TNA 2010: You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby

[magiconz]

There are many words that can be used to describe the product that TNA has put on for much of 2010. “Miserable”, “horrendous”, “illogical”, or just flat out “shit” are some of the words that have been thrown around by fans. Despite the initial hype that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff brought with them when they signed with the company in 2009, 2010 has not been the year of growth that TNA expected it to be. The company had started out the year by putting their flagship show, IMPACT, head to head with Monday Night Raw. This new “Monday Night War” resulted in an embarrassing defeat for TNA as they were forced to pull the show from Monday Nights and place it back into its former slot on Thursday nights after only a couple of months due to poor ratings. With many fans believing that the company needed to put on a strong product in the following weeks if they wished to recover from the “Monday Night War” debacle, TNA instead made a string of bizarre booking decisions. Some of these decisions included putting Orlando Jordan, whose gimmick was that of a strange, sexual deviant of some kind, into an awful feud with then TV-champion Rob Terry, killing off the push of Desmond Wolfe, who had been branded as a future star after coming into the company and performing strongly in a feud with Kurt Angle, and turning Sting, one of the company’s biggest stars, heel. AGAIN.

Still, the general consensus was that the company had one last chance to turn their bad fortunes around before going off the cliff of no return. Bound For Glory 2010, set for the memorable date of 10.10.10, was advertised as the biggest show in TNA history. The show had been touted as TNA’s “WrestleMania” for years but the company went out of their way to say that the show would change the business forever and shock the wrestling world. The event did shock the wrestling world as the main event saw Jeff Hardy, one of the company’s biggest babyfaces, capture the TNA World Heavyweight Championship by turning heel for the first time in well over a decade and aligning himself with Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan, Jeff Jarrett, and Abyss. The decision to turn Hardy, arguably the company’s biggest draw, drew mixed reactions from fans. Some praised it as “brilliant” and likened it to Hogan turning heel in 1996 while others condemned it as “just another stupid TNA move.” Only time will tell if Hardy’s heel turn will be the shot in the arm that TNA needs. It was a huge risk, no doubt about it. But, will that risk be TNA’s savior that finally takes them to the next level…or will it be the company’s destroyer?
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Getting everybody up to speed…

TNA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy shocked the wrestling world when he made his TNA return at the January 4th edition of Impact. Having just come off a run as a world champion in WWE, TNA’s fan-base immediately latched onto the Charismatic Enigma and propelled him to being one of, if not, the most popular star in the company. At Bound for Glory, however, Hardy turned his back on his “Creatures of the Night” and aligned himself with “THEY”, Jeff Jarrett, Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, and Abyss. With the TNA World Title in his possession and a new attitude to go along with it, what’s next for the Carolina native?

Kurt Angle

Since jumping ship from WWE in 2006, Kurt Angle has become one of the biggest stars in all of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Wrestling’s only Olympic gold medalist has spent much of 2010 trying to “work his way back up the ranks” by beating many of the top ranked contenders to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Angle was motivated by his own promise that if he lost even one of these matches before he was able to reclaim the TNA World Title that he would retire from pro wrestling. Unfortunately for Angle, it appears that he must now live up to his promise to retire from wrestling since he was unable to capture the world title at BFG. Have we seen the last of the bonafide wrestling legend?

Mr. Anderson

Coming off a controversial release from WWE in 2009, there was a lot of hype surrounding TAFKA Mr. Kennedy when he made his debut at Genesis in 2010. Initially garnering hatred from fans, Anderson’s brash, obnoxious attitude and his open admission that he was an “asshole” actually earned him support from the fans even if it didn’t make him the most popular guy in the locker room. Anderson came extremely close to picking up his first World Championship at BFG but was thwarted by Hardy’s shocking betrayal. Considering that Hardy was one of the few men that Anderson would call a friend, one would think that revenge has to be on the mind of the faux announcer.

