Match #1: Eric Young vs Robbie E for the TV Championship
We open up with a comedy...I mean, TV Championship match. Tazz talks about how Eric has a "dirty, stinky bush", while Mike Tenay is saying how he can relate. Whoa, way too much information, Tenay. If you watched this match, you can actually hear people cheering for Robbie. Either there are some anti-Zack Ryder fans in the audience, or this guy has managed to pick up a fanbase. While I am not the biggest fan of Robbie, he isn't THAT bad in the ring. I always felt he was put in the wrong division when they stuck him in the X Division. Robbie's in-ring style is more of a brawler, which doesn't really work for X Division wrestling. Anyway, Eric is doing more of that comedy stuff you're used to seeing from him on a weekly/monthly basis. There was even a point where Eric started "hulking up", but instead of charging up, he takes off his pants. You're probably thinking I am joking, but I wish I was. The match wasn't really the best way of kicking off Turning Point. Once things actually got serious between these two, Rob Terry would interfere in typical bad guy fashion. The finish comes when Terry trips Eric from getting back in the ring. Robbie picks up the bones and we have a new TV Champion. Now, some people are going to think this is a good thing since the TV belt is no longer used for comedy. I have a really hard time buying that argument when Robbie E is the new champion. He's just as much of a comedy act as Eric Young. Now, I guess I will try to be fair and say they will use this opportunity to build up Robbie, but I wouldn't be surprised if this is TNA ONCE AGAIN trying to pull one over on WWE since they managed to give a few singles championships to their Zack Ryder rip-off, while WWE has yet to give the title to the real Ryder. Here's the difference. Ryder is actually taking baby steps and is making strides to get a title. His charisma is only getting better and he is just about ready for a mid-card title, while Robbie isn't well established and him winning a title doesn't mean anything. Robbie's charisma is there, but there's nothing special about it. There isn't a whole lot that really makes this guy stand out. I've been watching wrestling for years and I have seen people with more talent than Robbie never get anything. I honestly don't even know what TNA sees out of this guy. To be fair, the TV Championship is a joke. So, it only makes sense to put the title on a joke like Robbie.
Winner via pinfall and NEW TNA TV Champion: Robbie E
Match #2: Mexican America vs Ink Inc; Mixed Tag match for the TNA Tag Titles
The way this match worked is the ladies from each pairing would be involved in this match. Sarita was actually the one involved in this match, while Rosita was just playing the role of cheerleader in this match. I can't believe TNA showed a video package for this rivalry. Oh, I'm sure everyone hit the DVR button for the exciting build up between two tag teams that are really bland. The wrestling aspect was okay, but there is just too much shenanigans to get invested in this match. Then again, it's a Mexican America match, so it's nothing new. Sarita was no longer wearing the mask. I guess this is to make people care. There was a point where Ink Inc actually took off Anarquia's pants to reveal this bare ass. They were trying to show the tattoo they gave him weeks back. Yeah, like anyone is going to remember that? Thanks Anarquia for mooning Termina. Now, we're doomed....
Anyway, the finish comes when Rosita gets involved. Toxxin is dealing with her. This allows Sarita to use one of the title belts on Toxxin. She gets a roll up for the win and Mex keeps their titles. Remember when TNA's tag team division used to be one of the highlights of the show? With Beer Money gone, Motor City Machine Guns out of commission, and these two teams carrying the load, this division is really falling apart.
Winner via pinfall and still Tag Champs: Mexican America
Match #3: Austin Aries vs Jesse Sorensen vs Kid Kash for X Division Title
There was a backstage interview between Austin Aries and Kid Kash in how they got a plan to deal with Jesse Sorensen. What I found hilarious was how Jesse signed a football and gave it to a five year old. The kid got this football and he has this WTF look on his face. See, even five year olds think Jesse's football props are bulls***. Aries continues to impress me. Not only was he the most interesting thing in this match, he did the Eddie Guerrero dance, attempted a Frog Splash, and even did that spinning face trample Eddie used to do. Hard to believe it was six years ago on this date that we lost Eddie. Latino Heat will live on. Kash and Aries were mostly working together for this match, but the alliance did break down a couple of times. Some people enjoyed this match, but with the majority of the match being a handicap match, it can be somewhat distracting. Then again, based on what has happened so far, this was a pretty good match to watch. The finish comes when Kash hits the Double Underhook Piledriver on Jesse, but Aries is on the outside and puts Jesse's foot on the rope. Kash never saw Aries put Jesse's foot on the rope. The referee breaks up the count because of the foot. Aries runs back into the ring and quickly scores a roll up victory on Kash for the victory. Aries gloats about how this was all apart of the plan while Kash isn't too happy. Really glad to see Aries continue his championship reign. Jesse is way too under developed for a title and Kash's best days are behind him.
