Daniels applies the match-winning Styles Clash. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com
James Storm asked that Bobby Roode come on out to get his comeuppance after clearly paying Aces & 8s on last weeks Impact to attack both him and Hardy in the ring. But instead Kazarian joined 'The Cowboy' and accused him of being the biggest whiner in the company after AJ Styles and an alcoholic. Storm retorted by mocking Kaz a bit and then challenging him to a fight right there and then, so a referee made his way out and a brawl began. It was a fun start to the show, with the crowd eating up every word Storm had to say.
James Storm defeated Kazarian in a decent enough encounter. The action was solid for the most part, my only issue was the time allocated and the lack of it. I feel these two deserved a bit more to really deliver a more memorable match up.
Rob Van Dam (c) beat Kenny King to retain the X Division Title in a match that ranged from fair to average. Unfortunately too many sloppy moments spoilt the contest for me a bit, there were a few nice sequences between the two but it wasn't anything special. Leading into it I was actually expecting more, which is rare for me with a Van Dam match nowadays. At least the crowd in attendance seemed to like it with scattered chants of "This is awesome!" Easily pleased fans I guess.
Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez (c) won via DQ versus Matt Morgan and Joey Ryan, thereby retaining the TNA Tag Team Championship. The bout was largely passable, with solid enough wrestling but nothing that inspiring. Chavo and Hernandez gave the top displays here. The disqualification came after Morgan dragged the referee from out of the ring after Chavo had applied a Frog Splash to Ryan.
Austin Aries bested Bully Ray in a highly enjoyable contest. Both men gave terrific efforts here and clearly wanted to steal the show, especially Bully who gave one of his finest performances I've ever seen in a singles match. For the finish Hulk Hogan had to drag away daughter Brooke, who'd ran down to check on a bloodied Bully, which then gave Aries a chance to low blow Ray and grab the one-two-three. I have a feeling that AA and Brooke are having a fling and secretly plotting against Hogan and Bully here, just a theory.
Tara (c) beat Mickie James to retain the TNA Knockouts Championship in a worthy effort by both women. As expected with these two the action was above average from what you get from most female wrestlers nowadays in the US, as they actually take real pride in their craft and have worked hard on it over the years. Next up for Tara is the makeup covered Velvet Sky, so expect the quality to drop.
Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Wes Brisco and Garett Bischoff beat Aces & 8s (Devon, Doc and two unknown members) in an eight-man tag match that didn't really get going until later on. For the majority it was a pretty lacklustre outing, with disappointing action that wasn't particularly engaging at all.
It wasn't until Joe made a hot tag to Angle that things livened up and all eight men scrambled in the ring, applying their respective signature maneuvers. As Doc then went for Angle with a hammer Garett jumped in to stop him, and Wes then clumsily speared a masked gang member out of the ring, which I'm sure will turn out to be a save as surely Wes is a member of the Aces & 8s too.
Christopher Daniels defeated AJ Styles in a terrific back and fourth match of the night. As standard with these two the action was technically faultless, with great sequences and drama to be had. Unfortunately my only gripe was the slight lack of intensity and heat, which I can only put down to the sheer number of times we've seen these two face each other.
I'm not having a go at either man, their matches have always been entertaining, but there's only so much of a good thing that you can take before you start to loose interest, and the lack of enthusiasm from the fans in attendance was also proof of that here. That could also be down to the fact that it's hard to believe that this really is their final ever encounter, I mean, we've heard that before. Daniels gained the victory by applying Styles' own finisher the Styles Clash after AJ took a dangerous fall from the top rope.
Jeff Hardy (c) bested Bobby Roode to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in an intense and enjoyable main event. Both wrestlers worked hard and it certainly paid off as they delivered a worthy World title match, battling back and fourth with effective near falls and an excited crowd. While the build up wasn't anything outstanding I predicted that it'd be a good contest at least, which it was. During the bout Aces & 8s made their way out, but just stood there. After the bell rang they then proceeded to take out Hardy and an infuriated Roode, who had presumedly paid them off to help him win the strap.
Overall Final Resolution was a successful event, with a few match ups that were really memorable but most that I could give or take. The main event, Daniels vs Styles and Bully Ray vs Aries were the highlights for me, providing high quality bouts that you've come to expect from TNA pay-per-views over the last few months. The rest of the card was still decent enough and I couldn't call one match bad, so I can't complain.
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