My World with Jeff Jarrett - Turning Point 2006 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

This week on My World we’re going to be discussing Turning Point 2006…the last pay-per-view for TNA in 2006 from the Impact Zone. Last month here on My World we discussed Genesis which was the first pay-per-view in your new role of not being talent. Are you already feeling the itch at this point to get back into the ring or is your body enjoying not bumping?

This is from the Torch regarding you and the upper echelon staff at TNA at the time: “Regarding one source saying that Jarrett has seemed “too busy” or “above mid–card wrestlers,” one mid–card wrestler defends Jarrett, telling PWTorch: “I have nothing bad to say about him. He’s always shown an interest in my personal life and never seems too busy to be cordial. He’s been great.” Jarrett has remained in charge backstage just as he was when he was an on–air presence. Between Jarrett, Vince Russo, and Dutch Mantel, an outside observer stopping by the locker room wouldn’t think one had more power than the other based on how they conduct themselves and how others react to them”

There it is Jeff. We’re 27 weeks into this show and a positive comment about you!

These last 60 days as we alluded to in the Genesis episode…I know you’ve taken the biggest salary in TNA history with Kurt Angle…but were these the two most profitable months at this point in the company history?

Coming off the show there’s some interesting tidbits in the Observer I’d like for you to discuss. “Kevin Nash has been telling friends he’s eyeing Jim Cornette’s role as figurehead commissioner. There is the feeling that Cornette won’t last long-term unless Vince Russo doesn’t last long-term.”

You delved into the Cornette - Russo drama last month but this is a new wrinkle. Was Kevin looking to finish up being in the ring at this time and did he ever bring up replacing Jim to you or creative?

“There is more undercard unhappiness than any time I can recall. A lot of guys who are normally in good spirits have been mad about

how they were booked on television.”

I’m sure they’re not coming to you with your complaints but are you hearing this through various people in the company?

“Ron Killings himself is still unhappy and was trying to get a release, but Terry Taylor told him that they are not going to release him so he

can work for the competition.”

You brought Ron in originally back in 2002 when launching the company and seemed to always be a big proponent of his. Why did Ron get lost in the shuffle? If he was getting lost why were you worried about letting him go and having the WWE scoop him up?

“Jeremy Borash was removed from doing the interviews. There was a problem with his look and I guess people didn’t like his style. It’s

funny, because I saw him as a young Gene Okerlund from the AWA. Well, they didn’t, and the feeling was they needed to get a pretty girl to do interviews. She was brought in several weeks earlier for an audition, which she was absolutely horrible in. So, of course, she got the job. Jeremy Borash is said to be unhappy over it, and there are people surprised that Jeff Jarrett didn’t stand up for Borash on the move. Borash and Vince Russo were tight in the WCW days, but had a falling out later.

Borash is still on the air doing a segment where they plug merchandise, but that’s another negative, because Don West, who was doing

it, is better in that role.”

Supposedly Jessie Ward found Letitia and brought her aboard. Let’s talk first about Jeremy being removed. What went on with this and how disappointed was Borash?

Jessie Ward was known from Tough Enough’s first season and brought to TNA by David Sahadi. What do you remember of Jessie and her work as a producer?

What did you think of the job Letitia did in the beginning and was she the right person in the role at that time?

Why didn’t you stand up for JB?

You tape 3 nights of TV on November 20th to build up to Turning Point. The first night airs on November 23rd…Thanksgiving. How hard is it to get any traction on Thanksgiving and is it difficult to put together a show that probably won’t be seen by many people…and having it come one week off a pay-per-view…AND it’s one of only 3 hours you have to build to the next pay-per-view?

The show opens with Abyss coming down as the new NWA Champion and Father James Mitchell talks about how they outsmarted Sting to become the new NWA Champion. Christian as Sting appears and asks for a title shot while the real Sting repels down and challenges Christian to a match there tonight. Meltzer is super critical of the booking here, “After a year of build-up for the match on PPV, they give it away on free TV. Worse, they did it on Thanksgiving, a night they have no prayer of drawing a rating on.”

Was the hope to start the show with announcing Sting vs. Christian to try and draw a rating? It did seem like this match was being built up for a long time and for it to have a 35-40 minute build on Thanksgiving it seems lost?

It’s billed as the final match of Christopher Daniels & AJ Styles as a tag team…which we know won’t really be the last match…and they lose to the Naturals…wait…I forgot Vince Russo is booking. They defeat the Naturals…who you had been building up as an up and coming tag team and then afterwards AJ Styles walks off from Daniels and Rhino when he tries to keep them as friendly. You’re telling a story here Jeff and I get it but why not have them lose?

Eric Young shows up in a turkey outfit to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Why was Eric always featured in a comedic way back at this time?

