Another great Hard To Kill Pay-Per-View…ohh I’m sorry Premium Live Event is in the record books; As TNA continues the momentum they’ve been building since HTK (minus any recent Scott D’Amore related news) now eyes turn to No Surrender, the first TNA Plus Special of the rebranded TNA Wrestling Era.
Since it’s inception back in 2005, No Surrender become one of the company’s most reliable shows with some of the greatest matches in the promotion’s history, however that’s a discussion for when I do the Top 10 Best Matches at No Surrender…next week.
This week on the other hand, will be going over the kind of matches that really show off the company’s habit of convoluted booking mixed with underwelming matches and bizzare finishes that satisfy no one….least of all the fans, Here’s the Top 10 Worse No Surrender Matches in TNA/IMPACT Wrestling.
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10. ODB vs. Cody Deaner (No Surrender 2009)
Many folks tend to remember 2009 as the last great year in TNA’s History until the Hulkster began infecting the company from the inside and outside the following year, however ’09 had PPV matches that were either good, great, terrible or a bit wacky…and for an example of the latter I present to you this intergender Knockouts Title bout from No Surrender 2009.
So the story going into this match saw ODB and her then boyfriend, Cody Deaner defeat The Beautiful People at Hard Justice in a handicap match to win the Knockouts Title, but because it was Deaner who scored the victory in that match, the future disciple of Violent By Design believed he was the Knockouts Champion which eventually led to this match happening to see who really was the champion.
Now in all intents and purposes, this is a comedy match with intergender elements thrown into the mix and it does have it’s funny moments, but when you consider that this match was for one of the most prestigious belts in the company’s history it does feel like a slap in the face to your women’s division and feels like a holdover from angles done during the WWF’s Attitude Era complete with the man being seen as the dastardly misogynist.
Still, at least ODB came out on top in this match winning the first of several Knockouts Championships throughout her career.
9. Gail Kim vs. The Dollhouse (No Surrender 2015)
I’ve tried my best to avoid talking about the period that was the TNA pay-per-views becoming glorified TV Specials in the mid 2010’s, but this entry is an exception.
No Surrender 2015 was not only the last No Surrender the company did until 2019, but it’s also one of the worse as three of the six matches advertised were bad and while Drew Galloway losing a near four minute match to Eli Drake and Shera winning a match that didn’t even last two minutes after some cowbell related shenanigans were contenders for this pick, I’ve decided to go with this 3 on 1 handicap match.
Gail Kim was looking for revenge after being attacked by the Dollhouse which included Taryn Terrell and her new associates in Marti Belle and Jade aka Mia Yim. The overall theme of this match could best be boiled down to Taryn doesn’t want to fight Gail, but Gail to fight Taryn, so Terrell tries to avoid Gail as much as possible.
The action itself isn’t all that great despite having some very good workers in the match, but the fact this match was only given five minutes doesn’t give the competitors enough time to tell a story.
Gail pretty much defeats two-thirds of the Dollhouse by herself which isn’t exactly how you want your new, dominant faction to look where a single person is able to beat them in the amount of time it takes someone to go to the bathroom.
8. Ron Killings & ‘Pac Man’ Jones vs. Kurt Angle & Sting (No Surrender 2007)
From one match that was built as a handicap match to one that was a handicap match in all but the advertising.
The 2007 addition of No Surrender might be best known as the show Kurt Angle wrestled three matches in one night where he defended the X Division, Tag Team and World Heavyweight Championship.
Kurt’s title matches with Jay Lethal and Abyss were all well and good, but it’s his first match of the night that isn’t so good; The makeshift team of Sting and Kurt Angle defended the tag belts against another makeshift team in Ron ‘The Truth’ Killings and infamous NFL superstar, Adam ‘Pac Man’ Jones.
Due to some legal stuff by the Tennessee Titans, Jones could not get physical during his run in TNA which not only puts a damper on what Pac Man can do but it also means that the company has to try some ‘unique methods’ like focusing the camera somewhere else while Jones gets physical in the ring.
