The beat downs of Christian Cage and Petey Williams opens the show. When then see footage from earlier in the day where the Main Event Mafia is standing in the back with a casket. Kurt Angle tells Jeremy Borash that they are going to give Cage a proper burial tonight. The Impact intro hits and we are welcomed to tonight’s show that will feature a tag team match between Kurt Angle & Kevin Nash against Abyss & Matt Morgan.
The MEM music hits as the casket is wheeled down to the ring, followed by all five members of the Mafia. The casket is placed in the ring along side a photo of Christian Cage. Angle uses Cage as an example and says that the same will happen to anyone else who decides to cross the MEM. Angle then offers anyone to come out and say final words about Cage and it is answered by Rhino.
Rhino says they should have taken up their problem with Cage in the back, not in the ring. Nash jumps in and says that nobody wants to hear what he has to say. Rhino fires back and says that he is a veteran and demands respect. Rhino continues by saying that they are all scared of losing their jobs to a younger generation that is better than them.
Booker calls Rhino to come down and tell them to their face and he does. Rhino is then given a beat down and is leveled by the Legends Championship which busts him open. The MEM then put Rhino into the casket and close the lid as we see Jeff Jarrett and Mick Foley watching on the monitors in the office.
Mick Foley thinks that the MEM is getting out of hand. Jarrett says that Foley came on to help TNA grow and not put up with this crap. Jarrett tells Foley to name the main event of Final Resolution and take their house back.
Lauren is in the locker room with AJ Styles, who wishes Consequences Creed and Jay Lethal good luck for their upcoming match. The Motorcity Machine Guns walk in to the picture and joked about being late and Joe pushes Alex Shelley into a locker. Styles wants to settle their differences in the ring until Mick Foley comes in and says that Styles cannot make matches in TNA. Foley says that he can, though, and books the four in a tag team match later on tonight.
Match 1: Sonjay Dutt & Tanahashi vs. Consequences Creed & Jay Lethal
The match starts out with a lot of back and forth action in the opening minute. Lethal tags in Creed, who comes in and catches Dutt and turns it into a TKO for the pin fall.
Lauren is backstage with the Beautiful People, who are sitting in thrones. Lauren tells them that Christy Hemme has teamed up with a newcomer, Sojournor Bolt. The Beautiful People make fun of her name and warn Hemme that the wrestling ring is not a strip club.
A Suicide video is aired and he says that his time for payback has arrived. If that wasn’t bad enough, we hear Mike Tenay tells us that the Feast or Fired tournament is returning. A video package highlighting what happened after last year’s Feast or Fired cases were revealed.
Jim Cornette is backstage with Shane Sewell, Sheik Abdul Bashir and Eric Young. Cornette tells Sewell that his wrestling days are over and he has to come to grips with it. Cornette then orders Sewell to give the belt back to Bashir and puts Sewell on probation. Cornette says that he is going to make it up by putting him in a match against Booker T for the Legends Championship.
Match 2: The Beautiful People vs. Sojournor Bolt & Christy Hemme
Angelina Love knocks Sojournor Bolt down to the canvas with a big boot and the Beautiful People isolate her to their corner and work her over. Bolt comes back with a jawbreaker on Velvet Sky and makes the much needed tag to Christy Hemme. Christy comes in and knocks both Sky and Love down before Cute Kip jumps up on the apron and distracts Christy, who goes over and slaps him across the face. The distraction is enough for Love to nail the Lights Out for the pin fall.
The newest installment of TNA Rough Cut is aired and this week it focuses on Homicide, who talks about growing up. Homicide calls his parents his heroes and his mother turned him on to wrestling at a young age. Homicide started wrestling in 1993 and talks about being hit by a bullet prior to a match and he wrestled with a tampon in the wound held on with duct tape.
The first edition of ODB’s Angle is up next and she has Sharmell as her guest. ODB compares Sharmell’s name to toilet paper and asks if she wears boxers or briefs. Sharmell wants to get serious and talk about the MEM. ODB agrees and asks Sharmell why they don’t just leave and let the people who made TNA take over. Sharmell says that the MEM didn’t start this company but the made it. Sharmell then demands respect and they get into a shouting match before ODB challenges Sharmell to a match at Final Resolution, which she accepts.
