TNA Final Resolution reaction

[eirejmcmahon 0]

Bear in mind that a lot of people here, myself included, spent a lot of time and money on TNA over the last few years.

[Guest LooneyTune]

Bear in mind that a lot of people here, myself included, spent a lot of time and money on TNA over the last few years.

Somewhere around $500-600 for me. I could've bought a shitty used car instead. I did enjoy the stretch of shows from January-June 2003 though.

 

Which reminds me... what happended to Julio and C.M. Punk? I thought they were two pretty good characters, with Punk picking up the slack in the wrestling department.

[2GOLD 0]

TNA has done an OUTSTANDING job building Monty up now.

 

Ok, he goes through DDP and Nash and it takes repeated chair shots, guitar shots AND a couple of strokes to put him down.

 

Not even Goldberg got a sell that hard. And they are allowing him to lose matches while not killing his heat. The guy now seems like he will literally walk through fire to get to that belt.

 

And Jarrett looks like he might be out of things to do. Cause it took all of that to put down a worn down Brown. What the hell is it going to take for him to put down Monty when he hasn't wrestled a match beforehand?

 

Honestly, there was no way they could have had Monty win that match without destroying Jarrett's heat for a very long time. That would have literally been JJ "Raven'ing" himself on PPV. Plus another most important thing, Brown did NOT hit the POUUUNCE the entire match. That's good, that means they didn't weaken his move either.

 

 

Things I can see them doing:

#1: Elix Skipper can go for the X Division belt, him and Styles should be able to have some quality matches and a decent feud.

 

#2: The Fallen Angel can move up the card into a feud with Brown for the belt. Daniels has the in ring talent and mic skills to carry Monty although Monty seems to be on a extremely fast learning curve. TNA better make sure he is signed.

 

#3: DDP can finish his feud with Raven and start a chase for the NWA World title either before or after the Daniels feud.

 

Surprisingly, it seems like the direction is going correctly. IF they don't blow it, TNA could really get something started. But they need a paid tv deal sooner rather than later and they might want to consider some paid house shows or something in Nashville. They need more income while they are starting to get hot.

[Styles 0]

Keller and Meltzer are still MIA on their reports, but some guy named James Cadwell posted his thoughts on pwtorch and pretty much echoes mine and others' sentiments:

 

Meat and Potatoes: First Word on TNA Final Resolution

 

Last week, I managed to be 6-0 on my WWE New Year’s Revolution predictions. Unfortunately, due to the pwtorch.com website being down, I was unable to post my predictions for TNA Final Resolution. Instead, I have my quick sound bytes on what went down in Orlando Sunday Night.

 

3 Live Kru vs. Christopher Daniels & Michael Shane & Kazarian. Solid opening bout. It was fun to watch the crowd chose sides in this match. The middle of the match seemed to feature 3 Live Kru play a heel team as Daniels & Co. were unable to score tags. Daniels has certainly earned the respect of the crowd by virtue of their consistent “Fallen Angel” chants.

 

Prime Time vs. Sonjay Dutt. The match started with some amazing high spots from Dutt. Great action throughout, although the match seemed to slow down at the mid-way point. Prime Time was impressive selling his shoulder injury. TNA seems to finally “get it” with the X Division by featuring solid one on one competition where Mike Tenay and Don West can build up the backdrop to the X Division wrestlers by giving each one some character depth. Both men were impressive.

 

Dustin Rhodes vs. Kid Kash. Again, another solid wrestling match. Kash was fantastic in his heel role, doing anything he could to chop down Rhodes’ big frame. Rhodes sold Kash’s offense perfectly. Good work from Kash in focusing on one target throughout the match, although he never truly went for the win after working on the knee for an extended period. Tenay and West had excellent commentary and added great psychological factors that came into play.

 

Erik Watts vs. Raven. This was not the prettiest match you will ever see with lots of sluggish exchanges and awkward moves. The post match attack from Raven was also awkward with Watts standing atop the side entrance ramp for no apparent reason. Watts obviously did not gain the respect of the fans since they booed him for the most part of the match even though he was playing the babyface. It also damages Raven that he was beat by someone Don West described as “having not been in the ring in awhile.” It would be like Mohammad Hassan losing to Jerry Lawler at NYR. Truly damaging to Raven.

 

Scott Hall vs. Jeff Hardy. Well, we found out a few things from this match. First, Scott Hall cannot sell. The most glaring example was his “effort” trying to take the Twist of Fate prior to taking the Sentaun Bomb. The second thing we found out is that Jeff Hardy actually has a voice and can speak on the mic. I was shocked to hear him on the house mic for the first time in the Impact zone. Third thing we found out, and probably the most shocking, is that Abyss is back in TNA. Was the whole contract dispute a work to make his return as dramatic as it was…or did he come to his senses and rejoin TNA after not having such a big contract offer from WWE? Either way, it’s good to see Abyss back in TNA.

 

Monty Brown vs. Kevin Nash vs. DDP. Well booked and well paced match that featured good interaction between Nash and DDP. Nice background story with Nash setting up DDP with a “friendly agreement” only to be outdone by a suspecting DDP. Brown was effective taking the double team beating early on, then fell into a bit of sluggish wrestling that has hindered his progress. Good finishing sequence that came across clean and well executed. Solid match with DDP and Nash doing a good job of putting Brown over.

 

Team Canada vs. AMW. Wow. WWE’s tag division holds absolutely nothing to what TNA has. AMW and Team Canada were absolutely amazing in the ring. So many close near falls, so many amazing storyline twists and turns, and one break through performance by Eric Young. Young truly came into his own in this match playing a great heel character. I cannot understate the impact Young had on the fluidity and overall performance of the match. The crowd’s involvement in every two ¾ pin attempt truly made this a spectacular bout that you had to have seen. If you are thinking of ordering the PPV on replay, this match alone is worth it.