Anyway the match, when the biggest moment of the entire bout is when Sting tells Kurt’s then wife, Karen to head back to the locker room all while she sells it like ‘The Icon’ slapped her leading to Kurt turning oh his partner…It’s usually a sign that things are not good and it wasn’t with the action servable but unremarkable.
7. Abyss vs. Kevin Nash (No Surrender 2009)
Oh look, it’s the match that immediately came after the ODB/Deaner Knockouts Title match…TNA really piled the crap matches one on top of the other for this one.
In his feud with kayfabe psychiatrist and ECW legend, Dr. Stevie/Stevie Richards, a $50,000 bounty was put on the head of ‘The Monster’ Abyss and of course the idea of wrestling for a big paycheck caught the attention of ‘Big Sexy’ Kevin Nash and thus this match was made with the Legends Championship on the line.
Kevin Nash probably has to win the award for having some of the worst matches in TNA Wrestling in 2009 and this one was no exception with the overall action being a series of walk, punch, wrestling move in the corner and the occasional distraction from Dr. Stevie, Daffney (RIP) and Mick Foley who’s commentary in this match somehow manages to make Taz sound good which is horrifying.
In the end, Nash won via screwy finish with a fake taser and then Stevie tries taking the bag away cause Nash didn’t get the job done properly, so Big Sexy powerbombs him and takes the belt and cash money with him…Glad it was all worth it.
6. Rich Swann vs. Tommy Dreamer (No Surrender 2021)
You almost have to feel sorry for Rich Swann, from having an on and off partnership with Willie Mack that went nowhere to having a soild reign as X Division Champion in 2019, the former 205 Live wrestler reinvigorated his career following his debut in TNA, so when the time came when he was crowned the new IMPACT World Champion in the main event of Bound For Glory 2020, hopes were high that his reign would be a success…and it was, too a certain degree.
While his matches with Sami Callihan, Chris Bey and Moose were fanastic, he also had some that were a bit lackluster: His Winner Takes All match with Kenny Omega at Rebellion was historic but the action had a few botches in it, his title defense against Ken Shamrock on an episode of IMPACT wasn’t great but the nadir came when he defended the title against Tommy Dreamer in the main event of No Surrender 2021.
Now to be fair, this match only happened because the show aired on Dreamer’s 50th birthday and Swann wanted to reward the ECW legend for this milestone by giving him a shot at the title…Unfortunately the match itself was basic at best which isn’t exactly what you want from a world title main event match.
The fact you can clearly see Rich Swann having to slow himself down in order to give Dreamer a fighting chance without the Innovator of Violence getting competely gassed doesn’t help as this 15 minutes match felt like longer and was also very predictable.
5. Kon vs. Frankie Kazarian (No Surrender 2023)
Traditionally, the opening contest to a wrestling pay per view is designed to get the fans hyped for everything that sure to follow throughout the rest of the night well if that’s the case then it’s safe to say this bout between Frankie Kazarian and Kon from 2023’s No Surrender event failed to accomplish that.
The action meanders along for a little over nine minutes with Kazarian attempting to inject some high flying moves into the mix but the crowd are just not that invested after seeing an endless amount of chops, kicks and punches throughout.
Kaz ends up picking up the victory thanks to some interference by Sami Callihan, but I honestly I think the fans were the ones that were thankful as they could finally get past the slog of match to watch something far more interesting.
4. The Prince Justice Brotherhood vs. The Rock ‘n’ Rave Infection (No Surrender 2008)
Around four years before Marvel’s Avengers movie hit cinemas, TNA decided to have some of their own costumed wearing superheroes do battle…except the fight is more comical and not that exciting.
In 2008, Shark Boy and Curry Man joined forces with Super Eric (aka Eric Young in a mask and bodysuit) to form the short lived trio, ‘The Prince Justice Brotherhood’ which is perhaps the most convoluted name for a bunch of superheros ever although their probably some comic books that would beg to differ.
While the moments in which the wrestlers are actually allowed to you know wrestle is fine, the most memorable bits of this match…for all the wrong reasons is Curry Man groping and kissing Christy Hemme, and oh boy does these moments absoutely age poorly.
