wrestling / Columns

411’s PPV Roundtable Preview: TNA Final Resolution 2009

December 18, 2009 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas

Welcome, loyal wrestling fans, to the 411 TNA Roundtable! Turning Point took place last month, and TNA had one of their best Pay-Per-Views in a long time as AJ Styles retained his World Title against Samoa Joe and Daniels in a Match of the Year candidate while Kurt Angle bested Desmond Wolfe in a classic of their own! The British Invasion walked away from the Motor City Machineguns and Beer Money with their tag team titles still around their waists while Amazing Red did the same against Homicide and Taylor Wilde, Sarita and ODB retained against the Beautiful People. Scott Steiner shocked all of us by beating Bobby Lashley, Tara beat Awesome Kong inside Six Sides of Steel…it was a hell of a pay-per-view, to be sure.

December is here, and so is the second Final Resolution of the year. This month with Samoa Joe out of the equation, we have Daniels getting his one-on-one shot at AJ’s World Title. Wolfe and Angle continue their battle with Three Degrees of Pain while the Machine Guns get their shot at the British Invasion and the tag team straps. Tara tries to take ODB’s Knockouts Title away, Bobby Lashley tries to avenge his loss last month in a Last Man Standing match against Steiner, we have an eight-man elimination match and the return of Feast or Fired! We have a lot to get through, so let’s introduce our panelists for this month!

Before we do, though, don’t forget to bookmark 411Mania for all your entertainment needs, or even make it your home page! And don’t forget the Twitters too!

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Joining the Roundtable this month are:

Andy Clark of “The Shimmy!”
Michael Weyer, the man behind “Shining a Spotlight!”
Chad Nevett of “High Road/Low Road!”
Julian Bond of “Against the Grain!”
And of course, yours truly Jeremy Thomas!


TNA’S OFFICIAL “PLEASE BUY OUR PAY-PER-VIEW” VIDEO:

Nice, simple and to the point. Works for me.

TNA Final Resolution 2009

THE CARD:

TNA WORLD TITLE MATCH
AJ Styles © vs. Daniels

Andy Clark: I’d love to see Daniels get the win here, if only to be a transitional champ for Angle or even Hogan. Alas Daniels looks to just be there to fill time. At least the match should be good.

Winner and STILL TNA World Heavyweight Champion: AJ Styles

Michael Weyer: Is it even possible for these two to put on a match that’s less than brilliant? I’d love to see Daniels get the belt, long deserved it but feel they want to keep building AJ as champ for a bit in order to set up for Hogan or Wolfe.

Winner and STILL TNA World Champion: The Phenomenal One

Chad Nevett: I have really liked this feud and I wish it wouldn’t end here, but they’re teasing Styles/Angle pretty hard, so I see this being a very good match with a predictable finish.

Winner and STILL TNA World Heavyweight Champion: AJ Styles

Julian Bond: Should be an awesome bout here and about damn time that they put two of the guys who had one of, if not THE, best matches in TNA history in a main event over the World Title. Been a LONG time coming. Styles should retain here and maybe face out against Daniels, Wolfe, and Angle in a Four-Way match very soon.

Winner and STILL TNA Champion: AJ Styles

Jeremy Thomas: As much as I would love to say this will top last month’s match, I don’t think that’s going to happen. Don’t get me wrong, it’s going to be an incredible match regardless but I think the inclusion of Joe allowed them to work a more spot-filled style and still use a lot of story-telling. Still, as I said this will be an amazing match and I don’t see Daniels pulling it off. It could well happen but right now AJ is the non-Hogan face of the company and he’s walking out the same way he walks in…TNA World Champion.

Winner: AJ Styles (STILL TNA World Champion)

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: AJ Styles (5-0)

THREE DEGREES OF PAIN
Desmond Wolfe vs. Kurt Angle

Andy Clark: Angle looks to be getting a title shot next month, but Wolfe really needs to win. I figure either Angle gets his momentum back on Impact or we get some sort of wacky draw, with both men escaping the cage at the same time.

Winner: DRAW

Michael Weyer: Angle does need a win back but Wolfe seems set to be facing AJ and a big win here will push that. Expect a hard-hitting affair as the big blow-off with Wolfe managing to keep on top.

