By Phil Allely
2010 has been a year of ups and downs with TNA, there have been many changes to the product and the behind the scenes moves and shakes have seen such people as Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, RVD, Jeff Hardy and Ric Flair join the array of talent that the company has on hand. Final Resolution was TNA’s best shot at ending the year on a high and to a degree it did just that.
Opening things of were tag teams Beer Money and Ink Inc, Storm and Roode proved once again how integral they are to the TNA product by raising the game of their opponents Moore and Neal. The in-ring action was well paced and showed both teams to their best, Neal especially displaying much improved ability and psychology than before. A DUI to Neal after a missed spear saw Beer Money win and gain the Number 1 contenders place for the tag team gold.
With the addition of Mickie James and return of Tara to the fold the once mighty Knockouts division is back on track once more. James and Tara adding their brutal and exciting Falls Count Anywhere scrap to their recent spate of quality encounters. As cat fights go this was a blinder, both ladies going all out to beat each other about the ring, ringside area and anywhere else they could. The only thing to spoil this belter of a brawl was Madison Rayne’s run-in and belt shot to James that led to Tar’s win.
Next up TNA newcomer Robbie E defended his X Division gold against Jay Lethal, with E’s good lady Cookie holed up in a shark cage for the duration of the match. The pair put forth a decent and involving bout, trading high spots and near falls, the end coming after Cookie threw something to E that Lethal nabbed instead, referee Earl Hebner catching Lethal mid deed and DQ’ing him for his trouble. A pre and post show Shark Boy appearance and stunner on Cookie went down well too.
Former buddies Rhino and RVD were certainly up for their First Blood match too, both unleashing a decidedly old-school ECW style battle. A Van Dam Vanterminator with traditional trash can saw Rhino shed the claret and the match go down as a win for RVD.
The match of the night followed and in more ways than one showed that AJ Style is one of TNA’s best workers. His opponent Douglas Williams was no slouch either. The pairing moulded perfectly together to bring the audience in attendance and at home into their mini feud over Styles TNA Television Title. This was pure pleasure for fans of high risk moves, chain wrestling and hard-hitting action. Williams surprise win was an added bonus, doing so with his version of a Styles Clash even more so. The UK native is certainly high on TNA’s list of new stars at present.
Generation Me and The Motor City Machineguns was a close second for match of the night though. The added factor of the Tag Team gold on the line and a Full Metal Mayhem stipulation meant the fans expectations were high. Luckily both pulled out all of the stops and went through a roller coaster ride of a match that saw ladders, chairs, insane high-risk moves and some nice looking double teams. The Guns held on to the belts after a dangerous few posts involving tables, chairs and ladders, setting up a Beer Money/Guns title match down the line.
Abyss and The Pope Casket match was pretty good considering Abyss’ garbage wrestling style. The pair trading the advantage and pulling the old Undertaker casket lid closing tease a few times. Abyss however did appear to overpower Pope on many occasions and won with ease after a choke slam into the casket.
Samoa Joe’s post match assault by rogue security guys Gunner and Murphy gave Jeff Jarrett a distinct advantage in their Submission match. Jarrett held his own well against a weakened Joe, giving as good as he got, showing no mercy on Joe’s ankle injury and after a run-in distraction by Gunner & Murphy Jeff was able to nail the win by referee stoppage after an ankle lock.
The main event match between Matt Morgan and TNA Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy was a one sided affair at times, Morgan’s size and strength advantage leaving Hardy on the defensive a lot. The returning Mr Anderson as special referee also put Hardy’s back up, since he was the reason why Anderson (recovering form a concussion) wasn’t in the match instead of Morgan.
Hardy’s heel tactics and a few chair assisted shots weakened Morgan, though it was a ref bump that saw things sway the champs direction. With Anderson down Eric Bishoff and a referee (real life son) strode to the ring and caused enough disturbance for Hardy to put Morgan down with a Twist of Hate on a chair to retain his gold.
Hardy rounded off the PPV by celebrating on the ramp as a prone Anderson lay at ringside and Morgan slowly rose angrily in the ring.
Final Resolution was a very good effort by TNA, some of the finishes were not as popular as expected, Hardy’s continually erratic behaviour must worry management and the loss of some high profile names must be a strain on the writers. But it did sprout forth Douglas Williams TV Title win and master class effort with AJ Styles, which bodes well for the upcoming UK tour and a possible series between the two. The Tara/James brawl was intensely entertaining and Beer Money/Motor City Machineguns once more cemented their status as tag team division standouts.
The lack of Foley, EV2’s remaining members, Flair, Hogan and others didn’t affect proceedings at all and in fact let younger guys like Generation Me and Ink Inc get some valuable airtime. TNA have grown a lot in 2010, 2011 may just be the year they take their next big step to compete with their rivals the WWE. A rumoured return by some old faces and a fresh set of feuds may just do that.
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