TNA: Unbreakable
September 11, 2005
Orlando, FL
Universal Studios

The current NWA & TNA Champs were as follows:
NWA World Champion: Raven (6/19/2005)
NWA World Tag Team Champions: The Naturals (4/29/2005)
TNA X-Division Champion: Christopher Daniels (3/13/2005)

Instead of the Michael Clarke Duncan sound-alike for the intro, we get Howard Cosell?

Your hosts are Mike Tenay and Don West.

Straight from every trailer park ever, the world’s biggest
3 Live Kru fan. He’s so proud of them.

• 3 Live Kru vs. The Diamonds in the Rough
  

This is the first time all three members of 3LK have wrestled as a team on PPV since January, so I guess that’s a big deal. Yo yo yo, Konnan publicly apologizes for accusing BG James of being shady with Kip James. Now he wants to know where his dogs are at. Skipper stomps BG down to start. BG thinks that’s cute and comes back with the Shake, Rattle, and Roll. Shaky Knee Drop gets two. In comes Young as he gets stomped by Killings and BG. After Simon Diamond runs in and takes a big boot, he slaps Skipper to psyche him up. GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME. I’m not even in the match yet, coach? As Young reverses a whip on BG, Skipper springboard leg lariats BG to turn the tide. Diamond runs into a double-KO as Konnan gets the hot tag. Rolling Lariat to Young. Skipper does the MATRIX MOVE to avoid a clothesline, but stands back up into a Slop Drop. Off comes the shoe. Diamond and Young try to double-team Konnan, but he avoids the charge by Young and clotheslines Diamond. Now Young gets the shoe and eat the K-FACTOR. He covers Young while Killings takes care of Diamond for the 1-2-3. (4:21) Kind of like an iMPACT! match in length and quality. *½

They show us the happenings of what went down on the pre-show. Monty Brown interrupted the Cassidy Riley v. Jerrelle Clark match with POUNCES and challenges the winner of Raven v. Rhino at the Bound for Glory PPV. Certainly with an interest in this, Jeff Jarrett heads out in full ring gear for some reason to ask Monty just what the heck he thinks he’s doing. Kip James comes out and tries to cool things down. Next thing we see is Jeff Hardy attacking Jarrett. Once Hardy pulls out a chair, Kip James pulls Jarrett out to safety.

• Austin Aries vs. Roderick Strong
  

GENERATION NEXT EXPLODES! In his TNA debut, Strong even has the tights on to prove it. Tenay and West don’t insult your intelligence either by actually mentioning their involvement in Ring of Honor and being in the same stable together. I do kind of have a problem with the crowd chanting “ROH” though, but TNA can’t do anything about that. Headlocks and armbars to start as they feel each other out. Finisher attempts lead to a stalemate. The Future TNA Heavyweight Champion of the World goes for the IED, but Strong catches him in mid-air for a backbreaker and then press slams him violently into the corner. Another backbreaker and Strong whips Aries hard into the corner. Strong punishes Aries on the mat for a while. Back up, Aries wins a chopfest and follows up with a nasty series of clotheslines. Powerdrive elbow gets two. Aries catches Strong with the Macho Man Neck Snap and continues with a slingshot corkscrew splash for another nearfall. Variation tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two for Roderick. DEATH BY RODERICK and then the SICK KICK! Cover, 1-2-NO! Then Aries sneaks up with a small package for 1-2-NO! Roderick can’t turn the STRONGHOLD over, so he settles for a catapult. Aries flips out of a Half Nelson Suplex and hits the IED! BRAINBUSTER leads to the 450 SPLASH and Aries wins. (8:00) Just real smooth action here with both guys showing what they can do and hitting their spots to perfection. On September 22, both Aries and Strong would sign TNA contracts. ***¼

In the back with Shane Douglas, Kip James confronts Monty Brown saying he should apologize for trying to disrupt Jeff Jarrett’s plans. Uhh no, he won’t do that. Kip thinks Brown is maybe overlooking their tag match tonight. Nah, they gonna get POUNCED, period.

HOLY CRAP.