Winner: Desmond Wolfe

Chad Nevett: Angle won their last match, so it would seem that Wolfe would need this victory to go over and not kill his momentum, but I don’t think so. He’s hung in there and has looked fantastic even when losing, so putting on another great show with Angle here will be enough to maintain his status while allowing Angle to segue into a feud with AJ.

Winner: Kurt Angle

Julian Bond: McGuinness…I mean Wolfe….has been simply awesome in his very short time in TNA. No knock on WWE nor Wolfe, but if he went there instead as originally, he probably wouldn’t have caught on with the fans as suddenly and quickly in a good way as he has here. Anywho I think that he gets his first big win here to even things up with Angle….or I may be wrong and see a double count-out happening to keep Angle looking strong…but I’ll stick with Wolfe.

Winner: Desmond Wolfe

Jeremy Thomas: This is the toughest one to call for me. On one hand, it would make sense for Angle to go over. On the other, Wolfe could use the win here after he lost at Turning Point. My head says Angle, but I’m going with my heart and saying that Wolfe pulls this one out by losing the first fall, then making Angle submit and escaping the cage.

Winner: Desmond Wolfe

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: Desmond Wolfe (3-1-1)

TNA WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH
The British Invasion © vs. The Motor City Machineguns

Andy Clark: If Hogan is coming in he needs foreign heels to fight. The British Invasion will look more impressive if they still have the belts.

Winners and STILL TNA World Tag Team Champions: Doug Williams & Brutus Magnus

Michael Weyer: It’s way, way overdue for the MCMG to get the tag belts and this is the perfect time for it. The Invasion will give a good bout but expect the challengers to get it.

Winners and NEW TNA World Tag Team Champions: MCMG

Chad Nevett: In the build-up to this match, the British Invasion haven’t looked the best, losing to Chris Sabin in a three-on-one handicap match and, then, losing again this week to the trio of Kurt Angle, Tomko, and AJ Styles. As a result, I imagine that they’ll somehow pull off the victory so as to not be buried entirely.

Winner and STILL TNA World Tag Team Champions: The British Invasion

Julian Bond: This should be a good match also here. Good that TNA is finally staying behind MCMG as tag team contenders, but I think that they fall here and have the Brits still hold onto the belts until Beer Money gets their revenge.

Winner and STILL TNA Tag Team Champions: The British Invasion

Jeremy Thomas: I love me some British Invasion, and that’s where I’m going with this. I think that the Guns would make fine tag team champions here but the continuing reign of Magnus and Williams is doing them worlds of good and I see that trend continuing. Like much of this show the match should be very good to great, Sabin and Shelly will bump nicely and have their periods of control but the Invasion will be too much for them.

Winner: The British Invasion (STILL TNA World Tag Team Champions)

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: The British Invasion (4-1)

TNA KNOCKOUTS TITLE MATCH
ODB © vs. Tara

Andy Clark: Can we call this a do over for Tara? ODB has been a decent, albeit confusing, champion. Tara needs to take advantage of this opportunity, especially after giving that emotional speech a few weeks back. Tara will be a nice person to headline the New Year’s Eve women’s show.

Winner and NEW Knockouts Champion: Tara

Michael Weyer: ODB has been good but come on, Tara is just a great champ to be on top. TNA should recommend that and go over here to give the Knockouts some more heat.

Winner and NEW Knockouts Champion: Tara

Chad Nevett: They’ve put some solid effort into building this match and making both ladies look like they could walk away with the belt, but the company seems pretty behind Tara, so she’s my choice.

Winner and NEW TNA Knockouts Champion: Tara

Julian Bond: This should be good. I thought that ODB would drop the belt last month cause I was thinking that she was just going to be a transition champ, but I was wrong. So I think Tara gets a win here to start a real title reign with the belt (not like the screwjob that she had with Angelina Love a few months ago).

Winner and NEW TNA Knockouts Champion: Tara

Jeremy Thomas: Every month I predict against ODB, and every month I’m wrong. Ehh, why buck a trend? Seriously, I think that ODB’s had a very nice run but the time has come to put the title back on Tara. With TNA entering what will hopefully be a new era, they need a champion that WWE fans will recognize for the January 4th Impact and that equates to Spider-Woman. Tara wins and Sforcina votes her Wrestler of the Week, and everyone is happy.

