My Impact Wrestling, 27th December 2012 Recap

Kazarian and Daniels on great form as standard. Photo credit: impactwrestling.com 

Bully Ray came to the ring and as part of the Open Fight Night rules asked Hulk Hogan to come out to talk, which he was obliged to as part of OFN. But instead daughter Brooke Hogan joined Bully and quietly informed him that her Dad was aware of their relationship. The fact that Ray feigned shock just seemed stupid, I mean they were both kissing out in the clear open in the parking lot on last weeks show when 'The Hulkster' spotted them. 

Austin Aries challenged Bobby Roode to a match in the main event to finally settle things after each man had screwed each other over in World Title situations over the past two weeks. He also claimed that as the top two wrestlers going it was suitable that they'd have the final televised TNA bout of the year.

An angry Samoa Joe called out a masked member of Aces & 8s that attacked him previously to a match up, and threatened to unmask him too. 

Samoa Joe defeated the Aces & 8s member via submission in a passable, if uninspiring contest. The action was okay but nothing special or particularly exciting. As Joe began to unmask his opponent, other gang members raced out so he decided to leave it for now and left.

Robbie E challenged Jesse to a 'Bro Off', which consisted of simply dancing awfully or posing to their entrance themes. Robbie E announced himself the winner after Jesse broke the rules by not saying "Bro"  and by using Tara and not "putting bros before hoes." But it wasn't over as Robbie T then also danced/posed to the music and walked off leaving a shocked Robbie E. It was a bad segment all round to be honest, it wasn't funny and the dancing wasn't remotely decent. I didn't personally find any amusement here at all, and I normally don't mind the duo of Tara and Jesse. 

Rob Van Dam ridiculously stated that his efforts had "elevated the X Division to a whole new level." Please tell me doesn't actually believe that, right? RVD hasn't done anything close to what Aries did for the division, he gives average efforts most weeks and still thinks of himself as one of the top talents in the company. He went on to then challenge Christian York to a match, much to the surprise of Kenny King.

Rob Van Dam defeated Christian York in a fair contest. While York pulls out a few exciting moves in his match ups, he does still have a tendency to be a bit clumsy here and there, and I wouldn't have believed that he's had sixteen-years experience in pro wrestling if Tenay hadn't mentioned it. Overall the bout was decent enough, nothing exceptional about it. 

Christopher Daniels as usual was on great form on the mic as he mocked the fans and named his rear the one that "makes the girls cheer." He also went on to introduce AJ Styles for one final match, but it was of course a hoax as Kazarian came out dressed as 'The Phenomenal One' and did an amusing impression of him as he claimed that Daniels was superior in every way. Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez then joined them and called the duo a pair of clowns and challenged them to a tag match.

Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez bested Bad Influence (Daniels and Kazarian) in a solid tag bout. All four men gave good displays here and finally provided a very enjoyable match for the night. It's also nice to see the tag champs back on our screens, it's felt like a while since they've been there.

Gail Kim boasted about her memorable Knockouts Title reign (longest in company history) and also challenged Brooke Tessmacher to a match as a bit of retribution for ending said reign. I do miss Kim as champ I have to say, for me she's the top female wrestler in TNA.

Gail Kim defeated Brooke Tessmacher in an intense back and fourth outing. I wasn't expecting anything special here but it was a very pleasant surprise as both wrestlers provided a great Knockouts match up. Tessmacher looked good throughout and put on one of her top performances to date, Kim was also on her usual stellar form. Good stuff here and worth a watch, miles better than any Divas contest you'll get nowadays.

Austin Aries versus Bobby Roode ended in a No Contest. It was a fun main event for the most part, with Aries and Roode each applying their own underhanded, heel-tactics throughout. It's a shame there wasn't more wrestling though, considering the high standard of matches they've put on before. The match ended when referee Earl Hebner screamed at both to stop ignoring the rules, so the competitors decided to kick Earl and chuck him out of the ring. Jeff Hardy then appeared from behind and took both men out.

Overall it was a largely average Impact, with the first half of the show providing quite pedestrian entertainment. Fortunately the Daniels and Kazarian segment was as usual solid, and their following tag bout, Kim versus Tessmacher and most of the main event were also decent to very enjoyable match ups. 

My Impact Wrestling, 12th July 2012 Recap

Bully Ray defeated Joseph Parks in an average No Disqualification match, which included thumbtacks, garbage cans, steel chairs and such. It's always going to be hard to put on a decent bout when Joseph Parks (a Lawyer in the storyline who's only ever had one fight in his life) is understandably meant to be purposely bad in the ring. But the match wasn't awful for what it was, just nothing special. Afterwards Parks looked down at his bloody hands and then Black Hole Slammed Bully, much to his own shock. 

Rob Van Dam defeated Samoa Joe in a Bound For Glory Series bout. It was a pretty fair match up, mainly thanks to the efforts of Joe (RVD wasn't terrible by any means, just wasn't exactly on his best form).

Kazarian, accompanied by Christopher Daniels, congratulated AJ Styles on a hard fought victory at Destination X in his superb Last Man Standing match with Daniels. But he also warned him that the situation with Claire Lynch wasn't over, and they brought out Claire herself. As Daniels questioned Claire they were soon interrupted by AJ Styles, who told Claire that she didn't have to explain anything to them. But claire did, as she revealed that AJ was the father of her unborn baby. This whole storyline is about as bad as Claire Lynche's acting skills, I really cannot be asked with it anymore. The sooner it ends the better.

Zema Ion defeated Dakota Darsow in a decent contest. Afterwards the new X Division Champion Ion locked in a submission hold on Darsow's arm, and reminded Jesse Sorensen of how dangerous he was. Hopefully there'll be a few wrestlers who appeared at Destination X signed to TNA contracts.  

The new TNA World Heavyweight Champion Austin Aries said what a great week he'd had and what a great moment it was him winning the World title not just for himself or the company, but for the professional wrestling business. He also went on to talk about all the congratulations he received and how TNA is the top wrestling company going today, before former champ Bobby Roode came out. The distraught Roode could barely talk, but managed to call Aries' win a "fluke." AA simply smiled, held up his title belt and said "New. World. Champ."

Brooke Tessmacher (c) defeated Gail Kim to retain the TNA Knockouts Championship. It was a passable title bout, with Kim on her usual solid form. Unfortunately, while she's showed signs of improvement Tessmacher still doesn't look totally convincing to me in between the ropes just yet, definitely not enough to be Knockouts Champion anyway.   

Kurt Angle defeated Mr. Anderson in a BFG Series contest. It was an enjoyable enough match for the most part, although nothing on Angle's intense bout with Samoa Joe last Sunday.   Anderson looked his usual standard self in the ring, nothing spectacular but worked fairly hard.

Backstage Roode demanded that Hulk Hogan give him his rematch against Aries as soon as possible. So Hogan convinced him to call out AA in a match for next weeks Open Fight Night Impact in a non-title bout to prove he's the better man before his World title rematch at Hardcore Justice.

Sting came to the ring and called out Hogan to join him, but Hogan never showed. It was then revealed that Hogan had been taken out in his office by the same men that had attacked Sting last month. As 'The Stinger' went to check on Hogan he was also taken out by the masked attackers. Just who are they, eh? And just how can we thank them for taking out the older, past it wrestlers? Thank you heroes!