VKM does a promo about getting a cease and desist order. Were you really entertained by this?

Jim Cornette wants the NWA World Tag Team titles back from LAX and brings out Petey Williams to thank him for showing his “true Red, White & Blue Colors” even though he’s Canadian in helping stop the burning of the American flag. They play the national anthem before LAX comes out with an attorney to stop them and somehow this leads to America’s Most Wanted and Kurt Angle brawling with them and clearing the ring. From Meltzer: “Somehow in all this their losing the titles was reversed and now they are champions again. This was in response to the crowd crapping all over Cornette’s decision to strip them of the titles, so they did a change in plans and decided not to strip them after all. Stefano, the attorney was from IWA Puerto Rico, just happened to be at the show and is not expected to be a regular character.”

Jeff did this all really happen because the crowd killed Cornette at the pay-per-view and it was decided to put the titles back on them?

This all bleeds into Samoa Joe coming out and challenging Kurt Angle to rematch of his undefeated streak coming to an end. This seems like a lot of crash TV and I know, I know, you only have 46 minutes of TV time to build everything but this is trying to cram a lot into really one segment is it not?

They agree to a rematch at Turning Point as long as each man watches each other’s back. It’s hard not to run it right back after the level of success but was there any thought in stretching it out more?

This is some good shit here pal. Directly from Meltzer: “Eric Young came out again in his turkey costume. Roode and Ms. Brooks came out and

called Young an embarrassment to wrestling. Young pinned Roode. Roode blamed Brooks for his loss and for the fans not cheering

him. Roode said Brooks was so ugly that Young could beat her in a bikini contest.”

Are you going for Savage/Elizabeth here with Roode/Brooks? Who the hell wants to see Eric Young and Traci Books in a bikini contest?

TNA: Traci Challenges Eric Young To A Bikini Contest

Next up is a Kevin Nash X Division segment and I have to include this write-up from the Torch regarding it: “A “Paparazzi Production” video aired from the mandatory X Division meeting. Kevin Nash told a gathering of X Division wrestlers they had to regroup. Nash said they would be undergoing a series of tests for the PCS (Paparazzi Championship Series), including steroids. Senshi looked bored in the corner. Sonjay protested the PCS. Nash said, “You gonna drive that Ford Maverick the rest of your life?” Dutt retorted, “Honda Protégé.” Nash then asked everyone to join hands in a sign of brotherhood. Shelley and Nash held hands. Starr joined in. Nash sung “Kumbaya,” then Dutt and Lethal walked out. Nash called them “juiceheads” as they walked away. Senshi remained in the corner.”

Jeff how entertained are you by this?

Sting vs. Christian Cage ends when Travis Tomko debuts and gives Sting a TKO. From the Observer: “Because they are so afraid of using the term “Problem solver” for Tomko, Christian was calling him, “The guy who solves my problems.””

You’re going to be building to a 3-way but man a match that is almost a year in the making and main events a TV show…ends this way. It’s a cop out finish right?

The issues with WWE and trademarks, etc. Is that blown up by the VKM skits or is it just a constant legal battle?

Who’s idea was bringing in Tomko? Why package him with Christian if that’s a “WWE gimmick?” From the Observer: “Christian Cage had been pushing for TNA to bring in Travis Tomko from just about the time he started. The idea had always been for 2006 that Cage would win the title, tum heel on Sting, and then it would lead to them meeting at the December PPV where Sting would get the title if the was staying, or put Christian over if he wasn't. Of course, that changed greatly over the course of the year. But he had pushed that when he did the tum, that Tomko would then join him.”

Was that the plan?

The show goes off the air with the VKM skit of their car breaking down…right in front of WWE headquarters. Is Russo filming these segments? Is Borash? Are you and Panda Energy’s legal team watching them to make sure they’re all good?

There’s a lot going on in the wrestling world during this time. Jim Ross’ contract comes up for renewal and he ultimately resigns with the WWE. Any talks about Jim making his way to TNA or were you content with Mike Tenay? Or did you still hate him for cutting your contract in 1998?

You head to Monterrey, Mexico for the first TNA house show outside of the United States. From the Observer: “The promotion was claiming 6,000 in the building and 4,000 paid . The live estimates were about 4,200, which would still be the largest crowd, and with the jacked up ticket prices, by far the largest gate TNA has ever drawn. It was a sold show, in that the promoter locally paid TNA a set fee. The big angle shot was with Jeff Jarrett doing his anti-Mexican tirade. Jarrett got super heat as the fans were throwing everything in the world at him after Jarrett came out throwing tortillas at the fans. He was getting deluged by what was described as the world 's largest food fight. He then called out Konnan, who the people expected to attack Jarrett as he got cheered, even though he's a heel on AAA television. Konnan came in with a cane and apologized for not being able to wrestle, and then hugged Jarrett, and they began pelting him. He got hit in the face with hot sauce. Cibernetico, however, the only AAA wrestler who performed on the stage, came out and punched Konn an and Jarrett for the biggest pop of the show.”