 

Trinity & Fairplay & Traci. The three non wrestlers put together a fun “in between matches” segment that resulted in a very intriguing finish. Could the Steiner Brothers be a possible tag team? How about some WWE wrestlers that were recently released? Very fun.

 

A.J. Styles vs. Petey Williams vs. Chris Sabin. Indeed, this match lived up to all the hype and expectations coming into the Ultimate X battle. There were three or four legitimate “this is awesome” moments resulting from some breathtaking high spots. Besides the indescribable action, there was a great backdrop of Petey Williams working over A.J. Styles’ forearm and hand, which prevented him from climbing the ropes to grab the X Division Title. It also made for Styles’ amazing leap to grab the X Division Title from Sabin and Williams’ hands that much more impressive. Fantastic high spot X Division match, but unlike previous X Division matches of this nature, this one was much more than high spots, but rather a full-blown wrestling match with fantastic high spots.

 

Jeff Jarrett vs. Monty Brown. Monty Brown impressed despite losing the match and his opportunity to win the NWA Heavyweight Title. Brown displayed some never before seen offense that certainly helped him break the “one dimensional” mold he has been held back by. Jarrett played his role nicely as the cocky heel who thought he was going to have it easy against a “double a ballplayer.” This won’t be a match of the year candidate or one Jarrett’s highlight reel of top career matches, but the effort was there, the storyline was there, and for once, there was no outside interference in a NWA Title Match. The foreign objects may have been a bit overdone, but at least Nash and/or Hall did not make obligatory run-in’s to decimate the performance of the match. Great close to a great PPV.

 

Overall Thoughts. This was plain and simply the best PPV I have seen since WrestleMania XX. Every match had a story and every match was given sufficient time to tell that story. Two out of three of the Title matches were Match of the Year candidates, with Jarrett vs. Brown being solid in its own respect. The booking and writing of the PPV was executed nicely with solid in-ring battles being scripted that made sense and fit the personas of each wrestler in each match. Great performances all around from all wrestlers involved. Great show.

[Guest LooneyTune]

To be fair about the "Tag Division" comment. TNA has what, 4 teams? Team Canada, Shane & Kazarian, 3LK and AMW. And the only team that I gave a shit about (Daniels/Skipper) was split up.

[RedJed 0]

Bear in mind that a lot of people here, myself included, spent a lot of time and money on TNA over the last few years.

So have I (I've gotten every ppv they've ever done) - but thats no excuse to not give them another chance when they are probably putting out better stuff than I've seen from them in a long time.

[RedJed 0]

To be fair about the "Tag Division" comment. TNA has what, 4 teams? Team Canada, Shane & Kazarian, 3LK and AMW. And the only team that I gave a shit about (Daniels/Skipper) was split up.

The Naturals, NYC, Clark and Batts (I think they are still around), as well as Badd/Siaki, who are also now a regular team too. It sounds like they are going to bring in a few more tag teams with this thing with Traci and Trinity too - so the division isnt too bad lately as far as depth.

[Jingus 0]

Which reminds me... what happended to Julio and C.M. Punk? I thought they were two pretty good characters, with Punk picking up the slack in the wrestling department.

As I recall, Punk's last week there was also the week he got into the fight with Ted Hart, but they also blew off him and Dinero's feud with Raven that week, so draw your own conclusions.

[Guest Coffey]

Don't forget about Shark Boy & D-Ray 3,000!

[Guest LooneyTune]

Shows how much I know... Swinger & Gilberti are still around? I thought they were gone because TNA had nothing to do with them. Batts and whoever I have no clue who they are... some info please?

[cmpunk04 0]

Mikey Batts and Jerelle Clarke. They are a pair of wrestlers from NWA Florida who TNA signed mainly due to their ability to sell oponents moves like crazy. Jerelle is best known for his 630 splash and Batts is the cousin of Billy Kidman.

[eirejmcmahon 0]

Bear in mind that a lot of people here, myself included, spent a lot of time and money on TNA over the last few years.

So have I (I've gotten every ppv they've ever done) - but thats no excuse to not give them another chance when they are probably putting out better stuff than I've seen from them in a long time.

Meh! Obviously we disagree on this.

[Carnival 0]

thank the lord for jeff jarrett! WHOOO!

[RedJed 0]

Not sure what they are going to do with the world title picture now, but if they dont go with Brown-Jarrett again soon, the company will continue to flounder with the masses not taking them seriously when they have such a lame world title division that only serve to feed the egos like Nash and Jarrett. If they do in fact build the next ppv to those two for the world title, it's not going to get any better.

Not seen the PPV yet thanks to the Wrestling Channel only just having gotten their finger out, but absolutely intending to do so when its available online or on TV here. Got to agree that there's a blind spot with many regarding TNA and just refusing to believe they can be good regardless of output. Turning Point and the last couple of months worth of iMPACT! suggest theyve turned the corner.

 

As for the world title picture - there's an opportunity here for them to use the "Road to the Cage" series they did around a year ago on the weekly PPVs. Nash, Hardy, DDP and Monty named as condenders, and run it as an elimination series each week up to the Feb PPV, building to Brown and Jarrett in a cage, where JJ can't get access to the guitar or anything. Level playing field, Brown goes over. Can also set up a couple of new feuds for the new champ on the back of it.

Yeah I was thinking earlier today what would be the best way to do this, and that might be it. Not too sure if they should rush another six sides of steel match already though for next ppv.

