TNA – Turning Point ’05 DVD Review

Turning Point Countdown Pre-Show Broadcast

This is TNA: The New Face of Professional Wrestling!

The Countdown show starts off with the promo package detailing the key matches for tonight, including Jarrett vs. Rhino, AJ vs. Joe and Sabu vs. Abyss.

Jeremy Borash and Shane Douglas welcome us to the show, as the countdown clock in the bottom right hand corner is messed up. They plug the Barbed Wire Massacre match, as well as Christian Cage vs. Monty Brown, AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe for the X Title, and Jeff Jarrett vs. Rhino for the World Title. Also, something major is supposed to happen tonight that will change the face of TNA in 2006.

They throw it over to Mike Tenay and Don West, who hype the importance of tonight’s card. We go right into the Pre-Show match from here. The countdown clock still says 29:05.

PRE-SHOW MATCH: The Naturals & Lance Hoyt vs. Buck Quartermain, Jon Bolen & Joe Doering

I think this was originally scheduled as an eight-man tag team match, with Jeff Hardy on the Naturals and Hoyt team, and I can’t remember who was supposed to be on the other team. In what came as a gigantic shock to everyone, Hardy didn’t show up. The Naturals and Hoyt dominate the rookies throughout the early going. Hoyt is still pretty over despite having no push whatsoever. I mean, the guy has a freakin tattoo on his lower back, is he a girl? He beats up Doering and clotheslines him over the ropes. Back in the ring the Naturals are still in control. The heels get in some token offense but it doesn’t last. Naturals hit the Natural Disaster on Bolen and he rolls to the outside. Hoyt gets Bolen up and gives him a kind of inverted Razor’s Edge to get the pin at 7:11. That was a fine little Pre-Show match, and it keeps Hoyt off the main show, so I’m all for it. Bolen & Doering looked pretty okay there.
Rating: **

Tonight, AMW faces Team 3D, Samoa Joe goes for the X-Title against AJ Styles, Rhino challenges Jeff Jarrett, and Sabu battles Abyss!

Borash and Douglas hype the barbed wire match as the ring attendants are setting it up so that it can open the show. It’s the first barbed wire match in North American pay-per-view.

They show a video package for the Samoa Joe versus AJ Styles match, which all started when Joe beat the hell out of Christopher Daniels at the last pay-per-view. AJ took offense, and that pretty much brings us up to speed.

Next we get a video package hyping Rhino. It focuses on his personal life, as he mentions that he was going through a lot of things people didn’t know about. I think this was designed to give Rhino more sympathy heat, but it didn’t do much for me.

TNA – Turning Point – Impact Zone – Orlando, Florida – December 11, 2005

The opening video package was all about the Barbed Wire Massacre match, which will open the show. That was a little odd. Tenay and West welcome us to the show, and we get right on with the first match.

MATCH #1: Barbed Wire Massacre – Sabu vs. Abyss

Abyss attacks Sabu right away, the six-sided ring looks a little strange with barbed wire in pace of the ropes. They brawl for a few minutes until Abyss heaves Sabu into the barbed wire. Sabu reaches into his boot and pulls out a spike. He attacks Abyss’s arm with it. Sabu is already a bloody mess. Sabu goes for a chair assisted leap, but Abyss moves out of the way and Sabu lands on the barbed wire again. Abyss charges and misses so he eats the barbed wire for the first time. James Mitchell throws the barbed wire chair into the ring and he ends up taking it in the nuts. Both men are using the barbed wire pretty liberally now. Sabu is just bleeding all over the place. Sabu takes a sick, stomach first bump onto a barbed wire board. Abyss charges into the same board and moments later Sabu lays Abyss down on one board and puts another one on top of him and jumps on it, which is enough to get the pin at 10:58. That was pretty good as far as barbed wire matches go, and had a creative finish to boot.
Rating: ***

To give the ring crew time to get the ropes back on, Tenay and West hype Christian Cage vs. Monty Brown, Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles, Team 3D vs. AMW, and Jarrett vs. Rhino. They show footage from earlier tonight when Jarrett and AMW arrived. They arrived in a limo, Rhino arrived in a truck.

