Sacrifice 2005 Sacrifice 2005 was a professional wrestling pay - per - view ( PPV ) event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) promotion , which took place on August 14 , 2005 at the TNA Impact ! Zone in Orlando , Florida . It was the first show under the Sacrifice chronology and eighth event in the 2005 TNA PPV schedule . Nine matches and one pre - show match were featured on the card . The main event was a Tag Team match between the team of Jeff Jarrett and Rhino facing the team of Raven and Sabu , in which if Jarrett pinned Raven he would earn a future NWA World Heavyweight Championship match , however , if Raven pinned Jarrett he would not receive one for an entire year . Jarrett and Rhino won the match , with Rhino scoring the pin . The Finals of the 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament were held at Sacrifice between A . J . Styles and Samoa Joe . Joe defeated Styles in the encounter , thus becoming number one contender to the TNA X Division Championship and winning the 2005 Super X Cup trophy . Also on the card was Jerry Lynn versus Sean Waltman , which Lynn won . B . G . James was Special Guest Referee for a Tag Team match between the team of Kip James and Monty Brown and the 3Live Kru ( Konnan and Ron Killings ) , which the later won . TNA also promoted an Internet Dream match for the show that involved an internet poll to decide who would face then - TNA X Division Champion Christopher Daniels . Austin Aries was the chosen opponent , who was defeated by Daniels at the event . Sacrifice is marked for the Finals of the 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament . Corey David Lacroix of the professional wrestling section of the Canadian Online Explorer posted a review of the gathering , stating he felt " there was not a single bad match " on the card . Production . Background . TNA issued a press release in May 2005 announcing that they would be holding a PPV titled Sacrifice on August 14 at the TNA Impact ! Zone in Orlando , Florida . A section covering the event was created on their website . TNA released a poster sometimes prior featuring Raven and the tagline " Pain " . A thirty - minute pre - show was planned by TNA for Sacrifice featuring the team of Apolo and Sonny Siaki against the team of Jerrelle Clark and Mikey Batts . A poll was created by TNA on their website to determine then - TNA X Division Champion Christopher Daniels ' opponent in a non - title bout for Sacrifice , in what was promoted as an " Internet Dream match " . Austin Aries , Jay Lethal , and Roderick Strong were the choices in the poll . Aries was the eventual winner of the poll , thus setting up Daniels versus Aries at the show . Storylines . Sacrifice featured nine professional wrestling matches and one pre - show match . The main event at Sacrifice was a Tag Team match between the team of Jeff Jarrett and Rhino and the team of Raven and Sabu . This match was the result an existing rivalry between Raven and Jarrett over the NWA World Heavyweight Championship which Raven held . At TNA ' s previous PPV event No Surrender on July 17 , Raven defeated Abyss in a No Surrender Dog Collar match to retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship . After the encounter , Jarrett distracted Raven allowing Rhino to attack Raven from behind . On the July 22 episode of TNA ' s television program " TNA Impact ! " , Jarrett and Rhino attacked Raven again , claiming he had no allies to help defend him . Cassidy Riley had previously pledge allegiance to Raven , even aiding Raven in his match at No Surrender . During the July 29 episode of " Impact ! " , Rhino and Jarrett attacked Riley , believing he would aid Raven in someway . Afterwards , Raven announced he had chosen a partner to team with him to face Jarrett and Rhino at Sacrifice . Sabu then made his TNA return revealing himself as Raven ' s partner by attacking Jarrett and Rhino . The Finals of the 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament were scheduled for Sacrifice . Over the weeks leading up to Sacrifice on " Impact ! " , TNA held the eight - man single - elimination tournament to decide which two would compete for the 2005 Super X Cup trophy and who would earn a future TNA X Division Championship match . A . J . Styles , Alex Shelley , Chris Sabin , Matt Bentley , Petey Williams , Samoa Joe , Shocker , and Sonjay Dutt all competed in the tournament . Joe defeated Dutt , Shelley defeated Shocker , Styles defeated Bentley , and Williams defeated Sabin in the Quarterfinals on the respective July 22 and July 29 episodes of " Impact ! " to advance to the Semifinals . In the Semifinals , Joe defeated Shelley and Styles defeated Williams to advance to the Finals at Sacrifice on the August 5 and August 10 episodes of " Impact ! " , respectively . With their victories , Joe versus Styles in the 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament Final was scheduled for Sacrifice . Jerry Lynn versus Sean Waltman was also promoted for Sacrifice . At No Surrender , Lynn was Special Guest Referee for a bout between Styles and Waltman , which Styles won after aid from Lynn . TNA created a storyline from this and Lynn and Waltman ' s past real - life friendship . On the July 22 episode of " Impact ! " , Waltman accused Lynn of trying to steal