WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE TLC 2011 Review (A night for the Indy boys)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE TLC 2011. With this being the final PPV of the year, how will the WWE close out 2011? Well, let's find out and start the review. 

Match #1: Dolph Ziggler vs Zack Ryder for the US Championship

After a Clement Clarke Moore rip off, we finally begin the PPV.  The audience was electric for this match. At first, I was a little puzzled by having this match open up the PPV since I felt it should've been around the second or third match, but I get why they did it. Part of getting the people interested in this PPV at home is about how the audience can get them up on their feet. With the audience being this excited for the match, it can make the audience watching it at home very interested. This was a good wrestling match to get people interested. Dolph and Ryder work very well together. If Ryder ever evolves beyond mid card status (at the moment, I don't see that happening), I think it would be kinda cool for Dolph and Ryder to rekindle their rivalry. Vickie Guerrero was tossed out of this match when she interfered. The two would duke it out for a while and it ended when Zack hit the Rough Ryder and the Broski is now the new US Champion. It doesn't really come as a surprise since WWE has set up a series of events for Ryder to get crowned. They tested him early to find out how well his fanbase stacked up, but the guy still managed to go out there and prove he's worthy of the mid card championship. As for Dolph, I think he will slowly make his run towards the main event. I don't think it will happen right away, but I think after WM 28 is when we can really see some serious s*** from Dolph. And we don't even have to go 88 MPH. 

Winner via pinfall and NEW US Champion: Zack Ryder

There was a backstage scene. I'm gonna do something different. I am going to re-enact this scene….

Booker T: Cody Rhodes, we coming for you….*smash*. Yo dawg, what the hell?

As you would've guessed, Cody attacked Booker from behind as Booker was talking to one of the divas. Officials arrive to break it up, but the damage might already be done. There's a lot more with this scene later in the show, but I will save that for when it's time to address it. 

Match #2: Air Boom vs Primo and Epico for the WWE Tag Team Championships

So, do these guys have a tag team name? I'm just gonna call them the Puerto Rican Express. I think it has a nice ring to it. The match was okay, but the lack of story didn't really make it the most engaging match. In fact, the audience was kinda quite for this match. This was clearly one of those matches they put on the card to eat up the time. Still, it was okay in terms of filler matches. The finish comes when Kofi Kingston hits Trouble in Paradise for the clean victory. By the way, isn't Hunico supposed to be with these guys? In fact, he has been in the Witness Wrestling Protection Program ever since Survivor Series. I think Hunico is really missing Sin Cara right about now. It made sense to not do a title change since we don't know a whole lot about the Puerto Rican tag team. Maybe with a few more weeks of build up between these two, I can maybe see a tag title change. At the same time, I think WWE is kinda committed to Air Boom. Hell, Evan Bourne got a 30 day suspension and still kept the titles on them. That should at least mean something. 

Winner via pinfall and still Tag Team Champs: Air Boom

Backstage where Teddy Long is dressed up as Santa and decorating a Christmas tree. Hornswoggle arrives dressed up as a elf and feels this is really stupid. Not only did they give him the ability to talk, they gave him a personality while they were at it. Teddy gives him the gift of Rosetta Stone Ebonics. Hornswoggle throws it on the ground and leaves. Some people might liked this comedy segment. I have seen worse, but it wasn't that great. I think the line that saved this scene was where they talked about getting kicked in the ornaments. 

Match #3: Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett in a Tables Match

The King talked about how in this type of match, you have to play more defense. Well, I guess that means I LOVE DEFENSE….AND BASTIODON TOO!!! Anyway, this match up was exactly what I expected. It wasn't great since I felt the story being told between the two lost it's flavor along the way, which is why my interest for this match kinda disappeared. Still, the two worked a pretty fair match, but nothing to brag home about. The finish was pretty cool. Wade is going for a top rope move while Orton is on the table, but Orton props back up and hits RKO while Wade was in mid-air. That finish probably makes the match worthwhile. This was the blow off feud and the face usually wins the blowoff feud. I still think WWE will keep Wade's stock high as they are heading towards WM, but who really knows.

Winner: Randy Orton

Backstage where Teddy Claus is talking to the Bellas. Teddy decides to give them a gift, his phone number. Teddy talks about the idea of reindeer games with the Bellas, but they leave him. Teddy was pretty funny tonight. Sorry Teddy, but you need the trust fund of Scrooge McDuck to get these ladies. Once they leave, Jack Swagger talks about getting some unfair treatment. Sheamus arrives into the scene and tells a story about a relative of his having their head up their arse and that will be Swagger's fate. Teddy makes it Sheamus vs Swagger tonight. Another filler match for the evening? Well, stranger things have happened, especially if you watched this PPV. 

Match #4: Beth Phoenix vs Kelly Kelly for the Divas Championship

Well, this was put on the show to eat up the clock. There really was no other reason to have this match. Do you hear that silence? it's the life pulse of the Diva Division (It really doesn't look very good). Now, I'll be fair here and say the match was tolerable. It seems the only good diva matches you get are the ones on PPV. What's up with that? The finish comes when Beth hits a modified electric chair and wins the match. There really isn't a whole lot to say about this match, but it shouldn't have happened. Hell, the audience barely gave two s***s about this match since they were quite. Oh yeah, I can totally see everyone lining up to watch the next diva match...

Winner via pinfall and still Divas Champ: Beth Phoenix

Backstage where Alberto Del Rio is yelling at Ricardo Rodriguez for not getting him a car for tonight. I guess the Baltimore rental car place was closed. Either that or WWE is not paying for those cars anymore. Hey, at least Eddie Guerrero was interesting enough for his rental cars. As Del Rio tells Ricardo to go get some food, Miz shows up as Ricardo leaves. Both guys talk about how they want to take out CM Punk, but are only thinking about winning the title. As Ricardo arrives with some food, Miz smashes it in the face of Ricardo. As Miz leaves, Del Rio continues to yell at Ricardo. Man, that guy's a douche!!!

It seemed like we were ready for the Rhodes/Booker matchup, but Cody ONCE AGAIN attacks Booker from behind. Medics arrive to break it up and they tell Booker that they need to reevaluate him. Booker's not having a good night. 

Match #5: Kevin Nash vs Triple H; Sledgehammer Ladder match

While I mentioned in previous articles that Nash/Trips told a good story and that would get people interested in this match, I wasn't so sure about the match quality. Well, they somehow made this worked. It's pretty clear that Nash is really seasoned in the ring, but they did make it work. Then again, if Nash has anything left in his knee caps prior to this match, that is no longer the case. Still, I think we should give Nash and Trips some credit for making this match work. I felt the match had some pretty cool moments. The Figure Four through the ladder was awesome. The finish comes when both guys are on top of the ladder and trying to get the sledgehammer. Trips smashes the sledgehammer in Nash's face. With Nash on the ground, Trips is able to get the sledgehammer. He starts to use it like a mad man and it seems he has this match. He even hits the Pedigree, but doesn't end the match. As Trips is about to use the sledgehammer on Nash's skull, Nash holds up the Kliq sign. Trips does the "Suck It" crotch chop and uses the sledgehammer to KO Nash, thus Trips is the victor. It made the most sense for Trips to get this victory. He was the good guy and there wasn't a whole lot of reason to give it to Nash and make this continue. This will most likely end things between the two since both guys need to step aside and let the younger talent have their moment. 

Winner: Triple H

Backstage with CM Punk. He talks about the most painful thing that happened at the Slammys was John Laurinaitis accepting his Slammy on his behalf. Punk is angry that he hasn't received his Slammy yet. Roboinaitis arrives and talks about how he mailed the Slammy to Punk's house. Punk and Laurinaitis continue to show their workplace friction. Laurinaitis tells Punk good luck while Punk says luck is for losers. As I said in the TLC Rundown, Laurinaitis only seems to be interesting when Punk is involved. It's an odd pairing, but it seems to work since Punk usually comes up with something witty to say. 

Match #6: Sheamus vs Jack Swagger

Somebody is going to get their arse kicked. The audience didn't seem too invested in this match, but they were supporting Sheamus. The match was not too bad, but if you have seen one Sheamus/Swagger match, you kinda have seen them all at this point. The finish comes when Sheamus hits the Brogue Kick for the clean victory. Man, Sheamus really needs a new rival. It just seems like he hasn't had a ton going for him ever since Christian got injured. Which is a shame because I think Sheamus can be big for this company. All he needs is the right storyline to really make him huge….like a world title. 

Winner via pinfall: Sheamus

Match #7: Mark Henry vs Big Show; Chairs Match for the WHC

Okay, so I found some reports for this match. I thought this match dragged quite a bit and I felt it was rushed, but there would be a good reason for this. It turns out that Henry is actually injured with a groin pull. Man, I don't wish that on anybody. That would explain why this match went the way it did. In terms of male competition, this was probably the worst match of the night. The finish comes when Show hits the KO punch and wins the WHC. Well, it appears we have a new champion. After the match, Henry attacks Show with a chair. He hits a DDT on Show through the chair. Well, we would have another turn of events for this evening….