• Monty Brown & Kip James vs. Lance Hoyt & Apolo (w/Sonny Siaki)
  

So Monty Brown decapitated Sonny Siaki with a chair last week on iMPACT! Lance Hoyt came in and prevented Apolo from receiving the same treatment, so now we’ve got a match. Can Apolo look much more like a Batista rip-off? He’s just a belly button tattoo short. Siaki heads out wearing a neck brace pointing fingers at Monty Brown, but Apolo and Hoyt tell him that they got this. Lots of running the ropes to start from Hoyt and Kip. Brown tags in as he and Kip charge into a double clothesline from Hoyt. Side Slam on Monty gets two. Apolo tags in for some clotheslines of his own. Back over to Hoyt. Kip gets a blind tag, but Hoyt sees it coming and drills Kip with another clothesline. Am I watching an Ultimate Warrior match? Brown nails Hoyt from the apron as Kip drops him with a neckbreaker. Monty tags in and hits a butt-butt in the corner, but Monty misses a charge and Hoyt starts the Hoyt-count corner punch. Monty tries for a Hat Trick of Back Suplexes, but the third one is sort of a side slam. ARE YOU NOT…ENTERTAINED? Kip tags in and rushes into a double-KO. Hot tag to Apolo. Clotheslines abound. He drops Monty with a DDT and delivers a powerslam to Kip. Sky High on Monty gets two. Kip stops the pin and hits Apolo with the FAMOUSER. Kip stands up into a Big Boot to set him up for the Moonsault by Hoyt. As Hoyt turns away to gloat, Brown throws him out to the floor where Hoyt eats the ringpost. Now Monty grabs Apolo, but Kip boots Monty by mistake for some heel miscommunication. Kip turns back around into a Superkick from Apolo for 1-2-NO! Apolo looks for the TKO, but Monty pulls Kip off his shoulders. Next thing Apolo knows, he getting the POUNCE for the 1-2-3. (9:59) Just a chance to further the miscommunication angle while keeping them individually strong. That is at least in Monty’s case. Kip just about took Apolo’s finisher for crying out loud. **

• Petey Williams vs. Chris Sabin
  

This was supposed to be Sabin v. Shocker, but AAA bookings made that impossible for Shocker to get to the show on-time. I’d rather see this one anyway. By the way, we won’t see Shocker again until they start up the World X Cup at the end of April in 2006 as captain of Team Mexico. Indy wristlock exchange to start. As Sabin goes to the floor, he avoids the slingshot headscissors and takes Petey for a ride into the guardrail with one of his own. More counters and missed moves on the apron. Sabin catches Williams with a running dropkick, but misses a dive off the apron and lands hard on the guardrail. Back in, Petey gets two. Over in the corner, Williams embarrasses Sabin with the O CANADA nut squash. Sabin tries coming back with a powerbomb, but Williams counters into a DDT. VINTAGE JUVENTUD. Sabin fights out of a bowtie lock into a short-arm clothesline. Petey tries a flying back elbow out of the corner, but Sabin drills him with a dropkick. Sabin delivers a series of forearm smashes and enziguri kicks Petey for a fisherman buster for 1-2-NO! Finisher attempts fail and then Petey locks on the Sharpshooter. Sabin makes the ropes. He catches Petey off a corner charge and comes back with a springboard tornado DDT for another nearfall. Now Petey hits Sabin with the Canadian Legsweep. CANADIAN DESTROYER gets blocked and Sabin tries a springboard dropkick, but Petey swats him away. Wheelbarrow facebuster by Petey gets two. Back to the Sharpshooter, but Sabin powers out. Petey misses a corner charge for the Bobby Eaton bump. Sabin lifts him out of the corner and delivers a running crucifix bomb across the ring into the opposite corner! Awesome! Petey fights off the CRADLE SHOCK by digging his fingers in Sabin’s eyes. While Sabin is blinded, he picks ref Mark Johnson up on his shoulders. He then realizes the guy on his shoulders is WEARING CLOTHES and puts him back down. The CANADIAN DESTROYER gets countered into the CRADLE SHOCK to give Sabin the three-count. (12:38) Crowd seems disappointed. It does feel like a while since we’ve seen the Canadian Destroyer. Not quite on the level of their Turning Point ’04 match, but still pretty good with basic “I know you, you know me” psychology. ***¼

After the match, Matt Bentley returns to TNA and wants an Ultimate X match at Bound for Glory. Oh yeah, plus there’s superkicks for both guys.

