Cook’s Impact Turning Point 2021 Review

Hey kids! Tonight, Impact Wrestling presents Turning Point 2021. We’ve got five championship matches, including Moose defending the World Championship against Eddie Edwards in a Full Metal Mayhem Match. Should be a lot of craziness & maybe even some good times!

Cook’s Impact Turning Point 2021 Review

We get started right away on the Countdown with some bonus matches!

Rohit Raju & Raj Singh vs. FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson): Finlay & Rohit start things off with some of that chain rasslin. Finlay with MJF’s finisher, but Raju turns it into a headscissors. Finlay gets out and back to the headlock. Legsweep by Raju, Finlay with a jumping European uppercut for one. Tag to Juice, who gets slammed onto Raju by Finlay. Juice goes to the ears, then hits the delayed vertical for two. Finlay back in, Finlay & Juice hit a doubleteam to the delight of the crowd. Finlay gets knocked outside and dropped on the apron to the dismay of the crowd. Tag to Singh, and they work Finlay over while Juice gets loud and upset. It’s not even Thanksgiving with the fam yet Juice, calm down. Finlay’s attempts to fight back are met with cheers but don’t last long. Finally he does get out, and Juice gets the tag to land some shoulderblocks. Senton to Singh, and some Dustyesque punches to Rohit. Clotheslines in opposite corners, then cannonballs to each! Full nelson drop on Singh gets two. Tag to Finlay, the ol’ Demolition Decapitation gets two. Tag to Juice, Rohit breaks up the double team, jacks Juice’s jaw, and they hit the combination DDT on Juice for two. Double faceplant to Singh, Finlay with a dive onto Rohit, and now Singh is set up…Doomsday Device! Three count!

Winners: FinJuice (around eight minutes)
Match Rating: ***1/4

Matt Striker & D’Lo Brown are announcing, and they run down our card.

Impact Digital Media Championship: Jordynne Grace (c) w/Rachael Ellering vs. Chelsea Green: When I think of Impact wrestlers & Digital Media, I think of these two, no doubt. They start things off quickly, no time to waste before the main show starts. Chelsea with a series of near-falls, drop toe hold leads to a dropkick on Jordynne for two. Grace utilizes her strength with a couple of slams, but Chelsea gets her in the corner. Jordynne presses her off the top rope, walks around the ring with Chelsea & slams her down for two. Hard whip into the turnbuckles. Jordynne picks her up, knees her a couple of times and rams her shoulder-first into the ringpost. Double knees to the back, then a smash in the corner. Jordynne misses the Vader Bomb though, and Chelsea’s back up. Boot to Jordynne, forearm in the corner, but Jordynne fires back in the other corner. Jordynne gets curb stomped in the corner, Chelsea pulls her out to the center and gets two. Another curb stomp gets two. Jordynne blocks the suplex, then blocks the Unprettier, lifts Chelsea up and stampedes her in the corner. Rikishi Driver gets two! Jordynne places Chelsea up top, but Chelsea headbutts her off. Jordynne regains the advantage, Chelsea gets out of the Muscle Buster and hits the Gory Bomb for two. Reversals, elbow by Chelsea, Jordynne reverses out of the Unprettier and hits the Grace Driver for three.

Winner: Jordynne Grace (approximately nine minutes)
Match Rating: ***

Opening video talks about how this is one of those defining nights and destiny awaits. Apparently there’s trouble in the hills too.

We’re live in Las Vegas! There’s a crowd! Striker promises some good wrestling to kick it off.

