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TNA Final Resolution Preview
Matt ten-Hoeve
December 12, 2024
This Friday, December 13, 2024, TNA will stream Final Resolution 2024 live from the sold out Center Stage in Atlanta on TNA+. Below are the matches announced so far:
*TNA Champion Nic Nemeth vs. AJ Francis
*TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich vs. Tasha Steelz
*TNA X-Division Champion Moose vs. KUSHIDA
*TNA Tag Team Champions The Hardys vs. The System - Tables Match
*Mike Santana vs. Joe Hendry vs. Josh Alexander vs. Steve Maclin - Winner challenges TNA Champion at Genesis 2025
*Jordynne Grace vs. Rosemary
*Ace Austin vs. Trent Seven
*Jonathan Gresham vs. Frankie Kazarian (Countdown to Final Resolution)
*Leon Slater vs. JDC (Countdown to Final Resolution)
Let's talk about the matches…
Leon Slater vs. JDC (Countdown to Final Resolution)
Featuring Leon Slater on the Countdown to Final Resolution is smart on TNA’s part. They have been letting him fly and impress crowds while mixing him in with some top tier X-Division talent. Putting him in with a good base in JDC will allow for some big move moments to get the crowd going early. A Slater victory here would give him a win over someone from The System, helping him build his resume to possibly take on Moose down the road.
Jonathan Gresham vs. Frankie Kazarian (Countdown to Final Resolution)
This is a fun matchup that should lead to a really strong match on the Countdown show. It will be interesting to see who takes the win. With Frankie Kazarian having the Call Your Shot Gauntlet trophy in his back pocket, giving Jonathan Gresham the win may be a nice move to start building him up. Frankie Kazarian can make his heel excuses and rely on the trophy to come out of this with his character still being strong.
Ace Austin vs. Trent Seven
Trent Seven has gone in a new direction since turning on Mike Bailey. Although Bailey didn’t get a chance at revenge on his way out of the company, Seven has tried to showcase his new demeanor by aligning with Jake Something and Hammerstone at times and finding himself facing off with some of TNA’s top talents. Ace Austin finds himself in storyline limbo due to the Chris Bey injury. This is a match where a win could help both men - Austin to help gain some momentum as he navigates TNA solo and Seven to continue his new path of nefarious behavior. While I think that an Austin win would make people smile, a Seven win would do more for his character.
Jordynne Grace vs. Rosemary
Rosemary seems to be getting built back up to be a major player in the new era of TNA’s women’s division. Getting a statement victory over Jordynne Grace would definitely solidify Rosemary’s name as a contender to Masha Slamovich. Leaving or not, I think Grace’s new job for the next few months is to help realign the Knockouts. She has a chance to make Rosemary look even better and stronger than she usually does at Final Resolution.
Mike Santana vs. Joe Hendry vs. Josh Alexander vs. Steve Maclin - Winner challenges TNA Champion at Genesis 2025
I’m willing to admit when I am wrong, and man - I was VERY wrong about Joe Hendry at Turning Point last month. I really bought into some fantasy booking of mine with Hendry going on a much longer redemption arc, starting with him wearing the turkey suit. That didn’t happen. Therefore, I am going to play it safe and smart this month by predicting a Joe Hendry win in order to secure his shot at the TNA World Championship at Genesis. Contract status or not, TNA needs to pull the trigger on Joe Hendry and I think that the time has to be now. It should allow them to get some more eyes on the big Genesis show with Hendry possibly taking over as the focal point of TNA for 2025.
Although I see Hendry winning, one could make a case for Steve Maclin or Mike Santana winning. Both have been built quite strongly in recent months and seem poised for a big 2025. However, I don’t think it is time to give them the big win just yet. I think they both will continue their journey with one of them possibly getting a shot at the TNA World Championship close to home at Slammiversary (with my money on it being Mike Santana).
Due to Josh Alexander’s contract situation, smart money has him not winning this. Of course, crazier things have happened. He adds an interesting layer to this match, though, and will make the match even better with both his skills and timing.
TNA Tag Team Champions The Hardys vs. The System - Tables Match
Thanks to rematch clauses and other multi-man matches, we have seen The Hardys and The System lock horns quite a bit in recent months. From an action/match quality standpoint - it’s hard to complain about these two teams facing off again. Both teams are rock solid and provide really strong, traditional tag team matches with modern twists. With that said, I am excited to see the tag division move on after this match, which I do expect to be the case. The System is always dangerous in a match thanks to their numbers, but I think The Hardys take this one and build to a new matchup at Genesis.
TNA X-Division Champion Moose vs. KUSHIDA
Moose had a really strong first defense of his X-Division Title at Turning Point with Laredo Kid. I don’t think anyone expected Moose to lose, but he gave Laredo Kid some moments while still looking dominant in victory. I expect more of the same here with KUSHIDA…just with KUSHIDA maybe getting a few more moments. Whoever takes down Moose in this division really needs to be built up, in my opinion. We are not at that point yet.
TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich vs. Tasha Steelz
Tasha Steelz being the first non-Jordynne Grace challenger for Masha Slamovich is some solid storytelling. There is some history here - both recent and not. Recently, Steelz was a bit of a thorn in Masha’s side while Masha was dealing with Alisha Edwards. Now, Steelz is being a thorn again, but in order to improve her own chances against Masha. While I do not expect Masha Slamovich to lose her title this early on in her reign, I do expect this match to be really strong with Tasha Steelz helping establish Masha as champion while also improving her own stock as someone to come back to for a championship match down the road.
TNA Champion Nic Nemeth vs. AJ Francis
Well, welcome to a TNA+ main event, right? Last month, it was Eddie Edwards challenging for the title with very little build and story. This month, it’s AJ Francis with even less build and story. I’m actually not mad at the AJ Francis of it all. He’s been entertaining in his role in TNA. What I am not a fan of is the way this match was just slapped together. I get it - TNA only had two weeks in between TNA+ events with a wonky holiday schedule. I just…want to feel more invested in a TNA World Title match. That’s all. This came together like an undercard match that was added to just fill some time.
Either way, let’s be honest - Nic Nemeth is not losing this one. Much like last month, this is more about whether or not others get involved. John Layfield? Frankie Kazarian? Joe Hendry? Find out on Friday!
Overall Thoughts
I expect this show to be fun. The in-ring action will probably be really good to awesome. There will be a couple of things that come out of this that will be interesting. However, it’s tough to get super excited for this card. TNA did only have two weeks to put this card together, though. Obviously, the major focus right now is Genesis and building to that card. I can’t really hate on the business model when the intention is quite clear.
If you are looking to watch Final Resolution, but don’t have the means or are just looking to give the streaming service a try - you can order a free month of TNA+ using code NONSTOP.
Do you agree with how I see things shaking out? Which matches are you looking forward to the most? Let me know at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com and let’s talk about it! Make sure to check in with PWInsider.com on Friday for live coverage of TNA Final Resolution!
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