• Sabu vs. Abyss (w/James Mitchell) – No DQ Match
  

James Mitchell changes the rules of the match. When Sabu steps through the ropes, he will be signing his own death warrant. Is Harley Race writing promos now? Sabu tries the stick and run approach against the big guy, but Abyss just owns him. A fan gives Sabu a chair as he starts up the legdrops. Sabu sets up the chair and jumps off for a clothesline to send Abyss over the top rope to the floor. Out comes the tables. Sabu somersault planchas onto Abyss. Back in, Sabu jumps off the chair and off the top rope for a swinging DDT for two. Sabu tries to spring off the chair for another clothesline, but Abyss kicks the chair away and slings Sabu through the air and on the tables. That gets two. Another table gets set up in the ring, but Sabu nails Abyss in the face with a chair for two. ARABIAN FACEBUSTER THROUGH THE TABLE! Slow cover gets two. Mitchell puts the foot on the bottom rope and then gets grabbed, which allows Abyss to hit the Shock Treatment for 1-2-NO! The crowd has been clamoring for them, so Abyss pulls out the thumbtacks. Abyss tries to put Sabu on the tacks several times, but then Sabu springboards into the BLACK HOLE SLAM ONTO THE TACKS! That’ll do. (11:31) Some drama in the finish, but this is really just your standard Abyss match. I mean, how many monthly PPVs have we seen thumbtacks used? So far, there’s only been ten of these PPVs. **½

Tenay and West announce that Sean Waltman is a no-show and they pretty much bury him.

• Jeff Hardy vs. Bobby Roode
  

I’m watching all the iMPACTs leading up to this show and I still have no idea why this match is happening. In the early going, Roode cuts off a Corkscrew Moonsault and takes over. He works the core while telling us that USA sucks. Hardy eventually does hit the Corkscrew Moonsault for two. He follows up with a Flatliner and calls for the SWANTON BOMB, but out comes Petey Williams to trip up Jeff using the hockey stick. Roode delivers the Pop-Up Superplex for two. Petey tosses Roode the hockey stick, but fails to make that work as Hardy hits him with the TWIST OF FATE. Roode then rolls to the floor and while Petey check on him, Hardy dives on top of them. After Hardy tosses Roode into the steps, he has to fight off a Canadian Destroyer from Williams. Next thing you know, Jeff Jarrett is out to break the hockey stick over Hardy’s back for retribution from the pre-show. Jarrett rolls Hardy inside the ring as Roode covers for the 1-2-3. (9:09) This was okay, but just didn’t click on all cylinders either from laziness or apathy from realizing that they were being stuck in a rather meaningless match. I’m not sure exactly which though. **

In the back, AMW try to start something with the Naturals and Jimmy Hart which is pretty dickish and shows signs of what is SOON to come.

• NWA World Tag Team Champions The Naturals vs. America’s Most Wanted vs. Team Canada vs. Alex Shelley – Elimination Match
  

Some members of the Candido family are ringside with Dixie Carter and her hubby. Tenay and DW keep harping on Waltman for being a no-show leaving Shelley to fend for himself. Shelley tries to get the quick pin when he’s tagged in, but soon becomes the poor face-in-peril with A-1 and Eric Young in control. Eventually, Johnny Candido has enough of seeing Shelley suffer and jumps the rail to hot tag Shelley. Unfortunately for Shelley, Johnny is a fairly inexperienced wrestler and gets pinned by Young with an inside cradle at 5:26. Now James Storm heads in and delivers not just the Swinging Noose but also the EYE OF THE STORM on Young for 1-2-NO! A-1 catches Storm with a knee from the apron and beats him up on the outside. It’s basically rinse, wash, repeat with that method. Harris comes over to break it up at one point. Back in, Storm fights out of a chinlock and catches EY with the LAST CALL superkick. HOT TAG TO HARRIS! He destroys Team Canada until A-1 crack a hockey stick over his back as Young cradles Harris to eliminate AMW at 12:26. And then there were two. The Naturals control Young until he tosses out Douglas. While Jimmy checks on Douglas, EY comes over and shoves him up against the guardrail. Back in, EY gets two. HOT TAG TO STEVENS. Alabama Slam on Young gets two. A-1 puts a stop to Stevens with a nasty powerbomb. Douglas fights off a superplex from A-1, but can’t avoid the one from Young. Team Canada goes for a Doomsday Device, but Jimmy Hart shoves EY onto the top rope to break it up. Meanwhile, the Naturals deliver the NATURAL DISASTER to A-1 and that’s all she wrote. (18:01) Kind of disapp77ointing considering the two stories in this match were the first to be taken out of the match. Alex Shelley as the sole member of a team could have been played off better. Plus, the beef is with AMW and the Naturals, not necessarily Team Canada anymore. Once iMPACT! hits Spike TV, this thing between AMW and the Naturals will all be settled. You’ll see. **½

Backstage, Shane Douglas talks with Rhino and mentions how prestigious the NWA world title is. Really, Shane?

