2005
AJ Styles
Few times in its now-13-year-history has TNA truly shown signs of breaking out of WWE’s spotlight to establish its own niche within the wrestling business, but in 2005, we at least saw hints. Despite the continued infusion of refugees from other promotions in the World title scene, the company saw fit mid-year to give renewed focus to its groundbreaking X Division, allowing the incredible athletes competing within to have significant time and promotion, even to point of being the main event on one pay-per-view. On the forefront in this year of near-revolution: AJ Styles.
Styles won his fourth X Division title to kick off 2005, defeating champion Petey Williams as well as Chris Sabin in a three-way match at Final Resolution. The high quality of the match surprised nobody, as all three men had sterling reputations, but it marked the beginning of a year-long campaign by Styles to emphasize how special this corner of TNA had become. With the credibility of being a two-time NWA World champion who chose to return to his roots, “The Phenomenal One” seemed more than up to his chosen task.
During the winter, Christopher Daniels challenged Styles for his championship, igniting what would be one of TNA’s cornerstone rivalries for the next near-decade. The two talented competitors, who could mix it up in the air or on the mat with equal skill, competed in Iron Man matches, Ultimate X showdowns, and more over the next several months. Daniels would emerge with the title at Destination X, freeing up Styles to switch his focus once more, defeating Abyss at Lockdown in a Steel Cage match and then capturing his third World title from Jeff Jarrett.
After he dropped the World title in a King of the Mountain match, Styles entered the Super X Cup tournament, a series showcasing TNA’s signature division, solidified in its importance by his inclusion. Defeating Matt Bentley and Petey Williams to advance to the finals, AJ lost to impressive newcomer Samoa Joe at Sacrifice, in an instant classic marred by Daniels’ interference. The next month at Unbreakable, Styles emerged triumphant over both his rivals in a three way match that made history by main eventing the show, a first for the X Division, and earning an elusive five star rating from Dave Meltzer; to this day, most TNA fans will name this the greatest match in the company’s history, and one of the best of the decade anywhere.
Styles closed out his year by successfully defending the X Division title against Daniels in another Iron Man match as well as over Petey Williams before losing it to Joe.
Though he ended 2005 without gold, AJ Styles succeeded in his goal of putting the X Division on the map, whether TNA ultimately knew what to do with it or not. In a year where the likes of John Cena and Batista had just begun to hit their stride, “The Phenomenal One” saw an opening and made the most of it.
Notable Matches
AJ Styles vs. Petey Williams vs. Chris Sabin – Final Resolution 2005
AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels – Against All Odds 2005
AJ Styles vs. Abyss – Lockdown 2005
AJ Styles vs. Jeff Jarrett – Hard Justice 2005
AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe – Sacrifice 2005
AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels vs. Samoa Joe – Unbreakable 2005
AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels – Bound for Glory 2005
2006
Edge
He had a “live sex celebration” with Lita on Monday Night Raw. What more do you need me to tell you?
(You’d think that alone would be enough to convince any reasonable person Edge was the best wrestler of 2006, wouldn’t you? Fine, we’ll continue.)
After carrying around his “Money in the Bank” briefcase for nearly a year after WrestleMania 21, the vile, raunchy, villainous “Rated R Superstar” finally cashed it in at January’s New Year’s Revolution. This was years before the briefcase cash-in became a rote, flaccid exercise in predictability. In January 2006, when Edge took advantage of a broken, beaten-down John Cena to win his first WWE Championship, it felt momentous.
Edge wouldn’t hold his first world title for long, dropping it back to Cena a few weeks later at the Royal Rumble. But no matter, as his rise to the top was complete. It was an ascension through the WWE ranks in a very traditional sense, mirroring that of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels: from fresh-faced youngster to half of a legendary tag team to affable, rising singles babyface to, following a 2004 neck injury that sidelined him for a year, finally being a true main event singles player.
Much like Triple H in 2000, Edge made being a true, old-school heel cool again.
And much like Triple H in 2000, he has Mick Foley to thank for much of it.
Following a rematch loss in which Cena retained the title, Edge viciously attacked guest referee Foley to start the build to their brutal street fight at WrestleMania 22 in Chicago. In one of the best, and certainly one of the most violent, matches of the year, Edge denied Foley his “WrestleMania Moment.” Much like he would earlier in his career in various car-crash spectacles with the Dudleys and Hardys, Edge would again put his body on the line: a spear through a burning table would give him the win, along with second-degree burns.
Shortly thereafter, Foley, having gained a grudging respect for Edge, turned heel and joined forces with him against Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk and the reborn ECW, culminating in a six-person tag match at One Night Stand with Lita joining the heels and Beulah McGillicuty teaming with Dreamer and Funk. At this same event, Edge attacked Cena to cost him his WWE title against Rob Van Dam. Following Van Dam’s drug arrest, Edge would soon find the title back on his waist. Cena and Edge would have 2006’s feud of the year over that title, upping the ante every time they stepped in the ring together.
Though Cena would ultimately emerge the victor, and the short-lived “Rated RKO” alliance with Randy Orton and subsequent feud with D-X wouldn’t match the intensity of his programs with Cena and Foley, there was no stopping the rise of Edge in 2006. We thought we knew him, but he became a star of a magnitude few, if any, of us would have ever imagined.
Notable Matches
Edge vs. John Cena – New Year’s Revolution 2006
Edge vs. Mick Foley – WrestleMania 22
Edge, Mick Foley and Lita v. Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk and Beulah McGillicuty – ECW One Night Stand 2006
Edge vs. John Cena – SummerSlam 2006
Edge vs. John Cena – Unforgiven 2006
Rated RKO v. D-Generation X – Cyber Sunday 2006
2007
John Cena
Not since the glory days of Austin in the late 90s did we get a WWE ace babyface run like John Cena had in 2007. The boos were still going full force, but Cena was able to clamor the most crowd support he has ever had by going directly against numerous “monster heel” characters and delivering some great matches against proven WWE superworkers. Cena’s 2007 started out of the gate hot with the Umaga feud. The New Year’s Resolution match was a fun big vs. little battle. I was weary of what they could improve upon that display at the Royal Rumble. Boy, did they prove me wrong. Cena and Umaga delivered an all time classic WWE match that cemented the best aspects of Cena’s character of hustle, loyalty and respect. He then transitioned into a feud with Shawn Michaels that displayed more traditional technical wrestling to carry him throughout the spring.
Cena’s crowning achievement for the year may be the Great Khali match from Judgment Day. No one will mistake this as a ***** classic, but Khali was an immobile stiff that Cena carried to something watchable and engaging. He followed that up with a great superhero style match vs. Bobby Lashley and entered into a feud with Randy Orton when that feud felt incredibly fresh. It is a shame that Cena’s lengthy title reign was cut short based on an injury because the end-game could have been something special.
Regardless of sitting out the last 2.5 months of the year, John Cena clearly established himself as the guy for the next decade in WWE in 2007. I don’t believe he has ever matched his output from that year in-ring or in an overall aura of being definitively the #1 guy in the promotion. John Cena’s time was now.
Notable Matches:
John Cena vs. Umaga – New Year’s Revolution 2007
John Cena vs. Umaga – Royal Rumble 2007 (Last Man Standing)
John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 23
John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels – Raw, London, England (4/23/07)
John Cena vs. Great Khali – Judgement Day 2007
John Cena vs. Bobby Lashley – Great American Bash 2007
John Cena vs. Randy Orton – SummerSlam 2007
