TNA Turning Point (2005)
The 2005 Turning Point was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. It took place on December 11, 2005 at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. It was the second event under the Turning Point name and the twelfth and final event of the 2005 TNA PPV schedule. Nine professional wrestling matches and one pre-show match were featured on the event's card, two of which featured championships.
The main event at Turning Point was for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, in which then-champion Jeff Jarrett was pitted against the challenger Rhino. Jarrett won the match to retain the title. A.J. Styles defended the TNA X Division Championship against Samoa Joe at the event. Joe defeated Styles to become the new champion. Team 3D fought America's Most Wanted in a Tag Team Elimination Tables match at the event, which Team 3D won. TNA held the first-ever Barbed Wire Massacre at Turning Point between Abyss and Sabu. Sabu was the victor in the contest. Christian Cage defeated Monty Brown also at the event.
Turning Point is remembered for the first-ever Barbed Wire Massacre, the announcement of TNA's signing of the wrestler Sting, and Samoa Joe's title win which was ranked by TNA as the 34th greatest moment in the company's history. Bob Kapur of the professional wrestling section of the Canadian Online Explorer rated the show a 7 out of 10, as he had for the 2004 installment.
Production
Background
The second installment in the TNA Turning Point chronology was announced in September 2005. The date for the show was revealed in late-September on TNA's official website as December 11, with it to be held at the TNA Impact! Zone in Orlando, Florida. A promotional poster for the event was released by TNA featuring Team 3D. A thirty-minute pre-show was slotted to take place prior to the telecast featuring one wrestling match. TNA advertised that a major announcement would take place at Turning Point that would "change the face of TNA in 2006".Storylines
Turning Point featured nine professional wrestling matches and one pre-show match that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.File:Rhino at TNA show.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Rhino challenged Jeff Jarrett for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Turning Point.|alt=An adult white male wearing black standing in a wrestling ring.
The main event at Turning Point was for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, in which then-champion Jeff Jarrett defended against the challenger Rhino. The storyline behind this match began at TNA's Bound for Glory PPV event on October 23, 2005, where Jarrett was to defend the title against Kevin Nash. However, Nash was rushed to the hospital the night before and was not cleared to wrestle. Rhino took Nash's place in the match, where he defeated Jarrett to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Later, Jarrett reclaimed the title on the November 3, 2005 episode of TNA's television program TNA Impact!. This led to a Six-Man Tag Team match pitting the team of Rhino and Team 3D against the team of Jarrett and America's Most Wanted at TNA's Genesis PPV event on November 13, 2005. Rhino and Team 3D were the victors of the encounter. A rematch between Rhino and Jarrett for the title was announced on the November 19, 2005 episode of Impact! for Turning Point. TNA aired a series of video packages focusing on Rhino and his title match heading into the show.
The TNA X Division Championship was also defended at Turning Point, with then-champion A.J. Styles facing Samoa Joe. This rivalry started at TNA's Sacrifice PPV event held on August 14, 2005, where Joe defeated Styles in the final round of the 2005 TNA Super X Cup Tournament. By winning the tournament, Joe was entitled to a TNA X Division Championship match against then-champion Christopher Daniels. Daniels had interfered in the match, leading to Joe's victory. As a result, Styles was added to Joe's title match with Daniels, making it a Three-way match at TNA's Unbreakable PPV event held on September 11, 2005. Styles won the bout at Unbreakable becoming the new champion, thus leading to a defense against Daniels at Bound for Glory in a Thirty-Minute Iron Man match which Styles also won.
Styles went on to defend the championship against Petey Williams, while Daniels and Joe competed in a Four-on-Four Tag Team Elimination X match at Genesis. Styles retained the title at the event, while Daniels and Joe's team were the victors in their contest. After Daniels and Joe won their match, Joe assaulted Daniels by bashing him over the head with a steel chair and slamming him on a steel chair back-first. Daniels was sidelined with an injury in the storyline as a result of these action. Thereafter, Joe proceeded to carry around a blood stained towel from the attack. Joe's action at Genesis angered Styles in the storyline, as Styles accused Joe of violating the unwritten code of the TNA X Division. Styles followed by challenging Joe to a match at Turning Point for the TNA X Division Championship on the November 19, 2005 episode of Impact!, which Joe accepted. On the December 3, 2005 episode of Impact!, Joe attacked Styles, claiming he did not care about the X Division code.
Team 3D fought AMW in a Tag Team Elimination Tables match at Turning Point. The storyline behind this match began on the October 8, 2005 episode of Impact! where AMW and Jeff Jarrett violently assaulted Team 3D leaving them covered with blood. Afterwards, Team 3D were not seen due to a scripted injury, with Jarrett, AMW, and Team Canada hosting a segment where they buried Team 3D's careers on the October 15, 2005 episode of Impact!. Team 3D made their return from injury at Bound for Glory, attacking Jarrett and AMW. At Genesis, Team 3D teamed with Rhino to defeat AMW and Jarrett in a Six-Man Tag Team match. A Tables match between Team 3D and AMW was announced on the November 19, 2005 episode of Impact! to take place at the show.
