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For those who were distraught by my lack of a Turning Point recap: A) I felt have any thoughts beyond what I put in the roundtable, and B) if that's what makes you distraught, your life must be either really great or really awful.

Where We Have Been: The Main Event Mafia went four for four at Turning Point (not counting the newly minted member Christian Cage)(or Sharmell). AJ was moderately protected, but Joe, Abyss, and Christian Cage all lost fairly cleanly. It is hard to see what claim any of them will have to advancement after such a thorough thrashing, but maybe everyone but Abyss will just get a rematch. My fear is that they will give us a full scale "war" at the next PPV, by which they will really mean a "boring tag match." Turning Point itself, results aside, was moderately entertaining, so we will see tonight whether TNA can capitalize on a bit of momentum for once.

The Show: Christian Gets Made

JB is in the back with Jeff Jarrett and Mick Foley. Jeff isn't worried about the Young Original Gun Guys, since everyone has wins and losses in this business. Foley says that they might not want to hear that message from Jarrett, and might need someone a bit more inspiring. JB asks if he has Obama on speed dial, and Mick starts to chuckle before suddenly exploding. He says that sometimes JB is what's wrong with this locker room, cause he doesn't know when to joke around and when to be serious. Foley was embarrassed for the company on Sunday, while people like Alex Shelley were too busy worrying about how Foley looked to remember to win their match.

[Opening Credits]

Foley comes down to the ring, and he needs to have a talk with some of the TNA Originals (they really need to pick a name for that faction and stick with it). He calls down AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, The Motor City Machine Guns, Eric Young, Petey Williams, Black Machismo, and Consequences Creed. They come down to AJ's music, all looking fairly somber. Foley says he was impressed by their efforts, and if that was what was rewarded, every one of these guys would be champions. (Eric Young really did win his match on Sunday, but no one seems to care.) But you don't win a World Series with four strike outs, or win a Super Bowl by giving up four touchdowns…he trails off to call out Alex Shelley for not paying attention. Shelley has trouble keeping eye contact as Foley explains the power of words to him. Consider the word "in"—it's the difference between Shelley being "valuable" to the company and being "invaluable". No one needs to learn more about the power of words than Joe—Nash warned him about the importance of intelligence, but despite beating Big Kev from pillar to post he still couldn't pick up the win. He also says something to AJ about respect, but it doesn't really fit the theme as well. But today's a new day, and new days bring new chances. He acknowledges Young's victory Sunday, and invites him to take his X Division Championship Match tonight. But other people are going to get the chance to take some swings too. AJ & Joe will challenge for the Tag Team Championships and Jay Lethal will get a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. It's a bit unclear whether Foley intended to give the shot to Lethal or whether he just stepped up first.

Not-Crystal catches up with Christian Cage in the back. She wants to know how it feels to join the MEM, but he says it hardly matters, since he doesn't have a choice anyway. The Mafia come over and assure him that they're going to show him a great night as he gets made, but Steiner shoves a hanger at him with his new wardrobe and tells him to get in gear. After they walk away, Cage tosses the clothes in the trash.

[Commercial Break]

Not-Crystal is in the back with ODB, who is building a set for her new talk show next week. ODB points out that if Oprah and Barbara Walters can have shows, there's no reason she can't too.

(1) RHAKA KHAN & AWEOSOME KONG (w/RAESHA SAEED) defeat ROXXI & TAYLOR WILDE.

Kong and Khan ambush Roxxi and Wilde on the ramp. Khan really is not very good. Kong finally gets Wilde into the ring to start the match, tossing her around. The crowd is completely behind Wilde, which is odd for an Awesome Kong match. Kong tags in Khan, who hits a Body Slam and a decent Knee Drop for two. She tags back in Kong, who misses a charge and eats a Codebreaker for her trouble. What was that move called before it was Jericho's forty-eighth finisher? Roxxi tags in and chokes Kong from behind, Princess Bride style. Khan comes in to break things up, but they dump her out of the ring and land dual dropkicks to Kong. Roxxi flips Wilde onto Kong, but when Wilde goes out to deal with Khan some more Roxxi eats an Implant Buster for the loss.

Not-Crystal is in the back with The Motor City Machine Guns. Shelley says that there are going to be wins and losses, but that what they really don't get is why AJ and Joe always get to be at the head of the line. (Isn't Lethal getting a title shot tonight?) Shelley reminds us of how the 1967 riots left Detroit a ghost town, but he and Sabin have learned to be the Ghost Busters. So if Joe and AJ want to lead, they need to learn how they do things in Detroit—by whatever means necessary.

[Commercial Break]

Saeed is in Traci Brooks's office demanding better competition for Kong. Isn't that what got Kong into trouble with Taylor Wilde in the first place? Not-Crystal asks Khan why she turned on Wilde last week, and she rightly points out that it would be somewhat crazy to be on any side other than Awesome Kong's.

