Hey everyone and welcome to this special edition of Chris Considers, where I shall be reviewing the recent TNA pay per view: Turning Point. Please feel free to leave some feedback via the comment board or drop an email to a_agreement_caled_forever@hotmail.com

Before anyone says that this is late, you have to bear in mind we don’t get TNA pay per view here in the UK until the Wednesday after the show. Hopefully with all the changes afoot in the company this is something that will change in the near future and TNA can work out a pay per view deal with Sky or Virgin Media, it was actually something I tweeted Dixie Carter when she said what changes would we like to see made in TNA!

Before I get in to the matches, I would like to say the Impact Zone crowd in Orlando was HOT for Turning Point and really helped add to the general feel of the show. That coupled with some outstanding wrestling means this is one pay per view you should go out of your way to try and see! I did fairly well with my predictions, going 4-4 which is better than I have faired with some of WWE’s latest offerings. This was not to say Turning Point was predictable, its just that TNA tend to treat all of their championships with a little more credibility than WWE has of late (excluding Christian, Jeri-Show and Michelle McCool’s current runs) Ok so lets take a look at the matches:

TNA X Division Championship Match: Amazing Red © vs Homicide

This match was always going to open the show and I thought it set the tone for the rest of the night. It was not as fast paced and frantic as some X-division matches we have seen in the past, but it featured some excellent wrestling from both Red and Homicide and they showed they have plenty of chemistry in the ring together. Amazing Red really hits some awesome moves such as the huricanranna from the apron early on during the match. Red’s standing SSP also rivals Morrison’s! Putting Red over was absolutely the correct decision by TNA as this feud still has plenty of distance to cover but why Red found himself in a match up against Scott Steiner this week is anybody’s guess… A very solid, good wrestling match that would have perhaps benefited from an extra five minutes or so to really establish itself.

Chris’ Star Rating: ***3/4

All The Title On The Line: The Beautiful People vs ODB ©, Taylor Wilde and Sarita ©

This was by far the worst match of the night and the worst Knockout match TNA have put on in some time. TBP just do not have the in ring ability to keep up with Wilde and Sarita and luckily this week on Impact it looks like they may be entering a new feud with Flash and Hamanda. Lacey Von Erich is truly diabolical in the ring and unless she undergoes some serious training I hope she parts ways with TNA very soon. I actually felt this went too long as it was the only time during the show I was bored with what I was watching. Putting the faces over was a great call once again from TNA and now sets up some nice feuds heading into the next pay per view and hopefully TBP will stay well away from any championship matches for the immediate future!

Chris’ Star Rating: *

TNA Tag Team Championship Match: The British Invasion © vs Beer Money Inc vs The Motor City Machine Guns

I was surprised to see this match on so early in the card but it came as a welcome relief from the garbage that had come before. I actually prefer the format we saw on RAW this past Monday where one member of each team is in the ring at once but this was still a good match. I thought Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley worked rings around everyone else in the ring and showed that they really deserve a run with the belts at some point in the near future, the early exchanges between Roode and Shelly were excellent and seeing Beer Money and the MCMG work together was awesome! I was surprised that it was a combination of Eric Young and Kevin Nash that helped TBI retain their titles as I was expecting it to be Rob Terry but after seeing Impact this week it all makes sense now. I still do not rate Brutus Magnus, but I feel Doug Williams is impressive in each and every outing so for now TBI remain somewhat worthy champions. I would like to see the Guns chase the tag belts now and allow Beer Money to perhaps get involved against the ECW originals as we all know how well 3D work with them.

