TNA’s third monthly pay-per-view, Final Resolution, did almost everything perfectly. Good to great matches, a rabid, hot crowd, a shocking return, thrilling action and new champions. Simply put, it blew away WWE New Year’s Revolution and a lot of recent offering by the competition. Unfortunately, the final image in viewers head is Jeff Jarrett holding up the NWA title he retained over Monty Brown in a decent match that was marred once again by an abundance of overbooking B.S. that seems to plague the main event scene of TNA. You want a final resolution, here it is. Take the belt off of Jarrett.

The crowd was absolutely rabid for Brown, who earned the match by winning a three-way dance over Dallas Page and Kevin Nash (more on that later). TNA has built Brown into a star, and blew a huge opportunity to catapult him at Final Resolution into superstardom. The match started with Jarrett trying to play mind games but Brown used his power to gain the advantage. Jarrett attempted a plancha but Brown caught him, nearly dropped him, and then powered him up into a backbreaker. Jarrett took the advantage back by sending Brown into the post and then beat him through the crowd with chairs before he sent him into the announcer’s table. The match continued well until Brown accidentally took out referee Rudy Charles, and then it all fell apart. Jarrett hit Brown with the guitar for a two, and again with the NWA belt for another two. Monty came back only for Jarrett to dodge the pounce and the referee to go down again. Jarrett unveiled another guitar (talk about overusing a gimmick, it’s been a decade now) but Monty caught him in a chokeslam and a guitar shot. By the time a second referee hit the ring Jarrett had recovered enough to kick out. Brown attempted another pounce, Jarrett bashed him with the remenants of the guitar and then hit Brown with three consecutive strokes to retain the belt.

In contrast, the crowd went home happy after the stellar Ultimate X bout that saw champion and Team Canada captain Petey Williams try to retain his belt against Chris Sabin and AJ Styles. Each Ultimate X match has been different and this one was no exception, as all three men pulled out all of the stops to make the match special. Styles went on the offense on both men early on, taking them out with a flipping suicide dive over the top. The crowd chanted throughout the match. Scott D’Amore tried to interfere and thus was thrown out of the match. Each man tried to scale the cables only to be pulled off. Sabin ended up on Styles’ shoulders and Petey climbed the cables and dropped onto Sabin, frankenstienering him off Styles. Another cool frankenstiener happened minutes later when Sabin, hanging from the cables, took Styles from where he was standing on the top turnbuckle to the mat. Petey tried to hit an inverted DDT on Sabin, but Styles did his backflip inverted DDT on Petey, taking both men down. Styles tried to make it across the cables and Sabin dropkicked him, causing Styles to flip in mid-air and crash into the mat with a sickening thud. In an awesome touch that would continue throughout the rest of the match, Williams trapped Styles’ arm in the steel frame of the X and dropped to the floor, slamming his arm into the metal. Sabin hit the cradle-shock on Petey and climbed the cables, Styles tried to pull him off into the Styles clash but Sabin grabbed the bad arm and applied an armbar, thus ruling all. With no other options, Styles executed a one-armed Styles Clash. Styles then tried to reach the belts, but his arm was to hurt to carry his weight, and he crashed into the mat and then was nailed with the Canadian Destroyer piledriver. Petey tried to give Sabin similar treatment but Sabin blocked and turned it into a running crucifix powerbomb into the corner. Ouch. Williams and Sabin recovered enough to scale opposite sides of the ring and climb across. Hanging by their legs they undid the belt and fought for it. Styles springboarded into the ring and snatched the belt in mid air, sending it flying. Styles and belt hit the mat, Styles grabbed it and was crowned the new X-Division champion, as well as officially making this show worth every cent fans paid for it.

The next TNA Pay Per View is “Against All Odds” on February 13th.

Final Resolution 2005 Results

In the free pre-show, The Naturals–Chase Stevens and Andy Douglas–defeated Johnny B. Badd and Sonny Siaki, and Chris Candido beat Cassidy Riley. The show then started with Shane Douglas interviewing Jeff Jarrett, who ran down all of his potential challengers.

Michael Shane, Frankie Kazarian & Christopher Daniels vs. Three Live Kru

Kazarian, Shane and Daniels deserve better. That said, the match had a lot of crowd heat and was watchable, mostly due to the efforts of the heels and Mr. Ron Killings. The crowd chanted “Fallen Angel” for Daniels when he started with Konnan. The Kru took over on Kazarian who tagged Shane’s shoe, which the referee refused to allow. Things fell apart when Daniels accidentally hit Kazarian on the outside with an Arabian press, allowing The Kru to hit Shane with a triple-team finisher where BG and Konnan held him up for a jumping side kick by Killings, who scored the pin.

Winners: Three Live Kru
Rating: 6/10

Dusty Rhodes met with Trinity, Traci Brooks and Johnny Fairplay, informing them they would be partaking in a challenge to become his assistant. A clue was hidden “as clear as the hat on top of your head.” One person would be eliminated. As much as I like looking at Trinity and Traci, this is pointless.

Sonjay Dutt vs. Primetime

A few blown spots couldn’t wreck what overall was a tremendous bout. The fans dueled with chants for both men as the match started. Things kicked off fast and furious with Dutt doing several rotations around Primetime before a headscissors, and never let up. Dutt worked on Primetime’s arm before signaling he was going up top. It backfired as Primetime walked up the ropes and dropkicked Dutt to the floor. Primetime took over on the floor and attempted the Play of the Day inside the ring but Dutt avoided it, only to walk into a gutwrench suplex. Dutt came back with a spin kick, backdrop driver and spinning DDT for nearfalls. Dutt attempted the Hindu press, landing on his feet when Primetime moved, and walked into a spinning slam for the three.