Shane Douglas is backstage with the 4Live Kru, who will take on Team Canada tonight. Konnan and Kip James are finally getting along, and they’re all excited for tonight.

They go backstage where Abyss is being mended by the doctors. He has some nasty cuts, but Mitchell is there to try and comfort him.

Mike and Don are back to talk about the Joe versus Styles match coming up later. I know they have to redo the ring, but this is killing me. They hype the tables match and the Basebrawl match. Finally we return to the ring.

MATCH #2: Matt Bentley & Austin Aries vs. Alex Shelley & Roderick Strong

It’s three of the original four members of ROH’s Generation Next and Shawn Michaels’s cousin. Shelley and Aries start it off, and Shelley actually bites Aries. He tags out to Strong but Aries maintains control. Bentley comes in and it’s immediately clear how out of his league he is here. Strong takes over on him and chokes him on the ropes as Traci tries to cheer Bentley on. Shelley and Strong dominate with some cool double-teaming. Shelley hits a really nice Lionsault. Bentley finally gets the hot tag and hits a big elbow from the top rope on Shelley and it gets two. Shelley goes for a tornado DDT but Bentley stops it. Strong comes in and hits the gutbuster and Shelley steals Jimmy Jacobs’s senton off the top rope. Strong gets tossed to the outside and almost knocks over the camera. Back in the ring Bentley hits a superkick on Shelley to get the win at 8:03. That was a fine little tag team match, but it was only a fraction of what these guys (Shelley, Aries, and Strong) can do.
Rating: **¾

Monty Brown has hijacked the backstage area, talking to an action figure of Bob the Builder as if it were Christian Cage. He runs down Cage and says that no one can take his spot. He cuts an awesome promo that makes me angry all over again at how badly he’s been misused. Jarrett comes out and tells Monty that he doesn’t get it. He also wants to know if Monty knows anything about the face of TNA changing. Jarrett doesn’t like Monty’s answers.

MATCH #3: Raven vs. Chris K

This is another match in the series of hand-picked opponents for Raven by Larry Zbyszko. Kanyon is the mystery opponent, and I think I heard him say once that he’s gay or something. Kanyon controls the early portions of the match. He hits the Fame-Ass-Er from the top rope but it only gets two. He misses a moonsault and Raven puts on an ankle lock. Kanyon escapes by using the hair. Kanyon goes for the top-rope Fame-Ass-Er again, but Raven reverses it to a powerbomb right onto a steel chair that Kanyon had brought into the ring. Seconds later Raven hits the Raven Effect to get the win at 5:49. Well, that certainly sucked. Zbyszko tries to get Raven to quit, but he flatly refuses. Zbyszko attacks Raven but security holds him back.
Rating: *

MATCH #4: Team Canada vs. The 4Live Kru

Shane Douglas is backstage with Team Canada, who is missing Bobby Roode. Young is worried, so Petey tries to slap him, but D’Amore does it instead. Jarrett comes in with Bobby Roode to talk about this big surprise coming tonight. Roode says that tonight they have Jarrett’s back. Truth performs a truly awful rap before Konnan does his shtick. BG does his too of course. Young avoids Kip James in the early going. Roode takes it to him though, but Kip takes advantage and nails a vertical suplex for two. Petey comes in and takes a press slam. Konnan throws his shoe. It breaks down to a big brawl with all eight guys. A chair gets introduced to the ring, and Konnan shocks everyone when he drills Kip James with it and Bobby Roode makes the cover to get the win at 7:16. Konnan nails BG James with the chair after the match too. Truth is pissed at Konnan, who thinks Truth is on his side. That match was a whole lot of nothing.
Rating: ¾*

MATCH #5: Basebrawl Match – Sonjay Dutt, Chris Sabin & Dale Torborg vs. The Diamonds in the Rough