Winner via pinfall and NEW WHC: Big Show

Match #8: Big Show vs Daniel Bryan for the WHC; MITB cash-in

Well, it appears we have a new champion. Do you ever feel Deja Vu? Anyway, it's true, Daniel Bryan is the new WHC. I have to admit, I didn't see it coming. Mainly because it didn't seem like they were building up for Bryan to cash in MITB at this point in time, but maybe that's a good thing. It felt like they were setting it up down the road, but not for tonight. Now, you can say the big reason for Bryan getting the world title is a couple of reasons. The obvious one is because of Henry's injury, but I think the bigger reason for doing something like this is to do away with the MITB cash-in. I know the IWC is going to jump down my throat when I say this, but Daniel Bryan is no where near ready for a world title match at WM. That's the biggest event of the year and did you really think they would give Daniel Bryan a world title match on that night? No, and it would've been silly, stupid,  and a mistake. Now, I like Daniel Bryan. I like what he brings to the table. His character might not be the most interesting at times, but I think he finds a way to make it work from time to time. He might not be the best promo cutter out there, but the guy knows how to talk. Even with that said, I stand by what I said a few seconds ago in Bryan not being ready for a big main event match at WM. Compared to other talent on this show, there's a lot more guys that are more capable of getting this type of slot. Maybe a few years down the road, Bryan can be the guy to get a world title match at Mania, but it isn't now. I kinda feel Bryan will have a short title reign. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see it end before the end of this year or at the Royal Rumble in which Show and/or Henry (If he's healthy by then) will destroy him. If that's what happens, I don't want to see Bryan just fade away and for his championship reign to end up like a Jack Swagger world title reign. I don't think the WWE would do that to him since they are trying something with Bryan, but I also wouldn't put it past them. Plus, if you have Bryan get killed immediately, it would make the cash-in and Bryan look bad. MITB is usually used to build a star, so it would be the total opposite if Bryan gets killed right away (unless it lead to a series of events that makes Bryan rise higher on the card). If you watch Bryan's celebration, you see that Big Show is somewhat conflicted and maybe a little angry. Possible Big Show heel turn? Well, they've planted the seeds for that possibility. This definitely makes things interesting for SD, but you know a certain commentator is only going to start bitching now more than ever. All I can tell you is this….

Winner via pinfall and NEW WHC: Daniel Bryan (#1 in the Booker T Fave Five!!!)

Match #9: Cody Rhodes vs Booker T for the IC Championship

Well, it appears we are going to do this match after all. Booker was definitely holding his own in the ring. He did cut a promo in the back. Josh Matthews said that Booker has nothing left to prove, but Book says this is all about his pride and respect since Cody has been so disrespectful towards him. This was not a bad match. Booker can still go in that ring, no doubt about it. The finish comes when Booker is in control and does a spin-a-roonie, but Booker seemed to be shaken up when he did it. Cody hit Beautiful Disaster on Booker, but Booker was able to kick out. Booker is up and once again seems to be a little woozy. As Booker seems to feel lightheaded, Cody hits Beautiful Disaster for a second time and pins Booker. Interesting series of events between these two. Cody got the victory, but you can tell that Booker was selling a head injury towards the end of the match. This was done to sell the previous attacks Cody did throughout the night. It makes Cody look like a strong heel since he used some dirty tactics to win the match, but it doesn't make Booker look too bad since the previous attacks caught up to him. With the way things ended, it would seem Booker/Cody isn't quite over yet. That could be interesting, but it also depends on what they decide to do with this storyline. Booker is REALLY not having a good night. 

Winner via pinfall and still IC Champion: Cody Rhodes

Match #10. CM Punk vs Miz vs Alberto Del Rio; TLC match for the WWE Championship

Who would've thought we would get 10 matches tonight? That's just crazy. Did Michael Cole just pitch the idea of having a tie between Del Rio and Miz for Superstar of the year? I think Cole has been watching too much TNA. Anyway, this was hands down the match of the night. The opening match for the US title was good, and the Sledgehammer match had a moment or two, but this one takes the cake. Great match between all three guys. I felt they all worked well together and produced a fun match. It appeared Punk has this match won early, but Ricardo would get involved and handcuff Punk to the bottom of the ladder. It appears Punk is trapped, but he kicks the bottom of the ladder to free himself. Punk still has the handcuff on his hand, but was no longer attached to anything. Punk would work with this handcuff for the rest of this match. That't not really fair. There was a couple of cool moments during this match. I liked the enzugri Del Rio delivered to Punk, which sent him through a table on the outside of the ring. I highly recommend watching this match. I really liked the finish of this match too, but I can see how some people will say it was stupid. I didn't see it like that since I saw it as Punk having to outsmart everyone in order to retain his championship, The finish comes when Miz and Punk send Ricardo through the table from the top of the ladder (Well, he's dead). Miz sees the second part of Punk's handcuffs are open, so he handcuffs him to the steel part of the turnbuckle. As Punk is trying to break free, Del Rio and Miz are in the ring and…..propping up two ladders side-by-side? Hmm….me thinks wrestling logic is coming into play here since they didn't even use the second ladder? As Del Rio and Miz are working on that, Punk has taken off the padding and is now trying to unscrew the bolts to the ring with his hands. Oh no, Del Rio and Miz are on the top of the ladder and fighting over the championship while Punk has finally taken off the bolt and makes his way towards the ladders….

Punk manages to take down Del Rio and eventually gets Miz off the ladder. He hits GTS on Miz, thus taking him out of this match. Punk climbs back up the ladder and pulls down his title, thus retaining his championship. I like how Punk had to be smart and think of a way to get himself out of that situation. It shows that our champion has some smarts and can take any challenge and find a way to make sure he wins at the end of the day. What I see coming out of this is a match between Punk and Miz, while Del Lamo will do something else. Of course, I have another theory regarding the WWE title picture, but I will save that discussion for another day. 

Winner and still WWE Champion: CM Punk

Overall Impression:

I know some people are going to disagree with me when I say this, but I thought this PPV was better than Survivor Series. This PPV didn't have the Rock or John Cena, but I honestly forgot about that tonight and I think the WWE managed to put together a pretty fun evening. I do admit some of the last minute filler matches were nothing to rave about, but there were fair matches to watch. I felt they didn't quite take you out of the evening and still managed to keep part of your interest in the PPV. Kinda amazing how Cena didn't make ONE appearance tonight. It's funny how the IWC always talks about how they don't want Cena to be in every PPV and needs to go away, but I wouldn't be surprised if the IWC is bitching about how Cena wasn't involved with this PPV and how that's a fail. IWC, are you ever satisfied? Regardless of that, tonight showed that WWE can make for a fun and interesting PPV without having the face of the company (minus the times he couldn't compete due to injury). The PPV got off to a really great start with that US title match. The Daniel Bryan WHC victory was something I didn't see coming. Maybe it would be considered luck since Henry went down with an injury, but an injury often opens the door for somebody else to step it up and take the brass ring. I never imagined two beloved Indy wrestlers would be the world champions at the same time in WWE, but Punk and Bryan have made it a reality. They both have a different way of doing things, but both busted their ass for years to get to where they belong and I think it's pretty cool to see two indy wrestlers make it to the top. I realize Bryan's title win might be a short one, but let's focus on tonight as opposed to down the road. On a scale of 1-10 and 5 considered average on my show, I give WWE TLC a 7 out of 10. Generally anything above a 7 on my show is considered a PPV that I recommend watching and maybe one to add to the DVD collection when it becomes available. This really felt like a genuine PPV. We had some great matches, title changes, and a few surprises. I think WWE ended 2011 on a high note. I wouldn't rank TLC as one of WWE's best PPVs of the year, but if you look back on this year, there was some pretty stiff competition for that title. Still, I found TLC to be a lot of fun and a worthwhile show to check out. Definitely some interesting things to look forward to after tonight. Punk and Miz will probably continue their build up for a one-on-one feud while DBry will get his first world title run. Hey, if it's a short reign, try to enjoy it. Booker and Cody will probably keep things going as Booker is now selling a possible head injury. So, there is a few things to look forward to as WWE moves into 2012. So, they put forth a damn good PPV and kept you invested for future storylines? Sounds like a pretty productive evening if you ask me. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoy it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I am working on the nomination/category list for the 2nd Annual WrestlingNerd award show, which is my little version of the Slammys. Hopefully, I can have that out before Christmas. I will explain more on this matter once I have released it. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time. 

WrestlingNerd's Official Score of WWE TLC 2011: 7 out of 10

WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE TLC 2011 Rundown

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another edition of the rundown. Today, we rundown TLC. Since I haven't done the rundown in a while, I need to explain how this works. I will try and break down every match on the card. I will also break it down into who should win, who creative will pick, and I finally throw a pick of my very own, but my predictions don't mean s***. It has been a while since I've done this, so let's not waste anymore time. 

Cody Rhodes vs Booker T for the IC Championship

A rivalry that was started from behind the announcer's desk. This all started when Booker T said a few things behind the announcer's desk regarding Rhodes. Cody however took Booker's words out of context. Ever since then, Cody has been very disrespectful towards Booker. I'm not sure what to make of this little rivalry. Booker can still go in the ring. Heck, he can still be a full time performer for this company, which not too many people can say around Booker's age. Booker is really at the stage of his career where he would be mentoring younger talent and should be putting him over. Cody is still developing his new character, so maybe working in the ring with a six time world champion can help push Rhodes higher on the card. I really see this as a rivalry that is set up for Cody to go higher up the WWE card, as opposed to Booker getting another title run. Booker doesn't really need championships as this stage of his career. There really isn't a whole lot to say about this match. 

Who should win:

Cody should get this victory since he is the young up and comer. Its possible Cody gets the clean win, but I think Cody will steal this one. 

Who creative will pick:

Strange thing is that I can actually see WWE give this one to Booker. Unlike most people Booker's age, the guy can still go. At the same time, I don't think Booker is making a full time return to competition and is more of a part time wrestler these days. 

My final pick:

I am going to go with Cody to retain his championship. It just seems like the most logical move at the moment. 

Randy Orton vs Wade Barrett in a Tables Match

Well, this one could be interesting. The build up for this match all started prior to Survivor Series, but it all has to do with the same thing, the WHC. Wade believes that the only person standing in his way is Randy Orton, while Orton would definitely like to take another crack at becoming world champion. Now, even though Wade is putting his claim at becoming the world champion, I don't really see either person becoming the champ…at least not at the moment. Mainly because of the Big Show/Mark Henry deal, and it would be pretty redundant to have Orton go up against Henry, considering that happened a few months ago. Yeah, I can really see the WHC picture becoming very interesting for the next few months as we are heading towards WM. Yeah, I realize it's a little soon to be thinking WM, but a lot of the things that happen at these next two PPVs will give people a pretty clear idea on who will be challenging who and for what. Damn, and then you still have Daniel Bryan and his MITB. This is more confusing than a Professor Layton puzzle. Yeah, it's kinda bad I am talking about the WHC title picture as opposed to this match, but there really isn't a whole lot to say about this match. This will most likely be the blowoff feud for the two as both guys will make a case for winning the Royal Rumble. 

