TNA’s Turning Point: Will Sunday’s PPV Change TNA’s Direction?

Coming off the heels of Bound for Glory, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling has been preparing for this weekend’s Turning Point pay-per-view.

In normal years, the November show represents the start of a new year for TNA, as many of the company’s biggest story angles and arcs reach a conclusion on the company’s biggest stage in October.

But this year, the environment of TNA looks different, and this weekend’s show carries a more literal sense with its name.

Efforts in recent months to establish young, new stars while phasing out or lowering the roles of industry veterans combined with the recent signing of wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and promoter Eric Bischoff place the promotion and its roster on a literal pivot point, with many possible routes to take from here.

One could arguably say the path to the future begins this Sunday.

Eight matches have been announced for the card so far. Let’s look at these contests and the implications they may have as the company looks to gain momentum and steam in the arms race of professional wrestling.

Awesome Kong vs. Tara

A feud between these two knockouts has been brewing for months, and it will likely reach an ending point Sunday as these ladies compete in a Six Sides of Steel match.

Tara brings her technical skills while Kong brings the power, in the clash of the knockouts that should be a short but entertaining match. These women have proven time and time again they can work in the ring, so look for that trend to continue at Turning Point.

Kong has been a monster unleashed since losing her manager Raisha Saeed, and TNA appears to be booking her toward heading back into the Knockouts Championship scene.

Tara, meanwhile, will have the sympathy and support of the fans despite a loss to the monstrous Kong. A loss here won’t kill her momentum or credibility.

With that in mind, expect to see Kong pull out the win, though Tara will surely put up a fight.

Bobby Lashley vs. Scott Steiner

After the fall of the Main Event Mafia, Scott Steiner was left as a man alone.

TNA decided to push him into a program with mixed-martial artist Bobby Lashley based around Steiner’s infatuation of sorts with Lashley’s wife, former World Wrestling Entertainment diva Kristal Marshall.

Lashley has been getting the strong push lately while Steiner has been stranded after losing his TNA World Tag Team Championship and his partner Booker T.

Lashley wins this contest and hopefully the short-lived feud will end Sunday.

Amazing Red (c) vs. Homicide for the X Division Championship

With these two X Division stars facing off, fans are at least guaranteed to see an exciting, fast-paced match filled with nice-looking spots.

When Amazing Red took the title off Samoa Joe seemingly out of nowhere, all signs pointed to him being a transitional champion, but as of late, it seems as if they may be building his credibility and giving him a lengthy reign (at least in terms of title reigns of late).

Homicide, on the other hand, has unfinished business with “The Dark Savior” Suicide, who may likely play a role in the finish of this match himself.

Look for Red to retain and something to happen that will further the tension and disdain between Homicide and Suicide that can only possibly end in some form of “death match.”

Taylor Wilde and Sarita (c) and ODB (c) vs. The Beautiful People for the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship and the TNA Knockouts Championship

Taylor Wilde and Sarita have been feuding with Velvet Sky and Madison Rayne of the Beautiful People since the Canadian duo first won the Knockouts Tag Team Championships this summer.

Since that time, Lacey von Erich has entered the fray alongside the Beautiful People, and in recent weeks, they’ve also brought the fight to ODB, a champion looking for a serious title program.

The build for the tag team portion of the event has been well done, but it’s time for that feud to close, unless there’s a heel victory, but if that’s the case, travesty will have hit TNA. Check out the first edition of “Worst Fears Realized” to find out why.

With any hope and mercy, the babyfaces will retain their titles in this match and will all move on to new competitors.

Team 3D and Rhino vs. Matt Morgan, Hernandez and “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero

Since his heel turn, Rhino has been attempting to convince Brother Ray and Brother D’Von that TNA has been making concerted efforts to hold back the veterans and give the spotlight to the young stars.

This week, Team 3D announced their decision to follow Rhino and accept the conspiracy. What they fail to realize is that it’s not a conspiracy but one of the best booking decisions TNA has made in seven years.

Anyway, they challenged Matt Morgan and Hernandez to find a partner for a six-man street fight. The big men initially said they didn’t need a partner, but D’Angelo Dinero entered the fray, saying he wants to help fight for the young stars.

This match will likely feature a lot of weapons and brawling more so than wrestling. It will be kept fairly short, and in order to keep the storyline moving, will likely include a babyface victory, only serving to further aggravate the heels.

Hernandez has unfinished business with Eric Young and his World Elite faction, so hopefully these storylines will blend soon or Hernandez will go back to Young after this match-up Sunday.

The British Invasion (c) vs. The Motor City Machineguns vs. Beer Money, Inc., for the TNA World Tag Team Championships

At Bound for Glory, The British Invasion’s Brutus Magnus and Doug Williams exchanged their IWGP World Tag Team Championships for their home promotion’s titles.

In the following weeks, they managed to get themselves “suspended” from action, meaning they wouldn’t have to defend their titles until Sunday, and fought Beer Money, Inc., in a last-chance match.

This past week on Impact, however, James Storm and Robert Roode defeated Magnus and Williams in a non-title match, earning the right to make the Turning Point championship bout a triple threat showdown.

This match was more exciting prior to Beer Money’s entry, as it showed signs of faith by TNA management in the Motor City Machineguns and the potential to see a developing program ending with Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley finally winning the gold that’s eluded them for two years.

Now, the addition of Beer Money throws a wrench in those plans, as this will likely serve to continue a feud between that team and the British Invasion, with the Guns only serving as “excitement enhancement” for the match.

This late entry signifies that either Beer Money will regain the TNA World Tag Team Championships or will lose to the Brits in controversial fashion. The Guns will likely be placed back at the bottom of the pecking order, where they have been relegated by management.

Desmond Wolfe vs. Kurt Angle

Desmond Wolfe makes his TNA pay-per-debut in style, as the former Ring of Honor World Champion squares off against Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle.

Since making his first appearance in TNA, Wolfe has dominated Angle, leaving him unable to compete at the end of their match last week.

The newcomer’s luck will likely run out Sunday, as Angle will probably gain some measure of revenge, overcoming his “injury” after the younger competitor puts up the fight of his life.

The end of this match shouldn’t be the end of the program, as it has found early momentum and should continue. After Angle pulls out a win, expect Wolfe to commence a post-match attack or interference from Eric Young’s World Elite, if TNA chooses to pursue a storyline with Young recruiting Wolfe.

Odds are this will be the match of the night and will help secure Wolfe’s place as a top young star in the company.

A.J. Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship

In an Unbreakable 2005 main event rematch, TNA originals A.J. Styles, Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe will compete, though the prize this time will be a bit grander.

The last time the three men main evented a pay-per-view, the X Division Championship was on the line, but this time, it will be the company’s top prize: the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

The build to this match has seen character shifts for Joe and Daniels, both of which have been for the better. Joe has become the instigator heel who’s playing friends against each other, while Daniels has developed a bit of an edge and a conflicted moral judgment when it comes to confronting Styles.

Meanwhile, a mystery attack has been assaulting Styles backstage for the past several weeks, with his identity remaining veiled to the fans.

These three men know each other inside the ring and out and will likely pull out all the stops to give fans an entertaining and exciting match, presumably ending with Styles retaining the belt or losing due to interference from his mystery attacker.

TNA critics often point out the overbooking of TNA pay-per-views, and with that in mind, the company should allow this match to end clean. If they want to build an angle with the mystery attacker, it should be done post-match and not interfere in the result of the bout.