TNA's Top 10 Matches- A Tribute

TNA's much maligned these days, Aces & Eights, Hulk Hogan, it can be easy to give it a bit of a shoeing, but sometimes it's worth remembering that on its day TNA has one of the greatest wrestling rosters ever assembled and in its prime produced some of the greatest wrestling of all time, so here is my tribute, after a couple of weeks of perusing videos, both from memory and other top 10 lists, I have produced what I think are the top 10 TNA matches of all time, video links included, enjoy.

10) Kurt Angle vs Samoa Joe- Genesis '06

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcDCIrgGCig

I'll kick this off with a meeting of two all time great wrestlers, probably the first dream match TNA was able to present, Angle left 'E under a cloud before appearing in TNA, did he still have it? Oh boy he did, one of many encounters between these two, is it the original and best?

9) TNA World Championship- AJ Styles (c) vs Christopher Daniels- Final Resoloution '09

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhF5ErgVZgM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR3tP0B6rLg

Lets make this clear, AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels have wrestled, alot!, these matches are often of a very high standard and anyone of them could easily merit a place on this list, but if I had to pick one, I'd choose this little belter from the forgotten era just between the Main Event Mafia and Hogan (which as this list may suggest was one of my favorite periods in TNA), Powerslam described it as a 'near perfect' wrestling match, do you agree?

8) Chris Harris vs James Storm- Texas Death Match- Sacrafice '07

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu3os5o4rjM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsFdk8F1hBo

I'm not normally one for a gorefest, but this all out war, following the breakdown of arguably TNA's most iconic tag team deserves an airing, not one for the faint of heart.

7) TNA Knockouts Championship- Gail Kim (c) vs Awesome Kong- No DQ Match- Final Resoloution '08

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNqd9O27uQg

Remember when TNA's womens division was the envy of the world? Kim vs Kong, a feud that proved that there is an audience for woman's wrestling if it's done correctly, I've heard this match described as 'If Sting and Vader were women' and is probably my fave encounter between these two.

6) TNA World Championship- AJ Styles (c) vs Samoa Joe vs Christopher Daniels- Turning Point '09

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWOIrBZ3tkE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn7Y18bHVbw

Another match from the post MEM, pre Hogan era, three of TNA's greatest and most iconic workers facing off over the biggest prize in TNA, what a re-match you say? I don't know what you are talking about

5) Fight for the Right Tournament Final- Frankie Kazarian vs Christian Cage- Ladder Match- Genesis '07

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6eNYst9kBY

A match I was reminded of when reading up for this article admittedly, but blooming heck it's good, a real underdog story of little Kaz vs former World Champ Christian.

4) Kurt Angle vs Desmond Wolfe- Turning Point '09

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzZ6P1wcN_Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6u0doRlWMo

The match that got me back into TNA following the disasterous MEM period, ROH icon Wolfe (former Nigel McGuiness) vs All time great in waiting Kurt Angle, everything about this match, from build up, to storytelling and in execution is amzing, a must watch.

3) Triple X vs America's Most Wanted- Six Sides of Steel/Loser Splits Up- Turning Point '04

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK48g71YsCA

Simply, the greatest tag match in TNA history IMO, a brutal war, where the losing team must split up, anyone remember Elix Skipper? No? Faintly? Well after watching this you'll never forget as he hits the greatest spot in wrestling history, have I hyped this up enough?

2) TNA World Championship- Kurt Angle (c) vs Samoa Joe- Six Sides of Steel- Lockdown '08

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I-4Bmhdadk

Now this is probably the best Angle vs Joe match, apparently drew the highest TNA buyrate ever, do I really care, not particuarly, but this is a hard hitting match that would stand up to any UFC clash you'd wish to mention.