 

The other angle to take would be to build to another King of the Mountain match for the title at the next ppv with DDP, Nash, Hardy, Abyss, Brown, and Jarrett (or whatever other mix of talent you want). It could come down to Brown and Jarrett and of course, Brown then finally goes over. This might add a tremendous amount of drama doing it this way.

 

Otherwise, the other idea would be to build a Brown-Jarrett match with some gimmick like a street fight or something for the title. If they do a straight rematch for the belt, I'm not sure if it would draw as well as it would with a gimmick attached to a rematch. They've already done 2 of them (both of which were way better than I expected) and it seems time to change it up a little bit.

[HollywoodSpikeJenkins 0]

The other angle to take would be to build to another King of the Mountain match for the title at the next ppv with DDP, Nash, Hardy, Abyss, Brown, and Jarrett (or whatever other mix of talent you want). It could come down to Brown and Jarrett and of course, Brown then finally goes over. This might add a tremendous amount of drama doing it this way.

The mark in me would like to see Brown start that match and run through everybody to beat Jarrett clean.

[Styles 0]

More Wrestling Observer feedback:

 

Dave,

 

Thumbs way up!

Best Match: Styles vs. Williams vs. Sabin.

Worst Match: Raven vs. Watts.

 

This was an awesome ppv from TNA. Styles vs. Williams vs. Sabin, AMW vs. Team Canada was off the charts. Jarrett vs. Brown was also really good. Just these three matches are worth the $29.95 price.

 

Chris Russell

 

Hey Dave, thumbs up for the PPV last night. Sure Jarrett is a heel who

wrestles like a babyface, Erik Watts really needs to go to the gym, his arms

look like a 12 year old girl... A slender one... The survivor deal with

Jonny whathisname and the ladies was pretty stupid, but, all of the

X-Division stuff and the tag title match were on the mark. Although AJ

seemed to be having an off night, Petey and Sabin really made that into and

incredible match.

 

I though everyone worked hard last night, Hall and Nash didn't do much and

Dustin was pretty terrible, but were we expecting anything diffrerent???

 

It is too bad TNA didn't have better TV and more importantly, more TV here

in Canada, because their product is head and shoulders over the stuff they

had in the early years. Plus the disappearance of Vince Russo has done

wonders for their product.

 

Keep up the good work, Troy Hotton.

 

Thumbs Up.

Best Match: Ultimate X Match

Worst Match: Erik Watts vs. Raven

 

Another solid effort from TNA. Not quite as good as Turning Point but definitely worth the money and going out of your way to see. I went into this PPV expecting a couple good matches based on the lineup but after the PPV ended just 5 minutes before the advertised 3 hour mark (something Wwe doesnt do anymore) I had about 4 good matches I could think of. From top to bottom this was all effort by everyone involved. Even Watts tried hard with the mule kick off the top rope onto Raven. Most of the stuff in that match was terribly botched which is why I gave it worst match of the show. Sonjay & Skipper had a good fast paced X-Division bout and Rhodes vs. Kash was fun to watch for the slow pace southern style they worked. AMW again proved why there becoming one of the best tag teams around. Maybe someday we'll look back at them like we do greats such as The Rock N' Roll Express & The Midnight Express. Eric Young looked to suffer a nasty bump similar to the bump Hasim Rahman had in his match with Holyfield a few years back. The Ultimate X match was awesome. It had alot of psychology to make up for a mostly highspot oriented match. The part in the match where Styles got his hand caught in the metal barricade that held the ultimate x structure was cool because he sold it the rest of the match and it came off very convincing. The three way 1# contendorship to the NWA title was smartly booked by keeping Nash's work in the ring limited and eliminating him first. DDP & Brown had a decent match after that. Jarrett vs. Brown was disapointing because there was some miscommunication all throughout like when Jarrett did a plancha to the outside and Brown nearly killed him not catching him correctly. The finish was confusing since Brown should of went over and get a decent push. The fans were ready for him to go to the next level and win the title. But I'm tuning into Impact Friday to see where Dusty is going for the next PPV.

 

Wrestlingobserver.com Reader - Brian Reinbolt

 

Thumbs up.Best match Ultimate X.Worst match Hardy vs. Hall.I have to give this show a thumbs up due to the quality of the tag title & x division title matches but I was totally put off by the finish of the main event.It was clear from the start of the match that the crowd was ready and wanting Monty Brown to win the title but instead we got the same lame multiple ref bump and guitar finish match we've seen from Jarrett for a few years now.No matter how many great matches TNA has on it's ppv's they will never get where they wanna go with this kind of booking.This company really is just a minor league version of HHH on RAW.They've probably killed the fans faith in Brown now by having him come up short multiple times in title matches just as they did with Raven.That finish totally sucked the air out of a very hot crowd by giving them what they don't want.Worse yet,it appears based on the vignette before the title match that Brown will be pushed aside in favor of Nash getting the next title shot.

Jarrett vs. Nash will be a bad match and it doesn't seem as if the TNA crowd even cares about Nash.Why do TNA and WWE seem content on killing off potential stars in favor of heel champions like HHH,JBL & Jarrett who the crowds are sick of or don't buy in their positions.Both companies claim to be all about the fans but they are really all about ego and if the fans don't agree then screw em.Granted,Brown as champ won't move the ratings or buy rates at this point either but at least it's a step in the right direction.Aside from the lame main event finish the other two title matches were awesome.Skipper vs. Dutt and the opening six man were also good.3 Live Kru should be used better since they are very popular.Another similarity to WWE is the booker(Dusty) booking himself to be a ladies man with hot girls have his age vying for his attention just as Vince always does.At least Vince isn't a fat slob and has a ton of money so it's sort of believable but why would Trinity & Traci want Dusty so bad?