Rob Van Dam

Another man that has revenge on his mind is Rob Van Dam. After capturing the TNA World Championship in April of 2010, RVD proved that he was the man to beat in TNA after fending off challenges from AJ Styles, Desmond Wolfe, and Sting. His title reign came to an abrupt end after a vicious assault from “The Monster” Abyss left him unable to defend his title within the next 30 days. Coming off a big victory against Abyss at BFG, RVD has stated that he is going after the title that he never truly lost. Will he succeed in his quest to regain the world title?

Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan

In 2009, TNA announced what was quite possibly their biggest signings ever in the form of Eric Bischoff and “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan. There is no disputing that Hogan is one of the biggest names in the history of the business and truly personifies pro-wrestling to many people. Backed by his old friend, Eazy-E, it truly looked like Hogan was going to use his star presence take TNA to a new level. At BFG, however, he showed that all he and Bischoff truly want is power and to rule over TNA. Now that they are in a group that has possession of the TNA World title, what’s next for the devious duo?

Jeff Jarrett

When it was first announced that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff had signed with TNA, Jarrett spoke out against the signing. Having worked with both men in WCW, Jarrett was worried that the duo would use the same politics that helped put WCW under to put TNA under. “The King of the Mountain” spent much of 2010 feuding with Eric Bischoff but, in the lead-up to BFG, turned his attention to Sting and Kevin Nash, who began targeting the TNA founder for some reason. That reason became clear at BFG when Jarrett turned on his partner, Samoa Joe, during their handicap match against Sting, Nash, and “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero. Later on that night, Jarrett revealed himself to be a member of “THEY”. Once again, “The King of the Mountain” had pulled the wool over the fans’ eyes.

Abyss

2010 has been an interesting year for Abyss to say the least. At the beginning of the year, Abyss was unfocused and in a rut of sorts. After suffering loss after loss, Hulk Hogan took Abyss under his wing, even going as far as to give “The Monster” his WWE Hall of Fame ring! Under Hulk’s guidance, Abyss turned his career around and began dominating opponents much like he did years ago. At some point, however, Abyss’ psychotic tendencies resurfaced as he (seemingly) turned his back on his mentor and began attacking anyone and everything in his path. Carrying around a large club with nails sticking out that he affectionately referred to as “Janice”, Abyss began saying that “THEY” would arrive on 10.10.10. Sure enough, at BFG, “THEY” revealed themselves.

Fortune(Ric Flair, AJ Styles, Kazarian, James Storm, Robert Roode, Doug Williams, and Matt Morgan)

When Ric Flair stated that he was going create a faction that was molded around the Four Horseman, fans everywhere began to speculate on just who Flair would bring into the fold to be a part of this super stable. Soon enough, AJ Styles, Kazarian, and Beer Money (James Storm & Robert Roode) were sworn into the group and were named Fortune as a slight reference to the original Four Horseman stable. The group soon expanded beyond four men as both Doug Williams and Matt Morgan were made members of the group. Coming off a big loss to EV 2.0. at BFG in a Lethal Lockdown match, Fortune must now regroup if they want to remain a powerful force within TNA.

Sting

Many of Sting’s actions that seemed so bizarre for much of 2010 now make sense. On the March 8th edition of Impact, Sting seemingly turned his back on fans when he attacked Hulk Hogan with his signature baseball bat. Claiming that he was going to purge TNA of the poison that was in it, Sting became very mysterious, attacking several fan favorites and holding a grudge against Hogan and Bischoff. At BFG, it was revealed that Sting was simply trying to be TNA’s savior as Hogan and Bischoff showed their true colors and revealed themselves to be a part of “THEY”. Now that the cat is out of the bag, the question has to be asked. Will Sting continue to fight against “THEY” or has “The Icon” given up?

