Thoughts, Balks, Predictions: TNA Turning Point.

Hello everyone out there in interwebs world. It’s me, your fair-weather friend, Candle, whom obviously hasn’t been around lately to do his blog. It’s a good thing that nobody really notices I suppose…or wait…is it….hello? Anybody reading this?…Echo…echo…echo…

Anyway, I’m back in the You-Neverse once again, still trying to hold down my real job, and my blogging job (which has just as many good benefits as my ACTUAL job. Sad, I know), and ready to kick off another round of thoughts, balks and predictions for TNA’s upcoming, and well built Turning Point Pay-Per-View. Let’s get this egg rolling.

- Awesome Kong and Riesha Saeed vs. Roxxi and Taylor Wilde

Thoughts: I’m really happy with where the Knockout’s Division is going these days. It really took a major blow by losing Gail Kim, and for awhile it seemed as if it was taking a spot on the backburner next to the X Division, but this newly re-vamped push for Roxxi, and these high profile wins for Kong, along with more and more backstage eye candies getting into the ring has really helped the division move forward into a good direction. I still think it needs a big face star, and I think Roxxi or Taylor could be the new face of the KO Division if they were pushed correctly, and lately, they both have been heading in that direction. I have a lot of faith in these four women to put on a good match

Balks: Not that much build for this exact match outside of this week. I know Saeed has gotten in the ring with Roxxi, and I know Wilde’s had an ongoing feud with Kong, but something just doesn’t feel established about this rivalry. I also hate the idea that TNA initially was going to give this match away for free, then opted to push Khan as a heel so soon again. If any skank in the back needs to stay out of the ring, it’s Khan. She looks like a Prince SLAG…or just…Prince, to be honest, and she wrestles worth crap.

Predictions: Faces come out on top. Wilde and Roxxi win. Considering the odds have been against them lately, and there hasn’t really been a major focus on these feuds lately, I don’t see things going past Turning Point, or at least not in the tandem way they've been going lately.

- Grudge Match: Sheik Abdul Bashir vs. Rhino

Thoughts: This has been a decent little mini feud. I think the resulting match will be passable.

Balks: For the second time already on this card we have a champion (Bashir, the X Division champion, just in case anyone forgot) not defending their title. Now, I for one am glad that the “It’s not about weight limits, it’s about no limits” days of the X Division title are behind us, but why even have this feud? Nobody benefits from it. Bashir already looks credible as the X Division Champion, and Rhino isn’t really going to get pushed towards a World Title shot by “Goring the Whore.” The only way anybody could get over in this match is if Bashir wins, and then you just have Rhino reduced to looking weak. This has really been a pointless feud.

Predictions: Rhino gores the whore and makes the X Division obsolete once again. Moving on.

- Falls Count Anywhere: Kurt Angle vs. Abyss

Thoughts: This is a good little mini feud that could help Abyss get more over as a main eventer. The resulting match should be good. Abyss is a great big man worker, and Angle…well, everyone knows Kurt Angle’s the greatest pure wrestler out there today. This could be entertaining.

Balks: This is another one of those feuds that’s came out of nowhere. Suddenly, one week Morgan and Abyss have their sights set on Angle for some reason. The reasons to hate Kurt have built from there. Morgan lost to Kurt and got beaten down by the Mafia, Angle raked Abyss’s injured back during a bout, the Mafia’s beaten down both men, along with half of the roster. It’s an OK feud for this month, and it’s had some good matches attached, and it’s made Abyss look like a main event threat again, but there are so many other things Angle could be doing right now that would make more sense. Abyss and Morgan haven’t even technically sided with the Originals, so I don't get why they're even after the Mafia. I also don't like that they've distanced themselves from the pack a bit, but I suppose they have to, considering Morgan's past with the WWE.

Prediction: Angle gets the win. I sense a Morgan turn coming, but it wont be this month. The Mafia may be “all about the 5’ right now, but there are plenty of former WWE and WCW guys left on the roster who haven’t really taken a side yet. Then again, I could see Morgan rebelling against this whole thing a bit. I’d love to see Abyss get over here, but I think Angle will play the numbers game, and we’ll have to settle for a real credible Mafia beat down to put down the Monster as a "push" for Abyss.

- X-Division Championship Seeding Match: Participants: Sonjay Dutt, Eric Young, Jay Lethal, Consequences Creed, Petey Williams, Jimmy Rave, Homicide, Doug Williams, Tanahashi and Volador

Thoughts: This should be the atypical great, fast paced clusterfuck X Division seeding match that seems to be a PPV mainstay lately. I’ve heard good things about Doug Williams, and can’t wait to see more of him, and Volador and Tanahashi have been a treat lately.