(2) ERIC YOUNG defeats SHEIK ABDUL BASHIR

Bashir tries to attack before the bell, but Young catches him with an Arm Drag. Bashir whips him into the corner, but he floats over and hits a Belly-to-Belly Suplex for two. Bashir Drop Toe Holds Young into the turnbuckle and punches him in the head for two. Bashir works the legs scissors. Young powers out of it and the ensuing Sleeper, and finally retakes control with a clothesline and a Scoop Slam for two. Young floors Bashir with a 360-Degree Clothesline, but when he goes to press the attack referee Shane Seoul pulls him off. Bashir takes advantage of the distraction to nail EY with a low blow. The referee counts to two, but then thinks that perhaps it's a bit odd that a man would randomly start holding his crotch in the middle of a wrestling match. He asks the crowd about the low blow, and they assure him it happened. Bashir, not happy, shoves Seoul down. Seoul, even less happy, rips off his shirt, Body Slams Bashir, dropkicks him, and tosses him into a Death Valley Driver from Young before counting the three.
The Young Guns come down to celebrate with new X Division Champion Eric Young as Earl Hebner has words with Shane Seoul.

[Commercial Break]

Not-Crystal is in the back with the TNA Originals (I'm fairly confident they just changed names during the commercial). EY dedicates his victory tonight to Mick Foley, for opening his eyes. Now it's one down, two to go. I'm betting one down, one to go, but we'll see.

Later tonight Scott Steiner will take on Rhino. Why is he fighting the one wrestler not in the opposing faction.

This week's Rough Cut is about Hernandez. His father was a green beret? Cool. His parents wouldn't let him play football, till the coaches came over and drafted him in the eleventh grade. He did the CFL thing, before having to quit for financial reasons. He was Mr. Texas in wrestling, before teaming with Homicide in 2006. Given Homicide's past successes, Hernandez has listened to him as a mentor.

JB is in the back with the Main Event Mafia, who are not threatened by EY's victory (rightly pointing out that he didn't actually beat any of them). Petey Williams bursts into the room, wanting to speak with Big Poppa Pump. Steiner says that this isn't the time, but they can talk after his match.

[Commercial Break]

Not-Crystal is in the back with Jay Lethal, who hasn't gotten into the new serious vibe. He's the one who upset Kurt Angle for a title, and history has a way of repeating. Not-Crystal takes the opportunity to warn Petey Williams, who's also hanging around, to be careful when he interacts with Steiner. Petey, however, is not worried, as he and Big Poppa Pump are boys.

Kurt Angle comes out to commentary for the next match.

(3) SCOTT STEINER defeats RHINO

Angle must have gotten the memo about putting your opponent over, as he starts things off by praising Rhino's competitiveness. The crowd is split about 80-20 in favor of Rhino, who takes down Steiner with a shoulder block. Steiner goes for an Arm Drag, which Rhino fights off, but then gets a Belly-to-Belly-Suplex for two. Kurt claims that his differences with Jarrett are "work, shoot, or whatever you want to call it". Aren't those opposite things? I'm confused. Rhino creates a bit of distance with a back elbow and nails a TKO-like Neck Breaker. Both men slowly get to their feet, but Rhino takes control with a Flying Clothesline and a Belly-to-Belly of his own. Rhino sets up for the GORE, so Kurt runs down to the ring. The distraction is enough for Steiner to nail the Do-se-do Suplex for the win.

JB is in the back with Sting, who is not worried about the other side's supposed momentum. It was supposed to be Joe's night at Bound for Glory and AJ's night at Turning Point. The problem with the other side isn't just that they don't respect the veterans—they don't respect each other. And it'll only few more losses for fingers to start pointing.

[Commercial Break]

Jay Lethal is out for his match. I guess TNA didn't think they could make us believe Lethal has a shot, or this would be the main event. I bet they could have with a little bit of effort.

(4) STING defeats "BLACK MACHISMO" JAY LETHAL

It would be awesome if they randomly gave Lethal the title. It would make about as much sense as Abyss's win two years ago, and slightly more than Angle's win last year. Back to (wrestling) reality, Sting backs Lethal into the corner and gives him a clean break with a friendly pat. Lethal comes back with a right hand though, and beats Sting around the ring. A Double Axe Handle off the top gets two. Don West messes up with respect to what order Kurt Angle's matches were in at last year's No Surrender, which I guess is a forgivable mistake. Sting drops Lethal to the Apron, but he comes back in with a Flying Forearm. The Stinger rolls to ringside for some air, but Lethal follows him out with a Suicide Dive. He reenters the ring favoring his knee, and retakes control with a clothesline before we cut to an awkward commercial break.

[Commercial Break]

Sting is still in control when we get back, flooring Lethal with a big right hand. He Suplexes him to the mat and drops a fist on Lethal's head. Lethal rolls out of the ring, but Sting follows him out and shoots him into the barricade a couple of times. The Motor City Machine Guns come down to watch. Sting locks in a Sleeper back in the ring, but Lethal powers out and comes back with a Cross Body Block and a series of clotheslines. He Arm Drags Sting right into a dropkick to the face for two. They seem to crack heads, and Shelley pops up on the apron. Sabin comes into the ring and holds Sting up for Lethal, who doesn't seem thrilled by the offer of help. He tosses Sabin from the ring, but then backs right into a Scorpion Death Drop for the loss.
Samoa Joe and AJ Styles come down to the ring, and for some inexplicable reason they're mad at the Guns. The rest of the Originals come down, and blame starts to fly as we even more awkwardly cut to a promo for the 2008 Video Game Awards.

