the groundwork for what we are seeing right now.

PS: Hey Mick, dude, put up your hands. No one will think less of you.

3) (TNA HARD JUSTICE) LAST MAN STANDING MATCH: Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles ****½

MORE OF THE KURT ANGLE SHOW! I was looking forward to this match more than any other this year. I have been a huge fan of AJ Styles for years and I always wanted a series of AJ vs. Angle matches. AJ styles has developed over the last 6-years into a great performer. Kurt Angle may be held together by superglue, duct tape and painkillers, and I think we can all agree that sanity left him a long while ago; but the fact is that the guy can still go and he always busts his ass in the ring. In my opinion that makes a lot to look forward too. They opted for the "Texas Death Match" rules here, pin or submission and then answer the 10-count. I prefer this format to the count when the man is down regular "Last Man Standing", as I think it allows for more drama. They worked a long match here, with the story that Angle didn't want the brawl to begin with and wanted to rely on his pure wrestling skills. AJ wanted to kill him, plain and simple. They worked a good pace for the opening segment, which went around 17:00. We got dives, brawling, hell Angle busted out a senton dive off of the stage; he seriously just doesn't care about his future, he just does things because he thinks he should. Styles took the first fall as he countered Angle going for a Styles Clash but AJ countered with the ankle lock and grapevine, and Angle tapped. Angle would respond with some quick pins and looked to dominate the match as the climax was them fighting to the top rope, and AJ getting a SICK DDT from the top. He pinned Angle and as the ref counted commentary did a good job of playing up Angle's neck issues, and he could not answer the count. Styles got a decisive victory here with no help, there were no run ins, no Karen and it was exactly what it should have been. It's amazing what happens when you throw two great performers out there and let them wrestle.

2) (TNA VICTORY ROAD) (World X Cup Semifinal Elimination Tag Match) Curry Man, Alex Shelly and Chris Sabin vs. Puma, Yoshino and Milano Collection AT vs. Rey Bucanero, Averno and Ultimo Guerrero vs. Williams, Dux and Kozlov ****½

I have to say that the opener of Victory Road gives me the chance to use one of my favorite words, that being scintillating. This is also exactly what TNA NEEDS to showcase more often to show that they provide something different, you know, an alternative? It was different, fresh and just fucking awesome. I thought they would do a gauntlet, but they did single elimination rules here, which I liked. In theory if your whole team survived, you would win all the points and lock up the entire thing, that being the X-Cup.. That's a cool dynamic. After a little roughness early, due to all the guys in there, which could have been a train wreck, things picked up and the match was total non-stop action (sorry) and completely awesome. I was worried that they may have trouble keeping the crowd, due to fans not knowing a lot of the guys, but they pulled the people in and made them care, made them chant and kept them the entire time, which was an accomplishment in and of its self. The main story was that Team Japan members Milano Collection AT and Puma got eliminated very early in the bout and Yoshino had to survive on his own, and he did, making it to the final two men. He and Alex Shelley had a great segment, longer than TNA usually goes for these kind of matches, and in the end Shelley got the big win, and Yoshino was treated like a star. Seriously, they could have brought him back and he would have been treated like a star by the fans and been a top X-Division guy, if they actually pushed the X-Division anymore. The match was simply awesome and a highlight of not only this PPV, but an overall highlight of the company for the year. I also have to mention that Averno, Bucanero and Guerrero all were great in the match, not only as far as wrestling goes, but as far as their characters go. I really wish those guys could be back more often.

1) (TNA LOCKDOWN) TNA WORLD TITLE MATCH: Kurt Angle © vs. Samoa Joe ****½

The first thing I want to say that I am far from the only person that gave the match a high rating. I know that the match is pretty controversial as far as ratings go. I have seen anywhere from **½ to ***½ (411's JD Dunn) and even as high as the full Monty of *****. No way do I feel that it was a perfect ***** affair, but I do think it was great. Secondly, I feel that most people that disliked the match went in wanting to hate it due to the MMA theme and likely hate MMA itself. Not all, but a good portion. Which is fine, it all comes down to personal preference and I personally loved the match. If you didn't cool, if you bought it and were disappointed, cool. I never said you didn't have the right. This is one of those matches that people will either love or hate. Again, "I FEEL" that this was great. TNA is often bashed on for not living up to their claim to be an alternative. On this night they did something different, something out of the box and it was great. The first 6-minutes or so was almost exclusively MMA work. Angle came out as promised dressed for battle. MMA shorts, taped hands and ankles and was set to fight. Joe already works leg kicks and strikes and that is what they worked early and it worked. Angle would try takedowns, go for a mount and drop hard punches. They then slowly worked into more of a pro wrestling match, which they did at the right time. These guys took a risk, they could have done the usual match and played it safe, but they took a risk and it paid off. The realism, the psychology, it clicked and it worked to me. People were popping for the rope breaks, the submissions and I just loved it. Plain and simple. Some people are blowing the small "boring chant" out of proportion, saying that it was due to the MMA theme. That happened during a figure four spot that went a bit long. That has nothing to do with MMA. The match built very well all the way to the ending, and the crescendo was the Joe win, which has been in the works forever. Back when I reviewed the ROH Man Up PPV, and the Danielson match I said, "They worked the story, they worked the eye, they worked the MMA stuff and it all worked in the end. This is very fresh and exciting stuff to watch because it is so different from everything else on PPV." Well Joe vs. Angle went that route and it worked just as well. While ROH has worked MMA themes before, WWE and or TNA haven't, which again was taking a risk. We also got a CLEAN FINISH IN A TNA MAIN EVENT! That is an important thing to mention again. I also love the fact that they only used the cage ONE TIME, and it MEANT SOMETHING at the finish. So great. This match came off as a BIG TIME main event, it was pushed as such, and it delivered. Something TNA has not done well in their short life. In the end, everything about this was what was right about TNA, which is so nice to say. Also, the built for it all worked so well that this PPV was scored the highest TNA buy rate of the year. It's amazing what happens when you do a proper build and pay it off in the end.

~PPV Stand Outs and PPV MVP~

AJ Styles – 2 Matches in the Top 10

Christian Cage - 3 Matches in the Top 10

TNA PPV MVP for 2008: Kurt Angle – 8 Matches in the Top 10! There was no question who the TNA PPV MVP of the year was, hell, the man is the overall TNA MVP of the year. I have been saying this for what seems like months, Angle has been completely forgotten in 2008, and that is a shame. Angle had had one hell of a year as far as great matches, in my opinion, and did so with a variety of opponents. Jeff Jarrett, AJ Styles, Abyss, Nagata, Samoa Joe, and Christian Cage. A very diverse set of opponents, yet they all provided great matches. Plus when you add in the very good promo work he has done, the formation of the Main Event Mafia and flat out, Kurt Angle had been the man in TNA. I understand that Edge, HBK, Jericho, Nigel and Tyler Black have all had great years, but I do think it is a crime that Angle is completely left out of the "Wrestler of the Year" discussion.

Stay tuned for My Top 10 WWE PPV Matches of 2008, as well as the Top 15 PPV MATCHES of the year!