Who should win:

I would normally say Wade needs the victory in this situation, but Wade's stock did rise with his pinfall victory over Orton at SS. Yeah, I realize it wasn't the best win for the guy, but a win is a win. Wade winning this match would help his stock, but I don't think his stock will get damaged if he were to lose this one.

Who creative will pick:

Most of the time, the baby face wins the blowoff feud. With the Royal Rumble being the next PPV, this will most likely be the blow off match between the two. With that out of the way, creative is probably going to give this one to Orton.

My final pick:

The strange this is I can actually see Wade winning this match. This is a tables match, so there is a number of possibilities to give Wade the win and not make Orton look weak in the process. Still, I think this rivalry ends at TLC, so I pick Orton to win.

Dolph Ziggler vs Zack Ryder for the US Championship

This might be the longest running storyline in WWE. Ryder has been working on trying to get the US title, but was unable to win the two chances he got at previous PPVs. Still, Ryder was able to still pin Dolph on more than one occasion. It became this deal where John Laurinaitis was continuing to deny Ryder the opportunity, which is why John Morrison got the US title match at Survivor Series. Despite members of the WWE roster and Ryder's growing online petition to get his US title match, Robinaitis continued to deny the Broski. Yeah, I guess Robinaitis only follows the orders programmed inside of him as opposed to looking up other sources. Again, it would explain so much. No wonder CM Punk played "The Touch" in Laurinaitis' tribute. That song and robots go hand in hand. I'm really getting off track here. Anyway, Laurinaitis did "give" Ryder an opportunity to get a US title match, but he would have to beat John Cena. The face of the company ended up winning the match and it seemed management would continue to deny Ryder (At least in terms of kayfabe). Cena would give up his shot at becoming WWE Champion to give Ryder another chance. With some help by Cena, Ryder will take his third shot at becoming the US champion. I really like how this storyline has gone. One of the bigger flaws with pro wrestling is not having a ton of build up for the mid card division/titles. There was a point where the IC title was highly respected and it really meant something to have the title. For the last few years, mid card champions come and go. Ever now and then, there would be a meaningful mid card title reign, but there always wasn't a ton of investment in terms of shorelines. I would like to see WWE do this more often with the mid card division because it makes it fun and interesting. Instead of crowning them right away, make them work for it. It shows that WWE DOES know how to build up the division, they just don't do it in a more consistent manor. Throughout the entire time of this rivalry, Ryder's stock as really gone through the roof. I am not the biggest fan of Ryder, but I find myself more interested in this guy now than I did a few months ago. The build up to this rivalry was to do a few things. It was to put Ryder in a solid mid card status AND/OR get Dolph in the main event. Dolph has really improved over the last year. There was a point where people only reacted to Vickie Guerrero, but Dolph has found his own identity, developed his charisma, and has gotten much more comfortable with the mic. Maybe working that rivalry with Edge really got Dolph on the right track? I know smarks will bitch about how Dolph will look foolish to lose to Ryder and think about jumping in the main event, but he can't be the US champion forever. Keep in mind the same thing happened last year when the Miz dropped the US title to Daniel Bryan. I think Dolph has put himself in a great spot to jump in the main event and maybe become the second best heel on Raw. At the moment, the best heel is Miz, while Alberto Del Rio continues to show the same blandness. Yeah, I know that sounds far fetched, but I really think Dolph has risen that much. Either that or the quality of heels has gone down a tad. Great, now that will only make the IWC bitch even more about a John Cena heel turn, but we're not going to talk about now. A match that tells a great story and should be fun to watch. 

Who should win:

Ryder has had to climb this mountain like an Ice Climber in order to get this US title. He failed the first two times, but third time should be the charm. Needless to say, WWE NEEDS to do the payoff and crown a new US champion or else it could start to drag.

Who creative will pick:

Creative might be thinking of a way to give Ryder the US title, but not make Dolph look too bad in the process. Hmm….well, John Cena still doesn't have a match at the PPV. Will he get involved to help Ryder? I can strangely see that happening. Then again, I clean Ryder win is also pretty likely. 

My final pick:

The payoff needs to happen, and that payoff is for Ryder to get the US title. In fact, what I see happening is Cena being in the corner of Ryder to deal with Jack Swagger. It's even possible to see Cena help Ryder win the match. After the celebration and Ryder has left the building, Kane shows up to take out Cena. Either that or Kane can show up and take out any babyface he wants. 

Triple H vs Kevin Nash in a Sledgehammer Ladder match

I think this is a first for the WWE. It sounds like a strange idea, but interesting at the same time. It's funny how people complained last year how TNA did that RVD vs Abyss ladder match in which both guys were competing for 2x4 with nails in it, but everyone seems okay with this? Double standards? Probably, but let's move on. The build up for this match might even be slightly longer than the Ryder/Dolph feud. Back when Trips was the COO and controlling Raw, Nash felt like he was betrayed by Trips for not giving him a spot on the roster, while Trips felt it was time for fresher talent to grace the show. This made Nash bitter and angry. When Trips lost his position of calling the shots of Monday Night Raw to Mr. Excitement, Nash would turn his attention on Trips since he just simply couldn't let it go. It even lead to a attack from Triple H's weapon, the sledgehammer. After being taken off of TV for nearly two months, Trips has returned and wants to get his revenge on his attacker and former best friend. I like how this storyline has come across. I normally wouldn't be interested in a Kevin Nash match (especially in 2011), but the story being told has kept me interested. Both Nash and Trips have done a solid job in showing off their frustration, emotion, and anger towards each other. It just goes to show you that if you plan your storyline, it can work despite who's involved. It's possible these two get a rematch, but I think things will end between these two at the PPV. Not sure where they go from here, but they are both part time performers with this company, so maybe they save them up for WrestleMania. 

Who should win:

If this match is going to settle things between the two, Trips needs to get the victory. 

Who creative will pick:

I think creative wants to get this on over and done with. 

My final pick:

I had Triple H winning this matchup beforehand and that hasn't changed. 

Mark Henry vs Big Show; Chairs Match for the WHC

I know a lot of people haven't enjoyed this rivalry, but I actually thought things have gone pretty well. I know Show and Henry are big guys and there's no way they can deliver a five star wrestling match, but they have managed to make their matches work with the last couple of PPVs. I think a good reason it has worked so far is because of the high spot. You know, that holy s*** moment. The matches might not be great, but I think they are pretty memorable. Even though I think this rivalry has gone pretty well, I think it's time to end it. I think people are getting tired of these big guys fighting and there's a lot of signs pointing towards this being the blow off match. I don't think Big Show is at the stage of his career to be getting another world title. I also see the WWE wanting Henry to keep the title for a while longer. In fact, Henry is someone I can see being champion from now until WM. I almost thought with Kane's return that he would go up against Henry, but it appears WWE wants Kane to be featured on Raw as opposed to SD. I almost wonder who would be the next person to challenge for the title. They are trying this underdog type character with Daniel Bryan, but his time isn't right now and needs more build up. Wade Barrett would be a good choice, but it would have be against Show because I highly doubt they will go for heel vs heel. Orton is also a choice, but that rivalry ended a few months ago and would be kinda silly to go back to it when we are only 2-3 months removed from their last matchup. Sheamus is a really high possibility, but I also think Sheamus could be set up for a big victory at the Royal Rumble. At the moment, I have 3-5 people who have a very good chance to win the rumble match, but we'll save that discussion for another day. Then again, the next PPV is the Royal Rumble, so they can get away with a filler match for the WHC, thus Show/Henry have a rematch. Yeah, the WHC picture is definitely very interesting, but that's a good thing since we need more unpredictability. There's always Brodus Clay, but his debut isn't set until 2015, so let's not even consider it. 

Who should win:

I think Henry needs this win more. He's still doing well as champion and is still interesting enough as champ. I know people will disagree with me on that statement, but do you think a Big Show title reign would be better? Think about it?

Who creative will pick:

Strange thing is I can see creative give this one to Show so the two have to face off at the Royal Rumble and do another title change. It would be kinda silly, but it would make sense for these two to have another matchup….to a degree.

My final pick:

I still think Henry will be the champion after this match is over. I think I am more interested to find out how he wins as opposed to if he wins. Could Henry get the clean victory? They did it back at MITB, so can lightening strike twice? We'll wait and see.

CM Punk vs Miz vs Alberto Del Rio; Triple Threat TLC match for the WWE Championship

We should thank Roboinaitis for making this matchup. Here's his tribute…

If you don't got it, get it. If you don't get it…..figure it out. That s*** makes me laugh every time. Anyway, I really see this being more of a rivalry between Punk and Miz, while Del Rio is playing second fiddle. It's time for Del Rio to leave the title picture. He really didn't make for an interesting champion and he needs to go back and work on something else. Why? Because its his destiny. Still, with Del Rio in the mix, he can make the match more interesting. I will never take away Del Rio's in-ring ability because the man definitely knows how to wrestle. I think this match will eventually lead to a Punk/Miz rivalry since it's time for the Best in the World to have a new opponent. It could be interesting to see what Punk has to say towards the Miz. I also like how Punk comes out with new things every week. He really is one of the better world champions for this year. I think they set this match up rather well on Raw this past week. Punk competed very well, but couldn't take down Miz and Del Rio when they were working together. It puts Punk up against a wall and it shows the guy needs to either dig down deep to win this match or outsmart his opponent. We have seen Punk try to pull a fast one as of late, so it's possible Punk does it again. This match also shows the tension between Punk and Laurinaitis. Not sure if Punk is working is way on getting rid of the current GM of Raw, but I thinks it's pretty likely. The strange thing is I almost feel Laurinaitis should stay as the GM….

Now, hold on a sec. Let me explain. I admit on a weekly basis Laurinaitis is very boring and uninspiring to listen to. In fact, that's why I have given him the nickname Roboniatis since he sounds so robotic when he talks on the mic. I get that, but Punk takes this very bland character and somehow makes him relevant. It almost feels the only reason Laurinaitis is working as GM is because of Punk. It's almost as if Starscream can't do anything without Punk there to take a verbal jab at Funkman. This is kinda one of those odd couple pairings, but pro wrestling is very well known for that. Laurinaitis isn't the long term answer for Raw GM, but until Punk runs out of material (which isn't very likely), this whole deal can work. 

