WRestling’s 3R’s PPV Edition 1.21.07: TNA Final Resolution 2007

The Matches:

LAST MAN STANDING MATCH: Rhino defeated AJ Styles @ 15:06 ***

X-DIVISION TITLE MATCH: Chris Sabin defeated Christopher Daniels and Jerry Lynn to become the NEW X-DIVISION CHAMPION @11:50 via pin ***¼

PCS FINALS: Alex Shelley defeated Austin Starr @ 14:59 via pin ***¼

James Storm defeated Petey Williams @ 6:50 via pin **

NWA TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: LAX retained the tag titles over Team 3D @ 10:21 via DQ (ASS) TRASH of the Night!

#1 CONTENDER’S 30-MINUTE IRON MAN MATCH: Kurt Angle defeated Samoa Joe @ 30:00 via 3-2 decision ***¾ MATCH of the Night!

NWA TITLE MATCH – THREE WAY DANCE: Christian Cage became the NEW NWA CHAMPION @ 13:20 via pin **

The Right:

Last Man Standing – I thought that this was a good choice to open the show. We all knew that the main event NWA Title match would use all of the bells, whistles and gimmicks it could, and with this being last man standing, it had to be separated. I also liked that they used the old “Texas Death Match” rules, where you got the pin or submission and then the man had to answer the 10 count. Is helps the flow and drama of the match more so than the beat a guy up and knock him down, watch him get up as 3 and repeat. We had three falls in the match, which I also think was booking ahead to get people conditioned for the Iron Man match, which was a smart idea since they went the route they did in that match. Good action that kept the crowd, and Rhino looked as if he would finally get vengeance and get a win. But as he set a table up, AJ was getting to his feet, saw it, and looked at Rhino and said SCREW YOU and took the intentional loss. In the end I really liked the ending. AJ is playing his heel role very well thus far, and the fact that he decided to be the chicken shit instead of continuing to fight was a factor that will make you HATE him, and get you away from the Superman baby face, will fight through anything AJ we have been used to. Some have complained, but I think it worked very well. It leaves the feud open, especially with the post match brawl, where AJ out thought the beast again.

The Past, Present and Future of the X-Division – Before the match started Jerry Lynn got some promo time. Now while Lynn is not known as a “promo” guy, I have to say he did a good job setting things up. Leticia started off mentioning his age, which got Lynn defensive. He stated that at 43 he could still dance with the best of them and would prove that tonight. He said that Sabin was a punk and therefore Lynn never showed him all of his secrets. He then reminded Daniels that you can always learn something new and by the end of the evening, they would both call him teacher. WHO’S YO DADDY BITCHES? Onto the match itself. As expected the match was a damn fine little match and lived up to my expectations. Of course it could have been better but overall not too much to complain about. They all worked hard, all had their time to shine, Daniels was Daniels, Sabin looked like he belonged and Lynn looked if he didn’t lose a step at all. He looked to have the title won after the Cradle FN Piledriver, but Sabin ends up rolling him up for the win in sneaky fashion. The only bitch is the same finish is always. The guy losing is not the champion, just one of the other guys. TNA tries too hard to make everyone on an equal level. This is wrestling, everyone is NOT on the same level. Once they learn that things will improve. Good stuff otherwise.

The PCS Finals: With Bob FN Backlund! – A lot of people had the notion that “you can’t do a lot in 10-minutes.” I begged to differ and thanks to Mr. Shelley and Starr, they proved me right. They went out there and had a great match, good mat wrestling, some flying, character work as they played to the judges and basically everything you wanted out of a match like this. I know they have had some great ROH encounters and would love to see them get 15-minutes or more on TNA PPV. Back to the match they both worked very hard and played the time element very well, which led to the overall goodness of the bout. As predicted they went the time limit and Bob Backlund wackiness ensued. After a long explanation the match was ruled a tie, and we had the quick overtime and Shelley got the win. Then we got even more greatness as Starr cut a great promo saying he wasn’t in TNA to jump on sticks or to resurrect Nash’s career. He then said he respected Senshi and tried to get him to leave with him. That didn’t work and they brawled. Starr in his frustration then attacked the judges and got the Cross Face Chicken Wing from Backlund for his troubles. While some of the silliness was there (Samolian Joe, Big Fat Naked Oily Guy, Nash Commentary, Backlund Promos) I actually have some hope coming out of the angle as a whole. Starr flying off the handle at Nash and company was awesome and allowed him the promo time he needs. Shelley’s win was something he has needed, he is over with the fans, but you eventually have to win a high profile match. Senshi looked like the bad ass he was so that is something to build off of. It was a long way to get there, and damaged the division for a while, but maybe, jus maybe it will be what these guys needed. Good match, entertaining angles and overall a success on the show I feel