It’s a sold show so you didn’t get a piece of the gate but do you know if it was the biggest like Meltzer speculates?

How does the sold show aspect of this come together?

What did you think of the reaction you got and the angle? Who’s idea is it to throw tortillas? Is it scary being in the ring when people are throwing all types of shit at you?

Kurt Angle main events against Abyss in a non-title match and gets the win. What did you think of the show?

From the Observer: “... From personal conversations and multiple reports. the consensus particularly among those in the X division is very negative regarding the current direction and Vince Russo. I'm still getting mixed in that the people who liked him Still do, and the people who have no confidence in him haven't changed their minds either. The reaction to Angle has also changed greatly over the past week plus: It's starting to be the same reaction as in WWE. Angle is taking a super hands on approach, talking to everyone about their matches, promos and rubbing people the wrong way when he tells wrestlers that he's the greatest wrestler of all-time. It's one thing for others to say he's one of the greatest, but you sure don't tell other wrestlers that when you are critiquing them. He's also telling them that he's going to be running the company. Right now, for public consumption, Jarrett is I00% sticking up for Angle, as he has to. The one thing is, no matter how erratic people say Angle's behavior is, and the company has to be vigilant to protect Angle from himself health-wise, he -still has the ability to project himself like a major superstar to the viewing public, far more than anyone else on the roster.”

Jeff what do you remember about all this? Do you remember Kurt rubbing people the wrong way in the beginning?

The second TV show to build to Turning Point opens with a LAX interview with Leticia vowing revenge on Petey Williams and then we go to the ring where Christian tells everyone that he’s going to take Abyss and Sting out ahead of their match. Abyss is the new world champion and the story seems to be based around Christian’s quest for the title. Is this a way to promote the new world champion?

VKM attempt to get Vince McMahon to sign a “cease and desist” to get DX taken off the air. Explain to me how this is going to draw $1 to TNA Jeff?

TNA: The Voodoo Kin Mafia Target Stamford

Chris Sabin becomes the #1 contender for the X division title winning a 3-way over Sonjay Dutt & Jay Lethal and Sabin confronts champion Christopher Daniels who’s doing commentary after the match. Jerry Lynn separates the two. What was Lynn’s role at the time? There’s talk of putting him back in the ring…who’s idea was that? Jerry’s or TNA’s? This match goes two minutes. How is anyone supposed to be able to get over in this type of match in 2 minutes?

LAX is shown backstage viciously attacking first James Storm then Chris Harris. Was this the heel edge LAX needed?

AJ Styles & Mike Tenay have sitdown interview to show off Styles’ new heel persona. Styles talks about his poor upbringing and Rhyno interrupts to try and relate and Styles gets defensive and they end up in each other’s face. Are we just trying to add dimensions to AJ’s character bringing up his upbringing?

TNA: AJ Styles Loses His Cool During An Interview

Alex Shelley has Chlamydia as Kevin Nash forces the X Division to take a drug test. Really Jeff? Really?

TNA: The Results Of The Kevin Nash PCS Testing

This leads to…well a wrestling match. Lance Hoyt…now known as Lance Archer teams up with Ron Killings to defeat Austin Starr & Alex Shelley. Starr & Shelley had the win but…Starr ends up showing the referee that his partner cheated so they end up DQed. Yup. This Vince Russo man. Good stuff. 2 minutes also.

Cage & Tomko are out next…then Abyss…then Sting. And Sting delivers a promo with a lot of controversy:

TNA: Cage Speaks And Sting Attempts To Reason With Abyss

From the Observer: “The storyline is that when Abyss was a child, something really horrible happened, and Tomko knew Abyss as a child and knows the secret, and now Christian also knows the secret. Sting asked Abyss why he listened to Jim Mitchell, and Sting even called him “Chris.” Abyss was asking around in the locker room because he didn’t like the idea of his real name being used, thinking it would kill his character. He was told one time wasn’t that big of a deal. Mitchell came out and said Sting was as evil as Abyss. Sting told Abyss to make his own choice. After Sting left, Christian & Tomko attacked Abyss and Sting made the save. Sting tried to shake hands but Mitchell slapped Sting and pulled Abyss away. The long-term idea is a slow build to an Abyss turn. Dutch Mantel booked something similar in Puerto Rico and Abyss was over pretty big as a face.”

A whole lot to unpack here Jeff. The Abyss secret is sort of like the Kane/Undertaker gimmick. Sting calling Abyss “Chris” here and Abyss going around the locker room asking about his real name. Dutch running a similar angle from Puerto Rico to make Abyss a big star but you just put the title on him as a monster heel. Break it down for me.

