The 2021 Turning Point was a professional wrestling event produced by Impact Wrestling. It took place on November 20, 2021 at Sam's Town Live in Sunrise Manor, Nevada, and aired on Impact Plus and YouTube. It was the 15th event under the Turning Point chronology, and the first Impact Plus Monthly Special of 2021 to air live since Against All Odds in June.
Eleven matches were contested at the event, including two on the Countdown to Turning Point pre-show. In the main event, Moose defeated Eddie Edwards in a Full Metal Mayhem match to retain the Impact World Championship. In other prominent matches, Mickie James defeated Mercedes Martinez to retain the Impact Knockouts World Championship, The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) defeated Bullet Club (Chris Bey and Hikuleo) to retain the Impact World Tag Team Championship, and Trey Miguel defeated Laredo Kid and Steve Maclin in a three-way match to retain the Impact X Division Championship. The event also marked the Impact debut of Jonah (formerly known as Bronson Reed in NXT).
Turning Point garnered mixed reviews from critics, praising the Austin-Sabin opening bout, the Knockouts World Title match, and the Impact World Title main event, but were critical of Impact Plus' technical issues occurring during the main event.
Production
Background Turning Point was a pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by Impact Wrestling (then known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling) between 2004 and 2012. In 2013, TNA discontinued most of its monthly pay-per-view events in favor of the pre-recorded One Night Only events. The event would be held as a special episode of Impact! in 2013, 2015, 2016, and has been a monthly special for Impact Plus since the 2019 event. On October 4, 2021, Impact announced that Turning Point would be held at Sam's Town Live in Sunrise Manor, Nevada on November 20, 2021.
Storylines The event featured several professional wrestling matches, which involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds, plots, and storylines. Storylines were produced on Impact's weekly television program.
At Bound for Glory, Moose last eliminated Matt Cardona to win the Call Your Shot Gauntlet, earning a trophy that he can use for a title match of his choice anytime. That match also featured W. Morrissey - who aligned with Moose for much of the match before being eliminated by him - and Moose's old friend turned rival Eddie Edwards. Later in the night, Josh Alexander defeated Christian Cage to win the Impact World Championship. However, Moose would later attack Alexander and utilize the Call Your Shot Trophy, effectively becoming the new Impact World Champion. The following week on Impact!, a three-way match between Cardona, Morrissey, and Edwards to determine Moose's first challenger. On the November 11 episode of Impact!, Edward would win the match to become the number one contender for the title. On the other hand, Cardona and Morrissey, who feel either one of them deserve a title match, would be booked for a one-on-one match at Turning Point. The following week on Impact!, Moose would attack Edwards during a backstage interview, where they brawled into the arena and battered each other with various weapons. Impact Executive Vice President Scott D'Amore would later come out and announce that the two will face off for the Impact World Championship in a Full Metal Mayhem match.
On the October 21 episode of Impact!, FinJuice (David Finlay and Juice Robinson) and Bullet Club (Chris Bey and Hikuleo) wrestled in a number one contender's match, where the winners would face Impact World Tag Team Champions The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) at Bound for Glory. However, the match ended in a double pinfall, and in a decision made later in the night, Scott D'Amore made the tag title match a three-way at the pay-per-view. At the event, Anderson stole a pin on Bey after Robinson hit him with a frog splash, allowing for The Good Brothers to retain the titles. On the November 4 episode of Impact!, FinJuice and The Good Brothers had their title match end in a no contest, when Bullet Club (Bey, Hikuleo, and El Phantasmo) ran down and attacked both teams with crotch punches. The following week on Impact!, FinJuice and Bullet Club - represented by Bey and Phantasmo - had another number one contender's match, which was won by Bullet Club, who would now face The Good Brothers for the World Tag Team Championship at Turning Point.
On the November 4 episode of Impact!, Laredo Kid won a number one contender's four-way match against Black Taurus, Rohit Raju, and Steve Maclin, earning him a match against Trey Miguel for the Impact X Division Championship at Turning Point. However, Maclin believed that he deserved another opportunity due to he has never been pinned or submitted. Scott D'Amore then booked Maclin in a match against Laredo Kid, where if he won, he would be added to the title match at Turning Point. On the November 18 episode of Impact!, Maclin would defeat Kid, inserting himself into the X Division Championship match with Miguel and Kid at Turning Point.
At Knockouts Knockdown, Mercedes Martinez won the Knockouts Knockdown Tournament to become the number one contender for the Impact Knockouts World Championship. At Bound for Glory, Mickie James defeated Deonna Purrazzo to win the Knockouts World Championship for a fourth time. On the November 4 episode of Impact!, after James made her first successful defense of the title against Madison Rayne, Martinez confronted James and challenged her to a title match at Turning Point.
At Bound for Glory, The IInspiration (Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay) made their Impact debut and defeated Decay (Havok and Rosemary) to win the Impact Knockouts World Tag Team Championship. On the November 4 episode of Impact!, Decay confronted the champions on the set of Madison Rayne's "Locker Room Talk" to invoke their rematch clause, and will face The IInspiration at Turning Point.
