Final Resolution (January 2008): Angle-Cage, Kim-Kong and Ultimate X Give TNA a Strong New-Year Card

LAX opened the first TNA pay-per-view of 2008 against Jimmy Rave and Lance Hoyt of the Rock 'n Rave Infection, with Christy Hemme accompanying the challengers. Rave tried an early cradle on Homicide, while Hoyt brought a size advantage against both members of the smaller team. Homicide answered with a suplex and a fast move on the apron, then Hernandez entered to overpower Hoyt with shoulder blocks and a high dive to the floor. LAX combined a catapult with a clothesline and splash, but the challengers kept breaking up the follow-up covers. Hemme's presence created the threat of interruption whenever Rave approached the ropes. This was a standard tag match rather than a title defense or the start of a tournament.

As Rave fought his way toward the top turnbuckle, Hernandez intercepted him and hit a **SECOND-ROPE BORDER TOSS**. **HERNANDEZ PINNED JIMMY RAVE** to secure the LAX win in the inherited 6:48. Homicide was part of the winning team but did not deliver the last cover. Afterward a masked LAX-affiliated woman confronted Hemme, building a different storyline; that post-match incident was not a third competing team. The C (6.4) acknowledges quick, athletic action and a decisive tag-team finish within a short opening slot. It should be viewed selectively for the familiar LAX tandem offense rather than as a major show-defining match.

Kaz met Black Reign in a singles grudge match following their earlier clashes around Reign's pet rat, Misty. Kaz immediately pressed his speed advantage with a springboard elbow and a jumping clothesline from the apron, before Reign shifted the action to the guardrail. Reign launched Kaz toward the entrance ramp, hurting Kaz's hip and slowing the high-flying comeback. Back in the ring Reign held a neck submission and used a modified Stunner for a near fall. Kaz survived and replied with a spinning neckbreaker and a springboard DDT, but a missed leg drop allowed the larger man to resume control. The bout balanced a standard singles result against an intentionally bizarre feud prop.

Reign landed a modified Pedigree and tried to use a reverse DDT as a decisive move. Kaz countered the attempt and delivered a **REVERSE DDT OF HIS OWN**, then **KAZ PINNED BLACK REIGN** at 7:28. The winner was Kaz, not an interference-assisted partner or a disqualification. After the bell he took the cage containing Misty the rat, prompting Reign to chase and shout for its return. The rat theft was a character beat after the official decision, not the scoring maneuver. The C (6.3) reflects capable reversals and a comprehensible finish while the comedy feud limits the bout's broader replay value.

Gail Kim defended the Knockouts Championship against Awesome Kong under no-disqualification rules. Kong attacked at the entrance and hurled the champion into the railing, then dominated exchanges inside and outside the ring. Kim attempted to counter with kicks and a cross-body, but Kong intercepted her with a spinning backfist and slams. The champion turned a steel chair against her challenger and tried a top-rope frog splash after Kong had already powerbombed the first referee and hit him with the chair. A replacement official entered for the late exchanges. Kim's chair strikes and splash secured a near fall, not the ultimate victory, as Kong continued to use her power to threaten the title.

Kong struck with a chokeslam and survived another close count. She then threatened to powerbomb the replacement referee too, but Kim seized the distraction with a **SURPRISE ROLL-UP**. **KIM PINNED KONG** to retain in the recorded 12:44, using leverage rather than a conventional decisive strike. The wrestlers resumed fighting after the bell before security and the Beautiful People intervened, but that brawl was not a continuation of the official title match. The A- (8.8) reflects a physically convincing champion-versus-monster contest, multiple credible near falls and a distinct survival finish. It should not be misreported as a Kong disqualification: no-disqualification rules were in effect and Kim won by a real pinfall.

Judas Mesias targeted Abyss's knee at Final Resolution with Father James Mitchell directing him from ringside. Abyss attacked early with clotheslines and sent Mesias into the steel steps, but the challenger countered against the post and held a leg submission to limit Abyss's power. Abyss tried to retrieve his trademark bag from beneath the ring, only to discover Mitchell had taken it. The distraction allowed Mesias to continue working the injured leg. After Abyss sent Mesias face-first into a regular chair, Mitchell returned with another bag containing a steel chair wrapped in barbed wire. The referee took that weapon from Abyss, letting Mesias hit the monster with a separate chair while the official was occupied.

Abyss recovered to land a **BLACK HOLE SLAM**, but Mitchell distracted the referee during what might have been the winning cover. Mesias then sprayed **RED MIST INTO ABYSS'S FACE** and drove him face-first onto the barbed-wire chair. **MESIAS PINNED ABYSS** in the inherited 11:03. After the result, Mitchell and Mesias poured gasoline on Abyss and threatened to light him until security intervened. The gasoline incident was a post-match attack, not a second stipulation or deciding fall. The C+ (6.6) reflects effective horror-story rivalry material and a memorable dirty finish, while the repeated referee distractions leave little room for a satisfying clean contest.

