TNA Against All Odds 2006 Review

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews, the only wrestling review series on the internet that totally forgot about Clash of Champions! I am back to review TNA, we have TNA’s Against All Odds 2006. This show is headlined by Jeff Jarrett vs Christian for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, I am not ready to watch Jarrett in the main event scene again, there is nothing more frustrating than watching that man attempt to wrestle. Despite my thoughts, these TNA pay per views are more often fun than not so let’s sink our teeth into this TNA pay per view.

Opening Promo

This is a pretty heavy promo which Jarrett running down the list of people he has beaten while holding that championship, Jarrett calls Christian a mid-card comedy act and we are going balls to the walls as this is Christian’s chance to prove himself as the man and shake off that tag as someone who never could be the man.

Austin Aries/Roderick Strong vs The Naturals

Fuck me, I would have preferred that Strong and Aries murder one another, we have vanilla team The Naturals who were only turned babyface after the passing of their manager Candido. The Naturals clear the ring after the heels from ROH tried to jump the tag team, Stevens and Aries are in the ring. Aries is pinballed by the two, Douglas tags into the match. Right hands, Aries meets the turnbuckle. Tag to Stevens, neckbreaker for two as Strong breaks up the pin. Multiple backbreakers and a complete shot by Stevens for two, tag to Douglas. Facebuster and neckbreaker combination, Strong saves Aries.

Strong nails Stevens from the apron, Stevens waffles Strong. Aries is sent into Strong, Aries takes out Douglas by sweeping his legs off the apron, Stevens nails a shooting star press onto Strong & Aries, Aries goes down clutching his leg this does not look good. In the ring, Strong chops and knees Stevens. Aries wipes out Stevens on one leg with his heatseeker missile suicide dive. Two for Aries in the ring, Strong tags into the match. Double mounted punches, backbreaker by Strong for two. Tag to Aries, Stevens fights out of the corner before Aries trips Stevens. Strong tags in and delivers an elbow, reverse chinlock by Strong.

Jawbreaker by Stevens, Aries knocks Douglas off the apron. Corner forearm and dropkick by Strong & Aries, bottom rope elbow by Aries for two. Tag to Strong, splash for two. Tag to Aries, Stevens crotches Aries. Strong is smacked in the face, Stevens yanks Aries off the top rope. Tag to Douglas, right hands to both. High knee by Douglas on Strong, back drop for Aries. Aries is sent into Strong, top rope hurricanrana with Strong landing on Aries, two for Douglas. Douglas tries a powerbomb on Aries, chop block by Strong. Aries gets two, lariat/German supple combination for two. Gutbuster/Forearm/Sick Kick for two, Stevens throws Strong to the floor saving Douglas. Natural Disaster is blocked, Aries cannot roll-up Stevens due to the referee seeing Aries using the ropes. Irish whip by Douglas on Aries and Natural Disaster for the win.

That was a fine opening match, not a huge fan of The Naturals which I have said before. I thought they were bland as heels, more bland as babyfaces with a forced turn. Too good looking kids but it was just not clicking as a top team, Aries and Strong were loved by the crowd I would prefer to have them two on my roster. On this night, we had a fun opener though, no complaints from me for this match.

Winners: The Naturals over Team ROH via Natural Disaster!

Alex Shelley vs Petey Williams vs Matt Bentley W/ Traci Jay Lethal

Here is a flippy X-Division match that I thought would open the show, the division had a lot of entertaining wrestlers at the time but with a dominant champion in Samoa Joe and wrestlers like AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels, it was going to be very hard to be noticed. Williams and Bentley begin, back drop and suplex by Bentley. Scoop slam and knee to the chest for two, Williams begs for mercy. Williams pulls Bentley into the turnbuckle, Bentley is placed in the tree of woe. Traci teases Williams, Bentley saves Traci. Missile dropkick by Bentley, Shelley tags into the match. Arm-drag by Bentley, Lethal tags into the match. Nice wrestling from Shelley and Lethal, stand-off from the two. Chops by Lethal, dropkick to the back of the neck, two for Lethal.

Neckbreaker and butterfly suplex for two, Williams tags in off Shelley’s leg. Backbreaker by Williams for two, Shelley tags into the match. Nice submission by Shelley, low dropkick by Williams. Scoop slam and slingshot hilo by Shelley for two, Shelley tags Williams. Dropkick to the back by Williams for two, camel clutch from Williams. Shelley and Williams have words over Lethal, Bentley tags into the match. Chops for Williams, back body drop by Bentley. Williams crotches Bentley on the top rope, Shelley comes in and wants a powerbomb on Williams. Lethal German suplexes Shelley but Bentley elbow drops Lethal.