The good guys…and Curry Man do pick up the win, but it certainly was an uncomfortable thing to watch.
3. Black Reign vs. Chris Harris (No Surrender 2007)
After James Storm decided to break up America’s Most Wanted in late 2006, the company decided to give Chris Harris a not just a singles push but a main event tier singles push where he’d step in the ring with the likes of Christian Cage, Kurt Angle, Booker T and Samoa Joe with ‘The Wildcat’ coming up short in all of those encounters…Can’t imagine why he left the company for a run in the WWE, though considering how that run in the WWE fell flat maybe it wasn’t such a good idea.
The only time Harris ever got a major victory during his single run (outside of his feud with Storm) would have be his feud with Black Reign aka Dustin Rhodes in the worse shape of his wrestling career.
In a rematch from their bout at Hard Justice the previous month which ended in a disqualification, Harris and Reign had another horrible match which ends with Harris picking up the win by pinfall after Earl Hebner bizzarely (no pun intended) prevented Black Reign from using his pick ax like weapon on the Wildcat.
Fun fact, this match lasted 5 minutes and 30 seconds which is the same amount of time given to the opening tag title match which as we discussed was also terrible…and that little factoid was more interesting than this and tag title match could ever be.
2. Frank Trigg vs. AJ Styles (No Surrender 2008)
One year after the whole ‘Pac Man can’t be allowed to wrestle’ debacle, TNA again was calling up an athlete from a different sport to take on a famous wrestler in the company, however unlike 2007 the athlete, (MMA star Frank Trigg) was allowed to compete on camera and god I really wish he hadn’t.
A month removed from Frank Trigg’s involvement in the semi main event of Victory Road 2008, Trigg again appeared at TNA’s No Surrender pay per view, but this time stepping in the ring with ‘The Phenomenal’ AJ Styles in a match that centered around Mixed Martial Arts…and as anyone who’s seen Ronda Rousey vs. Shanya Baszler at Summerslam 2023 can tell you, this is usually a recipe for disaster.
The idea of MMA rules in a fixed wrestling environment is enough to make this match a drag as evident by the fact that the Canadian fans in attendance did not give a shit about anything that occurred inside the ring with chants of ‘Fire Russo’ bellowing throughout.
It also doesn’t help this match that Styles suffers an eye injury in the middle of this match and it doubly doesn’t help that at one point the feed cuts out and is replaced with some pornographic imagery…I mean I know the company is called TNA Wrestling, but come on.
The whole thing ends in a no contest, thus adding the disgusting cherry on top of this already rotten sundae of a match.
1. The Death Dollz vs. The Hex (No Surrender 2023)
Hey do remember that time during the Pandemic when most wrestling matches took place in front of little to no crowd reaction and it made the matches hard to watch well imagine a similar feeling in a match that took place in early 2023 where there are fans in attendance but the reactions from the crowd or even the sound of commentary and ring announcements are silent or so low you can barely make out what the heck their saying.
Such was the case of this Knockouts Tag Title match between The Death Dollz and The Hex as all of the wrestling has been completely overshadowed by the fact you can barely hear anything that’s goes on in the match and the problems don’t resolved until the match is done.
Now this isn’t an indictment of the ladies in the match themselves as the wrestling in this bout is good but when you have to watch a match that suppose to have sound but doesn’t or has very little of it, then it becomes a serious problem.
While the Trigg vs. Styles match was certainly the worst No Surrender match in terms of in-ring competition, at least you could heard the crowd and the commentators giving their two cents about the match whereas this match it’s impossible to do any of that and is a prime example of the company desperately needing to improve their production which seems to have been the case in 2024….Good luck TNA with your upcoming No Surrender event because if the outcry from fans over Scott D’Amore’s exit and this list is any indication, you’ll need it.
And that’s my list, What’s the worse match to take place at No Surrender for you? Be sure let us know in the comments section and you can check out the previous article I made on the Top 10 IMPACT Wrestling Moments of 2023 right now.