Chris Sabin vs. Ace Austin (w/Madman Fulton): Austin is still wearing his “I Beat Chris Sabin” t-shirt, which makes me wonder if he’ll still wear it if he loses this match. Also makes me wonder if he washes it. Austin with the slam, and he promises to go 2-0. Hammerlock exchange ended by an Austin elbow. Wristlock exchange, then a slam by Sabin. Make it two. Clothesline over the top and Sabin teases the dive before Madman pushes Austin out of the way. He doesn’t save Austin from the PK though. Sabin chops Austin down on the floor. Crossbody back in the ring gets two. CHINLOCK by Sabin. Boot choke in the corner. Austin walks into an elbow, but answers Sabin’s springboard attempt with a Russian leg sweep off the middle rope. Apparently he didn’t get all of it but he defintiely got enough of it. Legdrop gets two. Sabin fires back for a second, but an Austin knee strike to his head gets two. Austin works Sabin over in the corner. Miz clothesline in the corner by Austin, then an enziguri kick to Sabin’s head on the top rope. Sabin reverses Austin’s attempted flippy do dad with a tornado DDT. Enziguri by Sabin, goes up top, flying dropkick to Austin’s back. Cradleshock doesn’t happen, but the German suplex does. Modified DDT gets two and knocks Austin oiut of his elbow pad. La Magistral gets two for Sabin, but Austin responds with a kcik to the shoulderblades. They exchange kicks and put each other down. Sabin misses in the corner, Austin misses one kick but hits the other, hits a modified face driver for two. Yeah, I don’t know what to call it but it was kinda cool. Austin back suplexes Sabin into the corner, up top, hits the twisting Famouser for two. Billy Gunn influencing everybody. Austin goes up top eventually. Too much time taken though, and Sabin follows him up top. Superplex! Cover gets two, and Sabin heads up top. Madman Fulton distracts the referee, Austin crotches Sabin up top. Austin follows him up, goes for a superplex but gets knocked into a Tree of Woe. Sabin with the hesitation dropkick, then a dive onto Fulton on the outside. Fulton throws the t-shirt into the ring, providing another distraction! Fulton with the cheapshot, but Austin can’t follow up after putting the t-shirt on! He jumps into Sabin’s arms and Sabin hits the Cradleshock for three.

Winner: Chris Sabin (approximately 13 minutes)
Match Rating: ***3/4

Sabin has the t-shirt now, and is presumably heading to the laundry room.

Heath & Rhino vs. Violent By Design (Eric Young & Joe Doering w/Deaner): Uncle Rhino wants EY to start, but gets Joe Doering instead. Rhino gains a quick advantage and tags Heath in, but we quickly head to the other corner so EY can tag in. EY wants nothing to do with Rhino though, and quickly tags out. Heath with some forearms in the corner, but Deaner provides the distraction. Before anything can happen due to it, Deaner is tossed from ringside. Seems a bit pre-mature to me, but they’re zooming through everything here anyway. Now Heath walks into a Doering clothesline. Two kicks to the head from the VBD members, and EY stomps away on Heath. Doering back in with a big forearm & elbow drop for two. Side slam by Doering, EY with the top rope elbow for two. EY misses in the corner, but Heath still can’t get to Rhino. Doering back in to beat Heath up some more. Doering slams Heath but stumbles down. EY still cuts Heath off from the tag for a second, but can’t hold him off forever. EY & Rhino face off. Rhino thinks for a second and then takes EY’s head off. EY with some elbows, but he runs into a belly to belly for two. Doering & Heath get in the ring, Rhino sets Doering up for a piledriver, but EY hits Rhino with his kneebrace for three.

Winners: Violent By Design (approximately 11 minutes)
Match Rating: **

Gia Miller is backstage, and she introduces Eddie Edwards to talk about his long history with Moose. Tonight is Moose’s first world title defense, and Eddie’s been in that spot before. Tonight, there’s no DQs or countouts, anything goes. Moose has done terrible things to get that world title, tonight is the turning point and Moose will pay for those sins at the hands of the new world champion.

VSK (w/Ziggy Dice) vs. Rich Swann (w/Willie Mack): Swann goes to work early on Brian Myers’ young boy. He misses a flip dive onto the floor though, and VSK takes the offensive. Works Swann’s back over with a whip into the corner. Back suplex gets two. Another hard whip. Sunset flip gets two for Swann, but VSK gets two with a backbreaker. Swann fights back, hits a big kick, then a roll into a frog splash gets two. Dice yanks Swann off the apron, then gets run over by Mack. VSK with a kick to Swann, and a modified X-Factor gets two. VSK misses a kick, Swann hits one, then gets backstabbed for two. Swann with some flips into a cutter, then he heads up and hits a frog splash for two. Phoenix splash ends it.

