TNA Final Resolution DVD Review

TNA – Final Resolution, 1.16.05

Review by Jacob Ziegler

Introduction

First off, just so everyone knows, I am selling some of my masters I no longer need, so if anyone is interested in some stuff, shoot me an e-mail.

This is the first TNA pay-per-view event of 2005, and it’s interesting to take a look back about a year ago in TNA and see just how far they’ve come. Just to put things in perspective, the World Champion at this point is Jeff Jarrett (since June 2, 2004), the World Tag Team Champions are Bobby Roode & Eric Young (since December 5, 2004), and the X-Division Champion is Petey Williams (since August 11, 2004).

The opening video package highlights the title matches tonight, including America’s Most Wanted versus Team Canada, the Ultimate X match between Petey Williams, Chris Sabin and AJ Styles, and the World Title match, which will have its challenger determined with a three-way between Monty Brown, Diamond Dallas Page, and Kevin Nash. It’s a pretty good video.

By the way, on the Preshow, The Naturals beat Johnny B. Badd & Sonny Siaki, and Chris Candido (RIP) defeated Cassidy Riley. Mike Tenay and Don West welcome us by putting over the three big title matches tonight, and of course the #1 Contenders match that determines who wrestles Jarrett in the main event.

Shane Douglas is back in Jarrett’s locker room to talk about the possible challengers tonight. He mocks Nash, DDP, and the Alpha Male. He says he will remain the champion.

MATCH #1: The 3Live Kru vs. Christopher Daniels, Michael Shane & Kazarian

Daniels was almost in tonight’s Ultimate X match, but he lost to Chris Sabin two days ago on Impact, and so he is here instead. Every man in this match has held a title of some kind, right up to the World Title (which Ron Killings has held twice). 3LK do the same pre match speech they always do, and I can’t believe it’s still over. Daniels and Konnan start, and the Fallen Angel is very over with the TNA crowd. Konnan actually appears to be trying here, so good for him. The babyfaces dominate in the early going. Tenay puts over the WWE accomplishments of BG James without mocking that company, which I like after the fiasco during last month’s PPV. Some heel miscommunication leads to Michael Shane being left alone in the ring with the entire Kru, who use an assisted axe kick from the Truth to get the win at 8:21. That was a perfectly serviceable opener, and even Konnan was trying!
Rating: **½

The Dusty Rhodes Assistant Challenge

Traci Brooks, Trinity, and Jonny Fairplay are backstage with Dusty Rhodes, who tells them that they need to find this clue that he’s hidden for them. He sexually harasses Traci and makes fun of Fairplay. That was so pointless.

MATCH #2: Primetime Elix Skipper vs. Sonjay Dutt

This is a pseudo #1 Contenders match to the X-Division Title. Both men are over with the crowd. Dutt goes for several quick pinning combinations before hitting a 720 degree headscissors to send Primetime to the floor. Back in the ring and Sonjay goes to work on Skipper’s arm. Skipper comes back and goes to work on the back. Skipper goes for the Play of the Day, but Sonjay reverses and goes for a springboard moonsault and hits nothing but knees. They do some more stuff until Skipper hits a spinning Rock Bottom to get the win at 10:12. That’s a good solid match that the crowd was into the whole way and featured some pretty good selling from both guys.
Rating: ***

Backstage

First we get a promo for Trytan. That really made some money for TNA.

Kevin Nash and DDP are backstage, and Nash is trying to convince DDP that they should work together, since Nash doesn’t want to work hard anymore. That’s funny on so many levels. DDP doesn’t trust Nash, even though they were two-time tag team champions in WCW.

MATCH #3: Dustin Rhodes vs. Kid Kash

The video promo for this match actually makes it look pretty cool, as long as Dustin Rhodes wasn’t part of it. But since he was, well, you know. I think Kash is an excellent heel and can sometimes be great in the ring. Kash is a former X-Division and Tag Team Champion. It’s cool to see Kash break out of the X-Division a little bit; I just wish he had a better opponent. Is it obvious that I don’t like Dustin Rhodes? Kash appears to have injured his knee, much to the chagrin of Rhodes and the crowd. Of course, Kash was faking it and hits Rhodes in the balls for being so stupid. He then goes to work on the legs and points at his head to prove how smart he is. Kash continues to work on the legs, and hits a frog splash right onto the leg and follows up with a figure-four leglock. Dustin makes the big comeback, but his knee gives way. Kash hits a standing moonsault, but Rhodes reverses it and gets a near-fall. Kash pushes referee Andrew Thomas, who pushes back. Rhodes hits the bulldog out of nowhere to get the win at 10:50. That was much better than I thought it would be.
Rating: **¼

Backstage

We get more of the Fairplay / Traci / Trinity stuff, which is just bad on many levels. Fairplay finds the clue in Dusty Rhodes’s hat.

