Heading into Sunday’s “Turning Point” pay-per-view, we had plenty of action featuring the Knockouts last night. Let’s get right into it, shall we?
The first match will feature Sarita taking on Velvet Sky, but before we get to that, we see both members of the Beautiful People in the back. Angelina and Velvet are primping in the mirror, chatting as Vel Vel gets ready for her match. Surprising me, she tells Angelina she wants to do this on her own without any back-up. Angel doesn’t take offense, sending her off with a hug and words of encouragement. Sky leaves…which signals the appearance of the mysterious Winter in the mirror. Angelina calls her a “creeper” (LOL!) and wants to know what she’s doing there. Winter tells her quietly she doesn’t have to worry, “I won’t leave you. You’ll never have to be alone again.” At which point, Love says she likes being alone and makes her escape. The camera pans back to the mirror – empty.
Musings: Creepy! Still loving it, still interested. I could listen to Kat speak for hours, her voice is so soft and pretty. Maybe it’s my partiality for accents, I’m not sure. I also liked the fact Velvet wanted to go it alone against Sarita. I take it as a sign she doesn’t want to rely overly much on Angelina’s assistance in her solo matches, which is a good point. Both women are strong characters on their own, they don’t need to have tag matches all the time.
It’s time for our first Knockouts match. Coming out first is Sarita, in a nice red and yellow ensemble. As she makes her way to the ring, we see the result of the six woman tag match from last week, which ended with Sarita pinning Velvet. Presumably this is the premise for the one on one match, Sky seeking revenge. Next out is Velvet Sky, full of confidence, entering the ring in her own unique fashion. (Would someone kindly inform Taz that the pigeons thing is old and needs to be buried 6 feet under?) It’s still slightly odd to see the fans cheering for Vel Vel instead of booing her, but it’s been a pretty smooth transition. Either way, the bell rings and this match is under way.
The two jockey for position, until Velvet reverses a hold and kicks Sarita square in the stomach, sending her into the ropes. The blonde follows up with some chops before attempting to whip her across the ring. Sarita counters but Velvet turns it into a headscissors takedown on the rebound. She nails a deep armdrag, keeping a hold on the arm until Sarita gets to her feet and knocks Velvet to the canvas. The two trade chops in the corner until Sarita kicks Sky in the stomach with both feet, sending her down hard. The Dark Angel attempts to get the upper hand but Vel Vel counters with a jaw breaker and a nice running dropkick. She tries for the implant DDT but Sarita holds onto the ropes, causing Sky to land on her back.
The Beautiful Person gets to her feet, showing fustration at making a rookie mistake. The crowd’s starting to encourage her, chanting “Lets go Velvet!” (Something I don’t think I’ve heard before..) It does no good as Sarita goes on the offense, pummeling her with fists and kicks before being pulled away by the referee. Sarita glares at the ref and goes back on the attack, executing a backwards roll up pin that’s only good for two. The two again exchange blows before a hard elbow sends Velvet back down. Sarita gathers her up and sets her up for another double underhook but Velvet lands on her feet behind Sarita and starts to build some momentum, hitting a running bulldog, a clothesline and counters a scoop by flipping in Sarita’s arms and using the momentum to slam her down into a pinning position. The ref gets a one count.
Velvet sets up for the implant DDT again, this time away from the ropes, but Sarita counters to toss her out of the ring. Vel lands on her feet, pounding the ring in fustration. She climbs back into the ring but Sarita’s there, getting a kick in and pulling her into the middle of the ring. She hits the double underhook into a powerbomb for the three and the win. Sarita looks pleased as punch while Velvet looks dismayed and fustrated with the loss.
Musings: Not a bad match. There were some pauses but I thought these two worked alright together. It’s still kind of a stretch to have Sarita wrestling Velvet, when her original vendetta was against Mickie James for beating her twice, but it was somewhat tied together with the big six person tag last week. It may be the start of Velvet trying to prove she can get wins without relying on Angelina, based on the promo we saw at the start, but that’s pure speculation on my part. I’m just glad to have Sarita on Impact. But it wasn’t over for the ladies just yet…
Looks like Tara is teaming up with Generation Me to take on Mickie James with Ink, Inc. Tara’s out after GenMe on her motorbike, sporting black shorts and a white tee that says “Cougar” on it. I must say she looks damn good! Mickie’s out after Ink, Inc. (or II for short), her jean shorts in better shape than the pair she was wearing last week and a nice top. Her hair’s pulled back, something you don’t often see, but it kind of resembles a mullet…anyways, the two women have words but their respective partners pull them back and it looks like we’ll start out with the guys.
My interest perks up when Tara and MJ meet on the apron at a separate corner and try to slap at each other only to be pulled back once more. Reluctantly they go back to their respective corners. Throughout the match, Tara gets involved by attacking II when the referee’s back is turned, even hitting a super kick on Jesse Neal on the outside. Towards the end of the match, things start to break down, allowing Mickie to hit a nice hurricarana on Max. Tara breaks up the pin, which brings MJ into the ring and the two start to brawl on the mat until the referee drags Mickie off Tara, allowing the latter to escape to the outside. Turning around, Mickie sees Max coming at her. She dodges, hitting Max with the Mick Kick, which sets him up for II to hit their finisher and get the win.
The three celebrate but not for long as Generation Me and Tara attack from behind. Tara wails on MJ, even using her fingers to stretch out James’ face, stomping on her back, choking and leaving her lying alongside II. It’s Tara and GenMe’s turn to celebrate, looking smug as the camera fades away.
Musings: Even though we didn’t get to see Mickie and Tara wrestle officially, we still saw them brawl and interact with their respective teams. Not a bad way to mix two feuds and get more build up for the PPV this Sunday. These two definitely still have chemistry and I’m looking forward to seeing them face off once more. If Mickie gets the win, I’m certain she’ll be gunning for Madison Rayne next, having disposed of her bodyguard first. Should be a good match at Turning Point!