Jeremy Borash is backstage with the Mafia and Angle suggests two main events for Final Resolution. One, him against Jeff Jarrett and the winner’s of tonight tag team match getting to pick two more partners and go up against Sting, Booker T, Kevin Nash and Scott Steiner.
A recap of last week’s beat down of Petey Williams is aired. Mike Tenay announces that Williams is going to be sidelined after suffering a concussion and hope to have a further update next week.
Match 3: Motorcity Machine Guns vs. Samoa Joe & AJ Styles
The match starts with all four ending up on the floor on the outside before we head into a commercial. We return to the match to see the Guns working over Samoa Joe in the ring. Joe fires back with a snap slam on Sabin before they both make it to their corners to tag in their partners.
Styles takes Shelley down with a dropkick and then levels him with a flying forearm and nearly picks up the victory. Styles then sets up for the Styles Clash, but Sabin comes in and kicks Styles in the head to break it up. Shelley attempts the Sliced Bread #2 but Styles is able to push him off and Joe comes in and nails Shelley with a kick to the head.
Sabin flies in and nails Joe before the MMG’s try to double team Styles, who fights his way back and lands the Pele kick to Sabin. Joe then comes in a turns Sabin inside out with a hard clothesline as Styles nails Shelley with the Styles Clash to pick up the pin fall.
As Joe and Styles celebrate, the Mafia run out to the ring and begin beating them down. Angle nails Joe with the Angle Slam and Nash delivers the jackknife powerbomb to Styles. Consequences Creed and Jay Lethal run out to help their partners, but they are too beaten down as Sting watches from the entrance ramp.
We head to Traci Brooks’ office where Awesome Kong, Rhaka Khan and Raisha Saeed are wondering if she has a new victim for Kong. Saeed says that she is going to keep her promise and let Kong go after innocent victims.
Lauren is standing by with the Originals in their locker room when the Machine Guns are suddenly tossed in the room and slide across the floor. Rhino enters behind them with a bandage wrapped around his head and says that he is trying to fight the same fight as they are. Rhino gives them a pep talk to fire them up and says that he will fight with them as long as they are willing to fight along side with him.
Match 4: Eric Young vs. Booker T (Legends Championship)
After feeling each other out for a bit, Eric Young takes control of the match with a hip toss and locks in an arm bar. Booker is able to come back and hangs Young across the top rope and takes him down with a superkick. Booker then goes for a slow cover but isn’t able to put Young away.
Booker slows the match down with a head lock until Young is able to get out of it and slams Booker down to the mat. Young then lands the Death Valley Driver and comes just milliseconds away from winning the match. Sharmell then grabs Young’s ankle to cause enough of a distraction for Booker to land an axe kick to put this match away. After the match, ODB comes into the ring to check on Young and shares a few words with Sharmell.
Jeff Jarrett is meeting with Mick Foley in his office and Jarrett says that if Kurt Angle makes one move at him after he makes his announcement he will be there to back him up.
Jeremy Borash is standing by with Team 3D who seems to have issues with Beer Money. Brother Devon says that they have done more in this business in one hour than they have in their careers. Brother Ray talks about not being in the Main Event Mafia and that they know how to find them. As for Beer Money, their day is coming and tell them to learn some respect.
Lauren is with Hermie Sadler who says he will be debuting a web show on TNA website in 2009 called Hermie’s Hotseat. Awesome Kong walks up behind him and Sadler says that she would be a great first guest but he ends up getting nailed by Kong instead.
Match 5: Kevin Nash & Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan & Abyss
Abyss starts off against Kurt Angle and powers him around before Angle heads to the outside to regroup. Angle enters the ring again and is leveled by a clothesline and a big boot. Abyss then nails the Shock Treatment, but it isn’t enough for Abyss to pick up the win. Morgan is tagged in and Angle goes right for the knees but is given the Carbon Footprint in return. Morgan nearly picks up the pin fall, but Angle is able to kick out as we head into a commercial.