My Impact Wrestling, 5th July 2012 Recap

Bully Ray announced that he was officially going live on Twitter. He also demanded that Joseph Parks come out so he could answer his challenge of a match. Joseph sure enough came out and had his match accepted by Bully for next week. A furious Parks once again let rip on Ray as he told him how sick he was of his bullying and attitude. Bully then revealed a restraining order against Park's brother Abyss, claiming that if he gets anywhere near him during their match he will be sent to jail. 

Devon (c) defeated Crimson to retain the TNA Television title in a pretty mediocre title bout. It wasn't bad, just unmemorable really. Afterwards Madison Rayne came out and looked to approach Devon but instead kissed referee Earl Hebner to reveal him as her secret crush.

I'm sorry but any storyline involving a referee in the past hasn't garnered up much interest and I don't see this being any different. Who is this going to get over? An elderly ref or an average female wrestler? Either way it already feels like a waste of time. I was hoping these lame storylines (including the current AJ Styles and Dixie Carter one) would stop after Russo's exit but I guess not.

Chris Sabin came to the ring on crutches and revealed that after discussing his latest injury with his loved ones and doctor they urged him to retire from the ring. World Champion Bobby Roode then joined him and called Sabin "pathetic" for "moaning" about his injuries like the rest of the X Division and then attacked Sabin's injured knee until Austin Aries chased Roode off. On a serious note this injury must have been a crushing blow to the talented Sabin who'd only just recently returned to action. I hope he recovers well and to see him back in the ring again some day.

Flip Cassanova defeated Dakota Darsow to qualify for the X Division title tournament. The bout had it's exciting moments, but was definitely not up to par with the other recent X Division qualifying matches on Impact. Cassanova to me just looked too reckless, he even broke Darsow's nose during the match with a corkscrew to the outside. Now I like wrestlers that are fast and agile, but for me Cassanova looked like he belonged on the indie scene more than a televised wrestling show.  

Brooke Tessmacher and Tara defeated Madison Rayne and Gail Kim in a mostly sloppy tag match. With the exception of Gail you would not have guessed that these female wrestlers have had years of experience in pro wrestling if you hadn't seen them before, it wasn't great to watch.

AJ Styles came out to talk about the allegations of him being the father to Claire Lynche's unborn baby and was soon interrupted by Christopher Daniels and Kazarian, who once again accused AJ of covering things up. Styles then stated that this was nothing to do with Carter or Claire, but to do with him and Daniels and his jealousy of his success.

Kenny King defeated Lars Only to qualify for the X Division title tournament. It was a great, red hot contest from start to finish (bar one slip up from Lars as he went for a Russian Leg Sweep kind of maneuver) and possibly the best qualifying match they've had. Both men also looked more solid and crisper than the two X Division wrestlers we witnessed earlier.   

Jeff Hardy defeated James Storm in a Bound For Glory Series match up. It was a superb main event, with intense action throughout. The fans were also loving it as the bout heated up and piled on the excitement towards the end.

Samoa Joe versus Kurt Angle in a BFG Series match was announced for this Sunday's Destination X, which should be a brilliant contest. 

Hulk Hogan called out Austin Aries to hand over the X Division title but was soon interrupted by Bobby Roode, who told Hogan to shut up and listen to him. The World Champ went on to claim that Hogan had given Aries and fans false hope by saying that AA could be the next TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Aries of course showed up and warned Roode that he would be the next World Champ at Destination X. After the two champions fronted each other up, Aries avoided a cheap shot from Roode and cracked him in the head with the X Division title belt.

I enjoyed the show ending segment, and have quite enjoyed the rivalry between Roode and Aries throughout really. They should have a very enjoyable title bout on Sunday.

My Impact Wrestling, May 24th 2012 Recap

In a reality show style affair, Hulk Hogan discussed with Bully Ray, AJ Styles, Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy who deserves the shot at the TNA World Heavyweight Championship that night. Although it had the over the top background music and came across as quite fake, I actually didn't mind this segment. It made a bit of a change and was quite amusing at parts with all four men arguing their pros and the others cons. At the end Hogan eliminated Bully Ray from contention, even though Hardy and AJ had already lost to Roode over the World title before.

Gail Kim bragged about being the most important woman in the entire company and her successful title reign. I certainly haven't had any complaints about her being the champ, and it was definitely a wise move for her to get out of WWE's Divas Division where she was completely squandered. She went on to then challenge the Knockout Tag Team Champions Eric Young and ODB, and as per the stipulations of Open Fight Night the title holders (or anyone for that matter) must accept the match.

Gail Kim and Madison Rayne defeated Eric Young and ODB (c) to win the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship. It was an average bout for the most part, with a few amusing moments between EY and ODB. I think the wrong team also won. With Rayne distracted by her mystery love interest she should've been the one to accidentally loose her team the match, and in my opinion ODB and EY with their chemistry had brought a bit of interest back to the titles. I don't really see the need for them to have lost the titles so soon.

Rob Van Dam defeated Gunner after challenging him to a match. It was a fair contest, and wisely kept quite short which I feel always works more effectively for Gunner. RVD finished off Gunner after applying a Van Daminator and performing an impressive long range Five Star Frog Slash.

Devon (c) versus Garet Bischoff for the TNA Television title ended in a no contest after Robbie E and Robbie T ran in shortly into the match and attacked both men, only to then be thrown out by Devon and Garet. I was personally quite relieved we didn't have to see much of this bout.

In another backstage segment Hogan next eliminated Jeff Hardy from World title contention, claiming that he needed someone that will get the job done against Roode. 

Bully Ray came out and spoke about his annoyance at not being picked to face Roode, and then challenged Joseph Parks (who'd been watching in the audience) to get in the ring with him. A hesitant Parks pleaded with Bully not to get physical and reminded him that all he wanted was to find his missing brother. But eventually Ray did get physical, punching Parks in the gut and whipping him with his chain.

Austin Aries defeated Joey Ryan in an enjoyable back and fourth contest. To me the Gut Check competitor Ryan looked liked he belonged here with a unique image, plenty of charisma and nicely executed wrestling in the ring. He's certainly a step up from the last Gut Check challenger Silva, who wasn't bad but you could tell was a bit nervous. I'd be very disappointed if they didn't sign him to a deal.

Hogan finally announced that AJ Styles would receive the World title shot, stating that it was mainly due to him knowing Roode better. Angle gracefully congratulated Styles.

Bobby Roode (c) defeated AJ Styles to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a match that started off quite drab but fortunately picked up towards the end with more exciting action and near falls. It was a solid enough performance from both men, with the fans in attendance certainly into it. 

Afterwards Roode celebrated his record breaking World title reign with confetti and champagne. He also invited Hogan to the ring to celebrate, only for 'The Hulkster' to then inform Roode that someone else would be joining them. That someone was the returning Sting, who it was revealed would be facing Roode next week in a Lumberjack match. I can't personally say I'm that excited by 'The Stinger's' return. I preferred him in the GM role as opposed to an in ring competitor, where he clearly can't bring it like he used to.