Next is a promo video for “The Alpha Male” Monty Brown, complete with clips from his World Title shot against Jeff Jarrett on Impact back in December. Monty should have won the title in that match, quite honestly. This segues into a package for the three-way #1 Contenders match and subsequent main event for tonight.

MATCH #4: Raven vs. Erik Watts

The video package for this match confuses me, as there’s some kind of three-way relationship between Raven, Watts, and Diamond Dallas Page. The match between Raven and DDP on last month’s show was pretty bad. I don’t really remember much about this storyline, so if anyone actually remembers how this turned out feel free to let me know. Watts has ridiculous gear on, and can hardly take any bumps whatsoever. Raven takes one and tries to bail out of the Impact Zone, but Watts goes to retrieve him. Watts gets the chokeslam and tries to bring in a chair, but when referee Mike Posey tosses it to the outside Raven nails a low blow. Then the chair comes back into play and both men are using it. They do some more stuff that the crowd doesn’t care about, and Watts actually gets the win with the chokeslam at 10:19. That felt at least twice that long, and I can’t imagine the logic behind giving the win to Watts. The guy is an embarrassment in the ring. Raven gets on the microphone and tells Watts that he’s sorry for everything. He then of course nails Watts with a garbage can.
Rating: *

Intermission, of sorts

Mike and Don now put over their next PPV event, Against All Odds and to talk about the rest of the card coming up.

MATCH #5: “The Charismatic Enigma” Jeff Hardy vs. Scott Hall (Special Referee: Rowdy Roddy Piper)

Hall is wearing his Elvis gear once again. Let’s play a fun game of trying to guess which of the three guys in this match is the most fucked up. Piper goes to great lengths to search Scott Hall, and finds a joint in his boot, and another one in his elbow pad. Hall has a HUGE joint around his neck. I’d say Hall is the most messed up right now, especially if Botox counts as a drug. The bell rings and Hall frisks Piper for some reason. It doesn’t take long for these guys to screw up and look sloppy. Piper’s count for Hall is extremely slow, and extremely fast for Hardy. Was Piper feuding with the Kings of Wrestling at this point? Hall can count to eight, so maybe Hardy is the most screwed up now, I can’t tell. Hall throws Hardy into Piper and takes some brass knuckles out of the turnbuckle. Piper tires to stop him, so Hall goes to punch him but Piper pokes him in the eyes, and Hardy finishes with the Twist of Fate and Swanton Bomb to end this abomination of a match at 5:42. Hardy says he’s coming for Jarrett. Piper grants Hardy a shot at the title, even though he has no such authority. He says Hardy will be the next champion, so I think the winner for most fucked up is Piper. Then, in a big shocker, Abyss comes out and dismantles Hardy. I actually mean that was a shock, because at this time the popular belief was that Abyss was on his way to the WWE. Luckily the TNA people had his music handy.
Rating: ½*

More Backstage Stuff

Traci Brooks hits on one of the production guys. Trinity comes to take Traci to Dusty’s office, only to try and peddle her own wears on the production guy.

MATCH #6: Last Man Standing For a Shot at the NWA World Title – Diamond Dallas Page vs. Kevin Nash vs. “The Alpha Male” Monty Brown

DDP and Monty start off, and Nash stays true to his word and doesn’t touch Page at all. Leave it to Nash to find new, innovative ways to be lazy. Apparently you can be eliminated by pin, submission, or being tossed over the top rope. This becomes important when DDP throws Nash over the top rope and eliminates him. That’s about all the action that’s happened in this one. Back in the ring, DDP hits the Diamond Cutter on Monty, but Nash pulls DDP outside the ring and slams him into the post. Monty and DDP take turns giving each other clotheslines and slams. Monty hits the Pounce and pins DDP at 9:40 to earn a title shot in tonight’s main event. The match itself was nothing, but at least the right guy went over. Monty and DDP show respect to each other after the match.
Rating: *½

We get a promo for the next match to end the first disc.