LAX finally attacks Petey Williams after it’s announced that Petey will team with Kurt Angle to face LAX for the tag team titles and that leaves it as a handicap match…until of course Samoa Joe comes down and makes the save to be in the tag match as per their agreement. Opponents who team with each other. Vince Russo booking 101 is it not?

TNA: Samoa Joe And Kurt Angle Team Up

Joe & Angle get the win but the LAX lawyer makes Cornette overturn it because Joe wasn’t an actual member of the match so the titles go back to LAX. Two main events on two TV shows two weeks in a row with a non-finish. Russo staples Jeff! From the Observer: “At one

point Angle popped Homicide so hard in the ear that Homicide lost his hearing. He was very upset about it after the match.”

Does Homicide confront Kurt? Does Kurt get a pass because he’s…well Kurt?

From the Torch regarding the ratings: “TNA Impact has drawn disappointing ratings so far in the Thursday prime time slot. It could be spun as the low end of acceptable, and that’s probably fair, but it’s still disappointing. it drew a 0.9 rating on Thanksgiving, considered solid for a holiday, but then only a 1.0 for the debut on a non–holiday in the one–four format. If Dixie Carter had been told Kurt Angle, Vince Russo, and move to prime time would net a mere 0.2–0.3 increase in ratings, she’d likely be disappointed. That said, it is a 20–30 percent jump in audience level, so that can translate into a matching boost in PPV revenues.”

What say you Jeff? Was Dixie disappointed? Were you?

At Survivor Series for the WWE Lita finishes up and her contract expires. Any talks with Amy Dumas about coming in?

December 1st Jeff…from the Torch…”B.G. James, Kip James, Jeremy Borash, and Vince Russo visited a WWE house show last Friday in Knoxville, Tenn. As fans were entering the arena, they goofed off, handed out flyers, and interviewed some fans. When one fan said they just bought a ticket and it was third row, B.G. interviewed him and made issue of the low ticket sales. TNA’s website has a story that B.G. and Kip purchased tickets to the show and brought their “cease and desist” papers into the arena for Triple H to sign on behalf of DX. During the main event, Triple H waved at B.G. and Kip, but didn’t sign the papers. B.G. encouraged DX to come to Orlando, Fla. for a live event where Triple H could sign the papers. Said B.G. on TNA’s website: “Unfortunately, our attempts to serve Levesque were unsuccessful. We also noticed many of the fans’ attempts to stay awake during the main event were also unsuccessful. The good news is the fat, oily guy was nowhere to be seen. At least the great fans in this city of Knoxville, Tennessee were spared that suffering tonight.”

TNA: The VKM Visit WWE Live Event In Knoxville

Jeff…did you think this was like the DX invasion of Nitro? Like what in the hell is going on here? Did you hear from WWE legal? Anybody from WWE call you personally? Was anyone concerned about this?

Was this even good television in your mind?

December 3rd Jeff is the night of infamous disaster of a pay-per-view…ECW’s December to Dismember. It’s so bad Vince & Paul Heyman split ties the day after. Do you watch this show…hear about the show…there’s even a decent sized TNA chant during the main event. Does Paul reach out afterwards? Do you send feelers?

Did you talk with Kurt about how satisfying it must be to be off that disaster of a brand and over at TNA?

The go-home Impact for Turning Point airs on December 7th. It opens with Rhino challenging AJ Styles but Christopher Daniels attempts to be a peacemaker and Styles attacks Rhino from behind and security separates them. From the Observer: “The original script for Daniels was to call Rhino “Terry,” which is his real first name. Like Abyss, Rhino isn’t

happy but he complained about it even more, and finally Scott D’Amore went to the booking committee for him and got the “Terry”

line taken out of the script.”

What’s with the amount of “real names” being used and why did Scott D’Amore have to go to Russo to get it changed?

Petey Williams defeats Homicide but afterwards Hernandez destroys Williams with a border toss. Golly it looks dangerous. Any worries about Hernandez doing that to the smaller guys?

Footage is aired from the house show that VKM entered. Did they write the tickets off as a business expense?

Kevin Nash does Psychological tests with the X division next. Is this too much creative freedom in back to back segments?

Eric Young is in the back with Leticia and talks about how he needs to lose weight if he wants to win the bikini contest. Is there anyone…literally anyone…you could pull this off with in TNA at the time besides Eric?

Young is in the next segment wrestling Senshi and loses when Traci flashes him. I’m sure Low Ki of all people loved having that finish.

LAX challenge AMW to a flag match at Turning Point. These two teams in the ring could tear it up…but why a gimmick match?