• NWA World Heavyweight Champion Raven vs. Rhino – Raven’s Rules
  

Raven brings a shopping cart full of goodies for this one. They make use of the goodies to start – including a pizza cutter that runs across Rhino’s forehead to make him bleed. Raven finds a beer keg and smashes Rhino’s face off it. As Raven puts a ladder into the ring, Rhino swings the beer keg at Rhino a few times. Back in, Raven canes Rhino and slaps on the ANKLELOCK. Rhino elbows him back and knocks him to the floor for some chairshots. A trash can gets involved as Rhino stomps one into Raven’s face. Face wash misses and Raven is back at the ANKLELOCK. Rhino bashes the dented trash can over Raven’s head to break the hold. Out comes the staple gun, which seems to be another TNA favorite. Raven takes a couple staples just above the hairline, followed by a chairshot. He lays Raven on the same chair and takes a flying splash, but Raven moves and Rhino meets steel. Raven rallies back with clotheslines and the running bulldog out of the corner for two. Raven sets up the chair for the drop toehold, but Rhino slams his face down on the chair instead. Cassidy Riley comes out and distracts the ref for some reason just before Raven hits the RAVEN EFFECT to prevent a possible three-count. Whoops. Rhino builds a ramp with a ladder and the chair. With Raven in the corner, Rhino climbs up to punch on him when Raven counters with a powerbomb onto the ladder to bend it in half. What a silly spot. Now that Rhino is on the apron, Raven puts the ladder in between the ropes to create a see-saw effect into Raven’s face. It just seems so contrived to me. Rhino brings the shopping cart into the ring where they pay homage to the spot they did at Backlash 2001 where Rhino GORES the cart. This looked more brutal as he didn’t go inside the back of the cart like in years past, but just ran hard into the cart instead. Out comes Jeff Jarrett to bash Raven with the NWA world title belt. Jeff Hardy comes down and pulls it away from Jarrett. Apparently he’s so confused by this, that Raven just grabs him for the RAVEN EFFECT with no kick set-up or anything. Very strange. RAVEN EFFECT to Rhino ends this one. (14:30) Some good and bad spots here. If I had to choose though, I’d go with the Backlash 2001 match. **¼

• TNA X-Division Champion Christopher Daniels vs. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
  

Daniels is mentioned for having the longest X-Division title reign ever, which is a record that will stand until Austin Aries holds the title belt. Aries didn’t just surpass Christopher Daniels, he obliterated it. Onto the match. If you have seen and appreciate the first ever ROH main event in February 2002, then you’ll smile at the beginning of this match. Joe and Styles kick the crap out of Daniels to the point that he demands they stop kicking him, which just means he gets kicked again. The crowd eats that up. While they look over the damage done to Daniels, AJ tries to get the quick win on Joe. He pays for that game plan with the Rings of Saturn. Daniels makes the save, but takes an enziguri kick to the floor. He trips up Joe and hits Styles with a bulldog while kicking Joe down. Big chop battle leads to Daniels taking STJoe in the middle of the ring. Styles snaps off a headscissors on Joe and then lands a jumping clothesline on Daniels in the corner. He runs back to Joe, but takes a mean belly to belly throw into the corner. Joe wants the face wash, but Daniels intercepts and knocks Joe out to the floor. Daniels follows out Joe with a split-legged moonsault press, so AJ tops that with a springboard SSP. Cover on Joe, AJ gets two. Styles nails the best dropkick in the business for two. Daniels comes back in and monkey flips AJ into Joe for a headscissors. Just wild stuff. Next up, Styles takes a nasty backdrop to the floor leaving Daniels and Joe in the ring. Daniels starts punching Joe, which goes south for him. He tries an O’Connor roll and falls back into the COQUINA CLUTCH! It looks to be curtains for Daniels, but AJ saves the match with the SPIRAL TAP! Daniels yanks Styles to the floor and goes for the BME on Joe, but AJ interrupts and puts Daniels in the tree of woe. As he kick on Daniels, Joe runs over to knee Styles in the face. With Daniels still hanging in the corner, Joe gives him a running kick from across the ring. Sick Kick to AJ and Joe lands the running senton splash for two. Daniels slows down Joe with a Death Valley Driver for two.