 

 

Guy Bogard

 

Mr. Meltzer,

 

I thought TNA Final Resolution was the best PPV I had seen in over six years. Match of the night was the Tag Team Title match, and worse match of the night will go to Raven/Watts. Don't get me wrong, I thought Raven/Watts was good, but compared to the rest of the card, it lacked so much. I give the show a rating of 9.5 out of 10, it was brilliantly done. Aight, I'm out.

 

Signed,

 

Wade Needham

 

Dave,

 

Thumbs Up

Best Match: Ultimate X Match w/ Styles,Williams,and Sabin

Worst Match: Erik Watts vs. Raven

 

This PPV wasn't as strong as Turning Point(how could it be?) but still better than the less than mediocre stuff WWE tries to get me to pay 34.95 for. First and foremost, please do away with the backstage skits. This is one of the many things that turned off "wrestling" fans of WWE, and if TNA is to be the "true alternative" that it claims to be, then it must eliminate these skits as well as Fairplay period. The only thing resulting from these segments is a new tag team from the 90's is coming in.(I can only hope it is the Steiners and not the Beverly Brothers,Ding-Dongs,or my personal favs,the Orient Express) 3 Live Kru getting the win appeases the Orlando crowd I'm sure, but it hurts to see Shane/Kazarian/Daniels jobbed out so frequently when all 3 have exceptional talent and the first 2 have a neat tag team going on. Dustin Rhodes/Kid Kash was better than expected given the styles and size clash. Raven and Erik Watts was disappointing that Raven AGAIN had to job and this time to Erik Watts who obviously got the sympathy win from Dusty Rhodes.(who used Watts often when running TCW right here in Georgia from 2000-2002) Jeff Hardy and Scott Hall wasn't very good, but helped by the comedy between Hall and Piper. Hardy actually got to be on the mic and the crowd responded. Amazing what happens when a top guy is allowed to talk. The 3 way was good once they got Nash out of there and good to see Page make Brown look formidable to Jarrett. Primetime/Dutt was pretty good, but I expected a little more from these 2. One of the matches that made the show was AMW and Team Canada. This match had super heat and harkened back to the NWA of the 80's style tag matches with the interference,near falls,and heel tag teaming while waiting for the face hot tag. AMW comes out looking strong with the title win. The other match worth getting the show for was the Ultimate X match for the X division title. Styles,Williams,and Sabin worked their collective asses off and the flip bump Styles took made me leave my seat. That flip double ddt was an awesome spot as well. Good sense putting the belt back on Styles and Williams can still say he was never pinned for it if they continue to pursue this feud. Main event was pretty good and would have been better had the title changed hands,but you just knew with the previous 2 bouts seeing title changes that that wasn't going to happen. But it should have tonight. The crowd was behind Monty the whole way and was clamoring for him to take the belt. Jeff,it was time my friend. You should have done the right thing. But at least Brown was made to look damn near invincible before losing,so I don't think he got buried at all. Looking forward to Against All Odds.(would still like to see the ppv price dropped to 24.95 so it would be whole bucks cheaper than WWE)

 

Shane Noles

[email protected]

[Styles 0]

Meltzer in his update:

 

"Regarding the show, what I mentioned after the Turning Point PPV goes the same after this one. If you missed the show, find when the replay is and order it."

 

From www.tnawrestling.com, here they are:

 

TNA FINAL RESOLUTION PAY-PER-VIEW REPLAY TIMES AND DATES

 

Missed the live three-hour epic Final Resolution? Replay of the Pay-Per-View are available in the upcoming weeks on the following channels. Don't miss your chance to see Final Resolution - relive the experience again, or see it for the first time! Replay times are listed below!

 

The fans speak out: reaction to the Final Resolution PPV:

 

“Wow. WWE’s tag division holds absolutely nothing to what TNA has.”

“This was plain and simply the best PPV I have seen since WrestleMania XX.”

“Two out of three of the Title matches were Match of the Year candidates.”

“Great performances all around from all wrestlers involved. Great show.”

-pwtorch.com

 

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have our first Match of the Year candidate of 2005.”

(of Ultimate X match)

-pwtorch.com

 

“…one hell of a PPV if you ask me. I give this PPV a rating of The best damn PPV I’ve seen in over six years, and that’s saying something!”

-1wrestling.com

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, order the replay just on the strength of this thing (Ultimate X), it was amazing!”

-pwinsider.com

 

"Once again, TNA puts on a great Pay Per View."

-wrestlingobserver.com

 

"There is no way the WWE can ever top the Ultimate X."

-wrestlingobserver.com

 

"New Year's Revolution is to Final Resolution as night is to day. This was an excellent show, even better than Turning Point, and it's unlikely that Royal Rumble will come anywhere close to being as good as this ppv."

-wrestlingobserver.com

 

REPLAYS FOR "FINAL RESOLUTION"!