1) X Division Championship- Christopher Daniels (c) vs AJ Styles vs Samoa Joe- Unbreakable '05

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bbdk_PP4rRk

Ah, this match, it was alright I guess, In all seriousness, this was the match that in years to come TNA should be remembered for, a standard setter for all threeway bouts past and those yet to come, if you watch any match on this list, make it this one, I don't think it's fair to yourself if you don't, this was the first TNA match I'd every seen and after a few years of the WWE product at the time, my mind was blown

Thanks for reading this, hope you enjoy the matches if you choose to watch them, please share your own fave matches and hoepfully you can join me in saying to TNA, Thanks for the memories

Do you not think it's quite sad that of all the matches in this list, the most recent match was 4 years ago now. Despite claims from TNA's staunchest supporters that TNA has been improved immeasurably over the past few years, it appears that at least from this list which I imagine is actually quite close to the general consensus, the matches are totally forgettable.

But they've had a resolution to an awful storyline that made sense so all is clearly forgiven!

I was hoping we could have had a few posts of celebration before this inevitabley cropped up, but yeh I think the wrestling has dipped slightly, though bearing in mind these are what I consider to be the top 10 elitle matches in the companies history, the wrestling is still of a high standard, but the X, Tag and Knockouts Divisions are not as strong as they once were, Angle, who was always worth an awesome match, is fading, and Joe, Daniels and Styles have wrestled each other ad naseum, as I said I could have put 10 Styles vs Daniels matches on there but they are a tired feud.

Still great wrestling on the list I'd think you'd agree

Good list doctor

Personally id make a few changes but 95% of it id agree with

What changes would you make?

Theres a good few matches I considered but by in large I'm happy with what I put, I still think a Top 20 would be a list of great matches.

Personally id add the AJ/Daniels Iron Man match in and potentially a match from the MCMG/Beer Money best of 5 series or the LAX vs AJ/Daniels Ultimate X match in

Anyone of them would be worthy of a top 10 place tbh

I'm not a lover of the Styles vs Daniels Ironman, it's a very good match but I've never been a fan of low scoring Ironmans, I felt if I was only going to include one Styles v Daniels then the FR clash was better.

The other two (well by two anyone of the BO5) were definatly under consideration and would have definatly made a Top 20.

Good calls though.

Fair that's where you and i differ, if was a 60 minute iron man then high scoring would make sense as they would tire but 30 minutes doesn't seem to be that long in wrestling anymore

I may do a ROH top 10 list now after this or add another 10 to your list

Other contenders....

Petey Williams vs. AJ Styles vs. Chris Sabin Ultimate X at Final Resolution 05

And to balance out the mention about it all being older matches here's some more recent ones;

Steel Cage Match: Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson Lockdown 10
Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy No Surrender 10
Austin Aries vs. Low Ki vs. Jack Evans vs. Zema Ion Destination X 11

Hero wrote:Other contenders....

Petey Williams vs. AJ Styles vs. Chris Sabin Ultimate X at Final Resolution 05

And to balance out the mention about it all being older matches here's some more recent ones;

Steel Cage Match: Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson Lockdown 10
Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Hardy No Surrender 10
Austin Aries vs. Low Ki vs. Jack Evans vs. Zema Ion Destination X 11

Even the most recent of those are from 2 years ago! Of the few posts of Adam's I read ( ) you'd have thought TNA had come leaps and bounds in just the last year.

Excellent stuff, that's a great list

What a PPV Turning Point '09 was!

Can't believe that was 2009

MtotheC's Wrasslin Biatch wrote:What a PPV Turning Point '09 was!

Can't believe that was 2009

In some ways I wish that period had never existed, the back to its roots approach, built me up only to have it dashed by the Hogan era

Just watched the Deathmatch. Jeez Louise that was a tad uncomfortable. Braden Walker going crazy.

There was a tag match a couple of years ago; MCMG Vs a japanese tag team I can never remember their name but imo it was one of the best if not best tag team match I'd ever seen and probably one of the best matches in TNA history

TheChosen1 wrote:There was a tag match a couple of years ago; MCMG Vs a japanese tag team I can never remember their name but imo it was one of the best if not best tag team match I'd ever seen and probably one of the best matches in TNA history

I think it's No Limit you're thinking of

I remember them having a good match on Impact but respectfully disagree that it was a classic.

Maybe they had another I'm forgetting but I mainly remember them feuding with the Dudleys