Examining King Of The Mountain

EVERYONE WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD?

But only one man can be TNA?s King of the Mountain at Slammiversary

By Bill Banks

On June 19 at TNA?s three-year Slammiversary spectacular, the King of the Mountain match returns to Pay-Per-View. The original King of the Mountain took place on June 2, 2004 and was regarded as another addition to TNA?s line of innovative bouts, including The Ultimate X, The Six Sides of Steel and Raven?s House of Fun.

The match is best described as a reverse ladder match, with a penalty box in play throughout. The rules are as follows:

OBJECTIVES (both of the following):

1) Score a pinfall or submission on any one of the other competitors

2) Hang the Championship Belt above the ring

RULES:

- Five men battle simultaneously.

- No DQs, No Countouts, Anything Goes

- To complete Stage 1, competitors must score a pinfall/submission over any one of their opponents. The competitor that is pinned/submitted is confined to the cage-like Penalty Box for 2 minutes.

- Once a competitor completes Stage 1, he enters Stage 2. Stage 2 objective is to use a ladder to hang the Championship Belt on the hook above the ring.

- The first competitor to complete Stage 2 is declared the champion

In the first King of the Mountain, Ron ?The Truth? Killings was the NWA World Heavyweight Champion going in, but as we learned the titleholder has the biggest odds to overcome. Normally a champion can escape with his title intact by countout or if an opponent is disqualified ? but both are negated in the King of the Mountain match. There is no countout or DQ. Killings lost the first King of the Mountain and had to watch as Jarrett reclaimed his title. Despite his intense hatred for Jeff Jarrett, no one can say Director of Authority Dusty Rhodes is playing favorites with AJ Styles by making the King of the Mountain match at Slammiversary. Quite the contrary, AJ now faces an immense challenge in his first NWA World Heavyweight Title defense.

What a month it?s been for The Phenomenal One. First, a personal and human achievement when he and his wife welcomed their first child into the world. Then came the professional triumph of ending Jeff Jarrett?s year long reign as champion, followed by the signing of a new long-term contract with TNA Wrestling. AJ Styles probably feels like the luckiest man in the world right now, and for good reason. But he should enjoy these momentous occasions while he can, because the biggest test of his career is drawing near on June 19.

There?s no doubting Styles will be ready mentally and physically, but there?s lessons AJ can learn from the first King of the Mountain match. For one, Dusty Rhodes surprised Jarrett with a fifth Wildcard Opponent for the bout, which could help AJ?s chances if it turns out to be a friend rather than foe. Regardless of who the wildcard might be, it?s still every man for himself, and with four opponents that hurts AJ?s chance more than anything. BUT, as Jarrett and Raven proved in the first King of the Mountain when they briefly combined forces, even the strangest of alliances can increase your odds during the melee. Taking the wildcard out of the equation, AJ might be wise to reach out to Abyss between now and the Pay-Per-View. Then again, Abyss WAS the one who annihilated Styles after a previous beatdown by Jarrett and The Alpha Male during the champ?s May 20 Impact speech.

Then there?s the former champion Jeff Jarrett, who won the first King of the Mountain match. The cocky and sarcastic Jarrett who held the gold a month ago has been replaced with a man fueled by hatred and obsession, focused on one thing and one thing only ? regaining the world title. AJ Styles currently basks in the glory that his nemesis once coveted, and Jarrett will stop at nothing to regain it.

Jarrett?s interview with Terry Taylor prior to his tag team match this past week on Impact spoke volumes about his intensity heading into Slammiversary. Jarrett resembled a powder keg about to explode. In his mind, the greatest crowning achievement of his career is within his reach if he can reclaim his title ? and there?s no one who?s going to stop him this time. Fueling his hatred is the fact he believes it took two men to beat him for the title at Hard Justice ? AJ Styles AND Tito Ortiz. Add to that Abyss turning his back on Jarrett and destroying his hopes for an alliance, and you can understand Jarrett?s eruption of anger. But as is the case during his career, Jarrett doesn?t stop when he hits a roadblock ? he finds a way around or just obliterates it.

Fans were happy to see Jarrett?s hopes of an alliance with Abyss and Monty crumble, but it?s likely another unfortunate roadblock in the mind of Jarrett. Most men would hope for the best, but not Jarrett. He goes back to the drawing board and finds a way to GET the best. It?s all the difference between a champion and challenger.

Getting inside Jarrett?s mind is one thing ? examining Abyss? recent actions are another. Heading into the Slammiversary main event, he is the one unpredictable factor that could potentially change the outcome of the bout for everyone involved.

What makes Abyss so dangerous in a world title situation is that you truly can?t predict which direction his warped mind will take him that day. First, when some thought he was coming to aid Styles on Impact, the number-one contender instead brutalized the champion. Then, he put down Jarrett with the Black Hole Slam, ending the newfound alliance.

It?s this kind of unpredictable nature that makes Abyss a man alone on his own island heading into Slammiversary. Not the best of circumstances for the monster, but it?s perhaps the only way he knows. Honestly, Abyss could have bettered his odds by co-existing with Jarrett or forming an unlikely alliance with Styles ? but Abyss isn?t exactly known for tactical planning. In the simplest of terms, he is a destructive machine with a hunger for smashing.

In the last year, Abyss has remained a constant force in the World Title picture, but it?s his lack of focus that has kept him from the gold. Perhaps if the monster had someone to guide him he might already be the NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

However, when you look at the big picture of Abyss? TNA career, he is closest to capturing the gold now than at any time previous. He narrowly lost to AJ Styles in the cage match at Lockdown, losing his bid to face Jarrett at Hard Justice. But Abyss rebounded and dominated the 20 Man Gauntlet at the Pay-Per-View to reclaim the number-one contender status. Then came the attack on Styles and the subsequent blast on Jarrett. For the first time, perhaps Abyss finally understands the importance of being the world champion. Perhaps he finally ?gets it?. If that?s the case, there may be a method to his recent madness. He was smart enough to avoid Jarrett?s scheme ? now let?s see if he?s got the focus to keep the world title in his tunnel vision.

Another potential TNA King of the Mountain is The Alpha Male Monty Brown, who gets his first shot at the title since facing Jarrett at January?s Final Resolution. However, since that time The Alpha Male formed an alliance with Jarrett after he felt slighted by Dusty Rhodes. When Kevin Nash and DDP received World Title shots at Jarrett, Monty felt overlooked and disrespected. In turn, The Alpha Male helped Jarrett beat DDP at Destination X with the assurance Jarrett would grant him ?that one favor?, or a shot at the title.

However, with the King of the Mountain match, The Alpha Male effectively has his shot at the title, but his alliance with Jeff Jarrett is a concern. Jarrett and The Alpha Male have been dominant throughout their partnership, and siding with the champion gave Brown more money and more of the spotlight. But how long before The Alpha Male stops waiting for Jarrett to grant him that favor and takes matters into his own hands? Will Monty stand by his word and help Jarrett reclaim the title at Slammiversary, or will the alliance completely fall apart? Only The Alpha Male knows that answer, but certainly the mistaken guitar shot that Jarrett gave him on Impact didn?t help matters.

The crown jewel of wrestling in the NWA World Heavyweight Title is up for grabs at Slammiversary, and the game of human chess being played by the participants leading up only adds to the intrigue. Regardless of alliances, rivalries or promises, everything can change when the opportunity to become champion presents itself. In the time it takes to climb the steel steps, the face of TNA could transform when one man ascends the ladder to become King of the Mountain.

To visit the official Slammiversary online area, PLEASE CLICK HERE

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