 

DISH NETWORK

JAN 17: ALL DAY TICKET (CH. 460)

JAN 19: ALL DAY TICKET (CH. 458)

JAN 21: ALL DAY TICKET (CH. 458)

JAN 23: ALL DAY TICKET (CH. 458)

JAN 26: ALL DAY TICKET (CH. 458)

JAN 28: ALL DAY TICKET (CH. 458)

 

iNDEMAND

JAN 17: 5PM (CH. iN1)

JAN 18: 7AM (CH. iN2)

JAN 18: 10AM (CH. iN2)

JAN 18: 1PM (CH. iN2)

JAN 18: 4PM (CH. iN2)

JAN 18: 7PM (CH. iN2)

JAN 18: 10PM (CH. iN2)

JAN 19: 1AM (CH. iN2)

JAN 19: 2AM (CH. iN1)

JAN 19: 4AM (CH. iN2)

JAN 19: 8PM (CH. iN1)

JAN 20: 11AM (CH. iN1)

JAN 21: 5PM (CH. iN1)

JAN 22: 12:30PM (CH. iN1)

JAN 25: 3:30PM (CH. iN1)

JAN 27: 11AM (CH. iN1)

 

DirecTV

JAN 19: ALL DAY TICKET

JAN 22: ALL DAY TICKET

[natey2k4 0]

Wait, the guy's name isn't "Rude", but "Roode"!? Holy fuck, do I feel stupid. I've been spelling it wrong for over a year... (groans).

 

I believe it was Rude when he first came because it was spelt that way on his Team Canada coat. but they switched it to Roode a while back and i prefer it the way it is now.

[Guest LooneyTune]

Slapnuts! (whats with the "!"? Sounds like I'm screaming)), are you hard selling TNA because you look to take over Don West's job? If people want to order it they will. You don't need to list ever friggin' time the damn thing is on... that's overkill.

[Styles 0]

Mr. Tunes,

 

The funny story of my name with a "!" is when I went to change my screename from "Jeff Jarrett, God" (and if you don't know the story behind that one I'm sure someone else could fill you in), I asked for my name to be changed back to Slapnuts, but ended the sentence with an exclamation point, so it was changed to "Slapnuts!" and I didn't care enough to ask for it to be changed.

 

As for my TNA shilling, you're damn right I'm shilling. I've been a TNA supporter from the beginning and I desperately want to see them suceed and feel they don't get the respect they deserve when they put on good shows. No one else on the board (with a couple exceptions) cares to promote them. WWE doesn't need it and ROH sure gets a blowjob everytime they so much as announce a show (don't get me wrong I like ROH too, a shock I know that someone could like both), so I figured I'd make sure to post whenever TNA releases some a new article or press release, since I don't think enough people visit their website to see it otherwise.

 

Meltzer's comment was to catch a replay. I anticipated someone asking when it will replay, noticed a replay schedule was posted at the website and took it upon myself to post it here in case anyone wants to order it.

 

I will continue to post TNA feedback I find, to support my judgement that it was an excellent show and show that opinion is shared by more than just one "TNA shill".

[Guest LooneyTune]

Eh... (continues sipping coffee)

 

I think I'm going to regularly start watching Xplosion to catch bits of iMPACT. Damn you SLAPNUTS! Now you got me hooked on watching TNA again.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

I just want to say:

 

Despite the ending to the show, I am starting to like TNA a lot. And if they ever do get bigger than they are now (possibly unlikely, but we'll see), I'd like for them to get a Monday night primetime slot to see how competition would do.

 

Just hope they don't go the way of WCW and ECW (I would say AWA, but that was before I started watching wrestling in 1994)

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

If I have the money, I'll try to catch a replay. I prolly won't have the money, though, considering I might have people over for the Rumble, and trying to find an affordable apartment, need to pay off my car insurance bill, need gas and good, etc.

 

HOWEVER...if I do order a replay of Final Resolution, and I fucking hate it? Like, hate it to the point where I'd compare it to a 1999 WCW PPV? Then I'll forever linger in any and all TNA threads and talk about their impending doom. I'll be worse than Mike ever could hope to have been.

[Styles 0]

Some neat photos:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More here: http://www.tnawrestling.com/multimedia/liv...l1/gallery.html

[Guest LooneyTune]

Wow, when did everyone have better (a.k.a non-Bush-league) looking tights? At least they got passed looking like a bunch of backyarders wearing $2 worth of stuff.

 

Pictures tempt me, but I just hope they release the PPV's on DVD.

[ChrisMWaters 0]

Pictures tempt me, but I just hope they release the PPV's on DVD.

They will.

 

I think they're taking orders for the DVD release of Victory Road on their website right now.

[Styles 0]

Scott Keith has posted his rant. Agree with all the ratings and he even liked the main event better than I did. To the poster who said I must have not seen many PPVs if this was one of the most fun I've ever seen, Keith says basically the same thing at the end, and I think he's seen his share.

 

The SmarK Rant for TNA Final Resolution 2005

 

- Live from Orlando, FL.

 

- Your hosts are Mike Tenay & Don West.

 

- You know, these video packages to open the show are getting REALLY damn good. Much better than the WWE's lately, in fact.

 

- Opening match: Michael Shane, Kazarian & Christopher Daniels v. 3 Live Kru. Konnan starts with Daniels and they trade wristlocks and take it to the mat, but Konnan gets the rolling clothesline and cleans house on the heels. The Kru triple-team Shane with a Whazzup and Killings comes in and slugs on him. Killings dodges him and forearms him down, but Shane gets a jawbreaker to bring Kazarian in. James & Killings do some dance moves and double-teaming, and James works on the arm. I'm really shocked that the WWE hasn't stolen this gimmick yet. Kazarian unsuccessfully tries to tag Shane, and then opts to run away instead, leading to a chase that leaves James in no man's land and on the receiving end of some beatings. Daniels gets a dropkick and Kazarian gets an awesome pump kick in the corner, and they continue to work him over. James comes back with a powerbomb on Daniels, and it's hot tag Killings. He does the dancing axe kick for two on Shane, but Daniels saves. And now it's BONZO GONZO and they start doing finishers at a frantic pace until Shane and Konnan clothesline each other and everyone is out. Triple slugfest leaves Kazarian and Daniels on the floor, and Shane alone. Inverted DDT gets two for Konnan. They set him up for another triple team, but Kazarian saves and Daniels catches James with an STO. He then showboats and tries a quebrada outside on Killings, but misses and hits Kazarian. Shane is alone again, and this time the Kru don't blow it, finishing with a leg lariat from Killings at 8:18. Too short, as I was really digging this, but still a great opener to fire up the crowd. ***