Who should win:

Punk clearly needs the victory here. He's still early in his championship reign and I think WWE wants him to have a lengthy world title run. Like Henry, it's possible that Punk goes into WM as champion. 

Who creative will pick:

While Punk isn't the most corporate guy, Punk gets a lot of people to support him because of his rebel attitude. I said it months ago, but we as wrestling fans like rebels or people who fight the system. Don't believe me? Well, I'm sure Stone Cold Steve Austin can talk to you about that one. Anyway, people love Punk and he continues to put butts in the seats. I see that continuing for Punk. 

My final pick:

I had Punk winning from the beginning of this one and I'm not going to change it. This might be a candidate for match of the night with the talent involved.

That's going to do it for the TLC Rundown. Been a while since I've done one of these, but I thought it was a lot of fun to do this. Hopefully, I can do one for the Royal Rumble, but we will talk about that when the date approaches. Overall, I think the TLC card looks like it could be a lot of fun. The last two TLC PPVs have been done very well and I can see that trend continuing as we move forward. Tell me what you think will happen at TLC and what you thought of this rundown. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time. 

WrestlingNerd Presents: TNA Impact Wrestling Review 12/15/11

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at TNA Impact Wrestling on 12/15/11. With Final Resolution out of the way, how will TNA move forward? Well, let's find out and start the review. 

Match #1: Robert Roode vs AJ Styles; Five minute Overtime match from Final Resolution

I can't believe this. Before I start this review, I think we need to make a little trip down memory lane. If you caught my Final Resolution review, I said the only real reason to end things in a tie would be for the world title match at Genesis to be a Triple Threat. Either that or a series of events that could make things more interesting. I also said if TNA did some type of rematch between Roode and Styles on free TV that TNA was screwing up because they should've ended things at the PPV. Well, leave it to TNA to f*** it up. I didn't want to think TNA is this stupid, but they once again find a way to dive into mediocrity and produce something really stupid. Now, I know people will argue that the entire thing was done to build up Roode's heelish character, but his stock is really high at the moment and would've been better off with Roode cheating at the PPV as opposed to what they did tonight. By putting the remainder of the match on free TV, all you did was rip off everyone who bought the PPV since you keep doing the pay-offs on free TV. How do you expect to get PPV buyrates up if you're just going to give it away on free TV? That's terrible marketing. Now, I know TNA has made some pretty bad decisions and I keep thinking they won't make these type of mistakes, but they still manage to make something idiotic. I have never been more tempted than at this very second to actually go back to a PPV review I wrote and change the score. I gave FR a 4 out of 10, but now I feel like taking a point off since we had to wait four days to watch the rest of the match. I am fine with the idea of sudden death or overtime, but it should've happened at the PPV. Imagine if the Super Bowl ended in a tie and instead of doing overtime right then and there, you have to wait four days. Sounds stupid right? Well, that's because it is. Okay, I've talked enough of this, so let's just get to the damn match. I will be fair and say the five minute overtime featured some decent wrestling. The finish comes when the time limit ends and we at another tie. So….were back to where we started? That's progress for you. Sting shows up and says they will have a winner and he makes it sudden death. I know I keep coming back to this, but this is EXACTLY what should've happened at the PPV. The Impact Zone never seizes to amaze me with their chants. They chant "five more minutes" while they should be chanting "this is bulls***". Within seconds of the sudden death overtime, Roode takes advantage of AJ's injury and locks in a single-leg Boston Crab. AJ taps out and Roode wins the match. This segment shouldn't have happened on free TV. Again, I need to stop saying that, but it really pisses me off when you basically say "F*** you" to PPV buyers. With the victory, Roode will go on and face Jeff Hardy at the next PPV while AJ does something else. I just want to move on because I honestly feel like we can analyze this segment for another hour and talk about all of the things wrong with this creative decision. 

Winner and still TNA World Champion: Robert Roode

Match #2: Hernandez and Robbie T vs Abyss and Scott Steiner; Wild Card Tag Team Tournament

Perhaps I need to explain what's going on here. TNA has come up with a wild card tag team tournament, in which the winner of this tournament would get a tag team title shot at Genesis. The teams are going to be put together randomly, which is the gimmick of this concept. Now, I'm gonna be fair and give this a chance, but I'm also aware that WCW did this a few times back in the day. At least they are trying to find new tag teams.  The match is basic, so pretty skippable. Since Abyss and Steiner were a team, the focus was entirely on them. Both guys were on opposite ends for most of the match. Steiner is in trouble, but Abyss gets involved and clears house. The finish comes when Abyss hits Black Hole Slam on Robbie T and decides to let Steiner pick up the pinfall victory. So, it appears the monster is now playing mind games with Immortal….or so it seems. While I want to give this Wild Card tourney a chance, we are off to a pretty silly start. Immortal is scared of Abyss? This guy is less of a monster than the Cookie Monster. COOKIE!!!

Winner via pinfall and moving on in the Wild Card tournament: Abyss and Scott Steiner

Back in the ring where Kurt Angle calls out Sting. He talks about how Sting keeps screwing him over and wants another match with James Storm. Sting says Storm is done with Kurt and wants to focus on getting the world title back. Kurt says if Sting won't give him another shot at Storm, he will pay a little visit to the Cowboy's home and meet up with his family. This was a pretty short scene. I had a hunch that Storm/Angle wasn't over yet since Storm could use some more stock increase. Plus, Roode is busy dealing with Drug Hardy at Genesis, so he's a little busy at the moment. 

Match #3: Anthony Nese vs Zema Ion; Best of three series

TNA is throwing out all sorts of gimmicks tonight. It was announced that Austin Aries would defend the X Title in a Fatal 4way match at Genesis. Aries, Kid Kash, and Jesse Sorensen are already in the match. Whoever takes the first two victories between Anthony and Zema will be the fourth guy in the match. Tazz and Tenay talk about how these two will meet up for the next several weeks, so I guess that means they are only doing one match per week. It sounds like an interesting idea, but it could get very old if we have to watch the same match for three straight weeks. The match was pretty good. We don't know anything about these guys competing. One looked like he was you generic wrestler while the other one looked like he just got shot by a rainbow. Other than that, not a lot to go on here. The finish comes when Zema hits a finisher and has the match, but intentionally stops the count in order to be a dick. He hits another finish, but does the same thing once more. He finally hits a third finisher and finally gets the pinfall victory. There was also a short backstage scene with Zema after the match and he talks about being the prettiest thing in professional wrestling and how it's all about me, myself, and ion. Nice to see TNA build up their other X Division guys, but they are only working on the heels. You have Aries, Kash, and now this guy. For the good guys, you have two guys who look average and have the combined personality of a dump truck. They need to start building up these faces, but at least they are giving this guy a chance. It was nothing special, but not a bad start for Zema. Still, I don't know if a man should go around talking about how he's pretty. Almost wonder if there's a door closed that needs to be opened. 

Winner via pinfall: Zema Ion

Backstage where the Jarretts arrive and both talk about how the other one needs to remain in TNA and will take the bullet for the other. This would be ongoing for the rest of the night. Surprisingly, the best thing the Jarretts have done all year.

Match #4: Jesse Neal vs Gunner

Well, I guess those reports of Jesse being done with the company aren't completely accurate….at least for the time being. That's why I try to stay away from dirt sheet reporting. Then again, I was kinda hoping they were done with this guy since there is too many people on TNA's roster. Believe me, there's a good chunk of people that should be sent to OVW, and Jesse is one of them. The match didn't last very long. Within seconds, Gunner disobeyed the referee and was issued a DQ. Mr. Lack of Personality decides to hit a DDT on the concrete. Well, maybe they are writing Jesse off of TV forever? Then again, who cares? The medics arrive to take Jesse out of the building. What's funny is how the stretcher arrived within seconds of the DDT. There's a big steaming pile of wrestling logic for you. This is all done for the sake of the Garett Bischoff storyline. At least that's the best guess. 

Winner via DQ: Jesse Neal

Backstage where Karen Jarrett is talking to Sting. She is actually trying to convince the Stinger to fire Jeff instead of her since she claims to be the best this world has to offer. Really? So, if you are, why are you working for this company? Joking aside, it seems Karen is trying to pull out all the stops to keep her job, even at the expense of her husband. For better or worse, my ass. 

Back in the ring where Jeff Hardy talks about becoming the #1 Contender at FR. Bully Ray interrupts and talks about how Hardy has to go up against Bully tonight. Bully ends the promo by saying he's glad Hardy screwed up all of those months ago because it gave him the opportunity to rise up in Immortal. To be honest, he's right. Bully was stuck in a pointless feud with Devon prior to Hardy leading Immortal. Once that happened, Bully jumped in the main event and has done very well to earn his spot. Opportunities can open up in a blink of an eye in the wrestling business. In fact, go talk to R-Truth about that. Damn, little Jimmys. 

Match #5: Samoa Joe and Magnus vs Robbie E and Douglas Williams; Wild Card Tournament Match

There was a backstage scene in which Joe and Magnus talked to each other. Joe tells him to not get in his way and he's here to win (What, a pie eating contest?) while Magnus talks about being denied for a long time and wants to make the most out of this opportunity. I talked about this a few months back, but I think TNA is missing an opportunity with Magnus. The guy has an interesting look, can actually talk, and has charisma. Yeah, he looks like Hugh Jackman, but I still think he can be positive for this company if they just use him. This guy gets shoved to the sidelines, but Robbie E gets the screen time? Whatever. The match wasn't too bad, but was there one babyface in this matchup? We already know Joe and Robbie are heels, but Magnus and Douglas have been off of TV for so long that they can be anything. The finish comes when Magnus trips up his former partner, which allows Joe to hit Muscle Buster on Douglas for the victory. For some reason, I would like to see how this Joe/Magnus team will fair out. There's potential here. 

