Victory Road (2004)

Victory Road (2004)
Victory Road (2004)
	Promotional poster featuringJeff Jarrett,Monty Brown,A.J. StylesandJeff Hardy
Promotion	Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Date	November 7, 2004
City	Orlando, Florida
Venue	TNA Impact! Zone
Attendance	700
Tagline(s)	"A 3-Hour Epic Event!"
Pay-per-view chronology
←Previous; First	Next→; Turning Point
Victory Roadchronology
←Previous; First	Next→; 2006

The 2004Victory Roadwas aprofessional wrestling pay-per-view(PPV)eventproduced byTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling(TNA), which took place on November 7, 2004, at theTNA Impact! ZoneinOrlando, Florida.It was the first event under theVictory Roadchronology, which became an annual event in 2006. Nine matches were featured on the event'scard.

Themain eventwas aLadder matchfor theNWA World Heavyweight Championship,in which the champion,Jeff Jarrett,defeated the challenger,Jeff Hardy,by climbing a ladder and retrieving the championship.America's Most Wanted(Chris HarrisandJames Storm) defeatedTriple X(Christopher DanielsandElix Skipper) in another featured match contested underElimination Last Team Standingrules. The event'sundercardfeatured different varieties of matches. One match on the undercard was contested for theTNA X Division Championship,in whichPetey Williamssuccessfully defended it againstA.J. Styles.Also a match that was held under nodisqualificationrules called aMonster's Ball matchwas won byMonty Brownby defeatingRavenandAbyss.

The event is remembered as being TNA's first monthly three-hour PPV event. Before Victory Road, TNA only hostedweekly two-hour PPV events.The professional wrestling section of theCanadian Online Explorerwebsite rated the entire event a 5 out of 10, lower than the2006 event'srating of 5.5.

Background

The event featured nine professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds,plots,andstorylines.Wrestlers were portrayed as eithervillainsorheroesin the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.

The main event at Victory Road was a Ladder match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship between the champion, Jeff Jarrett, and the challenger, Jeff Hardy. In a Ladder match, two or more participants fight to climb a ladder to retrieve a contract,championship belt,or some other type of object to win. Jarrett was scripted to defend the championship against Hardy on the October 15 episode of TNA's primary television program,TNA Impact!,after Hardy won a tournament to become number one contender.^[2]Jarrett defeated Hardy to retain the championship once before, on September 6 at TNA's finalweekly PPV,which set up the rivalry between the two.^[3]On the October 22 episode ofImpact!,Hardy challenged Jarrett to contest their bout under Ladder match rules, which Jarrett accepted.^[4]

The highest promoted match, second only to the main event in importance, scheduled for Victory Road was between thetag teampairings ofAmerica's Most Wanted(Chris HarrisandJames Storm) (AMW) andTriple X(Christopher DanielsandElix Skipper) (XXX), with them competing in anElimination Last Team Standing match.In this match, the teams fought each other until both members of one team could not stand up before therefereecounted to ten. The build up to this match began on the previous weekly PPV, when Storm was not cleared to wrestle so XXX took AMW's place in challenging for theNWA World Tag Team Championship.^[3]Daniels was injured early in the evening after a scripted assault byThe Naturals(Andy Douglas andChase Stevens).^[3]Harris was written into the plotline to replace Daniels in challenging and defeating The Naturals for the tag team championship at the PPV.^[3]On the September 24 episode ofImpact!,Daniels and Storm were forced to team together and challenge Skipper and Harris for the championship, which they were successful in winning.^[5]Storm and Daniels later lost the championship toTeam Canada(Bobby RoodeandEric Young) on the October 15 episode ofImpact!.^[2]Harris and Storm then re-joined to continue as AMW, while Daniels and Skipper did the same as XXX. After a few brawls between the two teams onImpact!,AMW challenged XXX to a Last Team Standing match at Victory Road on the October 29 episode ofImpact!.^[6]