The main event of this TV is what’s called the All-Star War. It’s 6 men in one match. Let’s run through the names…Kurt Angle, NWA Champion Abyss, Sting, Christian Cage, Samoa Joe & Rhino. 6 of your biggest stars in one match! And it ends in 5 minutes when Angle pins Joe for Joe’s second pinfall loss in as many weeks after going 18 months being undefeated. The plan is for Angle to turn heel at the pay-per-view and this is the start…but man beating Joe twice in two weeks? Couldn’t have someone else taken the pin?

From Meltzer… “Many people have questioned, including fans, that they had Angle pin Joe on the 12/7 TV show or that they put Angle vs. Sting in the same match-against each other for free as a throwaway. With Angle getting two clean wins on Joe, it almost necessitates Joe winning at Turning Point, and I wouldn't have even booked a rematch between the two until March at the earliest. I can understand the first match right away because o f feeling the need to do something big to gain immediate momentum coming off the Angle signing, although I disagree with it because the game is a marathon, not a sprint. But the idea of having their first match, and second match, and first TV match, and two if not three clean finishes, and their first match as tag team partners all in a three week span is crazy. Blowing through a potential seven months worth of storylines in three weeks is never a good thing, especially when you've got nothing as strong to follow”

This isn’t dirtsheet or fiction writing. He’s legitimately questioning the booking decisions here and I don’t know that he’s wrong. What say you?

Jeff we’re live at the Impact Zone now! In front of the usual 900 fans for Turning Point! The show is rated as one of the best shows in TNA history by the Wrestling Observer readers. 87.8% voted the show as a thumbs up.

But…the Observer’s headline on the show: It took all of two shows before the biggest acquisition in TNA history became just another headliner on the show. Based on our response, which is usually pretty accurate when it comes to TNA, the 12/10 Turning Point will probably only be doing half as many buys as the 11 / 19 Genesis show. It's also too bad, because Turning Point was, by far, the better of the two shows.”

In my research it looks like the show did 35,000 buys compared to Genesis. What do you attribute the drop to? In theory you ran off half your audience from the last pay-per-view…do you think Kurt only held them for one month?

From Meltzer: “It's really no surprise from a business standpoint. When Sting came in, his first PPV match did record business for the company. But in subsequent matches, business quickly fell back to normal levels. Angle didn't even spike ratings like Sting's return did, even though Angle garnered more publicity. In a sense, with the benefit of hindsight, that may indicate Angle should have debuted against someone other than Joe, and then spent months building to a match with Joe, in hopes that would produce a second buy rate. Then, spending several months building a rematch may have resulted in a third buy rate. Now, they've rushed and

burned out the series, and seem to have no discernable plan as to where to go next. The original plan was to bring in an outside shootfighter for Angle's second big program, but that appears to have fallen through. , Perhaps Angle vs. Sting could mean something. Angle headlining with Jeff Jarrett, Christian Cage or Abyss won't mean anything, even with the NWA title at stake.”

Who was the shoot fighter? Daniel Puder? There’s a track record here that Dave points out that doesn’t seem incorrect. What was it about TNA?

On to the pre-show!

“A. Ron Killings & Lance Hoyt beat Serotonin, which was Frankie Kazarian & Johnny Devine & Matt Bentley in 4:3 7. This was the pre-show match. Devine was given a new look with black face paint around his eyes. Kazarian was pinned after a high kick by Hoyt and an ax kick by Killings. Supposedly, Bentley was the one who was supposed to do the job, because Sting was beating Kazarian at TV and they wanted Raven to cane all of them (Devine was caned on a prior show), but someone who wrote the name down on the paper got them mixed up and wrote down Kazarian's name here. Raven caned Kazarian four times after the match.”

This is the ultimate TNA shit of all time. Please confirm someone wrote the wrong name down for who was to take the pin.

Did you think packaging these guys with Raven would help elevate them when they lose on the pre-show?

Was there more to do with Killings & Hoyt or was the roster so stacked it made it difficult?

1. Senshi won a five-way X Division match over Alex Shelley, Austin Starr (Aries), Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal in 14:38. They are bi lling this as part of the PCS (Paparazzi Championship Series) as a spoof on college football's BCS. The idea is points were given based on eliminations here as part of a lengthy series to determine the top contender, with the first guy out getting one point, second out getting two, and the winner getting five. Nash did commentary and made it all comedy, mostly accusing Dutt of taking steroids. He pointed to the tape on his bad shoulder as an example of a steroid related injury. Late in the match, he started talking about how the steroids were causing Dutt to blow up. The stuff is funny but they've buried all the guys except for Shelley in the skits as they come off as butts of jokes. Dutt used a diamond cutter and a camel clutch on Shelley. Shelley was about to make it to the ropes when Starr pulled Shelley back in the center of the ring, and he tapped at 7:52. The whole Starr/Shelley deal is they are competing for Nash's affection, and in the guise of being his friend, Starr constantly causes Shelley to lose. Senshi pinned Lethal with a Suwa style dropkick and pin in 8:50. Starr pinned Dutt with a brainbuster and a 450 splash in 13: 12. This left Senshi vs. Starr. Starr used a brainbuster and went up for the 450. This time Shelley came out. Shelley and Starr argued. Starr then missed the 450 and Senshi pinned him with a cradle. Good opener. *** ¼”

With your sports betting analysis I have to think this was your idea but a match focused around Kevin Nash making steroid jokes while you got 5 really good workers in there busting their ass…is that the best use of these guys? Did anyone … Sonjay especially … have any issues with this?