Winner via pinfall and moving on in Wild Card Tourney: Samoa Joe and Magnus

Backstage where Sting is now talking to Jeff Jarrett. Like Karen, Jeff is trying to keep his job and make his spouse look bad in the process. What a successful marriage. We get another backstage scene where Eric Young is saying some random crap. He finds out that his tag team partner for this tournament will be ODB. That's right, Eric Young and ODB as a tag team….

Well, not exactly science, but I think I made my point. This reminds me so much of when WWE had Santino and Beth Phoenix as a pairing. Probably a little soon to think that, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's where things are headed. Their match is set for next week. 

We are back in the ring for Devon to call out the Pope. The Pope arrives with Devon's kids. Devon says these are his boys and he wants to raise them the right way, as Devon feels Pope is a bad influence. Pope says these boys want someone who is cool and is with this current generation, not some old fashion father figure. I guess the Pope never caught an episode of The Cosby Show (The original, not that crappy remake). Once Pope crosses the line in saying he will hook up with Devon's ex, Devon attacks. The kids pull their father away and it appears this is a family moment. What a nice feeling. It gives a sense of remorse, feelings and…..the kids are playing their father, aren't they? Well, sure enough, that's exactly what happened. Pope hits a low blow on Devon while the kids distracted their father. As Pope continues to attack Devon, the kids put on their John Morrison shades and seem to be loving this. Well, it's about freaking' time they did something with this storyline. I don't think I've seen a storyline that lasted this long and barely showed any direction for months. What took them so long to get to this point? Then again, I probably should just commend the company for finally doing something with this storyline. Oh, and there was a backstage scene in which the Jarretts are telling the other how they will allow themselves to be fired in order for the other one to stay with the company. Some random guy, who looks like a bum, tells the Jarretts that Sting wants to speak to them both immediately. I wouldn't be surprised if he was a bum TNA found outback and they fed him a sandwich to film this spot. Then again, I've seen worst acting on this show. Yeah, I'm talking to you, Dixie Carter. 

Match #6: Traci Brooks vs Madison Rayne

The match starts up with Traci attacking Madison on the ramp. I like how Madison was doing her hand waive as Traci is charging at her. You think with a pissed off woman running towards you that you would be more alert. Tazz and Tenay continue to come up with stupid things to talk about while on commentary. Traci was wearing a shirt that said "Brooks" and DD. It supposed to look like a sports jersey, but instead of numbers, she had letters on it. Now, you can see where this is headed (giggity), but Tazz and Tenay managed to screw up the delivery. There's no chemistry with this announcer team, which is why it can be hard to listen to at times. The finish was screwed up. Madison hit a finisher, but Traci kicked up. Madison would follow up with a simple kick to the head and would get the pinfall. There had to be some sort of miscommunication here since it looked like the finish was set for the Madison finisher. Regardless, Madison gets the victory while Tazz and Tenay can talk about the DD some more. I kinda feel bad for Traci. Wasn't getting passed up by a cartoon character on Playboy bad enough? Oh well. 

Winner via pinfall: Madison Rayne

Backstage with the Jarretts and Sting. Once again, both Jarretts are lying, but Stupid Heel Syndrome would come into play. Sting brings up what the other one was talking about and even shows video evidence of what the other was really saying. They both start to argue. By the way, I like how both are arguing over what the other said, but you can barely hear the audio on the video Sting played. Sting finally makes up his mind and fires both of them…

You damn right it is. I was kinda hoping it would be Karen, but I wanted both of them to be gone. Jeff is just generic and should work behind the scenes while Karen's shrieking voice needs to go away. Well, at least the payoff for this bit actually fell through. 

Match #7: Bully Ray vs Jeff Hardy

Man, when was the last time Impact had seven matches? Well, at least they're trying. Roode was on commentary for this match. Roode even pokes fun of Tenay's blandness on commentary. Professor Farnsworth is a more worthy professor than Tenay. The matchup wasn't too bad, but it only last for 3-5 minutes. That's a bit disappointing, but they were also pressed for time. Then again, they would've had a lot more time if they just put the stupid overtime at FR. I know, I should just let it go. The finish comes when Hardy hits Twist of Fate for the clean victory. After the match, Roode gets to the ring and does a 2 on 1 attack on Hardy. Bully props up a table and sends Hardy through the table via a powerbomb. Sting arrives and tries to lay down the law….

Sting would get taken down by Roode and Bully, which ends the show. Well, they immediately start the Roode/Hardy build up once the FR mess was settled. At least they are starting the build up of Roode/hardy rather soon, but I almost think they could've gotten a lot more build up if they didn't do overtime deal and……again, I need to stop talking about that. I need to get therapy in order to get over that overtime mess. I almost get the feeling that TNA is ready to once again let Hardy be the main star of this company, thus they might do the crowning at Genesis. I personally hope that doesn't happen since Roode is doing great as champion and it would make more sense for James Storm to be the guy to end the selfish generation. TNA will make Hardy champion again, but I also think his time isn't now. 

Winner via pinfall: Jeff Hardy

Overall Impression:

I immediately hated how this show started. The overtime was ridiculous and should've happened at the PPV. Still, once you get passed that case of TNA creative staff having its head up its own anus, this wasn't too bad of a show. Some of the action was okay. There was a few okay wrestling matches, but most of them were rather short. Then again seven matches in two hours is a lot to cram in, so time is definitely a factor. I wouldn't call it five star wrestling, but the matches were fair, tolerable, and might be worth taking a look at. The promos/segment where spaced out decently tonight and weren't too bad. If WWE aired this, I would consider it average WWE television, but this might be one of TNA's better shows. Sad thing is most wrestling fans won't see it like that because of TNA's track record. There was some rather silly moments like the Steiner/Abyss team and Eric Young/ODB, but most of the scenes were fair to watch. Hell, even the Jarretts managed to put together a scene that didn't make me cry. This might have been one of the better episodes of TNA I have seen in a while. Was it perfect? Of course not, but I was entertained and it had its moments. I do admit the show did show signs of boredom, but this was still an okay showing. At the same time, I'm disappointed since I get the feeling TNA will resort to their old bag of tricks on next week's show and produce more crap-o-rama. I would like to remain optimistic that TNA can take the positive they produced tonight and build upon it, but I also can't expect too much with TNA's track record. Still, I've seen TNA do much worse and this is what I would consider to be a good night for them. I think one of the bigger flaws out of tonight is how they opened the show. By showing the overtime, I think it turned a lot of people out of the program because it showed TNA going back to their own tricks. You know, where stuff makes no sense and the creative staff can't pick a direction for this company and takes about 5 million detours along the way. I still think this company can grow into something, but only if they make the necessary changes to help this company and getting rid of people who are driving the company to the ground. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I won't be covering Smackdown this week, but I might have another article later on this week. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time. 

WrestlingNerd Presents: WWE Raw Review 12/12/11 (The 2011 Slammy Awards)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Raw on 12/12/11. Tonight was the Slammy Awards. Even though I don't have expectations for this whole ordeal, let's find out who won the awards and how the show went. Let's begin.

We open up with Booker T and Hornswoggle. They are out to present the "Tell me you didn't just see that" award. Strange name for an award, but do you really care? The nominations were Jim Ross' dance off against Michael Cole, Santino's almost Royal Rumble victory, Miz impersonating the Rock, and R-Truth having a run-in with Little Jimmy. The winner ends up being JR's dance off. As JR is out to accept the award, Internet Cole makes his presences felt. He talks about how this award show is a shame and how JR is a joke. Booker says Cole is a loser and wants to put together a rap off. A rap off? What's next, an egg throwing contest? Anyway, Cole attempts to rap, but it sucks. JR's rap wasn't much better since he completely forgot his lyrics. The audience chooses JR as the winner. The segment ends with JR performing a JR-a-roonie. Overall, we are off to a pretty silly start. As soon as I saw the nominations, I figured they were going to go with comedy as Cole goes into jackass mode. I have to admit that it was pretty bad. It was also at this moment that I realize the Death Note doesn't exist because there's no way Kira would've let this continue. Now, I want to addresses the Slammys now that I've started the review. I never understood why people make such a big deal about this. Every year WWE does this award show, the IWC is complaining that so and so should've won the award and such a category should exist. It isn't like there's a real committee that puts the Slammys together. It's just a show that's just kinda goofing around and thinking about all the stuff that happened throughout the course of the year. I try not to make that much of a big deal on who wins the Slammys since WWE has gone with kayfabe or future storylines with whoever wins a particular Slammy, so don't get bent out of shape because someone didn't win. Heck, most of the categories with the Slammys change every year, so it isn't really meant to be taken seriously. That also goes for the entire show. You knew the major emphasis was going to be on the awards and looking back on the year, so it isn't like the focus was going to be on wrestling matches tonight. I kinda wanted to get that one out of the way since I think people take the Slammys way too seriously, and I've never looked at it like that. It is a silly concept? Yes, but it does have its moments here and there, so just get over it and let it go.

Tell me you didn't just see that award- Jim Ross' dance off (I kinda have to agree with this one, but I almost felt that Truth could've won one of these awards tonight. I guess wellness policy suspensions screws you out of the winning a meaningless trophy. MLB might be taking notes on that one....)

Mick Foley and Ted DiBiase Sr. present the Holy S*** award. After some talk of how the Million Dollar Man is Holy and Foley is s***, time to get to the award. Nominations were Sheamus powerbombing Sin Cara through the ladder at MITB. Speaking of Sin Cara, you have to believe his white color scheme is bad luck. Think about it? He got powerbombed and had to be sidelined with injury (yes, I'm aware of the wellness policy suspension), then he injures his leg at Survivor Series. I guess Sin Cara Blanca was never meant to summon the white tiger zord in the WWE? Anyway, back to the nominations. Randy Orton's RKO on the steel steps towards Christian at SummerSlam, Mark Henry and Big Show destroying the ring at Vengeance, and Evan Bourne's Air Bourne off the ladder at MITB. The winner ends up being the ring collapse at Vengeance. Big Show comes out to accept the award, but it doesn't take long for the giant to demand a match. Show want match....Show now confused....why do Show talk like this? What the hell am I talking about? I say some pretty stupid s*** at times.

