IMPACT Final Resolution Review - December 12, 2020

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Tommy Dreamer def. Larry D in an Old School Rules Match

Team XXXL have grown on me in recent months, and while I wish they'd win more matches, I was totally fine with Larry losing here because it was a singles match and Dreamer should pick up the occasional win if he's going to be a regular on the show. Per the stipulation, Larry must now suffer the consequences for shooting John E. Bravo back in October. In reality, yes, he would have been arrested immediately, but the storyline has been wacky, so I haven't attempted to apply any logic to it. The match was fine for what it was, and although it wasn't the most exciting opener, I'm glad they got it out of the way early. I'd be happy if I didn't see another Old School Rules match in IMPACT (especially involving Dreamer) for another few months.

Havok and Nevaeh def. Sea Stars

We got our first look at Sea Stars in IMPACT in the first round of the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship Tournament and they looked impressive in defeat. IMPACT's Knockouts tag team division is flourishing at the moment, so I'd love to see Sea Stars brought in full-time eventually. For now, they're making the most of being in the enhancement role. There wasn't anything overly special about the match, mind you, but it was perfectly serviceable in the time they were allotted.

Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb def. Alisha and Eddie Edwards

I'm glad Kaleb is wrestling again and isn't just being relegated to being Dashwood's photographer. He's really talented, though I'm not sure how much of a chance he'll have to chance with his current gimmick. Nonetheless, this was a fun mixed tag team match. Eddie typically has to carry Alisha in their matches together, but they worked well with Dashwood and Kaleb otherwise. Sami Callihan's entrance music served as a distraction and allowed the heels to pick up the win. He attempted to attack Alisha afterward but was stopped by the referees. You'd expect her husband Eddie to put an end to the ambush, but he was already knocked out in the ring, so that was a bit weird.

Hernandez def. Fallah Bahh (Kiera Hogan Served as Special Guest Referee)

in addition to Hogan serving as the special guest referee, Tasha Steelz served as the special guest ring announcer. Their antics were easily the best part about this bout. Bahh is entertaining, but I honestly couldn't care less his storyline with Hogan, Steelz and Hernandez. It's just undercard filler and the matches are always going to be total throwaway. Thankfully, this didn't last long as Hernandez put Bahh away quickly. Hopefully this feud doesn't continue because I don't have a desire to see more matches between them.

Eric Young def. Rhino

This felt like a match we would've seen in IMAPCT a decade ago. On the bright side, Rhino is consistently solid and Young has successfully reinvented himself since returning to the company, so this was actually pretty decent. That said, this belonged on an episode of IMPACT! Wrestling, not on a live special. There wasn't anything technically wrong it it, but it was just average. It was a chapter in a longer story being told with Young, Joe Doering, Rhino and The Deaners as Cody Deaner turned on Cousin Jake halfway through this. Young winning was the right call because now Rhino will need Heath to help take on Young and Doering.

Manik def. Rohit Raju in a Defeat Rohit Challenge to Win the Impact X-Division Championship

TJP previously lost a Last Chance match to Raju but apparently was able to go for the gold again here because he's wearing a mask. Even the commentators openly acknowledged it was him. I realize Manik was his old gimmick from years ago, but still, this has to be explained. That said, their match was a treat. I would've preferred if one or two of the undercard matches were cut from the card to give this more time. Raju exceeded my expectations as champion, so I hope he can continue to remain relevant despite losing the belt here.

Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo def. Rosemary

I'm not sure if Rosemary is long for the Impact Knockouts Championship picture or not, but it was back to see her back in the title mix after not getting many championship shots over the years. Purrazzo and Rosemary are two of the better workers in the Knockouts division and thus I wasn't surprised that this was a very good match. The interference from Kimber Lee and Taya Valkyrie at ringside was kept to a minimum, but they did factor into the finish with Lee helping Purrazzo retain her title. Valkyrie and Rosemary sending the heels packing from the ring indicates the rivalry isn't over yet.

Impact World Champion Karl Anderson def. Ethan Page

Had Page won here, The North would have been given a rematch for the Impact World Tag Team Championship. Anderson has been in a tag team for so long that it's easy to forget how skilled of a singles competitor he is as well. Page is also talented and thus this was a superb match. Page put in a commendable effort, but it wasn't enough to earn him the victory. Anderson winning despite having the odds stacked against him (Josh Alexander was in Page's corner and Doc Gallows wasn't at ringside) plays into the tension that's been teased with The North. The Anderson and Kenny Omega interaction was very interesting and makes me excited for whatever's planned for them going forward.

Impact World Champion Rich Swann def. Chris Bey

With Omega appearing on IMPACT! Wrestling this past week and Moose being groomed for a shot at the Impact World Championship, there was virtually zero chance Bey was going to win the title here. It was more a question of how credible he'd look in defeat and I was stoked he had such a strong performance against Swann. Seriously, this was stellar stuff. They were given the time and made every minute matter with Bey pushing Swann to his limit and Swann having to dig down deep to retain his title. Moose emerged afterward and confronted Swann, which is a logical next step in the story with how he's been built up in 2020.

Overall Show

Final Resolution was well on its way to being a glorified edition of IMPACT! Wrestling up until those final three matches. Those were the only matches that made this event feel worthwhile, along with the appearance from Omega. The undercard was decent albeit unspectacular, though the X-Division title changing hands was notable. This Impact Plus live special felt more transitional than the other ones we've seen this year with several storylines progressing and seeds being planted for Hard to Kill next month.​