TNA – Best of the X-Division Matches Disc One
Released: 2003

This was actually the very first DVD to be released by TNA, which should show you what the company’s main focus was originally. It starts out with a two-minute long intro set to System of a Down-type music with various highlights from the first year of TNA. It’s not as epic as the video packages we see during the monthly PPV days, but it gets its point across.

Your hosts are Mike Tenay and Don West.

– The Flying Elvises vs. AJ Styles, Low-Ki & Jerry Lynn – (6/19/2002)

This is the first-ever NWA-TNA match, as NWA legends like Ricky Steamboat, Dory Funk Jr., Bob Armstrong and others happily watch on from a monitor in the back. Ed Ferrera joins Tenay and Don West until West gets used to being a color commentator, which in TNA language means be as annoying as possible. He mostly says the same things he says now, but without knowing anything specific about the wrestlers. The Flying Elvises are Jorge Estrada, Sonny Siaki and Jimmy Yang dressed up as Elvis impersonators. Haven’t heard a whole lot of anything about Estrada lately, but Siaki was released by WWE developmental in the fall and Wang Yang is still kicking around on Smackdown. Let’s go to the match. No handshakes, because those Elvises fight dirty. The non-Elvises clear the ring all except for AJ and Yang. AJ snaps off a powerslam but then takes a shining wizard for two. Lynn tags in for a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. He follows up with a Tornado DDT, but Yang NO-SELLS and enziguri-kicks Lynn before whipping him into the Elvis corner. Yang hits a moonsault kick and tags Siaki. He misses a somersault legdrop and gets nailed with a headscissors. Wheelbarrow bulldog connects for two. Low-Ki tags in, but quickly takes a spinning neckbreaker for two. Siaki hits a Canadian backbreaker drop for two. Estrada tags for a split-legged moonsault for two. He continues with the offense by giving Low-Ki a neckbreaker out of the corner and then delivers a running SSP for two. Low-Ki comes back and dropkicks Estrada down to his knees for his patented series of kicks known as the Krush Combo. HOT TAG TO AJ! He nails Yang with a flying forearm, followed by the Quebrada DDT! Cover, 1-2-NO! Then Yang flips out of a German suplex and delivers a spin kick for two. Now AJ and Yang go to the floor while Estrada hits a sitout spinebuster on Low-Ki. Lynn comes in to break up the count and gives Estrada a CRADLE PILEDRIVER! Siaki’s waiting for Lynn to turn around – SIAKI SPIKE! AJ and Yang are back in the ring now. Yang backs AJ into the corner as Low-Ki sets up for the Tidal Krush (handspring enziguri), but Yang moves and AJ gets nailed. Estrada gets rid of Low-Ki with a missile dropkick to the back, while Yang heads up to the top for YANG TIME on AJ! That gets three. (7:41) A great start for the X-Division. They didn’t try to do too much, and what they did do was spotacular and tons of fun. ***

– AJ Styles vs. Psicosis vs. Low-Ki vs. Jerry Lynn – Elimination Match to crown the first X-Division Champion (6/26/2002)