Winner via pinfall and still X Division Champ: Austin Aries
Match #4: Christopher Daniels vs RVD
I have no idea how this match worked. Before the match started, Daniels talked about wanting this to be a wrestling match because he doesn't like hardcore. It's just an excuse for cheap heat since the man has been using a screwdriver for the last month. On the flip side of all this, RVD actually shook hands with Daniels to agree to a regular match. Okay, so I guess this is a one fall match......BUT WAIT. Towards the end, there was stuff like steel chairs and a screwdriver that would get involved, and the referee allows it. It's like the rules kept changing as the match went forward. That's a good way to confuse your audience, TNA. I understand this was all done for Daniels to get cheap heat, but it's still pretty stupid. Tazz continues his attempt at being a heel commentator by always sticking up for the bad guys. He talks about how all that hardcore stuff is overrated. Tazz says hardcore is overrated? That would be like Ganondorf saying the Triforce of Power is overrated. Again, I understand what Tazz is trying to do here, but that's insane. I can see some people being split on this match. Some might think it was good, while others might find it to be a letdown. I really didn't like this match. There was some decent wrestling, but this match could've been a lot better. The main problem with this match is the lack of story. You really do need to develop your rivalries in order for people to pay attention to them. The finish comes when Daniels goes for that stupid screwdriver (Maybe he can get a personality if he did something ELSE with that screwdriver?), but RVD counters with Van Daminator. RVD hits the Frog Splash and wins this match cleanly. Some people will be upset that Daniels didn't get the win, but I'm kinda glad he lost. Daniels doesn't really do it for me in terms of generic heels. Daniels makes Alberto Del Rio look like Rowdy Roddy Piper. That's really saying something too.
Winner via pinfall: RVD
Match #5: Matt Morgan vs Crimson
Considering their size, this match wasn't too bad. I wouldn't call it a watcher, but it was entertaining at times. Another reason I liked this match was how well Morgan and Crimson told a story. Sometimes, the storyline is more important than the actual wrestling match. Morgan and Crimson took each other to the limit. Both guys were getting near falls on each other, but couldn't put the other one away. Morgan hits Carbon Footprint, but only a two count. Crimson hits the Sky High, but only a two count. This is where you started to see the fire in both of their eyes show up. The two start to talk down to each other, but both were smiling about the whole thing. One guy would throw a punch, the other would laugh about it, and would counter with a punch of their own. This went on for a while. The referee was loosing control of the match, but neither man listened to the ref. Once the ref got tossed to the ground, he calls for the bell, thus issuing a double disqualification. After the match, Morgan and Crimson continue to punch each other. Security arrives to separate them. While this shows tension, you can sense the respect each man has for the other. I base this on a fact both guys were laughing about everything, but they really wanted to beat the other one up. I can see two possibilities after tonight. The obvious one is Morgan and Crimson having a rematch. With the match telling a great story, I can actually be invested for the rematch. That says a lot because the build up going into this match wasn't there. The other possibility I can see out of tonight is Morgan and Crimson forming a tag team. Both guys wanted to beat the other one up, but they also seemed to respect each other at the end of the day. I can see them joining forces and deciding to take on the tag champs. Some might think of Crimson going into tag team wrestling as a step backwards, but with how under developed the guy is, I think a good tag title reign can get him in the right direction. Definitely an interesting ending to this match. So far, this has been my favorite match, but because of the story being told here.
Double DQ
Backstage where Bully Ray and Scott Steiner talk about Abyss and Anderson. Steiner talks about going into "parts unknown" and nailing Abyss' girl. He talks about how fat and ugly she is and how Bully will have to go after her next. Damn, Steiner must really be striking out with the ladies to go after fat and ugly chicks. This has to be one of the worst promos I've ever heard. In fact, let Bill Cosby do the honors....
Scott Steiner: saying the same old s*** since 1998.
