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TNA will present their 2024 Turning Point PPV in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, airing live on TNA+ this Friday. Here are the matches announced so far:
*TNA Champion Nic Nemeth vs. Eddie Edwards
*TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich vs. Jordynne Grace - Best Two out of Three Falls
*TNA X-Division Champion Moose vs. Laredo Kid
*Turkey Bowl Match: Eric Young vs. PCO vs. Brian Myers vs. Joe Hendry vs. John Skyler vs. Hammerstone - Loser Wears The Turkey Suit
*The Hardys & Ace Austin vs. KUSHIDA & The Rascalz
*Steve Maclin vs. Josh Alexander - No DQ
*Mike Santana vs. Frankie Kazarian
*Rosemary vs. Xia Brookside vs. Savannah Evans (Countdown to Turning Point)
Let’s talk about the matches…
Rosemary vs. Xia Brookside vs. Savannah Evans
With Savannah Evans’ recent return and domination over her opponents, I have a hard time seeing her taking the loss on this one. If anything, maybe Xia Brookside gets a quick roll up or Rosemary steals a win. Either of those options could cause Evans to get angry and go on a seek and destroy mission, but I don’t know if I make that move on a pre-show.
Mike Santana vs. Frankie Kazarian
After working his way through The System, Mike Santana will be taking on the Call Your Shot Gauntlet trophy holder. Frankie Kazarian backed himself into a corner with his words last week and found himself going from a night off at Turning Point to a tough match with the surging Santana. Santana made it clear last week that he is on the hunt for the TNA World Championship. A win over Frankie Kazarian will certainly help get one step closer, as Kazarian has been hanging around the top of the card this year. While a Kazarian win will certainly help him, a loss won’t hurt him too much either with the Call Your Shot Gauntlet trophy in his back pocket. Therefore, I’m expecting this to be a really good match with Mike Santana adding Kazarian’s name to his resume in his climb to the TNA World Championship.
Steve Maclin vs. Josh Alexander - No DQ
Another Steve Maclin vs. Josh Alexander match? Sign me up! These two have really strong chemistry with each other and go to battle each time they touch. Adding the No DQ stipulation to this will make things even more physical in an already very physical feud. There are a lot of things going on in the background of this, too. Steve Maclin is attempting to find himself, with Eric Young looming over that discovery. Maclin is doing the best work of his career, including last week’s video of him starting to confront his past. With Josh Alexander’s TNA future in question, I think Steve Maclin takes the win here in a really good match that not only ends the feud, but puts him deeper on the path to finding himself.
The Hardys & Ace Austin vs. KUSHIDA & The Rascalz
This is a bit of a bittersweet match. I’m sure this wasn’t the original plan, but with Chris Bey getting injured, things had to shift. With a match like this, I’m just going to enjoy it, as I’m sure it will be good. Hopefully, the match will also remind some people to buy a Chris Bey shirt or action figure to help support him.
Turkey Bowl Match: Eric Young vs. PCO vs. Brian Myers vs. Joe Hendry vs. John Skyler vs. Hammerstone - Loser Wears The Turkey Suit
This match has the potential to make a lot of fans frustrated with TNA - and I can understand why if you look at it on the surface. Why? Well…because I think it might make the most sense for Joe Hendry to lose and wear the turkey suit. Now, before you get mad, hear me out. I don’t want to see Joe Hendry in a turkey suit. I really don’t! However, let’s take a look at who is in the match and what their situations are:
Eric Young - I don’t think Young is wearing a turkey suit. Not only are his comedy moments in the past, but he is currently in a very serious story with Steve Maclin.
PCO - While I think PCO wearing a turkey suit would create an interesting visual, I don’t think it fits into what is going on with his character. It might have made sense for Matt Cardona to cause a PCO loss if their issues were still ongoing, but their feud seems to be over for now.