The Complete Roster:

Abyss| AJ Styles| Alex Shelly| Amazing Red| Angelina Love| Ayako Hamada| Brian Kendrick| Brother Devon| Brother Ray| Brutus Magnus| Chris Sabin| Christy Hemme| Daffney| D’Angelo Dinero| Desmond Wolfe (Inactive for unspecified medical reasons)| Douglas Williams| Eric Young| Hernandez (Currently wrestling in Mexico)| James Storm| Jay Lethal| Jeff Hardy| Jeff Jarrett| Jeremy Buck| Jesse Neal| Kazarian| Kazuchika Okada (On loan from NJPW)| Kevin Nash| Kiyoshi| Kurt Angle| Little Guido| Madison Rayne| Matt Morgan| Max Buck| Mickie James| Miss Tessmacher| Mr. Anderson| Orlando Jordan| Raven| Rhino| Robbie E| Robert Roode| Sabu| Samoa Joe| Sarah Stock| Shannon Moore| Shark Boy| Stevie Richards| Sting| Tara| Taylor Wilde| The Sandman| Tommy Dreamer| Tony Mamaluke| Velvet Sky

Managers, Commentators, & Other Non-Wrestlers:

Al Snow |Becky Bayless |Chelsea| Christy Hemme| Dixie Carter| Don West| D-Lo Brown| Eric Bischoff| Hector Guerrero| Hulk Hogan| Jimmy Hart| Jeremy Borash| Lacey Von Erich| Mick Foley| Ric Flair| Taz

Champion Role Call:
TNA World Heavyweight Champion: Jeff Hardy
TNA World Tag Team Champions: The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelly & Chris Sabin)
TNA X-Division Champion: Jay Lethal
TNA Television Champion: AJ Styles
TNA Knockouts Champion: Tara
TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions: Ayako Hamada & Taylor Wilde
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Results for BFG 2010 (Taken straight from Onlineworldofwrestling.com):

The Motor City Machine Guns (c) defeated Generation Me (TNA Tag Titles)
Tara beat Angelina (c) and Velvet and Madison (TNA Knockout Title)
Ink Inc. (Jesse Neal & Shannon Moore) defeated Eric Young & Orlando Jordan
Jay Lethal (c) defeated Douglas Williams (TNA X-Division Title)
Rob Van Dam defeated “The Monster” Abyss (Monster’s Ball Match)
Kevin Nash & Sting & The Pope defeated Jeff Jarrett & Samoa Joe
Team 3-D is retiring but wants a title match so they can retire as champions
EV2.0 w/Mick Foley defeated Fortune w/Ric Flair (Lethal Lockdown Match)
Jeff Hardy defeated Kurt Angle and Mr. Anderson (vacant TNA World Title)
[after interference from Eric Bischoff & Hulk Hogan]

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Please note that this doesn't mean that I'm giving up on WSX. It may be updated less frequently while I focus on this diary but it's not dead. I've had this idea in my head for a while now so I figured I might as well act on it.

[Michael Hayden vs. The World]

Well, only one man cam save us. The Rainmaker himself.

I'm interested to see where you go with this. Though if you mimic history and have a long, loooooooong, drawn-out promo explaining THEY, I will be slightly miffed.

[thatponyguy]

This was around the point that I was actually watching TNA so I'll be reading.

Ty Lovell
~Push Kaz Okada to the goddamn moon!

[magiconz]

October 14th, 2010
TNA IMPACT! [75%]

- After a video recap highlighting the major events that took place at Bound For Glory aired, the show opened up with a bastardized version of Hulk Hogan’s theme blaring over the sound system as the group dubbed “THEY” made their way down to the ring. With Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff leading the way, Abyss, Jeff Jarrett, and Jeff Hardy, with the TNA World Championship slung over his shoulder, sauntered their way down the ramp and into the ring. Ignoring the loud boos from the crowd, “The Monster” kept his words short and sweet after snatching a mic away from a ringside staff member. He said that he tried to warn TNA that “THEY” were coming. “Nobody realized just how close “THEY” really were!” Abyss quickly offered the mic to Bischoff. Bischoff had his trademark smarmy smirk etched across his face as he grabbed the mic and began speaking. “THEY’RE HEEEERRREEEEE!!!”, proclaimed Bischoff as the men behind him chuckled to themselves. Arrogance exuding off of him, Bischoff said that he and the rest of “THEY” had fooled everyone in the locker room and every single person watching at home. People actually thought he and Hogan wanted to make up for their past sins by giving to a company instead of taking from it. No, Bischoff said, from the day they put their signature on the dotted line of their TNA contracts, they wanted one thing and one thing only. “POWER! Absolute control over TNA Wrestling! And now, thanks to the incompetence of Dixie Carter, we have it!” Immediately, Mike Tenay and Taz went nuts at the announce booth speculating on what Bischoff could possibly mean by that statement. They didn’t have to wait long to find out as “Eazy-E” continued his spiel. The former WCW president explained that when Dixie Carter signed what she believed to be Abyss’ termination papers last week, she actually signed over control of the company to himself and Hogan!