Match #6: Bully Ray and Scott Steiner vs Abyss and Mr. Anderson
People ofter wonder why I say so many negative things about the Impact Zone? I'm sorry, but I instantly lose respect for you as an audience when you're chanting "We want Steiner". This match was so boring. In fact, I actually went back and watched it a second time just to see if I can find something I liked.....mission failed. There was a point where Anderson did a blind tag, but the ref didn't bother to do anything about it. The only reason I bring this up is because Anderson and Steiner are in the middle of the ring and the ref seems find with the blind tag. The confusion comes into play when Steiner hits Franken Steiner, but the ref refuses to make the count because Anderson isn't the legal man. This allows Abyss to come from behind and hit Steiner with the Black Hole Slam for the victory. I've heard talk about how Vince Russo isn't the main writer in TNA and somebody else is doing the honors. I almost have to call bulls*** on that report when I watch this. This has Vince Russo written all over it. Overbooked as hell and not making any sense. Either Russo is back in charge or TNA managed to find writers dumber than Russo. Creative members worse than Russo? That's enough to scare the s*** out of you. After the match, Steiner and Bully managed to send Abyss through the table, but he no sells it to show the monster is back....again. The heels run away as Abyss is freaking out. It's really hard for me to be interested in the monster side of Abyss returning when it has been done over a thousand times. It's like beating a dead horse. Then again, it's TNA.
Winner via pinfall: Abyss and Anderson
Match #7: Velvet Sky vs Gail Kim for the KO Title
Tazz is now building up his catchphrase of "letting the pigeons loose". Notice how Tazz puts so much excitement into that one line, but is bored for the rest of the night. Man, even sitting next to Tenay can make you boring. Gail was dominating this match, but Velvet did show some fight. She hit X Factor, but Karen Jarrett distracts the referee. Madison Rayne shows up to attack Velvet, but Velvet stills kicks out. Thank you TNA for a pointless interference. There was more shenanigans as this match would go on. Gail finally hits her finisher and we have a new champ. So, you invested the better part of half the year to finally let Velvet get the title, but the title reign only last a month? This is very poor writing. I also think it was all done too fast. Gail shows up for a month and already owns the entire division? It happened way too soon. They could've really built this entire thing up, but this is really rushed. Then again, TNA has been doing that a lot lately. Actually, pro wrestling has been doing that a lot lately.
Winner via pinfall and NEW KO Champ: Gail Kim
Backstage where Eric Bischoff is arguing with whom I will assume is his wife. He talks about how Garrett is a punk and she should've been on birth control. I guess Bischoff isn't winning Father of the Year. Anyway, Bully starts complaining in how Abyss is back. Bully says Bischoff needs to do something, but Bischoff says otherwise. They will come up with a plan to deal with Abyss down the road. This is really put on TV to show the downfall of Immortal. I guess TNA really wants to release Volumn Two of that Immortal DVD as soon as possible. What? No Best of Sonjay Dutt DVD?
Match #8: Jeff Hardy vs Jeff Jarrett
This match had to be the definition of giving the fans what they want. Then again, these fans seem very interested in Steiner taking a s*** on a toilet, but no matter. What the hell is Hardy wearing as he goes to the ring? Was that the Zora mask from Majora's Mask? Is Hardy going to start playing a fishscale guitar? As soon as the bell rings, Hardy hits Twist of Fate and wins the match. I think at this point, people are screaming at their TV sets. Hardy actually agreed to giving Jarrett another rematch, who is bitching and moaning about the previous match. So, did TNA just do a spoof on the Hardy match that happened at Victory Road 2011? Quite ridiculous. The second match last for a while longer, but it ends with Hardy countering a Figure 4 attempt into a roll up victory. Hardy celebrates as Jarrett continues complaining. He actually gets a chair and hits Hardy in the head, which is pretty stupid on TNA's part. As Hardy is saying thank you for the possible concussion, Jarrett tosses him back in the ring and hits the Stroke. Jarrett and Karen are ordering the referee to make this an official match, but he doesn't seem interested. Since Earl Hebner has no backbone, he starts to make the count. Hardy counters Jarrett's pinfall attempt with another roll up and wins for the third straight time. After the match, the TNA locker room is showing respect for Hardy. Yeah, congratulations for winning two of those three matches with a s****y roll up. I didn't like this segment. I understand what they're trying to do.....somewhat. They wanted Hardy to overcome adversity by defeating the guy who doesn't want him here, but why three ridiculous matches that make no impression? I think it would've done a lot more if Hardy was taken to the limit, but still able to win the match cleanly. This just comes off as lazy in my eyes and a very cheap way of sending the fans home happy. Then again, why should it matter if the fans leave happy? They aren't even paying to watch the PPV. Just another reason to leave the Impact Zone more often, if not, forever.