Chris’ Star Rating: ***

6 Sides of Steel Match: Awesome Kong vs Tara

Wow, this was awesome! What a match, and what a performance from both Kong and Tara. This was probably by far and away the best women’s match I have seen this year and probably the third best match of the evening. One thing I particularly liked about this match was, that unlike several of WWE’s recent HIAC matches, Kong and Tara actually used the cage here and so rather than it just feeling like a standard wrestling match with a cage around it, it actually lived up to the gimmick and provided the second best cage match I have seen all year with only Punk and Jeff Hardy topping it. Some of the ring work on display here was outstanding and I was in awe watching Tara hit that amazing cross body from the top of the cage on to Kong! Spots and matches like this show just how far ahead TNA is right now with it’s women’s division and WWE really needs to stand up and take note. I bet Vince is secretly fuming that he let Victoria go when he sees what she is achieving in TNA! I was surprised with Tara going over seeing as Kong had been the one on a roll but I am totally in favour of a brief Tara vs ODB feud to put the belt on Tara and then we can get a long running Tara vs Kong feud for the belt which could equal if not surpass Kong vs Gail which feels like an aeon ago! Forget any prejudices you may have against women’s wrestling, this is the real deal and I urge you to check this one out!

Chris’ Star Rating: ****

Hernandez, Matt Morgan and Pope D’Angelo Dinero vs Team 3D and Rhino

I was surprised this match was so high up the card and I was also surprise at the amount of time this one was given. However it turned out to be a very enjoyable match with plenty of fun spots and some great teamwork from all involved. Despite some initial miscommunication it appears Dinero is now a full fledged babyface which should be pretty awesome as I have always felt he is a guy the crowd can really get behind. One spot in particular that stands out for me from this match was when Hernandez fired up the crowd and then annihilated all three of the heels with a top rope dive, this guy is amazing in the ring and could really be a huge star if TNA continue to handle his push correctly. I was slightly surprised with the outcome of this one as I was expecting the faces to pick up the win to further solidfy Rhino’s point and cause Team 3D to head further down the heel route but TNA have clearlwith a top rope dive, this guy is amazing in the ring and could really be a huge star if TNA continue to handle his push correctly. I was slightly surprised with the outcome of this one as I was expecting the faces to pick up the win to further solidfy Rhino’s point and cause Team 3D to head further down the heel route but TNA have clearly decided this is a feud worth extending and with the addition of Jesse Neal this past Thursday on Impact, things certainly seem to be heating up.

Chris’ Star Rating: ***1/2

Scott Steiner vs Bobby Lashley Goldberg

Well Bobby Lashley’s Goldberg-esque run in TNA has come to an end which perhaps has something to do with all the uncertainty over his future. Prior to this match it became a no disqualification, falls count anywhere match, presumably to help out Steiner’s lack of mobility in the ring. Steiner has been hit and miss lately and his Frankensteiner attempt in this match was horrible. However overall I was expecting this to be a quick squash for Lashley and it actually turned out to be ok, probably giving more than I expected it too. Some of the hardcore spots were decent and Lashley hit plenty of wrestling moves during the course of the match, as opposed to just going for his MMA strikes and holds, which I was pleased to see. The decision to put Steiner over surprises me but I guess this is another feud which will be continued now that Nash has aligned with Eric Young. Making Lashley look more human was defiantly something TNA needed to do and they achieved that here and although this was by no means a classic, it was not the complete squash we all predicted either.

Chris’ Star Rating: **

Kurt Angle vs Desmond Wolfe

In my predictions I said that this would probably be the match of the night and whilst that did not turn out to be the case, this was still a master class in technical wrestling that would have stolen the show at any other pay per view. I actually set my alarm early Monday morning and streamed this match online because I was looking forward to it so much and boy was I happy I did so! This was quite simply amazing and by far one of the best matches so far this year in any promotion. Angle and Wolfe delivered in a way that only two world class wrestlers can and I was gripped from start to finish. We saw some fantastic chain wrestling, innovative counters and holds and one of the best go home sequences to any match I have ever seen, with two reversed tombstone attempts from both men, Wolfe fighting out of an Ankle lock and finally Angle picking up the win with a side triangle choke. I must say I was surprised to see Angle go over cleanly in this first encounter but Wolfe lost none of his momentum coming out of this match as he put on a world class performance. I bet this is another instance where Vince saw this match and is kicking himself for letting Wolfe slip through the net as he would have been a mega star in WWE but now is set to become one in TNA. After seeing this week’s Impact, I can understand why Kurt went over as he still remains in the title hunt but I still think a double count out here would have really helped set up the next chapter in this feud as we all know it is far from over. I cannot remember anyone since Goldberg at Backlash 2004 making such an impactful (excuse the pun) PPV debut and Wolfe is going to be huge. I cannot wait to see where they take this next. If you enjoy solid, technical wrestling then this match is for you and with the exception of Michaels vs Undertaker, is better than anything else WWE have done all year! Check this one out!

