As a former WCW fan and currently disgruntled WWE fan, I felt like the time was right to return to full time recapping of NWA TNA Impact and PPVs. To kick things off, I’ve put together a report of TNA Turning Point, the last PPV of the year for TNA.
Anyway, without further ado, I debut my new TNA report (title is still tentative, so if you have any better suggestions, please shoot me an email
Lance Hoyt and The Naturals vs. Buck Quartermaine, John Bollen, Joe Doran
Pre show match! Yikes, Jeff Hardy no showed again? I’m a huge fan, but that’s not boding well for his future in TNA. Basically a squash match with two TNA training camp students and indy wrestler Quatermaine. The Naturals hit the Natural Disaster and then Hoyt hits his new finisher for the pin. Lance’s new finisher is bad ass — it’s a reverse crucifix powerbomb into a sitout. Very impressive.
Winners: Hoyt and the Naturals
Rating: * – squash to get longtime TNA guys a payday on the show.
Barbed Wire Massacre
Abyss vs. Sabu
We thought it would be a while until someone hit the barbed wire, but it’s Sabu about 3 minutes in. Barbed wire to the neck of Sabu. Sabu crotched! These are all cringe worthy. Sick drop toe hold on Abyss and youch. This is not really wrestling, but I’m sure it appeals to someone. Finish sees Abyss go face first into a barbed wire covered board, then Sabu kicks him onto another one, making a sandwich out of Abyss between the barbed wire boards. Sabu makes the pin. Gruesome display that started off the show in a unique albeit disturbing manner. Surprising a bit to see Sabu get the pin with the storyline progressing Abyss through his fear of barbed wire leading up to this match.
Winner: Sabu
Rating: n/a– I cant really rate this on a typical scale. It was a bloodbath and it was a spectacle for sure.
Long delay of video packages and match hype to change the ropes, presumably.
Shane Douglas interviews 4 Live Krew backstage. They are a family. Konnan and Kip James are ON POINT.
Jim Mitchell and doctors tend to Abyss’ injuries
Huge delay with Tenay and West running down a lot of the matches
Alex Shelley and Roderick Strong vs. Austin Aries and Matt Bentley w/Traci
Honestly these matches have been blending together to me a lot lately. Shelley has a gimmick of videotaping and studying the videotapes, which at least is a character direction. Bentley is way over in Orlando. Tenay puts over Bently as Shawn Micahels’ cousin and trainee. A lot of X Division/Ring of Honor action and high spots. Finish was Bentley hitting a superkick on Strong for the pin. Few innovative double team backbreakers by Shelley and Strong stood out in the match.
Winners: Bentley and Aries
Rating: **½ – solid story-less X division tag match.
Monty Brown cuts a promo on a “Bob the Builder” plush doll. Apparently Christian doesn’t speak as eloquently or magliquently. HERE COMES JARRETT #1 — he doubts Monty Brown or something.
Raven comes out and meets Larry Zbysco and his security guards in the ring, with the release OF DOOM. Raven cuts a promo on how lame larry is, including “At least David Hasslehoff has Germany!” but Larry is a has been. Raven laughs maniacally and the match begins.
Raven vs. Chris K
Chris K is of course the former Kanyon. He is wearing “Who Betta Than” on his tights and a Mortis Vest. Not much here, Raven ends it with an even flow.
Winner: Raven
Rating: *½ – not much more than a glorified squash, unfortunately.
Larry threatens Raven again after the match and then ATTACKS him, only to have Cassidy Reilly and security pull them apart. Are they building to Raven vs. Larry with Bruno as special ref!?
Shane Douglas interviews Team Canada backstage, and Shane calls their greatest strength “cohesiveness”. They talk a bit, then HERE COMES JARRETT #2. Yadda yadda yadda, whateveh.
4 Live Krew (BG James, Konnan, Ron Killings and Kip James) vs. Team Canada (Petey Williams, Eric Young, Bobby Roode and A1
Eric Young backstage insisited on coming out first, but as the match began, he tagged out right away and stretched on the steel steps. Cute. He has a bit of a cult following in Orlando. It was good to see Young, Petey Williams and Bobby Roode try to refine their in ring characters a bit more. This was your typical match between these two groups until WHAM from out of no where Konnan pelts Kip James with a chair. BG James and Ron Killings are shocked until Konnan whacks BG as well, leaving the Outlaws in a heap on one another. Killings continues with his overly shocked facials until Konnan leaves the ring making a point to tell Killings he’s not mad at him, even going as far as to try to hug Killings. Roode pins Kip for the win.
Winners: Team Canada
Rating: ** – fun short match with the angle advancement everyone has been waiting for. I could see Konnan and Killings tagging up against the reformed New Age Outlaws, or even Killings joining the James boys and Konnan recruiting a new stable of Latinos. Either way it adds more experience and personality with two separate groups in the tag and heavyweight divisions.
Diamonds In The Rough (Simon Diamond, Elix Skipper, David Young) vs. Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt and Dale Torborg w/AJ Pyrsynski
Bobby Heenan is doing the color with Tenay on this match, and despite his problems speaking, he does a great job. Some classic Heenan moments in there, including calling Sabin “Lou Sabin”. Ha! Simon Diamond has really been great in this short program. His promo work stands up with anyone in TNA at this point. This match was better than expected, especially when Skipper was in with either Sonjay or Sabin. Simon did a cool spot where he did a pitching windup into a punch. Nice spot. Finish involves Johnny Damon handing Torborg a homeplate from the crowd, then using that on Diamond. They triple pinned Diamond after Sabin hit Cradle Shock and Sonjay hit the Hindu Press. AJ Pierzynski had a pen and signed the homeplate and then threw the pen at Simon.