Balks: We shouldn’t need this. We just had a Steel Asylum (or whatever they’re calling it this week) match at Bound For Glory. I honestly think that Creed should still be in the chase. They really dropped the ball on a fairly compelling feud there, and it would have been a lot better than Rhino vs. Bashir. I’ve just hated how TNA’s been talking up the X Division as “the guys who put TNA on the map” and yet, they dare not showcase any sort of singles bout anymore involving those fine men who made TNA. I just miss the great feuds that used to come along with the X title, and I miss the prestige that was once invested in the gold. Bouts between the likes of Christopher Daniels and AJ Styles, or Petey Williams and Chris Sabin used to get built up to epic proportions for just one month, ONE MONTH, and they’d result in a great match that never disappointed, and then the next month, a new hungry contender would pop up, or the former champion would look for his rematch. God I miss the X Division, but it went out the window with the old title it seems.

Prediction: I don’t’ even know, and I hate to say it, but I really couldn’t care less anymore. It would be interesting if Homicide got this fabled singles push that everyone’s been talking about since before BFG. It would be interesting to have this Latin man standing up for a country that he chose to come to against Bashir. Yeah…that’d be great…but odds are, it wont get booked.

- TNA Legend's Title Match - If Cage wins, he gets the title. If Booker wins, Cage must join the Main Event Mafia: Booker T © vs. Christian Cage

Thoughts: This feud has had great build. It’s been one of the many great byproducts of the Main Event Mafia vs. TNA Homegrown angle. I maintain my opinion that Book has really been revitalized since coming into TNA. He’s been more crisp, faster, and a bit stiffer since coming to the company, and that tells me that he wants to put on a believable bout. Hey, at Bound for Glory, the man went off the top rope with a scissors kick to win. When’s the last time he did that in the WWE? Cage is always a treat, on the mic and in the ring. These men have had some decent matches in the past in TNA, so I hope that their chemistry carries through to this bout.

Balks: Only one…I’m worried…and excited at the same time. Lately, it’s felt like Cage has been phoning in his promo work. A lot of his enthusiasm for the company seems to have diminished, and considering there’s still no word on if he re-signed with TNA or not…one has to wonder…could Captain Charisma be ready to rejoin his peeps in the WWE? Wouldn’t it be interesting if Edge came back from hell with his old Brood running mate in tow? I’m just saying, the mechanics to set this all up are there, and even as a TNA mark, I wouldn’t be opposed to Cage jumping back to the ‘E. I’d actually be happy, because I think Smackdown could use him, and I think he’d get the main event push he deserves, but I would miss him in TNA.

Predictions: It’s obvious that one of two things is going to happen. Either Cage is going to lose via Mafia shenanigans, or he’ll pull the usual heel turn move and take a finger poke of doom and lay down (maybe a royal pinky poke of doom? I can hear Book the following week with his cheesy accent. "En My Countly, You Can Keel A Man Wit One Poke Of Da Leetle Fingah." Then our suspicions are confirmed; Booker T is from the country of WCW.)

- TNA World Tag Team Title Match: The Motor City Machine Guns vs. Beer Money ©

Thoughts: These are two of TNA’s freshest and most over tag teams out there right now. They were smart to save this for PPV. I think they’ll mesh very well in the ring. This is one of the big matches that’s got me begging my boss for Sunday evening off.

Balks: I don’t get why we had this FREE ladder match for a number one contender shot at the Tag Titles if this match was pre-destined to happen. I also fear that Team 3D will stick it’s ugly mugs into this match and mess up a potentially hot encounter.

Predictions: I could either see this going to a draw finish, leading up to a 3 team tag bout next month, or Beer Money winning via Dusty interference. I really do wish that there were a clean win in sight, but BM Inc really screwed the pooch when they cost 3D their shot in the Ladder Match. 3D loves to get that sweet retribution. OH MY BROTHA, TESTIFY!

- Kevin Nash vs. Samoa Joe

Thoughts: This may be the longest standing storyline that TNA has ever had. This goes all the way back to last year’s Turning Point where Joe verbally ran down Hall for no-showing. This has resulted in some very shady moments between Joe and Nash, a very compelling love/hate relationship, and the inevitable Nash “Outsiders” turn, and some major promos from both men. Nash has ditched the goofy act, much like the rest of the roster has over the past few weeks, and he’s set his sights on Joe.

Balks: If only the actual match could live up to the hype put behind it. I’ve been in a constant debate with my friend over the past few months about whether or not Nash still had a passable singles match in him. I say no, considering every time they book him these days, it’s in a six man tag where Nash doesn’t have to be in the ring very long, and usually doesn’t have to do much work, and what little work he does in the ring is very repetitive and sloppy. Don’t get me wrong, I love Nash. He’s a very charismatic big man, but he’s never been that much of an in-ring performer, even before both knees blew out. I know a lot of naysayer have ran down old timers in TNA, and I’ve defended a majority of them, and a majority of the time I’ve been right, but Nash is the exception to the rule. He’s broken and past his prime, and he should be nothing more than a mouth piece. I pray to God, for Nash's sake, that they don’t book a Jacknife finish, or a Scott Hall run-in, because if they do, both Scott Hall and Nash’s knees will fail to be there for him.