Ed Ferrera joins Tenay and West on commentary for this one as well. Good thing he’s not playing Oklahoma tonight. You wouldn’t want to give someone like Don West any ideas. Period. This was fought under round-robin double-elimination rules. Two guys will start and when a guy loses, he sits down and lets another guy come in to fight the winner. Once he’s been pinned or made to submit twice, he goes back to the dressing room. Last man standing becomes the first X-Division champ. Scott Armstrong, “Slick” Mark Johnson and Ricky Steamboat take turns refereeing this thing. What’s with the cheap “Born in the USA” cover for AJ’s theme song? That was just awful. AJ and Psicosis start the match. Psicosis blocks a wheelbarrow-type move with a facebuster, but then turns around into a superkick for two. Psicosis quickly comes back with a spin kick and hits the GUILLOTINE LEG DROP for 1-2-NO! Psicosis tries a ‘rana, but AJ blocks that and delivers the STYLES CLASH! He turns him over for 1-2-3. (2:06) There’s one loss for Psicosis. Immediately Low-Ki is in the ring and starts up the Krush Combo, but AJ avoids the final roundhouse kick with a hurracanrana off the mat! Ki comes back with an enziguri and starts chopping AJ in the corner. Ki wants the Tidal Krush, but AJ catches him in mid-air and goes for the STYLES CLASH! But no, Ki LEAPS out of it and tosses AJ chest-first onto the top of the ringpost. Dragon Clutch! AJ makes the ropes and they fight on the apron, but Low-Ki gets the better of AJ by field-goal kicking him back into the ring. Ki attempts the Phoenix Splash, but AJ moves and Ki rolls away. AJ nails Low-Ki with a SICK clothesline and then follows up with the German Suplex/Wheelbarrow Facebuster combo. He turns him over for 1-2-3! (4:28) So much action in that short length of time. Now Low-Ki has a loss. Jerry Lynn doesn’t mess around and puts Styles away with the CRADLE PILEDRIVER. (4:51) Finally, Styles gets pinned. Psicosis nails Lynn from behind with a missile dropkick, but Lynn returns the favor with a headscissors. Lynn catches Psicosis with a boot in the corner and follows up with a bulldog for two. Psicosis takes Lynn to the floor and then flip dives out on top of him. Back in, Psicosis hits a flying spin kick for two. Lynn comes back with an inverted DDT for two. Now we have future Jerry Lynn doing an interview about how rough the first night of TNA was because they did two tapings that night. Meanwhile, Psicosis gets caught coming off the top with a dropkick. Lynn grabs Psicosis and puts him away for good with the CRADLE PILEDRIVER. (8:01) Ki comes in and kicks Lynn straight in the mouth for two. Lynn is still talking in that little cutaway interview box, by the way. It’s really distracting. There’s no reason they couldn’t have just stuck this in the extras if they felt it was just completely necessary. Ki hits the Muta-like Powerdrive elbow for two. Ki boot-chokes Lynn in the corner and then gives him a hurracanrana, but Lynn rolls through for 1-2-NO! Lynn dares Ki to kick him some more, so Lynn ducks a roundhouse kick and puts Ki down with an enziguri. He follows up with clotheslines, but gets sent out to the apron. Lynn avoids a shoulderblock and legdrops Ki’s head and shoulders on the middle rope. I hate that spot. It seems overly contrived. Lynn wants the CRADLE PILEDRIVER, but Ki counters it with a leg sleeper/armbar hold. Of course, that leaves him wide open for a powerbomb. Cover, 1-2-NO! Low-Ki blocks a suplex and goes for the KI-KRUSHER, but Lynn brings him down with a DDT. Short-arm clothesline sets up the CRADLE PILEDRIVER! This time he gets it. Cover, 1-2-3. (12:33) Low-Ki is now gone. Now AJ has to beat Lynn twice to win the X-title. The odds are stacked! A surprise clothesline doesn’t put Lynn away, so AJ attempts the STYLES CLASH. Lynn ‘ranas out of it, but AJ pops back up for a spin kick for two. Lynn hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. They fight on the apron where Lynn tries a sunset flip, but AJ stomps him on the face (or facial area if you’re Vince McMahon) and delivers a slingshot corkscrew splash for two. AJ hits a moonsault kick, but then runs into a boot and takes a Tornado DDT. Cover, 1-2-NO! AJ blocks a suplex and lifts Lynn up for one of his own, but drops him down into a neckbreaker! Wikipedia calls it the Styles Suplex Special. That gets two. AJ wants to rana Lynn out of the corner, but he puts on the brakes and delivers a running sitout powerbomb for 1-2-NO! Lynn tries the CRADLE PILEDRIVER, but AJ backdrops out and hits the STYLES CLASH! (16:36) This is the final fall. Ricky Steamboat will be the official, because he’s LEGENDARY. Both guys are down, but they come up fighting. They go through a neat rollup sequence that should make Steamboat proud. This leads to a double-clothesline. Next up, they go to the floor for some guardrail action. Styles hits a Quebrada DDT off the apron, but it doesn’t go as well as it does in the ring. Back in, that gets two. Ahh, another pop-up interview. This time its AJ Styles talking. “Some fat flob (??) couldn’t go out there and be in the X-division.” JOE! JOE! JOE! JOE! Oh yeah, there’s stuff going on in the ring. AJ tries another Quebrada DDT, but Lynn counters to a reverse suplex on the ropes. Lynn grabs AJ and DDT’s him back in for 1-2-NO! What’s really stupid about *this* interview is AJ gives the finish away to the match. If you were a new TNA fan in 2003 and you picked up this DVD to catch up on the company’s first year, I would be pretty pissed. Lynn now has AJ in an inverted Gory Special. AJ slips away and tries a rana, but Lynn stops that and flips AJ over and drives him down for a facebuster. Nice! Cover, 1-2-NO! Lynn wants that CRADLE PILEDRIVER, but AJ won’t let that happen and gives Lynn a neckbreaker over his knee. That gets two. Lynn stops a suplex with a brainbuster for 1-2-NO! He wisely grabs a sleeper, but AJ escapes with a jawbreaker. Lynn crotches AJ up top for a superplex for 1-2-NO! Lynn delivers some forearms and tries for another superplex, but AJ shoves him off and delivers the SPIRAL TAP for 1-2-3! (26:20) AJ Styles is the first-ever X-Division Champion. If there was ever a star-making match for AJ, this one was it. ****¼