Now AJ and Daniels head to the floor. As Joe wakes up, he does a corkscrew plancha onto both men! Back inside, Daniels stops the MUSCLE BUSTER and AJ joins him up top where Joe backdrops them both to the mat. Crazy! AJ and Joe trade blows, but Joe wins that exchange with a release German suplex. MUSCLE BUSTER to AJ. In comes Daniels with the X-Division belt and he charges Joe, but gets caught in a powerslam. Joe can’t BELIEVE Daniels would use the belt on him. During a title tug-of-war between Joe and the ref, Daniels enziguri kicks the title upside Joe’s head to take him out. Now AJ and Daniels get into a forearm smash exchange. Daniels ends that with a Blue Thunder Driver for two. BME on Styles, but Joe interrupts the pin and follows up with a series of kicks Daniels to the jaw. Daniels fights back with a jawbreaker and hits LAST RITES on Joe to take him out. AJ rallies back with a Quebrada DDT on Daniels for two. However, Daniels stops Styles up top for a superplex. Joe tries to capitalize by trying to cover each man, but only gets nearfalls. Powerbomb and STF by Joe, but Daniels reaches the ropes. Joe goes over and nails AJ with some European uppercuts, but then Styles busts out the Pele Kick. Shades of Sacrifice as Styles applies the Torture Rack and slams Joe down for 1-2-NO! Daniels goes after AJ, but takes the STYLES CLASH for 1-2-NO! Again, Joe makes the save. Now it’s Joe going after Daniels. He charges Daniels up against the ropes, but Daniels hits the mat and Joe goes flying out to the floor. Back to AJ v. Daniels. After they exchange punches, Daniels thumbs the eyes and tries for the ANGEL’S WINGS, but AJ backdrops Daniels over and lands on top long enough for the pin and his fifth title. (22:51) Awesome match to say the least as this is the perfect definition of Total Nonstop Action. I don’t know that it still is, but I would say it is the most celebrated match in TNA history. It’s just funny because all these three did was bring what they had been doing in the independents for years already for a worldwide audience. *****

Final Thoughts: TNA has had better shows and matches that previously were done better, but you can’t beat that main event. You just can’t. Thumbs up for Unbreakable 2005.

AND NOW FOR A SPECIAL BONUS MATCH!

• NWA World Heavyweight Champion Raven vs. Jeff Jarrett – Raven’s Rules (9/15/05, BCW, Oldcastle, ON, Canada)
  

So TNA had no TV deal after Unbreakable leading up to their Spike TV debut, but they wanted to get the belt off Raven and back onto Jarrett for the premiere. This left them only choice and that was to have a match in one of their sister promotions. Border City Wrestling is a promotion stationed out of Windsor, Ontario, Canada owned by Scott D’Amore. It’s a company that has trained Team Canada members and the MCMGs. Anyways, this is the location of this big NWA world title match. During the pre-match mic time, Jarrett vows to win back the NWA world title while Raven points out that the referee is extremely overweight. Raven says Jeff can say what he wants about Canadians, but at least they aren’t a bunch of Tennessee rednecks. Feeling-out process to start complete with all sorts of wristlocks, headlocks, and the like. They head to the floor and fight through the crowd to get this that old ECW/Memphis feel. Back to the ring, Jarrett low blows Raven and hits the Bossman Straddle followed by the Bossman slide and uppercut. One of the fans gives Jeff a GEETAR, but the ref won’t let him use it for some reason. Oh, but STAPLE GUNS are cool?! Jarrett is all about hooking on the sleeper here. Raven’s trick knee acts up to signal his comeback. Knee lift, clothesline, and bulldog follows. A table gets set up in the corner by Raven. When finisher attempts fail, Jarrett goes back to the sleeper. First they bump the ref, then they collide back through the table. Another sleeper hold, but they both fall out to the floor. With the ref down, Jarrett can use the GEETAR. Unfortunately, Raven ducks the swing and KABONGS Jarrett to stagger him for the EVENFLOW DDT, but James Storm stops Raven with the Last Call. Next thing we see is Chris Harris on the top rope to deliver the DEATH SENTENCE – physically and metaphorically. Jarrett gets put on Raven as the ref slow-counts three to give Jarrett his fourth NWA world title reign. And thus, we have the Controversy in Canada. (13:45) The match is nothing special, but the effect was certainly long lasting as Jeff Jarrett got the top tag team in TNA behind him over the next year. *½