Predictions: This COULD be an almost watchable brawl if Nash accepts his limitations, but ultimately, I can see this only going one way, and that’s a Samoa Joe victory.


- TNA World Title Match: Sting © vs. AJ Styles

Thoughts: This has been the quarrel at the center of everything. The eye of the storm in TNA. This feud has given Sting plenty of opportunities to shine on the mic, and just as many opportunities for AJ to prove that he too can work a stick when put in the right situation. This is another bout on the card that I’m paying to see. If Sting hasn’t proven to everyone out there that he can still go in the ring after Bound For Glory, then hopefully he’ll set the record straight against AJ in a match where he’ll be forced to be dominant.

Balks: I have only one balk with this entire feud, and it’s a minor balk that I’ve overlooked, and will continue to overlook as long as they don’t let this balk o’ mine grow into something bigger, and that’s the mentioning of one of the SINGLE worst angles that TNA has ever sired upon AJ Styles, and that’s the angle of him being white trash whose had a falling out with his “paw.” I’ll admit that it’s a great call back, and it’s a great way for Sting to rile up AJ, but if it goes any farther than that, I will be pissed. We’ve JUST gotten the AJ of old back, don’t turn him back into a bumbling hick sidekick.

Predictions: Sting walks out of Bound For Glory still World Champion, via hook, crook, or Mafia interference, and that’s the way it should be. Sting was dominated by Joe last PPV, and it made Joe look like a beast. I wouldn’t mind if AJ got the upper hand in this encounter, and I definitely wouldn’t care if some outside interference cost him the bout. Hell, NWA rules don’t apply anymore. If this match ended in DQ through interference, I’d be fine with it, but Sting has to retain, because the Mafia has to maintain this glass ceiling over TNA. As soon as any Original wins that title, this feud is over for me, because that’s what they’re supposedly fighting for, a chance to become something within TNA.

Well, that pretty much wraps up this months run down of the TNA PPV card. This is one I hope I really don’t miss. Bound For Glory did not disappoint, and this PPV has had a great month of build behind it with the Main Event Mafia storyline. Remember folks, if you don’t buy PPV’s, companies wont know what angles you’d pay to see, so shell out a few bucks and tune in so that TNA will keep this angle going. It’s resulted in some great weeks of promo work and wrestling, so don’t let it die. I hate that I’m shilling myself out like a TNA company whore, but don’t bitch about the fallout of this PPV if you don’t buy it to see what you claim you want to see in wrestling. Hopefully I wont become a hypocrite here, and maybe I’ll get my job hours switched to morning shift and get to catch this thing Sunday. But please, TNA supporters, support the company here. I don’t think anybody who watches both products can deny that TNA’s been the hottest promotion in the past month, so please, keep that heat coming and watch Turning Point.

I’m thinking about doing a few things to keep me active in the You-Neverse. One’s something I’ve done on old blogs, a sort of EWR War Journal, which would essentially be me writing results for my EWR game. It may not sound exciting now, but people have really gotten into my storylines, PPVs, and angles in the past, so that might be something I may pick up again. I’m also tossing around a few gimmicked up fan interactive segments, but I’m half afraid to learn how many people are actually out there reading this. One’s called “The Verdict” where I present something controversial within wrestling, present both sides of an argument for and against it, and have you, the fans, write in with your response to which side is correct. The best response would get their answer posted on the ever-prestigious, obscenely expensive Blogatron 5000 for all of the You-Neverse to see. If that doesn’t work out (and I still have the morale to do this blog after learning nobody’s reading), I might vie to get some guest spots from around the You-Neverse to give their opinions on each case. I really want to keep this blog a positive experience, because god knows that there’s plenty of negative going around the internet, and the world for that matter, in regards to wrestling as a whole, so we really don’t need another self-important armchair opinion out there running down something he claims to love, and seemingly masochistically subjects himself to each week, just to run it down on a chat board.

Well, I’ve supposed we’ve reached the end of this week’s blog. This is usually the spot where I pimp out Strata, Matt, Troy, and WWEKid, but odds are, if you’re here (and I hope someone is) you got here through their videos. I greatly appreciate the shout outs and links from all of the You-Neverse pundits, and I really hope that it’s paying off. Otherwise, me and the other guy writing here are wasting our time (which, if someone’s reading this, we’re still technically wasting our time…but it sort of pays off, because we’re wasting someone else’s time…yeah…)
Until Next Time
I’m Out Like A Candle