Sunday…Sunday…Sunday (A look at TNA’s Turning Point PPV)
By: Chris â<80><9c>The Authorityâ<80> Schultz
Going into this Sunday’s Turning Point pay per view, I am starting to get an uneasy feeling. It’s almost a feeling of deja vu. I can’t help but think I have seen this before. Obviously, I have not and neither will anyone else until Sunday night. We have all heard the saying that history repeats itself. If this holds true, TNA is in some BIG trouble. What do I mean by this? Let’s take a look.
The main event at Turning Point will mark the return of the Outsiders as they pair up with Samoa Joe to take on The Angle Alliance (Kurt Angle, Tomko, and AJ Styles). As good as it is to see Kevin Nash and Scott Hall back together, I get the feeling that TNA is attempting to relive the past. Another big question that remains to be seen is if Hall and Nash can still go inside the ring. Kevin Nash seems to still be in great shape, but I haven’t seen him wrestle on a consistent basis for the last several years. You have got to believe there might be a little ring rust there. Hall, on the other hand, doesn’t look to be in any kind of shape at all. So why throw these guys in a match so quickly? I understand that these two guys had a lot to do with the resurgence of professional wrestling in the late 90’s and the beginning of the new millennium, but that was then.
This whole scenario doesn’t seem right. As a matter of fact, I can remember a company headquartered in Atlanta, GA that seemed to push the older, more established wrestlers. That company doesn’t exist anymore today. I don’t want this to happen to TNA. You can’t help but think though, that they just might be going down the same path. I’m not here to criticize any of the veterans like Hall and Nash. Heck, I love seeing them on the show, but I sure hope TNA doesn’t close the doors on the younger and hungrier talent that brought them to the dance. Instead of this 3 on 3 match, why not have Angle defend his title against Kaz again? I have never been a fan of 6 man tag team matches to begin with. What happened to the two wrestlers going one on one?
What makes this even more familiar is the return of Chris Jericho to the WWE. When Jericho made his first appearance on RAW, it almost marked the end of WCW in a way. Not too long after he arrived, more of the younger and talented WCW superstars made their way to the WWE. The balance of power then shifted up North. Had the WCW just realized the potential they had in Jericho, Guerrero, Rey Mysterio etc., they might not have realized the same fate. I too loved Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Sting, Nash, and Hall and there definitely was a place on the show for them at the time, just not in every segment. You have to keep the product fresh and create new stars like McMahon was doing at that time. I almost blame Vince McMahon for losing that freshness in today’s WWE. The only young talent he seems to be pushing is Mr. Kennedy and MVP, and rightfully so.
As I get ready to watch Turning Point this Sunday, I hope that I am wrong, and that the match between the Angle Alliance vs. Samoa Joe and the Outsiders goes down as the highlight of the night. Unfortunately, it probably won’t. I am looking forward to the match of 10,000 tacks though. Sure, Abyss, Rhino, Black Reign, and Rellik are not your biggest stars or sound technical wrestlers, but I am sure we will all be cringing on the edge of our seats due to the violent bumps and blood spill this match is sure to bring. Team 3D and Johnny Devine should hold their own in a match with the Motor City Machineguns and Black Machismo, but don’t look for Brother Ray or Brother Devon to be taking any high risk maneuvers off the top rope or out of the ring. The X-Division stars should make this a must see encounter. Awesome Kong should be starting here dominance as Women’s Champion after her match with Gail Kim and then there is the rest of the show which has yet to be determined.
With only one Impact before the big PPV, we still have room for another half of the card. Let’s hope this fills up and other good quality matches are added. This is another problem that I see in today’s wrestling scene. Whatever happened to building up each PPV match for a good month? It seems like these days, the pay per views are just thrown together at the last second, but that looks like a topic for a later discussion. I look forward to Sunday and do hope TNA pulls off another great show. As a fan of wrestling in general, I just ask for something different and something innovative. You never know when the next Stone Cold Steve Austin will come along or when band of brothers look to establish dominance like the N.W.O. My creative juices are flowing as we speak, let’s hope theirs are too.
What are your thoughts? Email the Authority at cjschultz77@yahoo.com