Eric Young Wins a BIKINI CONTEST! (TNA Turning Point 2006) | Classic IMPACT Wrestling Moments

“Next was a bikini contest with Tracy Brooks and Eric Young. Both

were nervous beforehand. Brooks was against doing it because she didn't want to be seen as nothing more than T &A. Young thought it the segment had potential to bomb. Young pretty much saved it. Brooks wore a bikini bottom and more of a negligee top than a bikini top. Young then took off his robe. and had a T-shirt on with the drawing of a bikini. Ref Slick Johnson was going to DQ him because Young wasn't wearing a bikini. Young took off the T-shirt and was wearing Sponge Bob underwear. Robert Roode complained that also wasn't a bikini. Johnson was about to give the contest to Brooks via DQ. Young then took off his underwear and had Sponge Bob bikini briefs on. He won. Roode attacked Young and yelled at Brooks for screwing it up because the fans still don't like him. Roode told Brooks that she was to do anything, and he meant anything, to get Young to sign with Robert Roode Inc. The idea is that since Young is so popular,, if he teams with Young, the fans will like him as well. He then told Brooks that if he can’t get Young to sign he would fire her.

A lot to unpack here for many different reasons Jeff. Did Traci voice her opposition to doing it? Did Eric come to you and talk about how he thought it was going to bomb? Was this high quality entertainment?

2. Christopher Daniels pinned Chris Sabin in 12:27 to retain the X Division title with Jerry Lynn as ref. Crowd was quiet at times here. Daniels used a downward spiral and Koji clutch, but Sabin made the ropes. Sabin came back with a running kick to the face , but Daniels came back with an STO and the best moonsault ever for the pin. When it was over, Lynn grabbed the mic and told Sabin to shake Danie ls' hand. Daniels then said he didn't want to shake Sabin's hand. Lynn slapped Daniels and they had a pull-apart. It looks like they are building to a three-way feud here. ***

Going from a bikini contest to this really shows the difference in products? Do you considering Christopher Daniels to be a pillar of the X Division next to AJ Styles?

Jim Cornette came to the ring to introduce David Eckstein and his brother. From Dave Meltzer:  “Major League Baseball stars A.J. Pierzynski and David Eckstein, came across better than it had any right to. Pierzynski and Dale Torborg played heel, running down Eckstein. Eckstein came out with a replica of his World Series MVP trophy. Visually it came across well because Pierzynski and Torborg looked like giant bullies next to Eckstein and his brother Rick Eckstein. The live crowd didn't seem all that interested in an angle clearly designed to try and get some mainstream press. They tore up pages of Eckstein's new book, "Have Heart," which talks about organ donation. It led to Torborg punching Rick Eckstein. Torborg held David while Pierzynski threatened to hit him with his replica X Division belt, but Lance Hoyt made the save, with a high kick on Torborg. The idea was to get the footage on ESPN Sports Centerand into the mainstream media. It got some coverage in both major Chicago newspapers (Pierzynski plays for the White Sox) and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Eckstein plays for the Cardinals). It made some TV in both markets as well as Orlando and at press time ESPN was expected to do something with it this week and Sports Illustrated had talked of doing something with it in the issue dated 12/23. There was talk about doing a match with Hoyt & David vs. Torborg & Pierzynski, but at that point I'd think both major league teams would want to put a squash to it. Pierzynski & Torborg played their roles well. Eckstein doesn't come off well in a pro wrestling setting. But whether they get anymore pub or go any farther with it or not, they should have linked Joe or Angle with this angle. When Vince McMahon brought in Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper, and I'm not trying to compare the baseball players with them, he didn't use Mike Sharpe in the angle. Granted, Vince Russo sees something in Hoyt and wants to push him, but they should have learned from last year that if you can get mainstream pub, you want to get your main names the pub and not throw it to prelim guys because nobody else wants it.”

Never thought I’d hear Mike Sharpe compared to Lance Hoyt but how does this all come together? Were you happy with how it all went down? Did you get the pub you wanted coming off the angle?