My Impact Wrestling, May 17th 2012 Recap

World Champion Bobby Roode came to the ring and spoke about how he's "overcome the odds" as far as his title defences have gone, and also gave RVD credit for his performance against him at Sacrifice in the Ladder match. He went on to remind us that in a weeks time he will have had the longest reigning TNA World Heavyweight title reign ever, eclipsing AJ Style's run. He then called out GM Hulk Hogan and began listing off demands that he wanted for his celebration on next weeks Impact Wrestling.

'The Hulkster' complimented Roode on giving the company some direction and order since becoming champ since now everyone is gunning for him, but then ripped up Roode's printed off list of demands. He reminded him that he hadn't broken the record yet, and would be defending the title on next weeks Open Fight Night Impact. He also asked the large majority of the locker room who wanted a piece of Roode to come out and announced the qualifying matches between them to determine who will face the World Champion next week for the title. 

Bully Ray defeated Rob Van Dam in the first World title qualifying match. It was a passable bout, if a little short. Although with RVD's supposedly injured leg the length of the match actually made sense, never thought I'd type that about TNA. 

AJ Styles won the World title qualifying Battle Royal. It was a decent enough match. For the most part it was the usual affair for a battle royal, but fortunately picked up in quality when Styles and Aries went head to head towards the end. A match between them two is a must for the near future I reckon. AJ's win was understandably well received. 

Afterwards AJ grabbed a mic and addressed the photos shown last week of him and Dixie Carter looking intimate, claiming that "things aren't always as they seem." Christopher Daniels and Kazarian then joined him and stated that they'd been left in Style's wake for the last ten years due to his relationship with Carter and that revealing the photos wasn't meant to hurt anyone but just expose the truth. Daniels then revealed yet more evidence to the accusations when he and Kaz presented a video of Styles and Carter arriving at a hotel room together arm in arm on an iPad, which actually makes it seem more effective to me. I mean, if you were presenting footage like this of the president of the company then would you really get to present it on the big screen? Doubtful.  

Backstage Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle began brawling after discussing their memorable history together, until they were separated by various wrestlers who just happened to be nearby. Boy, thinking back to their original superb feud Joe really was on fire back in those days wasn't he?

Jeff Hardy defeated Mr. Anderson in a good effort by both men. They managed to outdo their match last Sunday, which was okay. While their feud hasn't really got much substance behind it, their matches are certainly watchable and have exceeded my expectations.   

Gail Kim (c) defeated Brooke Tessmacher and Velvet Sky to retain the TNA Knockouts Title in a fair to dull Triple Threat match. To be honest the bout could've done without the average Sky involved considering what little she really brought to the match, I would've much rather have seen the superior Tara or Mickie James in there. Hopefully Kim will get some new competition for Slammiversary. 

Kurt Angle defeated Samoa Joe in a solid and intense main event to earn the final qualifying spot for the World title match next week. As expected from two wrestlers of this high standard they put on a very enjoyable contest, going back and fourth with crisp action and making it look easy. I'm glad this was also made the main event, it had and deserved to be.  

Afterwards all four men who qualified for their chance at Roode's title cornered the World Champion, who'd been on commentary. 

My TNA Sacrifice 2012 Recap

Christopher Daniels and Kazarian defeated Samoa Joe and Magnus (c) to obtain the TNA Tag Team Championship. It was a good opener to the show and a solid effort from all four men. Although this match wasn't maybe as exciting as I was predicting it was still entertaining from start to finish and worth checking out. I was expecting Joe and Magnus to retain myself, I feel a really long title reign would've been the right step for them but they could very well win the titles back soon and their run was a decent one even if they don't. 

Gail Kim (c) defeated Brooke Tessmacher to retain the TNA Knockouts Championship in a passable contest. Brooke actually looked slightly better here then I was expecting. Kim managed to score the win after pinning Tessmacher with her legs up on the ropes.

Devon (c) defeated Robbie E and Robbie T in an average Triple Threat match to retain the TNA Television title. It was quite a missable match for the most part to be honest, much like most of Devon's Television title reign. the only thing worth noting is that after some arguing during the bout and making up after, it looks as though Robbie T will be turning on Robbie E or vice versa fairly soon. 

Mr. Anderson defeated Jeff Hardy in a fair match up. Both men looked solid enough in the ring, although it wasn't going to live up to Hardy's great matches with Angle recently on pay-per-view it was still decent. This was probably one of the better efforts I've seen from Anderson in TNA too. 

Crimson came to the ring and bragged about defeating Matt Morgan by count out on last weeks Impact, he also once again brought a referee into the ring to count to ten, even though he had issued an open challenge and no one had stepped forward yet. Then Eric Young's music hit and he accepted the match up with the undefeated Crimson, which seemed like a popular choice with the fans.

Crimson defeated Eric Young in a mediocre bout. It had a mix of EY's comedy and his wife ODB getting involved in the match, where she was pushed down in the ring by an irritated Crimson. This of course provoked Young to make a (short lived) comeback, only to then be spinebustered by Crimson for the one-two-three.

Austin Aries defeated Bully Ray in a highly enjoyable encounter. Early on AA took a nuts bump as he was big booted from the top rope onto the railing on the outside, you could certainly see the effects of it on his back afterwards. As the face, a role which I believe Aries has taken on brilliantly, he made his heroic comeback and managed to even Brainbuster Bully for a great near fall after Joseph Parks (who'd been in attendance in the crowd for Sacrifice) distracted Ray. As it then looked as though Bully, who I also give a lot of credit for in this match for his role as the aggressive heel, was about to win with a bomb Aries also managed kick out of the nice near fall. Finally AA forced 'Calfzilla' to tap after applying a .

For me the match exceeded my expectations, and these are both two of my favourite things about the company right now. Giving Aries the win was also a smart move I felt, it's already clear how talented he is in the ring and on the mic, but he's also embraced this new persona better then I was expecting and I hope they keep this momentum of his going. As for Ray, I don't think the loss will damage him too much, a feud with Abyss will follow next I reckon.  

Kurt Angle defeated AJ Styles in a superb wrestling match, would you expect any less from these two? In the best match of the night and quite possibly the best PPV match TNA have put on this year these two men went back and fourth with smooth and crisp action, with effective near falls a plenty. I honestly struggle to find any issue with this bout, just do yourself a favour and check it out. Angle forced AJ to tap to the ankle lock after Daniels and Kaz distracted him at ringside. 

Afterwards Daniels and Kazarian continued the attack on Styles until Angle beat them off and out of the ring. So I guess he's face again.

Bobby Roode (c) defeated Rob Van Dam in a Ladder match to retain the World Heavyweight title. For a main event ladder match I found it a bit underwhelming to be honest, like most RVD bouts in TNA. Don't get me wrong it was decent at parts, with some hard bumps taken on the steel ladders, it just didn't feel like a main event for a World Championship to me personally. Here's hoping at the much hyped Slammiversary we get a better title bout.

My Impact Wrestling, April 19th 2012 Recap

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode, finally sporting a new and much more up to date shorter hair cut, bragged about how proud he was at still remaining the World Champion. He went on to list off all the men he'd defeated during his reign until Mr. Anderson interrupted him and challenged him to a fight. Jeff Hardy was next out, who began arguing with Anderson regarding who deserves a title shot more. To settle things Hulk Hogan booked a match between the two to determine the number one contender for Sacrifice. Roode was more charismatic than normal here I thought, and Anderson as usual was solid on the mic, shame he can't be as consistent in the ring. 