At Bound for Glory, after weeks of indecisiveness and silence, Rhino finally broke free from Violent By Design (Eric Young, Deaner, and Joe Doering) and rejoined his old tag team partner Heath. Following Bound for Glory, the two teams continued to wage war with each other, especially after Young revealed he recovered from his knee injury. Heath and Rhino decided to challenge VBD to one more match at Turning Point, which was accepted.
On the Impact! following Bound for Glory, Ace Austin defeated Chris Sabin after interference from Austin's enforcer Madman Fulton. Since then, Austin had been wearing a shirt saying "I Beat Chris Sabin" (much in the same vain as Greg Valentine's "I Broke Wahoo's Leg" and Terry Funk's "Dusty Sucks Eggs" t-shirts). Miffed at Austin parading around in the shirt despite beating him uncleanly, Sabin challenged Austin to a rematch at Turning Point.
Event Other on-screen personnelCommentatorsMatt StrikerD'Lo BrownRing announcerDavid PenzerRefereesBrian HebnerBrandon TolleDaniel SpencerInterviewerGia Miller Countdown to Turning Point Two matches were contested on the Countdown to Turning Point pre-show. In the first match, FinJuice (David Finlay and Juice Robinson) fought against the team of Raj Singh and Rohit Raju. In the end, FinJuice hit the Doomsday Device to gain the victory.
In the second pre-show match, Jordynne Grace (with Rachael Ellering) defended the Impact Digital Media Championship against Chelsea Green. In the end, Grace set up Green for the electric chair into the "Grace Driver" to win and retain her title.
Preliminary matches The opening match of the event was Ace Austin (with Madman Fulton) versus Chris Sabin. The two exchange hammer and wristlocks before Sabin slams Austin twice on the mat and clotheslines him over the top rope. Fulton moves Austin to avoid a dive but the latter gets hit with a kick from Sabin, who then brings Austin back in the ring to hit a top-rope crossbody for two. Austin comes back with a Russian legsweep off the ropes on Sabin, who gets some shots in himself, but gets taken out with a knee strike for two. Austin works on Sabin in the corner, hitting a clothesline and an enzuigiri on the top rope, but Sabin hits a jumping DDT, an enzuigiri, and a missile dropkick to Austin's back. Sabin goes for a "Cradle Shock" attempt but Austin escapes, leading to a German suplex and a modified DDT for a two count. The two exchange kicks before simultaneously taking each other out on the apron. Austin hits another kick and a modified face driver on Sabin for two, backs him into the corner, and lands a top-rope twisting leg drop for another two. Sabin catches Austin on the top-rope and delivers a superplex for a near fall. Fulton distracts the referee to allow Austin to crotch Sabin on the top rope, but his superplex attempt is thwarted and gets put into the Tree of Woe, leading to a hesitation dropkick from Sabin, who then hits a dive onto Fulton on the outside. Fulton throws the "I Beat Chris Sabin" t-shirt in the ring to distract the referee, allowing him to attack Sabin. Austin puts on the shirt, charges at Sabin, but gets caught in the "Cradle Shock" that gives Sabin the win.
Next, a tag team match was contested between Heath and Rhino against Violent By Design (Eric Young and Joe Doering) (with Deaner). Rhino and Doering trade punches with each other and tag in Heath and Young, respectively. Heath gets some strikes onto a tagged in Doering, but gets distracted by Deaner from ringside, who then gets ejected by the referee. Doering and Young tag each other to continue the assault on Heath, the former hitting a forearm and an elbow drop for two. Doering tags Young as he hits a sidewalk slam on Heath, allowing Young to hit a top-rope elbow drop for another two count. Heath avoids an attack from Young, who keeps him from tagging Rhino in the match. Doering tags in to beat down on Heath, who manages to get the tag on Rhino. Rhino goes after a tagged in Young with some clotheslines and a back body drop, absorbs some elbows from Young, and hits a belly-to-belly suplex for two. Rhino goes for the piledriver on Doering, but gets hits with a hockey mask by Young, who gets the pin.
The third match saw Rich Swann (with Willie Mack) against VSK (with Zicky Dice). Swann gets the early advantage on VSK, but misses the senton on the outside. VSK rams Swann into the ring steps and the ramp. Back in the ring, VSK continues the assault on Swann's back, with a hard whip to the corner and a back suplex for two. The two exchange strikes before VSK whips Swann into the corner. Swann gets a sunset flip on VSK for two, who comes back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for another two count. Swann hits a series of punches and a neckbreaker on VSK, then rolls into a splash for a two count. Dice pulls Swann off the apron, then gets clotheslined by Mack. VSK catches Swann with a kick and a modified X-Factor for two. The two trade kicks before VSK hits a backbreaker and a backstabber for another two count. Swann fights back with a cutter and a splash for two, hits another kick and heads up to deliver the "Phoenix Splash" for the win.