Lethal forearms Williams, Williams blocks a suplex for a neckbreaker. Bentley is elevated to the floor, Dragon Suplex by Lethal. Shelley dives into a dropkick, leaping calf kick on Shelley. Drop toehold by Shelley, slingshot DDT by Shelley. Bentley is back in, right hands by Bentley. Complete shot by Bentley, tilt-a-whirl Russian legsweep by Williams. Jackie Gayda is here, Shelley is shitting bricks. Slap by Jackie, Williams is distracted. Bentley back drops Williams which leads to Lethal jacknifing Williams for the pin.

Fun match but the end goal could have been achieved in a better fashion everyone was in love with Lethal who was tearing it up inside the ring. However, the focus was on Jackie Gayda who had something with a sextape and blackmailing and I have no fucking clue like what does that have to do with wrestling? What does that have to do with a pay-off? Or a match? Pointless really!

Winner: Jay Lethal over Everyone Else via Jacknife Cover!

LAX W/ Konnan vs The James Gang

Konnan turned on BG after months of this group trying to come together, Konnan is a great mouthpiece and TNA finally realized it as K-Dawg is the mouthpiece for this villainous faction. No idea who Machete is, did not know Apolo was in LAX. Hernandez was the perfect fit so I imagine poor Machete does not last very long. In the midst of this, Ron Killings is conflicted as Killings was a fan of both men and a friend of both BG and Konnan. Machete, Konnan and Homicide jump The James Gang. The James Gang take control and send LAX to the floor, Konnan regroups with LAX.

Homicide and Kip start, stare-down between the two. Kip pushes Homicide down, military press slam. Neckbreaker on Machete, side headlock by Homicide. Powerbomb by Kip, right hand by Kip and a tag to BG. Eye poke by Homicide, in comes Machete. Right hands by BG, knee drop and a two for BG. Snapmare and a boot by BG, tag to Kip. Machete chops Kip, clothesline by Kip. Homicide stops the one and only, Kip is stomped to the floor. Konnan smashes Kip off the guard rail, Kip boots Homicide in the ring but Homicide avoids a stinger splash. Konnan attacks Kip while Homicide distracts BG, Machete is in and stomps Kip.

Homicide misses his splash, in comes BG. Boot for Machete, Homicide saves the match. Kip and Homicide brawl to the floor, BG nails Machete with The Pumphandle Slam and that’s all she wrote. Konnan attacks BG with his slapjakck, Bullet Bob Armstrong is in the ring and taking off his jacket. Konnan runs away from a sixty-six year old man.

More of an angle than a match really, I am surprised that The James Gang walked away with the win, way to build the great new heel faction. Kind of sucks the life out of the feud when the good guys have already triumphed over the heels at the first attempt.

Winners: The James Gang over LAX via Pumphandle Slam!

(NWA Tag Team Championship Match) AMW © W/ Gail Kim vs Chris Sabin & Sonjay Dutt

The makeshift team of Sabin and Dutt won a tournament to face the heel champions in AMW, Sabin’s ankle is not 100% which should be the story of the match. Storm and Sabin begin, Storm shoots for the ankle twice before Sabin tags in Dutt, a hint of how Sabin’s ankle is feeling. Side headlock by Storm, shoulder block by Storm. Armdrag and headscissors by Dutt, crossbody for two. Tag to Sabin, drop toehold and elbow combination for two. Dropkick to the back of the head for two, Harris trips Sabin and smashes Sabin’s ankle off the ring apron and ringpost. Harris tags into the match and works the ankle, Sabin screams out in pain.

Harris rips at Sabin’s boot and cranks at the ankle, Sabin fires up but Harris tackles Sabin down. Storm drops a knee on the ankle, reverse chinlock by Storm. Backstabber by Storm, Storm continues working the ankle. Referee asks if Sabin can continue, Sabin plans to continue. Sabin limps towards Dutt but Storm cuts off Sabin, uppercut by Storm. Sabin kicks off Storm, tag to Dutt. Right hands, enzuigiri and hurricanranas, low dropkick to Storm for two. Springboard dropkick to AMW, middle rope moonsault. Sabin nails a missile dropkick on Harris, Salida Del Sol by Dutt on Storm for two. Harris tries a catatonic but Dutt reverses for a crucifix for two.

