4/5 Gimmicks Galore & More...
  by D.P. (California)
One thing TNA has been known for in it's long time of existance is putting on unique gimmick matches. Weather it's the tradition ones of a ladder match, steel cage match (Six Sides Of Steel), scaffold match (Elevation X), TLC match (Full Metal Mayhem) or creating their own such as the Ultimate X & King Of The Mountain...TNA has quite the history of these type of performances under their belt & this DVD here is showcase that. Now I'll be honest, I didn't buy the DVD for reasons I'll state later but I have seen all the matches advertised for this set.

Full Metal Mayhem Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Abyss - You'll pop for this one if you like spotfest matches but it just seemed really sloppy and it was just an off night for them. If they didn't have the high spots through the tables, this match would have sucked.
(Against All Odds 2005)

Full Metal Mayhem Match: NWA Champion Christian Cage vs. Abyss - This match is TNA's version of a TLC match. We all know Christian's past experience in TLC and Abyss is the master of hardcore type matches in TNA so this did not disappoint. Just like their Lockdown match, it wasn't full of the typical Abyss thumbtack spots & they dishes out the punishment as much as they took it. Again, just another great match.
(Sacrifice 2006)

Monster's Ball Match: Abyss vs. Sabu vs. Rhino vs.Jeff Hardy - This match goes all over the place, weapons galore, and tons of spots. Look out for Jeff Hardy's dive off the top of the stage onto the floor thought a table.
(Bound For Glory 2005)
[Also available on Best Of Abyss & Best Of Bloodiest Brawls Vol. 1]

Ladder Match: Kaz vs. Christian Cage - You can quote me here...this was the best Ladder Match I've seen in TNA. We know what Christian Cage can do based on his WWE past but what Kaz was pulling off in this match as well made this the match of the night at Genesis. There were alot of moves done that were unbelievable such as Christian's frog splash onto the ladder from the top rope and the ladder doesn't give...which happened in the first five minutes. Another moment to look out for was Kaz missing a legdrop drop the top of the ladder onto another ladder. I don't want to give away everything that happened in the match but this was the match of the night & the best in Kaz's career since his return (and maybe even before as well) in TNA while Christian Cage gave a showstealing performance..no questions asked.
(Genesis 2007)
[Also available on Best Of 2007]

Ultimate X Match: 10 man Ultimate X Match - TNA has done enough gauntlets that I don't need to explain the rules but the exception here is that once the 10th man enters, the match turns into the Ultimate X match were you win by grabbing the "X" hanging in the middle of the ring. They used the "Elevation X" structure here to hang the "X" from instead of the normal ring ropes. The MVP of the match without a doubt was Kaz as this match was his own personal highlight reall with moments like the diamond cutter/RKO he gave to Christopher Daniels off the top rope while Daniels was just hanging from the structure along with later performing his "Flux Capacitor" move that hasn't been seen in over 3 years. The ending came with Daniels grabbed the X with help from Senshi & Elix Skipper reuniting the team of Triple X.
(Victory Road 2007)

Ultimate X Match: X Division Champion Petey Williams vs. A.J. Styles vs. Chris Sabin - If you never seen an Ultimate X match, it's really something to watch because high spots put off in this match are really something that will keep your guys on the ring. Watch AJ get kicked off the top & flipped inside out. The ending was something I didn't expect but it creative. Great match.
(Final Resolution 2005)
[Also available on Best Of X Division Vol. 1]

Ultimate X Match: X Division Champion A.J. Styles vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Elix Skipper vs. Ron Killings - The rules for this match was different than usual as you have to eliminate two participants in first a tag then triple threat match before the Ultimate X match actually starts. Long match but with the stiputlations, it never really gets boring. The ending was a real screwjob but what would you expect from the lead heel in the X Division at that time.
(Destination X 2005)
[Also available on Best Of X Division Vol. 1]