Shane Douglas is backstage with the Diamonds in the Rough. Skipper and Young are reading about the feud with the sport of baseball. The crowd can be heard chanting “New Age Outlaws” in the background. The video package for this match is fun, as this was a good midcard feud. White Sox catcher AJ Pierzynski will be in the babyface corner; and Bobby Heenan will be on commentary. Baseball players Johnny Damon, Chris Widger, and Bryan Anderson are in the audience. Diamond is wearing catcher’s gear. Dutt and Sabin are wearing White Sox jerseys. Sabin and Skipper start off and they do some quick chain stuff. Sabin and Sonjay have what looks like baseball gloves on for some reason. Skipper takes a nasty fall on his head out of a hammerlock. I’m not quite sure how they managed to do that, but Skipper almost landed very badly. David Young tags in and Sabin dropkicks him and tags out to Sonjay Dutt, who continues the babyface domination. Torborg tags in and gets to dominate everyone. He presses Sonjay Dutt to the floor onto all three Diamonds. They take over on Sonjay though and Skipper gets several near-falls. Sonjay goes for a headscissors and Skipper takes his turn to almost kill someone, nearly dropping Sonjay directly on his head. Torborg tags in again and gets to beat up everyone. The babyfaces use home plate (provided by Johnny Damon) to crack Diamond on the head and Sabin hits the Cradle Shock and Sonjay hits the Hindu Press and all three pin Diamond at 7:58. Well that match was good for mainstream media coverage, but match-wise it was pretty lame. Borash interviews the winners after the match, and Dutt and Sabin present the Sox with two TNA Championship rings.
Rating: *½

MATCH #6: Contender’s Match – Christian Cage vs. Monty Brown

Shane Douglas is backstage with Christian Cage, who is starting to cut promos like The Rock used to. This one is pretty good and it makes me want to see this match. These are probably the two guys with the most charisma in the entire company, along with Joe and Daniels. Both guys try to out-psych each other in the early going, and Monty even goes for an early Pounce. Monty uses his power and Christian uses his cunning. Monty gets tossed to the outside and Christian hits a flying body press. Monty soon gains control though and wants to know if we’re not entertained. The crowd gets on Monty’s case, chanting “Alpha Female.” Undaunted though, he continues to work on Christian’s back. Christian comes back with a big flurry and takes control. A tornado DDT gets two. Frog splash by Christian gets a two-count and an “Eddie” chant. Monty recovers and hits the Alpha Bomb for two. Monty gets tossed into the exposed turnbuckle and Christian follows up with the Unprettier to get the win at 12:38. That was a really solid match and makes me want to see them feud over the title.
Rating: ***¼

MATCH #7: Tables Match – Team 3D vs. America’s Most Wanted

Shane Douglas is backstage with Team 3D, who have been traveling all over the world representing TNA. The Dudleys cut their usual promo and the video package follows. This is non-title for some inexplicable reason. 3D attacks the champions in the aisle before the bell can even ring. This is one of the “both opponents have to go through tables” table matches. Once the match gets into the ring AMW takes control via chicanery. 3D recovers and hits the big headbutt to the groin spot. Ray tells Devon to get the tables, and he complies. Harris makes sure Storm doesn’t go through the table and goes to work on Devon. AMW allegedly goes for the 3D but they bungle it so badly that I just spit Dr. Pepper out my nose. The Death Sentence through a table eliminates James Storm. Up on the entrance ramp Chris Harris takes the 3D through a table and Team 3D wins the match at 10:20. That was a pretty dull brawl, and I don’t see why they wouldn’t put the belts on Team 3D at this point. The longer you wait the staler they’re going to get. After the show the video package for the next match, we come back to the ring to where people are attending to a possibly injured James Storm. They show a replay of the Death Sentence through the table, and it looked pretty careless on Team 3D’s part. Storm walks out with the help of some security guys.
Rating: **

MATCH #8: X Division Championship Match – AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe

