Search - TNA: Second to None: TNA's Toughest Tag Teams on DVD

How Tag Team Wrestling SHOULD Be Showcased

D.P. | California | 08/07/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"During a period where tag team wrestling on a national level in the United States has been reduced to a mere afterthough with little to no effort put into the division & establishing top teams, TNA (just like with their Knockouts division) stepped up & decided to go the other direction that resembled the tag team division of old where you had various tag teams out there working together & building chemisty with one another instead of just being two guys thrown together because they had nothing else to do at that time. Just like their first "Best Of Tag Teams" DVD set that came out in 2007, various matches are showcased featuring the top teams of TNA in Team 3D, Beer Money Inc., Motor City Machine Guns, and L.A.X. However on this release, they added profiles/interviews on the teams themselves discussing various subjects like their childhood, their inspirations, how they got into the business, their road to TNA, favorite feuds & matches, and what's in their future. You hear some interesting stories & facts on each team such as Team 3D reflecting on ECW & WWE, how Chris Sabin was the X Division Champion yet still had a job at Subway, members of Beer Money talking about the difference between their present & past teams, and Homicide's childhood as an alter boy (you read that right). It should also be noted that Lethal Consequences came together too late to get their own profile so their matches are in the bonus section.

Matches Include:
Electrified Cage Match: Team 3D vs. NWA Tag Team Champions L.A.X - This match was setup to disappoint from the start as they had darkened the whole arena & shined a light strickly on the ring and had the wrestlers act (or overact) like they were heavily shocked which just looked bad & killed any momentum the match would have gained. The match was as good as their pervious brawls but the gimmick hurt more than helped in this match.
(Lockdown 2007)

Tables Match: Team 3D & Johnny Devine vs. Jay Lethal & Motor City Machine Guns - Maybe it's because all of the previous Team 3D/Tables matches I've seen in TNA were better in comparison but this match was just really decent to me. There were a couple of missed camera shots of some spots like the Guns stereo dives onto Team 3D outside the ring & it seemed like the crowd wasn't popping for all the spots that they used to. The finish was completely lame as Lethal drove Devine though the last table only for the referee (who was down) to miss it so Team 3D attacks & moves Devine on top.
(Turning Point 2007)

Full Metal Mayhem Match: Team 3D & Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles, Christian Cage, Rhino - TNA had the fans vote throughout the PPV on weather this was going to be a Tables Match, Falls Count Anywhere, or the match that Rhino asked for & won the vote in Full Metal Mayhem...and for those wondering, Full Metal Mayhem is TNA's version of a TLC match except you win by pin/submission. This match made up for the Ultimate X match in terms of all the crazy spots & just chaos all over the ring such as Cage's dive off the Ultimate X structure onto Angle & 3D, Team 3D's double teams through tables like the 3D on Christian & a doomsday device on Rhino that injured Devon's ankle. Overall, this was a very fun match.
(Victory Road 2008)

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Jay Lethal & Sonjay Dutt - This was back before they officially became the MCMG's & Sabin was still the X Division Champion and was a great showcasing of how they had that natural chemistry together.
("Impact" May '07)

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Team 3D - This was a very good match that gave the Guns back credibilty that has been lost with weird booking for the past couple of months. The teams worked well together & told a good story here. It's not a classic but it's real good.
(Genesis 2007)

Motor City Machine Guns vs. AJ Styles & Tomko - This was a nice fast paced match that showed some unique double team moves by the Guns including a pinning combination I've never seen before. The match itself was more of a backdrop to further the storyline A.J. Styles had at that time with Kurt Angle & Christian but it was still a nice showcasing of the Guns.
("Impact" Dec. '07)

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino - This was a preview for the upcoming World X Cup. Don West described the action best as it seriously looked like someone pressed a fast foward button. This japanese team was the equilivent of the Gunz in both speed & moves in a match that was so good that the Guns refer to this as their favorite match as a tag team.
("Impact" June '07)

Motor City Machine Guns vs. Valador & Tanahashi - The Guns went against a team with unique mix of japanese & mexican wrestling styles in a great Impact match.
("Impact" Oct. '08)

TNA Tag Team champions L.A.X. vs. Beer Money Inc. - Unlike how their gimmick match was last month, this was a more old school regular tag team match between both teams that went back & forth between both teams with some standout moments like Hernandez "border tossng" Homicide over the top rope onto Beer Money outside the ring & even the managers/valets getting into it on the outside at one time. Great match that saw Beer Money win the Tag Team Titles.
(Hard Justice 2008)