Storm distracts the referee, Harris has a chair. Sabin DDTs Harris on the chair, standing shooting star press by Dutt for two. Dutt has Harris down, Phoenix Splash does not connect. Superkick by Storm, Death Sentence by AMW and the champions retain their titles.

It was fine, Sabin sold the leg well throughout the match. I thought the desperation was a bit lacking at times but I could not fault Sabin’s selling throughout the match. Dutt was something of a strange one when it came to TNA, everyone recognized his talent but he was the ultimate choke artist always failing to win the big one. AMW were revitalised by the heel turn, they need quality babyface teams to work with, it is a step in the right direction.

Winners: AMW over Sabin & Dutt via Death Sentence!

(Falls Count Anywhere Match) Abyss W/ James Mitchell vs Rhino

The rubber match between the two, neither man were doing particularly well at this point in their TNA career with Abyss pulling out the same hardcore match night after night and Rhino having a less than memorable run with the championship. Rhino sprints down to the ring and pummels Abyss, Abyss is knocked into the crowd. Rhino botches diving into the crowd, Rhino has to take a second attempt at it. Crowd brawling, Abyss sends Rhino into a wall. Back ringside, Rhino pulls a trash can of weapons including the Super X trophy? Abyss beats down Rhino before Rhino grabs a kendo stick and waffles Abyss. Trash can is blocked by Abyss, Abyss cracks Rhino in the head.

Kendo stick to the head by Abyss, Rhino is bleeding. Rhino cracks Abyss with a sign, Rhino grabs a baseball bat and whacks the super x trophy into Abyss’ balls. Abyss suplexes Rhino on the ramp, Rhino is smacked with the baseball bat. Abyss sets up four tables by the ramp, Abyss walks into Rhino. They trade blows, Abyss wants a powerbomb but Rhino counters and sends Abyss into the entrance way. Rhino wanted a gore but Abyss boots Rhino off the stage, the two end up outside the impact zone.

Rhino is bounced off a car, Abyss has a baseball bat. Rhino ducks the shot, Abyss does not duck. They battle down to the ring, Rhino pulls out a table. Abyss is handed a staple gun and poor Rhino has his head messed up. Abyss brings in another table, belly to belly suplex by Rhino. Rhino tries a gore but Abyss counters for a chokeslam through a table, two for Abyss. Abyss grabs his thumbtacks, Rhino Gores Abyss through a table in the corner, two for Rhino. Rhino wants another gore, Mitchell grabs Rhino’s leg. Rhino chases Mitchell, the two end up in the crowd. Rhino Gores Abyss who falls from the stands through the four tables that the monster set up originally.

While the finish may have been a cool finish, it is hard to separate the rest of the match from any Abyss has had since I began covering TNA pay per views. It is the same thing, Abyss is an idiot and it ends up costing Abyss the match. Abyss must have chairs, Abyss must have tables and Abyss must have thumbtacks. The mystique of the monster is gone by this stage, I have seen all there is to see from Abyss.

Winner: Rhino over Abyss via Gore to The Floor!

(TNA X-Division Championship Match) Samoa Joe © vs AJ Styles vs Christopher Daniels

The continuation of the feud that could have been handle better in my eyes, we have another match between these three. Daniels and Styles are the babyfaces while Joe is a killer, plain and simple. Joe grabs a headlock on Styles, shoulder block by Joe on Daniels. Styles and Daniels fight, leaping calf kick by Daniels. Joe flattens Daniels with kicks and a senton, Styles slams Joe and nails a knee drop. Styles dropkicks Joe and Daniels, backbreaker by Styles on Daniels. Joe front suplexes Styles, Daniels monkey flips Styles into a Boston crab from Joe. High knee by Daniels on Joe, Joe is on the floor. Back elbow by Styles, Styles is knocked off the apron by Daniels. Daniels tries a suicide dive but Joe slaps Daniels down. Joe is sent hurdling into the guard rail by Styles.