I Am Iron Man – So here we were, Joe vs. Angle III, Iron Man Rules. First of all I must compliment Tenay on commentary. With the decision to go multiple falls, Tenay explained that the men were giving up quicker than normal because they would have to survive the 30-minutes in order to have a chance to win. It is a small thing but something that had to be done on commentary and he did that very well. Overall I enjoyed the match. Both guys were working their asses off, and afterwards we found out Angle got a concussion about 10-minutes in and he then praised Joe for carrying the rest of the match. For now this was a good way to end their series of matches, and when they pick back up, most likely in an NWA Title feud it should continue to produce great matches. The final 5-minutes were awesome as they battled for their lives it seemed. Joe’s intensity was off the charts as he battle with everything he had to tie the match up. He kept trying for the clutch only for Angle to resist. He finally gave up and locked in the ankle lock and grapevine, and made Angle tap…one second after the bell. Joe looked strong and Angle got the win, just barely. Some have come away disappointed by the match, and that I probably because their previous two matches were rated anywhere from ****-****½ by various sources. This one fell below those matches, and that was a concern in doing an Iron Man match. But in the end it was another really good match, and the last 5-7 minutes were absolutely tremendous. Now keep these guys away from each other for a while.

Purgatory:

Storm vs. Williams – This for the most part was a very average match, nothing to write home about. The good things are that they are keeping Harris out of the picture, allowing him to “heal” and sell the possibly “Career ending” Injury. This is also smart because they are putting off the first “official” Storms vs. Harris encounter and by default their first match. Gail wasn’t there by choice, forced basically and after Storm wins he tries to beat Petey down. Gail stops him; low blows him and SNAPS and starts to kick his ass. Everyone and their mom expected Harris to run in but he didn’t, instead a re-debuting Jacqueline (Miss Tennessee) does at the side of Storm. They beat down Gail and then gave her the Death Sentence to solidify their relationship is a solid angle. With the addition of Miss Tennessee I feel that they can do a lot of things. Her and Gail can face off next month with Storm and her trying to beat her down and Harris making the triumphant return. Then we can move onto the mixed tag match at Destination X, with Gail pinning Tennessee. This still sets Storm vs. Harris apart. Finally they can have their match at Lockdown in the 6-sides of steel, a match AMW made famous. It is a natural evolution and SHOULD be the way to go. In the end this wasn’t exactly a “great match” but the angle is smart and solid, which I appreciate.

The wRong:

The NWA Title Match – Once again I have to say that the NWA Title match did not deliver. It seems that for the last several months I have been saying this about most of the title matches for both companies, minus Cena vs. Umaga from the last PPV. First of all, while I love that they filled the PPV I felt that the whole match was rushed and would have benefited from another 4-5 minutes. Mostly the beginning stuff was rushed as Abyss took the elimination in just over 5-minutes. While I like the unpredictability factor in the champion losing first, it does Abyss no favors. Cage and Sting did some pretty good work but in the end we got more story than match. Angles and promos are supposed to drive the story and the match is supposed to be what it is all about, the match isn’t supposed to be more angle to lead to more angle. Also we ventured into extreme over booked territory as we had Abyss seemingly turn 37 times in the one match. Sting did what he does best and fell for the Abyss turn and in the end Christian is the champion again. I like Christian as champion, but feel that it was the wrong move. Abyss vs. Angle was natural since Angle had the win over Abyss on the Prime Time Special. Sting vs. Angle is a first time match that could have popped a buy rate. While I love Angle and Christian and think they will have a good match, I feel that people will look at it as a Raw main event, and not a PPV/Money Drawing match.

Christy Hemme’s speech and more… – Let’s jump ahead because we will Tarintino back when we continue on below. Trust me it will make sense after you read it all. As the VKM were finishing up, Christy Hemme came out to the ring an emotional mess. She was crying and asking why in all their talk of the history of DX they Chyna was treated as a blip on the radar. She brought up Lita and said that they were both ran out of the business. She said that women in wrestling were treated as disposable, but they weren’t, they had a lot to offer. Eventually Kip James agreed with her and she slapped him and BG had to hold him back. Yes the woman who’s “ass was hungry and sat on a pie” is now a women’s rights activist in wrestling. The worst part was that the crowd TOTALLY turned on her.

This all seems to lend credit to the rumors that they will be starting a women’s division. Now let me state I am all for TNA trying to do something right that WWE is currently failing at. If they can do it right they may attract new viewers, which would be a good thing. Let’s see what they have right now, shall we?