DISC 2

MATCH #7: NWA World Tag Team Championship Match – Champions Team Canada vs. America’s Most Wanted

AMW have already held the titles five times, four of them with each other. AMW is anxious to start the match and attack Bobby Roode & Eric Young up in the aisle. Storm executes a nice headscissors up by the tunnel. Young has a big golf ball on his forehead, and he takes an awesome bump to the floor. The crowd is jacked up big time. The heels of course take over and isolate Storm. Young has a really nice elbow from the top rope, and a lot of bacne. Harris finally gets the hot tag and cleans house on Team Canada. The crowd is just going batshit at this point. AMW sets up for the Death Sentence, which Young blocks, Young suplexing Harris onto Roode while taking a powerbomb from Storm. That was cool. AMW handcuffs D’Amore to the support beams holding up the ropes for the Ultimate X match coming up. Johnny Devine comes out and cracks a hockey stick over Harris’s back but he kicks out. He gives Devine a spinebuster to take him out. They give Roode the Revelations for a super near fall, and the crowd is PISSED. Devine throws a chair into the ring and Roode gives Harris a Northern Lariat right onto the chair. That doesn’t get it done, and finally Devine’s interference backfires and AMW get the win at 19:12 to regain the titles, their fifth time together. That’s a little silly for a promotion that’s barely three years old, but whatever. That match was awesome, with great heat and great false finishes and awesome action from start to finish.
Rating: ****¼

More Fairplay

We’re back with more of the Three Stooges, as Fairplay is gloating. Traci and Trinity kick his ass and take his clue. They rip the clue in half and bounce (and by bounce I mean run) over to Dusty Rhodes, where he declares that both of him will be his assistants. He gives them the assignment of each finding a tag team. This is so lame that these hot young girls are fighting over Dusty Rhodes.

Against All Odds will be Sunday, February 13 on pay-per-view.

MATCH #8: Ultimate X Match for the X Division Championship – Champion Petey Williams vs. Chris Sabin vs. “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles

We get a nice video package about all three of the guys in tonight’s big match. Petey is the longest reigning champion ever. AJ is AJ, which bodes well for him. The offense is of course bountiful in the early going. Scott D’Amore has had his handcuffs removed and tries to interfere, so the referee kicks him out. The action in this one is much too fast to call, and much to fun to just watch, so my play-by-play will be even more sparse than usual. The crowd chants “this is awesome,” which it is. AJ takes the sickest, most dangerous bump ever. You have to see it to believe it. AJ has his arm worked on during the match, so when he tries to grab the belt at one point he falls down because he can’t hold on anymore. Sabin and Petey go up and fight over the belt, while AJ is lying in wait. While the other two are fighting over the belt, AJ springboards in and capture the belt to regain the title for a fourth time 19:55. That match was even more kinds of awesome than the last match, and is easily the best Ultimate X match ever. I don’t see the point of putting the belt back on AJ, but how can I complain about a match that ruled that much?
Rating: ****½

Jeff Jarrett and Kevin Nash run into each other backstage, and Nash says he is coming for Jarrett’s belt as security holds him back.

MATCH #9: NWA World Heavyweight Title Match – Champion Jeff Jarrett vs. “The Alpha Male” Monty Brown

The buildup to this match is so leading to Monty winning the belt. The match starts off with a bit of a feeling out process, as both men take turns mocking each other. Monty tries to use his power and Jarrett cheats, setting up the dynamic for this match early on. The battle spills to the outside of the ring with Jarrett in control. They go back in the ring and Jarrett locks on a sleeper. Monty fights out and puts on a sleeper of his own. Jarrett goes for the figure-four but Monty gets a small package for a near fall. Referee Rudy Charles takes a bump and Jarrett introduces the guitar and cracks it over the head of Monty and gets a two count. Monty puts Jarrett (holding a chair) up on his shoulders, and Jarrett nails him in the face with it. That only gets two as well. A belt shot to the face also only gets two. Monty Brown just won’t die. He goes for the Pounce, but Jarrett dodges it and Rudy Charles takes it instead. Jarrett gets out another guitar. This one ends up in Monty’s hands, and he levels Jarrett with it. Referee Andrew Thomas comes out from the back to replace Charles. Jarrett hits Monty with pieces of a broken guitar and hits three consecutive Strokes to get the pin and retain the title at 16:17. The match was pretty alright, but Jarrett had no business going over and this should have been Monty’s coming out party.
Rating: ***

BONUS

This is just like the previous two pay-per-views on DVD, with a smattering of backstage clips and different camera angles of stuff from the show. I’d rather see some matches, to be perfectly honest. Here’s what they have:

– Franchise and Lil’ Franchise
– Mike & Don Entrances
– Team Canada on the Preshow
– Fallen Angel Warms Up
– Backstage Before The 6 man Tag
– A Prime Time Entrance
– Rhodes Gets Ready
– Wildcat Pumps Up
– The K.I.D.’s Revenge
– Hardy Gets Painted
– Abyss Mauls Hardy
– Feel The Bang!
– AMW Returns!
– Styles & Sabin Entrance
– Ultimate X Above The Ring

The 411: This show starts off strong, hits a lull in the middle, and then picks up big time for the final three matches (at least until Jarrett gets the pin). Two four-star matches is reason enough to recommend any show, and this one has that, and it’s one of the best monthly pay-per-views TNA has ever done. This one gets a strong recommendation.
Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]