After reading the results for TNA's Final Resolution, I just have to shake my head and wonder what it's going to take to get rid of TNA's current Uncreative team. Jeff Jarrett has had more time backstage than usual to make the necessary changes, but instead he lets his pal Vince Russo run amok. Oh, don't worry, that other old school booker, Dutch Mantel, gets some of the blame, too, but most of this current mess has Russo's fingerprints all over it.

As a born-again Christian, I have to feel sorry for a fellow Christian in AJ Styles. If we've learned anything from Russo's current tour of duty in TNA---and he's reportedly a Christian, too--it's that he is unafraid to compromise people's beliefs in order to tell his story the way he wants it. Russo's ideas are so far outdated, he's probably bought back a few of his old WWF or WCW scripts on eBay. Styles' stock dropped dramatically in this writer's view because of his current characterization as a gullible soldier who wants to serve 2 masters (Kurt Angle & Christian Cage) when he knows that's next to impossible. While Styles can be counted on for a few good comedy bits and some great matches, he really needs to be his own man again, and get away from Team Angle and the politics that go with it. Styles, a 3-time NWA champion, is better off challenging Angle for the title rather than continue to be his toady. Travis Tomko was presented on the last Impact as being TNA's answer to Dave Batista when he left Evolution 3 years ago. However, Russo seems to be at odds with his partners about what direction to take Tomko. That Styles & Tomko remain the tag champs is another matter altogether, and TNA, like WWE, is in no hurry to set up challengers for the titles.

And, then, there's Samoa Joe, who has been horribly misused from the micro-second Angle arrived in TNA. Instead of waiting out a money feud between Angle and Joe, Russo hit the go button on their feud right away because of what he perceived needed to be an instant success. Sorry, Vince, but "Crash TV" died 7 years ago, a fact you've yet to accept, and probably never will. Rightfully, Joe should've been the NWA champion right before TNA seceded from the NWA last year, but Russo convinced Jarrett, Mantel, and Dixie Carter that Angle was a better fit as champion. Angle is past his prime. It's that simple. When I see Kurt in a 3-piece suit on Thursdays, I'm thinking of him replacing Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor in the next Superman movie, not as a heel wrestler holding the TNA title hostage. He just doesn't move me as a competitor anymore. He's fallen into the trap of needing illegal help to win his matches. Translated, pilgrims, he's plugged into Jarrett's old role.

I'm surprised that Gail Kim is still the TNA Women's champion. I thought for sure Awesome Kong would win last night, but apparently she's fallen into the same trap of creative mistrust that Joe has. Kong has had her push cut off at the knees, just like Joe. Maybe it's the fact that she doesn't talk (part of her mystique). She doesn't need to. Then again, Gail doesn't get much chance to talk, either, just like in WWE.

Finally, there is the farce that is the X division championship. Jay Lethal is the champion, but Johnny Devine & Team 3D are walking around with a stolen belt, and when the opportunity arose for Lethal & the Motor City Machine Guns to restore some integrity to the division, Russo has them jobbing in Ultimate X. That is wrong on so many levels. But Russo doesn't care. To him, it's all about squeezing ratings out of older talents who don't have the charisma & charm anymore (i.e. Angle). Ever notice that the ratings have never gone up since going to a 2 hour format? That's because Russo's booked it as the Kurt Angle Show. Look, I realize the title is supposed to be the focus of the promotion, but the champion should be wrestling every week, defending his title, not dominating every backstage skit on the show. Jack Benny he's not.

The solution, then, is really simple, and I've advocated it before in this space. Fire Russo, and never bring him back. Send him back to Long Island. Let Jim Cornette & Terry Taylor have the book, and have Taylor switch places with Mantel. Shoot, I'd have Taylor replace Don West at the desk. With Taylor's talent for voice impersonations, the quality of the commentary would improve virtually overnight. Under Russo, there are too many storylines going on at once even for a 2 hour show. As was demonstrated in WCW, Russo's ideas don't work unless he has someone who can reshape his vision to make it work.

How would ye scribe have booked Final Resolution? I'll focus on a few specific matches:

Ultimate X: Lethal & the Guns over Team 3D, who then turn on Devine. It's that simple.

Women's title: Kong over Kim. How hard was that?

TNA title: No interference from Styles, and Joe is added to make it a 3-way elimination match. Joe goes over and finally gets the brass ring.

Tag titles: I'd replace Joe & Kevin Nash with the remnants of Triple X (Senshi & Elix Skipper). The "Whose side is AJ on?" would be discarded.

You know the commercial slogan, "You could learn a lot from a dummy"? We can learn from TNA's creative dummies. Take the book, and do the opposite of what they want. Now, if only Dixie Carter could buy enough clues to get the message.