– Low-Ki vs. Elix Skipper vs. Kid Romeo vs. Tony Mamaluke vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Jerry Lynn – Elimination Match (7/10/2002)

This is supposed to set up the list of contenders to the X-title. The last man standing is the #1 contender and the last guy to be pinned is the #2 contender and so on. Before the match, Jerry Lynn and AJ Styles got into it, which ended with Lynn giving the X-Champ and fellow tag-team champion AJ a Cradle Piledriver on a storage case. Romeo and Daniels start the match. They go through a chain sequence with hammerlocks. Daniels Japanese armdrags Romeo and then Skipper gets a blind tag. Triple X explodes! Skipper springboard flips over Daniels and nails him with a spin kick for two. Mamaluke tags Daniels to set up a kitchen-sink/flipping neck snap on Skipper for two. Northern lights suplex gets two for Mamaluke. Skipper blocks a wheelbarrow armdrag, but can’t avoid a dropkick to the knee. Lynn gets tagged by Skipper. Mamaluke finally gets that wheelbarrow armdrag, but then takes a gutwrench backbreaker from Lynn. Another backbreaker connects, as Low-Ki tags in for the Krush Combo. That gets two. Mamaluke comes back with an implant double-arm DDT to set up a guillotine choke! Tag to Daniels by Mamaluke, and we have Triple X exploding some more! Well, not for long. Low-Ki rolling kicks Daniels away and tags Romeo. Lynn tags and they exchange Gory specials. Tornado DDT by Lynn gets two. Daniels tags back in and attempts a Swandive headbutt, but nobody’s home. Tag back in to Lynn, they go to the floor. Daniels hits a split-legged moonsault press from the apron onto Lynn. Meanwhile, Romeo is up top. He dives out onto Lynn and Daniels. Now Mamaluke is up top. He flip dives out onto the three on the floor. Skipper and Ki are the only ones left. They decide to deliver STEREO FLIP DIVES on everybody! Daniels and Lynn head back into the ring where Lynn connects with that legdrop on the apron when Daniels sticks his head through the ropes. Lynn goes to the top, but Mamaluke trips him up and sends him crashing to the floor. Wow, the extra crowd noise is so obvious. Lynn gets counted out! (11:27) Meanwhile in the ring, Mamaluke gives Daniels a pair of suplexes and then a butterfly stretch on the mat. Skipper tags Daniels and puts Mamaluke away with the PLAY OF THE DAY (MVP’s Playmaker) (12:37) Low-Ki comes in and Triple X explodes again! Skipper’s head ducks under the top rope off a whip and he falls out to the floor. Back in, Skipper goes for the PLAY OF THE DAY again, but nope. Krush Rush sounds like a better idea. Cover, 1-2-NO! Ki starts kicking and then tries for the Springboard Enziguri, but Skipper MATRIX MOVES out of its way! Skipper missile dropkicks Ki into Daniels for a tag. Even more Triple X explosions! Okay, I’m about done with that. Skipper gives Daniels a trap suplex, followed by a reverse suplex for two. After some back and forth moves, Daniels delivers the LAST RITES (rolling cutter) out of nowhere to send Skipper to the back. (16:17) Uhh, has everyone forgot about Romeo? He hits Daniels with a wheelbarrow bulldog for two. Then out of nowhere, he dropkicks Low-Ki off the apron. I don’t think you want to piss that guy off. Romeo heads up top, but gets crotched for a hurracanrana. MAYBE NOT! Romeo puts Daniels on his shoulder and gives him a KRYPTONITE KRUNCH from the middle rope! Holy crap. Romeo covers and gets three, but then Slick Johnson sees a foot is on the bottom rope and declares Daniels is still in the match. While Romeo basks in the glory of his “win”, Ki tags Daniels and nails Romeo with a springboard enziguri. That leads to a Tidal Krush! Low-Ki grabs the Dragon Clutch and Romeo taps out. (18:23) Now we’re down to just Low-Ki and Christopher Daniels. He’s still out from that Kryptonite Krunch and I can’t say I blame him. Low-Ki covers him for two. They trade some SICK chops in the corner – then Daniels hits a flatliner out of nowhere. He follows up with an STO to set up for the BME, but Low-Ki is back up and crotches Daniels on the top rope. Low-Ki wanted to hang Daniels up in the corner with a Dragon Clutch, but Daniels elbows him off. BME? Yes! He covers for 1-2-NO! They go through a nice rollup sequence. Daniels goes for the ANGEL’S WINGS, but Ki kicks out and applies the Dragon Clutch! Daniels manages to snapmare out and deliver the Fall From Grace (front flip slam out of the corner) for 1-2-NO! He wants the LAST RITES again, but Low-Ki escapes with a kick to the face and hits the KI KRUSHER! Cover, 1-2-3! (23:23) Another amazing spotfest. This one never overstayed its welcome like it did in some areas in the first elimination match. The eliminations were booked a lot better in this match too, I believe. Sadly, they skip over the triple-threat match between Styles, Low-Ki and Lynn where Low-Ki won the title. ****½

