Tag Archives: Scott Hall

20 Years of IMPACT: 2008

Posted on by
Reply

You know they say that all years of TNA are created equal, but you look at 2008 and you look at all the other years and you can see that statement is not true. See, normally if you go one on one with another year, you got a 50/50 chance of winning. But 2008 is a genetic freak and it’s not normal! So you got a 25%, AT BEST, at beating 2008. Then you add all other years to the mix, your chances of winning drastic go down. See the 3 way at Sacrifice, you got a 33 1/3 chance of winning, but I, I got a 66 and 2/3 chance of winning, because all other years KNOWS they can’t beat 2008 and they’re not even gonna try!

So all other years, you take your 33 1/3 chance, minus 2008’s 25% chance and you got an 8 1/3 chance of winning at Sacrifice. But then you take 2008’s 75% chance of winning, if we was to go one on one, and then add 66 2/3 per cents, 2008 has got 141 2/3 chance of winning at Sacrifice. See all other years, the numbers don’t lie, and they spell disaster for you at Sacrifice.

Continue reading →

20 Years of IMPACT: 2007

Posted on by
Reply

The Knockouts Division was born in 2007. After years of the likes of Gail Kim, Traci Brooks, Roxxi, Trinity, Alexis Laree, Desire, Jackie Moore, Christy Hemme and more fighting for the right to a division, the Knockouts Championship was finally introduced at Bound For Glory. That night ten women including staples like Gail, Jackie, Traci, Christy and Roxxi as well as newcomers like Angelina Love, Velvet Sky, ODB and Awesome Kong competed in a Gauntlet for the right to make history. Gail Kim ultimately pinned Roxxi to become the first ever Knockouts Champion but a rivalry with Awesome Kong was looming. The monstrous and imposing Kong defeated Gail in her debut prior to Bound For Glory and proved to be the first Champion’s greatest opponent. Their matches were pure dynamite as the underdog Gail fought for her life against the dominant Kong. Their matches defined what the Knockouts Division would be all about.

Continue reading →

20 Years of IMPACT: 2006

Posted on by
Reply

Sting arrived in TNA to rapturous applause at Final Resolution. The building absolutely exploded as Sting teamed with Christian Cage to face Jeff Jarrett and Monty Brown. The iMPACT! Zone erupted into chants of “You’ve still got it!” as The Stinger looked like he was never gone. That match would be the springboard to help Christian defeat Jarrett to become NWA World Champion the following month at Against All Odds. The fans rushed the ring to hold their new hero on their shoulders as the iMPACT! Zone truly became the Peep’s Zone.

Continue reading →

20 Years of IMPACT: 2005

Posted on by
Reply

The X-Division reached another level in 2005. AJ Styles recaptured the X-Division Championship in an all-time classic Ultimate X match against Petey Williams and Chris Sabin at Final Resolution, as all three took the high-wire spectacle to new limits with death-defying high risk moves. From there one of the defining feuds of not just 2005 but all of TNA history began. AJ Styles defended the title against Christopher Daniels in a 30 Minute Iron Match at Against All Odds.

Continue reading →

20 Years of IMPACT: 2004

Posted on by
Reply

2004 was all about new eras of TNA. First, the iMPACT! television show launched on June 4 as TNA reached a whole new audience. TNA said farewell to The Asylum in September after calling Nashville home for two years, with iMPACT! emanating from the iMPACT! Zone in Orlando going forward. And in November, TNA presented its very first Sunday three hour pay-per-view event – Victory Road. With all those historic landmarks, Jeff Jarrett was more desperate for power and control than ever.

Continue reading →

20 Years of IMPACT: 2003

Posted on by
Reply

The NWA represented honor and respect and tradition in professional wrestling. That’s the legacy NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett looked to carry on into 2003 in TNA. But one force opposed him, one group that stood against those values in every way – Vince Russo’s Sports Entertainment Xtreme. Russo recruited stars like Triple X, Chris Sabin, Glenn Gilbertti, Sonny Siaki, Mike Sanders and more to take control of TNA by force. Interrupting broadcasts, ruining anticipated matches – they’d do anything to destroy the traditions of the NWA. While Jarrett was the focal point of the resistance, soon a leader would arrive to ally with Russo and become Jarrett’s biggest rival.

Continue reading →

20 Years of IMPACT: 2002

Posted on by
Reply

“Tonight, a very special evening, it’s an evening that revolves around history and history on so many fronts.” With those words Mike Tenay ushered in a new era of professional wrestling as NWA-TNA presented it’s first ever show on June 19, 2002 from The Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. In a building named after the man who helped us reach the moon, TNA launched a different kind of odyssey. An odyssey that over the twenty years to follow would feature some of the biggest names, brightest stars and most memorable moments in professional wrestling. On that night legendary names like Scott Hall, Ken Shamrock, Jeff Jarrett, Dory Funk Jr. and Ricky Steamboat joined forced with young upstarts like AJ Styles, Chris Harris, James Storm and Ron Killings to lay the foundation for a whole new wrestling experience.

Continue reading →

Book Update: Kevin Nash!

Posted on by
Reply

On December 13, 2019 I reached out to Kevin Nash for the first time about interviewing him for my books about the history of TNA/IMPACT Wrestling. Yesterday, just a few hours after watching Nash’s “WWE Untold: Two Dudes With Attitudes” documentary on Peacock, he called me. We wound up speaking for five hours! It was easily one of the best conversations I’ve had during this entire process.

Continue reading →

Pro Wrestling Demystified: Suspension of Disbelief

Posted on by
Reply
I had a great view of the action from my seat at WrestleMania XXX.

My first “Pro Wrestling Demystified” article focused on wrestling being “fake.” If you haven’t read it, do so. I’m proud to bring you the next entry in this series. Today, we’re going to take a look at suspension of disbelief — a commonly used term in professional wrestling parlance when describing the total immersion of oneself in the storyline and/or match that’s taking place.

Continue reading →

Movie Review: The Resurrection of Jake the Snake

Posted on by
Reply

The Resurrection of Jake the Snake is one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen, and it’s easily my favorite. I’ve watched it several times and it still makes me cry. That’s how powerful it is — I know what’s coming, yet the tears always flow. This riveting cinematic experience chronicles professional wrestling legend and founder of DDP Yoga Diamond Dallas Page helping his mentor, friend, and fellow wrestling luminary, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, topple addiction over the course of 18 months. It’s a perilous journey with disheartening lows and unimaginable highs. What I love most about The Resurrection of Jake The Snake is how it perfectly captures the triumph of the human spirit. Not only does DDP inspire Jake to turn his life around, he also gets Scott Hall — another one of pro wrestling’s ticking time bombs — to move in with them at the Accountability Crib so he can also transform his life for the better. Keep in mind that these are the two pro wrestlers that people thought were going to wind up dead at any given moment. Both of these men are friends who helped Dallas get his big break, and he never forgot what they did for him. Rather than have their lives cut short by self-destructive behavior, DDP stuck out a hand and helped Jake and Scott rise above the maelstrom of sadness and pain their lives had become so they could achieve their full potential and find true happiness.

Continue reading →