2004 would be the last year to feature TNA Wrestling weekly PPV shows as the promotion adopted a monthly pay-per-view model in November. The promotion would kickoff its traditional PPV journey with Victory Road on November 7.
Turning Point followed up with some great action. The event also featured Elix Skipper’s iconic walk on the top of the cage to deliver a frankensteiner. That being said, let’s take a look at some of the best TNA Wrestling PPV matches of 2004:
20-man Gauntlet Match (TNA Victory Road)
Royal Rumble-styled matches usually see participants work little to maximize their stay inside the squared circle. This wasn’t the case in this 20-man Gauntlet Match at Victory Road 2004 where every participant worked hard to deliver a quality match-up.
Another thing of note is that participants entered at one-minute interval to make sure the match itself doesn’t take forever to finish. Hector Garza would win this first TNA PPV match for the X Division Cup.
Abyss vs. Monty Brown vs. Raven (Monster’s Ball Three Way Match – Victory Road)
The first-ever Monster’s Ball Match featured Abyss, Monty Brown, and Raven. The match would lay the groundwork for future Monster Ball matches with fast-paced action and brutality. All three men utilized foreign objects at the right time to ensure appropriate pacing.
Abyss takes the most punishment, as expected of his gimmick, with Monty Brown looking really solid with his offense. All three men did a great job presenting this first-of-a-king match stipulation in TNA history.
AJ Styles vs. Petey Williams (X-Division Title Match – Victory Road)
AJ Styles and Petey Williams had a great match at TNA Victory Road 2004. The two highlights of the 2000s indie movement worked the match at a frenetic pace with some innovative spots. Both men tired to outwork each other in an attempt to land their finisher first.
That being said, Scott D’Amore’s constant interference took away some momentum from the match. Williams would retain his title after nearly 10 minutes of back and forth action. This (interference) was usually the case with most of Petey Williams’ matches in 2004-05.
Chris Sabin vs. Petey Williams (TNA X-Division Title Match – Turning Point)
Two veterans of the X-Division collided to determine the holder of the iconic title. Chris Sabin and Petey Williams traded wins with each other in 2004. Both men wanted to claim the X-Division Title for themselves.
The Turning Point outing featured some creative spots and innovative offense from both men. Chris Sabin is best when he’s completely reckless (in kayfabe sense). Williams, on the other hand, is smooth with the execution of his moves.
The ending is a tad overbooked with Scott D’Amore interfering to give Williams the title win.
America’s Most Wanted vs. Triple X (Losing Team Must Split Up Six Sides Of Steel Cage Match – Turning Point)
AMW and Triple H had a series of matches against each other in 2004. Both teams wanted to prove they were the best in the business. After colliding in a Last Team Standing Match at Victory Road, the four men decided to settle their feud inside a steel cage.
The two teams spent the first half trying to wear each other down in a traditional tag team format. It was clear as crystal that neither wanted to disband with the animosity that was on display. The match featured some brutal bumps and the all-time classic spot from Skipper.
The spot, however, proved to be Triple X’s undoing as Christopher Daniels got way too cocky. Daniels would find himself handcuffed by Chris Harris. The Wildcat joined James Storm to deliver Triple X’s own finisher on Skipper while a helpless Daniels watched his team lose to end the feud.
Honorable Mentions
- Eight-man Tag Team Match (NWA-TNA PPV #96)
- King of the Mountain Match (NWA-TNA PPV #97)
- AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy (X-Division Title Match – NWA-TNA PPV #103)
- America’s Most Wanted vs. The Naturals (NWA World Tag Team Title Match – July 21)
Also read: Best TNA Wrestling PPV Matches Of 2005