This feud is an extension of the Samoa Joe versus Christopher Daniels feud. As soon as Styles started mouthing off, Joe started kicking his ass instead. These two had an awesome match back in Sacrifice in August and of course as part of the three-way at Unbreakable the following month. Styles attacks immediately and actually hits a snap suplex. Joe comes back and starts really laying it in to AJ. Joe just dissects AJ, not letting him get away with anything and clobbering him. Every time AJ starts to rally Joe just knocks him right back down. AJ finally comes back and hits a running shooting star to the outside on Joe and stays on offense when they get back to the ring. AJ gets a couple of near-falls. AJ’s lip is busted open pretty badly. He powerbombs Joe but doesn’t hook the leg and it gets two. He goes for the Muscle Buster but instead decides to go for something else, which Joe decides to reverse to a Muscle Buster. AJ reverses that to a powerbomb of sorts and then hits a Styles Clash but it only gets two. AJ goes for an Ohkana Roll, which Joe reverses to the Choke. AJ passes out at 18:54. Your new TNA X-Division Champion is Samoa Joe! That was a terrific match that really builds well on their series and just kicked all kinds of ass. I think I prefer the Sacrifice match, but this one was damn close. Joe pulls AJ up to his feet just so that he can hit him with his new belt. Joe goes out and grabs a chair and goes for the Muscle Buster, but Christopher Daniels’s music hits and he runs out to attack Joe. Joe of course takes him out because he can. TNA has done a phenomenal job in booking Joe to his full effectiveness.
Rating: ****½

TNA’s next pay-per-view is Final Resolution, which comes your way on January 15, 2006.

MATCH #9: NWA World Heavyweight Title Match – Jeff Jarrett vs. Rhino

This is the rubber match, since Rhino beat Jarrett for the belt at Bound for Glory on October 23, and Jarrett regained it at the Impact special on November 3. This is Jarrett’s first defense since then, meaning it has been over 30 days. I don’t think TNA enforces that rule, but I think they should. Rhino cuts a weird pre-match promo, where he stops to look at something behind him, and then keeps going like nothing happened. The crowd chants “Fire Jarrett,” which is once again the wrong kind of heel heat. Jarrett tries to use his technical prowess, but Rhino comes back with power moves. They brawl up into the crowd and Rhino takes a nice bump on the concrete. Jarrett is busted open as they brawl back down towards the ring. They go back into the crowd and they battle on top of a scaffold. Jarrett hits Rhino with a chair and he goes tumbling to the floor through a table. He recovers quickly though and is back on offense. Rhino sets up a table in the entrance ramp and goes for the Gore but the table doesn’t break, which actually makes for a cool looking spot. Borash announces that both men have 10 seconds to return to the ring or else the match is over. Team Canada comes out and tries to throw Rhino down the tunnel so that he can’t make it back. He barely does and he goes nuts on Jarrett and the crowd is just ape-shit for Rhino here. Spinebuster by Rhino gets two. Referee Rudy Charles finally sends Petey Williams and Eric Young to the back. Superplex by Jarrett gets two. TKO by Rhino gets two. Charles accidentally eats a Gore, so there is no referee. Bobby Roode comes out to interfere now, as well as A1. He takes the Gore in short order. Roode hits the Northern Lariat though, and that gets a near-fall for Jarrett. Jarrett goes for the guitar and nails Rhino in the head with it. That only gets two. Jackie Gayda comes out and slaps Jarrett in the face and Rhino hits the Gore but Jarrett gets to kill that finishing move as security removes Gayda. Rhino goes for the Rhino Driver, but Scott D’Amore hits Rhino with a hockey stick and Jarrett hits the Stroke off the top rope through two chairs and Jarrett gets the pin at 17:29. That was a bit needlessly overbooked, but it had some good action in it and the crowd being so hot for Rhino made it fun enough. The lights go out in the Impact Zone and the crowd chants “Sting.” They know what’s up. Sure enough, Scorpion logos start flashing, and Sting’s gear magically appears in the center of the ring! Where did Rhino go? That’s kinda funny to see two of the booking guys in the ring to end the PPV.
Rating: ***½

Bonus

Included in the bonus menu is a series of little behind-the-scenes clips. They used to be on all the monthly PPV discs, but have been absent the last few months or so. Here are the clips –

– Barbed Wire Construction
– Canada Prepares For War
– 4LK Entrance
– Basebrawl Begins
– Captain Charisma Backstage
– Johnny Damon Ringside

The 411: This definitely had a little bit of everything, but it really failed to click as a cohesive show. The Barbed Wire Massacre was a great way to start the show, but after the X-Division Tag Match right after it, the show entered a serious lull until Christian Cage and Monty Brown came on. The X-Title match is worth the price of admission alone, and the main event is pretty good too. So while it wasn’t one of their best shows, it was still pretty good, and much better than some of the pay-per-views that WWE has been putting on.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]