his spotlight in a backstage segment , while Lynn took credit for Waltman ' s success . Lynn argued that he was the one who helped get Waltman into the industry as well as early success thanks to a critically acclaimed series of matches the two had in the past . The segment ended with Waltman challenging Lynn to a match at Sacrifice , which Lynn accepted . This bout was also promoted as a clash between two pioneers of TNA ' s X Division style . At No Surrender , the team of Kip James and Monty Brown fought the 3Live Kru ( Konnan and Ron Killings ) in a Tag Team Street Fight . Brown and Kip won the encounter , however , during the bout Kip assaulted several TNA personnel . As such , a storyline was developed in which referees refused to participate in future encounters involving Kip . After a rematch between the two teams was announced for Sacrifice on the July 22 episode of " Impact ! " , a segment took place between referees Andrew Thomas , Rudy Charles , and Mark " Slick " Johnson and NWA Championship Committee member Larry Zbyszko . In the segment , each refused to referee the bout at Sacrifice , telling Zbyszko he would need to find a replacement . Former 3Live Kru member B . G . James was appointed the Special Guest Referee by Zbyszko for the bout at Sacrifice on the July 29 episode of " Impact ! " . Event . Pre - show . TNA held a thirty minute pre - show prior to the event , during which the team of Apolo and Sonny Siaki defeated the team of Jerrelle Clark and Mikey Batts in a bout lasting 4 minutes and 27 seconds . A segment took place on the pre - show between Larry Zbyszko , Jeff Jarrett , and TNA commentator Mike Tenay , in which Jarrett questioned Zbyszko on whether he would earn a future NWA World Heavyweight Championship match if he pinned Raven during the main event . Zbyszko agreed he would earn the title shot , however , adding if Raven pinned Jarrett then Jarrett would not have a title match for a full year . Miscellaneous . Sacrifice , as well as the pre - show , featured employees other than the wrestlers involved in the matches . Mike Tenay and Don West were the commentators for the telecast . Jeremy Borash ( for the 2005 TNA Super X Cup Finals only ) and David Penzer were ring announcers for the event . Andrew Thomas , Rudy Charles , and Mark " Slick " Johnson participated as referees for the encounters . Shane Douglas handled the interview duties for the event . Besides employees who appeared in a wrestling role , Cassidy Riley , James Mitchell , Jimmy Hart , and Zbyszko all appeared on camera , either in backstage or in ringside segments . Preliminary matches . A Six Man Tag Team match pitting the team of Chris Sabin , Shark Boy , and Sonjay Dutt against The Diamonds in the Rough ( Elix Skipper , David Young , and Simon Diamond ) was the first bout of the telecast . Its duration was 7 minutes and 21 seconds . Sabin won the encounter for his team by pinning Skipper with a small package pin . Alex Shelley fought Shocker in the second match on the show . Shelley won the contest with a roll - up pin with his feet on the ropes for leverage at 8 minutes and 50 seconds . Abyss , who was accompanied by James Mitchell , versus Lance Hoyt was the following encounter . It lasted 9 minutes and 9 seconds . Mitchell interfered in the bout by handing Abyss a steel chair , which was taken by the referee before Abyss could use it . Hoyt gained a near - fall after kicking the chair into Abyss ' face . Abyss also gained a near - fall after slamming Hoyt back - first into the mat with his signature Black Hole Slam maneuver . Hoyt earned another near - fall by laying a steel chair across Abyss ' chest while Abyss laid in one of the six turnbuckle corners , then jumping off the opposing ring ropes and dropkick ing the steel chair into Abyss ' chest . Abyss won the contest after performing the Black Hole Slam . A Tag Team match with B . G . James as Special Guest Referee between the 3Live Kru ( Konnan and Ron Killings ) and the team of Kip James and Monty Brown was next . It lasted 7 minutes and 45 seconds . Konnan took off his shoe during the match and began to use it as a weapon . He attempted to throw it at Brown and Kip , however , he accidentally struck B . G . in the process . Later , Kip attempted to attack Konnan with a steel chair but was stopped by B . G . Kip in returned shoved B . G . , which caused B . G . to punch Kip in retaliation . Konnan then grabbed the chair and bashed Kip over the head with it to score the pinfall victory for his team . In the fifth match , Christopher Daniels fought Austin Aries in what was promoted as the Internet Dream match . Daniels and Aries each gained several near - falls during the encounter . Daniels won the contest by slamming Aries face - first against the mat with his signature Angel Wings maneuver at 9 minutes and 35 seconds . Main event matches . In the next scheduled match Jerry Lynn faced Sean Waltman . The contest duration was 15 minutes and 31 seconds . During the bout while Lynn stood on the ring apron , Waltman attempted to suplex him back into the ring , however , Lynn countered and instead suplexed Waltman over the ring ropes and down to the floor . Waltman scored a near - fall following a groin hit and slamming Lynn ' s face into the mat with his signature X - Factor maneuver . Chris Sabin , Shark Boy , and Sonjay Dutt came from the backstage area to view this encounter from ringside . Lynn gained the pinfall on Waltman after countering a scoop powerslam into a victory roll pin . Following the bout , Waltman and Lynn shook hands and hugged in a display of mutual respect . This instead was a trick by Waltman , allowing him to attack Lynn and bash Lynn ' s arm with a steel chair while it was draped over the ring apron until Dutt , Sabin , and Shark Boy came to Lynn ' s aid . TNA held an Eight Man Tag Team match pitting the team of America ' s Most Wanted ( Chris Harris and James Storm ) and The Naturals ( Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens ) , who were accompanied by Jimmy Hart , against Team Canada ( A - 1 , Bobby Roode , Eric Young , and Petey Williams ) . A brawl ensued during the bout after The Naturals performed their signature Natural Disaster tag team maneuver on Young . This resulted in A - 1 , Douglas , Storm , Young , and Williams fighting at the ringside area until Harris jumped off the top of a padded turnbuckle onto the group with a splash . Williams attempted to bash Storm with a hockey stick , but missed allowing Storm to toss him to the floor . Meanwhile , Roode scored the pinfall on Stevens with a small package pin while holding his tights for leverage at 11 minutes and 11 seconds . The Finals of the 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament was next between A . J . Styles and Samoa Joe . The duration of the encounter was 15 minutes and 15 seconds . Christopher Daniels provided commentary for this contest , due to him labeling the tournament the Christopher Daniels Invitational and being the TNA X Division Champion at the time . The winner of this match won the silver Super X Cup trophy and became number one contender to the TNA X Division Championship , earning a title match against Daniels at TNA ' s Unbreakable PPV event on September 11 . In the beginning while Styles was laying against the ring ropes , Joe ran across the ring and kicked him in the face , causing him to fly out of the ring and crash against the floor . Joe then followed by diving through the ring ropes and smashing Styles in the face with his forearm once Styles reached his feet . Later , Styles held Joe on his shoulders before twisting him off into a powerbomb for what he calls a Rack Bomb . However , during the move referee Andrew Thomas was knocked unconscious after being kicked in the face , which allowed Daniels to interfere in the contest attacking Styles and attempting to attack Joe with the X Division Title belt before Styles threw Daniels from the ring . Joe followed by lifting Styles up and performing his signature Muscle Buster maneuver by slamming Styles back and neck - first into the mat before placing Styles in his signature Coquina Clutch submission hold . Once the referee came too Styles submitted to the move , giving the victory to Joe and thus Joe winning the 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament and a X Division Championship match at Unbreakable . The main event was a Tag Team match pitting the team of Jeff Jarrett and Monty Brown against the team of Raven and Sabu . An added stipulation to this bout was if Jarrett pinned Raven he would earn a future NWA World Heavyweight Championship match , however , if Raven pinned Jarrett then he would not garner one for an entire year . Despite this match being under standard tag team rules in which there are disqualifications and count outs , the participants used weapons and fought outside the ring for an extended period . In the beginning , Raven used a pizza cutter to cut open Jarrett ' s forehead , causing him to bleed . Both teams used trashcans and steel chairs during the bout . Abyss interfered in the bout attacking Sabu by throwing him over the top rope and through a table at ringside . Jeff Hardy then interfered in the match attacking Jarrett and Rhino with a steel chair . Hardy then performed his signature Twist of Fate maneuver by forcing Jarrett ' s face into the mat . He followed by doing a front - flip splash off the top of a padded turnbuckle . Afterwards , Raven covered Jarrett for a two count . Rhino gained the pinfall at 16 minutes and 23 seconds on Raven after tackling Raven with his signature Gore maneuver through a table . Reception . A total of 775 people attended Sacrifice . Canadian Online Explorer writer Corey David Lacroix felt " there was not a single bad match " on the show . Lacorix also commented saying " With less than two months before they make their national debut on Spike TV , Total Nonstop Action needed to show everyone in the wrestling business that they are prepared to do what needs to be done to elevate their product above everyone else . Last night at TNA ' s Sacrifice pay per view the promotion clearly did so , showing everyone they have a vision and are willing and able to take it to a new level of intensity . " Lacroix rated the main event and Jerry Lynn versus Sean Waltman a 7 . 