Chris’ Star Rating: ****3/4

TNA Championship Triple Threat Match: AJ Styles © vs Samoa Joe vs Daniels

Let me start off by saying in my opinion other than Michaels vs Triple H vs Benoit from Wrestlemania 20, the next best triple threat match in history was these three going at it at Unbreakable 2005. Now this was not better than that match but it was, in my opinion, just as good. This match had it all, jaw dropping spots, fantastic wrestling and a dynamic and intricate story being told in the ring by three of the top guys in the business. However poorly the match was put together, the subsequent build and performances on the night more than made up for it, this is the best wrestling match I have seen so far this year and yes, it even surpasses Michaels vs Taker from Wrestlemania. There were so many memorable spots and sequences in this one it would be hard to select a couple but I am going to try and pick out the ones which still remain fresh in my mind, the sequence where Joe powerbombed AJ into Daniels and followed up with a second powerbomb which he followed up with a Boston Crab into an STF was just picture perfect and AJ’s moonsault into a DDT was jaw dropping. I cannot commend AJ, Daniels and Joe highly enough for their performances here and I cannot recommend this match enough. If you were to show a non wrestling fan a match to try and show them what it is all about then this would be the perfect example with which to do so, it really was that good. AJ nailing Daniels at the end and then pinning Joe was perfect as it set in motion Daniels’ heel turn, which had already been teased, and also gives us another potentially 5 star outing at the next pay per view. Props to all of you who correctly pointed out in Kendra’s prediction comments that this was actually the fourth time these three had faced off in a triple threat but I guess TNA decided to try and make it a bigger deal. Whatever you do go out of your way to see this match, you will not be disappointed!

Chris’ Star Rating: *****

So coming off the back of a very good Bound For Glory, TNA really outdid themselves here and put on the best overall pay per view I have seen so far this year. There were only two throw away matches on the card in the six Knockout tag match and Lashley vs Steiner. Everything else delivered with Homicide and Red delivering a solid opener that I wish could have gone just a bit longer. Tara and Kong gave us the best women’s match so far this year whilst Homicide continued to prove he is a main event waiting to happen. The two main events on this show are both MOTY candidates and I would consider both as must see. As soon as Turning Point is available for pre order on DVD I recommend ordering it, trust me when I say you will not be disappointed. WWE really need to step up their game with Survivor Series on Sunday as TNA is blowing them away in terms of the standard of wrestling right now. Sadly the buy rates for this show will not reflect how awesome it really was but if TNA continue to put on events like this then hopefully they can pick up momentum especially with Hogan and his entourage arriving soon.

Chris Star Rating for TNA Turning Point: ****3/4

I shall be back tomorrow with Chris Reviews Smackdown (work permitting) and then again on Sunday with The Talent Exchange. Like I said I will be doing these reviews for every TNA ppv from now on so I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed watching the event!

As always you can email me on a_agreement_called_forever@hotmail.com , add me on facebook: www.facebook.com\wnws.chris.jacks or follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/WNWsChrisJacks I would love to hear from you!

Tags: AJ Styles, Amazing Red, Awesome Kong, Bobby Lashley, Brother Devon, Brother Ray, Daniels, Desmond Wolfe, Hernandez, Homicide, Kurt Angle, Lacey Von Erich, Madison Rayne, Matt Morgan, ODB, Rhino, Samoa Joe, Sarita, Scott Steiner, Tara, Taylor Wilde, Team 3D, The Beautiful People, The Pope D'Angelo Dinero, TNA, Turning Point, Velvet Sky