Holy S*** Moment of the Year- Big Show and Mark Henry's ring of destruction at Vengeance (No complaints here. This really was the only one deserving of winning the award)

Match #1: Big Show vs Wade Barrett
This match didn't last long. Wade about about to attempt a top rope move on Show as he's near the table, but Show is back up and destroys it with his fist. HULK SMASH!!! The finish comes when Wade gets the chair, but Show punches it away, thus the referee calls for the bell. You had to figure a DQ was going to end up happening. They don't want to make Wade look bad since they are finally going somewhere with the English brawler (Who is rooming with the Brooklyn Brawler) and they don't want to have him lose. It would also be a mistake to have Show lose since he has a world title match this Sunday. The DQ protects both guys, so I don't have a problem with this. Even though the main emphasis was the Slammys, they would invest some time in TLC. Which is a good thing since it's this Sunday.

Winner via DQ: Big Show

Time for the next Slammy award. Road Dogg presents the Pipe Bomb of the Year. Hmm....pipe bomb? I'll give you three guesses in who wins this award? I kinda feel bad for Road Dogg. I felt he was great tonight, but the audience barely gave him a reaction. Then again, not too many casual fans and children are going to know who Road Dogg is. They did a run through of the mic moments. The winner ends up being CM Punk, which should be no surprise to anyone. That would be like creating an award for best Italian Plumber of the Year and not give the award to Mario. Punk comes out with a mannequin. He says even though winning this award was great, he wants to recognize someone else for their hard work. He says this person deserves an honor on their own, but they are boring, bland, have no personality, no intelligence and have no balls (just like the mannequin). It turns out to be John Laurinaitis. Punk plays a tribute video of Laurinaitis. I have to say....this was freakin' hilarious. I love the music being used. If you have seen the Tranformers animated movie, you will recognize the music as "The Touch". Laurinaitis isn't here at the moment, but that moment will come later. I guess he was too busy watching his nephew playing against the Seattle Seahawks tonight (Go Seahawks!!!). Once again, Punk finds a way to make something interesting. Still, I wonder if all this back and forth shots between Punk and Laurinaitis will amount to anything? I have to think this whole thing is being played out for Punk to dethrone Roboinaitis at some point. Then again, maybe this is all in good fun? Laurianitis might be emotionless, but Punk finds a way to make it work. All I can say now is, Optimus Prime.......NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Pipe Bomb of the Year- CM Punk (Punk coined the phrase "pipe bomb", so it only makes sense to give it to him)

The next award for the evening is the Divalicious Moment of the Year. I don't even think that's a word. Then again, it isn't like I'm guilty of making up words. It was presented by Lita. I'm gonna say it right now, Lita is probably my all time favorite diva. I wish she would come back. Anyway, the nominations were Natalya's Double Sharpshooter, Kelly Kelly's title win, Kharma's destruction, and Beth Phoenix's Glam Slam from top rope. The winner ends up being Kelly's title win. Yeah, I can see a lot of people disagreeing with this move, but I'm honestly not surprised. Just as Kelly arrives to claim her award, Beth and Natalya show up and take the award. Kelly slaps Beth and takes the award back. And....that was it. Pretty pointless confrontation when you think about it. I understand Beth and Natalya don't like these model based wrestlers, but you can add more to the scene. It really looked like a throwaway moment since they added nothing new to the storyline, which makes this scene come off as padding.

Divalicious Moment of the Year- Kelly's title victory (I highly disagree with this one, but understand they did this only to fulfill fanservice and for the pointless confrontation. I would think Beth's Glam Slam or Kharma were more deserving of the award, but Kharma is still out of action while Beth winning might not make a ton of sense. Honestly, who really cares?)

The next award is the OMG Moment of the Year. You would figure they would get Joey Styles to announce this award, but no matter. The Bellas and Santino announce this one. Santino talks about how the Bellas are nothing but whores for latching onto Alberto Del Rio. In many ways, he's right. The nominations were the Rock's Rock Bottom to John Cena, WWE Superstars walking out on Triple H, Triple H tombstones Undertaker, and Punk walks out of Chicago with WWE Title. The winner was Triple H hitting tombstone on Taker. Triple H makes his return and his carrying a sledgehammer. He walks to the ring and talks about how he made Taker's streak end by forcing Taker out of the wrestling business. I'm starting to think Trips took too many sledgehammer shots because he in fact lost the match, but I also understand what he was trying to say. He finally talks about Kevin Nash and his match at TLC. It was a pretty good promo by the Game. I think some people would've been disappointed that Nash didn't show up, but maybe that was the best choice. Think about it? Why spoil a mini confrontation on free TV when you can go all out at the PPV? That's smart anticipation. If you've told me months ago this match was going to happen, I don't think I would be interested in it. However, thanks to the story being told between both guys, the interest for this match is there. I don't know how the match will turn out since Nash is pretty banged up at his age, but I'm sure both guys will find a way to make it work.

OMG Moment of the Year- Trips tombstones Undertaker (I would say Punk walking out with the title was the bigger moment since it was a pretty big moment in the career of Punk and the WWE, but they also couldn't give every award to Punk, so they kinda gave it to Trips and Taker in order to play to the transition of Triple H returning. Punk could've won a good chunk of the awards this evening. That speaks volumes on the year Punk had)

The next award is Trending Star of the Year, or as I like to call it, the Twitter Whore of the Year. David Otunga and Tony Atlas talk about this one. Otunga is trying to be serious while Tony is....

After all these years, he still thinks anything is funny. Anyway, the nominations were Zack Ryder, Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, and Dolph Ziggler. Now, the interesting thing about this award is how it worked. All four guys would compete in a match, and I guess whoever was the going ape s*** in the world of Twitter would get this award. Well, at least we FINALLY get a match.

Match #2: Zack Ryder vs Cody Rhodes vs Daniel Bryan vs Dolph Ziggler
This match was given a really fair amount of time on free TV. I thought it was awesome. All four guys had a chance to show off what they can do and they all looked pretty good. The finish comes when Zack hits Rough Ryder to Dolph, but Cody hits Cross Rhodes on Zack. Bryan would follow up with the Le Bell Lock, but Dolph would show up (no selling the Rough Ryder?) and lock in the sleeper hold on Bryan. Daniel was able to counter, but Dolph finally hits Zig Zag on Bryan and gets the victory. Well, here's the way I look at it. Dolph is getting more and more exposure for a rise in the main event, but he has to drop the US title first, so he needed the victory. Cody has a title defense against Booker this week, so he can't take the pinfall. Zack has a US title match and he needs to not look too weak going into that match. Unfortunately, someone needed to take the pinfall, so it made the most sense for Bryan to fall victim here. Still, he didn't look that bad in losing this match. I still think they are trying this underdog character with Bryan. After the match, the King announces that Ryder is the winner of the award. As Zack gets his Slammy, Dolph hits Zig Zag on Ryder and takes the Slammy. Since I most likely see Dolph dropping the US title this weekend, he needed this victory in more ways than one.

Winner via pinfall: Dolph Ziggler

Trending Star of the Year- Zack Ryder (This one was a popularity contest, so I can't really say much on it. It was pretty much designed for Ryder to win, but there's nothing wrong about that)

The next award is the Game Changer of the Year. Christian is here to present the award. He's in a neck brace and crutches. It's somewhat ironic he's doing this considering  he's actually recovering from an injury. His appearance pretty much cancels him out as the person behind the "It begins" cryptic videos, but I also thought that was a real long shot. Once again, Christian demands for ONE MORE MATCH!!! That should be on a t-shirt. Anyway, the nominations were Vince getting fired, Edge's retirement, Kevin Nash's return, and Rock and Cena's WM match. The award goes to Rock and Cena. Cena comes out to accept the award, but talks about this being a team effort, so he wants to Rock to say a few things. But.....the Rock isn't there. Well, Cena says Rock made a via satellite segment, but.....that wasn't the case either. After talking about how Team Bring It isn't here tonight, he talks about his match against the Rock at WM and that pretty much ends the segment. I'm kinda disappointed that nothing else happened to Cena in this scene, but he does have a match for later tonight, so we will wait and see what happens then. By the way, did anyone else see the sign that said "Boots to Asses" and had a picture of Cole as the face of a donkey? That should get an award for best sign of the year. That was hilarious.

Game Changer of the Year- Rock and Cena (It was expected for Rock and Cena to get some type of award, so this comes as no surprise)

Match #3: CM Punk and Randy Orton vs Alberto Del Rio and Miz
The award show part might have been iffy, but at least the last couple of matches have been fun to watch. I thought this was a pretty decent match. Good back and forth exchange, but they also told the story in how Punk is up against a wall this Sunday if Miz and Del Rio work together. There was a good portion of the match where Miz and Del Rio continued to hammer away on Punk while he just couldn't make a tag. He would fight back from time to time, but it wouldn't last long. The finish comes when Punk is about to tag in Orton, but Del Rio jumps in the ring, thus causing the referee to deal with him. Barrett would show up and pull Orton's legs from the top of the ring, thus causing him to fall to the ground. Since Punk didn't make the tag, he's still going. It appears he's about to hit the GTS, but the earlier punishment was too much overcome. Miz hits Skull Crushing Finale and wins the match. I kinda like this move of the heels winning since it shows that Punk could be in trouble come Sunday. Of course, the IWC would give the response of how Cena can overcome the odds, so why not Punk? At the same time, I'm kinda glad they didn't do that. I understand the importance of making the babyface look strong, but you don't have to make him look like Batman and Spiderman every single week. After the match, Miz and Del Rio continue to beat up on Punk while Punk is trying to show signs of life. The champ wasn't able to come back and was taken out. The intrigue for the WWE title match is definitely there after tonight.