We return to see Morgan still in control over Angle and picks up another near fall. Angle is able to finally crawl into his corner and tags in Kevin Nash as the two big men stare off in the middle of the ring before they start trading blows until Angle nails Morgan with a chop block from behind. Nash and Angle then begin methodically picking apart Morgan and focus on his legs.
Morgan is able to get out of an attempt at the Angle Slam and fires back with a clothesline as Beer Money makes their way down to the ring to get a closer look at the #1 contender’s to their tag team titles. Abyss is tagged into the match and he takes down both Nash and Angle and tosses Angle out to the floor.
Abyss follows him out as he gets into it with Beer Money while Morgan misses with a big boot on Nash and falls out to the floor. Abyss then brings Angle back in the ring and climbs the turnbuckle but James Storm smashes a beer bottle on the back of his head. Abyss falls to the mat and walks into a big boot from Nash, which is enough to pick up the pin fall victory.
Mick Foley comes out to the ring with a microphone to announce the double main event for Final Resolution. Foley talks about the veterans being a huge part of wrestling’s past, which he shares with them, and that the are the biggest stars in TNA. Foley then puts them over and says that they may be the biggest super group in wrestling history and says that they may even be TNA’s future.
Foley says his intention was to level the playing field between the younger generation and the veterans and has booked two huge main events for Final Resolution. The first one being Booker T, Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner and Sting taking on Samoa Joe, AJ Styles and two partners of their choosing. Foley says that for a slight twist, if the Main Event Mafia pick up the victory in the match, Sting will hold on to the TNA World Championship, but if Styles and Joe’s team wins, then AJ Styles will be the champion.
For the second match, he has booked Kurt Angle against Rhino. An irate Kurt Angle comes out to the ring with a microphone and asks why Jarrett won’t face him. Angle says he has done it all except beat Jeff Jarrett and blames Foley for costing him the match. He then says that if he can’t have Jarrett he wants Foley and slaps him across the face. Jeff Jarrett’s music hits and he comes down to the ring and says that they are going to play by his rules, not Angle’s. Jarrett says he is not going to let Angle tear down what he has built and says that he wants Angle out of his company worse than Angle wants Jarrett in the ring.
Jarrett says that he can’t fire him due to a clause in his contract but adds a stipulation saying that if he beats Rhino he will get his match against Jarrett, however, if he loses, his TNA contract is null and void. Jarrett asks if they have a deal and Angle slaps Jarrett across the face. Jarrett then smiles and points behind Angle, where Rhino is waiting for him and gores Angle to end tonight’s show.
Quick Results
- Consequences Creed & Jay Lethal defeated Sonjay Dutt & Tanahashi by pin fall.
- The Beautiful People defeated Sojourner Bolt & Christy Hemme by pin fall.
- AJ Styles & Samoa Joe defeated the Motorcity Machine Guns by pin fall.
- Booker T defeated Eric Young by pin fall to retain the Legends Championship.
- Kevin Nash & Kurt Angle defeated Matt Morgan & Abyss by pin fall.
Starman’s Thoughts
I have a lot of topics I want to cover from tonight’s show, so I am going to get right into it.
Tonight’s matches were a mixed bag. On one end of the spectrum we had some X Division talent in a very quick and very pointless tag team match. One the other end, we had some great action between members of the Originals and one that furthered the MEM/Originals feud.
I am going to pick on the opening match for a moment which featured three X Division stars and a member of NJPW. On paper, this should make for an exciting match but it wasn’t executed that way on television. What we ended up getting was a quick three minute match that really did nothing except put a mark in the win column for the Originals.
I am not a huge fan of quick matches unless they serve a purpose, such as a squash match, so right away this match had one strike against it. What bothers me the most, however, is the fact that they are putting Tanahashi in matches like this in the first place. They should be showcasing this talent exchange with NJPW, not putting them in pointless match after pointless match for no real reason. I’m not saying that they need to have a solid angle behind them, but at least give them some sort of fanfare to make it seem like this is a special talent, not just another faceless X Division wrestler.