 

- Elix Skipper v. Sonjay Dutt. Dutt grabs a headlock to start and gets powered down by Skipper to start. Dutt walks up the ropes and leaps over, into a sunset flip for two, and then another rollup gets two. Crazy flying headscissors puts Skipper on the floor, and he takes a breather. Dutt baseball slides him and charges, but ends up in the front row. He recovers with a dive back into the ringside area, however, flattening Skipper out of nowhere. Tremendous. Back in, that gets two. Dutt takes him down with an armbreaker and works it, but Skipper makes the ropes. Dutt tries to snap Skipper's arm on the top rope, but they kinda blow it, so Dutt gets a springboard dropkick for two. Skipper is selling the arm, so Dutt really goes for it, pounding it with an armbar takedown, but he goes up and Skipper pops up and dropkicks him to the floor. Well, you don't need the arm to do that, I'll give him that. On the floor, Skipper works the back and crotches him on the railing, which gets two back in the ring. Skipper gives him a taste of his own medicine, taking him down with a vicious armbreaker and then kicking him in the shoulder. A roundhouse kick misses, so he recovers with a back kick for two. Dutt counters the POD, but a Lionsault hits knee. Skipper gets a gut wrench and springboard clothesline. They head up and Skipper fights for a superplex, but Dutt powerbombs him down instead. Dutt makes the comeback and clotheslines Skipper down a few times, setting up a backdrop suplex for two. Tornado DDT gets two. He goes up and misses, so Skipper hotshots him into a spinning uranage for the pin at 10:13. Good enough to fire up the crowd, but not enough to steal the show, which is exactly how good it should be. ***1/4

 

- Meanwhile, DDP and Nash plot against Monty Brown. Never trust anyone who dyes their hair that often, I say.

 

- Kid Kash v. Dustin Rhodes. Kash attacks to start and gets nowhere, as Dustin slugs him down and clotheslines him out. Back in, Kash attacks again and gets foiled again, and Dustin catapults him into the ropes. Dust goes up and gets caught, but fights Kash off and slugs him down. Kash fakes a knee injury after hitting the mat, and no one's buying it. And of course he goes low and makes the comeback, dropkicking Dustin's knee and then working it over. He goes to a spinning toehold, but Rhodes gets a backslide for two. Kash goes low and remains in control, but Dustin cradles for two. Kash keeps kicking at the leg and drops a knee on the knee. Figure-four time, but Dustin fights out and comes back with a sleeper. Kash reverses, looking almost comical trying to jump on Dustin's back with what looks like a 3 foot height difference, but manages to take him down. They slug it out and Dustin catches him with a clothesline and slugs him down. Atomic drop, but it hurts the knee. Crowd chants "Walk it off". Kash hits him with a high cross, but Rhodes rolls through for two. Kash misses a high kick and Dustin goes for the Curtain Call, but Kash reverses to an enzuigiri for two. He stops to argue with the ref and gets bulldogged for the pin at 10:51. The size difference looked absurd on paper, but damned if they didn't fight tooth and nail for every bit of this one until it was pretty good. ***

 

- Raven v. Erik Watts. That was a pretty short heel run for Erik. Raven attacks to start and takes him out of the ring for a Russian legsweep into the railing. Back into the ring for some boot-raking action, although a knee in the corner clearly misses by a foot. Raven slugs him down for two, and tosses him again. Back in, Watts comes back with a missile mule kick and they brawl up the ramp. Back to ringside, Watts takes him into the railing and crotches him there. Back in, the chokeslam follows, and he grabs a chair. The ref grabs it from him, however, and Raven goes low. He grabs the chair himself and sets it up in the ring, ramming Erik into it. Why is that not a DQ? Watts blocks the DROP TOEHOLD OF DOOM by…not running. Oh man, that's opening up a huge can of worms with regards to the irish whip in general, but whatever. Watts fights back and gets the big boot, but he doesn’t want the pin. Can I get a second opinion on that? Raven hotshots him for two as this thing grinds to a halt. Watts gets the scary powerbomb into the turnbuckles, and this time he gets two. Another chokeslam is countered by Raven into an anklelock (where did THAT come from?), and then a superkick gets two. Watts takes a Jannetty bump off a clothesline, even though physics dictate that he shouldn't have done it that way, but Watts takes him down with the dreaded STF, which Raven counters to the anklelock. It's like the marital arts portion of the Special Olympics or something. After all that, a chokeslam finishes Raven at 10:18. Well, the good match streak had to end sometime, and Watts was as good a bet as anyone. * Raven begs for forgiveness afterwards. He should beg for our forgiveness after that mess.

 

- Jeff Hardy v. Scott Hall. Roddy Piper is the special referee, just to up the crazy and/or drugged quotient of the match. Piper finds various cutlery hidden in Hall's jumpsuit, to the point where it gets a bit cartoonish. Hardy's hankies tonight are purple and green, indicating he likes to get pierced and he's hunting for a daddy. Well, Hall's old enough to be his dad. And he brought a fork. Hall catches him with a blockbuster slam and they brawl outside, and back in Hardy gets the legdrop before getting pounded down. Corner clothesline by Hall and he takes him down and pulls on his disgusting hair (and when your hair looks gross next to SCOTT HALL, that's saying something), and a chokeslam gets two. Ref bump and Hall finds his backup international object, a pair of brass knuckles, but Piper recovers and saves Jeff. Twist of Fate and swanton finish at 5:53. Well, at least it was short. 1/4* Speaking of short, apparently Abyss' negotiations with WWE didn't last as long as he thought they would, as he returns and lays out Hardy.