Booker T and Sharmell faced Robert Roode and Ms. Brooks in a mixed-tag contest built around Roode's increasingly cruel treatment of his manager. Booker began against Roode and used spin kicks to counter the younger wrestler's attempts to slow the action. Roode retaliated with a backbreaker and top-rope Blockbuster, then berated Brooks for hesitating to interfere. Under pressure, she tripped Booker and reluctantly slapped him while Roode held his arms. Roode accidentally tagged Brooks into the bout, requiring Sharmell to enter as the opposing legal competitor. Sharmell tackled Brooks before Roode broke up the attack and continued fighting Booker on the floor.

Brooks briefly covered Sharmell, but Sharmell kicked out and Brooks stumbled backward into Roode on the apron. Sharmell took advantage with a **ROLL-UP** and **SHARMELL PINNED MS. BROOKS** to secure the win in the recorded 10:47. Booker did not deliver the decisive fall. After the bell, Roode confronted and shoved Brooks; when Sharmell intervened, he turned and accidentally punched her, setting up an injury storyline as Booker rushed back to help. The punch was NOT a legal match finish. The C (6.4) gives credit to a clearly developed character conflict and meaningful Sharmell cover while recognizing that the main outcome was designed to escalate a feud rather than showcase sustained mixed-tag wrestling.

Team 3D and Johnny Devine faced Jay Lethal and the Motor City Machine Guns in Ultimate X with the X Division championship suspended above the ring. Brother Ray and Devon targeted the injured wrists of Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, limiting their ability to traverse the elevated cables. Lethal was able to reach the cables but fell when Johnny Devine intercepted him with a Death Valley Driver. Devine himself was knocked off a climb by the Motor City Machine Guns, while Team 3D repeatedly failed to reach the belt by conventional climbing. The heels brought a ladder into the ring even though the advertised objective called for traversing cables, forcing the opposing trio to fight both the ladder and Devine's kendo-stick interference.

With Shelley and Sabin recovering from targeted hand attacks, Ray raised a ladder beneath the suspended X Division Championship belt. Johnny Devine first tried to climb it, but Sabin overturned the ladder and Devine crashed onto the tables. Team 3D then recovered, cut off Lethal, and Devon climbed while Brother Ray removed the ladder from underneath him. **BROTHER DEVON REMOVED THE HANGING BELT** and remained suspended as the referee recovered to signal the finish; **TEAM 3D AND JOHNNY DEVINE WON ULTIMATE X** in the inherited 12:02. This is the sequence reported in contemporary WrestlingInc/Wrestlezone play-by-play, independent 411Mania event coverage, Online World of Wrestling, WrestlingFigs live reporting and a later full Wrestling Recaps review. One later encyclopedia summary credits Devine with removing the belt, contradicting the step-by-step accounts that distinguish his earlier failed attempt from Devon's successful one. The B+ (8.3) recognizes dramatic cable spots and a memorable illegal ladder finish, but the decisive act was a belt removal by Devon, not any pinfall or submission.

TNA World Tag Team Champions A.J. Styles and Tomko defended against Samoa Joe and Kevin Nash in a match shaped by their teammates' strained trust. Joe started aggressively with chops and power counters, while Tomko repeatedly tagged in to isolate him and reduce his momentum. Nash entered for a shorter stretch and confronted his partner verbally, clearly irritated by Joe's comments about older veterans. The challengers briefly built offense with a tag, but their chemistry deteriorated when Nash refused Joe's later request for help. Joe attempted to fight the champions alone and hit a Muscle Buster on Styles, but Tomko intervened before the referee completed a three-count.

Nash walked away from the apron and made an insulting gesture rather than returning to assist Joe. Styles recovered with a Pele kick, and the champions combined a late tandem maneuver to put the remaining challenger down. The contemporaneous report describes **STYLES AND TOMKO PINNED JOE** without identifying which champion was credited with the individual final cover; the result is therefore recorded at the team level rather than inventing an individual pinner. The champions retained in the inherited 12:10. The B- (7.4) reflects usable tag action and an effective portrayal of the failed Joe-Nash alliance, while their split largely predetermined the outcome. Nash abandoning the apron was a storyline action, not an official competing team withdrawal or change of the title's owners.

Kurt Angle defended the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Christian Cage at Final Resolution, with Karen Angle's attempts to sway A.J. Styles providing a distraction outside the central title rivalry. Christian attacked through holds and counters while Angle tried a series of German suplexes and an Ankle Lock. The challenger reversed a submission into a Texas Cloverleaf, forced Angle toward the ropes and hit an Unprettier for a near fall. Angle survived, then answered with his own Angle Slam and another ankle submission. Both had genuine near falls, and Christian's reversals gave the audience reason to expect a possible championship switch rather than the predictable continuation of Angle's reign.

A.J. Styles appeared at ringside during the decisive exchanges after Karen Angle's backstage maneuvering. Styles interfered against Christian while the referee was distracted, allowing Angle to capitalize for the cover. **ANGLE PINNED CHRISTIAN** in the recorded 18:45 to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. The final turn was not a clean title-winning performance by Styles, who had already wrestled in the tag-title match and was not an in-ring participant here. The A- (8.6) reflects the central wrestlers' counters and near falls while marking down the interference that ultimately shaped the result. Christian's Unprettier had produced a near fall, not the winning three-count.