Turning PointWell Turning Point was certainly an eventful event; extremely eventful. Firstly, the in ring action was very good. Almost all of the matches were good, without any of them really pushing past that. Some matches were a little less than I expected and I do think that the show was over-saturated with tag team action, but other than that it was pretty damn solid. Outside of the wrestling, the show was all over the place! No Rhino, no Scott Hall, wrestlers quitting afterwards, and, well, lets just say Samoa Joe got a few things off his chest as well.
Team 3D/Johnny Devine d. MCM/Jay Lethal
This match really impressed me. Now I don’t doubt that MCM and Lethal are great talents and they were certainly all on top form for this match, but I also wanted to give props to the other team. Devine showed that he deserves to be pushed up beyond the, well, nothingness that he was dwelling in, and Team 3D looked really strong as well. I was expecting them to stink up the ring and slow the pace down considerably but instead they mixed very well with everyone else and I found myself enjoying the match very much. The ending, though used quite often, pushes this feud even further as well, and after this match I really look forward to the inevitable X title match between Lethal and Devine next month.
Angelina Love/Velvet Sky d. ODB/Roxxy Laveaux
This match was good and all four came off really well. I was very negative about this match going into the PPV as I thought that it was pointless (which I still think it was) and that ODB would just be pushing everyone else around. However, what we got was a very even contest that even ended with Love and Sky picking up the victory after being played off as a legitimate tag team. I enjoyed being thrown off by the result and I am intrigued by a proper tag team being developed in the women’s division, but I am not really sure what that can lead to.
Erik Young d. James Storm
Wow, a singles match! I’ve really enjoyed the build up to this match as it has been funny and then took a brutal twist. Unfortunately, that didn’t really follow through to the actual match here and the storyline seemed to be more about Storm trying to win a beer out of Jackie. Young looked great at first and I liked the psychological aspect with Storm working on Young’s arm, but at times all the rest holds were a little bit too much. The win for Young came out of nowhere though and I like the idea of this feud continuing for a while and hopefully these two can pick the pace up a little better next time.
Petey Williams, Senshi, BG James and Scott Steiner “won” Feast or Fired
This match was a bit of a scramble it was quite hard to keep up with, but on the other side of the spectrum, it wasn’t boring. The action was fast and each briefcase win was entertaining in its own right. Chris Harris also added a lot to the match by continuing his own storyline and displaying the opposite viewpoint to the match as he refused to attempt to win a briefcase through fear of being fired. Three of the winners pleased me as I assume that Petey was getting the X title shot, Senshi would get the tag title shot and Scott would probably be fired which would start a great storyline. I didn’t like the fact that BG won a case as that would probably mean he was getting a world title match and then splitting with Kip James over it (thus leading to them feuding). However, as many people know, Senshi actually quit the company after the show, so everything is going to change. Whilst I regret that we will not see any storyline over the firing, I am pleased that we will probably now see: Petey get the X shot, VKM go for the tag titles (which I hope they lose) and Scott Steiner face Angle in what should be a great match.
Gail Kim d. Awesome Kong (via DQ)
This match was slightly disappointing in that it was quite predictable, but I know it will lead to a re-match that will probably be more open and more exciting, so I look forward to that. Kong was literally awesome and basically dominated from start to finish. She is really starting to look unstoppable, and even when Gail did start to make a comeback, she never really looked liked she had what it takes to beat the challenger. In the end, Kong was disqualified for shoving the referee and beating down Gail which is exactly what I was expecting to happen. I’m not really sure why Sky and Williams were chosen to come out after looking so strong earlier, but they came out and took a beating from Kong, just to emphasise how nasty the challenger could be.
Abyss/Raven d. Black Reign/Rellik
As disappointed as I was at Rhino not being able to make it (I knew he was injured and I really hope it isn’t too serious) it was really good to see Raven back again, and on this showing, I don’t know why he was taken off TV in the first place. He was really on his game tonight and mixed well with all three men. He was athletic, bloody and down right entertaining. Reign still doesn’t impress me too much but in this multi-man match it didn’t really matter. Abyss was his usual self and Rellik is still looking strong in the ring with his brutal style, but I expect him to be toning it down somewhat; especially if Rhino is hurt badly. The match was brutal, as promised and there was a lot of blood, tables and tacks. It wasn’t the most horrific bout these guys have put on but they did more than enough to entertain the fans and Rellik took a hell of a slam into the tacks to end the match.