Bully Ray and Crimson defeated Austin Aries and Matt Morgan in a mostly average and forgettable tag match. The quality and interest managed to pick up a bit when Aries made the hot tag but apart from that it was mainly the limited Morgan being worked on by the other team.

Garett Bischoff, accompanied by his Lethal Lockdown teammates, congratulated himself and his team for their victory last Sunday. Ric Flair soon interrupted them all and called Garett a "disrespectful disgrace" and also nonsensically claimed that the talent in the ring wouldn't be there if it wasn't for Eric Bischoff, this is only true for Garett who isn't exactly much of a talent right now. 'The Nature Boy' went on to announce a party he will be holding in Eric Bischoff's honour next week on Impact.   

Kurt Angle defeated AJ Styles in a match that was kept far too short for my liking, I mean whenever you have these two in the ring together you want it to last. Angle scored a quick roll up pin for the victory after AJ had been distracted by Christopher Daniels and Kazarian at ringside who handed him an envelope with his supposed secret we've been hearing about for far too long now. Can't they just hurry up and end this storyline soon?

Backstage Hogan decided to add Rob Van Dam into the number one contenders match later on before coming out to the ring.

Surrounded by all the current champions in TNA, Hogan announced that once a month at a special Impact Wrestling called 'Open Fight Night' a talent from outside of TNA's roster would be brought in to wrestle and then judged on whether or not they deserve a contract with the company. He also added that on that night if someone is challenged to a match then they'll have to accept, including any champion. Roode and Gail Kim disputed this, while Devon was more then happy with it. Hogan also informed Devon that every week on Impact the TNA Television title will be on the line, no matter what. It sounds like it could be an interesting concept, but we'll see, this is TNA after all...

Tessmacher, Tara, Velvet Sky and Mickie James defeated Gail Kim, Rayne, Sarita and Rosita in an average Knockouts tag bout. Tessmacher got the pin on Kim which means she's most likely next in line for a title shot, at least it'll be someone new to face Kim.

Devon (c) defeated Gunner to retain his TNA Television title in a fair contest, although like most of the other matches on the show it wasn't essential viewing. 

James Storm apologised to all his friends and family for failing to defeat Roode at Lockdown, and stated that it was his ego that got in the way of him getting the job done against the champion and that it was his all his own fault that he lost. An emotional Storm went on to thank all the fans for their support but claimed that maybe Roode was right and maybe his luck had run out before dropping the mic and leaving.

One of the most consistent promo deliverers in the business today duly delivered here once again with this speech. It sounds like he's going to be taking some time off for now though, maybe until Slammiversary in June. 

Rob Van Dam defeated Jeff Hardy and Mr. Anderson to become number one contender to the World title. The match itself was solid enough, although rather then any flowing sequences it was mostly signature move after signature move. RVD quickly pinned Hardy for the win.  

My Impact Wrestling, April 12th 2012 Recap

Eric Bischoff announced his team representing him in the Lethal Lockdown match this Sunday. It includes Bully Ray, Kazarian, Gunner and Christopher Daniels, so a decent enough line up. Bully claimed how proud he was to be a part of Bischoff's unit, but claimed he'd made one mistake, that being his "bastard son" Garrett. Bischoff then also announced that they'd be having a best of three series to determine who will have the one man advantage at Lockdown.

Sure enough Garrett Bischoff made his way out and announced the first member of his team Mr. Anderson.

Gunner won via disqualification versus Mr. Anderson in a mediocre and forgettable match up. The referee DQ'd Anderson after he refused to commence choking Gunner in the corner.

The Motorcity Machine Guns questioned the current TNA Tag Team Champions Samoa Joe and Magnus' credentials as title holders, warning them that they were a step above their usual competition so far in the company, which is true. Samoa Joe and Magnus decided to join the number one contenders to their titles, where Magnus credited the Machine Gun's success and Sabin's recovery from injury, but also warned them that he and Joe were now the top team in the industry.

Mexican America decided to interrupt the two teams but were soon taken out by all four wrestlers.   

Austin Aries defeated Christopher Daniels in a brilliant back and fourth contest with crisp action from both men. It's no shock when you get a match of this quality from two professionals who clearly take pride in their craft, it's just a shame we don't see more of it in a company that promotes the mediocre likes of Anderson and Garrett Bischoff. Aries scored the winning pin after applying a brainbuster.   

Jeff Hardy gave a very brief warning to Kurt Angle that there will be no escape for him at Lockdown, and that they were going to make history. It was almost as if Hardy couldn't be asked to be there, although I may be being a bit unfair and he might have only been allocated a short amount of promo time.

During the quite strange, albeit rather amusing wedding ceremony of Eric Young and ODB, Sarita and Rosita interrupted the proceedings and offered Young the chance to be with them instead. But EY would not be tempted as he (and ODB) stripped down and married each other to chants from the crowd of Daniel Bryan's patented "Yes!" Now, I wasn't expecting much from this segment, but it was actually quite fair considering, and strangely a feel good moment. Don't judge me.   

Bully Ray defeated AJ Styles in a decent bout, although there were inevitable distractions from members of both teams at ringside the action in the ring stayed solid. Ray grabbed the one-two-three after striking AJ in the head with a chain wrapped around his fist.  

Hulk Hogan came out and announced that the Lethal Lockdown match will now be "five on five, brother." A rushed Eric decided to pick the out of shape Ric Flair, who hasn't been involved in a decent match in God knows how long. Meanwhile Garrett, who'd been given prior warning from Hogan, chose the returning Rob Van Dam as his final teammate.    

Velvet Sky and Mickie James defeated Gail Kim and Madison Rayne in an entertaining tag team bout. The quality of matches the likes of Kim and James put on really do put the majority of interchangeable WWE Divas to shame.  

James Storm spoke to Bobby Roode in the ring about how their relationship had evolved from their memorable Beer Money days. Roode admitted that he was very proud of those days, but also reminisced about them going into singles wrestling and his journey to becoming the TNA World Champion. But the reminiscing soon turned into aggression and intensity as the one to one slowly (and effectively) grew more and more heated. 

Towards the end Roode claimed that he and Storm never liked each other during their time as a tag team, that it was their individual passion for the business that brought them success. He also brought up Storm's deceased brothers and father as the show went off the air. It was a superbly intense segment between the two and probably the finest promo I've seen either men ever give. Sunday in Nashville should bring a very entertaining Cage Match between the two.

My Impact Wrestling, March 15th 2012 Recap

James Storm started off Impact by addressing the TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode, claiming that he would exact revenge and win back the World title at Lockdown against his former tag team partner, he also warned him that he's going to "give you the ass whippin' of your life." Storm's mic skills really have come a long way in the last couple of years, I'd say he's certainly one of the best in the company at promos now. 

Shortly after Bully Ray joined 'The Cowboy' and reminded him about formerly kicking a steel chair into his head, Storm retorted by also reminding Ray that he defeated him to become number one contender to the World title. After some more exchanged words Storm made it clear he wanted to fight Bully right there before their match at Victory Road, but instead 'Calfzilla' informed Storm that he would be fighting Gunner that night, who made his way out and began brawling with Storm until they were separated. 

Madison Rayne defeated Velvet Sky in an average Knockouts contest after scoring a roll up pin while pulling on Sky's tights for the one-two-three.

