Kevin Nash was supposed to face Jeff Jarrett in tonight’s main event, but Nash was not cleared to wrestle due to a medical emergency. Mike Tenay announced during the 30-minute preshow that Kevin Nash was not going to be in tonight’s main event as he was hospitalised over the weekend.
Before the match, I would have said Monty Brown should win the thing.
This match was announced just before the 30-minute Ironman match earlier in the night. It starts with 2 participants wrestling for 2 minutes before the 3rd participant enters the match. Then the rest of the competitors enter in 1-minute windows. Eliminations occur with someone being thrown over the top rope to the floor, until we have a winner. That winner gets an immediate title shot against Jeff Jarrett.
Mike Tenay and Don West are on commentary for this match. Jeremy Borash is our ring announcer.
10-Man Elimination Gauntlet
#1 contender for NWA World Heavyweight Championship
TNA Bound for Glory 2005 (23rd October 2005)
Samoa Joe is the first entrant, but he gets no traditional Samoan dancers since this is an impromptu bout. Entrant #2 is Ron “The Truth” Killings, he dances down to the ring without his 3LK team mates. The bell rings as the crowd is firmly behind Joe.
Ron Killings dances as they face off, mocking Samoa Joe. Samoa Joe gets the first shot in after 45 seconds before sending Killings into the corner. Joe hits a running knee to knock Truth down, before connecting with facewashes. Samoa Joe hits the running facewash, but Killings lifts himself up to the top rope. Of course the camera misses it, but at least we see the blockbuster from the top rope by Ron Killings. Samoa Joe reverses the irish whip, but Killings drops him, 25 seconds until we get someone new in the match, Ron Killings talks to the fans before trying to eliminate Samoa Joe, but Joe fights him off and knocks Killings across the ring. Samoa Joe tries to eliminate Ron Killings as Sabu enters the match at #3 with a steel chair, throwing the chair at Joe, then at Killings. Sabu hits a triple-jump Asai moonsault on Killings before knocking Samoa Joe back into the corner. Sabu uses the chair to launch himself into Samoa Joe before getting some right hands in. Killings gets a few kicks as Sabu makes sure the chair is in position. He hits Samoa Joe with another leg lariat, but Samoa Joe sweeps the chair away on the third attempt. Lance Hoyt enters the match at #4 and he knocks down Killings and Sabu with right hands. Samoa Joe eats some shots before responding with forearms. Samoa Joe hits the ropes but gets cut off with a big boot by Hoyt.
Lance Hoyt hits Sabu with right hands in the corner before going back to Killings, Sabu hits Samoa Joe with a low dropkick. Ron Killings escapes elimination but Joe knocks him down with a chop. Joe chops Hoyt too and hits Sabu with a DDT. Samoa Joe waits for the next entrant, and it’s Abyss at #5. He’s holding his injured hand from earlier’s Monster’s Ball match. Samoa Joe and Abyss face off, Samoa Joe connects with knife-edge chops, Abyss answers with overhand chops. Abyss senses a stalemate and grabs Samoa Joe by the throat; Samoa Joe grabs Abyss’ throat, and that is broken up by Ron Killings entering the mix. Ron Killings connects with right hands to Abyss in the corner, Hoyt is stomping on Sabu and it’s time for Jeff Hardy to limp down to the ring at #6. We cut to the ring, where we see that Sabu’s cut above his eye has been reopened. Jeff Hardy takes shots at Samoa Joe and Lance Hoyt on his way to pairing up against Sabu. We cut to a commercial because these are the classic TWC tapes that the company uses. Samoa Joe puts Lance Hoyt in a guillotine as we come back, forgetting about Jeff Hardy attacking him for now. Jeff Hardy connects with a dropkick to Sabu’s knee, which West calls payback for the Monster’s Ball match earlier in the night. Hardy then attacks Abyss in the corner but his back gives out at Monty Brown enters the match at #6, instantly hitting Sabu with The Pounce. Jeff Hardy charges at Monty Brown, and the momentum sends them both out to the floor to be eliminated.
On the other side of the ring, Lance Hoyt is trying to eliminate Abyss, but James Mitchell is assisting Abyss from ringside. Ron Killings swipes at Mitchell, backing him away as Abyss fights out of the corner. Rhino enters the match at #7 as Samoa Joe knocks Sabu over to the apron. Rhino connects with right hands to Lance Hoyt before clotheslining him over the top to the floor. Sabu and Joe are still fighting as Abyss beats Rhino down in the corner, Samoa Joe kicks at Sabu’s injured knee and sends him over to the apron as Kip James enters at #9. Rhino charges at Joe and Sabu, knocking Sabu to the floor and taking him out of the match. Kip James knocks Abyss down with jabs and a clothesline, before hitting Samoa Joe with a right hand. Kip James knocks Abyss down again, Kip hits the Stinger Splash in the corner and a Fameasser on Abyss. Samoa Joe and Kip James exchange strikes. Samoa Joe sends Kip James into the ropes, James leapfrogs as Joe ducks too early. Kip James connects with a dropkick as we countdown to the final entrant. Don West thinks it’s going to be Raven, but he was removed by security, and Larry Zbyszko doesn’t like him, so how would that make sense? Anyway, it’s AJ Styles that enters #10. He’s easily the biggest name of the first 10 years of the company. AJ Styles immediately targets Abyss in the corner. Abyss shoves AJ away and connects with right hands and a boot. The fans chant for Samoa Joe again as Abyss sends AJ Styles into the turnbuckles with force.
Samoa Joe kicks Kip James in the chest as Rhino takes over on Abyss in the corner. Ron Killings fights off an elimination attempt by Joe. AJ Styles and Kip James are fighting in the corner, Abyss chokes Rhino across the middle rope in front of James Mitchell as we see Styles headbutt Kip James. Ron Killings, planting him over the top rope, but Killings gets one of his legs around the top rope. Abyss throws Kip James over to the apron, and Kip drops to the floor, pushing Killings back into the ring. Killings drops into the splits to avoid AJ’s kick, AJ Styles dodges a kick and connects with a Pele kick! AJ Styles dumps Killings over the top rope, but Kip James pushes Killings up from ringside, helping him stay on the apron. The referees back Kip James away, telling him to go to the back, and that leaves space for Samoa Joe to kick Killings down to the floor. Samoa Joe pairs off against Styles, exchanging strikes. AJ Styles gets a combination of shots going, but Samoa Joe avoids a discus clothesline, locking in the Cocquina Clutch.
Samoa Joe and AJ Styles edge close to the ropes and that gives Abyss the opportunity to throw them both out of the match. Abyss and Rhino are left, with the last man in the ring going on to face Jarrett in the next match. Rhino ducks the clothesline and hits Abyss with The Gore before throwing him out.
WINNER: RHINO (Faces Jeff Jarrett in an immediate NWA World Heavyweight Championship match)
This was a decent match, I would say most participants had a good chance of winning the match, and they were able to give people another chance to shine on the card. The Final Four was near-perfect, although I would have replaced Rhino or Abyss with Monty Brown who would go on to win. [***] 6/10
After the match, Rhino sells the ribs as he has a moment to celebrate his victory.
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