Ultimate X Match: NWA Tag Team Champions A.J. Styles & Christopher Daniels vs. L.A.X. - This was the match TNA fans voted as the match of the year & you can understand why after seeing it. There was alot of unique spots & different ways of trying to get the belts (ala Homocide getting a ladder) that which made this Ultimate X standout above the others. Also, I have to get props to Hernandez because for him being the big muscle man, this didn't have a problem adapting to a match that is strictly for "smaller" wrestlers.
(No Surrender 2006)
[Also available on Best Of A.J. Styles Vol. 2]

King Of The Mountain Match: NWA Champion Ron Killings vs. Jeff Jarrett vs. AJ Styles vs. Raven vs. Chris Harris - Now for those who never seen a the King Of The Mountain match before, it's a ladder match in reverse with alot of stipulations. To win the match, you have to use the ladder hang the belt instead of using the ladder to pull it down like a normal ladder match. However before you can hang the belt, you have to qualify to do it by scoring a pinfall/submission over one of the other competitors...and the person who loses that fall goes into a penality box for 2 mins. Yeah, sounds real gimmicky but when you watch it come together...it's a real easy match to follow. This was the first one so it was real unique to watch everything come together but here is where you found out how Jeff Jarrett earned his nickname of "King Of The Mountain"

King Of The Mountain Match: NWA Champion AJ Styles vs. Raven vs. Abyss vs. Sean Waltman vs. Monty Brown - This was a wild match filled with such hardcore highlights like Monty Brown dominating everyone early resulting in Raven & Waltman being put in the penality box in the opening moments, weapons such as tables & trash cans getting involved, Sean Waltman giving lowblows with a staplegun, the story being told between A.J. Styles & Sean Waltman throughout the match, and Raven fufilling his destiny in becoming the new NWA Champion.
(Slammiversary 2005)

King of the Mountain Match: NWA Champion Christian Cage vs. Sting vs. Ron Killings vs. Abyss vs. Jeff Jarrett - This was the first King Of The Mountain match I've seen & it's a unique concept once you understand how all the rules go & watch it come together. The match itself was something to watch as you see multiple stories being told at different times (ala "does Sting want the belt or just doesn't want Jarrett to have it?"...the story between Sting & Christian). However, the ending really overshadowed the whole match as they were tryin' to do a "Montreal Screwjob" ending with Jarrett (HBK), Larry Zbyszko (McMahon), and Earl Hebner. You could see how the TNA fans felt about this match & the idea of Jarrett having ANOTHER title reign at the end.
(Slammiversary 2006)

King of the Mountain Match for the vacant TNA Championship: Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe vs. Chris Harris vs. A.J. Styles vs. Christian Cage - Just like all of their multiman matches, this was just a wild brawl all over the place between all 5 men. The props at ringside come into play various times like Christian getting "crotched" between one of the steps of the ladder, A.J. Styles being tossed over the top rope onto Christian...who was laying down on the ladder at the time, and Styles being thrown off the top of the penality box through the announcers table (Mick Foley would be proud). In the end, Kurt Angle becomes the first TNA Champion.
(Slammiversary 2007)
[Also available on Best Of 2007]

Six Sides Of Steel Match: America's Most Wanted vs. Triple X - With the whole "losers can never team again" stipulation, you can see these guys went balls out & didn't hold back anything. Elix Skipper's spot towards the end is really something to see.
(Turning Point 2004)
[Also available on Best Of The Bloodiest Brawls Vol. 1]

Six Sides Of Steel Match: AJ Styles vs. Abyss - This match is just awesome. It's not really a bloody massacre but a great storytelling of "the big unstoppable monster vs. the little guy who never gives up." The door slamming into AJ's face is vicious.
(Lockdown 2005)
[Also available on Best Of Abyss, Best Of A.J. Styles Vol. 2, Best Of Bloodiest Brawls Vol. 1]

Six Sides Of Steel Match: NWA Champion Christian Cage vs. Abyss - This was a brutal match very similiar to the match last year Abyss had with Styles but Christian dished out the punishment as much as he took it. This wasn't the typical Abyss match with the thumbtack spots so that made this even more special. Again, just another great match.
(Lockdown 2006)
[Also available on Best Of Abyss]