[Commercial Break?]

In the back, the Main Event Mafia are beating the hell out of Petey Williams. Steiner throws a trash can into his head. Well, so much for a subtle West Side Story angle with Steiner and Williams. He then throws him off the top of a conveniently placed stairway to nowhere.

[Commercial Break]

They show us footage of the Main Event Mafia beating up Petey. Then we see medical helping him out in the back. Then we again see footage of them beating him up. Seeing the same beat down three times in forty seconds sure makes for awesome viewing.

JB is in the back with Beer Money, who are none too happy with Mick Foley.

[Commercial Break]

Jeff Jarrett tells us to cross the line.

(5) BEER MONEY INCORPORATED defeat AJ STYLES & SAMOA JOE

Storm and AJ start things off. AJ gets in the quick tag to Joe, who Storm backs into the heels' corner. Roode blind tags himself in, only to get beaten around the ring by Joe. AJ tags back in; Storm tries to prevent the double team, only to be on the receiving end of one himself. Storm and Roode both get tossed from the ring as Team 3D make their way down.

[Commercial Break]

AJ nails a Back Breaker on Roode as we get back. Team 3D are on commentary. Devon says that since last Tuesday he and his brothers and sisters can do what they want to do. That's moderately racist. Also, Brother Ray feels the need to explain that it's an Obama reference, which is just insulting. Somehow Beer Money took control while I was focused on commentary, as Roode is working a Body Lock on AJ. He goes for a Back Drop, but AJ lands on his feet. AJ crawls over for the tag, but Roode grabs his leg. AJ nails an Ensuguri, but Storm knocks Joe off the apron and tags in himself. Ray and Devon express sympathies with the Main Event Mafia, and even work in some continuity when they hearken back to their feud with the disrespectful Guns. They say that if the Road Warriors were here Team 3D would be bowing down, though they do question how a stable can claim to have the best ever without the best tag team ever. AJ nails a Pele in the ring and makes the tag to Joe. He tosses Storm from the Ring and hits some sort of Dominator-like Gut Buster on Roode. AJ flies out after Storm as Joe and Roode fight in the ring. Roode tries to go to the top rope, but Joe catches him with a kick to the head and sets up the Muscle Buster. Storm rolls in and spits beer in Joe's face, but before Beer Money can follow up, Team 3D run in and attack them. That draws the DQ win for Beer Money. AJ & Joe aren't happy, but they seem content to let it go.

[Commercial Break]

The Beautiful People have a tribute to Sarah Palin. They appreciate her ability to spend $150,000 on a new wardrobe, and offer her $50,000 to her favorite charity if she joins them. They tell her to think about it, because she should know what it's like to be on a winning team. Cute Kip tells us he approved this message. I guess this segment got some mainstream press, and it was somewhat amusing. Who knows, the $50,000 might give Palin the cover she needs to actually come on.

The Main Event Mafia (sans Sting) hit the ring, with a remixed and more rock-like version of their music. They call Christian Cage down to the ring for his welcome to the stable. He is most definitely not adhering to the dress code. Angle doesn't seem thrilled by that, saying that rule #1 is wearing what they give him to wear. He knows that they've had their issues in the past, but now the MEM is here to welcome him is family. Family is helping his brothers and sister out whether you think they're right or wrong, family is having a tighter bond with your brothers and sister than you have your wife (wouldn't she also be family), but mostly family is commitment. He talks about the career ending injury Steiner came back from, and the big money contracts Booker T and Kevin Nash turned down to be here. That brings him to Christian Cage's recent contract negotiations, since he's heard that Christian is tired of being "the big fish" here in TNA. Kurt tells Cage that this isn't a welcoming party anymore—it's a goodbye party. But Christian shouldn't expect any help from the back, because he's walking away from everyone. Christian throws the first punch, but it doesn't matter. Booker nails the Scissors Kick. Nash hits the Jackknife. Angle hits an Olympic Slam. Nash helps Angle get his jacket back on as they stand over the prone body of Christian Cage.

Where We're Going:
I hope Cage re-signs, cause otherwise this was a really jerky way to send him off. I know you're expected to do the job on your way out the door, but circumstances are somewhat different in this case. Cage left a fairly lucrative offer on the table to come to TNA. Business is business, but I think there should probably be at least some minimal place for gratitude. They expect some minimal loyalty out of their talent, so a bit of reciprocation is appropriate. Angle and Booker really had nowhere to go; Cage did, but he came here anyway. So if he is on his way out, they should let him do it on a win. Or if he does have to put someone over, they probably shouldn't waste the rub on a group of former world champions.

Star of the Night: Christian Cage; if he is on the way out, this was a classy way to go.

Overall: This was a decent show. The Eric Young title win created a bit of energy, but most of it felt gone by the end of the show. The beat down on Crhistian was effective, but nothing special. C+

Daniel is a graduate student at The Ohio State University. He's sorry this is up so late. Complaints can be set to dawilk316@gmail.com



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