Winner: Primetime
Rating: 8/10

An Ultimate Warrioresque promo aired for the debut of “Titus.” Cameras caught up with former WCW Tag Champions Dallas Page and Kevin Nash discussing their history. Nash said “At my age I want to work smart, not hard.” So… many… smartass… comments… Nash offered an alliance with Page and asked him to trust him. Page said “Trust Kevin Nash? What a concept.”

Dustin Rhodes vs. Kid Kash.

A lot of fans weren’t expecting much from this match, and thus were very pleasantly surprised as both men worked very hard and put on a good old-school style match. Kash seemingly hurt his knee but when the referee called for help low-blowed Rhodes. He then went to work on the knee of his foe, with a series of spinning toeholds and a frog splash to the knee. A figure-four seemed to have the match won for Kash, but Rhodes turned it over. Kash reversed a sleeper and viced his legs, Dustin’s arm dropped twice before he fought back with clotheslines and an inverted atomic drop… onto the bad knee, causing him to collapse in pain himself. Dustin rolled through on a bodypress for a two count. Kash hit a enziguri for another near fall, insisted it was three, and walked into a bulldog by Rhodes.

Winner: Dustin Rhodes.
Rating: 7/10

Backstage, Fairplay found a piece of paper that said clue in his hat. Who comes up with this crap? A lengthy video package that promotes both the three-way match and Raven/Watts aired.

Raven vs. Erik Watts

Watts had his working boots on. I kid you not, this write up will not include anything about him sucking. Again, maybe it was in part lowered expectations but this match was also enjoyable. Raven attacked in the early going and sent Watts outside with a drop toehold, before legsweeping him twice into the barricade. Watts came back in the ring, stunning me with a mule dropkick off the top rope. He connected with a chokeslam and then grabbed a chair. Raven tried to use it to his advantage with the drop toehold but it backfired and he went headfirst into the steel. Watts hit a flying clothesline off the chair and locked in the STF, which Raven reversed into an anklelock. Watts reversed that with his long legs and choked Raven in the corner. A first chokeslam attempt looked horrible, but the second one connected.

Winner: Erik Watts
Rating: 5/10

Jeff Hardy vs. Scott Hall – Guest Referee “Rowdy” Roddy Piper

Hall demanded Piper check Hardy for foreign objects. Piper complied but when he did the same to Hall, he found an assortment of illegal objects. As good as one can expect considering the participants. Hall had a pair of brass knuckles hidden in a turnbuckle and pulled them out, only to walk into a Roddy Piper eye poke and a twist of fate (sold like a stunner, argh) and a swanton.

Winner: Jeff Hardy

Rating: 3/10

 

In a absolute SHOCKER Abyss, who left the company two weeks ago over a pay dispute, returned and dismantled Hardy, absolutely stunning the crowd.

Backstage Traci hit on a TNA worker in hopes of finding the clue. Trinity tricked her into going to see Dusty, but her attempts of seduction also failed.

Winner faces Jarrett: Monty Brown vs. Dallas Page vs. Kevin Nash.

The match was elimination, by pinfall, submission or over the top rope. Nash has a dye-job now. Page and Brown started and teased an early Diamond Cutter but Brown blocked it. Brown locked up with Nash, overpowering him and sending him thudding to his butt. Watch the quad there, Kev. Match was pretty blah until DDP backdropped (sorta) Nash over the top to eliminate him. Give me a break, why the hell couldn’t Nash put over Brown properly? Whatever they are paying Nash, it’s too much. Match picked up when it was just Page and Brown, as Page reversed a powerslam into a cutter. Nash almost didn’t make it in time to break up the pin. Page kept hitting roll ups and lariats but Brown kept kicking out. Page ran off the ropes to try a Diamond Cutter, was shoved into the ropes and Pounced on the rebound, giving Brown a shot at the gold.

Winner: Monty Brown
Rating: 5/10

NWA Tag Team Championship: Team Canada (Champions) vs. America’s Most Wanted (Challengers)

An awesome, awesome tag team match with insane crowd heat. Coach D’Amore was hysterical as usual, hiding from the camera with the Canadian flag while they huddled. Fed up, AMW attacked the champs in the aisle and brawled throughout ringside. Storm hit a headscissors on Young to the ramp, causing a nasty goose egg to form on his head. The match was back and fourth until AMW got fed up with D’Amore and handcuffed him to one of the Ultimate X supports. Johnny Devine hit ringside and was chased by Chris Harris who walked into a superkick ambush by Roode. This distraction set up Devine to hit Storm with a hockey stick. Can we please not have the damn stick in every match? It’s overkill. I love Team Canada, but that is just tiresome. A number of nearfalls while Devine stood at ringside with a chair and his back to the ring. Young tapped him on the shoulder and Devine swung the chair above his head and into that of his fellow Canadian. Harris took advantage to roll up Young for the pin. Way to go Devine! You’ve shamed your country!

Winners:… and NEW NWA Tag Team Champions: AMW
Rating: 9/10

Fairplay was busted by the girls in the back, who attacked him and stole the clue, tearing it in half. They ran to Rhodes, who declared them both survivors and sent them to scour the country in search of a new tag team. Whichever lady brought back the best one would be his secretary.

X-Division Ultimate X Championship Match: Petey Williams (Champion) vs. Chris Sabin (Challenger) vs. AJ Styles (Challenger)

Winner:… and NEW X-Division Champion… AJ Styles

Rating: 10/10

Backstage, Jarrett mocked Nash, who had to be held back by security.

NWA Championship: Jeff Jarrett (Champion) vs. Monty Brown (Challenger)

Winner:… and still NWA Champion… Jeff Jarrett

Rating: 6/10

Overall Event Rating: 8/10