How To Watch The WWE In A Focused, Fun Manner, Whether You're New Or A Long Time Fan, 8: Reigns Of Terror

We start off this season with a TNA event called Turning Point, and spend most of the WWE portion of the season focused on what's probably the best stable in wrestling history, Evolution. Both of these feel like accurate descriptions of this season.

TNA goes from weekly pay-per-views starring Jeff Jarrett, Vince Russo, and a Senior Citizens Home of WCW and WWE superstars with special guest star AJ Styles to a legitimately fun organizatoin with monthly pay-per-views, and slightly less Monday Night Wars-era storytelling.

And while Triple H is in the midst of his Reign Of Terror in the WWE, Samoa Joe absolutely dominates Ring Of Honor, which continues to have effectively minimal storytelling and fantastic matches featuring the future of WWE & AEW. 

And while he doesn't have any matches this season (but don't worry, he'll be dropping by again next season), it's really fun to see Ricky Steamboat pop back up as an ethical referee in Ring Of Honor.

Season 8:
​Reigns Of Terror

Starring: Triple H, Randy Orton, Batista, Ric Flair, Samoa Joe, CM Punk, AJ Styles, Raven, John Cena, Chris Jericho, Christian, Daniel Bryan, Trish Stratus, Homicide, Christopher Daniels, Jay Briscoe, Mark Briscoe, Eddie Guerrero, JBL, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Shawn Michaels, Abyss, Austin Aries, Shelton Benjamin, Colt Cabana

801. Turning Point, 2004

Announcers: Mike Tenay, Don West, Jeremy Borash, Shane Douglas

This was the first non-weekly pay-per-view that TNA put on. It seems to set up a returning NWO (dubbed The Kings of Wrestling, with Jeff Jarrett subbing in for Hulk Hogan) but we're going to skip that storyline, apart from its original tease.  We're going to start off with a rumb...I'm sorry, a gauntlet match, and climb up the card until we get to our first heavyweight title match of the season.

1. Ultimate X Gauntlet
Kazarian, Sonjay Dutt, TJ Perkins, La Parka, Jerrelle Clark, Miyamoto, Michael Shane, Héctor Garza, Nosawa, Mikey Batts, Alex Shelley, Matt Sydal, Sonny Siaki, Jason Cross, Shark Boy, Psicosis, D-Ray 3000, Amazing Red, Brian Kendrick, Chris Sabin

2. Trinity vs Jacqueline
3. Monty Brown vs Raven vs Abyss in a Monster's Ball Match
4. Petey Williams (X Champ) vs AJ Styles
5. DDP vs Raven
6. Jeff Jarrett (TNA Champ) vs Jeff Hardy

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802. Constant Evolution, 2004

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, Jonathan Coachman, Tod Grisham, Lilian Garcia, Tony Chimel, Howard Finkel

Evolution is at its peak here. Sure, Triple H lost his belt last season, but Orton starts off with the Intercontinental Title before leveling up. Batista starts his push as a superstar. We also get a fun interview where John Cena steals Orton's limelight, a full season before the two begin their decade long feud.

1. Batista vs Chris Jericho
2. Randy Orton (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Edge
3. Molly Holly vs Victoria
4. Booker T (WWE US Champ) vs John Cena
5. Kurt Angle vs Eddie Guerrero
6. Chris Benoit (WWE Champ) vs Randy Orton 

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803. Thumb War, 2004

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler,  Jonathan Coachman, Tod Grisham, Lilian Garcia

Evolution, uhhh, evolves into something different in this episode as we immediately open on a rematch from the previous episode where things go wonderfully, and then terribly for Randy Orton in quick succession. 

1. Randy Orton (WWE Champ) vs Chris Benoit
2. Trish Stratus (WWE Womens Champ) vs Victoria
3. Tomko vs Steven Richards
4. Christian vs Chris Jericho for vacant WWE Intercontinental Champ
5. La Resistance (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs Chris Benoit & Edge 
6. Shelton Benjamin (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Christian
​7. Randy Orton vs Ric Flair in a Steel Cage Match

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804.  At Our Best, 2004

Announcers: Mark Nulty, Jimmy Bower, CM Punk

The Briscoes feud with Samoa Joe comes to an end as CM Punk becomes the biggest non-title holding heel in the organization. 