In TNA'sX Division,theTNA X Division Champion Petey Williamswas scripted to defend the championship againstA.J. Styles.The narrative plot assigned to their rivalry began when Williams assaulted Styles after he defeatedKid Kashin aTables matchon the previous weekly PPV.^[3]Williams and the alliance he was associated with at the time, Team Canada, repeatedly attacked Styles following the event onImpact!.Styles become the number one contender to the X Division Championship by winning amatch involving six other menon the October 1 episode ofImpact!,setting up a match between the two at Victory Road for the championship.^[7]

TNA held the first everMonster's Ball match,featuringMonty Brown,Abyss,andRaven,at Victory Road. There were no disqualifications and pinfalls and submissions were counted anywhere in this match. Brown, Abyss, and Raven were all involved in a tournament to challenge Jarrett for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Victory Road which set up a rivalry between the three. On the October 29 episode ofImpact!,Raven challenged Brown and Abyss to a Monsters Ball match at Victory Road, which was later booked for the event without Brown nor Abyss accepting the challenge.^[6]

The TNA Director of Authority (DOA) was voted on at Victory Road. The candidates were the current DOA,Vince Russo,andDusty Rhodes.After weeks of arguing between the two over how TNA should be run, Russo stated on the October 15 episode ofImpact!that the fans would decide at Victory Road, per an online vote held on TNA's official website.^[2]

Event

Other on-screen personnel^[8]
Commentator	Mike Tenay
Commentator	Don West
Ring announcer	Jeremy Borash
Referee	Rudy Charles
	Mark "Slick" Johnson
	Andrew Thomas
Interviewers	Scott Hudson
Interviewers	Shane Douglas

Preliminary matches

The first match at Victory Road to air live on PPV was a twenty-manGauntlet match,consisting of wrestlers who compete in TNA's X Division.^[9]In this particular match, wrestlers were eliminated by being thrown over the top rope and down to the floor until there were two left in the ring. Those two men had a standard match until one was pinned or made to submit. The final two participants wereKazarianandHéctor Garza.Kazarian tried to pin Garza with aCradle,but Garza countered the maneuver with aroll-upfor the win.^[10]

The second match was anEight Man Tag Team matchconsisting of the team ofRon Killings,Erik Watts,Johnny B. BaddandPat Kenneyagainst the team of Kid Kash,Dallas,and The Naturals (Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens).^[11]After various offensive maneuvers between the two teams, Killings pinned Stevens after adouble underhook DDT.^[12]

Monty Brownwon the first-everMonster's Ball matchat Victory Road.

The third match was alucha libre midget matchbetweenMascarita SagradaandPiratita Morgan.^[13]Sagrada won the match when he pinned Morgan with asmall package.^[14]

A Tag Team match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship between the champions, Team Canada (Bobby Roode and Eric Young), and the3 Live Kru(B.G. JamesandKonnan) (3LK) followed.^[9]The match went back and forth between the two teams with each taking advantage of the pace multiple times. The 3LK won the match and the championship by pinfall after Konnan lifted Roode up in the air, sitdown, and forced Roode's face into the mat.^[10]

Trinity,who was accompanied by The New York Connection (NYC) pairing ofJohnny SwingerandGlenn Gilberti,fought an unknown opponent in an open challenge by Trinity in the fifth bout.^[11]Jacqueline Mooremade her TNA debut and answered the challenge. During the match, NYC interfered on Trinity's behalf by distracting Moore to allow Trinity to perform theFall from Gracefrom the top rope to gain the pinfall victory.^[12]

TNA hosted the first ever Monster's Ball match, involving Monty Brown, Abyss, and Raven.^[13]Throughout the match, the competitors used many different types of weapons, such as thumbtacks, chairs, and tables. Brown became the victor by pinning Raven after aPounce.^[14]

Main event matches

Petey Williams, who was accompanied by Coach D'Amore, defended the TNA X Division Championship against A.J. Styles in the following bout.^[9]Williams retained the championship in the match by jumping off of the top rope and landing on his feet with Styles' head between his legs, connecting with theCanadian Destroyer.Williams followed by pinning Styles to win the encounter.^[10]

