If there's one constant complaint you can have of TNA pay-per-views, it's the abundance of overbooked BS in their main event scene, and Against All Odds is absolutely no different. The advertised main event of Kevin Nash versus Jeff Jarrett really stood no chance of being a decent match on it's own, so Dixie Carter made some calls and booked a few more ex-WWE guys to run-in. You'll here more of my thoughts on that absolute embarrassment later, but fortunately, there was some actual quality wrestling to be found here, courtesy of the Iron Man match between AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels, TNA's first foray into the gimmick. This show also features the first Full Metal Mayhem match, essentially a TLC match but with more weapons legal, which has gone on to be one of the company's best gimmick matches.
- Against All Odds 2005 comes to you from the Impact Zone, with Don West and Mike Tenay on the call. The opening video package is once again narrated by Barry Scott, who does a great job selling everything on the card, including somehow getting me hyped for the main event by portraying it as Nash's last shot at glory. Of course, all that hype went for naught based on the actual match itself, but it was still a great effort by Scott.
- Our opening contest sees Elix Skipper taking on Team Canada's Petey Williams, who is not the X Division champion for the first time in one of my reviews. I was very excited to see this match, but unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong, there's some very fun high-flying offense to be found here, but both men are out of rhythm with each other and botch quite a few moves. Skipper gets the win with his new move, Sudden Death(the Air Raid Crash), putting himself in position to compete in next month's Ultimate X match.
- For some reason, TNA was convinced that former NASCAR driver and crew chief Jeff Hammond was a massive draw, bringing him in for multiple appearances in a very odd attempt at a publicity stunt. Hammond is just impossible to take seriously, and his finisher, running around in a circle mimicking a race car driver before hitting a weak standing elbow drop, is laughably bad. He teams up with BG James to take on Michael Shane and Frankie Kazarian, who is departing for a short-lived WWE run soon after this show. That apparently means he needs to take a fall, as Shane accidentally hits Kaz with a superkick and Hammond finishes him off. This is a match best left buried deep in the past.
- Raven has not exactly been booked strongly of late, losing in the Monster's Ball match at Victory Road before taking decisive losses to DDP at Turning Point and Erik Watts, of all people, last month at Final Resolution. TNA are now starting the rehabilitation project, as Raven has been presented as a psychotic monster, beginning with an angle where he casually snapped the fingers of Cassidy Riley. That led to a feud with Dustin Rhodes, whom Raven defeats here. Rhodes does not particularly good in this match, moving at a glacial pace while the crowd loses interest. After the match, Raven puts Rhodes in a straightjacket, before whipping him in the back with a leather strap. I liked the presentation of Raven, who certainly has the ability to be a main event player in TNA, but he desperately needs a better dance partner.
- The NWA tag titles are on the line in our next bout, as America's Most Wanted defend against Kid Kash and Lance Hoyt. Kash and Hoyt are former two-time champions, having lost the belts to Storm and Harris in April of last year, and are now looking for revenge. This is another good match for the champs, who once again show their willingness to do whatever it takes to entertain, putting together some big spots. I liked the focus on Storm's back, as the challengers really take it to James, putting them over as cunning heels. Storm looks like an absolute warrior for the finish, as he perseveres through everything and manages to execute his half of the finish, as Harris hits the diving legdrop on Hoyt to retain the titles.
- The first Full Metal Mayhem match in TNA history sees Jeff Hardy take on Abyss, with two envelopes hanging above the ring, one containing an NWA title shot and the other completely empty. You can always count on Hardy to put his body on the line to make a gimmick match interesting, and that's no different here. He takes some serious punishment, including being tossed out of the ring through tables multiple times, and laying it all on the line with a front-flip off the top of the entrance set through Abyss and a table. Don West on commentary did sort of ruin that spot by claiming that Hardy had jumped from 30 or 40 feet in the air, which is obvious hyperbole, but it was still a highlight. In the end, Jeff unhooks the wrong envelope, allowing Abyss to win by tossing him through a stack of tables. This wasn't quite on the level of WWE's best gimmick matches, mostly because TNA doesn't have the proper safety precautions set up for the big dangerous stunts, but it was still more entertaining than a lot of the other TNA hardcore matches.