Winner: Rich Swann (approximately 10 minutes)
Match Rating: **1/4

Matt Cardona vs. W. Morrisey: Striker making GCW references while Cardona comes out in his purple leather spiked jacket. Morrisey has the strength advantage, which he utilizes early on. Cardona with a dropkick, he drives Morrisey into the corner, hits an enziguri, basement dropkick to the floor followed by a neckbreaker. Morrisey swings Cardona into the ringsteps a couple of times and goes on the offensive from there. Big boot sends Cardona back outside. Cardona beats the ten count so he can get beat back down. Morrisey tries to remove Cardona’s head from his body. Cardona comes back with a dropkick off the middle rope, but doesn’t have much after that. Cardona fights back with a codebreaker for two. Morrisey faceplants him, but misses in the corner. Cardona with the Re-Boot in the corner, another one sends Morrisey to the floor. Morrisey with the chokeslam to Cardona on the apron for two. Cardona with knees in the corner, but he gets run into the referee. The Radio Silence would have gotten two if the referee was upright, but he’s not. Here comes Moose with a spear! That’ll get the three count for Morrisey.

Winner: W. Morrisey (approximately 12 minutes)
Match Rating: **1/2

Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship: The IInspiration (Cassie Lee & Jessie McKay) (c) vs. Decay (Havok & Rosemary): I could swear Matt Striker mentioned earlier that Crazzy Steve & Black Taurus weren’t around because they were at WrestleHouse. I guess Havok & Rosemary are the only ones with the ability to teleport back & forth. Decay attacks at the bell and everybody pairs off on the outside. Jessie & Cassie get tossed onto the ramp, they miss punches & Decay knock them down the ramp. Rosemary gains the advantage on Cassie in the ring. Tag to Havok, they hit the double ripcord. IInspuration take the advantage behind the referee’s back, and Cassie is all over Havok with strikes. Tag to Jessie, she targets the left wrist on Havok. Cassie with a double stomp to the arm after Jessie works the arm some. Some knee drops to the arm, and the Barely Legal armbar a la Barry “Hole in One” Darsow. Havok makes Cassie break the hold, but can’t get to the corner until Jessie has the referee distracted. What a shame. Eventually it happens for her though, and Rosemary takes control. Sling Blade on Cassie, who gets whipped into Jessie. Rosemary splashes both, suplexes Cassie out of rhe ring. Rosemary with the modified Muta lock. My compliments to the IInspiration’s tailor, by the way. The Harlem Heat flames are a nice touch. A tug of war over Jessie results in no winners, and Cassie tags in to get Germaned into the other corner. Tag to Havok while Jessie gets knocked off the other apron. Double team gets two. Jessie tags in but begs off on the outside, giving her the chance to yank Havok into the ringpost. Unfortunately, Rosemary runs amok, and then she gets powerbombed on the floor! With the assistance of Jessie’s boot, it must be said. Havok is still up, she lifts Jessie up and hits the Samoan drop for two. Jessie fights back and goes to the wrist. Sends Havok shoulderfirst into the post, a shot from Cassie and Jessie’s feet on the ropes lead to a three count.

Winners: The IInspiration (approximately 11 minutes)
Match Rating: **1/2

Striker & D’Lo seem to think that the IInspiration cheated here, but clearly they’re mistaken.

Gia Miller talks to Chris Sabin, who talks about Ace Austin’s t-shirt. He’s changed it to say “I Am Chris Sabin”. Accurate.

