As of last night, here is the updated card for TNA Wrestling's Turning Point on Sunday, December 10:
NWA World Heavyweight Championship Match
- Abyss (c) vs. Sting vs. Christian Cage
- Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe
X Division Championship Match
- Christopher Daniels (c) vs. Chris Sabin
Bikini Contest
- Ms. Brooks vs. Eric Young
The 11/23 (Thanksgiving) edition of TNA iMPACT! drew a final 0.9 cable rating with a 1.5 share. This number has to be considered a success despite a .1 drop with the show falling on a holiday.
The 11/25 Saturday replay of TNA iMPACT! drew a 0.5 cable rating with a 1.0 share.
In an idiotic publicity stunt, BG James and Kip James (aka The Voodoo Kin Mafia) have accepted the open challenge laid out by the Hardy Boyz for ECW's December To Dismember this Sunday.
In an article on the TNA Wrestling website, the team makes the challenge and says that even though "another team" has accepted (MNM), they would like to makie it a three way dance at the pay-per-view.
BG James said: "You know Vince â a funny thing happened on Monday afternoon on your website when we were watching your little online press conference. When the Hardys made the open challenge, I couldnât help but hear the fans chanting âVKM.'
Some other tag team may have accepted it, but itâs still an open challenge and the Voodoo Kin Mafia want in the match â so letâs make it a three-way. You have until this Thursday night before iMPACT! goes on the air to give us an answer.â
The Wrestling Post take: Talk about a desperate attempt at attention. These are two different companies. The VKM are not employees of Vince or the WWE. Of course they can't actually participate in a WWE event.
Any wrestling fan with a quarter of a brain knows how ridiculous of a supposed challenge this is. TNA should focus on its own brand instead of trying to mock the most successful wrestling outfit in history ... especially when BG and Kip and simply stealing their own antics from their DX days.
All is not well in the TNA Wrestling locker room, according to PWinsider.com.
There is a lot of talk right now surrounding Kurt Angle and his behavior backstage. Before Angle left ECW, there was some frustration with the way he was acting; i.e. giving out ideas and suggestions to other wrestlers who have been in the business for a long time.
He's rumored to be at it again in TNA. Younger wrestlers were simply excited to get advice from the former WWE star, but veterans who have been in the business longer than Angle are looking at him like heâs out of his mind.
Spefically, Jeff Jarrett isn't pleased. Many are wondering how long it will be before thereâs some sort of power struggle between the two.
Right now, however, the backstage consensus seems to be that Angle is just excited to be in the company and is over-anxious to do anything he can to help.
The following results are courtesy of lordsofpain.net ...
Match One: Voodoo Kin Mafia v. Kazarian, Bently and Devine
- A quick match that displayed the new James Gangâs dominance. Fans chant âDX sucks,â The finish was Kip James hitting a reverse DDT on Devine for the win. Afterwards BG James got on the mic and addressed Vince McMahon, HHH and Shawn Michaels. He said that the ground war will be starting this Thursday night on iMPACT!.
Next, Johnny Devine is walked back to the ring by Kazarian and Maverick Matt. Devine is bound and tied and the two former X-Division champions have cane poles at the ready. They placed Devine on his knees and struck an odd pose as Ravenâs entrance hit. Devine looked as if he knew what he was about to go through and seemingly accepted it. The always overdressed Raven and Kazarian struck at Devineâs back until it was blistered over. Almost as quickly as it ended Raven left and the show switches to backstage.
Match Two: The Franchised Naturals v. Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal
- A fast paced bout that saw both teams takes the advantage. Sonjay and Lethal displayed high risk double team maneuvers but it was The Franchiseâs interference that gained the Naturals the quick victory in this short match.
Winner: The Franchised Naturals
Match Three: TNA X Division Championship, Christopher Daniels (C) v. Chris Sabin
- AJ Styles made his way ringside to watch over his friend and tag partner seemingly after Sabinâs attempt to bring chairs into the match. The Fallen Angel hits the Saving Grace and BME but Sabin managed to kick out as the fans chant âThis is awesome.â After a short back and forth exchange Chris Daniels secures the win with an inside cradle to successfully defend his title. Sabin is not happy about the loss and he tries to attack Daniels with a chair, but the X Division father Jerry Lynn makes the save and demands that Sabin show Daniels respect. After an argument Sabin shakes his hand but hits the Cradle Shock and rolls out of the ring.