Crimson defeated Samoa Joe in a decent to bit of a drab affair. Crimson grabbed the win after Morgan distracted Joe at ringside and quickly applied a spear to the 'Samoan Submission Machine'. It's a smart move on the booking teams part to turn Morgan and Crimson heel and the Tag Team Champs face. It was obvious even as bad guys that Joe and Magnus were a more popular team with the fans, due to having more charisma and ability in the ring.      

Austin Aries came out to celebrate becoming the longest reigning X Division Champion of all time, and preceded to present a montage of his reign as champ. The charismatic Zema Ion joined AA and claimed that last week in their bout he embarrassed the champion and proved that he wasn't as smart as he thought he was, he also warned him that the same thing that happened to Jesse Sorensen could happen to him on Sunday. Aries admitted that he admired Ion's bravado and his attempt to prove that he had "hair on his nuts" and decided to let him do the toast. Zema complimented the title reign but informed 'A Double' that it will come to an end at his hands and then threw a glass of champagne in the champ's face., which prompted him to throw Ion out of the ring.

Backstage Eric Young and ODB decided that they'd get married in the ring on Impact. Was there ever any doubt?   

Gail Kim defeated Mickie James in a solid match up involving the two best Knockouts and female workers in the company in my opinion. My only gripe was that the finish, where Kim struck James with her title belt while the ref wasn't looking, you could see coming from a mile way. 

During a video package there was then an audio fault with delayed sound which carried on through to the following match. You wouldn't hear of this happening in WWE would you? 

Mr. Anderson defeated Christopher Daniels in a surprisingly entertaining bout, with a good effort by both men. During the match Taz, in his usual wisdom, comically commented that the chubby looking Anderson's "body looks good, definitely in-shape." It's like TNA has it's very own Jerry Lawler.

Kurt Angle's 5-minute challenge versus Garrett Bischoff ended in a draw after the Olympic Gold Medallist failed to defeat Garrett in time. The actual bout had been rather dull, with a few signature impressive maneuvers from Angle. Afterwards Kurt attacked the referee and Garrett in frustration until Jeff Hardy came to his rescue.

James Storm defeated Gunner in a forgettable but okay contest. Not really any more to add to be honest.

After the contract signing between Roode and Sting for their No Holds Barred match at Victory Road, the World Champion reminisced about the time he won the World title. He went on to theorise that Sting had a personal vendetta against him because he was "jealous" since he'd now passed his prime while Roode was just hitting his. He also accused 'The Stinger' of stealing the spotlight from the younger wrestlers and claimed that he should've left the business "a long, long time ago." 

Sting then decided to toss the table and chair over and spread face paint onto him and Roode, then beat on the champion until Roode fled from the ring. 

My Impact Wrestling, February 2nd 2012 Recap

Impact Wrestling, taped for the first time in Wembley Arena kicked off with Bully Ray and TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode. Ray first informed the fans in London that Jeff Hardy would not be there that night because him and Roode on the previous weeks Impact had "made sure you wouldn't see Jeff Hardy tonight!" Bit mean, eh? Roode also went on to mistake England for Ireland and added that they weren't completely finished by just taking out just Hardy, so he called out James Storm. Who sure enough made his way out, along with Sting. 'The Stinger' announced a Fatal Four Way for the Against All Odds pay-per-view between Storm, Roode, Ray and Jeff Hardy for the World Title. He also added that James Storm would get to face both Roode and Bully Ray on that very Impact.

Before we had the Buckingham Brawl (I have no idea either) match up between Samoa Joe and Magnus (who understandably got a great ovation on the way out) versus Crimson and Matt Morgan, there was a coin toss to determine which team would get a one man advantage in the ring all the time (like a handicap match basically) which Joe and Magnus won. 

Samoa Joe and Magnus defeated Matt Morgan and Crimson in a pretty average contest. Although the crowd were superb during it, thoroughly behind fellow countryman Magnus and partner Joe. 

Eric Bischoff entered the ring and called out his son Garrett, who he said needed a "good shot of reality." Garrett sure enough joined his Dad, who warned him that his new mystery trainer is a poor choice and will never be there for him. Garrett told his Dad that he should take it up with him, which Bischoff scoffed at and claimed that he would never come all the way to England for him. Garrett had to then stop his Dad for a moment as he answered his phone, it was the trainer calling him to let him know that he was in the building and would like to see Eric later on that night.  

Austin Aries defeated hometown prospect Mark Haskins in an enjoyable and fast paced X Division bout. Both wrestlers put in a good effort and the action never really let up, which included a dangerous Shooting Star Press from Haskins where he seemed to land a little awkwardly on his head. As usual, X Division Champion Aries was on great technical form.

Bobby Roode defeated James Storm in an intense match that gained momentum towards the final third of it. It began a little slow but once the signature moves and near falls began commencing the crowd were loving it, as was I. Bobby Roode pinned Storm with a Spear after Bully Ray had snuck to ringside and pulled on Storm's foot as he was preparing for a Last Call Superkick. Afterwards Bully Ray slammed Storm onto the World Title belt, with Sting racing in to 'The Cowboy's' aid.

Tara defeated Knockout Champion Gail Kim in a bout that started off slightly disappointingly and sloppy but at least picked up in terms of the quality of the action towards the end. For the finish Madison Rayne ran in to help the champ but accidentally struck her in the head instead, so Tara threw her out and applied the Widows Peak to Kim for the one-two-three.  

Garrett Bischoff thanked the fans for their support and was about to introduce his mystery trainer until his Dad, accompanied by Gunner interrupted him. Eric tried to convince him to give it up, but then the trainer was revealed, Hulk Hogan. Shocker, right? Together him and Garrett took out Gunner, and were about to do the same to Bischoff until he was saved by Gunner.       

James Storm defeated Bully Ray in a solid enough main event, though not as entertaining as the previous Roode versus Storm match from earlier on the show. Bully dominated the 'injured' Storm for the majority of the match until 'The Cowboy' made a valiant comeback and eventually pinned Ray after a Last Call. 