Winner via pinfall: Miz and Alberto Del Rio

The next award is the A-lister of the Year. This is basically the celebrity of the year for the WWE. Vickie Guerrero and Goldust did the announcing. The nominations were the Muppets, Snooki, Hugh Jackman, and Cee-Lo Green. The winner ended up being Snooki. What is it with pro wrestling and this stupid show? I'm fine with celebrity attention, but can you really consider the cast of Jersey S*** celebrities? Well, there's even more proof the Death Note doesn't exist. You lied to me, anime!!!

A-lister of the Year- Snooki (This would definitely be the award I have to call bulls*** on, but I also realize the WWE can do whatever the hell they want with the award. My personal favorites were Hugh Jackman and the Muppets. Come on. How can you not recognize the awesomeness of the Adamantium Punch? Let's just move on already...)

We were prepared for a Sheamus vs Jinder Mahal match, but it never got started. Jinder shows up and does his native language talk until Sheamus Brogue Kicks his head off. The match never got started. Pretty pointless segment. What did this accomplish? I think they only aired this bit so Sheamus had a reason to kick someone. Well, I'm sure somebody enjoyed it.

The last award of the night was the Superstar of the Year, which was another award decided by the fans. Rey Mysterio showed up to present this award. The winner ends up being CM Punk. Since Punk was taken out by Miz and Del Lamo, John Laurinaitis shows up and accepts this award on behalf of Punk. I guess Laurinaitis got tired of watching the football game. Hey, mock me all you want for being a Seahawks fan, but I stick by my teams even when they are terrible. You got the touch......you got the......slammy....

Superstar of the Year- CM Punk (Even though Punk is very popular with the wrestling fans these days, I'm still somewhat shocked that Cena didn't win this one. Either WWE rigged the award, or Punk is really that popular. Then again, Punk is extremely over, so you can't take that away from him. Still, I think it's pretty amazing how Punk continues to get support, but it also shows that people are getting a little tired of Cena. I'm telling you, people love rebels or people who stick it to the man)

Match #4: John Cena vs Mark Henry
A new version of the "It begins" video played again. I am really think more and more that it will end up being Chris Jericho, but we will wait and see. It's kinda funny how you see Cena selling how he can't lift up Henry, while we've seen him lift up Big Show multiple times. Wrestling logic? The finish comes as both guys are down and BAM!!! A pyro goes off in the background and....watch this....

Well, not really sure why the first mask Kane had looked like a mix between the Predator and Casey Jones, but he would take it off and show a different type of mask. When I first heard the pyro, it tipped me off that Kane would be returning, but I was more curious in how he would show up. Well, I gotta admit Kane looks like a bad ass. The second mask he had on looked like torn flesh. Seeing him come out made me remember his old days of wearing the original mask and how that sent shivers down my spine as I saw this as a child. Even though some might say Kane's best run was his world title run last year, I always preferred Kane with the mask. Kane has mostly been played to be a monster, and masked Kane shows that off a lot more than unmasked Kane. I also like the variation of his entrance theme. It combines his new theme with his original one. Overall, I liked how the re-debut went tonight. This would explain why Brodus Clay was ONCE AGAIN left off TV. Man, I think I will make my debut for WWE before Brodus. Joking aside, Brodus would've been overshadowed by Kane and Triple H's return, so it was best to wait for another day. With the way things are looking, Brodus probably won't debut until next year after the cryptic messenger shows up. Now, it also appears Kane will be playing the heel and could be going up against Cena. I'm not sure if that was the best course of action. You just re-debuted Kane and you immediately put him up against the face of the company? This could either be the sign of big things to come for Kane, or all this hype up was done for Cena to yet overcome the odds and take down another opponent before meeting up with the Rock. If a Cena/Kane rivalry is on the way, it would be interesting to see how they book it.

No Contest

Overall Impression: 
In terms of a wrestling show, it was pretty lackluster. There was some good wrestling matches, but the awards aspect of it was pretty silly at times. Then again, I can't really grade this show on a normal scale since it was an award show. As far as your award show goes, this was okay. Nothing overwhelming, but there was some entertaining moments here and there. The Slammy aspect of the evening is what I expected. It wasn't perfect and pretty dumb at times, but it was harmless. Plus, WWE doesn't really treat the Slammys with a sense of honor and is just a silly award show at the end of the day, so don't make more out of it than it's worth. There wasn't a ton of action tonight, but there was a number of appearances. Lots of guest appearances for the awards and the returns of Trips and Kane were present tonight. It's still kinda odd that John Cena doesn't have a match at TLC. Although it's possible he goes up against Kane, I think that would be a little soon since Kane just showed up. I can see some sort of confrontation between Cena and Kane at TLC, but we will wait and see. There was moments of the show I liked, but some of it was under par. I really liked Punk's speech, tribute video to Laurinaitis, the Fatal 4Way match, the tag team match, and the returns of Trips and Kane. Everything else is somewhat forgettable, but it wasn't the worst thing ever. Believe me, I've seen much worse from the WWE, and this was harmless and entertaining at times. Even though the focus of tonight was the Slammys, they did build up TLC. In many ways, they added more excitement for the PPV with how things were built up between Trips/Nash and the WWE title match. There's still an episode of SD to get through, so they will use the rest of that time to build up the WHC and the Rhodes/Booker match. Overall, TLC looks like it could be a pretty fun evening. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time.

WrestlingNerd Presents: TNA Final Resolution 2011 Review (Let's tie it down)

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at TNA Final Resolution. How would TNA's final PPV of 2011 fair out? Well, let's find out and start the review.

Match #1: RVD vs Christopher Daniels
We open up with a rivalry in which I have no idea why it's still continuing. The way RVD/Daniels started this rivalry was pretty silly (a screwdriver?), and there was no reason to have a rematch between the two in terms of storytelling since RVD won the match at the last PPV. I think the only reason RVD/Daniels happened again is simply because the creative staff didn't know what else to do with them, so they put together a pointless rematch. Now, I will be fair and say this match was better than the one they had at Turning Point, but I don't think it's saying much. This was a pretty decent match to open up the PPV, but the lack of a storyline can make you lose interest. The finish comes when RVD hits the Frogsplash and wins yet again. I really hope this ends things between the two. Yeah, I realize RVD vs Daniels sounds good on paper, but if you aren't going to give them a proper storyline, then you are wasting the intrigue this rivalry could've brought. By the way, did Tazz just say, "Hit by a telephone poll unless you're a telephone man"? What the hell does that even mean? I think Tazz drank his lunch this evening.

Winner via pinfall: RVD

Match #2: Robbie E vs Eric Young for the TV Championship
I think a rematch like this was best reserved for free TV, but no matter. I was actually surprised in how this match went. Robbie actually looked like he was holding his own in the ring. This is probably the best I've seen out of Robbie E since.....ever. I like this move since a champion should look like he knows what he or she is doing....at least to a degree for a heel. Tazz is really loosing his mind. He's talking about head sizes and...mobsters? I don't know, I was trying to disregard what he was saying for the evening. I know that at times, Tazz will dig pretty deep for some....interesting commentary, but this is just plain weird. The finish to this match was also strange. Rob Terry has Young on the top of the second rope, but Robbie rushes in. He ends up hitting his bodyguard in the crotch while Eric was able to escape. Young does a fireman's carry on the both of them. I have no idea what he was trying to accomplish by doing that, but whatever (Shenanigans gives me super strength!!!). Young eventually loses control of both guys and it appears things are back to normal. Terry is still arguing with the ref, so Young hits a dropkick on him. With the distraction, Robbie hits a Code Breaker and steals this match. This will most likely end things between Robbie and Eric. Young will continue to try and make people laugh (The keyword being "try") while Robbie will go up against someone else. At the moment, I don't know who would be the best competition for Robbie. RVD and Daniels were in the middle of a pointless feud, so RVD is available?

Winner via pinfall and still TV Championship: Robbie E

Match #3: Matt Morgan and Crimson vs Pope and Devon for the Tag Team Championships
I think my main problem with this match is the tag champs weren't the focus for this match. The story here was the trust issue between Pope and Devon. You think for being tag champs that they would invest some build up for them, but this one had Pope and Devon written all over it. The match honestly felt like it was one-sided as Morgan and Crimson were mostly in control. The match is pretty forgettable and it ended with Morgan and Crimson hit a Double Chokeslam on Devon for the clean victory. After the match, Pope is with Devon's kids and Pope is upset with his partner. It also appears that Devon's kids are also disappointed with their father. I'm kinda surprised the kids didn't get involved in this one. What this shows is TNA is still continuing this storyline in which Pope is teaching Devon's kids all the wrong things while Devon can't seem to perform actual parenting. I just don't have that much interest in this storyline. Part of me wants to see it be over and done with already or some sort of a turn to change things up.

Winner via pinfall and still Tag Team Champs: Matt Morgan and Crimson

Match #4: Austin Aries vs Kid Kash for the X Division Title
Tazz, what is wrong with you tonight? He talks about how the referee did a great job in checking on the shoulders of a pinfall attempt. Doesn't that already go hand in hand? That would be like telling Princess Peach a great job for getting kidnapped or telling the person at McDonald's a great job for taking your order. Again, I know Tazz says some stuff that's pretty out there, but he really went overboard on the insane pills tonight. I liked the match, but I really didn't like the storyline going into this match. Kash felt betrayed for Aries playing him at Turning Point, and now we have a match? Not only that, but there really wasn't a face turn by either competitor, so that makes it tougher on the audience to choose someone to root for. In fact, the audience was split and really didn't know what to do. Then again, this is the Impact Zone so they would be satisfied with Hulk Hogan flexing his muscles. The finish comes when Aries gets a foreign object, but the referee intercepts it. Kash also pulls out a foreign object, but the ref takes that away. Aries grabs his championship belt and tosses it in the hands of Kash while playing stupid. It's like the Eddie Guerrero trick, but done differently. I kinda like it. While the ref is dealing with another object, Aries is able to take advantage and hits the Brainbuster for the victory. I'm not really sure what this does. While it made a hell of a lot more sense for Aries to retain his title, should this rivalry really continue? I'm starting to think TNA doesn't quite know what to do with the X Division. Aries is by far the most superior talent on that X Division roster and there isn't anyone else who can challenge, from a babyface perspective. Which is why Kash got to fill-in for the last month. The only way I see this rivalry continuing is if Kash were to turn face. While I am not a big fan of that idea, what other option is there considering that the rest of the X Division talent is young, green, and bland? Yeah, TNA needs to work on this.