Booker T/Kaz d. Christian Cage/Robert Roode
It may not be fair on this match but by this point I was quite fed up with the amount of multi-man matches and I have to be honest and say that the tag structure of this match bored me. No one performed badly and nothing really sticks out as being bad about the match, but I had just seen too much of it already. I enjoyed Kaz’s athleticism as usual and Booker brought a lot of energy to the match. I also enjoyed the head between Christian and Roode and I loved the ending, especially the way Christian played it up and then with AJ coming out to break up the fight. So, I am probably being very harsh on this match and I think that if it had been on Impact or surrounded by singles fights, I would really have enjoyed it.
Joe
Well, Joe had a lot to say at Turning Point didn’t he!? Firstly, they announced that Hall wasn’t there and he went off on one at Nash then, after doing the same thing again later, he was given a live mic, and I don’t think it worked out the way Dixie Carter wanted it. Joe said a lot of things that may have gotten him in some trouble with the older stars of TNA, especially with Kevin Nash who clearly did not like what he heard. Nash didn’t take well to the shoot whilst it was happening, and very quickly left after the match. Most of what Joe said was true and I appreciated him saying it, but Dixie Carter clearly didn’t as Joe even turned to her and told her to fire him if she didn’t like what he was saying. I know that Joe has since apologised for this, so I really hope that the situation calms down and nothing more is made of it, otherwise Joe could see his TNA career go from his current mediocrity to a lot worse.
Samoe Joe/Kevin Nash/Erik Young d. Kurt Angle/AJ Styles/Tomko
This match was pretty short lived but it was actually rather fast paced and enjoyable. I think Joe may have taken up a little too much time with his promo as this match only got around 10 minutes, but I think that may have helped it in the end. All of the Angle Alliance looked strong in the ring, but they are all the kind of wrestlers that you would expect that from. Joe was on fire, but he needed to be to back up what he said, and that really showed. Kevin Nash did what he was supposed to do when he was in the ring, and he did look good against Tomko, but he didn’t do much to counteract what Joe had been saying about him. Erik Young benefited the most from this match and he looked fine along with the main eventers, though I would have preferred him to sell his arm injury a little more. Joe pinned Tomko in the end, but I don’t think the result of this match is what really matters any more.
Live Impact Thoughts
The show opens with brief clips of all the briefcase-owners arriving at the Impact zone. Nothing of note happens except that Kip and BG seem to be arguing over it after Kip did the work but had to give the case to BG. What was surprising though was Senshi turning up with his case. I’m glad to see him there to receive the pink slip, rather than just disappearing from our screens (though obviously I would still prefer that he wasn’t leaving the promotion at all).
The first match saw LAX defeat Black Reign and Rellik. This match seemed a little filler to me and no one stepped up a gear at any point. I never really got into it. I like Reign and Rellik in the tag division, rather than just having to come up with more horrific matches for them, and I was happy to see LAX in action. There were rumours that they weren’t going to be pushed for a while as they don’t work without Konnan, but I like them being paired with Hoyt and Rave (who attacked after) and I can see this feud lasting for quite a while due to the combinations of 6-man tags with Christy Hemme and Shelly Martinez, as well as the obvious singles women’s match and straight up tag team match.
After a backstage segment where Lethal challenged Team 3D to a 3-on-3 tag ladder match, for possession of the X-division title, Kurt Angle came out to talk. He tells Christian that he wants him and Robert Roode to join his alliance so that they can avenge their collective losses (Angle/Styles/Tomko/Christian/Roode vs. Joe/Nash/Young/Booker/Kaz???). He says it is a one time only offer and gives him an hour to respond. At this point in time, we don’t really know where this will go, but it could either see a massive feud kicking off, or a hell of a stable being formed.
What a Knockouts segment! Gail Kim and ODB had a really entertaining wrestling match and I think that may be one of the more entertaining women’s matches I have seen all year. It would have been great with a little extra time, but I am sure we will see that on PPV some time in the next year. Kim ended up losing after being too fired up for her own good and ODB hit her with the flask. I liked the storyline here with Kim trying to be more vicious and I thought that ODB picking up the win meant that they were skipping the Kong feud for now and going with ODB instead, but it looks like I was wrong about that. Kong quickly came out and, after ODB scampered, attacked Kim again. The two brawled until Kong got the upper hand and Angelina Love and Velvet Sky dragged Kim backstage. Are we heading into a three way feud with Kim, Kong and ODB? Are Sky and Love part of a group lead by Gail Kim? This women’s division is certainly holding my attention at the minute.
