Impact opens with Jeremy Borash standing outside of the home of AJ Styles’ grandmother. Borash knocks on the door and is greeted by AJ’s sister, Mary Jane. Borash is welcomed into their home but AJ refuses to come out and pretends like he isn’t there. Borash promises not to leave without an answer tonight.
The Impact intro hits and we are welcomed to the first show of 2008. Mike Tenay and Don West hype the Final Resolution card and tonight’s show that will feature four gauntlet matches to figure out the rankings in all of the divisions.
We then head to the ring where Jim Cornette and Matt Morgan are standing by. Cornette talks about tonight’s gauntlet matches before switching his focus to this Sunday’s pay-per-view. Cornette announces that Robert Roode has been granted a mixed tag team match at Final Resolution that will put him and Ms. Brooks against Booker T & Sharmell.
Cornette begins to talk about the main event when Samoa Joe interrupts and asks why he isn’t booked for Final Resolution. Joe then begins to run down Hall & Nash and their tag team title shot until Nash decides to come out to the ring and defend himself and his partner. Joe tells Nash that it is time for him to step aside or be put aside, which leads to a stare down between the two. Cornette steps in and says that since Hall & Nash were promised a title shot and Hall is out of the picture, that Joe will be Nash’s partner instead to take on Styles & Tomko. If they don’t like the offer, neither will participate in Final Resolution.
Crystal is backstage with Robert Roode who says he has no problem beating up on Sharmell. Ms. Brooks is disgusted with his comment and doesn’t want to go through with being his partner at Final Resolution. Roode says he is her boss and she will do what he tells her to do.
It’s Team 3D’s turn to be interviewed and Crystal gets fed up with Brother Ray and tells him to interview himself. Brother Ray then goes off in their placement in the tag team gauntlet since they were placed behind both LAX and the MMG’s. Team 3D then share their thoughts on their upcoming Ultimate X match as VKM enter the picture.
Kip James wonders when BG James is going to announce that he is his partner for the Feast or Fired tag team title shot. BG says he has his eye on someone and will let Kip know when he makes a decision. Kip can’t believe what he is hearing after all they have been through and storms off.
Match 1: Tag Team Gauntlet Match
Every 60 seconds a new participant will enter the ring and it will be an over the top rope battle royal until only two are left. When that happens, the two will be joined by their partners and it will turn into a tag team match. The order of the entrants was determined by Jim Cornette as to what he thinks the current rankings are at from lowest to highest, thus Lance Hoyt and Kip James are the first two in the ring.
After some slow back and forth action between Hoyt and James, Brother Devon is the next participant in the ring. Devon comes in and delivers clotheslines to both of his opponents and then…
My cable decides to go out. Since I don’t want to leave anyone hanging, I found out that while it was out the MMG’s defeated the Rock n’ Rave Infection to win the tag team gauntlet. However, Team 3D attacked the MMG’s with kendo sticks and tables to hurt their chances of being able to climb the Ultimate X structure this Sunday.
Finally back up and running…
Match 2: Women’s Gauntlet
This match was already in progress as ODB, Roxxi Laveaux and Jackie Moore are triple teaming Awesome Kong and are able to eliminate her. Roxxi quickly tosses out Moore shortly after, which just leaves ODB and Roxxi. The two begin to battle it out and Roxxi picks up a near fall after delivering a spinebuster on ODB. That isn’t enough to keep her down, though, as ODB lands a Lou Thesz press on Roxxi for the pin fall.
Crystal is backstage with Tomko and asks for his thoughts about Kurt Angle demanding that he show his allegiance tonight. Tomko says that he is sick of Kurt Angle, Christian and AJ Styles and that Angle will show him the respect he deserves tonight in the ring.
After a commercial break, we see Tomko in the ring and calls Kurt Angle out to the ring. Angle comes out along with his wife and demands that Tomko gives him an answer. Tomko says that he had made up his mind a few weeks ago and tells him that he is in it for himself. Angle says that he can respect that and shakes his hand. The niceness doesn’t last long, though, as Angle charges at Tomko only to be caught by the throat. Tomko warns Angle that the next time he tries something like that he will break his neck permanently.
We rejoin Jeremy Borash in Gainesville, GA, who is with AJ Styles’ wrestling coach, Coach Butterman. The coach begins to describe a time when AJ embarrassed himself while wrestling a girl, which gets AJ to open the door to explain himself. Styles and Butterman begin to argue as Borash promises that we will get an answer tonight.
After a commercial, we once again join Jeremy Borash, who is now with AJ’s sister, MJ. MJ begins to tell another embarrassing story about AJ in the bathroom and he again interrupts. MJ tells him to just make a decision, but he still refuses.