Vertical suplex by Styles, Muta Lock by Styles. Joe kicks Styles to end that, STF by Joe on Styles. Koji clutch by Daniels on Joe, everyone breaks up holds. Scoop slam and slingshot elbow by Daniels on Styles for two, Daniels misses a knee on Joe. High knee by Joe, facewash from Joe. Uranage by Joe on Styles, Daniels is smacked off the apron by Joe. Styles dives over Joe and onto Daniels, Joe suicide dives onto both Styles and Daniels. Styles and Daniels combine to send Joe to the floor, O’Connor roll by Styles for two. Joe is caught in a side headlock by Daniels, Styles and Joe combine for a  lariat backdrop driver. Joe waffles Styles with a shining wizard. Joe pins Daniels for two, inverted atomic drop and running high kick by Joe. Senton for two, Daniels is barely hanging on in this match.

Styles eats a kick to the face, powerslam and cross armbreaker by Joe on Daniels. Daniels reaches the ropes, Joe chops Daniels all over the place. Styles enzuigiris Joe, Daniels forearms Styles. Complete Shot/running kick combination by Joe and Daniels on Styles, Koji clutch from Daniels. Joe drops a knee across Daniels’ throat, Joe elbows Daniels. German suplex by Daniels on Joe, Uranage by Daniels. BME connects with Joe kicking out, Daniels calls for the end.

Styles attempts a clash on Daniels, Daniels avoids it but eats a clothesline from Joe for two. Styles escapes a muscle buster, enzuigiri to Joe. Gutbuster on Daniels, Styles gets two. Torture rack by Styles, transition to a powerbomb with Joe saving his championship. Styles plants Joe with his springboard reverse DDT for two, Daniels knocks down Styles and Joe. Corner clothesline by Styles, Joe elevates Styles to the apron. Daniels and Styles combine for a springboard forearm/death valley driver on Joe. Styles throws Daniels to the floor, Daniels holds onto Styles’ foot. Joe boots Daniels to the floor, Muscle Buster on Styles and Joe retains his championship.

Not the classic from 2005 but a very good match from these two, everyone got a chance to shine in this match. Joe killed everyone, Styles showed off his athleticism while Daniels showcased his cunning and skill inside the ring. These three had fantastic chemistry with one another, they could have a great match in their sleeps. I want to see more but I really should not, Joe has mopped the floor with Styles and Daniels, we need something new for everyone. Where will we go from here? Personally, I cannot wait to see what happens next!

Winner: Samoa Joe over Everyone Else via Muscle Buster!

Team 3D VS Team Canada W/ Scott D’Amore

Team Canada cost Team 3D the opportunity to be tag team champions, Team 3D want revenge and if I wasn’t so worn out when it comes to Team Canada, I would be really looking forward to this match. Team 3D jump Team Canada to begin the match, D-Von pummels Young while Bubba manhandles Roode. Bubba has Roode in the ring, knee across the back. Huge chest slap by Bubba, Roode eats a German suplex. Young is yanked off the top rope, tag to D-Von. Sidewalk slam/leg drop combination for two, scoop slam by D-Von. Elbow drop, D-Von clubs down Young. Spinning reverse elbow by D-Von, Roode takes a punch from entering illegally. Corner clothesline on Young, D’Amore is on the apron. Young saves D’Amore, shoulder block by D-Von.

Roode lowbridges D-Von, Bubba is with the referee. D-Von is sent into the steel steps, D-Von is bleeding again. Roode foot chokes D-Von, D’Amore attacks D-Von with the plaque. Double suplex by Team Canada for two, right hands by Roode to the cut. Reverse chinlock by Roode, D-Von escapes for a roll-up, two for D-Von. Roode takes down D-Von with a clothesline, tag to Young. Camel clutch by Young, Roode tags in for a big knee drop. Elbow drop by Young for two, Roode is legal now. Roode applies the camel clutch, Roode tags in D-Von. More camel clutches, D-Von escapes thanks to a rather low shot. Enzuigiri on an interfering Roode, tag to Bubba.

Bubba nails a crossbody on both, clotheslines all around. Hiptoss for Roode, back body drop on Young. Sidewalk slams, Roode breaks up a pin on Young. Double flapjack by Team Canada for two, Roode is whipped into Young who was on the top rope. German suplex on Roode by Bubba, Bubba superplexes Young. Roode saves Young, D’Amore distracts the referee. Low blow by Roode, hockey stick to the back of the head for two, Young misses a moonsault. Roode clotheslines Young by mistake, Roode is sent to the floor. 3D on Young and this match is over.