My Impact Wrestling, January 26th 2012 Recap

We kicked off Impact with Jeff Hardy and Bully Ray brawling with each other backstage. The Bully Ray and Hardy fight felt a little too fake and lacked intensity for my liking. It then carried on to the outside where TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Roode jumped out of his car and helped Ray take out Hardy. James Storm then came to Hardy's aid, but this was short lived as he was also taken out by the duo. But never fear as Sting then jumped in and chased off Bully and Roode, baseball bat in hand. 
Tara defeated Velvet Sky and Mickie James in a Triple Threat Match to determine the number one contender to Gail Kim's Knockout Championship at Against All Odds. The bout itself was rather sloppy, and at times almost looked like they weren't sure what they were supposed to do next. Disappointing, considering the high standard of Knockout matches we've had recently.
In the ring 'The Stinger', accompanied by Hardy and Storm, called out Roode and Bully Ray. The brawling continued briefly as they arrived but was halted by Sting. After a suggestion from 'The Cowboy', Sting decided to book a tag team Tables match between the four that night.
Alex Shelley defeated Zema Ion in a solid and thoroughly enjoyable X Division bout. It's certainly nice to see the talent of Shelley back, not just to freshen up the X Division but for Impact Wrestling in general. As per the agreement with X Division Champ Austin Aries last week this also means that Shelley will face Aries for the title at Against All Odds, which should be a superb encounter.  
We were then shown footage of Eric Bischoff paying a visit to his son Garrett Bischoff's regular gym where he trains to discover who his secret trainer is. But as a shocked Eric discovered who it was, he forced the cameras away so we couldn't see. Drat! 
ODB and Eric Young defeated Winter and Angelina Love in an average comedy tag bout.
Matt Morgan defeated Samoa Joe in an entertaining match up. Fortunately for our sakes, Morgan's offence was limited and the superior Joe lead the bout. Afterwards a sour Magnus and Samoa Joe once again took out Crimson and Morgan.
AJ Styles came to the ring and voiced his confusion over the hold that Christopher Daniels has over Kazarian. Kaz and ''The Fallen Angle' then joined Styles and Kazarian was about to talk, but was ordered by Daniels to hand over the mic. Daniels lectured AJ on once again coming to the ring and "complaining" about something. He also explained that "Frankie Kazarian doesn't owe you a damned thing." Styles asked Kazarian to come into the ring and shake his hand all all will be forgotten. But Daniels refused Kaz permission to do so and then proposed a match for Against All Odds between AJ Styles and Kazarian, ordering Kaz to ask Sting for the match. To be honest I'm growing a little tired of this storyline, I'm hoping they end it quite soon and move on.     
James Storm and Jeff Hardy defeated Bobby Roode and Bully Ray in a solid and worthy main event tag team Tables match. The sprawling action was well executed and nicely paced. The finish came when Storm elbow dropped Roode through a table in the ring. 
Afterwards Bully Ray brought in a steel chair and continued the assault on Storm and Hardy. He then powerbombed Jeff into a table from the top rope for a nice finish to the show.

My TNA Genesis 2012 Recap

Austin Aries (c) retained his X Division Title in the Fatal Four Way Elimination Match against Zema Ion, Kid Kash and Jesse Sorensen. It was a fast paced and entertaining enough opener to the pay-per-view, just let down a bit by the ending sequence. As you expect from the talent involved the action was pretty much non stop throughout, with a healthy dose of near falls and your typically entertaining X Division maneuvers. Austin Aries won after Sorensen (who was on top rope) had been distracted by an sore Zema Ion who had refused to leave after being eliminated by Jesse. This allowed Aries to apply his patented Brainbuster to Sorensen from the middle rope for a nice finisher to the match.
I personally felt it was a big mistake having Ion remain hidden at ringside from when he was eliminated, it just made it obvious to everyone (well if you're a wrestling fan you should've realised) that Ion was going to interfere and cost Sorensen the match. They should've had Ion go to the back after he'd been pinned, then had a lengthier period of Aries and Sorensen going at it with each of them pulling out their signature moves for near falls. Then when it looked like Jesse was going to the top rope for the win, Zema could've raced out to distract him as more of a surprise.      
Devon defeated D'Angelo Dinero in an average but occasionally heated bout. During the match up 'The Pope' called in Devon's two sons Terrence and Terrell and asked them to look at their beaten down father on the ground. They both clearly looked uncomfortable at the sight of this (even though they'd previously attacked their Dad with a steel chair with no quarrels strangely) so Dinero threw one of them out (I forget, they're twins remember?) and slapped the other. This gave Devon time to recover enough to make his heroic comeback and avenge his sons by defeating 'The Pope' one-two-three. Afterwards Devon also made up with his twins sons.
To quote The Miz, really? Really? I just feel like this storyline was ended far too soon. Dinero could've had Terrence and Terrell as his backup for a long while before they eventually turned on each other. All the build up to them turning on their own Father, only to have them then suddenly turn back once again this quickly. Cheers, Russo.  
Well that makes two finishes that were pretty weak in my view, let's see how the rest panned out then...
Gunner defeated Rob Van Dam in a passable but ultimately forgettable (usual for these two nowadays) bout. The match was back and fourth until Ric Flair (who'd accompanied Gunner) distracted the referee towards the end, allowing Gunner to DDT Van Dam onto some flooring he'd exposed on the outside and roll him back into the ring for the pinfall victory. It's quite a big win for Gunner, maybe TNA have big future plans for him? Not sure why, Gunner isn't bad, I just don't see anything particularly spectacular about the wrestler to be honest. But hopefully he'll prove me wrong. Afterwards RVD had to be stretchered out.
Okay, this ending I could get behind a bit more then the previous two if they really sell this RVD injury for a realistic length of time. It'll certainly make the fans take Gunner more seriously to take out a big name like Van Dam and only enhance his character.
Gail Kim (c) won via disqualification against Mickie James to retain her Knockouts Championship in a solid enough bout that just felt a little sloppy at places and an ending that gave it a bit of a tainted feel. Before the match began Velvet Sky had suggested to Sting backstage to add what she called a 'Velvet Touch' by having Madison Rayne locked inside of a cage for the duration of the title match to halt any interfering she may have planned, which 'The Stinger' agreed to. But towards the end Rayne threw down some knuckle dusters for Kim to use which the referee spotted. When he left to discard them Madison threw down another pair for the champ, but James thwarted the attempt and kicked her in the gut. Then, for a completely stupid and baffling finish (welcome to todays TNA folks!) James decided to use the knuckle dusters herself on Gail Kim right infront of the ref. Once again, really?
Abyss defeated Bully Ray in a surprisingly awesome Monsters Ball Match. The action and hardcore spots were constant but unlike many TNA hardcore match ups where they're just spot after spot for the sake of it, the action here was well planned out and not too over the top. The crowd in attendance certainly voiced their appreciation for it also. Abyss pinned Ray after Black Hole Slamming him onto a barbed wire table, although that wasn't as bad as Abyss being sandwiched between two barbed wire tables and then having Bully Ray come crashing down on top of him earlier on.
Matt Morgan and Crimson (c) defended their TNA Tag Team Titles against Samoa Joe and Magnus. The match up was mediocre for the most part, although there were moments of solid sequences in there. The most entertaining part for me was when the crowd began to chant  "We want Morgan!" with other fans then responding back with"No we don't!" Very funny. During the match we were also shown backstage footage of Bully Ray attacking Abyss.      
Kurt Angle defeated James Storm in the match of the night. From start to finish the bout was enthralling and technically superb. Certainly their best match together too in my opinion. The finish came after Angle low blowed Storm after using the referee to protect him from a Last Call Superkick, and applying his own superkick for the pin.
Tenay in his trademark move sent us backstage where someone queried a bloodied Bully Ray to Abyss' whereabouts. Ray answered with "I don't know. Where's he at?"
Jeff Hardy won via DQ against Bobby Roode (c) in a match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. This was very almost match of the night, the structure and pace were brilliantly executed. Both men put in a very good effort and worked hard to provide a worthy main event. For the finish Roode purposely low blowed referee Hebner to avoid loosing his World Title.
The crowd, which had been thoroughly into the bout, chanted "We want Sting!" after the finish. I don't blame them, it did feel like a bit of a let down after such a solid match. I can excuse one or two finishes of this fashion on a TNA pay-per-view card (it's come to be expected from that muppet Russo) but for the majority of the matches to end on screwy finishes is just inexcusable really. It's a shame, but I'd add that the last two matches are still worth checking out along with the Monsters Ball. 

