[9.0] "The first ever King of the Mountain Match! I love this match type, although I don't really like having to put the belt on the hook, and I think the finish gives a clear indicator why. The bumps in this are so sick, everyone's throwing great punches, AJ's doing sensational flip dives, they beating the shit out of each other in the penalty box, this is a great time. The finish is very much the embodiment of that Bree Woo Bree Woo Hit 'Em with the Guitar meme, which got a great laugh outta me. AJ Styles saved that hook fiasco from looking completely stupid. Four and A Quarter Stars out of Five."
[8.0] "This was a great match. The NWA Championship scene had been chaotic ever since the night AJ Styles won the NWA title from Jeff Jarrett in their steel cage match, which also involved the feud between Chris Harris and Raven. 2 weeks prior to this match, Ron Killings won the title in a Deadly Draw four way to win and things got so bad that Vince Russo made a match to finally determine the champion and end things. This was the first ever King of the Mountain match, something that would become a staple in TNA and a gimmick that I wish they used more often in recent years. It's basically a reverse ladder match where you have to hang the belt, but you can only be eligible by pinning an opponent, banning them to a penalty box for 2 minutes. It might sound a little over booked, but it was a gimmick that worked and it gave us some great matches and moments. All 5 men worked hard to have a great match here, with AJ Styles getting the spot of the night early on when he did a springboard dive over the penalty box and onto 3 of the wrestlers. Jeff Jarrett won the match after hitting Ron Killings with the guitar as Killings was about to hang the belt. One little thing I liked was when the hook fell off and Jarrett had to reattach it, AJ slowly climbed up the ladder trying to stop him from winning, something that I can only assume was done on the fly and it worked well. ****"
[8.0] "I just wanna start off by saying that the AJ Styles dive over the penalty box was great. AJ getting dumped over while crawling on the ladder was also funny. I only have two problems with this match. #1: Raven looks weird without long hair. #2: There was not doubt in my mind that Jeff Jarrett was gonna win so it took the anticipation out. (I haven't seen this match before and while typing this the match has about 5 minutes left so I am just guessing). The hook falling off was also extremally funny"
[8.0] "So, in honor of Slammiversary 2022 having happened, and them having brought back this stip, I watched the OG KOTM match earlier during that day. Despite the silly rules, the match itself worked around those rules well, and the action was very much "Total Nonstop". Special mention goes to AJ Styles for flying like an eagle and bumping like a pinball. 8.5 out of 10"
[7.0] "Not surprisingly, AJ Styles is the MVP of this match, offering some notable highlights that made this match worthwhile. His springboard dive over the penalty box looked amazing, and the ladder bump he took onto the penalty box looked impressively painful as well. Also not surprising, Jarrett books himself to win. I thought the finish was the weakest part as you had Killings climbing up the ladder about to win the thing, and Jarrett foolishly decides to search under the ring for his stupid guitar just so he can come back and hit Killings with it. Seriously Jarrett, you aren't going to try to stop him immediately, you're instead going to get your guitar first? Then again, it did take a while to hook the belt up, so you could make the case that Jarrett knew he had enough time."
[7.0] "The first King of the Mountain provided a fun enough match to introduce the gimmick despite the rules at times sometimes being a bit clunky. It is understandable a bit with it being the first but there was some good work in the match, particularly from AJ who did quite a lot in this match. Enjoyable watch."
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