Turning Point 2007: Strong Ideas Fight Through an Overstuffed Year-End Card

Johnny Devine teamed with Brother Ray and Brother Devon of Team 3D against Jay Lethal, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin in the six-person Tables Match that opened Turning Point 2007. The Motor City Machine Guns and Lethal each dove out onto the opponents early, and the Guns reversed a table that Team 3D slid into the ring by dropkicking it back at the veterans. The action then moved into table setups around the apron and ring; Devon saved Devine from a potential apron powerbomb through a table. These were three legal wrestlers on each side, not a two-on-two challenge where Devine was merely a manager or a title defense for Lethal's X Division Championship.

The referee was knocked down after Lethal charged toward Brother Ray. Lethal then laid Devine on a table and drove an elbow drop through it, which ordinarily would have won for Lethal's team. With the official unable to see that break, Team 3D used Lethal's own X Division title belt to strike the opposition and placed Devine on top of Lethal on the shattered table. When the referee recovered, he incorrectly credited Devine with the winning table break. Team 3D and Johnny Devine won at the archived 14:59 through a staged reversal of the evidence, not a three-count pin. B+ / 8.3 recognizes the inventive action and controversial finish. WATCH the referee-bump sequence.

Angelina Love and Velvet Sky, then presented as Velvet-Love Entertainment, met ODB and Roxxi Laveaux in an undercard Knockouts tag match at Turning Point 2007. ODB attacked Sky with her usual rough, comedic offense, even confronting referee Andrew Thomas after Sky interfered with the exchange. Roxxi supplied the more methodical power offense while Love worked to find a way around the larger opponents. After several short tags, Love entered with a renewed burst of kicks and the two teams tried to keep the legal match from breaking down into a prolonged ringside brawl. All four wrestlers were genuine participants, with no championship being defended on this card.

Sky caught Roxxi in position for a side Russian legsweep, and Love delivered a boot to Roxxi's face during the double-team. Angelina Love pinned Roxxi Laveaux at the recorded 6:02, while ODB remained the unpinned partner on the losing side. The C- / 5.8 grade reflects a relatively brief introduction to the emerging tag pairing rather than an important championship result. SKIM the coordinated final attack and the interaction between ODB and Sky.

Eric Young faced James Storm in a non-title singles match driven by Storm's feud over the World Drinking Championship gimmick. Jackie Moore accompanied Storm to the ring and tried withholding his beer before the bell, which gave the commentary team an explanation for his distracted behavior. Storm targeted Young's shoulder against the ring post, then slowed the match with holds and an Eye of the Storm for two. Young rallied with a diving elbow, Northern Lights suplex and counter to Storm's Last Call superkick. The two men were the only legal competitors; Jackie was Storm's second rather than a mixed-tag partner.

As Young built another comeback, Jackie attempted to spit beer into his face, but Young moved and she sprayed Storm by mistake. Storm retrieved a bottle and tried using it as a weapon, forcing the referee to intervene. Eric Young pinned James Storm with a quick roll-up at the archived 12:21, turning the manager's failed attempt into the decisive distraction. The C+ / 6.8 recognizes a clear character storyline and a longer competitive exchange, while WATCH emphasizes the misfired interference instead of presenting an uncontested technical pin.

Fourteen wrestlers contested Turning Point 2007's first Feast or Fired match, with four briefcases suspended at the ring corners. The entrants included Senshi, Elix Skipper, Christopher Daniels, Sonjay Dutt, Shark Boy, Lance Hoyt, Jimmy Rave, Petey Williams, Chris Harris, B.G. James, Kip James, Homicide, Hernandez and Scott Steiner. Three cases promised future championship opportunities, while the fourth held a dismissal notice; their contents were not revealed on the pay-per-view. A competitor had to remove a case and secure it by reaching the floor. The source ledger correctly identifies individual entrants, not a winning four-man team defeating a unified ten-person opponent team.

Petey Williams secured the first case. Kip James pulled down the second and tossed it to B.G. James, who caught it on the floor to claim that one. Hernandez then hurled Senshi toward the corner, putting Senshi in position to seize the third case. Christopher Daniels retrieved the final case but could not reach the floor before Scott Steiner took possession and completed the finish. Petey Williams, B.G. James, Senshi and Scott Steiner secured four different briefcases at 11:55. None was pinned or submitted to decide the stipulation, and the reward or termination tied to each case was disclosed later on Impact. C / 6.2 and SKIM reflect the messy structure while preserving every genuine case winner.