1. Samoa Joe (ROH Champ) vs  Low Ki vs BJ Whittmer vs Dan Maff in a 4 Corners Match
2. AJ Styles (ROH Pure Champ) vs CM Punk
3. The Briscoes (ROH Tag Team Champs) vs Rottweilers
4. Daniel Bryan vs CM Punk
5. Samoa Joe (ROH Champ) vs Jay Briscoe in a Steel Cage

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805. Sweet Home Chicago, 2004

Announcers: Mark Nulty, Jimmy Bower

It's hard to even remember that CM Punk and Colt Caban weren't just The Best Of Friends in the aughts, but also a killer tag team. We also see Homicide leap up the card with a new attitude that will keep him in the title picture for the rest of the season.

1. Daniel Bryan vs Homicide
2. The Briscoes (ROH Tag Team Champs) vs Second City Saints
3. Homicide vs Brian Kendrick
4.  The Briscoes (ROH Tag Team Champs) vs Second City Saints
5. Samoa Joe (ROH Champ) vs Homicide

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806. Against All Odds, 2004-5

Announcers: Mike Tenay, Don West, Jeremy Borash, Shane Douglas

America's Most Wanted is TNA's answer to ROH's Briscoes, as they're a tag time who thrives and is important to the company, regardless of whether or not they're the champs. But, oh, when they're the champs, they absolutely devestate their opponents.

1. Sonny Siaki, Héctor Garza, and Sonjay Dutt vs Kid Kash, Michael Shane, and Kazarian
2. Petey Williams (X Champ) vs Chris Sabin
3. America's Most Wanted vs Triple X in a Steel Cage
4. America's Most Wanted (TNA Tag Team Champs) vs Kid Kash & Lance Archer
5. DDP & Monty Brown vs Team Canada
6. AJ Styles (X Champ) vs Christopher Daniels in an Iron Man match

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807. Evolutionary War, 2004

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, Jonathan Coachman, Maria Kanellis, Tony Chimel, Howard Finkel

Everyone's favorite apple spitting mid-carder joins the fray in this episode, Spike Dudley gets some well-earned spotlight, and we have two classic survivor series matches that efffectively weave together several storylines.

1. John Cena (WWE US Champ) vs Carlito
2. Spike Dudley (WWE Cruserweight Champ) vs Rey Mysterio vs Billy Kidman vs Chavo Guerrero
3. Team Angle vs Team Guerrero
Kurt Angle, Mark Jindrak, Luther Reigns, and Carlito vs Eddie Guerrero, Big Show, RvD, and John Cena

4. Trish Stratus (WWE Womans Champ) vs Lita
5. Team RKO vs Team Evolution
Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, and Maven vs Triple H, Ric Flair, Batista, and Gene Snitsky

6. JBL (WWE Champ) vs Undertaker vs Eddie Guerrero vs Booker T in a Fatal 4Way

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808. Dark Disorder, 2005

Announcers: Mike Tenay, Don West, Jeremy Borash, Shane Douglas

I don't know if this episode features the only post-WCW Kevin Nash match worth watching, but it does feel that way. We get to see Goldust devoid of any facepaint or outlandish suits for the first time since the second season. And we check in with the              X Division, which is still the best part of TNA, even if it's not as exciting as it was a couple of seasons ago.

1. Jeff Jarret (TNA Champ) vs Kevin Nash
2. Goldust (as Dustin Rhodes) vs Raven
3. Jeff Hardy vs Abyss in a Full Metal Mayhem match
4. Ultimate X Challenge
AJ Styles (X Champ), Christopher Daniels, R-Truth, Elix Skipper

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809. Scramble Cage Melee, 2004

Announcers: Mark Nulty, Jimmy Bower

Sandwiched between two excellent Samoa Joe title defenses is the first and only Scramble Cage Melee, an event so dangerous that Every Participant was injured during the match, neccesitatintg a bunch of rewrites on the fly.
​

1. Samoa Joe (ROH Champ) vs CM Punk
2.  Scramble Cage Melee
BJ Whittmer, Jack Evans, Luke Hawx, Dan Maff, DeVito, Diablo Santiago, Dunn, Fast Eddie, Loc, Marcos, Oman Tortuga, and Trent Acid

3. Samoa Joe (ROH Champ) vs CM Punk vs Homicide in a 3 Way Dance

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810. Bringing The Thunder, 2004

Announcers: Mark Nulty, Jimmy Bower
​
Jushin Thunder Liger stops in ROH for a couple of matches, and we see the first of them here as he has a dream match with Daniel Bryan. Plus, Austin Aries starts to climb the ladder towards becoming the New Dominant Force in ROH.

