Coming off one of the biggest nights in company history at Turning Point, TNA were now in the spotlight as a genuine contender in the rather sparse American wrestling scene. Needing to once again capture attention, the company turned to three standouts of the X Division, Petey Williams, Chris Sabin and AJ Styles, turning them loose in the chaotic Ultimate X match. Another triple threat match was booked, where Diamond Dallas Page, Kevin Nash and the rising Monty Brown would face off, with the winner earning an NWA title shot against Jeff Jarrett later in the night. Let's see if TNA could open 2005 with a bang.
- Barry Scott is back for the opening video package, thank goodness, which highlights the two triple threat matches, plus the tag title match. As always, we're in the Impact Zone in Orlando, Florida, with Mike Tenay and Don West on the call.
- The opening contest is a six man tag team affair, as the 3 Live Kru face the team of Christopher Daniels, now on his own after Triple X were forced to disband, Frankie Kazarian and Michael Shane. Interesting to see Daniels and Kaz teaming up, years before becoming Bad Influence and forming SoCal Uncensored. This is a pretty fun match, boosted by a very hot crowd and another great showing for Ron Killings. Konnan also looks pretty good, as he's able to keep up with the incredibly quick heels and they do a great job bumping for him to emphasize his size and power. The Kru get the win with a triple team move, Konnan and BG holding Shane up for Killings to connect with a spinning kick.
- Our next match promises some absolute chaos, as "Primetime" Elix Skipper faces Sonjay Dutt. These are two of the biggest risk takers in the business, so you know they got some high spots in, which unfortunately does lead to a bit of sloppiness as both guys are pushing a bit too hard. Skipper eventually takes over with his power, before ending it with the Play of the Day. Not exactly a clean match but still an enjoyable one.
- Dustin Rhodes is already on his second stint in TNA, returning to the company at the end of last year. He's facing Kid Kash, who has continued disrespecting legends, this time mocking Dusty, which set up this match. Nothing particularly great to report about this one, they just work a lot of headlocks and the crowd doesn't really care. Rhodes wins with a bulldog in a very weak finish.
- I'm not really certain why TNA continues to push Erik Watts, but here he is, jobbing out Raven in our next match. The storyline between these two men and DDP is very confusing, and absolutely nothing about Watts stands out, he's just a very basic power guy with little character flair. Watts wins with a chokeslam, before Raven hits him with a trash can after the match.
- Scott Hall cost Jeff Hardy his chance to win the NWA title back at Victory Road, and now the "Charismatic Enigma" is out for revenge, facing Hall in a match where Roddy Piper is the guest referee. Hardy is filling in for Hector Garza, who was arrested and deported for steroid possession, ending his run with TNA. Obviously, this match was never going to be anything special, Scott Hall can't even bump anymore, so Hardy just ends it in quick fashion with the Swanton Bomb. Afterwards, he declares his intentions to go back after the belt, before being hit with a Shock Treatment by Abyss. Piper has almost no role in this match aside from a weird comedy spot before the bell with Hall.
- Hall's buddy Kevin Nash is in action up next, as he competes in the previously mentioned number one contender's match. Nash is eliminated very quickly, being tossed out of the ring by DDP, which is apparently a valid method of elimination but was never mentioned beforehand, confusing me and the crowd. I'm guessing they needed to get rid of Nash as fast as possible, given he can barely walk, but he didn't want to be pinned so this is what we got. DDP and Monty have a solid singles match, Page is able to mostly keep up with his younger counterpart and they trade offense. Full credit to DDP for not just being in great condition given his age, but also taking a decisive loss, going down to the Pounce. This match set out to make Brown look like a legit contender to beat Jarrett, and thanks to DDP, I thought that goal was accomplished.
- Coming off the biggest match of their careers, James Storm and Chris Harris now look for an encore, as America's Most Wanted challenge Team Canada for the NWA tag titles. This is a very good match, as I continue to be very impressed with Eric Young and Bobby Roode, who take some big bumps to put over the power of the faces. Not to be outshone, Storm and Harris take some incredible chances, with the biggest highlight coming when Young has Storm on the top rope. EY is looking a super Northern Lights Suplex, but Harris jumps in for a powerbomb, sending his own partner flying into Roode as the Impact Zone goes wild. The ending stretch is a bit overbooked, as Scott D'Amore is handcuffed to the Ultimate X steel structure, before Johnny Devine accidentally hits Young with a steel chair, allowing Storm to capitalize and pin Young with a schoolboy. Still, this was extremely fun and provided another big win for America's Most Wanted, who picked up their sixth tag title win.
- Here we go folks, it's time for Ultimate X. This gimmick match features four steel posts constructed around the ring, with wires set up on top. The wires all cross to a central point, where the winning item is held, in this case the X Division belt. All three men will be competing to climb up and retrieve the title, setting up for some absolute chaos. AJ is definitely the biggest star here, coming up with some incredible offense and also provide excellent psychology, selling an arm injury. That injury actually prevents him from winning at one point, as the arm can't quite hold his weight and he falls to the mat, a perfect little added touch. As I mentioned at Turning Point, Chris Sabin and Petey Williams have incredible chemistry, and get to add a bit more of that here, as they have some great exchanges. All three men take turns hitting their finisher, and again, AJ is the big standout, bringing the crowd to their feet with a Styles Clash that he hit without the use of his injured arm, before he brings out a perfect sell for the Canadian Destroyer, as he looks like he's been knocked completely unconscious. Sabin and Williams both make it up to the belt, and both have their hands on it, engaging in a tug of war, before Styles flies in from out of nowhere, knocking the belt to the mat. It falls right next to him and he snatches it up to become the new X Division champion. I thought that finish had a look of risk to look a bit pathetic, especially if the belt had flown out of the ring, but it was executed absolutely perfectly and the crowd popped big for AJ's shocking win. Just a fantastic match, easily one of the best in TNA history and a great showcase for one of the best in the history of the business. Absolutely phenomenal.
- Main event time, as Monty Brown competes in his second match of the night, with the "Alpha Male" taking on Jeff Jarrett for the NWA title. This is a decent match, mostly helped by Jeff's great heel work, as he riles up the fans with his early taunting and makes you really want to see Monty beat his a**. Brown is once again put over strong, kicking out of a bunch of different weapon shots, as TNA clearly want you to see him as a big unbeatable face. It just didn't quite work for me, unfortunately, one or two kickouts is okay but this was just way too much. If you really wanted to present Brown as the star he had all the potential to become, he should've gotten more offense in, as other than one guitar shot, he doesn't actually get to do much to Jarrett. In the end, Jeff retains, hitting the Stroke three straight times to finally put Monty down and continue his title reign. This was TNA's best chance to make a new star out of Monty Brown, and they blew it. Again, he should've gotten more opportunity to toss Jarrett around, which is what everyone in attendance wanted to see, and in my opinion, this was the time to give him the belt. Winning two matches in one night and beating the top heel in the company would be a great story, and Monty was the right guy to do it. He was presented unlike anyone else in the business at the time, offering TNA the chance to show the world that they were something completely different. Instead, this was just the same old trite that WCW and the WWE had been peddling for years. What a disappointment.
7/10
I thought Final Resolution was a slight stepdown from Turning Point, mostly because of the travesty that was the main event. Other than that, it was a very solid show that peaked with the tag title match and Ultimate X, which provided some fantastic entertainment. Those two matches are definitely a must-watch.
Next time on Henry's Pay-Per-View Reviews: Against All Odds 2005, featuring an Iron Man match between AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels. See you soon.
- Henry
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