On the other hand, the three matches that dealt with members of the Originals, the MEM, or both were all good in their own ways. The AJ Styles/Samoa Joe vs. the MMG’s was a fun, albeit short, match while it lasted. It’s just too bad that after it was all said and done their match was overshadowed by the beat down the MEM gave Joe and Styles.
Eric Young and Booker T was also a nice surprise. Young seems to be getting a lot of attention as of late and has been invigorated once the comedy gimmicks have been taken out of the equation. He had the X Division Title stripped from him and came up short against Booker and the Legends Championship, but he actually looked good in the ring and offered a glimmer of hope for the Originals.
Finally, the main event wasn’t anything to write home about but I will applaud Angle and Nash for making the team of Morgan and Abyss look good in the ring. After seeing the MEM dominate week after week, it was a refreshing change to see them on the receiving end of the punishment for once even though they did come out on top. It’s unfortunate for the Originals, though, as Morgan and Abyss aren’t necessarily aligned with them at the moment. Instead of the Originals handing out the beat downs on the Mafia, it was a team of outsiders who have other things on their minds, such as the tag team championship.
Aside from the matches, there were a couple of announcements made that concerned Final Resolution. Mick Foley announced a huge 8-man tag team match and Kurt Angle against… Rhino? Not only that, but we also got to hear about the return of every TNA fan’s favorite gimmick match, the Feast or Fired Battle Royal.
The 8-man tag features four Mafia members, Sting/Steiner/Nash/Booker against Styles, Joe and two more partners of their choosing. For their own TNA-type twist to it, the World Championship will be on the line during this match, however, only Sting or Styles can walk away with the title. I am perfectly fine with the match itself but does it really need to have the World title in the picture? Championship titles, especially the World Championship, should never, ever, be defended in a tag team match of any kind.
This is the same company, though, who once had one person hold every single title, including the tag team titles, at once, so anything is possible I guess.
As for the other announced match, maybe it was just me but it seemed to be a huge letdown after Mick Foley asked the audience for a drum roll. Sure, having Rhino go up against Angle makes sense after suffering a beat down earlier in the night, but what has Rhino done as of late that warrants a spot in the main event?
There was a time where Rhino fit in the main event picture, but that time has long passed after having to endure countless feuds that went nowhere. Rhino could be brought back into the picture, but it will take some time and some meaningful wins in the ring. The way it is set up now, Angle should and probably will make easy work of Rhino at Final Resolution and nobody would think twice about it.
Finally, we got to see a video package highlighting the return of the Feast or Fired Battle Royal. I am 100% sure that I wasn’t the only one who let out a groan as soon as that graced my television set in all of its high definition glory. It was a neat idea the first time they tried it but again, the execution was horrible and it was drawn out far too long. I have a sneaking suspicion that history is about to repeat itself in that respect.
Jim Cornette returned tonight and was a sight for sore eyes. Cornette was there to tell referee, Shane Sewell, how to do his job and stripped Eric Young of his X Division Title after his tainted victory last week over Sheik Abdul Bashir. Basically, Cornette was there to do the needed dirty work as a member of TNA management. Although I enjoyed seeing him on Impact once again, I wish more was done for Cornette’s return.
Ever since Mick Foley became a majority shareholder of TNA, Cornette hasn’t been seen or heard from. TNA has been run as of late by Foley and Jeff Jarrett and no mention has been made of Cornette’s future or role within the company. Still nothing was said about it after tonight’s broadcast, but I guess Cornette still holds some power within the company as he was stripping champions and booking title matches. I really think that Foley and Cornette should work together as it would make for some interesting television. Even if they don’t, a little clarification on the whole subject would do wonders.
Last, but not least, we got to see the debut of ODB’s Angle tonight on Impact. What it basically amounted to was two women shouting at each other, but I do believe that it was better than all of the Karen’s Angle segments combined. If it continues down this path, I don’t know how much I could handle, but at least it was used to set up a match at Final Resolution.