TNA Tag Team Champions Beer Money Inc. vs. L.A.X. - It was a solid match but nothing noteworthy because it was the weakest match out of their series because James Storm had an injury that limited his performance.
(No Surrender 2008)

Monsters Ball Match: TNA Tag Team Champions Beer Money Inc. vs. Abyss/Matt Morgan vs. L.A.X. vs. Team 3D with Steve McMichael as the special referee - Following in the tradition of the previous Monster's Ball matches, this was a hardcore war that saw plenty of blood & weapons used such as Homicide using a fork, Brother Ray using a cheesegrader & staple gun to Abyss at various times, trashcan lids slammed on heads & bodies put through thumbtacked tables, Hernandez giving Matt Morgan a "you have to see it to believe it" border toss to Matt Morgan, Steve McMichael getting in on the action at one point and the moment of the night of Abyss being set on fire after going through a flaming table. I said it earlier, this was a hardcore war & it delivered.
(Bound For Glory 2008)

Little Italy Street Fight Match: L.A.X. vs. Team 3D - The ring area was decorated with elements resembling a sterotypical "italian" environment (spaghetti resturant tables & caged exotic dancers for example). This was a weapons brawl with weapons such as trash cans & a pizza cutter & a cheese grader. It had it's entertaining moments like the fans chanting to "use the stripper" & even Brother Ray getting a quick lap dance at one point. It was a great brawl that set up the next contest between these two which was...
(Against All Odds 2007)

Ghetto Brawl Match: Team 3D vs. L.A.X. - ...this as this was your typical TNA weapons brawl that went all over the arena filled with trashcans, cookie trays, and everything except the kitchen sink. It was spiced up with some cameos from former LAX member Machete, Johnny Rotz, Alex Shelley, along with large group of both "Latino Nation" members & "Devon's brothers from Brooklyn." Overall, it was exactly what the match title is...a brawl & it was enjoyable. Also during this match, listen for Don West's line of "The only person we're missing is Pacman Jones." How ironic was that line months later?
(Destination X 2007)

Ultimate X Match: LAX vs. XXX - Eventhough their names together sounds like an eyechart, this was an awesome opener as the Ultimate X match usually always delievers when it comes to crazy spots. Moments to look out for were Elix Skipper doing a cross bodyblock off the top of the structure onto Hernandez, Skipper getting a neckbreaker from the top of the ropes, and Senshi doing the "Warriors Way" double stomp onto Hernandez who was hanging from the tree of woe at that time.
(Bound For Glory 2007)

"Fans Revenge" Lumberjack Match: Tag Team Champions L.A.X. vs. Beer Money Inc. - For those who didn't see the last one at No Surrender '06...the Fans' Revenge Match is a lumberjack match where the lumberjacks are regular fans & they have leather straps to use whenever Roode or Storm leaves the ring. With the fans being heavily biased towards L.A.X. (even wearing L.A.X. shirts to ringside), Jackie refused to come to ringside before the match started & that was put over throughout the entire match as Storm & Roode where just strapped nonstop every single time they left the ring yet Homicide was able to go out & drink Storm's beer right at the beginning with no problems. Concidering the stipulation, the match was average but entertaining.
(Victory Road 2008)

Bonus Matches:
Lethal Consequences vs. Sonjay Dutt & Tanahashi - This match happened before Lethal & Creed officially formed the Lethal Consequences team and was a short average Impact match.
("Impact" June '07)

Lethal Consequences vs. TNA Tag Team Champions Beer Money Inc. - "HOLY MONEY IN THE BANK BATMAN!" Robert Roode hurt his knee in his singles match which brought out Lethal to cash in his "Feast Or Fired" case leading to a handicap match with Storm defending the belt by himself against both men and it was a really good match as Storm showed by he's an underrated singles wrestler but Lethal & Creed took advantage of the situation to become TNA Tag Team Champions.
("Impact" Jan. '07)

Other matches on this set include Team 3D vs. Rick Steiner & Road Warrior Animal from Slammiversary '07, a tag team gauntlet battle royal from Impact in Jan. '08 featuring Team 3D & Motor City Machine Guns & L.A.X. & Vodoo Kin Mafia & Rock N' Rave Infection, Motor City Machine Guns vs. Triple X, and Beer Money Inc. vs. Lethal Consequences vs. Matt Morgan & Abyss from Genesis '09.

The only thing I can really say was wrong with this release was that TNA some of the Impact matches came off as fillers instead of a good showcasing of the profiled team itself but it was good overall quality that I recommend for fans of tag team wrestling. I recommend & also suggest taking a look at their first Tag Team DVD set from two years ago because that was great quality as well.
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