Winner via pinfall: Jeff Hardy
Match #9: Robert Roode vs AJ Styles for the TNA World Title
FINALLY!!! We get to someone who actually gives a crap. Roode talks about how he is leading a new generation of selfishness. He is done with being a nice guy and it's all about him and the world title. Roode showed a lot of energy and passion in this promo. This basically shows how Roode makes for a better heel than a face, which is what I've been saying for the last few weeks. This was hands down the best match of the night. Great back and forth action between Roode and Styles. During the match, Roode is starting to show frustration for not being able to put away AJ. There was even a point where Roode begged AJ to not attack and he was sorry, but AJ doesn't buy his crap. Like the Morgan/Crimson match, this match told a good story. The finish comes when Roode counters the Styles Clash with a roll up. He grabs the tights and steals this match. The show ends with Roode celebrating as if he just won the Super Bowl. The finish guarantees a rematch between these two. I personally wouldn't mind a rematch since the match was pretty good. Roode needed the heelish victory to add to his heel character and to really build up his selfishness.
Winner via pinfall and still TNA World Champ: Robert Roode
Overall Impression:
I am trying to think of a way to put over Turning Point, or recommend it.....but I can't do it. There was just too much bulls*** for me to really like this PPV from top to bottom. A lot of these matches were overbooked. Reckon, overbooking is going to happen in wrestling, but you really need to space them out or else you will really take people out of the evening. There was only three matches I really liked at the end of the day. I enjoyed the X Division match, the Crimson/Morgan match for the storytelling aspect of their program, and the main event. Want to know the real crime? It's a crime that a great match like Roode/Styles got stuck in a garbage PPV. The balance between good and bad wasn't there tonight since TNA had a lot of overbooking and a lot of silly things. I look at this show and it doesn't even feel like a PPV. It feels more like a bad episode of Impact with that one great match. The PPV didn't get off to a great start with a comedy match. The overbooking of Mexican America doesn't help either. You can easily be taken out of this PPV in a matter of minutes. The PPV did grab my attention when the X Division match started, but I started to lose interest again when the Immortal match started. After that, it just becomes a downward spiral until the main event. I want to be fair and say there was some decent wrestling matches tonight. The RVD/Daniels match might be considered good, but the lack of story didn't get me interested. Plus, the match was a little underwhelming than what I got at the end of the day. At least in my eyes. That was the main problem of the PPV in general, lack of storytelling. There was a lot of these matches that got thrown together at the last moment without much of a storyline. How will people care about the wrestling match if they don't care about the storyline? You kinda need both elements in order to make for an entertaining evening, but one of those elements was missing, which is why I can see many people disliking the PPV at the end of the day. Time to grade the PPV. On a scale of 1-10 and 5 being considered average on my show, I give Turning Point a 3 out of 10. This was not a great evening by TNA. I really felt like they could've done a lot better. I would even say some of their recent episodes on Thursday night were more entertaining than Turning Point. The main event might be the reason the PPV got an extra point, cuz I was tempted to give this PPV a 2. I remember last year's Turning Point, which I named the Worst PPV of 2010, and I'm not even sure if tonight's Turning Point was better than that. I think tonight's main event just barely gives it the edge, but that isn't anything to be proud of. I can already hear the TNA fanboys ready to tear me a new one for talking about how I didn't like this PPV. Complain all you want, but you won't change my opinion. Plus, TNA fanboys focus more on the negative things I say as opposed to the good things. I enjoyed the main event, so that should be worth something. By the way, did you catch a lot of the Zelda references in this review? There is two good reasons for that. One, Skyward Sword comes out next week, which I am super excited for. The other? Well......come back later in the week to find out (Epic foreshadowing?). That's going to do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls on the next WrestlingNerd show, see you next time.
WrestlingNerd's Official Score of TNA Turning Point 2011: 3 out of 10
I hate to be that negative, but it is at the back of my mind. It just seems TNA only invest proper build up with their PPVs if they are named Bound for Glory, Slammiversary, and Lockdown. Everything else feels like it's an afterthought.
ReplyDeleteHilarious " I was tempted to give this PPV a 2 "
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