1. Austin Aries vs Daniel Bryan in a 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match
2. John Walters (ROH Pure Champ) vs Nigel McGuinness
3. Jay Lethal vs Low-Ki
4. Daniel Bryan vs Jushin Thunder Liger

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811. Night Of Too Many Champions

The origin of the Trish Stratus/Lita feud, like many storylines for women in a pre-Revolution WWE is horrendous, so you won't see any vignettes about its origins here, just a couple of hard hitting street fights that were atypical of womens' matches at the time. We also see the debut of the Elimination Chamber, and a fun, if mediocre rumble.

​Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, Jonathan Coachman, Maria Kanellis, Todd Grisham, Tony Chimel, Howard Finkel

1. Trish Stratus (WWE Womans Champ) vs Lita
2. Spike Dudley (WWE Cruiserweight Champ) vs Funaki
3. Lita (WWE Womans Champ) vs Trish Stratus
4. Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship
Triple H vs Randy Orton vs Batista vs Chris Jericho vs Chris Benoit vs Edge

5. Royal Rumble

Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Daniel Puder, Hardcore Holly, The Hurricane, Kenzo Suzuki , Edge, Rey Mysterio, Shelton Benjamin, Booker T, Chris Jericho, Luther Reigns, Muhammad Hassan, Orlando Jordan, Scotty 2 Hotty, Charlie Haas, René Duprée, Simon Dean, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Jonathan Coachman, Mark Jindrak, Mabel (as Viscera), Paul London, John Cena, Gene Snitsky, Kane, Batista, Christian Raw, Ric Flair

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812. Lethal Lockdown, 2005

Announcers: Mike Tenay, Don West, Shane Douglas, Jeremy Borash

All but one of these matches takes place in a steel cage! And that other match is a Raven House of Fun Match, making this the gimmickiest TNA show yet, but it's got some solid battles and not a Jeff Jarett or Vince Russo in sight.

1. Four Man Escape Match
Chris Sabin vs. Matt Bentley vs. Shocker vs. Sonjay Dutt

2. Raven vs Jeff Hardy in a Tables Match
3. America's Most Wanted (Impact Tag Champs) vs Team Canada in a Six Sides of Steel Strap match
4. Christopher Daniels (Impact X Champ) vs Elix Skipper in a Steel Cage Match
5. AJ Styles vs Abyss in a Steel Cage Match
6. Raven vs X-Pac (as Sean Waltman) in a Raven's House Of Fun Match
7. The Naturals (Impact Tag Champs) vs America's Most Wanted

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813. Final Battle, 2004

Announcers: Dave Penzer, Jimmy Bower

A​fter two years of running the place, we finally see Samoa Joe lose his title. (Don't worry, he not only picks up a different belt before the season ends, he also starts popping up in TNA.)

1. Daniel Bryan & Low Ki vs Samoa Joe & Jushin Thunder Liger
2. Samoa Joe (ROH Champ) vs CM Punk
3. Daniel Bryan vs Homicide
4. Samoa Joe (ROH Champ) vs Austin Aries

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814. Going Hollywood, 2005

​Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, Tony Chimel, Howard Finkel
​
The first ever Money In The Bank Ladder Match is the show stealer in an episode that features nothing but All Time Greats in the WWE. We also get one of the best callbacks in WWE history. Certainly the best callback involving thumbs.

1. Edge vs Shawn Michaels
2. John Cena vs Kurt Angle
3. Rey Mysterio vs Eddie Guerrero
4. Money In The Bank Ladder Match
Edge, Chris Jericho, Shelton Benjamin, Chris Benoit, Christian, and Kane

6. Triple H (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Batista

---

​815. Stale Mates

Announcers: Dave Penzer, Jimmy Bower

We start this episode with a match from a Trios tournament that features some WWE cruserweights battling it out with two ROH legends and Vondell Walker (sorry, Vondell, the only thing I really know about you is that you once went shoot on Rick Steiner, which is a match I wish I had to put in this chronology). The biggest part of this episode, though, is that they FINALLY change the lighting array, and future matches aren't as dark and red as the previous ones. 