Bischoff gave the mic to Jeff Jarrett. “The King of The Mountain” said that for too long, “that tyrant” Dixie Carter had overstepped her boundaries. “Who the hell does she think she is, taking control of MY company away from me?!” Jarrett said that ever since Dixie muscled him out of power over a year ago, he had been biding his time, waiting for the chance to take his company back. That opportunity came when Hogan and Bischoff arrived on the scene. “We had all of you idiots fooled! You all thought that I was trying to stop Hogan and Bischoff from coming in when I was on their side from day one. I was trying to ‘protect’ this company, all right. I was ‘protecting’ it from Dixie Carter’s poor direction! For too long, she has been causing this ship to head straight for an iceberg. Now, this company has some true leaders at the helm!” Jarrett, having said his piece, passed the mic over to the newly crowned TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Jeff Hardy. Before a word could leave Hardy’s mouth, he was bombarded with chants of “You sold out! You sold out!” from the crowd. Hardy responded to these chants by proclaiming that he didn’t sell out. “I SOLD IN!” Hardy said that when he returned to TNA at the beginning of the year, he expected to be treated like the star that he was. In particular, he expected to be holding the TNA World Championship within weeks of his return. Did that happen? No! “Instead, the title was won by a man who I considered to be my friend. Rob. Van. Dam.” Hardy brought up the fact that RVD beat him in order to earn his shot at, and subsequently win, the title. According to the World Champion, RVD stabbed him in the back by taking advantage of his weakened state caused by him wrestling in a brutal Lethal Lockdown match the night before. Of course, as pointed out by Tenay, this claim was somewhat absurd considering that RVD had competed in the exact same match but Hardy was convinced that his good friend had screwed him over. That night, Hardy was approached by Hogan and Bischoff and informed of their plan to take over TNA. He was skeptical until they informed him that he would be the centerpiece of their plans by winning the TNA World Title. “Hulk and Eric realized that I was born to have this championship. The prophecy has been fulfilled. I am the messiah!”

Here, Hardy stretched out his arms in a Christ-like manner as the crowd let their disdain for the “sell out” be known. Having stroked his own ego enough, Hardy gave the mic to Hogan. The Hulkster said that the Impact Zone was looking at the most dominant force in wrestling history. “We’re not Planet Jarrett. We’re not the Main Event Mafia. We sure as hell aren’t the New World Order, brother! No, we’re here to stay. Simply put, we are…Immortal.” After giving the crowd some time to digest the group’s new name, Hogan looked to continue his speech but was cut off by the music of… [94%]