Winners: Sabin, Dutt and Torborg
Rating – * – had some nice highspots, but more importantly succeeded on getting some mainstream attention. The addition of Johnny Damon at the PPV was a nice star power touch that made TNA look more credible. In the game of one-upsmanship between WWE and TNA over getting star MLB players on the show, Damon trumps Dmitri Young by a longshot.
Contender’s Match
Christian Cage vs. Monty Brown
Christian’s entrance is lame. In fact almost all TNA entrance and themes are lame, to be honest. Christian does the “head wipe on the top rope” thing to mock Monty. Bunch of nice high spots — Christian flies at Monty on the floor from the top rope”¦ Monty Guerrilla press slams Christian over the top to the floor. “Alpha Female” chant. Cute. Finish sees Christian send Monty head first into an exposed top turnbuckle, then hitting the Unprettier for the pin. Monty looked unhappy after the match.
Winner: Christian Cage
Rating: *** – the match delivered what it needed to, with two of TNA’s top guys putting in a good effort. It wasn’t a blowaway match but it was enjoyable and set up Christian as a top contender without making Monty lose too much steam. The commentators did a good job of putting over Monty’s relatively strong win-loss record in his TNA career.
Team 3D cut a powerful promo backstage.
Tables Match
Team 3D vs. America’s Most Wanted
Bubba Ray has gained a bunch of weight. Dvon looks like he’s added a bunch of muscle as well, but he looks much better. Team 3D attacked AMW at the entrance and the brawl began. Basic tag brawl that featured more sloppiness than it should have with these teams. Team 3D do a Death Sentence onto Storm through a table for the first fall. They brawl with Harris to the entrance and they hit 3D on Harris on the entrance through a table for the win.
Winners: Team 3D
Rating: ** – a little too short to get into the top level of matches I’ve seen out of AMW, and they almost came across as jobbers at times. Bubba worked the match very stiff, and it appears like James Storm was injured after the match. I presume a rematch for the titles will be a big part of January’s PPV.
X Division Title
AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe
Without a standout match on this card yet, there is a bit of pressure on these guys to have a killer match. Lot of stiff chops and kicks by Joe. Styles did a great job with facials in the match to tell the story of really fighting the uphill battle against someone much larger. A “This is Awesome” chant broke out during the match. Joe hit a sick pinwill spin into the guard rail that really looked stiff. Styles hit the Styles Clash late in the match, but Joe kicked out, which stunned the crowd a bit. Finish saw Joe flow through a roll up into the rear naked choke. Styles fought towards the ropes, but Joe rolled him into the ring and Styles passed out and ref gives the match to Joe.After the match, Joe helped up Styles for an apparent handshake and respect of the “code, until he winds up and hits Styles with the title belt. He gets a chair and sets up for a muscle buster onto the chair, but Christopher Daniels returned from his concussion injury to make the save. Joe and Daniels were separated.
Winner: Samoa Joe (new champion)
Rating: **** – a top quality X division match that more importantly told a story in the ring. Styles continued to throw everything at the monster heel Joe, and in the end didn’t have enough to stop Joe. The post match angle was well done too, setting up a Daniels/Joe match for the title.
NWA Heavyweight Division Title
Jeff Jarrett (c) vs. Rhino
HERE COMES JARRETT #3. Not that I’m a huge Rhino apologist but they have done a fantastic job of pushing him in the last few months. The “real life” promos on the streets work well to establish his character, and his impressive run at the last PPV to get the title really was a huge push. This match quickly turns into a garbage brawl around the arena. Amazing spot when Jarrett hits Rhino with a chair, and he falls off scaffolding through tables. It was very stiff and Rhino took a sick bump. Brawling returned to the ring, where there were a couple of ref bumps or near ref bumps. Petey Williams, Eric Young and Bobby Roode of Team Canada all interfered, with Roode hitting a nice lariat from behind. Jarrett KABONGS Rhino for an apparent pin, but Rhino kicks out. Jackie Gayda came down for no apparent reason and was escorted to the back. WHY. Rhino sets up 2 chairs for a powerbomb, but Scott D’Amore hits the patented Hockey Stick Wrapped In A Canadian Flagâ¾Ã‚¢, Jarrett hits the stroke onto the chairs for the pin.
Winner: Jarrett
Rating: ** – tough to give an overbooked garbage brawl higher than 2 stars in this case. Jarrett is exposed as a worker at this point who can only be effective in garbage matches, much like John Cena on Raw.
After the match ends, the lights go dark, and there is OMINOUS MUSIC playing. Then some black and white scorpions show up on screen. The crowd is chanting “Sting Sting Sting” at this point. In the middle of the ring appears a chair with a black jacket, black bat and black boots on it, and the spotlights all center on it. The lights come back on, Jarrett sees the clothing and freaks out. We are outta time!
Check out the discussion of TNA Turning point at my post at The Wreslting Blog
Send me some feedback on this report! I’d like to incorporate some reader feedback and any other ideas or suggestions for fun additions to the report. See you on Sunday for the first Widrospective TNA Impact report.