1. Samoa Joe, Daniel Bryan & Vordell Walker vs Brian Kendrick, Jamie Noble & Nigel McGuiness

2. Samoa Joe & Jay Lethal vs CM Punk & Brian Kendrick
3. Daniel Bryan vs Brian Kendrick
4. Alex Shelley vs Colt Cabana vs Nigel McGuiness vs Samoa Joe
5. Austin Aries (ROH Champ) vs Homicide

816. No Titles, Just Legends

​Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, Tony Chimel, Howard Finkel
​
This is the strangest WWE card this season. Wrestlemania 21 was, for the first time in a few years, good enough to split between two episodes. We start off with The Legend Killer trying to end The Streak, follow it up with a great technical match between two WWE legends, continue the excellent Mysterio/Guerrero feud (sans Dominik), and wrap things up with a Dream Tag Team in a mediocre, rah rah rah match. I wasn't going to include any Muhammad Hassan in this chronology, but this helps build to the best Worst match in WWE history.

1. Undertaker vs Randy Orton
2. Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels
3. Rey Mysterio vs Eddie Guerrero
4. Shawn Michaels & Hulk Hogan vs Muhammad Hassan & Khosrow Daivari

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817. Gauntlet For The Gold

Announcers: Mike Tenay, Don West, Shane Douglas, Jeremy Borash

Another not quite royal rumble in TNA and some more X Division focused battles.
​
1. Christopher Daniels (Impact X Champ) vs Shocker
2. Gauntlet For The Gold
Bobby Roode, Zach Gowen, Eric Young, Cassidy Riley, Elix Skipper, Shark Boy, A-1,  Chris Sabin, Petey Williams, Sonny Siaki, Lance Hoyt, Michael Shane, Jerrelle Clarke, Mikey Batts, Billy Gunn, Trytan, R-Truth, Apolo, Road Dogg, Abyss

3. Christopher Daniels (Impact X Champ) vs Chris Sabin vs Michael Shane

4. King Of The Mountain Match
AJ Styles vs. Raven vs. Abyss vs. X-Pac vs. Monty Brown

5. Raven (Impact Heavyweight Champ) vs Abyss in a Dog Collar Match
7. AJ Styles vs X-Pac

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818. Mid-Card Again

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, Jonathan Coachman, Josh Matthews, Todd Grisham, Lilian Garcia, Tony Chimel

The last WWE Episode starred nothing but the All-Time Greats (and Daivari). This one has a bit more variety but is just as fun. This is also probably the only episode that features The World's Greatest Tag Team members in separate matches. 

1. Shelton Benjamin (WWE Intercontinental Champ) vs Chris Jericho
2. Hulk Hogan & Shawn Michaels vs Kurt Angle & Carlito
3. Edge vs Chris Benoit in a Last Man Standing Match
4. MNM (WWE Tag Team Champs) vs Hardcore Holly and Charlie Haas
5. John Cena (WWE Champ) vs JBL in an I Quit Match
6. Batista (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Triple H

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​819. Survival Of The Fittest

Announcers: Dave Penzer, Jimmy Bower

We close out the ROH portion of our season​ with some fantastic matches from the biggest names in the company. Sure, CM Punk is missing, but don't worry, he'll be back next season. And then some.

1. Daniel Bryan vs Homicide in a Lumberjack Match
2. Jay Lethal (ROH Pure Champ) vs Samoa Joe
3. Daniel Bryan vs Homicide in a Steel Cage Match
4. Four Corner Survival Match
Jack Evans vs Samoa Joe vs Delerious vs Ebessan

5. Austin Aries (ROH Champ) vs Daniel Bryan

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820. The Faces Run The Places

Announcers: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, Jonathan Coachman, Todd Grisham, Josh Matthews, Justin Roberts, Tony Chimel

We wind down a bunch of this season's storylines here, as JBL will fade out of the title scene, Carlito and Shelton will fall further down the card, and while the Evolution members will still be some of the most important people in the WWE, their matches with each other will serve more as nostalgia rather than driving the direction of the company.

1. 
2.Carlito (Intercontinental Champ) vs Shelton Benjamin
3. Shawn Michaels vs Hulk Hogan
4. John Cena (WWE Champ) vs Chris Jericho vs Christian
5. Batista (WWE Heavyweight Champ) vs Triple H in Hell In A Cell