Triple X fall out backstage as Daniels demands that Senshi gives him his briefcase. Senshi refuses and challenges Daniels; prompting Matt Morgan to make a match between them where the winner takes the case. This is interesting, especially if Senshi leaves the company having just beaten Daniels.
That match is up straight away and Elix Skipper is the special referee. Daniels picks up the winner after he hits the Angel’s Wings and Skipper eventually makes the count. This match was fast paced and as good as any match that these two could put on in a short space of time, but I was slightly distracted by the cutting away during the match, and also by Sadler on commentary at the same time. So, Daniels picks up the win so I now assume that Senshi’s case does not hold the pink slip and that the original plan for Feast or Fired will now resume. This probably spells the end of Triple X (I am assuming that Senshi will just disappear now) but we may yet see Daniels and Skipper teaming up and getting a title shot.
BG makes it clear that he is unhappy with Kip James as his partner and says that if he has a tag title shot, he will be picking someone else. He takes his case with him but Roxxi warns him that he has the wrong one. BG to be fired? That’s not what I was expecting to be honest.
Meanwhile, Petey Williams debuts his new bodybuilding gimmick which isn’t what I was hoping for him as it is a little silly, but if it leads to a decent push, I am happy for him.
Angle is back in the ring with Styles and Tomko, he wants his answer and Christian, who had earlier told Roode that he would meet with Angle but that he didn’t like it, comes out to respond. Before he can say anything, Robert Roode jumps ship as he firmly believes in power in numbers. Christian responds with an amazing promo that is delivered in such a way that only a truly great talker can do. He breaks down everyone in the group, telling Tomko about how he betrayed him, telling AJ that he is a nobody and then actually telling Angle that he may be the champion but that he is second behind Christian, and that if this group is going to form, it is going to be lead by Christian. Unbelievably, Angle shakes the new leader’s hand; followed by everyone else. This may not sound like it was really great, but Christian delivered the promo with such passion that I was totally hooked on his every word.
The face team (Joe, Booker, Kaz, Young and even Nash who stands in line behind Joe, signalling that they are on good terms again), who were, for some reason, driven to the arena by Erik Young, come out to have their say. Joe challenges them to a 10-man tag team match at Final Resolution, but Karen interrupts and wants the match on Impact. She even challenges Sharmell to a match and the two end up brawling at ringside until they are separated.
After Scott Steiner takes his briefcase we see Jay Lethal and MCM defeat Team 3D and Johnny Devine in the ladder match which gives Lethal his title back. Or it would have done but Team 3D screwed them over again by distracting the referee, attacking Lethal and giving the belt to Devine for the win. This wasn’t a title match so Lethal is still the champion, but this feud continues and Team 3D still have possession of the belt. The actual match was OK but it was a straight up spot-fest of a ladder match, rather than the type that combines wrestling and ladder spots together. It was still enjoyable though.
Whilst I am glad that we aren’t seeing this 10-man tag match on PPV, as I am just sick of seeing bigger matches and having no titles on the line on PPV, this one was just too big for Impact. It was fast paced and entertaining but it just did not have enough time and no one saw enough in ring action to really impress me much; besides maybe Erik Young. Nash picked up the win over Robert Roode after Christian was pushed into Roode with a chair. I didn’t think this heel group was going to last very long, but surprisingly it seemed to be Christian and Roode that the main problems wee centring around. It doesn’t take long for us to find out what is going on though as, just before Christian and Roode go at it, Angle turns around and hits Cage with his title belt. The whole thing explodes as Styles tries to stop Angle, Roode attacks Christian and Tomko just walks away on his own.
This was a very entertaining episode of Impact and it kept my interest all the way through. I didn’t like that they held the briefcases off until next week after promising it for tonight, but in a way I am happy as there was just so much going on already that it wouldn’t have been given the proper spotlight. I am also slightly disappointed that the whole Angle/Christian group exploded quite so quickly. Don’t get me wrong, it was great, but I would have liked them to stay together for a little while (I was thinking that Final Resolution might see something like: Angle vs. Joe, Nash vs. Tomko, Styles vs. Kaz, Christian vs. Booker T, and Young vs. Roode) before the implosion. Now we have a big mess in the main event and, whilst it has the potential to be very entertaining, TNA needs to get a grip on it. Next week we will have new challengers to all of the belts, but we also have the storyline of the big faces team going after Angle and co., and on top of that we now have the heel team going after each other. The whole thing needs to be spread out a bit more or its just going to get messy.