The number-one contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship was determined at Turning Point, with Christian Cage being pitted against Monty Brown. At Genesis, Brown defeated Jeff Hardy to become number-one contender to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Also at Genesis, Christian Cage made his debut in the company, proclaiming he came to TNA to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. On the November 19, 2005 episode of Impact!, Cage reiterated his statement from Genesis, which angered Brown in the storyline. Brown said that Cage would have to go through him in order to get a title shot before the segment resulted in a fight between the two. Cage requested the match against Brown from NWA Championship Committee member Larry Zbyszko on the November 26, 2005 episode of Impact!, which he was granted.
TNA held the first-ever Barbed Wire Massacre at Turning Point between Abyss and Sabu. This match was the result of a long-standing rivalry between the two that began at Unbreakable. There, Abyss defeated Sabu in a No Disqualification match. Abyss and Sabu competed in a Monster's Ball match at Bound for Glory alongside Jeff Hardy and Rhino, which Rhino won. At Genesis, Abyss defeated Sabu in another No Disqualification match. TNA advertised the Barbed Wire Massacre between Abyss and Sabu on the November 19, 2005 episode of Impact!. The reasoning behind the match stipulation had to do with Abyss fearing barbed wire in the storyline. Abyss challenged this fear on the December 3 episode of Impact!, by bashing Sabu over the head with a barbed wire wrapped steel chair.
Event
Pre-Show
Prior to Turning Point, TNA held a thirty-minute pre-show. During the broadcast, the team of Lance Hoyt and The Naturals faced the team of Buck Quartermain, Jon Bolen and Joe Doering in a Six Man Tag Team match that last 7 minutes and 11 seconds. Hoyt pinned Bolen after dropping Bolen face-first with his signature Blackoutmaneuver.Miscellaneous
Turning Point featured employees other than the wrestlers involved in the matches. Mike Tenay, Don West, and Bobby Heenan were the commentators for the telecast. Jeremy Borash was the ring announcer for the event. Andrew Thomas, Rudy Charles, and Mark "Slick" Johnson participated as referees for the encounters. Shane Douglas handled the interview duties during the show. Besides employees who appeared in a wrestling role, Major League Baseball outfielder Johnny Damon, James Mitchell, Traci, Larry Zbyszko, Cassidy Riley, Coach Scott D'Amore, and MLB catcher A. J. Pierzynski all appeared on camera, either in backstage or ringside segments.Preliminary matches
The show opened with Sabu versus Abyss in the "Barbed Wire Massacre", in which the ring ropes were replaced with barbed wire, and the only way to win was by pinfall or submission. James Mitchell accompanied Abyss to the ring. The duration of the contest was 10 minutes and 59 seconds. Early in the bout Sabu was pushed face-first into the barbed wire ropes as a result of Abyss kicking out of a pin attempt. Later, Abyss lifted up and dropped Sabu face-first into the barbed wire ropes. After this Sabu used a sharp weapon, which he had hidden under his belt, to stab Abyss in the arm repeatedly. Abyss was next to fall into the barbed wire after Sabu tripped him as he ran. A barbed wire wrapped steel was introduced in the match, which Sabu used to bash Abyss over the head. A barbed wire covered board was pushed into the ring after this by Sabu, which Abyss used to lift up and drop Sabu on. Another barbed wire covered board was introduced following this, with Sabu causing Abyss to run into it. He then pushed Abyss onto the other one and covered him for the pin to win the encounter.The team of Austin Aries and Matt Bentley fought the team of Alex Shelley and Roderick Strong in the next match, spanning 8 minutes and 4 seconds. Bentley was accompanied by Traci to the ring. Bentley won the match for his team by pinning Shelley after kicking him in the face.
The third match of the show was between Raven and Chris K. This match occurred because Raven refused to quit the company, which was something NWA Championship Committee member Larry Zbyszko had requested in the storyline. Raven pinned Chris K after slamming Chris K's head into the mat with his signature Raven Effect DDT maneuver at 5 minutes and 45 seconds in.
Next, Team Canada were pitted against the 4Live Kru in an Eight-Man Tag Team match. Coach Scott D'Amore accompanied Team Canada to the ring. The duration of the encounter was 7 minutes and 18 seconds. Despite the match being contested under disqualifications and count-outs, Konnan used his shoe as a weapon during the match. Roode won the bout for his team by pinning Kip after Konnan betrayed his teammates and bashed Kip over the head with a steel chair. After the match, Konnan also bashed B.G. over the head with the chair before leaving the ring.
TNA held a Six Man Tag Team match in which the team of Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt, and Dale Torborg faced The Diamonds in the Rough. This was promoted as a "Basebrawl", since Torborg was a baseball coach and MLB catcher. A. J. Pierzynski accompanied Sabin, Dutt, and Torborg to the ring. Near the end of the match, Pierzynski pulled the referee out of the ring as he was counting a pin for Diamond. This led to announcer Bobby Heenan characterizing Pierzynski's actions to the referee as ignorance, while Johnny Damon handed Pierzynski a home plate. Pierzynski then entered the ring and bashed Diamond over the head with it. Sabin then slammed Diamond neck-first into the mat with his signature Cradle Shock maneuver, while Dutt followed by performing his signature Hindu Press aerial maneuver against Diamond. Dutt then pinned Diamond at 7 minutes and 57 seconds in, to win the bout for his team.