Winner via pinfall and still X Division Champ: Austin Aries

Match #5: Gail Kim vs Mickie James for the KO Title
So, what the hell happened to the production truck here? The video transitions were all over the place and they replayed the hype video of Gail/Mickie twice. Either TNA production team was falling asleep, or they were too busy jerking off to other programs. Go team? The match was tolerable for KO standards, but nothing amazing. When the Impact Zone is bored, you know you're doing something wrong since that audience will cheer anything. The finish comes when Gail is trying to run away, but Mickie brings her back to the ring. As they work their way to the ring, Madison Rayne arrives and causes a distraction as the referee is dealing with Gail. Kim takes advantage of the distraction by hitting Eat D'feet (Yes, that's seriously what she's calling it. I know, pretty bad pun) and wins the match. Man, how much shenanigans can you cram in one show...

Eh, never mind. The rivalry will definitely continue between these two, which actually makes sense. Not a whole lot to say regarding this one.

Winner via pinfall and still KO Champ: Gail Kim

Match #6: James Storm vs Kurt Angle
This was the match I had the most interest in. I felt that story and tension between the two was put together pretty well and I expected to see a pretty good wrestling match. If you're a fan of technical wrestling, you will enjoy this match. However, if you don't like that style of wrestling, you might get bored with this match until the last couple minutes of the contest. Still, I really enjoyed what I saw with this match. I think most people will disagree with me when I say this, but this was the Match of the Night in my book. This went back and forth for almost 20 minutes. Kurt got a few near falls, but can't get the victory. Storm is still selling the head injuries, but still manages to stay in the match. What also makes this match great is the story being told. Yes, storytelling is important, despite what the IWC says. The finish comes with Kurt misses the Moonsault. Man, is Kurt going to be known as the guy who epic fails with the moonsault?

D'oh, I missed. Anyway, Storm follows up with the Last Call Superkick and gets the victory. Big victory for Storm. The strange thing is that I can actually see a rematch between these two. Based on what would happened tonight, Robert Roode would already have competition for the world title, so they can either give Storm another opponent or have a rematch with Kurt and continue to build his stock. This is a match I recommend you check out. Good job by both competitors, but I also wouldn't expect anything else from Storm or Kurt.

Winner via pinfall: James Storm

Match #7: Jeff Hardy vs Jeff Jarrett in a Steel Cage match
There was a new stipulation added to this match. The stipulation was if Hardy won, he would get a title match. If Jarrett won, Hardy would be fired. It was added during the weekend that if Hardy won, he would get a title match and either Jarrett or Karen would be fired...

Oh, please get rid of Karen. She might be fun to look at, but I don't want to hear that shrieking voice anymore. Hey, I can take Michael Cole and Vickie Guerrero, but Karen Jarrett.....THAT'S just too much!!! Once again, Hardy is wearing the Zora mask from Majora's Mask. What's up with that? I wouldn't be surprised if he created this while he was "envision stuff". People were very interested in this match, but I just couldn't get into it. I'll admit the match was okay, but there was just something about it I didn't like. I think the main problem is the match was too short. It was only around 10 minutes long. I realize we have a 30 minute Iron Man match on the card, but this match needed more time. I would've taken out the TV title or the RVD/Daniels match since those weren't worthy of being on PPV. Thus, it would give Hardy/Jarrett another 10 minutes. Plus, this felt very short in terms of quality cage matches. As Sting said a few weeks ago, Karen was handcuffed to Sting during the match. Show of hands. Who still thinks Karen would get involved? I apologize in advance. Hardy had a chance to win this match, but you know he has to go for that stuntman spot. He attempts Swanton Bomb from the top of the cage, but misses. The finish comes when Jarrett pushes Hardy into the cage door. This causes Sting to get hit by the cage door. Karen takes the keys and is now free (surprised? You shouldn't be). She smashes the cage door in Hardy's face and it appears Jarrett is going to win, but Hardy still kicks out. Karen grabs the guitar, but Sting is back up and intercepts it. This allows Hardy to hit Twist of Fate on Jarrett and he finally picks up the victory. Hardy will get a title match at Genesis (TNA's next PPV) while it appears Jarrett or Karen will be fired. Sting says one of they will be fired on Impact this week. Again, I'm kinda hoping for Karen to get fired, but wouldn't be shocked if Jeff ended up being "fired".

Winner via pinfall: Jeff Hardy

Match #8: Robert Roode vs AJ Styles; Iron man Match for the TNA World Title
I think a lot of people enjoyed this match, but I wasn't a big fan of it. I think my problem is there was too many victories in this match. Call me old fashion, but I like Iron man matches in which the number of victories is kept to a really small number. This was 30 minute Iron man match, and yet TNA had almost the same amount of victories you get with 60 minute Iron man matches. There was a point where I found myself paying way more attention to the clock than to the match itself, and I'm pretty sure that isn't what you want you audience to do. Roode took a 2-0 lead with a pinfall and a submission victory. AJ quickly tied it at 2-2 when he was able to get a submission and roll up victory of his own. AJ took the lead when he hit a springboard 450 Splash. Roode was able to tie it once again by getting a heelish pinfall. He pinned AJ, but the referee didn't see Roode grab the rope for leverage. Either way, it's a 3-3 tie. We are down to the last minute of the match and Roode.....starts running away. He does this until the clock runs out. The match ends in a 3-3 tie and.....this ends the show? Yeah..... no overtime? No extra five minutes? No real winner and loser? Just a tie...yep....a tie. I think many of you have this thought going through your head...

3-3 Tie. Robert Roode is still champion in event of a tie

Why was there a tie? We already knew that Roode would most likely be going up against Hardy at the next PPV. We also had to figure that this was a blow off feud. Heck, we wouldn't be doing an Iron man match unless it's supposed to be one of those "final encounter" type matches. So, they do this match and they have it end up in a tie? The only real conclusion I can think of in ending the match like this is for the Genesis match to be a Triple Threat Match, Roode vs Hardy vs Styles. If that's what TNA is shooting for, then I'm okay with the tie....even know I hate when pro wrestling does ties. I think the old saying goes "a tie is worse than losing". Well, in terms of fans who ordered this PPV, it is worse than say a winner and/or loser. A tie would give AJ another title shot while keeping Roode's selfish character in check. However, this is also TNA. I wouldn't be surprised if this whole tie deal is never resolved and Roode ends up going up against Hardy at Genesis while AJ is in another program. I also wouldn't be surprised if TNA ends up doing a free TV title match between Roode and AJ, thus ending things. If they go with either of those two scenarios, than TNA is freakin' stupid. All they're doing is pissing people off by having matches end like this. Don't get me wrong. I am all for storytelling and I always way "let's see where they are going with this", but it has to connect or make sense. If it doesn't, all you are doing is airing pointless scenes and wasting time while pissing people off. I can see a lot of people immediately lose interest in TNA after tonight; and for a company that needs to grow, that isn't what you want to create. I think what's even more insulting is that there was no overtime or an extra five minutes. Hell, the had another 10 minutes until the PPV was over, so don't tell me they didn't have the time to do so. An overtime would've soften the blow, but the fact TNA didn't even do is a joke. All I can say is if it turns out to be a Triple Threat match at Genesis or something more creative and fun down the stretch, then I am fine with this tie. If that isn't the case, TNA needs to castrate their entire creative staff and hire people with a actual brain to call the shots cuz bulls*** like this isn't working.

Overall Impression:
Up until the main event, I felt the evening was pretty average. It wasn't terrible, but nothing amazing about it either. In many ways, this felt like a glorified TV taping. However, considering how TNA does a lot of their TV tapings, this was a hell of an improvement compared to what has shown up on Impact lately. Outside of the Storm/Angle, everything else was in the average department and made this a decent evening. Although, the additions of the X Division match and cage match can catch you eye and help out with you grade this. Still, when you factor in how the main event turned out, you can easily go from saying this was a fun evening to a very disappointing evening. I was content with what I saw for the most part, but I just can't get over the tie. What is with TNA and ties? This is pro wrestling, not hockey. I am aware that WWE has gotten away with ties in the past, but I swear it happens more often in TNA than WWE. TNA really relies on the tie solution to make sure both guys leave with the same stock, but it does piss people off. In general, I hate ties in pro wrestling. Well, time to score TNA Final Resolution. On a scale of 1-10 and 5 being considered average on my show, I have to give Final Resolution a 4 out of 10. I was okay with giving this a 5 since the action/PPV quality was a lot better than what TNA has done lately, but I had to take a point away for the tie (Hey, I almost thought about taking 2 points off for the tie). A 4 out of 10 on my show is considered slightly below average. The action wasn't bad tonight, but there was a lot of things featured tonight that didn't make this PPV stand out and can leave you with a sense of disappointment. Now, I have to be fair and say the card going into Final Resolution wasn't anything special, so I didn't really have much in terms of expectations for this event. A lot of the matches felt like action you would see on free TV, but you can still put together a fun evening with an average card. I also wasn't big on the audience tonight, but I've never been high on the Impact Zone, so I've grown to expect this crowd to not get you on your feet. Even more of a reason to take this show on the road since you get the same audience every week with the Impact Zone. TNA needs a different audience on a weekly basis so you can get more genuine crowd reactions. I often feel like its too phony when they're in the Impact Zone. I would like to add that TNA has put enough interest for this week's Impact. We could see Jarrett or Karen fired, and I'm sure they would want to talk about the tie and what happens with AJ. There's also the Storm/Angle fall out, so they did build Impact pretty well for this week. I have to at least give them credit for that. That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. The Slammys for WWE Raw are tomorrow night, so....that could be interesting. I don't expect much with the Slammys, but I will talk about it. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time and tie one down.

WrestlingNerd's Official Score of TNA Final Resolution 2011: 4 out of 10