 

- Monty Brown v. DDP v. Kevin Nash. Nash is starting to have that Kenny Rogers thing going on. Well, at least he's in better shape than Hall. Page trades headlocks with Brown while Nash looks on. I see he's up to his usual level of work tonight. Page works the arm and tries a Diamond Cutter, but Brown blocks. Page gets another headlock, but Brown knocks him out of the ring. Finally Nash decides to earn his keep, fighting for a lockup with Brown and getting powered into the corner as a result. Nash responds by doing his imitation of Brown. Well, nobody said he wasn't funny. Nash pounds him in the corner and gets the dreaded Emerald City Slam for two. Back to the corner, but Nash actually TAKES A BUMP, as Brown suplexes him. Oh man, he's EXTRA motivated tonight. Nash bails to shake off the exertion, leaving Page and Brown, as DDP gets the discus clothesline for two. Monty comes back with a DDT for two. Big Kev makes the save and they work Brown over in the corner, but Nash charges Page and gets dumped, and thus eliminated. Kevin's "bump" over the top was less a drop than a casual hop out after a light fall to the apron, for those keeping track. DDP gets the Diamond Cutter on Brown, but Nash saves. Brown cradles for two, but charges and misses, and Page gets two. Page gets a lariat for two. Amazing how the match picks up 500% after Nash is out of it. Brown uses the CLUBBING FOREARMS for two and gets a corner clothesline as DDP bumps all over for him. Powerslam gets two. Page comes back with a back elbow and goes for another Cutter, but Brown Pounces him for the pin at 9:37 to earn the title shot tonight. Last couple of minutes were pretty decent. *3/4

 

- NWA World tag titles: Bobby Roode & Eric Young v. America's Most Wanted. Harris and Storm now have their names on their tights, and I encourage all similar-looking white people in wrestling to do the same, because it just makes my life that much easier. It's a big brawl outside to start, and Team Canada gets the worst of that. Young takes a flying headscissors on the ramp from Storm, while Roode brawls with Harris at ringside. That finally leads them into the ring, and Harris starts pounding on Young. He tosses him for a nice bump and Team Canada needs badly to regroup. Harris shoulderblocks him down again, and Young bails and tries to leave before Harris brings him back in. AMW double-teams both guys, and then tosses Roode onto Young to get rid of him. And then they toss Young out of the ring, onto Roode. These guys are great. Back in, Storm keeps destroying Roode, reversing a powerbomb into a rana for two. Finally a cheapshot from Young slows Storm down, and Roode gets a neckbreaker to put the champs in control. Young chokes him down, and Roode gets a suplex for two. Storm fights out of a chinlock, but eats a knee and they work him over in the corner. Young slugs him down for two. Backbreaker gets two. Young chokes him down, but Storm finally fights back on them and gets an enzuigiri on Roode, then another on Young to knock him off the apron. Roode cuts off the hot tag, however, and Young drops the flying elbow for two. Young hits the chinlock, but Storm fights out and gets a sunset flip for two. A clothesline puts him back down, however. Roode drops a knee for two. Back to the chinlock, but Storm flips out. This time the enzuigiri misses, however, so he has to dodge a charging Roode to escape him. Hot tag Harris, as he bulldogs Young and rams Team Canada into each other, setting up a full nelson slam on Roode and lariat for Young. Delayed vertical suplex gets two on Young. It's breaking loose in Tulsa as Storm powerslams Roode for two and they set up for the Death Sentence, but Young breaks it up. He tries a rana off the top, but Storm somehow powerbombs him into Roode from that position in a crazy spot. That gets two. Storm superkicks Roode, but Scott D'Amore pulls the ref out. AMW catches him and uses the handcuffs that Scott Hall found on Roddy Piper in an earlier match (how's that for continuity?) and they hit Young with a Hart Attack for two. A Death Sentence is then interrupted by Johnny Devine, leaving Harris to chase Roode while Storm tries a helicopter slam on Young. Devine breaks the hockey stick on Storm and Young gets two. They stop to go after Devine, allowing Roode to try a suplex, but AMW reverses it into their powerbomb/suplex combo for two. Crowd is going CRAZY at this point. Catatonic for Young, but the ref is distracted, so Devine puts a chair into play. Roode bulldogs Harris onto it, but Young only gets two. Devine swings blindly with the chair, just in case, hits Young, and AMW are the new champions at 19:14. Finish ran out of steam at the end, but the rest was just awesome stuff. ****

 