- Fortune? Yes, led by “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, AJ Styles, Kazarian, Robert Roode, James Storm, and Douglas Williams made their way down to the ring. In classic “Nature Boy” form, all of the men were dressed to the nines in designer suits with the exception being Storm’s nice dress shirt and jeans. As the announcers noted the absence of Matt Morgan and speculated briefly on where “The Blueprint” was, Fortune entered the ring and quickly grabbed another mic for their leader, Flair. After letting out a loud “WOOOO!”, which was immediately echoed by the fans in attendance, Flair frantically paced around the ring and demanded to know just what the hell Hogan thought he was doing?! WOOO!!! “Hogan, you should know that there’s room for one, and only one, dominant faction in TNA and you’re looking at em’!” Flair put over Beer Money as the greatest tag team in the company’s history, Kaz as one of the smoothest high-flyers the industry has ever seen, Williams as the best technician on the planet, and Styles as the only man that he could proudly bestow the “Nature Boy” moniker upon. “These men are under the guidance of the wrestling GAWD himself, Ric, WOOO, Flair!” Flair said that Hogan was just trying to take the spotlight away from himself and his men by forming Immortal. “It’s what you’ve always done! It’s like a disease that eats away at you every single DAY! You just can’t handle the fact that the ‘Immortal One’ never has and never WILL compare to the jet flying, limousine ridin’, wheelin’, dealin’ son of a gun that is Ric WOOOO BAH GAWD Flair!” After Flair had ranted and raved for a couple of minutes, Hogan interrupted the Nature Boy and told him that he (Hogan) wasn’t trying to steal the spotlight away from Flair and his men. “I know that there is only room for one dominant faction in TNA. That’s why I want Fortune…to become Immortal!” Noticing the confused look on Flair’s face, Hogan explained that he wanted to Fortune to merge with Immortal to form one huge super group. “Just think about it, brother. Nobody could stop us.” Hogan said that with all the talent they would have at their disposal, they could rule TNA forever! “Let’s bury the hatchet and join forces, dude. What do you say?” Flair, clearly contemplating this choice, took his men aside and had a brief discussion. Once a consensus had been made, Flair gave Hogan his answer.

“I say…kiss my ass, you orange son-of-a-bitch!” The crowd popped huge as Flair began verbally tearing into Hogan again, telling the Hulkster that Fortune didn’t need Hogan’s “magic touch.” They knew they were the greatest, damn it! “Fortune is, and always will be, THE top group in TNA! I don’t give a damn what you, that piece of crap Bischoff, or any of the other punks standing behind ya’ think!” Clearly fired up, Flair ripped off his suit jacket and threw it on the ground, pausing to drop an elbow on it before going toe to toe with Hogan. Tensions were high as the two legends stared each other down, their respective factions jaw-jacking with each other from opposite sides of the ring. Suddenly, Hogan broke the staredown with a chuckle. Hogan said that it was a shame that Flair had refused his offer to join Immortal…because someone in Fortune had already accepted it. Before Flair could question what Hogan meant, he was knocked down by a shot to the back of the head from Douglas Williams! Before any other member of Fortune could react, Immortal rushed in and attacked. With the element of surprise on their side, Immortal, with the exception of Hogan and Bischoff who chose to sit back and watch, beat down “The Nature Boy” and his men in a vicious assault! At one point, Williams and Jarrett held Flair in place so that Hogan could tee off on Flair’s forehead, busting Naitch wide open in the process. After all of the members of Fortune were left laying, Immortal, plus the traitorous Douglas Williams, posed over their defeated foes to deafening boos from the crowd. [83%]

1. The announcers didn’t have much time to digest Douglas Williams’ betrayal of Fortune as they had to call the first match of the night which pitted the obnoxious newcomer from the Jersey Shore, Robbie E, against an X-Division veteran in The Amazing Red. Despite being extremely confident going into the match, Robbie E found himself on the defensive in the early goings as Red flawlessly tossed him around the ring with Arm Drags and Hurricaranas. Flustered by his opponent’s fast paced offense, the Jersey Shore native struggled to gain any momentum as the former X-Division Champion continued to have his way with him. It was only due to a quick distraction from his ringside guidette, Cookie, that Robbie was able to take control. To his credit, Robbie took full advantage of Cookie’s distraction as he worked Red over, giving his smaller opponent no chance to get in any substantial offense for the remainder of the match. Soon enough, the spikey haired guido “fist-pumped it up” before putting Red away with an Ace Crusher that the announcers dubbed the “Fresh to Death”. [61%]

