TNA Final Resolution Hits
Eight-man tag main event: There's no justifying the ridiculous decision to put the TNA Title on the line in an eight-man tag match. The idea that A.J. Styles could have won the title if one of his teammates had pinned any Main Event Mafia member was ridiculous. However, the wrestlers worked hard and they all had their moments. This isn't a pay-per-view main event that anyone will remember, but those who ordered the show should have been at least satisfied with the effort.
Kurt Angle vs. Rhino: A decent match that was given plenty of time. It didn't come close to delivering like Angle vs. Abyss did last month, but it was a solid match. Unfortunately, there was nothing truly memorable about the actual match on a show that desperately needed something special.
Motor City Machine Guns: I came close to giving these two a "Miss" because they looked so ridiculous last night. First, they took a page out of the Donovan McNabb playbook by not understanding the rules of their match. Then they let a ring announcer scold them publicly. Then they were cleared from the ring by one person. I could go on with the stupidity, but I have enjoyed the added mic time that Alex Shelley has received. He's quickly established himself as one of the wittier performers in the company and he's already spouted out a series of memorable lines.
X Division Title tournament announced: I'm not a big fan of the angle that took place to get TNA to this point (more on that below), but I am excited about the tournament. Here's hoping this is TNA's attempt to make the X Division Title mean something again. The division has become a joke over the last two years, which is a shame given that it was once the calling card of the company. One can only hope the creative team has been watching Raw's Intercontinental Title tournament and has already figured out that a series of meaningless three- and four-minute matches isn't enough to make viewers take a tournament seriously.
Awesome Kong vs. Christy Hemme: A mild hit. This match was better than anyone expected and I don't mind them stretching it out and building toward a rematch next month. Solid booking that made Hemme look strong heading into the January pay-per-view.
Beer Money vs. Abyss and Matt Morgan: Fun stalling early on with Abyss chasing James Storm. It became a little ridiculous and I thought I was watching a Larry Zbyszko match after a few minutes of the chase, but the match turned out to be solid despite the obligatory cheap Beer Money finish.
Feast or Fired match: An entertaining opener. Good action and the announcers did a nice job of explaining the rules to set up the big finish with Jay Lethal stealing the final briefcase from the Guns.
TNA Final Resolution Misses
Former World Champion tease: People make mistakes and I'll give TNA the benefit of the doubt in that they may have mistakenly believed Snow was a former ECW Champion. That said, they could have rectified the situation by sending another text message to their mobile subscribers to alert them of the mistake. Honestly, though, I was satisfied with the Al Snow appearance. I didn't expect any megastars despite the World Champion plug, and Snow was a nice surprise who could be a nice addition to TNA and the Mick Foley storyline.
Feast or Fired bait and switch: TNA fans who dished out $29.95 for last night's pay-per-view have to wait until Thursday's Impact to find out who received the pink slip in the Feast or Fired match. Lame. TNA spent way too much time hyping Thursday's show. The plug for the X Division Title decision, the tease for the return of Sarah Palin, etc. The people ordering the pay-per-views are hardcore fans. Go ahead and get them excited about Thursday's show, but don't make them feel like they wasted money on the pay-per-view and will have to wait for the free show for the big Feast or Fired reveal.
Eric Young vs. Sheik Abdul Bashir decision: I'm all for the X Division Title tournament for the reasons I mentioned in the previous section, but I disliked the finish with referee Shane Sewell. If the guy has an issue with Bashir, then logic dictates that TNA should keep the two away from each other. Rather, the majority of the matches that Sewell works involve Bashir. I also didn't care for the tease that viewers would have tune in Thursday to find out Jim Cornette's decision even though they quickly announced it on the TNA website after the show. Again, I paid $30 to watch this show and I don't like feeling like I could have skipped it and seen all the big angles on Thursday night for free.
Overall show: This show exceeded my expectations, yet my expectations were so low that that really isn't saying much. The show was predictable for the most part and I never had any doubt regarding the outcome of the last two matches. Aside from Snow showing up, it was not a newsworthy show and there were no truly memorable matches. A very ordinary show with nothing really standing out to justify the pay-per-view costs. It's probably harsh to give this show a "Miss" when it was more of an "in the middle" show, but I can't give this a "Hit" or a replay recommendation.
From PROWRESTLING.NET
TNA Final Resolution Hitlist: Main Event Mafia vs. TNA Frontline eight-man tag for the TNA Title, Kurt Angle vs. Rhino, Al Snow surprise, Feast or Fired match
Posted in:
Powell Editorials
By By Jason Powell
Dec 8, 2008 - 11:11 AM
Dec 8, 2008 - 11:11 AM
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