“3. A .J. Styles pinned Rhino in 7:31. The match started backstage when Styles attacked Rhino as he was doing his pre-match promo. They brawled in the stands for a few minutes before the bell sounded to start the match. At one point Styles whipped Rhino into a wall and he broke the wall. The finish saw Rhino backdrop Styles over the top rope. Styles started selling like his left knee was hurt. They had the refs and trainer run out and Styles acted· mad that he couldn't continue. Just as it was about to be called off, Styles ran in the ring and schoolboyed Rhino holding the tights for the pin. He than ran around to make it clear he was never hurt. Rhino chased him to the back after the match. The finishing spot was done well. l think most people probably bought the injury as legit. **1⁄2”

Good heat on Styles here. Very good story. You get charged for the wall?

“4. Homicide & Hernandez beat Chris Harris & James Storm in a non-title flag match in 10:42. Better match than last month. Rules were you had to take your flag, as opposed to capture your opponent's flag, and then use a ladder to hang the flag up to win it, and then your anthem is to be played . Gail Kim then used a top rope moonsault to the floor on Homicide. Homicide did a diamond cutter off the ropes on Harris, but Kim followed with a missile dropkick on Homicide. Konnan was interfering more than Kim. Konnan punched Kim and threw her to the ground. Petey Williams ran in and gave Konnan a low blow and set him up for the Canadian Destroyer. Hernandez saved Konnan. The match ended with Homicide and Harris both climbing with their respective flags. Storm then climbed up and hit Homicide in the back of the head with a beer bottle (Homicide.was bleeding from the back of the head) and the gimmick was glass particles then got in Harris' eyes. This gave Hernandez the opening to hang the flag for the win. Storm was furious about losing, while Harris was selling and Kim was screaming at Storm, who didn't seem to care his partner had glass in his eyes. They played the Mexican national anthem. This did not get the desired reaction. There was a little bit of booing, but most of the fans stood at attention, and some turned their backs. If there was going to be heat, and there wasn't because this audience wasn't going to have the kneejerk reaction of booing a foreign anthem, was dissipated anyway with the focus on Storm & Harris. Storm said that Harris had let down the team and the country and demanded on apology on Impact for causing the Mexican anthem to be played. ***1 /4”

It all sounds good. The execution is good. But it missed the mark with the crowd. Is this the risk you take in putting a heat angle on with the heels going over?

OK Jeff here’s a whopper. Last week when discussing your introduction back to WCW and it being under the guise of Vince Russo…you talked about how it’s tacky and not good for business to take shots at the “competition…”

VKM - Million Dollar Challenge

From the Observer: “The Voodoo Kin Mafia of Kip & B.G. James made a so-called $1 million challenge to Paul Levesque and Michael Hickenbottom for a shoot match, not a wrestling match. On the surface, the angle is completely lame, but B.G. James did such a great job in his promo that it really wasn't bad live. The crowd went nuts when he said that if they don't accept the challenge that Vince McMahon is a gutless piece of shit. B.G. James later had to apologize for swearing and may have been fined. During the angle, he mentioned how the offensive line coach, using a Southern drawl to mimic Jim Ross, said that Vince McMahon doesn't care about what they were doing and would likely ignore it. B·.G. wanted to specifically talk about the legal threats WWE has sent to TNA over this angle, but management told him he couldn't bring it up. He sure implied it, though. I'm not sure what WWE is claiming as far as any grounds for legal action . As silly as this whole situation really is, the idea WWE would complain about it given history ranks right up there with when Vince McMahon complained about WCW stealing talent from him by offering better deals. TN A has been extra- carefuL in response, not letting anyone say Levesque and Hickenbottom are HHH and Shawn Michaels, the names trademarked by WWE, and bleeping out "The Marine" when making fun of a movie. But it's clear who they are mocking in the parodies, as B.G. came out with a rubber mask and big nose dressed as HHH and Kip as Michaels. While challenging people to real fights went out in the 60s, the TNA audience went wild for it, including chanting "DX sucks" during the skits. They also did an earlier angle where Tim Welch dressed up as Vince McMahon, holding a cage with a rooster, saying that "I love cocks." That came off lame and uncreative because WWE had already done that storyline. They also dressed up a fat guy, even fatter than Christopher DeJoseph, in a thong and had him run around and dance. Nobody needed to see that and it again only made TNA come across as a cheap copy of WWE. B.G.'s interview in issuing the challenge saved the skit. It was classless, but there is the irony that B.G. brought up about being threatened for doing exactly the same thing Vince ordered them to do in 1998 regarding WCW. Dixie Carter was telling people that she expected a• response and that a match would be worked out, and that is not going to happen. The other weird thing is that historically, when grandstand challengers are issued, you use tough guys who are real shooters to issue the challenge. It would have come across a whole lot more seriously if TN A had Joe and Angle issue the challenge.”