Winner: The Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels
Paparazzi Productions are seen in a skit where Kevin Nash explains to his team that they must win. Austin Starr and Alex Shelley agree, but Starr insists that Shelley pay him the $100 for losing his Paparazzi court case from Thursday.
Match Four: Paparazzi Productions v. Lance Hoyt and Ron âTruthâ Killings
- In filler match that sees Kevin Nash sitting ring side calling the match with Tenay and West. He reveals that on Thursday's "Impact," he is calling a meeting with all the X-Division stars. Both teams show inexperience working together but when Shelley demands that Starr repositions the ringside camera. He complies but in the process Hoyt rolls up Shelley and gains the upset.
Winner: Hoyt and Killings
Match Five: Christian Cage v. AJ Styles
- The match had many near falls but the fans were not into the match. Styles hit an amazing hurricanrana off the top rope. However Cage eventually gained the upper hand but was met by Christopher Daniels who came in for the save stealing the chair. However, it backfired and Cage pinned Styles for the win. After the match AJ Styles verbally berated his tag partner for what he believed was Daniels costing him the match. Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal run in to separate the two followed by Rhino. He says he won't let Styles and Daniels have a falling out like he had with his former best friend, Christian Cage. AJ calls Rhino Dr. Phil and leaves the ring in disgust to the surprise of Tenay and West.
Winner: Christian Cage
Match Six: NWA World Tag Team Championship, LAX (C) v. AMW
- The fans are whole heartedly behind AMW in the match as chants of USA ring out early and often. The teams fight back and forth with no team in clear control. AMW hits the death sentence on Hernandez but the referee canât go to the pin as Konnan jumped onto the apron for the quick distraction. This gave Homicide the chance to hit James Storm on the back of the head with the blow torch and Hernandez covered for the pinfall. Afterwards Homicide tries to hit the Gringo Killer on Gail Kim but Petey Williams comes in for the save.
Winner: LAX
Despite heavy hype for the two-hour special of TNA Wrestling Thursday night, iMPACT only drew a 1.0 rating. While the number is up a bit from the show's recent average, it's still a disappointing figure for TNA.
Even the Kurt Angle signing has not brought the brand the sort of attention and popularity it had hoped for. TNA will need to win over a majority of casual wrestling fans if it ever truly wishes to compete with the WWE.
NWA World Heavyweight Title Match
- Sting vs. "The Monster" Abyss
Dream Match Of The Decade
- Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe
NWA World Tag Team Title Match
- LAX vs. AMW
X Division Title Match
- Christopher Daniels vs. Christ Sabin
- "The Phenomenal" AJ Styles vs. Christian Cage
- The Truth & Lance Hoyt vs. Austin Starr & Alex Shelley
- Voodoo Kin Mafia vs. Kazarian, Bentley & Johnny Devine
- The Rober Roode Open Challenge
- The Naturals vs. Sonjay Dutt & Jay Lethal
The following report is courtesy of wrestleview.com ...
- Eric Young is shown leading a bunch of people around ringside pumping his fist. He continues to march around with his legions of fans, as Tenay and West hype the show with confetti falling. Young jumps on top of the announce table to make an announcement. LAX's theme with the bullet sound at the beginning started up, and Young yelled, "Sniper!"
- LAX comes to the ring. Konnan talks about how the US holds down Latinos and minorities. AMW interupts them and they brawl. Gail Kim ran out, making her return. She gave Homicide a huracanrana off the top. Hernandez was about to give her the Border Toss, but AMW broke that up with Storm superkicking him.
Samoa Joe defeated Jay Lethal
Lethal got in briefs amount of offensive moves in flurries, but it wasn't enough. Joe got in all his signature spots as the crowd chanted, "Joe's gonna kill you!" He won with the Kokino Clutch.
- After the match, Samoa Joe held the hold so Sonjay Dutt ran out. Joe ended up putting the Kokino Clutch on him. Chris Sabin came out too, but refused to get in the ring to help his teammate. Joe got on the mic and said he wants Angle's blood tonight.
- Christy Hemme approached LAX outside. Konnan has an American flag and says they are going to burn it later. He tells her to start being a journalist and they'll give her the scoop of a lifetime. Petey Williams passed by, and Konnan invited him along to wherever they are going to burn the flag.
- A Paparazzi Productions segment airs. Austin Starr and Alex Shelley are arguing while each is standing at a urinal. Starr says he lost because of Shelley. Shelley wants Kevin Nash to solve their argument. They say they are going to "shake on it" (not their hands). Nash says he graduated with a law degree and puts on a white judge wig. He says they are going to have court and by the end of the day he'll declare who is guilty.