Winner: Tara (NEW TNA Knockouts Champion)

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: Tara (5-0)

EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM ELIMINATION MATCH
Rhino, Jesse Neal and Team 3D vs. Matt Morgan, Hernandez, D’Angelo Dinero, and Suicide

Andy Clark: I wonder if we get the Pope heel turn this month, particularly after he got “laid out” last week. The four-on-one handicap stipulation might bog things down a bit, but there is enough talent that this could be a fun match at the end. Heels win thanks to Poperference.

Winners: Rhino, Jesse Neal, & Team 3D

Michael Weyer: Pretty wild but that should work out in the flavor of the match. Tough to pick but I guess I’ll go with the heels here with Neal probably pulling out the victory.

Michael Weyer: Rhino, Neal and Team 3D

Chad Nevett: Another one-sided build with Team 3D and company burying Hernandez and Morgan any chance they get. I’m almost tempted to predict that Team 3D and company win in the first five minutes by beating Hernandez before he can be joined by his teammates as that seems like the sort of odd choice TNA is fond of, but I’m going to go the other way and side with Team Morgan.

Winner: Team Morgan (Morgan and Hernandez as the survivors)

Julian Bond: Liking the nice little feud here. Think the faces get the win to even things, probably after Hernandez holds down the fort for the first 5 minutes by himself.

Winner: Matt Morgan, Hernandez, D’Angelo Dinero, and Suicide

Jeremy Thomas: I just haven’t been able to get into this one. It makes more sense for the faces to win here since they lost last month, so that’s what will happen with either Morgan or Hernandez making a big comeback victory against two or three-to-one odds.

Winner: Morgan, Hernandez, Dinero & Suicide

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: Matt Morgan, Hernandez, D’Angelo Dinero, and Suicide (3-2)

LAST MAN STANDING MATCH
Bobby Lashley vs. Scott Steiner

Andy Clark: The march to Fedor starts now. Lashley’s last few losses have been abberations.

Winner: Bobby Lashley

Michael Weyer: Let the stiffiness reign! Seriously, should be an okay match and Lashley should be going back on the winning track with this.

Winner: Lashley

Chad Nevett: This feud went one month longer than anyone expected and hasn’t been a trainwreck the ENTIRE time. But, it needs to end and there’s only way for that to happen…

Winner: Bobby Lashley

Julian Bond: This has been a surprisingly stable straightforward feud here that has kept my interest. Nothing mindblowing….just straight-up solid. I was surprised that Lashely took the lost last month, but he finally gets his vengeance here and probably is on his way to a title shot against AJ Styles (maybe on January 4th?!?!?…who knows).

Winner: Bobby Lashley

Jeremy Thomas: After we all predicted wrong last month, I think it’s time we all got it right. Putting Steiner over Lashley was rather mind-boggling and they have to correct it here. As surprisingly decent as the feud has been, this will be all about Lashley, the guy who has a World Title shot (and will likely use it January 4th) because he needs some momentum going into that eventual match.

Winner: Bobby Lashley

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: Bobby Lashley (5-0)

FEAST OR FIRED MATCH
Samoa Joe, Robert Roode, James Storm, Kevin Nash, Eric Young, Sheik Abdul Bashir, Kiyoshi, Homicide, Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed, & Cody Deaner

Andy Clark: I actually enjoy this match, I just wish they wouldn’t have people switch briefcases after they’ve won them. For that reason it may not matter who actually pulls down the cases, but I’ll make my picks as if they will stick.

World Title Shot Winner: Eric Young
Tag Team Title Shot Winner: Kevin Nash
X-Division Title Shot Winner: Kiyoshi
Fired: Cody Deaner

Michael Weyer: Picking who wins what is probably for naught since they always go around switching cases anyway. The match itself is fun, though so this should work out well.

World Title Shot Winner: Samoa Joe
Tag Team Title Shot Winner: Creed and Homicide
X-Division Title Shot Winner: Kiyoshi
Fired: Nash (one can dream, right?)

