This review was commissioned by Dan Vacura over on my Ko-fi account.
What I find most impressive about these TNA tag cage matches from the 2000s is how dedicated they are to still utilizing the classic tag tropes in spite of the stipulation. They’re real good about ensuring we still get those heat segments that make traditional tag team wrestling sing in the middle of all the carnage and big spots. While it’s not perfectly done, that same idea still gets displayed in this bout. I think the best touch here might be how Homicide continues to rely on external help while working in control. Konnan sneaking in those weapons to Homicide is a great touch. It’s not illegal, but it is incredibly mean spirited and a nasty workaround of what the cage is meant to do in the first place which is act as a deterrent to interference.
Homicide turns in a really fun and energetic heel performance in this. It’s great to see him wield the fork as he does so well to carve up AJ, but even more fun is still putting in the added effort to sneak the fork out of Earl Hebner’s sight. Shoutout to Hebner as well for a neat little show of physical awareness, spinning around Homicide to get his back to the weapon before coming back around when Homicide had hidden the fork in his boot. The tequila and coat hanger are cool inclusions here as well, all of which add layers to the heat segment on Daniels here.
That said, there’s a lot here that keeps it out just out of the heights of the other TNA tags covered before. The back half of this leans towards just being a big bombfest without the same keen sense of escalation shown before. Perhaps the worst offender here would be the tower of doom leading right into AJ nailing a big crossbody off the top of the cage that Hernandez barely registers before himself climbing up to the top of the cage. It’s the kind of structural error these tags had been so careful to avoid in the past. It’s a nitpick but there’s also the small matter of AJ putting in a pretty awful bladejob here. But a trickle does he hit and it adds almost nothing to the match.
Still enjoyable on the whole, just doesn’t entirely stick the landing.
Rating: ****