Standard tag team match, nothing special about it at the end of the day. I thought a large part of the match was very boring, the constant camel clutches dragged and we had a false finish with the hockey stick that absolutely nobody bought in the arena due to Young not pinning Bubba before changing his mind and going for the pin, sucked the life out of me in a match that was already dragging in my eyes.

Winners: Team 3D over Team Canada via 3D!

(NWA/TNA World Heavyweight Championship Match) Jeff Jarrett © vs Christian Cage

Another WWE star jumping ship to TNA, Christian was arguably the hottest of the bunch as Christian was in a big feud around the WWE championship before leaving for TNA as WWE did not want to go all the way with Christian. Christian had the charisma and now, had the machine behind him. Christian had to go through the constant thorn in my side, the man who would dominate TNA whether he had the championship or not, that man is none other than Jeff Jarrett. Bit of confusion with who would be the referee, we have Earl Hebnar fresh off being fired by WWE for selling merchandise which he did not have the permission to do so.

Jarrett starts with punches, side headlock and a drop toehold. Paintbrushing and slap by Jarrett, tackle and punches by Christian. Chops by Christian, middle rope sunset flip for two. Christian wants a suplex to the floor, Jarrett lands on the apron. Both men end up on the apron, falling reverse DDT by Christian. Jarrett takes control with Christian missing a dive, Jarrett sends Christian into the guard rail. Jarrett sends Christian into the announce table, right hands by Jarrett. Christian is catapulted onto the desk, Christian is rolled into the ring. Dropkick by Double J for two, blue thunder bomb by Jarrett for two. Reverse chinlock by the champion, Christian escapes but eats a stungun. Middle rope choke, Hebnar and Jarrett have words and a shoving contest.

Knee across the back, right hand floors Christian. Diving hurricanrana by Gail Kim for two, Jarrett had the referee distracted. Jarrett trash talks Christian, sleeper by Jarrett. Christian reverses for his own sleeper, powerbomb by Christian. Figure four by Christian, Gail Kim pulls Jarrett towards the ropes. Enzuigiri by Jarrett, sharpshooter by Jarrett. Christian reaches the ropes but Jarrett pulls Christian back to the centre of the ring. Christian reverses and applies the hold to Jarrett. Jarrett kicks off Christian into the turnbuckle who falls on Jarrett’s nuts. Right hands by Christian, inverted atomic drop and a clothesline by Christian.

Polish hammer by Christian, swinging DDT by Christian for two. Hebnar is taken down from an accidental touch from Jarrett. Christian is on the top rope, Gail Kim interferes. Super Stroke from the top rope, two for Jarrett. Right hands by Jarrett, Christian is whipped into Hebnar. Unprettier by Christian with no referee, two as Jarrett kicks out. Low blow by Jarrett on Christian, the referee gets low blowed too. Jarrett has a chair, Christian dropkicks the chair into Jarrett’s head. Second visual pin-fall, Gail Kim is chased by Christian. Jarrett cracks Christian with the guitar, Christian kicks out of course. Gail Kim is up on the top rope, powerbomb by Christian. Christian blocks the stroke for the Unprettier, Christian is your new champion.

Like always, the over-booking absolutely takes me out of the match. Not that they were doing anything special before the garbage kicked in, I did not feel the struggle or the desperation for Christian to finally win the championship. On top of that, we had the promise of a clean and decisive finish but you gave us neither, you gave us the same drivel you always fork out when Jarrett is involved that being chairs, guitar shots, finishers being made to look weak and all sorts to just pin the man to the mat. Killed the match for me, hoping that Jarrett leaves the company sooner rather than later.

Winner: Christian over Jeff Jarrett via Unprettier!

That was TNA’s Against All Odds 2006 which was a mixed bag reflecting on the pay per view. So much of what was a stable of TNA was on display with this pay per view but it’s the same thing that I have seen dozens of times when reviewing these shows. There is not enough shakeup going on when it comes to these matches which makes it very difficult to care about the product. The basic layout of every card is multi-man X Division match, Abyss hardcore match, Team Canada tag match as they have to be on every show and Jarrett overbooked nonsense in the main event. The reason I take such large breaks between TNA reviews is precisely for that, I cannot sit through month after month of the same thing with the exact same people. You could have swapped any tag team for the Team Canada match, Christian could have been any ex-WWE superstar, I need something that is unique and that is an alternative, that’s what made TNA stand out but I am starting to think that maybe those TNA fans were drinking the kool-aid. Thanks for reading and remember: There’s always another night!