America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm) (AMW) fought Triple X (Christopher Daniels and Elix Skipper) (XXX) in an Elimination Last Team Standing match in the next encounter.^[11]Though the match was billed as a Last Team Standing match, it was held underTexas Death matchrules. A Texas Death match is similar to a Last Team Standing match, however, the competitor must pin or make his opponent submit before the referee begins his count. Daniels pinned Storm following hitting him in the knee with a steel chair to begin the ten count, which Storm failed to make. Daniels was the second to be eliminated, failing to reach the ten count after being pinned following atop rope legdropby Harris. With the outcome of the match down to the competition between Harris and Skipper, Harris hit Skipper with theCatatoniconto a steel chair. Harris then pinned Skipper to begin the ten count; Skipper did not get to his feet, giving the win to AMW.^[12]

The poll results were announced for the Director of Authority between Dusty Rhodes and Vince Russo. Rhodes won the position over Russo with 55.6% of the popular vote.^[13]

The main event was a Ladder match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, involving the champion, Jeff Jarrett, and the challenger, Jeff Hardy.^[14]Scott Hallinterfered with the match by hitting Hardy with theOutsider's Edge.While Hardy and Jarrett were both at the top of a ladder trying to grab the belt, Kevin Nash, an ally of Hardy's, entered the arena with two guitars over both of his shoulders and handed a guitar to Hall. The two men then began to bash Hardy with the guitars until Jarrettbroke a guitar over Hardy's head.Jarrett then retrieved the championship belt from the holder above the ring to win the match.^[9]Following the match, Jarrett, Nash, and Hall challenged the TNA roster to fight them. A.J. Styles and the 3Live Kru (Ron Killings, B.G. James, and Konnan) answered their challenge, but failed to win the fight. The video feed changed from the ring to a black limousine outside of the venue that showed a man in a black coat step out and walk into the arena.Randy Savagethen made his debut in the company and walked to ringside as the event came to a close.^[9]

Aftermath

Following the event on the November 19 episode ofImpact!,Randy Savage, Jeff Hardy, and A.J. Styles challenged the newly dubbedKings of Wrestling(Jeff Jarrett, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall) to aSix Man Tag Team matchat TNA's next and December PPV event, Turning Point.^[15]Savage, Hardy, and Styles won the match at Turning Point.^[16]

America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris and James Storm) (AMW) and Triple X (Christopher Daniels and Elix Skipper) (XXX) continued their rivalry at Turning Point in a match that was contested inside a 16-foot (4.9 m) high steel structure with six sides known as aSix Sides of Steel.The match was announced on the November 19 episode ofImpact!with the added stipulation that thelosing team would have to disband forever.^[15]AMW won the match and as a result XXX had to disband.^[16]

After winning the NWA World Tag Team Championship, The 3Live Kru (B.G. James and Konnan) fought Team Canada (Bobby Roode and Eric Young) once again at Turning Point, however, Team Canada defeated The 3Live Kru to win the championship.^[16]

Reception

TheCanadian Online Explorer's writer Jason Clevett rated the entire event 5 out of 10,^[9]which was lower than the2006 event's rating of 5.5 out of 10.^[17]The Elimination Last Team Standing match was rated a 0 out of 10, while main event match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship was rated a 5 out of 10.^[9]Clevett stated in his review of the event that he thought the Elimination Last Team Standing match was "horrible".^[9]He also felt that the NWA Championship match was a "sloppy ladder match".^[9]TNA later released a DVD counting down the top 50 moments in their history, with Victory Road being ranked number 25.^[18]The debut of Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Randy Savage were ranked higher than the event itself, with that moment ranking in at number 19.^[18]The event was released on DVD on September 20, 2005, byTNA Home Videoin a boxset which also included TNA's April 2005 PPV event,Lockdown,and the 2004 Turning Point event; the boxset was called the "TNA Anthology: The Epic Set"^[19]

Results

No.

Results^[13]

Stipulations

Times

1

Héctor Garzawon by last eliminatingKazarian

20-man X-Division Gauntlet matchfor the X Division Cup