- Ultimate X: Petey Williams v. AJ Styles v. Chris Sabin. Three-way slugfest to start and Williams bails, leading to a chase with Sabin, as Styles looks on and waits. Styles and Sabin pinball Petey and then Sabin whips Styles into him with a clothesline, before Styles alley-oops Sabin into him with a dropkick. I sense they don't like him. Petey bails, leaving Styles & Sabin to trade wristlocks. Styles springboards in and misses, so Sabin hits him with an elbow and they criss-cross. That allows Williams to drag him out, so Styles hits them both with a crazy flip dive. AJ starts climbing and Sabin follows to stop him, then dropkicks AJ into the steel scaffolding holding up the cables. OUCH. Sabin starts climbing the cable now, but D'Amore gets involved and pulls him down. That allows Williams to get back into things and stomp him. The ref gets rid of D'Amore as everyone takes a breather. So back to the match, Petey sends AJ into the post and goes after Sabin, elbowing him down into a rolling vertical suplex/backdrop suplex combo. Sabin tries to fight back and Williams takes him down for a Sharpshooter, but AJ sneaks up and starts traversing the cables. Williams releases to pull Styles down, then hits him with a german suplex. He gets rid of Sabin and hangs AJ in the Tree of Woe, but he fights back with a soccer kick. Sabin tries climbing and AJ pulls him down, then brings him into electric chair position while Petey climbs the cables. He drops down and hits Sabin with a rana off Styles' shoulders, however. These guys are mental. And now Styles and Petey both climb the cables and meet at the belt, but Styles falls off via Sabin, leaving Williams hanging at the belt. Styles regroups and springboards off the top, slugging Williams to the mat from the air. How do they THINK of this stuff? Sabin makes another climb and Styles follows, so Sabin brings him down with a rana. Crowd chants "This is awesome" and I'm inclined to agree. Petey goes for the Destroyer, but Sabin reverses to a Cradle Shock, and AJ springs out of nowhere with the double inverted DDT, finally hitting that move for the first time I've ever seen. Then it's up the cable with the other two out, but Sabin gives AJ some of his own springboard medicine, dropkicking him down to the mat again. Petey and Sabin end up on the floor and Petey climbs the scaffold, then wedges AJ's arm in the steel before he wriggles free. Sabin sneaks in and hits Williams with the Cradle Shock, then climbs the cables again, but AJ saves and pulls him down into a Styles Clash attempt, which Sabin counters with an armbar. AJ counters that with a powerbomb, into the Styles Clash. Back up for AJ, with no one in sight, but the arm is shot and he can't hang on. Petey dives in and hits him with the Canadian Destroyer to really add insult to injury, and AJ is out of it. Tornado DDT for Sabin and it appears to be Canada's night, as he climbs again before Sabin yanks him down and spikes him into the corner with a crucifix slam. Sabin and Petey climb again and AJ is dead, and both guys meet in the middle and fight over the belt. They get it loose and have a tug of war, but AJ makes one last desperate dive, knocks the belt out of their hands, and regains the title at 19:53. Three ****+ matches in two PPVs is a pretty good record for TNA. This was the craziest of crazy spotfests. ****1/2

 

- NWA World title: Jeff Jarrett v. Monty Brown. They fight over a lockup to start and Jarrett takes him down and struts. Dropkick and more strutting. He tries to overpower Brown, but that's not happening, and in fact he gets press-slammed as a result. Jarrett takes him into the corner and tries to hiptoss him out, but that plan backfires pretty clearly, and Brown powerslams him for two. Brown goes up and lands on the foot, but catches the foot in a nice spot and drops a headbutt for two. He charges, however, and lands on the floor, allowing Jarrett to try a pescado off all things, which Brown shrugs off. He tries to spear Jarrett into the post, but JJJ reverses and sends him into the crowd for some brawling. Jarrett schools him with a chair and they fight to the announce table, where Jarrett drops a chair on Brown's back and then charges with the belt. The ref stops that and they head back in. Jarrett gets the sleeper and Brown fights out after some drama, and he reverses it. Jeff turns that into a kneecrusher, but Brown cradles for two. Jeff charges him and crotches himself on the ropes, but Brown misses his own charge. They collide for the double KO and Jarrett is up first. They slug it out, and Jarrett fails to heed the lessons of history: Never get into a slugfest with a big black dude. Brown powerbombs him for two. Neckbreaker gets two. Jarrett works him over with knees and goes for the Stroke, but the ref is bumped. Brown charges and hits boot, allowing Jarrett to grab his guitar and El Kabong Brown for two. Next up, a chair, but Brown tries to counter with an electric chair, so Jarrett hits him in the head to bring him down. That gets two. Next up, the belt, and what is normally the most devastating object in wrestling only gets two. And now Brown is PISSED. He fights back, but Pounces the ref by mistake and Jarrett finds ANOTHER guitar, goes to the top…and gets caught. Brown chokeslams him and kills him with the guitar, but there's no ref. Another one counts two. Brown sends Jarrett into the corner, and Jeff grabs the remains of the guitar and hits Brown with it, and three Strokes and a low blow finish at 16:17. That was completely the wrong finish for that match and putting Brown over there would have MADE him, but I guess Jarrett-Nash is the big draw. I can't even TYPE that with a straight face, sorry. This was overbooked to the extreme, but they sucked me in with it, so it worked. ***1/2

 

The Inside Pulse:

 

Didn't think I'd say this about a TNA show, but this was pretty much the best PPV I've seen in a couple of years, with just the right mix of old school tag wrestling, crazy highspots, and new style main event overbooking to hold my attention for three hours. In fact, with the exception of two matches in the midcard, there was nary a match on this card that I wouldn't classify between good and great. Obviously monthly PPVs agree with them. Whereas the first one was weak, the last two have been a blast aside from some questionable booking decisions.

 

Thumbs way up.

[Guest LooneyTune]

Scott Keith.. pfft. He's a bigger sheep than I am. When was the last time people thought his "Rants" were credible? 2001?

 

He obviously goes with the popular opinion, and has a hard time making up his mind with everything. One week he'll bash someone, the next he's kissing ass.

[bob_barron 0]

LooneyTune/BBCW/Staravenger really needs to stop posting.

 

I hate TNA for the stuff they did to ROH but this sounds like a really fun show. I wish I could dl it somewhere

[TheBigSwigg 0]

pwtorrents.net. But it's a HUGE file.

 

Or just DL the individual matches.