- After kicking Amazing Red out of the ring, Cookie and Robbie E grabbed a mic and began running down the current X-Division champion, Jay Lethal. Calling Lethal a “poser” that brought shame to the New Jersey area, Robbie claimed that Lethal was unfit to be the champion of the X-Division. He then began listing off the many reasons why he would be a better champion than “Black Machismo”. Some of these reasons being that he “had a better tan” than Lethal and that he had way bigger biceps. “Come on, do you even lift, bro?!” Cookie said that Lethal had better enjoy that belt while he can because soon enough, it’s going around the “GORgeous” (pronounced in the most obnoxious Jersey accent you could possibly imagine) waist of her boyfriend. The Guidette said that they were putting the entire X-Division on notice. “Jersey is in the house, bitches!” [54%]

2. The second match of the evening was a…bizarre one to say the least as the “Wizard of Odd” Brian Kendrick did battle with the eccentric Orlando Jordan. With the less than mentally stable Eric Young in his corner, Jordan used his clear size advantage to dominate most of the match. Showing much of the same heart that he displayed throughout EV2.0.’s feud with Fortune, however, Kendrick refused to stay down and used his speed to take advantage of any openings left by Jordan. To Jordan’s bemusement, Young seemingly switched alliances in the middle of the match and switched corners as he began cheering Kendrick on! Thrown off by his own partner cheering for his opponent, Jordan made several mistakes, each mistake being capitalized on by “The Wizard of Odd.” One of these mistakes, Jordan eating nothing but turnbuckle on a Clothesline attempt, left the former WWE United States Champion vulnerable to a Sliced Bread #2 from Kendrick. Three seconds later, victory had been awarded to the SoCal talent. After the match, Young ran into the ring and congratulated a confused Kendrick. Even more baffling, E-Y then helped his real tag partner up to his feet and tried to console him over the tough loss. Unsurprisingly, Jordan tore into Young for supporting the “wrong person” in the match and stormed out of the ring in frustration as Young trailed behind him. [68%]

- For the first time tonight, the cameras went to the back where “The Pope” D’Angelo Dinero and Kevin Nash were talking to each other about Immortal’s reveal at BFG. “I knew it!”, Pope screamed. “I knew that ol’ Sleazy-E and The Huckster were nothing but a couple of two bit con men!” As Nash nodded in agreement, Pope said that now the cat was out of the bag, it was time to really bring the fight to Hogan and Bischoff’s cronies! As Pope went on a passionate speech about how it was up to him and Nash, since Stinger has been MIA since BFG, to lead the charge against Immortal, “Big Sexy” informed Dinero that he was done fighting. When questioned as to why, Nash said that he no longer had any incentive to fight. “I wasn’t fighting for any of the boys in the back. I was fighting for my pay check. I know Hulk n’ Eric’s track record. Now that they have control of this place, it’s gonna become one big money pit. You, me, and Sting and tried to warn everyone but nobody wanted to listen.” Nash said that he had a family to take care of and that he couldn’t put his financial security at risk by fighting some war. When Nash tried to convince Pope to give up the fight as well, Dinero refused. “Somebody has to fight the good fight, daddy. If Pope has to lead the charge himself, you best believe the Pope will!” After the two exchanged a fist bump of respect, they parted ways and headed off in different directions, both literally and figuratively. [84%]


3. Coming off a big loss to the Motor City Machine Guns at BFG, Max & Jeremy Buck had something to prove as they took on one of the most experienced teams on the planet in Team 3D, Brother Ray & Brother Devon. Despite their opponents having youth on their side, the veterans had Generation Me reeling for a good portion of the match as they rocked the youngsters with hard punches and shoulder tackles. It took a less than clean eye rake from Jeremy to Brother Ray for the Carolina natives to gain control of the match. Using the tried and true method of cutting the ring in half, the Bucks did their best to earn their way back into title contention by using their far superior speed to outmaneuver Ray and leave him dazed. Rattling the elder Dudley with Superkicks and a variety of dazzling tandem moves, Gen Me came close on a number of occasions to putting Ray away but every time, the former ECW star would show some life by kicking out of a pin attempt. After being on the defensive for several minutes, Ray managed to counter a Double Suplex attempt and tag in his partner. Having seen his brother get double teamed for so long, Devon came in guns-a-blazing and sent both members of Gen Me sprawling to the mat with Clotheslines. It wasn’t long before Brother Ray re-entered the fray and together, the duo gave the Bucks a taste of their own medicine as they unleashed their own collection of tag team moves on the younger team including their signature “WHASUP?!” Headbutt to the nether regions of Max. With the crowd fully behind them, Team 3D capped off the bout by nailing Jeremy with the 3D and securing a hard fought victory. [82%]