Gail Kim defended the TNA Knockouts Championship against Awesome Kong at Turning Point 2007 in their increasingly physical rivalry. Kong attacked before the match fully settled into the ring and drove Kim against the ringside barriers, using her size to control the champion. Kim answered with kicks and a missile dropkick that briefly knocked Kong down, but a senton produced only a two-count. Kong regained control with a hard backfist and corner attacks as referee Andrew Thomas repeatedly ordered her to release the choke. This was a championship singles match with two legal wrestlers, not a handicap defense involving Kong's later victims.

Kong refused to break the choke against Kim in the corner and shoved Thomas aside when he intervened. Gail Kim won by disqualification when Awesome Kong shoved the referee, retaining the Knockouts title at the archived 8:23 despite never pinning Kong. The challenger attacked the referee afterward and powerbombed Kim during a postmatch assault, fighting off Velvet Sky and Angelina Love when they tried to help. B / 7.6 rewards the believable size contrast and intense crowd response; WATCH the stoppage and its distinction from the later assault.

Abyss and Raven faced Black Reign and Rellik in Turning Point 2007's Match of 10,000 Tacks. Rhino had originally been scheduled as Abyss' partner, but an injury storyline on Impact took him out and Raven accepted the replacement spot. All four men fought with kendo sticks and improvised weapons before they introduced thumbtack-covered furniture. Abyss and Black Reign concentrated on one another, while Raven confronted Rellik in repeated exchanges near the barricades. Raven threw Black Reign through a tack-covered table, then failed on a separate attempt to drive Rellik through another table and hit the furniture himself. Rhino was not an active fifth wrestler in the match.

Rellik scattered thumbtacks across the ring and avoided Abyss' attempted chokeslam by spraying mist into his eyes. Abyss nevertheless regained control and caught Rellik with the Black Hole Slam into the pile. Abyss pinned Rellik at the archived 14:41, giving his team the result while Raven and Black Reign remained other legal participants. C+ / 6.8 captures the distinctive hardcore stipulation and direct finisher without attributing the fall to Rhino or treating a table break alone as the official winning condition. SKIM the final thumbtack reversal.

Booker T partnered Kaz against Christian Cage and Robert Roode, continuing the tension from Cage and Kaz's recent ladder match. Kaz opened with quick counters against Cage before Booker tagged in to work on Roode, while Roode and Cage later trapped Kaz on their side of the ring. Kaz's dive to the floor and a double reverse DDT gave his team new momentum, but Cage again cut off the tag. Sharmell accompanied Booker and Ms. Brooks seconded Roode; neither woman was a legal wrestler in the men's tag match. A spectator connected to Roode's storyline appeared in the crowd without joining the contest.

The referee became distracted while Brooks and Kaz fought outside, prompting Roode to bring a steel chair into the ring. Booker ducked his swing, and Roode accidentally hit Cage with the weapon. Kaz knocked Roode out of the ring, allowing Booker to deliver the Axe Kick. Booker T pinned Christian Cage at the recorded 15:50 for the team victory, while Roode was the unpinned losing partner. The postmatch argument between Cage and Roode advanced their uneasy partnership. B / 7.8 and WATCH recognize the longer team exchanges and cleanly identified individual fall.

The scheduled main event was supposed to pit Samoa Joe, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall against Kurt Angle, A.J. Styles and Tomko. Hall never arrived at Turning Point 2007, so Joe gave an angry on-air speech about part-time stars and introduced Eric Young as the actual third legal partner. Joe and Styles started with fast reversals, while Nash and Tomko exchanged heavier attacks. Angle tried isolating Young through uppercuts and a headlock, but Young reversed into a belly-to-belly suplex. Styles' attempt to superplex Young was countered from the top rope, allowing the crowd-supported side to make another tag. Scott Hall should not be listed as a competitor who wrestled this six-man result.

After a Nash comeback, Angle caught the veteran in the Ankle Lock. Joe initially hesitated before returning to break the hold, preserving the tension surrounding Hall's no-show. Nash later struck Angle with a Jackknife Powerbomb and Young attacked Tomko with a Death Valley Driver. Joe then lifted Tomko into the Muscle Buster and Samoa Joe pinned Tomko at the recorded 9:31. Angle and Styles lost on Tomko's team but neither was pinned, while Young's replacement appearance was essential to the correct participants. B- / 7.2 and WATCH reflect a short match whose context gives the actual finish added interest.