The world of professional wrestling is littered with gimmick matches—some of them are amazingly awesome, and others are terribly tragic. Then there are those that lie somewhere in the middle, on an almost Limbo-like plain, where they remain completely dependent on the wrestlers in the match. Casket Matches, TLC's, Royal Rumbles—all enjoyable contests when the right participants are involved. The Hell in a Cell is one example of a gimmick that works with Shawn Michaels, the Undertaker, Triple H—but not so much with Ryback, Vince McMahon, or the Big Show. In 2004, Jeff Jarrett introduced a concept to Total Nonstop Action that would turn the standard ladder match on its head—quite literally. It was called the "King of the Mountain," which just so happened to be Jeff's self-bestowed moniker as champion and promotor of TNA Wrestling.
The King of the Mountain features a total of five individuals, all vying for a championship—or chance for a championship. The title belt or token object is readily available at ringside; the first man to climb the ladder and hang the object in question is the "King of the Mountain," and wins the match. But there's more to it than that. In order to qualify to climb the ladder, each wrestler must secure a fall over one of his opponents. This is most commonly accomplished via pinfall, but a submission works just the same. Once "Wrestler A" pins "Wrestler B," Wrestler A is allowed to climb the ladder, while Wrestler B must spend a predetermined amount of time in the penalty box. The box can fill up pretty quickly, too. On more than one occasion, the penalty box has been nearly as dangerous—if not more so—than the six-sided ring.
There have been EIGHT King of the Mountain Matches since the debut of the original concept in 2004, and tonight's Slammiversary XIII will be the ninth. In fact, with the exception of just two �Mountain Matches, each one of this eclectic contests have been featured at TNA Slammiversary. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and I'm here to take you through a brief rundown of King of the Mountain Matches. Enjoy videos of each and every King of the Mountain Match, courtesy of YouTube, DailyMotion, and the fine people at TNA Wrestling.
Note: Some videos are the first part of two or three, but the subsequent videos are readily available on each individual page.
Total Nonstop Action: Weekly PPV #96 – Nashville, TN – June 2
nd
, 2004
National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship
Ron "The Truth" Killings (c) vs. AJ Styles vs. Jeff Jarrett vs. Raven vs. Chris Harris
Winner:
Jeff Jarrett
TNA Slammiversary III – Orlando, FL – June 19
th
, 2005
National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship
AJ Styles (c) vs. Monty Brown vs. Raven vs. Abyss vs. Sean Waltman
Winner:
Raven
TNA Slammiversary IV – Orlando, FL – June 18, 2006
National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Championship
Christian Cage (c) vs. Jeff Jarrett vs. Abyss vs. Ron Killings vs. Sting
Winner:
Jeff Jarrett
TNA Slammiversary V – Nashville, TN – June 17, 2007
The Inaugural TNA World Heavyweight Championship
Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles vs. Chris Harris vs. Christian Cage vs. Kurt Angle
Winner:
Kurt Angle
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5sqn8
TNA IMPACT! – Orlando, FL – June 5, 2008
Number One Contender's Match featuring X-Division Wrestlers
Frankie Kazarian vs. Chris Sabin vs. Curry Man vs. Jimmy Rave vs. Johnny Devine
Winner:
Frankie Kazarian
Note: This match was unavailable on most websites, so this compilation video featuring the entire event will have to do instead. Sorry.
TNA Slammiversary VII – Southaven, MS – June 8, 2008
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
Samoa Joe (c) vs. Robert Roode vs. Booker T vs. Rhino vs. Christian Cage
Winner:
Samoa Joe
TNA Slammiversary VII – Auburn Hills, MI – June 21, 2009
TNA X-Division Championship
Suicide (c) vs. Jay Lethal vs. Consequences Creed vs. Chris Sabin vs. Alex Shelley
Winner:
Suicide
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9pgxq
TNA Slammiversary VII – Auburn Hills, MI – June 21, 2009
TNA World Heavyweight Championship
Mick Foley (c) vs. Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett vs. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
Winner:
Kurt Angle
If Jeff Jarrett wins tonight's King of the Mountain match, he will break his tie with Kurt Angle and hold the official record for most victories atop the TNA ladder. Will TNA allow an outside entity capture an inaugural championship in their company? TNA Slammiversary XIII is only three hours away, so we will know in just a few hours. Until next time, please LIKE "The B+ Players Podcast" on Facebook , and FOLLOW me on Twitter for all the latest and greatest updates courtesy of Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News!