Brian Myers - As much as I think Myers wearing a turkey suit during segments with The System would be fun, I don’t think it fits with how The System has been used lately. Moose is set up to look dominant on this show and Eddie Edwards is in the main event.
John Skyler - No offense to John Skyler, but his addition to this match screams “favorite to wear the turkey suit.” For that alone, I don’t expect him to wear the turkey suit. There isn’t enough to tear down with him. You could make a case that the turkey suit might give him and Jason Hotch a bit more attention, but I don’t think it’s heading that way.
Hammerstone - Hammerstone just formed a partnership with Jake Something and has been looking like a monster despite some losses. I don’t know if wearing a turkey suit would help anything with that situation.
Joe Hendry - You probably don’t like it. I don’t really like it. But, I mean…I would get it. Joe Hendry has been getting screwed over lately. Joe Hendry has unwavering support from the fans no matter what. Joe Hendry may need a reason to get angry and take matters into his own hands more. In fact, Joe Hendry may just snap if he hits rock bottom. I think there are multiple ways that you can go with Joe Hendry wearing a turkey suit. It could add to him having to work his way back up even more than he already has. It could lead to the fans realizing that he truly needs unconditional support. It could also get him really angry and go on a warpath (good or bad) on those who stand between him and the TNA World Championship. Yes, I’m hinting at Joe Hendry using his anger for both good or…bad ways. Turn Joe Hendry heel? Crazy. Who knows, though? Maybe try something new with him as his contract begins to run out? OK, OK…let’s settle down. I do not expect Joe Hendry to come out of Friday as a heel. However, I do think that he’s wearing a turkey suit and it ends up igniting something inside of him to take him to a new level.
Alright, now that I talked about the loser of a turkey suit match for a whole page…let’s move on.
TNA X-Division Champion Moose vs. Laredo Kid
All due respect to Laredo Kid, but this match is going to be the vehicle for Moose establishing his early dominance in the X-Division as champion. Laredo Kid being the first to challenge Moose is a little bit out of nowhere, but I like it as a Moose showcase. Laredo Kid will bump around for Moose and Moose will be able to show why he’s going to be a really tough X-Division Champion to take down.
TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich vs. Jordynne Grace - Best Two out of Three Falls
What’s not to like about this match?! Two of the best wrestlers in the world today will be battling it out for two falls at the very least. With Jordynne Grace looking like she is coming to the end of her TNA run, I don’t see Masha Slamovich losing here. What I do see happening, though, is a really awesome match with a mix of physicality, history, and respect showcased. I’m really looking forward to this match!
TNA Champion Nic Nemeth vs. Eddie Edwards
The TNA+ main events can sometimes…just happen. This is one of those times. I expect to enjoy this match, as Nic Nemeth and Eddie Edwards are both really awesome to watch. What I don’t expect is to be super invested in the match as I don’t see a chance of Nic Nemeth losing. There hasn’t been much to latch onto in the lead up of this match. What I am more interested in is who will be getting involved. The System? John Layfield? Joe Hendry? Frankie Kazarian? Ryan Nemeth? All of the above? I expect shenanigans to happen and that’s what I’m looking forward to the most.
Overall Thoughts
One thing I’ve come to rely on with TNA is rock solid in-ring wrestling. I fully expect to enjoy this show from an action standpoint. However, I do wish that they’d take a bit more care in building their TNA+ shows. It’s not surprising, though, that the two matches I am looking forward to the most on this card are the two matches that have the deepest storylines (Maclin/Alexander and Slamovich/Grace).
I know Santana/Kazarian and Nemeth/Edwards will deliver…and I am curious to see what happens after those matches are over, both short and long term. Besides that, the Joe Hendry situation is very interesting and should be handled carefully.
Do you agree with how I see things shaking out? Which matches are you looking forward to the most? Let me know at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com and let’s talk about it! Make sure to check in with PWInsider.com on Friday for live coverage of TNA Turning Point!
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