- After the match, Team 3D celebrated their victory by playing to the crowd as the announcers hyped up the fact that this would be one of the last times that Team 3D would be in action due to their impeding retirement. Apparently, Generation Me weren’t impressed by the veterans’ victory as they attacked both men from behind! Taunting both the crowd and Team 3D, Max & Jeremy put the boots to Brother Ray and Brother Devon as the announcers pleaded for some help for the legendary team. That help came in the form of the World Tag Team Champions, the Motor City Machine Guns! Chris Sabin and Alex Shelly came sprinting down the ramp and, after a quick skirmish, cleared the ring of their arch-rivals. After helping Team 3D to their feet, Shelly commandeered a mic and brought up the fact that on November 7th at TNA’s annual Turning Point PPV, Ray & Devon would wrestle their last match. Shelly said that Team 3D would be retiring with one hell of a resume. A resume that stretched over 15 years, several major promotions, and 24 astonishing championship reigns. “While there is no doubt that Team 3D will go down as ONE of the greatest tag teams of all time, me and Sabin want offer you guys a chance to solidify your spot as THE greatest team of all time by adding another tag team title reign to your resume. What do you say? At Turning Point, let’s have the Motor City Machine Guns versus Team 3D, one last time, for the World Tag Team titles!” Ray & Devon didn’t even have to think about their decision before they shook Sabin & Shelly’s hands, confirming that they would have one last chance at tag team glory at Turning Point. [80%]


4. Despite having a chance to win the Knockouts Championship, Madison Rayne appeared to be in a less than pleasant mood as she snarled at several fans in the front row and told them to shut up as she made her entrance. As Tara rode her way into the ringside area on her now trademark bike, Rayne demanded that the production truck cut the champion’s music and that Tara “get her ass in the ring NOW!” Once the champion was in the ring, Rayne chewed her out, claiming that she had “betrayed” The Queen Bee by winning “her” Knockouts title at BFG. “Since I am a benevolent queen, I’m going to give you a chance to redeem yourself. As soon as that bell rings, you are going to lie down and let me pin you.” Unsurprisingly, Tara was appalled that Rayne would even suggest such a thing but was quickly reminded that Rayne owned her contract and could terminate it any time she wanted. Weighing her options, Tara seemed to be having an internal struggle over what she should do. The announcers put it into perspective by saying that by just laying down for Rayne, Tara would be disgracing the entire lineage of the belt and essentially be erasing all of the effort that she had put in to actually win the title. If she didn’t, she would be out of a job!

After thinking for several moments, Tara made her decision and when the bell rung…laid down in the middle of the ring to thunderous boos from the crowd. After referee Earl Hebner’s hand had slapped the mat three times, “The Queen Bee” was awarded the Knockouts Championship. Seemingly disgusted with herself, Tara quickly exited the ring and tried to retreat to the back but was halted by Rayne who demanded that she raise the new champion’s hand and fasten the belt around her waist! With the threat of unemployment hanging over her head, the former WWE diva was forced to swallow her pride once again and do as she was told. All the while, Rayne had a sickeningly sweet smile on her face as she used her other hand to wave to her “adoring public.” [56%]

- Once again, the cameras headed to the back where Jeremy Borash was standing by in the interview pit with former World Champion, Rob Van Dam. Getting straight to the point, Borash asked RVD what his thoughts were on the formation of Immortal, particularly the betrayal by a man that he called his friend, Jeff Hardy. “The Whole F’N Show” said that, much like everybody else in the locker room, he was shocked by Hardy’s change of heart. Commentating on Hardy’s easy going nature and his friendliness, RVD said that Jeff was the last person he would have expected to hop into bed with Hogan and Bischoff. Denying Hardy’s earlier claims that he had stabbed “The Charismatic Enigma” in the back to win the World title, the former champion said that he had beaten Hardy fair and square to earn his title shot. “Dude, you know that if you wanted a title match that badly, you could have just asked me. You didn’t have to sell your soul to the devil.” For now though, RVD needed to get over his shock at Hardy’s betrayal and focus on his goal: to regain the title that he never truly lost and become the TNA World Heavyweight Champion once again.