– NWA-TNA X-Division Champion Low-Ki vs. AJ Styles vs. Jerry Lynn – Ladder Match (8/28/02)

Ki and Lynn trade chops while Styles grabs a ladder. They finally stop and go to the floor to meet AJ. Lynn takes a ladder shot and Ki kicks the ladder on Styles. They leave Lynn on the floor and head back into the ring. Low-Ki kicks AJ down and then goes after Lynn who is on the apron. Lynn tries that legdrop on the apron spot I hate, but Low-Ki avoids it and kicks Lynn through the ropes. Low-Ki is the BEST. Springboard enziguri connects on AJ, but then Lynn delivers a nice tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Ki. Crowd chants “we want ladders” as Lynn applies a surfboard on Low-Ki. Ki tries to escape, but AJ comes by and bulldogs him out. Lynn hits a suplex on Styles and grabs a Boston crab. Ki kicks Lynn in the chest to break the hold, but Lynn DARES him to do that again. Oh yeah, he kicks him again. Lynn still has the hold locked in, so Low-Ki slaps the mat and kicks Lynn a third time to complete the combo and finally break the hold. Styles gets whipped into the corner for a rolling kick! With Low-Ki in total control, he whips Lynn into the corner and then gives AJ the Krush Rush into Lynn! Low-Ki now tries to bring a ladder into the ring, but Styles regroups and baseball slides the ladder into Low-Ki. Styles makes a scaffold out of the ladder by placing one end on the guardrail and the other on the ring apron. Styles looks like he wants to give Lynn a Spiral Tap off the ladder, but Low-Ki chops some sense into him. Now all three guys are on the ladder. Lynn brings them both down by crashing their heads down onto the ladder. Lynn can now get the belt. Styles grabs hold of the folded-up ladder, so Lynn baseball slides the ladder into AJ to send him away. Lynn finally goes up for the belt, but Low-Ki is there to kick him down. Low-Ki folds the ladder up and leans it up against the ropes, as AJ’s back in the ring and starts dishing out the forearms, but then he turns around into a clothesline from Lynn. They trade blows until Low-Ki charges and falls right into a double-hiptoss onto the ladder! Lynn sets the ladder in the corner and whips AJ in, but Styles flips off the ladder and tries a tornado DDT. Lynn blocks *that* and gives Styles a release Northern Lights suplex into the ladder! Low-Ki then kicks Lynn square in the mouth. Low-Ki wants the Tidal Wave, but Lynn catches him in a powerbomb position. Lynn starts to run with him, but then Low-Ki snaps off a headscissors to send Lynn into the ladder! AJ runs Low-Ki down with the ladder and starts to climb as we get another pop-up AJ Styles interview that cuts into the match. AJ touches the belt, but Low-Ki is there to punch him down. He then trips up AJ in the “ladder of woe” like we saw with Jericho in the Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania 24. Instead of grabbing the belt like an intelligent person, Low-Ki gets down and gives Styles the Krush Combo until he just collapses to the mat. Low-Ki heads up again, but now Lynn is there to stop him with a back suplex off the ladder. AJ makes a ladder climb attempt, but Low-Ki grabs him by the tights. Whoops. They both fall to the mat. Lynn climbs up and gets the ladder turned over to send him flying into the turnbuckle. AJ hits the Quebrada DDT on Low-Ki. Now Lynn goes after Styles as Low-Ki tries a springboard enziguri, but Styles ducks and Lynn catches Low-Ki for a sit-out powerbomb. Styles and Low-Ki both bring ladders in the ring. Lynn gets knocked off, as Low-Ki punches Styles down across the top of the ladders to apply the Dragon Clutch! Lynn climbs up the middle ladder while Low-Ki and Styles are on the opposite ladders. He pushes both ladders over, but Low-Ki manages to balance himself with his foot on the top rope and gets the ladder back on all fours. AJ’s not as lucky – he falls all the way out to the floor. Huh, another ladder spot that we saw at WrestleMania 24. Who says WWE isn’t paying attention to TNA? Lynn and Low-Ki are now fighting on the same ladder! Lynn smashes Low-Ki’s face onto the top of the ladder and gives him a CRADLE PILEDRIVER OFF THE LADDER! Holy crap. That does it for Low-Ki. Lynn climbs back up the ladder and grabs the belt to win his first of two X-titles. (19:28) Excellent ladder match. It’s hard for these things to still be entertaining when you’ve seen so many of them even in 2002, but they pulled it off nicely. ****¼