- Borash is backstage with Team 3D. Ray says the Naturals made themselves known last week. Ray says he welcomes them to the jungle, but says tonight they will hear him say Devon get the tables.
The Naturals (Chase Stevens & Andy Douglas) defeated Team 3D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) in a Tables Match
Shane Douglas ran in a couple minutes in. Team 3D put him through a table. West and Tenay noted that Douglas was sacrificing himself for the Naturals. The Naturals then gave Ray a 3D and put Devon through a table for the win.
- Eric Young came out to the ring. He says he has a big announcement, but before he can tell everyone out comes Kazarian, Johnny Devine and Maverick Matt Bentley in their new goth attire. Kazarian talks about their "great redeemer" opening their eyes, and this is the start of a new movement in TNA Wrestling. He says they were taught by this person that it's not about winning or losing but how much you sacrifice. A video interupts them, with the words "Voodoo Kin Mafia." A theme song came on and out came the former James Gang, BG and Kip.
The following recap of this Jeff Jarrett conference call is courtesy of wrestleview.com ...
- On his departure from WWE after the No Mercy PPV in 1999 about rumors he was holding Vince McMahon up for more money: "This call is about TNA Wrestling and moving to primetime. To answer the question, there was no hold-up and they paid me the money that was owed to me."
- On how far TNA has come since it began: "We have come an awful long way in fou years." Jarrett mentioned that here they were in primetime this Thursday night and that TNA is the first one to do it in four years besides WWE.
- On TNA's drug policy: "We deal with each individual. We have had some within the company we have dealt with on a very individual case. We went and worked with them and got the problems out on the table. We have a policy that we watch everyone. If there is a problem at work, we take care of it."
- On going head to head with WWE: "We aren't going to out-do the competition. We have tried to be smart and strategic. If going head-to-head on Monday night is what we need to do, then we will certainly do that when the time is right." Jarrett talked about the history of the Monday Night Wars, Hogan/Hall/Nash jumping to WCW and the Attitude Era. He said that was a special time and that Thursday night is a great TV night. "Who knows what the future will hold, but going head-to-head may happen."
- If Bill Goldberg or The Ultimate Warrior will come to TNA? "Never say never." Jarrett said both have drawn a lot of money in their day. "They both didn't have a long shelf life during their career." Said they found themselves hitting a peak early on.
- Why did TNA re-hire Vince Russo? Jarrett mentions he is a changed man and his experience with WWE and WCW. Said he was there with Russo in both and saw his strengths and weaknesses. Jarrett said they have learned from the past and want to make the TNA product as good as it can be.
- Is Kurt Angle vs. Samoa Joe the most important match in TNA's history? "Every PPV event in our growth is important for the company. The WWE has been around for 40+ years, WCW had origins from the territory days with 30-40 years behind it. We started TNA from scratch 4 years ago and to be on primetime TV 4 years later is a big deal. We are only as good as our last PPV and last television show. You have to keep churning out hits. WWE already has hits to go on. We have to continue to prove ourselves. I dont think anyone is expecting anything but a spectacular match this Sunday."
- On if he feels TNA Impact feels too fast after 60 minutes and if they are looking to slow down in the move to primetime? "Well, truly we intend to live up to our name - Total Nonstop Action. We are literally charting ground that has never been done. We have 1 hour of television to do a 3 hour pay per view. A PPV has 7-9 matches. So to have intrigue, drama and storylines, right there you have 4-5 storylines and on a week to week basis with 42 mins of TV time, we have to be at a break-neck speed in order to tell stories. We are doing programming that has never been done. We also know that TV time is very precious and it is a tough balance."
- On TNA stars starring in films? "We have more than enough on our plate. TNA, along with Spike TV, have had discussions about outside projects. Kevin Nash got his acting career going. Christian and Kurt Angle have gotten offers. Gail Kim as well. All of us are really focusing, and rightfully so, on being the very best wrestling organization we can and that is our focus."
- On his hiatus from TNA TV: "What you saw on TV, I spoke from the heart. I have been going wide-open for 4 1/2 years. The place for me to be right now is not in the wrestling ring. I'm taking it day-by-day. To say I have a big plan, I don't, I would be lying. That is really the status of Jeff Jarrett the wrestler. I wrestled 7 years during the territory days, went to the WWF, went to WCW, back to WWF and back to WCW. My career has had very few breaks and this is a much needed one."