My Impact Wrestling, January 5th 2012 Recap

Sting called out Jeff Hardy and congratulated him on his progress since his return to the company and remarked on the similarities between them both, with the 'Stinger' mentioning a time when he was "dealing with my own demons," too. He also gave Jeff his own "personal endorsement." As he said that the TNA World Champion Bobby Roode made his way out with Kurt Angle and Bully Ray. Roode queried Sting as to why he doesn't endorse himself, Ray or Angle rather then Hardy. As Roode continued to abuse Hardy, James Storm, accompanied by Abyss then joined them. 'The Cowboy' commented that Angle wasn't the same man he was a few months ago, and that he was looking a "little scared." Abyss then snatched the mic off of Angle and told Bully Ray that he and Immortal used and exploited him, and that they still need him but "I don't need Immortal anymore." In the same vein as Teddy Long, Sting made a main event for the night pitting all six men against each other in a six-man tag team bout. 
Gail Kim and Madison Rayne (c) defended their TNA Knockouts Tag Team titles against Mickie James and Traci Brooks. The match up itself was quite average for the most part, although it started off pretty excitingly and heated. I quite like the idea of Kim and Rayne holding on to the titles for a little while longer, they're a believable unit to me.
Gunner versus Rob Van Dam ended in a double count out. The action wasn't bad but as with most of these two wrestlers matches in TNA the bout was ultimately quite forgettable. After the bell rang Gunner attempted to piledriver Van Dam onto some exposed flooring (his trademark as of late) but was thwarted on both his attempts. First by RVD himself then by members of the backstage staff. 
Jesse Sorensen and Zema Ion defeated Kid Kash and Austin Aries in a solid and fast paced tag team bout. There seems to be a rivalry brewing between Ion and Sorensen so I wouldn't be shocked to see them tangle over the title in the near future.  
Backstage we witnessed AJ call his tag partner Kazarian for their match up next. As they left, Christopher Daniels (unknown to Styles) appeared from a hidden spot in the dressing room where he'd been obviously talking to Kaz.  
Samoa Joe and Magnus defeated AJ Styles and Kazarian after Kaz abandoned AJ during the match and joined Christopher Daniels on the ramp, leaving him to be attacked and pinned by Joe. The final match of the Tag Team tournament to determine the number one contenders for Genesis was entertaining at parts, although maybe a slight disappointment considering the calibre of talent involved. AJ's time in the ring was the definite highlight for myself. 
Abyss, James Storm and Jeff Hardy versus Bobby Roode, Kurt Angle and Bully Ray ended in a no contest after all six men began brawling with one another. Up until that point the match had been strong at times with a heated (if not a bit baffling) ending to the match and the show.  

My Impact Wrestling, December 29th 2011 recap

In a rare moment, the Knockouts started Impact off with Madison Rayne (accompanied by tag team partner Gail Kim) informing Tara and Tessmacher that they were both"fired!" Sting decided to intervene in quite an amusing moment when he informed Rayne that she had, in fact "no power," or authority over the Knockout division. He also added that Gail Kim would have to defend her TNA Knockouts title against Mickie James that night. I'm so glad that they gave Sting this role as the GM (or whatever the title is) of Impact, I'm finding him more endearing now then I have for months.     
Kazarian and AJ Styles defeated Abyss and Scott Steiner in the tag team tournament to determine the new number one contenders. The actual bout itself was quite decent actually, considering Abyss and Steiner were on one of the teams. The finish came after Abyss turned on Steiner by Black Hole Slamming him and dragging Kazarian's body over for the cover.
After the match Bully Ray confronted Abyss and claimed that he was sick of him pushing people around, and called him a "bully." Ray carried on to query Abyss by asking "What do you want?" To which 'The Monster' replied "I want you. I want Bully Ray." Abyss then added a stipulation to his proposed match against Ray at Genesis, that if he lost he would once again join the ranks of Immortal. Bully accepted the challenge, that was before Abyss added that their match would be under Monsters Ball rules.  
Zema Ion defeated Anthony Nese in a Contract On A Pole Match to earn himself a spot in the Fatal Four Way Match at Genesis for the X Division title. While the match up was solid enough, it felt a little average compared to their previous two bouts on Impact to me.   
Douglas Williams won via disqualification against Gunner after Gunner had pushed over the referee. Up until that point the match had been quite heated, with plenty of shots shared between the two. It's just a shame it was so brief, especially with a wrestler the quality of Williams competing which we unfortunately don't get to see often enough for my liking. Afterwards Gunner once again applied a DDT to Williams on the outside of the ring to exposed flooring. Why couldn't he at least take out someone average like Anderson?
World Champion Bobby Roode introduced his friend Tracy Koleski, who he'd flown in from Canada, to bring him into his "world" as he put it. Koleski asked Roode why his demeanor had changed so much and queried "Who have you become?" After he had supposedly ignored all calls from his friends and family. Roode laughed at his friend and claimed that "there is nothing wrong with this picture" and called Tracy his "lackey" while they were growing up. Roode then resorted to attacking his ex-friend until Jeff Hardy raced out to his aid.
Samoa Joe and Magnus defeated ODB and Eric Young in another tag team tournament match up. The bout itself was entertaining enough, the moments with ODB in the ring were mainly for comical effect. It's also nice to see the solid Samoa Joe and improving Magnus being made relevant once again in the company.
Kurt Angle defeated Rob Van Dam via DQ when James Storm entered the ring and super kicked Angle. The bout had been decent, although you could tell it wasn't either mans best effort. 
Gail Kim (c) defended her TNA Knockouts Championship against Mickie James. The main event was a superb and intense contest, and proved how entertaining female wrestling can and should be. Both wrestlers clearly take pride in their work and you could see that they wanted to make the most of a rare main event spot for them both. Gail Kim grabbed the one-two-three after a masked woman ran in and attacked James from behind, most likely Rayne, although Tenay and Taz both mentioned Madison so maybe that's too obvious? Melina making her debut perhaps?
For all of TNA's flaws (of which there are many) their women's division far exceeds WWE's. Could you honestly imagine Beth Phoenix facing Kelly Kelly or Eve Torres in the main event of a Raw or SmackDown? Of course not. I'm not saying that WWE doesn't have some talented female wrestlers, just that they're not utilised correctly nowadays. Long gone are the days of Trish Stratus and Lita I'm afraid guys and girls.