Impact X Division Championship: Trey Miguel (c) vs. Laredo Kid vs. Steve Maclin: This should go pretty quick & crazy. It’s Maclin vs. the other two early on here. Of course Maclin is the first one to hit a dive in this match, we all saw that one coming. Laredo hits a 450 on the floor to Maclin, then rolls Miguel back in. They tried to do a two man Doomsday rana deal, didn’t work, but at least they tried. Maclin with a couple of big dives. Fans don’t seem high on Steven. Trey with a crazy ass dive over the ringpost. Maclin hits an STJoe back in the ring, then a powerbomb off the knee gets two. Laredo back in with a big dropkick. He neckbreaks Maclin out of the ring, then springboards into a rana attempt, which Maclin meets with a powerbomb on the apron. Trey comes back, tries a split legged moonsault but gets caught in the tree of woe. Maclin catches Laredo off the top, and running powerslams him into Trey. Maclin doesn’t care about his health or anybody else’s, does he? He sets Trey up, Trey blocks, he & Lardeo go off on Maclin. Trey & Laredo fire away at each other. Big moves in the corner on each other. Laredo with the palm strike, then a kick, follows Trey up for the Laredo Fly. Hits a poison rana on Maclin instead, now he hits that Laredo Fly for two. Maclin barely makes the save. Double chop by Laredo on Maclin. Giga Pet slam by Laredo, 450 meets nothing but knees. Mayhem For All by Maclin, but Trey breaks up the cover with the Meteora. Trey covers both, Maclin gets the shoulder up but Laredo didn’t. That results in a three count that Trey Miguel doesn’t seem to want.

Winner: Trey Miguel (approximately 10 minutes)
Match Rating: **

They tried a lot of stuff & I wanna give a little credit for effort, but that was a bit of a mess. It’ll lead to a singles title shot for Maclin, I assume.

Impact Knockouts Championship: Mickie James (c) vs. Mercedes Martinez: Some mat based exchanges to start. Mickie with the early advantage, but Mercedes isn’t worried about it. She works Mickie’s arm for a second, Mickie cartwheels out of it and works Mercedes’ arm. Big forearm from Mercedes, and now here comes the brawling. Big ol’ chop! Mickie with the snap mare and the kick for two. Chop of her own to Martinez. Mickie goes for a rana out of the corner, but gets buckle bombed for a two count. Mercedes’ Fisherman’s buster is too close to the ropes and gets a two count. Mickie goes for the cross arm breaker, but Mercedes works out of it. Mickie hits a couple of kicks. A dropkick sends Mercedes into the corner. Air Raid Crash by Mercedes, but she takes too long to cover and gets two. Mercedes sets Mickie up, Mickie slips out but gets forearmed. Half & half suplex by Mercedes gets two. They head up top. Mercedes with a German suplex! Mercedes gets herself out of the Tree of Woe and covers for two. Mercedes with the surfboard into the Dragon sleeper? No, Mickie blocks that. Short DDT by Mickie. Goes for the big DDT, it’s blocked a couple of times before it’s finally hit. Three count!

Winner: Mickie James (approximately 9 minutes)
Match Rating: **1/2

Here’s Deonna Purrazzo! She locks in the armbar, then piledrives Mickie! She does not look happy, to give you an understatement here. Deonna says she wants her championship back, and she’ll get it at Hard To Kill. Impact Wrestling still has rematch clauses, apparently.

Scott D’Amore tells Gia Miller it’s official, he wishes Deonna had waited a bit to announce it, but Deonna is Deonna. He talks about how Impact has done a lot of firsts, and another one will be at Hard To Kill to determine the next top contender for the Knockouts Championship…A Knockouts Ultimate X Match!

Impact Tag Team Championship: The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) (c) vs. Bullet Club (Chris Bey & Hikuleo): I appreciate Bey & Hikuleo using the classic BC music. Anderson & Bey start. Anderson establishes his strength advantage, but Bey has the agility and the ingenuity. Tag to Hikuleo, who works over Anderson for a second before tagging Bey back in. Bey is driven into the corner & Doc Gallows tags in. Big kick leads to both the heavys getting in there. Big twisting slam by Gallows sends Bey outside. Gallows & Anderson take turns working Bey over, but Hikuleo takes advantage of Karl once he winds up on the outside, and Machine Gun is on the defensive now. Hikuleo with the running powerslam for two. Anderson fights back with a spinebuster on Bey. The big men tag in and deliver shots while arguing over who the real Bullet Club is. Bey & Anderson back in, Bey with the top rope dropkick. Bey with some big moves while the big boys fight outside. Bey sets up a Lionsault type move, Gallows trips him, Anderson covers for three.

