We haven’t reviewed any Impact Wrestling/TNA whenever we head Into the Vault. On November 7, 2004, Impact Wrestling held its first PPV event—not a weekly show but a proper PPV—Victory Road 2004. Obviously, it’s not on the WWE Network but fear not! I have it and all of Impact Wrestling’s 2004-2006 PPVs on tape and DVD.
Let’s put TNA Victory Road 2004 into the old Panasonic, adjust the tracking, and take a trip down memory lane!
Trash Tier
Where do I start? The eight-man tag match which pits R-Truth, Erik Watts, Johnny B. Badd, and Simon Diamond against The Naturals, Kid Kash, and Lance Archer? Skip that one with authority. Whatever happened to The Naturals? Watts and Diamond are basically retired, Badd and Kash are retired, Truth’s in WWE, and Archer just joined AEW.
I know Chase Stevens is still doing the indies and Andy Douglas retired but they should’ve always been in TNA. They added to the tag division and would’ve been serviceable in the X Division. As a matter of fact, they probably would’ve been the one constant in the tag division.
Moving on, the minis match after it? Skip. The NWA World Tag Team title battle between champions Eric Young and Bobby Roode of Team Canada and 3Live Kru’s Konnan and B.G James? Skip. Something about this match just doesn’t do it for me.
Team Canada—especially this combo—could hold down any title they won easily. 3Live Kru was dope in TV matches because they were kept brief. Once you hit PPV for the titles, you need some more and I just wasn’t getting it.
While you’re at it, skip Trinity vs. Jacqueline. I’m a fan of Jacqueline and Trinity was decent, but I wouldn’t have put this match that far into the card. Keeping it a hundred, a lot of these bouts wouldn’t have made PPV. What a night.
Mid Tier
Now we get to the mixed stuff from Victory Road 2004. You know, the stuff that isn’t universally bad. The Monster’s Ball match involving Abyss, Raven, and Monty Brown was fun. It wasn’t good, it wasn’t bad, and it had its moments. I enjoy all three guys involved, this was a brawling bout, and it worked. With the guys in the match, it would’ve been weird if it was a lousy match.
American’s Most Wanted is my favorite TNA tag team. They weren’t flashy but they gave the hardest fights of any team in the company. These two could keep pace with the smaller tandems or duke it out with guys their size or bigger and not require much suspension of disbelief.
This match against Triple X should’ve been another dope one from them but it was mid at best. It’s not the guys either, it’s the stipulation. Who thought this was a good idea? An elimination last man standing match? C’mon, man. You’re elimination if you can’t stand or continue. Why—you know what, never mind. The action is stock for these two teams but the stipulation ruins it.
It’s JeffreyMania in the main event as Jeff Jarrett defends his NWA World title against Jeff Hardy! Aren’t you stoked? In a ladder match! Still stoked?! Then quit it, this one is mid as well. These two can do ladder matches blindfolded and still turn out a good match. It’s just that these two do nothing special in when pitted against each in singles.
Exotic Tier
The X Division Cup’s 20-man gauntlet match was extremely fun. You’d think this would be a train wreck but it was just a mess. However, just like there are fun train wrecks you can have a fun mess. Trust me, wrestling is full of them. Hector Garza would go on to win this exciting bout, build some steam in TNA then get released after he was banned from entering the U.S because of steroids.
Styles challenging for Petey Williams’ X Division title was another match highlight. While it was a little on the short side and could’ve been a TV main event, it worked on this PPV. Victory Road 2004 needed this match. It shouldn’t have had to do palate cleanser duty for the rest of the show, but it did the job.
Styles worked well with roughly anyone in the X Division as did Williams. Putting these two in a regular match with no bells and whistles was really the best decision on the show.
TNA Victory Road 2004 Verdict: 4.5/10
This show just barely escaped being totally lousy. Two matches lifted things, there were some duds, a few that could go either way and change the rating depending on how you took them, but the baseline is 4.5. Will Impact Wrestling turn it around on Turning Point in December?
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get The Overtimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