That last line from Meltzer tickled me for many reasons but Jeff…go ahead and defend this after what you said last week. Lazy creative I think you called it?

How did the WWE ever allow Billy & Road Dogg to return?

From the Torch: “After B.G. James’s rant on Sunday’s PPV, which included harsh, unscripted language, as soon as he got backstage, he said, in effect, “Go ahead, fine me, I got carried away.” James was given a list of around eight bullet point items to discuss, but the exact wording wasn’t scripted for him. During his speech, everyone backstage was gathered around the monitors to watch and listen. A lot of people in TNA are keeping a close eye on Dixie Carter, seeing how she reacts to this situation as this is her first time getting the full court legal press form WWE. Does she have a stomach for the fight, or will she prefer to just lay off and stick to the family–friendly non–controversial product she preaches about promoting”

Did you talk to Jesse about this?

What a way to follow this…

“5. Abyss retained the NWA title in a three-way over Christian Cage and Sting in 11 :55. Sting catapulted Christian into Abyss and used a scorpion death drop on Christian. Tomko then pulled ref Andrew Thomas out of the ring. How is that not a DQ? Tomko clotheslined Sting. Abyss pressed Christian and threw him over the top rope. Jim Mitchell pulled out the thumb tacks and ordered Abyss to pour them on the mat. Abyss at first didn't want to do it, and eventually he did. Abyss went to choke slam Christian, but Tomko interfered with another high kick. Tomko then stomped on Abyss, causing his face to go into the thumb tacks. Sting decked Jim Mitchell. Christian then hit Sting with a chair. Abyss then picked Sting up for a black hole slam. In doing the move , Sting knocked into Christian sending him outside the ring. · Overbooked. The thumb tacks spot has been so overdone nobody cares and the match had a lack of heal. Plus, this kind of match makes the NWA title seem like a joke. *1 /4”

My goodness Jeff look at all that smoke and mirrors. Why was it necessary with these 3? Protecting the talent?

“6. Samoa Joe beat Kurt Angle via tap out with a choke in 19: 17. Fans seemed more for Joe than Angle at the start, but nobody was booing anyone. Angle used the Olympic slam for a near fall, and then went back to the ankle lock. Joe escaped again. Joe used a choke and Angle escaped and reversed into an ankle lock. Joe escaped and got the choke. Angle got the ankle lock again. Joe made the ropes. Angle went to the top for a belly-to-belly, but Joe did three head-butts. Angle got back up and this time did the belly-to-belly off the top. Angle tried an Olympic slam, but Joe countered and sent Angle into ref Rudy Charles. Joe got the choke but Charles was down. Angle started tapping. Fans hated Charles going down and it kind of took the air out of the match. Joe tried to help up Charles. With Joe's back turned, Angle kicked Joe hard low. He went outside the ring to get a chair and swung it at Joe, missed, hit the top rope and was supposed to knock himself with the chair on the rebound. The Three Stooges spot was all wrong for this point in the match, but it's one of Angle's favorite spots in leading to losses. Joe then got the choke again, and this time Angle tapped. Fans started chanting "One More Time" and "Rematch." Technically, because this was longer, it was more dramatic than match one. Match one had more heat. In most other ways, this match was better but I thought the ref bump and chair shot took down the intensity of the finish. Still, another excellent match. ****¼”

The Three Stooges spot is hilarious when watching this back and Kurt using it as a crutch. Angle going heel…too soon? Losing too soon? Do you think the bloom was off the rose so to speak on Joe and the only way to keep it going was to turn Angle heel for the rubber match?

From the Torch…”The Joe vs. Angle match was given 25 minutes of PPV time to fill, including ring introductions. It filled the time well. Their first match at last month’s PPV ran short because Angle called for it to end early, presumably because he wasn’t in cardio shape from his time off. Jeff Jarrett pulled them aside after the last PPV and chewed them out for going short, telling them that it was an important show for them and there could be a backlash for it being less than 15 minutes. Everyone was thrilled with the match this time around”

Tell me about you chewing out Angle & Joe from the show before this?

Jeff what say you about this card? Thumbs up, thumbs down, thumbs in the middle? Is this show a letdown in your mind after the last two very successful shows?

Next week Jeff we’ll be covering Super Clash III…the “historic” AWA pay-per-view debut that featured Jerry Lawler vs. Kerry Von Erich as a merging of the AWA & World Class Championship Wrestling titles…talent from Powerful Women of Wrestling, your dad’s Championship Wrestling Association and you defending the World Class Light Heavyweight Title against Eric Embry. The show also featured Cactus Jack, Greg Gagne, Ron Garvin, Sgt. Slaughter, Michael ‘PS’ Hayes, and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express among others. What do you think we’ll discuss about that show?