- Two of the biggest babyfaces in TNA team up in our next bout, as Monty Brown and Diamond Dallas Page take on Eric Young and Bobby Roode of Team Canada. I just can't say enough good things about EY and Bobby, who continue to be perhaps the most reliable tag team in the company. They make Monty and DDP look great while telling a very simple story, cutting off the ring and building to a hot tag. The finish is ridiculously good, as Brown sends Roode flying with the Pounce which Bobby sells beautifully, before Young is finished off with a Diamond Cutter off the damn top rope. I'm convinced Roode and Young could have a very solid match with literally anyone, they're that good.
- Time for the real main event of the evening, as Daniels and Styles meet in their first real match in TNA, the much anticipated Iron Man match with the X Division belt on the line. The opening 10-12 minutes are a bit slower, which I know was a bit disappointing to some of those who have watched this match, and did cause them to lose the crowd. I personally didn't mind the slower pace at all, I thought both guys worked the more technical style very well and presented a very different atmosphere to most X Division bouts. The middle portion is where the action starts to really pick up, with Daniels scoring the first fall with the Angel's Wings. Down the stretch, both men just beat the hell out of each other, exchanging big moves, as AJ levels the score with a roll-up. Daniels is able to bust Styles open and begins to get extremely brutal, hitting one heabutt after another before applying the Koji Clutch. He chokes AJ unconscious, but the champion never taps before the time limit expires, leading to Daniels demanding sudden death overtime, claiming he had AJ beat and the ref should've called it. But the challenger's demand backfires on him, as AJ is able to counter a top rope hurricanrana, before nailing the Styles Clash to retain. I think to fully appreciate this match, you have to be willing to accept that this isn't the standard, spot-filled X Division match. This an intense, physical bout that is designed to really put Daniels over as a sadistic heel, and I loved it. This is the type of match that both men needed to have, to prove to the world that can do more than just fill up the highlight reel, that they can tell a riveting story in the ring that doesn't really need many flips to make it good. It might not be for everyone, but it absolutely deserves a watch, so that you can form an opinion of your own, negative or positive.
- Main event time, groan, as Jeff Jarrett defends the NWA Championship against former ally Kevin Nash. I will admit to being entertained by some parts of this match, as the two men use plenty of props to cover for the lack of interesting in-ring action. Jarrett is banned from using his guitar as a weapon, so he finds a cello under the ring instead, hitting Nash with it. Don West just goes berserk on commentary, screaming about the cello, which got me to smile. Just like pretty much every Jarrett match, it has the potential to be pretty good, but gets completely ruined by absolute BS. First, Billy Gunn runs in, attacking Nash, who still kicks out anyway. Then Sean Waltman gives Jarrett a Bronco Buster and the X-Factor, and now he kicks out. Gunn wants to get involved again, but is prevented from interfering by BG James, so that's at least a nice piece of continuity from the former New Age Outlaws, but still doesn't explain why all of these Attitude Era midcarders are running around. Nash is hit with the Stroke and the title belt, but kicks out of both, giving me horrible flashbacks of all the ludicrous kick outs by Monty Brown last month. Finally, a low blow and the Stroke put Nash down for three, so at least the world's most immobile man wasn't given the biggest prize in the company, but that's little comfort. I have a feeling I'm going to have to keep saying this, but TNA just ruins their main event with overbooked bollocks. As I said before, Jeff Jarrett is fully capable of putting on a solid title match, and even managed to drag something decent out of a 45 year old Kevin Nash. But all the run-ins and kick outs just made it all a jumbled mess that made none of the players involved look good. Ultimately, that is the biggest failure of both this match and the overall booking of TNA's main event picture.
6/10
The Iron Man match is absolute required viewing, and I personally enjoyed the Full Metal Mayhem match and both tag team encounters, though none of that was particularly special. The travesty that was the main event drags down the score for me, which is par for the course for a TNA review, unfortunately.
Next time on Henry's Pay-Per-View Reviews: TNA Destination X 2005. See you soon.
- Henry
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