Rob said that Immoral screwed him out of the title by having Abyss put him on the shelf but they made one mistake. They didn’t kill him. Now that the “Whole F’N Show” was back on his feet, he was coming for what was rightfully his. When questioned as to when he planned to reclaim his title, RVD explained that due to a clause in his contract, he had a guaranteed World title shot since he never lost the title in an actual match. The ink had already dried on the contract; at Turning Point, Rob Van Dam will be taking back his title! Borash quickly reminded RVD that he had one hell of a test ahead of him tonight as Bischoff and Hogan were forcing him to take on his best friend, Sabu, in the main event in a No-DQ match. Instead of worrying about Immortal’s obvious attempt to soften him up in preparation for his title match next month, RVD played it cool and said that Hogan and Bischoff knew that while Sabu was his best friend, they certainly weren’t going to take it easy on each other. So, he was going to make the best of out the situation and use the match to send a message to Jeff Hardy. “Pay very close attention to what I do to Sabu in a few minutes. Then, think about this. Sabu is my best friend. If I’m willing to do that to him, just imagine what I’ll do to you when I finally get my hands on you!” [75%]

5. As he stated in his promo, long-time friends Rob Van Dam and Sabu certainly didn’t hold anything back as they faced off in the No-DQ main event. After sharing a respectful pre-match handshake, the two men threw caution to the wind as they tore into each other. Taking full advantage of the No-DQ stipulation in effect, there was plenty of plunder in play during the match sparking “E-C-DUB! E-C-DUB!” chants from the crowd. At one point, Van Dam attempted to catch his buddy off-guard by throwing him in a chair in preparation for the Van Daminator. Unfortunately for the former TNA World Champion, his actions resulted in the chair being thrown right back into his face as Sabu had the move well scouted. With “The Whole F’N Show” dazed, Sabu took control of the match, knowing that a high-profile win here would raise his stock in the company and potentially earn him a future shot at the TNA World Title. Utilizing the various amounts of weapons in the ring, Sabu battered his friend but was unable to deliver the finishing blow as Van Dam moved out of the way an attempted chair-assisted Triple Moonsault. After sending his opponent down to the mat with a brutal chair shot to the head, he dragged Sabu over to the corner. Everybody in the building knew what was next after he placed a chair across Sabu’s face. Sure enough, Van Dam went “coast to coast” as he came flying off of one turnbuckle to the other side of the ring and nailed Sabu with the Van Terminator! Not wanting to take any chance, RVD decided not to pin his opponent right away and instead headed to the top rope once again. A Five Star Frog Splash spelled the end for Sabu followed by RVD hooking the leg and picking up the victory over his longtime rival. After the match, both men dragged themselves up to their feet and hugged as a sign of respect. The crowd didn’t have much time to soak in the show of respect as Abyss, Douglass Williams, and Jeff Jarrett hit the ring and ambushed Van Dam and Sabu! Exhausted, the former ECW stars were unable to defend themselves as the three men pounced on them. It was only after both men had taken a Black Hole Slam that members of EV2.0. came running out from the back in order to help their stalemates. Just as Tommy Dreamer, Rhino, Raven, Brian Kendrick, and Mick Foley got into the ring, Immortal exited it, the damage having already been done. The broadcast ended as EV2.0. checked on their fallen friends while Immortal made their exit through the crowd. The last words we hear are Mike Tenay stating that a new era was truly upon TNA Wrestling. “Sadly, this era looks very bleak!” [82%]