We then head backstage to Crystal who is with Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt. Crystal brings up the fact that Dutt stole a kiss from SoCal Val at the Christmas party and Lethal isn’t too happy about it. Dutt says it was all in a friendly way and kisses Crystal to demonstrate. Lethal tells Dutt that he has his eye on him as they both walk away. Cage then walks into the picture and says that he is proud of Tomko for wanting to be his own man. He needs to know where Styles stands, though, to see who will be with him to share the glory of his third World title.
Match 3: X Division Gauntlet Match
Sonjay Dutt and Petey Williams will be the first two in the gauntlet match. After some back and forth action, a heavily bandaged Shark Boy joins the two in the ring and delivers a powerbomb that takes out both Dutt and Williams. Elix Skipper is the fourth one in the ring and is the first one eliminated as Dutt sidesteps him and he went flying over the rope and onto the floor.
Johnny Devine is the fifth person to come out and he eliminates Shark Boy. Senshi the final one out and teams with Dutt and Williams to toss Devine over the top rope. Senshi then tosses out Dutt to make it only him and Williams left in the match. Williams goes for the Canadian Destroyer, but Senshi is able to get out of it. Senshi knocks Williams down and tries for the Warrior’s Way, but Williams rolls out of the way and flips over Senshi and turns it into a Canadian Destroyer for the pin fall.
Crystal is backstage with James Storm and Jackie Moore. Storm brags about his beer drinking ability and says that at Final Resolution, he will take Eric Young on in the DCS (Drinking Championship Series) in a best two out of three drinking contest and the winner gets the choice of their match.
Back with Jeremy Borash who is standing by with a priest who says AJ was a great alter boy who he was expecting great things from. AJ finally exists the room and says that they are Baptist and the priest thought they were there for AJ Snipes.
Crystal is backstage with Booker T and Sharmell. Booker T says that he is contracted to wrestle for TNA, not his wife and is about to talk to Cornette about it. Sharmell stops him and says that she isn’t scared and can’t wait to slap Robert Roode.
Match 4: Heavyweight Gauntlet
Booker T requested that he go out as the first entrant, so he is starting with James Storm with another 12 waiting to come out. Booker is in total control of Storm as Robert Roode makes his way to the ring and begins to immediately attack Booker T. Roode and Storm work together as Eric Young comes in as the next entrant as we head to a commercial break.
Upon returning, we see Black Reign, Chris Harris, Rellik and Kaz in the ring and Scott Steiner is making his way out as James Storm is eliminated by Kaz. Steiner and Booker decide to work together and Steiner knocks Roode and Harris out to the floor as Judas Mesias makes his way out to the ring. Kevin Nash comes out next as Kaz is eliminated.
Abyss is the next one out as Mesias eliminates both Steiner and Young. The lights go out in the Impact Zone and Abyss appears in the ring and takes out both himself and Mesias with a clothesline. Booker, Rellik, Reign and Nash are left in the ring as Samoa Joe comes out. Booker tries to eliminate Rellik as Reign makes the save and tosses out Booker instead.
Christian Cage is the final participant and Angle comes out to ambush him, but there is no sign of Cage. As Angle turns his back on the tunnel, Cage comes flying out and attacks Angle as Rellik and Black Reign are eliminated from the gauntlet match.
Security drag Angle away from Cage and Earl Hebner enters the ring, so I guess it is Nash and Joe in the finals. Nash and Joe shake hands and Nash eliminates himself from the gauntlet as Cage slides in and rolls up Joe to pick up the win. Nash looks on in disbelief as Cage exits the ring as the winner of the match.
We head back to Jeremy Borash who is waiting for an answer from Styles. AJ comes out of the room and says that he is siding with Christian before changing his mind and goes with Angle instead. He then says Cangle and follows with saying that he will have his answer at Final Resolution.
A video package highlighting the Final Resolution card ends the show.
Quick Results
- The Motorcity Machine Guns won the tag team gauntlet by defeating the Rock n’ Rave Infection.
- ODB won the women’s gauntlet by pinning Roxxi Laveaux.
- Petey Williams won the X Division gauntlet by pinning Senshi.
- Christian Cage won the Heavyweight gauntlet by pinning Samoa Joe.
Starman’s Thoughts
I’m not sure if this was the right way to kick off 2008, especially since we are heading into the first pay-per-view of the year. Gauntlet matches can be fun to watch, but do we really need four of them on one show? And for what? To determine who the number one contenders are? Does that really matter when we already have three title matches set to go this Sunday? Not to mention the three Feast or Fired contracts still floating around waiting to be used.
It seemed to me like tonight’s show was basically wasted on the gauntlets and had very little build for the pay-per-view. Yes, there were some new matches made, but the focal point of the past two weeks has yet been resolved. Who will AJ pick? I’m almost to the point that I could care less. I may just be bitter due to the fact that my cable cut out for 20 minutes, but I was hoping for a little more to kick of the new year.
Don’t forget to check back this weekend for my Final Resolution preview and predictions.