My TNA Final Resolution 2011 Recap

Rob Van Dam defeated Christopher Daniels in a decent enough opener. It wasn't the most exciting match featuring either man but it was okay, and for the most part technically sound. It just felt strange having an ordinary match between the two after they had a (what would usually be) feud-ending No Disqualification match at the last pay-per-view. Why didn't they just leave it there and move on to new opponents?
Robbie E (c) defeated Eric Young to retain his TNA Television title. The bout itself was a pretty average one really. Although I think Robbie E is looking better. I still believe that Eric Young was far more effective in his role as a more serious heel persona in the company. There's more possibilities for him like that then there is as this silly random character (that's run its course for me) in my opinion. Robbie E grabbed the win after an attempt from Young to slam both him and Rob Terry following a distraction and top rope choke from Terry. He used a Codebreaker like maneuver as a finisher.  
Matt Morgan and Crimson (c) defeated Devon and D'Angelo Dinero to retain the TNA Tag Team titles in a fair but at times sloppy match up. Afterwards Devon's two sons (can't be asked to learn their names just yet) expressed their disappointment at their Dad's performance and loss.
Austin Aries (c) defeated Kid Kash to retain his X Division Championship in a very entertaining title match. I predicted that it'd be a solid encounter between the two but it was even more engaging then I'd thought it'd be. The two went back and fourth and even traded moments of getting caught with knuckle dusters and having their legs on the ropes during pin attempts by the referee. It was a smart move leaving Kash heel for the bout. Aries caught Kash with a brainbuster for the one-two-three. As fun as it was, I still believe Aries needs to move on and battle some fresh X Division talent. I'd pick Alex Shelley myself, he's been seriously underutilized for months now.
Gail Kim (c) defeated Mickie James to retain her Knockouts Championship. Predictably the match was technically great and solid from start to finish with great exchanges between the two competitors. This was also a hell of a lot better then any match WWE have produced form the Divas division in years. Which is funny considering this is the calibre of female talent that they could still have if they'd treated them the way they actually deserve. This is something I do applaude TNA for, bar the way Kong was treated towards the end of her time in the company.
James Storm defeated Kurt Angle in an intense and technically brilliant (it's Kurt Angle, after all) match up. Angle dominated most of the bout but Storm began battling back towards the end and was victorious after applying a swift super kick to his opponent. Wise move giving Storm the big clean win over Angle, he definitely has a lot more to gain from it.  
Jeff Hardy defeated Jeff Jarrett in an exciting cage match. It was a good effort by both wrestlers, one of the highlights being an insane Swanton from the very top of the cage by Hardy onto the mat. As per the stipulations of the match Hardy on Thursday's iMPACT will get to choose to fire either Karen or Jeff Jarrett, it'll most likely be Karen. Although she's done a decent job in her role as Knockouts VP, I feel the division will benefit from her not being there any more.
Bobby Roode (c) versus AJ Styles in a thirty-minute Iron Man match for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship ended in a 3-3 draw. The action was worthy of the main event spot but failed to hold the crowds attention at certain points. AJ sold the leg injury very well and it fitted into the match stipulation, considering how long the match was and how Roode could exploit it. Although it was a good match, the build up and Styles Roode feud has just felt rushed and unconvincing. I never believed that Styles was going to beat Roode for the title at any point. I am however hopeful for the Hardy versus Roode match up for next months Genesis PPV and the potential it brings.
Overall Final Resolution was probably one of the better TNA pay-per-views as of late. With entertaining bouts involving Gail Kim and Mickie James, Angle and Storm, Aries and Kash, Hardy and Jarrett and Styles and Roode. Plus the level of Russo-ridiculousness was kept low so an added bonus.

My iMPACT Wrestling, December 8th 2011 Recap

The Stinger started things off by calling out the World champion Bobby Roode and the dull TNA President Dixie Carter. Sting demanded that Roode publicly apologise to Carter after using her as a shield two weeks ago on iMPACT. Bobby obliged and apologised to Carter, but then also went on to express how now he's the champ he can be much more honest. Honest about how since he's won the championship "business is better then ever" for TNA, which isn't really true at all but whatever.
Roode went on to give his honest opinion on Dixie Carter, who he believes is "a fake, a wannabe, Daddy's little rich girl," who's had everything handed to her. Not sure how true that is to be honest but I do believe that Carter doesn't deserve a place in professional wrestling, that's not a personal jab but my own opinion. He continued, "You couldn't run a lemonade stand, never mind a wrestling company, Dixie" my sentiments exactly. She just doesn't seem to have a clue how to run things and is a poor, worthless on screen persona to boot. The champ carried on to call himself "the leader of the selfish generation" (a moniker I quite like actually) and just before he left, spat in the face of Dixie Carter. For me this was a great promo by Roode and definitely the strongest since he won the World title. Most of it you could actually believe in, and the spit at the end just added that dramatic factor and is sure to buy him a ton load of heat. Nicely done Roode.
AJ Styles confronted Roode backstage but explained that the only reason he doesn't "rip him apart" right then and there was that he instead wanted everyone to see it in the ring. 
Abyss defeated Samoa Joe in a decent enough match up, for Abyss anyway. The finish came when Joe and the referee got distracted by Immortal member Scott Steiner at ringside. During this Bully Ray ran in and struck Joe with a chain, leaving Abyss (who had seen the attack by Ray) to choke slam Joe and grab the one-two-three. Ray and Steiner celebrated with 'The Monster' after believing that they had turned Abyss back into an Immortal member after helping him out, but instead he Black Hole Slammed Steiner and chased off Bully Ray. So why did they do this with a heel like Samoa Joe? And why was Abyss, a face, so happy to go along with the tainted win? Welcome to Russo-ville folks! Where it doesn't matter if you're good or bad!
D'Angelo Dinero and Devon asked out their opponents on Sunday, the TNA Tag Team champions Crimson and Matt Morgan to congratulate them on winning the titles and Devon also gave them his own personal belief that they could be "number one for a long time," really, Devon? He also warned them that him and 'Pope' will be bringing their A game at Final Resolution. Pope with a different tune then called the champions"two of the biggest, dumbest honkies that we've come across in some time," so there's clearly a heel turn approaching here. He also added that they were going to be taking the tag titles from them. It was a strong speech from Dinero that elicited a big cheer from the crowd, and proved once again that he deserves to be in a bigger position in TNA. Like for instance, the one that's been given to the average Anderson.
After the exchange of words Dinero barged Morgan on the way out which sparked a brawl between the teams. As Crimson and Devon wondered off out of the ring, Devon's two sons entered the ring to help out D'Angelo take out 'The Blueprint'.           
Mickie James defeated Madison Rayne in a bout that started off quite heated and exciting but ended sloppily. Should be a solid match between James and Gail Kim on Sunday though. Although I see Gail retaining with some outside help.
Garrett Bischoff defeated Gunner once again with a lucky pinfall victory. The match itself was average. Afterwards Gunner continued attacking Garrett and threw him into the steel steps. He also piledrivered him onto some exposed floor (uncovered by Eric Bischoff) on the outside of the ring. That's something you wouldn't see done in WWE, the piledriver is saved for only certain experienced wrestlers there.   
James Storm confronted Kurt Angle in the ring. Angle gave Storm credit for coming back so soon to action after the concussion he had caused him, he also warned that at Final Resolution when Storm enters the ring with him "you come into my world." Storm retaliated his threats by letting Kurt know that "there's nothing on God's green Earth that intimidates me." He also threatened Angle by adding that when he beats him at Final Resolution, he's going to crush his head "like a beer can."
Gail Kim defeated Traci Brooks in a heated match up where Brooks denied Karen Jarrett's earlier orders of just laying down and giving Kim the victory. Brooks had the majority of the exchange until Karen approached the ring, distracting the ref and allowing Madison Rayne to crack Traci over the head with her title belt and Gail Kim to pick up the pinfall win.
AJ Styles and Jeff hardy defeated Jeff Jarrett and Bobby Roode in an exciting main event. Hardy and Jarrett's battle ended up spanning off into the backstage area while AJ managed to get the win (with an injured leg and all) with a quick roll up pin on Roode. The fight continued after the match where Styles took the offence to the World champion until he ran off, only to return to take out the story-line-injured leg of AJ Styles.