SCOTT STEINER VS. BOBBY LASHLEY

 Before the match there’s a botch in the production truck and we see the preview for Foley’s Funhouse match later tonight. Anyway, this match started with Scott Steiner convincing himself that Bobby Lashley’s wife wante to be with Steiner instead, including using her hands to rub his chest and carrying her away backstage. They had a Falls Count Anywhere match the previous month at Turning Point, which Steiner won using a scaffold pipe. Bobby Lashley’s wife actually got a decent promo in this too, which was a pleasant surprise.

 

  Mike Tenay and Tazz are on ringside as Steiner makes his way out with the scaffolding pipe, which Tenay is already calling a “trademark” Lashley’s wife Kristal accompanies him to the ring and she is not shy about high-fiving the fans waiting on her husband. She argues with the referee about being in Bobby’s corner but is sent to the back. Scott Steiner notices and follows her, chased by Bobby Lashley. Lashley is a trusting husband, simply asking what’s going on as Steiner decks him with a (delayed) cheap shot. Lashley rolls down the ring and that starts the match.

 

SCOTT STEINER VS. BOBBY LASHLEY

TNA Final Resolution 2009 (20^th December 2009)

  Scott Steiner sends Lashley into the guard rail from the ramp, then again before choking him with a television cable. Lashley is whipped into the guard rail but we miss it as the cameraman is moving out of the way. Steiner sends Lashley into the ring (for reference, this is when the match should officially start) but runs into a T-Bone suplex. Steiner starts favouring his knee as Bobby Lashley charges him in the corner with a clothesline. Lashley continues the attack with right hands and a forearm in the corner then runs in with a shoulder thrust to the ribs. Bobby Lashley hits a back elbow as there’s a cut, did TNA have commercials or something for Pay-Per-Views? Anyway, he hits another shoulder thrust before lifting Steiner onto one shoulder and drops to his knees. It looks like Lashley instinctively went for a cover but he nicely goes for a Dragon Sleeper. He holds it on and I’m not sure if it’s just the Impact Plus audio but the crowd sound really quiet, but they slightly favour Steiner. The referee starts to count as Lashley releases the hold but Steiner is able to make it to his feet at 6.

 

  Bobby Lashley clotheslines Steiner over to the floor, he follows and sends Steiner into the guard rail as a receipt from earlier. A knee to the midsection and an elbow to the top of the head soften Steiner up as Lashley gets a chair from the crowd. He softly taps Steiner’s head with it. Lashley gets some clubbing blows in but Steiner is able to fight him off, Scott Steiner grabs the scaffold pipe, because it happens to be laying on the platform near them and hits Lashley in the midsection. He drops Lashley with another shot to the back with the pipe, telling the referee to start counting. Bobby Lashley gets to his feet at 7 and Steiner decks him with another shot, dropping the pipe. Lashley is back on his feet at 7, getting sent into the guard rail before Scott Steiner posts him head-first. Bobby Lashley is sent into the ring steps and it takes him until just before 9 to get to his feet. Scott Steiner brings Lashley back into the ring and awkwardly perches him on the top rope. Bobby Lashley tries to fight back but is caught in some kind of clutch and dropped to the mat.

 

  The referee starts counting but Bobby Lashley is up at 9, so Steiner perches him back on the top turnbuckle. Scott Steiner climbs to the middle rope and hits a belly to belly superplex, giving Tazz a chance to take a shot at Michael Cole’s “VINTAGE!” line. Lashley is up at 5. Steiner goes back to the middle rope and jumps into a belly to belly suplex from Lashley, Bobby Lashley hits a running Powerslam and Tazz gives Steve Williams a shoutout. Scott Steiner is able to get to his feet at 9, partially because the referee gave up the count at that point. Bobby Lashley is on the middle rope, Scott Steiner cuts him off with a right hand and hits the Frankensteiner! Bobby Lashley is vertical before 9 but gets knocked down with a Steinerline. Scott Steiner clearly has no faith in that being the end as he goes to collect the scaffold pipe, but Kristal Lashley is back! She grabs Steiner’s Pipe (hahaha) before throwing it to Lashley (wait, what?) It’s almost perfect but Lashley drops it and improvises hitting a Spear on Scott Steiner. Scott Steiner is back to his feet at 4 because Fuck your Spear, Bobby Lashley hits him with the lead pipe and that keeps Steiner down for the 10 count.

 

WINNER: BOBBY LASHLEY

 

I was going to start this with a joke that the technical issue may have been a bad omen for the match, but it legitimately was. It was an OK match but the Spear could have been the finish, use the lead pipe in a post match beat down or something. A few suplexes and not much else, there was a sprinkle of Lashley’s MMA character but his wife resulted in the finish. It made sense, but I didn’t like it. [**] 3.75/10.