[2003-10-08-NWA TNA] A.J. Styles vs Dusty Rhodes

[Superstar Sleeze]

NWA World Heavyweight Champion AJ Styles vs Dusty Rhodes - NWA TNA 10/8/03

 

THIS EXISTS!!! Dusty challenging for the NWA World Championship 24 years after he first won it in 1979. Crazy! I cant believe AJ vs American Dream exists. Unfortunately this more sad than fun. Dusty just does not have anything left in the tank. He does not even have his charisma and schtick to salvage something. AJ tries his best busting him open with some great punches and bumping everywhere for Dusty. Great selling in the figure-4 (hurt his knee on springboard 450) and tap out but ref didn't see it. AJ gets a baseball bat from drunken Vince Russo (less said the better) and takes out Dusty's knee. AJ gets the pinfall on Dusty in the figure-4. Vince Russo wants to whip Dusty's bare ass. Oh God! Jarrett saves. Thank God! Wow! James Storm looks so young!

 

Novel, but very disappointing. Too bad.

[El-P]

I hated this. Dusty going competitive with NWA Champ AJ was ridiculous. Dusty was really taking way too much space and time in TNA in 2003 & 2004. Russo, well, what you said. Yes, this was pretty sad to see.

[TonyPulis'Cap]

"Novel, but very disappointing. Too bad."

 

Sums it up very nicely. In my head, having not seen it in about 12 years, I had some strange memory of this being a match along the lines of the Miz vs Jerry Lawler at Elimination Chamber 2011, where the veteran was able to roll back the years, but this was just plain bad. The fact it goes around 20 mins doesn't help, as even Styles bumping as if his life depended on it can't make it intriguing at any point. It's a strange historical curiosity, but sadly nothing more. For a better use of Dusty, around this time he was involved in some six man tags with AMW that are pretty fun and where he was just able to come in and deliver a few elbows, but one on one title matches were well past him at this stage.