– AJ Styles vs. Joel Maximo vs. Jose Maximo vs. Kid Kash vs. Ace Steele (w/Mortimer Plumtree) vs. Tony Mamaluke – X-Title Ladder Match (10/9/2002)

Since Jerry Lynn had to vacate the title due to a knee injury, TNA “Authority Figure” Bob Armstrong says he’s sick and tired of all the X-Division mess and decides that whoever wants to be in this vacant X-title match can be in it. This isn’t like the elimination match before where you had only two guys in the ring at one time. Oh no. This is six guys in the ring at once. Everybody just starts punching each other until the SAT slide out and grab ladders. Mamaluke meets them on the floor and gets sandwiched in between the ladders before Steele and Kash deliver STEREO BASEBALL SLIDES into the ladders. With five guys on the floor, Styles hits them all with a SPRINGBOARD SHOOTING STAR PRESS. One of the SAT brothers takes a Quebrada DDT in the ring. Looks like either a JIP or an edit job on the actual broadcast because the other SAT bro was on the top rope a second ago and now he’s not. Kid Kash takes a brainbuster from Styles. He and Mamaluke bring ladders into the ring. As AJ sets up the ladder, Mamaluke runs underneath the ladder and spears Styles down. Mamaluke heads up the ladder, but one of the SAT twins missile dropkicks him down. Kid Kash hurracanranas one of the SAT twins from the ring down on the floor. Meanwhile, Steele sets a ladder in the corner and places AJ on it in the “ladder of woe” position for a running dropkick to the face. Kid Kash reaches back into the WrestleMania 10 playbook by coming off the top rope and smashing the ladder down on top of Styles. Now one of the SAT brothers gets stuck in the “ladder of woe”, as Styles runs at him and sandwiches him with another ladder! Then Kash and Styles take the other SAT twin and powerbombs him into the ladder that’s still laying on top of his brother! That’s a tough spot to transcribe. Pretty nasty spot though. Kash and Steele fight over something on the top, which ends with Steele taking a superplex. Kash starts to climb, but Mamaluke turns over the ladder. Kash gets his revenge by punching Mamaluke off the ladder from the other side. Instead of grabbing the belt, he decides to moonsault off the ladder onto Steele and one of the Maximos. It looks awful considering the ladder was too close to the ropes for that and Kash basically lands his legs on the top rope. It could’ve hurt him pretty bad. Styles knocks everybody down with forearms and then goes for a suicide dive, but one of the Maximos blocks it with a ladder. Meanwhile, Steele stomps Mamaluke’s arm in the ladder. Now Styles and Kash set up ladders side-by-side as everybody starts to climb. The SAT try to give Kash a SPANISH FLY from the ladder, but Kash fights one of them off and gives the other brother a botched tornado DDT. Not good. We JIP to one of the Maximos getting their junk rocked by a falling ladder and an AJ Styles that came along with it. Steele and Mamaluke headbutt one another on top of the ladder as Kash comes off the top with a missile dropkick. Ouch. Steele fell back-first on one of the legs. They set the ladder back up side-by-side so Kash can finally take the SPANISH FLY. Then Styles gives Steele a sunset flip powerbomb, which just looked insane. There’s no way Steele didn’t have a concussion after that – not to mention the fall onto the ladder leg. Mamaluke gives Styles a facebuster while Steele and one of the SAT guys fight on the floor. Styles guerrilla presses Mamaluke out to the floor and then gives Kash a super-brainbuster! With everybody down and out, Styles climbs the ladder (somebody tell that Maximo boy to stay down!) to grab the belt. Hey wait a minute! SYXX-PAC’s in the ring! He gives Styles a back suplex off the ladder and then climbs up and pulls down the belt for the win. (15:04 shown) This wouldn’t have been so bad if the last five minutes or so wasn’t one train wreck after another. Worst match on disc one for sure. **¾

