Match of the Day - Abyss chokeslams AJ through the ring with the power of Hulkamania

Abyss vs. AJ Styles - TNA Heavyweight Championship match - TNA Destination X (2010)

While there have been good encounters between Abyss and AJ Styles ( i.e. Lockdown '05), this is not one of those encounters. No, this encounter is in the thick of Hulk Hogan's takeover of TNA in 2010 starring heel AJ Styles taking on face Abyss. During this glorious downward spiral of TNA, "the future of TNA" AJ Styles was put under the wing of wheelchaired Ric Flair, while Abyss, you know - "The Monster" Abyss - was given the powers of Hulkamania by Hulk Hogan in order to dethrone Styles of Fortune (TNA's try at the Four Horsemen, I guess) and eventually become champion. Abyss's Hulkster power-up included a new Real American mash-up theme, a few bits of ketchup and mustard on his attire, and Hulk Hogan's Hall of Fame ring. Yep, Hogan gave his ring to Abyss rather than pawning it for some quick cash. Silly Hogan... it's not like he can get another one. Oh, just you wait.

Abyss and AJ have a pretty alright match that could have just been done and forgotten about. Instead, Abyss with his new found Hulkamania powers takes a page out of The Big Show (who also once pretended to be Hogan) and Undertaker's book and chokeslams AJ Styles through the ring. Technically, AJ's body just collapses the ring, but as the camera mistakenly looks down at AJ in the hole we see that he is being cut through the mat by some mysterious scissor people that reside under the ring.

So that's it, right? Abyss chokeslams AJ through the ring and wins the belt for the sake of Hulkamania? Actually no; since AJ is sucked down into the abyss, hah, and was unable to return, the match was thrown out just like when a champion walks out of the match in a last ditch effort to retain their title. Abyss wins the battle and AJ Styles retains his title, but the nonsense doesn't end there. As Hogan himself comes out to celebrate with Abyss, Ric Flair gets wheeled back out to confront Hogan who had kicked him out earlier in the match. The wheelchair bound Flair is then dragged into the ring by Hogan's monster, gets sprayed by some pepper spray, and flops around on the mat for a while until Desmond Wolfe comes out to save him. Wolfe does not save Flair, instead he gets beat down by Hogan and Abyss, pepper sprayed, and finally, trips over the selling-like-it's-gonna-win-him-another-Hall of Fame-ring, Ric Flair into the hole in the middle of the ring. In one final act of total nonstop acting, Flair does his best Shawn Michaels impression from Summerslam '05 and overly sells a fall into the hole with the already buried Desmond Wolfe and AJ Styles.

Theme results

Ring Destructions: Abyss hulks up and chokelsams AJ "through" the ring.

Match of the Debut - The rise and fall of Trytan

Monty Brown vs. Trytan - Destination X (2005)

In 2005, "The Alpha Man" Monty Brown was being stalked by an unknown man who may or may not have possessed supernatural powers. This mystery man was eventually revealed as "Trytan", a man who may or may not have had supernatural powers. So, as all storylines should go, this stalking of sorts by Trytan led to him getting a match with Monty Brown at Destination X.

Whether or not this Trytan guy had special powers or was some Terminator reject, one thing was more unclear than the rest, and that was: could this guy even wrestle? Well, as it turned out, he could - just not very well. Monty Brown carried the match until it came time to deliver his signature move, a move I'll forever miss, the POUNCE! Unfortunately, as Monty Brown is running the ropes to set up his explosive shoulder block, the lights go out and when they turn back on a man dressed from head to toe in black is in the place of Trytan. Monty Brown then takes this masked person and Pounces him and even gets the pinfall when it clearly wasn't Trytan. As Monty Brown is getting his hand raised in victory for defeating a man that wasn't even his opponent, Trytan appears and then disappears into some smoke back to the locker room.

Despite Monty Brown getting the win but not a victory over Trytan, the storyline, just like Trytan throw the tunnel at the end of this match, disappeared into obscurity. Later that night, Monty Brown would turn heel and aligned himself with Jeff Jarrett after helping Jarrett in his match against DDP, thus giving Brown something to do other than chase around a walking disappearance act.

Trytan apparently stayed with the company for some time after this match but never really did anything worth noting. As for the masked man, well, he was never seen again. At least we know who played him, and that was Dennis Knight - better known as Phineas I. Godwinn, Mideon, or "Naked" Mideon .

Match of the Day - Something's fishy with Team 3D and that scale

Team 3D vs. Shark Boy & Curry Man - Fish Market Street Fight - TNA Destination X (2008)

Part 1

Here we go: Team 3D take on the colorful team of "Stone Cold" Shark Boy and Curry Man in a unique street fight that was right up Shark Boy's alley. But, before they could compete in the match itself, Brother Devon and Brother Ray first had to weigh-in as they had previously lost to Shelley/Sabin with the stipulation that if Team 3D lost they must be weighed before every match. If the brothers from another mother over-exceeded the weight limit of 275 lb, they'd be DQ'd. I want to say the weight limit gimmick came about due to the new X division weight limit but it was probably just TNA being TNA.

Part 2

Anyways, Team 3D (much bigger than they are today) ended up miraculously meeting the weigh-in and got the opportunity to be in TNA's very first Fish Market Street Fight! Real dead fish and all. I'll try not to go too far into detail, but let's just say there were enough antics with fish, fish nets, fishing rods, and more fish by way of crotch shots to make you say holy mackerel. Stuff like that.

Brother Ray even Frenches a big ol' bass.

Part 3

"The fish are flying at Destination X" - Mike Tenay, 2009.

The only part of this match that really disappoints, and it's definitely not the use of fish/fish puns/fish equipment, is the ending. After countless kick-outs by Team 3D, Brother Devine (remember Johnny Devine?) came in to throw some powder in someone's face and it ends up in Brother Ray's eyes instead. Powder, really? I get that that is a good heel lackey thing to do, but this was a Fish Market Street Fight; couldn't Devine at least have thrown salt water at Ray instead? But nope. Ray then blindly walks in to position for a 3D on his own partner, Devon. Oh, and Curry Man and Shark Boy win!

Theme results

Food: fish, ding dongs, clam juice.

For more laughs, I highly recommend reading the Wrestlecrap induction of this match!