Six Sides of Steel Match: AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels vs. L.A.X. - Words won't do this match justice as it doesn't top their previous matches but it ranks right up there with their previous matches which were all classic tag team quality with a good amount of violence thrown in. Look out for AJ's flip dive off the top of the cage.
(Bound For Glory 2007)
[Also available on Best Of Tag Teams Vol. 1 & Best Of Bloodiest Brawls Vol. 2]

With a few minor exceptions, the match quality is here without a doubt worthy of a 5 star rating for this DVD but there was one huge problem that you may have noticed during my review that caused me to lower this a star & the major reason I didn't buy this DVD personally as I stated earlier which is the same problem TNA encounters so many times on their DVD releases...MOST OF THESE MATCHES ARE ON OTHER "BEST OF" DVD'S. For example, this is the fourth time that the A.J. Styles vs. Abyss match from "Lockdown 2005" is being used. I don't mind a match being reused at times if the occassion calls for it but 4 different times if really stretching it. That factor along with a majority of these matches available elsewhere too really wouldn't make this a set worth getting for someone who already has a heavy TNA DVD collection so in that case, I would pass on this unless you just must have every TNA DVD as part of the collection. However, if your new to TNA or don't have a heavy TNA DVD collection then this is one selection to add to your collection & I recommend under these circumstances.

2/5 Lame & Lazy DVD!!
  by Demonizer (South of Heaven)
Just so you know you do NOT get the first four KOTM, you get the Last 3. This DVD was very Lazy in being put together. NO Match Listing (Package, Inside DVD or Website for that matter), No Intro (DVD just starts, I thought my player skipped a section), Normal "Same Old",Same Old" Interviews (ok, but nothing worth noting) and the Matches ALL (except KOTM 2008) that we have seen before a dozen times on other DVD packages. No Terrodome as promised and No X-Division Lockdown Match as anticipated!! VERY LAME & VERY LAZY TNA Release!!!

After the Great Knockouts DVD I thought TNA was ready to set the bar agian but then they go and release this garbage. It is not that the Matches are bad, far from it, it's just that we have seen ALL these matches SOOOOO Many Times before, WE WANT SOMETHING NEW!! Total Lazyness on TNA's Part and Nothing More Than a Quick Cash In!!!

3/5 An interesting match selection of TNA history
  by Michael A. Weyer
Just saw the match listing for this set:

Full Metal Mayhem: Jeff Hardy vs. Abyss (Against All Odds 2005)
*World Title Match: Abyss vs. Christian Cage (Sacrifice 2006)
*Monster's Ball: Abyss vs. Sabu vs. Rhino vs.Jeff Hardy (Bound For Glory 2005)
*Ladder Match: Kaz vs. Christian Cage (Genesis 2007)
*Ultimate X Match: 10 man Ultimate X Match (Victory Road 2007)
*Ultimate X Match: AJ Styles vs. Petey Williams vs. Chris Sabin (TNA X Division Championship- Final Resolution 2005)
*Ultimate X Match: Christopher Daniels vs. A.J. Styles vs. Elix Skipper vs. Ron Killings (TNA X Division Championship- Destination X 2005)
*Ultimate X Match: A.J. Styles & Christopher Daniels vs. LAX (NWA World Tag Team Championship- Surrender 2006)
*King Of The Mountain
*King Of The Mountain 2
*King of the Mountain 3
*King of the Mountain 4
*Six Sides Of Steel: America's Most Wanted vs. Triple X (Turning Point 2004)
*Six Sides Of Steel: AJ Styles vs. Abyss (Lockdown 2005)
*Six Sides Of Steel: Abyss vs. Christian Cage (Lockdown 2006)
*Six Sides of Steel: AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels vs. LAX (Bound For Glory 2007)


Having the first four KOTM matches on is interesting and the Ultimate X matches alone make this worth the price, a nice showcase for the best action TNA can offer.