– NWA-TNA X-Division Champion AJ Styles (w/Mortimer Plumtree) vs. Jerry Lynn – (11/6/2002)

This is AJ Styles during his first real TNA heel run. Here he’s a cocky heel with a douche bag manager, now he’s an idiot in love with another man’s wife. Anyways, AJ regained the belt two weeks earlier from Syxx-Pac and Jerry Lynn gets his first chance since his knee injury to regain the belt he never lost. Nice chain wrestling to start. Right after that, we JIP to AJ applying a Dragon sleeper on Lynn. He motions for the STYLES CLASH, but after he hooks the arms with his legs, he sits down on Lynn for a Samoa Joe crab. Styles tries a hurracanrana, but Lynn brings him down with a facebuster. Plumtree hops up on the apron to prevent any kind of nearfall for Lynn. Either that or Plumtree totally missed his cue. Styles comes back with a low blow and the Quebrada DDT gets two. AJ delivers the Moonsault kick, but then charges back at Lynn and gets caught with a sit-out powerbomb! Another Jerry Lynn pop-up interview cuts into the match. Next, they do the spot where Lynn blocks a tornado DDT and launches AJ into the corner with a release Northern Lights suplex. Cover, 1-2-NO! Heel miscommunication ensues, leading to a CRADLE PILEDRIVER! Cover, 1-2-NO! Sonny Siaki comes down to ringside. Over the past several weeks, he and Lynn had been having some pretty decent matches against one another. TKO connects on Styles for 1-2-NO! Siaki pulls the ref out! Meanwhile, Plumtree wedges a chair in the corner. Lynn gets shoved face-first into the chair. AJ rolls him up as Plumtree directs the ref to where the ring is for 1-2-NO! STYLES CLASH for 1-2-NO! AJ heads up for the SPIRAL TAP because that puts everybody away. Lynn meets him at the top and gives Styles a top-rope superplex! Cover, 1-2-NO! They fight over a backslide, which ends with Styles giving Lynn a pancake facebuster for two. Lynn slips out of a STYLES CLASH attempt and tries a Tombstone Piledriver! Wait, no, AJ reverses! No! Lynn reverses again and cradles Styles for the final Tombstone Piledriver! That gets three! Lynn has won his 2nd and final X-title. (8:33 shown) The whole thing was about twenty minutes long and ranged around the **** to ****¼ mark. This was excellent by itself though. ***½

Final Thoughts: So far, this is a phenomenal DVD set. With three of the six matches being ****+, how can you go wrong? Disc two coming up soon!