Chad Nevett: The build to this match has been minimal with a few promos and… wow, that’s it. Are we sure this match is still on the card? With so many options, it’s hard to guess who will get what, but I’ll give it a shot by imagining I was Vince Russo and wanted to shock and surprise every single person in the world…

World Title Shot Winner: Robert Roode
Tag Team Title Shot Winner: Kevin Nash
X-Division Title Shot Winner: Cody Deaner
Fired: James Storm

Julian Bond: While this match is always usually a clusterf@ck, it is pretty fun predicting who gets the suitcases and when they use them ala “Money In The Bank”. A member of Beer Money will more than likely get the Tag Team shot, poor redneck Deaner will probably get the “Fired” case (since he’s a jobber anyways), me thinks Nash will get the shot and sell it off to a member of World Elite for them to cash in, and Joe should definitely be a lock for a World Title shot (and he’s hoping that he cashes it in a very asshole way…like CM Punk).

World Title Shot Winner: Samoa Joe
Tag Team Title Shot Winner: A member of Beer Money
X-Division Title Shot Winner: Kevin Nash
Fired: Cody Deaner

Jeremy Thomas: Yeah, I’ve always hated this match and this year it’s no different. You might as well throw darts at the wall to predict who’s winning each shot, so I predict based on what would be most bizarre typically. But every year there’s one that makes sense…that’s Kiyoshi, who will get a Tag Team Title shot so that there’s tension in the World Elite. Storm gets the World Title shot because I think TNA would like to see how much potential they have with him. Nash gets the X-Division shot because that’s funny, and I’m going out on a limb and saying Samoa Joe gets fired…then comes back in some meta-storyline-fueled way. Hey, it makes as much sense as anything else.

World Title Shot Winner: James Storm
Tag Team Title Shot Winner: Kiyoshi
X-Division Title Shot Winner: Kevin Nash
Fired: Samoa Joe

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: Yeah, not going to try with this one.

Mick Foley & Abyss vs. Dr. Stevie & Raven

Andy Clark: A month ago I was excited about the possibility of this match. Now I’m over it. Foley is engaged in a much more interesting storyline with Hogan/Jarrett/Dixie, Raven should be doing more than being Stevie lackey, and the Abyss-Stevie feud has gone on way too long. Foley has more important things to handle so he wins here.

Winners: Mick Foley & Abyss

Chad Nevett: I know I shouldn’t be surprised that this match is still going on considering the injury Abyss suffered, but I am. It didn’t look like much more than an ugly, brutal match before and now it looks like it will be worse.

Winner: Mick Foley and Abyss

Julian Bond: Oh…this is still happening…flip o’ coin…

Winner: Foley/Abyss

Jeremy Thomas: Everyone else is going with the Hardcore Duo…I’m going off the beaten path, mostly because I would love to see Raven get a PPV win. But I think it also means that Foley will turn on Abyss or vice versa, which may or may not be forgotten about in the new storylines that start up when Hulkamania runs wild on TNA.

Winner: Raven & Dr. Stevie

411Mania Roundtable Consensus: Mick Foley & Abyss (3-1)

There you have it folks. And now for the monthly Roundtable awards…the 411Mania staff’s sure pick of the show and anyone’s game match!

Sure Pick of the Show: Tara over ODB and Bobby Lashley over Steiner (5-0)
Anyone’s Game: Matt Morgan, Hernandez, D’Angelo Dinero, and Suicide over Rhino, Jesse Neal and Team 3D (3-2)

And of course…the standings Year-to-Date! Turning Point was not kind to our predictors, with Larry winning the PPV at 5 for 8 while everyone else scored between 4 for 8 to 3 for 8. Let’s check out the rankings!

Aaron Hubbard: 6 of 7 (85.71%)
Robert S. Leighty: 6 of 7 (85.71%)
Mathew Sforcina: 13 of 16 (81.25%)
Larry Csonka: 23 of 33 (69.70%)
Julian Bond: 30 of 48 (62.50%)
Jeremy Thomas: 29 of 48 (60.42%)
Michael Weyer: 29 of 48 (60.42%)
Andy Clark: 24 of 40 (60.00%)
Chris Lansdell: 9 of 16 (56.25%)
Chad Nevett: 3 of 8 (37.50%)

Hubbard and Leighty are still rocking the one-shot deal lead, but a strong showing by anyone could vault them right up there. Plus, eventually they’re going to drop out of the charts due to the minimum number of predictions needed. Who will rule the roost then? I guess we’ll see…

And, of course, don’t forget to join us Sunday night for LIVE coverage starting at 7:30 pm!

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