Winners: Good Brothers (approximately 8 minutes)
Match Rating: **

Pretty typical Good Bros win there.

PBR presents Throwback Throwdown II on December 18. Live from Louisville! I know the town well.

Josh Alexander makes his way down to the ring and grabs the microphone. He talks about how he beat Minoru Suzuki two days ago, and how he should be happy. He’s not. He’s been told he has to get his emotions under control. He’s angry about what Moose did, he’s angry he’s in street clothes tonight, he’s angry but focused on Moose. He’s gonna sit in the front row tonight, and one way or another he will get that championship back.

We hear new music and see new graphics for the man now known as Jonah. Formerly known as Bronson Reed, the big Aussie is pounding Alexander down in the ring! Slam & some jumping sentons to Alexander. He’s up to four, and now he heads up top for the big splash. Methinks Alexander won’t be doing anything about Moose tonight. Here come the referees & security, but they’re as useful as breasts on a bull. Alexander is coughing up some blood here, and can do nothing as Jonah heads off. Never mind, he’s coming back and has another top rope splash for Alexander! He rubs the blood on the chest of his t-shirt. What’s with everybody wantonly destroying t-shirts tonight?

Impact World Championship Full Metal Mayhem Match: Moose (c) vs. Eddie Edwards: They clubber away on each other to start. Forearm exchange…Moose ends up being the one to take a step back. Moose with a chop. Eddie answers. Chop exchange. Moose gains the advantage on that one. Eddie responds with more chops. Lots of chops! Back elbow by Edwards, knee by Moose. German by Eddie, but Moose stands up. He runs towards Edwards, who backdrops Moose over the top rope and through a table! Well that escalated quickly. Edwards gets a trash can, and hits the lower back of the prone Moose. Moose rolls through the ring, apparently setting up Eddie for the dive. Moose meets Eddie with the cookie sheet the first time, but Eddie shrugs it off eventually and hits the dive. Two cookie sheets to the head of Moose. Another one. Eddie goes for the rana, but Moose catches him, runs around and Border Tosses Eddie onto the ramp. Moose contemplates his next move, foregoing the cookie sheet for the steel chair. He chokes Eddie with it, then drags him back into the ring. Moose is knocking chairs off of a table, setting up something that probably won’t end well. He goes for something, Eddie blocks. Moose responds with a big kick. Eddie somehow lifts Moose up and DVDs him on the ring apron! I feel the need to point out that Moose has more fans in the crowd chanting his name this evening than most shows I’ve seen him on. Moose must be big in Las Vegas. Eddie with the ladder to Moose’s frame, then he tosses the ladder in the ring. Moose with a pump kick to Eddie, picks him up and powerbombs him on the apron. Another power bomb, this one through a table….

OK, so the ImpactPlus site took a dump and a bunch of stuff apparently happened. Eddie sunset flip bombed Moose off a ladder through a table, there was a W. Morrisey run-in, and when I finally got it back Eddie Edwards decided he was going to cut the ring apron up and reveal the wood underneath. He sets Moose up over on the wood and goes for the Tiger Driver. Moose blocks, they go back & forth, Moose hits the low blow and hits the urinagi on the wood. To be fair, Eddie set himself up for that. Moose hits the spear on the padded part of the ring since he’s a nice guy like that, and gets the win.

Winner: Moose (not sure on the time thanks to ImpactPlus, at least 20 minutes)
Match Rating: Seemed like it was easily in the 3-4 star range, might have even gone higher since I like the hardcore stuff done right! But I can’t say.

Moose celebrates as the show ends.

6.0

The final score: review Average

The 411

Turning Point opened with a strong match and seemingly ended with a strong match from what we got to see of it! There were some rough spots between those points, some decent stuff as well. Jonah was a nice surprise & the IInspiration continue to be highlights. Some interesting things set up for the future. Unfortunately it didn't seem like most stuff hit the next level you'd like to see on a iPPV level event, and technical problems are always a drag, even more so when you're invested in what's going on. These things happen though, we just move on to the next one.