5 out of 10 . The Super X Cup Finals and the Abyss versus Lance Hoyt bouts were each rated an 8 out of 10 , which were his highest ratings of the review . His lowest went to the 3Live Kru versus Kip James and Monty Brown Tag Team match , with 4 out of 10 . Speaking on the main event , Lacorix felt it was a " well - executed , high - octane , hardcore match with all four giving a good performance . " Lacorix believed that the Super X Cup Finals " could have been a certified Match of the Year contender if someone in the back had not decided to make Daniels interfere in this contest . " He went on to state the match " was a thing of beauty that got stained . " Wade Keller of the Pro Wrestling Torch rated the main event and the Christopher Daniels versus Austin Aries encounter 3 and a fourth stars out of 5 . Regrading the main event , Keller felt it was a " good chaotic bag - o - tricks match . " As for the Daniels versus Aries , Keller stated " it was very good . " Keller ' s highest rating of his review went to the Super X Cup Finals with 4 and a fourth stars out of 5 , which Keller believed was a " four star match that was begging to be given an extra ten minutes to be a match of the year candidate . " Meanwhile , the Lynn versus Waltman bout was ranked 3 and three - fourth stars out of 5 , with Keller stating it was a " very smartly executed match , which told a story without the frenetic pace of so many TNA spotfests – yet it still had enough good highspots to not feel old fashioned or conservative . " Aftermath . A . J . Styles received a tendon injury during his bout with Samoa Joe at Sacrifice . TNA Management did not have him wrestle on the proceeding " Impact ! " tapings , hoping to keep him rested in order to not chance any further injury despite the belief in him not expecting to be sidelined long . Styles , however , was forced to cancel a scheduled appearance for the Ring of Honor promotion on August 20 , but appeared for the promotion the following week on August 27 at their Dragon ' s Gate Invasion event in a losing effort against CIMA . On the August 19 episode of " Impact ! " , it was announced Jerry Lynn received a shoulder injury from Waltman ' s attack following their bout , and would be sidelined for at least one month in the storyline . After winning the 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament , Joe was scheduled to face Christopher Daniels for the TNA X Division Championship at TNA ' s next PPV event Unbreakable . However , Styles ended up assaulting Daniels on the August 19 episode of " Impact ! " , as revenge for Daniels ' interference at Sacrifice . Daniels demanded Styles be suspended due to the attack , but the request was declined by NWA Championship Committee member Larry Zbyszko . Instead Zbyszko added Styles to the contest at Unbreakable on the August 26 episode of " Impact ! " , thus making it a Three Way match for the TNA X Division Championship . Styles ended up gaining the pinfall on Daniels during the main event of the show , thus winning the championship . Following Sacrifice , TNA announced on their website that Rhino was considered the new number one contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship . On the August 19 episode of " Impact ! " , Mike Tenay announced that Raven and Rhino would face for the title at Unbreakable . At the event , the match was given a Raven ' s Rule stipulation , which aided Raven in retaining the championship as he pinned Rhino to win the encounter . Abyss and Sabu engaged in a rivalry following the event , with the two facing in a No Disqualification match at Unbreakable , which Abyss won . The two then fought in a Four Way Monster ' s Ball match , also involving Rhino and Jeff Hardy , at TNA ' s Bound for Glory PPV event on October 23 . Rhino won the contest at the gathering . At TNA ' s Genesis PPV event on November 13 , Abyss and Sabu fought in another No Disqualification match , with Abyss coming out the victor . The two ended their rivalry at TNA ' s Turning Point PPV event on December 11 , where Sabu defeated Abyss in the first - ever Barbed Wire Massacre . TNA held The Chris Candido Memorial Tag Team Tournament in the weeks leading up to Unbreakable . It involved eight randomly assigned teams , with the team of Alex Shelley and Sean Waltman defeating Chris Sabin and Shocker in the Finals on the September 9 episode of " Impact ! " . Due to winning the tournament , Shelley and Waltman gained entry into a Four Way Elimination match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship at Unbreakable which also involved then - champions The Naturals ( Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens ) , America ' s Most Wanted ( Chris Harris and James Storm ) , and Team Canada ( A - 1 and Eric Young ) . Waltman ended up missing the event for unknown reasons , with Chris Candido ' s legitimate brother Johnny Candido taking Waltman ' s place as Shelley ' s partner . The Naturals ended up retaining the championship at the event . The feud between the 3Live Kru ( B . G . James , Konnan , and Ron Killings ) and Kip James and Monty Brown ended following Sacrifice . The 3Live Kru went on to defeat The Diamonds in the Rough ( David Young , Elix Skipper , and Simon Diamond ) at Unbreakable , while Brown and Kip defeated Apolo and Lance Hoyt at the show . TNA Management were impressed with Aries ' performance in his match with Daniels at the gathering that they stated they wished to bring him in for another match down the line . This led to Aries facing another non - TNA contracted wrestler Roderick Strong at Unbreakable , which Aries won .