Against All Odds 2024: I’d Say The Odds Were Very Good

Against All Odds 2024
Date: June 14, 2024
Location: Cicero Stadium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We have another of the monthly specials here before we get to the really big show next month with Slammiversary. The main event here is Broken Matt Hardy challenging Moose for the World Title, but we could be in for something a lot more interesting as Jordynne Grace has issued an open challenge. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Jonathan Gresham vs. Sami Callihan

This is billed as Gresham vs. Callihan’s immune system because Gresham likes to spit his evil goo. Callihan starts the fight on the floor before the bell but Gresham blocks a powerbomb on the floor. Instead Gresham snaps the fingers, only for Callihan to fire off chops. Gresham stays on the arm but Callihan manages a suplex before they go inside. It’s still too early for the bell as Gresham rolls outside again.

This time Gresham sends the bad arm into the ring structure and they go inside for the bell. Callihan is fine enough to fight with one arm but the Cactus Driver 97 isn’t going to happen. Instead Gresham pulls the mask off the referee so here is Kushida, in a white coat, with a napkin to swab the ink out of Gresham’s mouth. Kushida puts it into a vile, leaving Callihan to hit the Cactus Driver 97 for the pin at 2:32. Well at least it was short, as this EVIL GOO stuff is horrible.

Kickoff Show: Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Alisha Edwards/Masha Slamovich vs. The Hex

The Hex is challenging. Belle takes Edwards into the corner to start and it’s off to Kay for the chops. Slamovich comes in and gets taken into the corner as well, with Belle adding a running kick to the face for two. Slamovich’s boot to the face gives her a breather and Alisha tags herself back in to pick up the pace. It’s already back to Slamovich, who hits her half of a double clothesline with Kay for the double clothesline.

Belle comes in (the fans approve) and the running knees hit Alisha in the corner. Everything breaks down and it’s a four way knockdown for a breather. Alisha has to slip out of Hex Marks The Spot but the champs are rammed into each other to give Belle two. Hex Marks The Spot gets two, only to have Alisha pop right back up. The Steiner Bulldog finishes Belle to retain the titles at 7:55.

Rating: C+. It’s still hard to get into Slamovich and Edwards as champions as they were in their third match together. Commentary was saying a title change would have been an upset, but that just isn’t the case. It doesn’t make for the best story in the division, though we did wind up getting a pretty nice match. A lot of that is due to the rather good Hex, but I’ll take what I can get here.

The opening video talks about what it means to work to get to the top before looking at the major matches.

Rascalz vs. Mike Santana/Steve Maclin

The rather intense Santana glares at Wentz to start before they miss some shots to the face. Spin The Block misses for Santana and Wentz knocks him down to take over. Miguel gets in a shot of his own and it’s Wentz grabbing a neck crank. A dropkick hits Santana but he fights up and hands it off to Maclin to pick up the pace.

Some running corner clotheslines are broken up and now it’s Maclin getting caught in the wrong corner. Maclin tries to fight out but a single shot to his bad arm cuts that off in a hurry. Miguel’s Meteora is countered into a faceplant in a smart move and they’re both down. The tag brings Santana back in, with an assisted elevated DDT getting two on Wentz.

Maclin’s running knee gets two more as commentary can’t believe how well Maclin and Santana are doing together. Santana is sent outside though and something like a Swanton/hanging Pedigree combination gets two on Maclin. A spinebuster into a superkick sets up a double stomp for two, with Santana making the save this time. Santana gets to clean house, with Maclin cutting off Miguel’s spray paint attempt. The spear to the Tree of Woe sets up Spin The Block to finish Wentz at 12:47.

Rating: B-. Nice opener here as Santana’s hot return continues. He looked good in there again and it was a hard hitting match, with the makeshift team coming together to beat the established team. That might have had a better impact if it wasn’t the same story as the Knockouts tag Team Title match, but this was better.

Post match, Santana reluctantly shakes his hand.

We run down the rest of the card.

Matt Hardy promises to win the World Title through Broken Brilliance.

PCO vs. Rich Swann

AJ Francis, who doesn’t like the crowd, is here with Swann. He compares himself to Scottie Pippen, because this company never won anything until he showed up. PCO gets his full electricity entrance before getting to stalk Swann around the ring. A Francis distraction lets Swann hit a superkick to put PCO on the floor and an apron 450 hits him again.

Another Francis cheap shot sets up a missed 450, allowing PCO to get fired up. PCO runs him over and drapes Swann’s legs over the ropes for the middle rope legdrop to the back of the head. Francis puts Swann’s foot on the rope for the save and then gets in another cheap shot. PCO breaks up another 450 and sends Swann outside, where he takes out both villains. Back in and the PCOsault finishes Swann at 5:27.

Rating: C+. PCO continues to have perfectly nice matches and I’m curious to see where he goes against First Class. I could see him getting the big win by becoming Digital Media Champion, especially in Montreal. It’s still a bit weird to see a former World Champion like Rich Swann taking losses like this, but Francis is clearly the star of the team.

Post match Steph de Lander comes out to say that yes, she will go out on a date with PCO. Rehwoldt: “YOU HAVE YOUR WHOLE LIFE IN FRONT OF YOU!!!”

We recap the Nemeth’s challenging the System for the Tag Team Titles. The System attacked Nic Nemeth so Nic’s brother Ryan made the save. Ryan and Matt Hardy beat the champs, so of course Nic and Ryan got the Tag Team Title match instead, despite never teaming together before.

Tag Team Titles: Nic Nemeth/Ryan Nemeth vs. The System

The System, with Alisha Edwards, is defending. Ryan takes Myers down to start and it’s quickly off to Nick, who can’t hit a neckbreaker. Instead he can hit back to back dropkicks but Alisha breaks up the superkick. Cue Dirty Dango of all people to point out what happened and Alisha is ejected. Nic is sent into the wrong corner and a backbreaker gives Myers two.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as Nic fights up and hands it back to Ryan to clean house. Myers spears Ryan for two with Nic making a save, leaving commentary to be VERY confused by Dango’s interference. Ryan manages a sunset flip but Eddie tags himself in to breaks up the non-cover. Myers cuts off another comeback but spends too much time posing, allowing Ryan to hit a jumping Edge-O-Matic.

Cue Moose as Ryan hands it back to Nick to drop the jumping elbow for two. A running hurricanrana sets up a Fameasser for two on Eddie, leaving Moose rather nervous. Eddie is right back with the Backpack Stunner into the top rope elbow to give Eddie two. Back up and Nic sends Myers shoulder first into the post and Danger Zone to Eddie….gets two as Moose pulls the referee. Not that it matters as Dango decks Ryan, allowing Eddie to hit the Boston Knee Party to retain at 12:41.

Rating: B-. Well that was a bit anti-climactic. Dango showed up, tried to help the Nemeth’s, and then turned on them in about ten minutes. I’m glad the titles didn’t change hands here, as the System are perfectly fine in their role and can lose them to a regular team down the road. Not a bad match at all, but the Dango stuff was a bit much.

Post match Dango stands with the System for a bit before leaving them to pose.

ABC is ready for Eric Young and Josh Alexander.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Joe Hendry

Before the match, Hendry says Kazarian is the Antonio Banderas of TNA: he had some hits, but now he’s just hanging on long enough to be known as the dad from Spy Kids. Kazarian slugs away to start but it’s way too early for the chickenwing. Hendry grabs a delayed vertical suplex but Kazarian ties him in the ropes for the jumping Fameasser. A front facelock has Hendry down for a bit but the fans chant about their believes. Hendry fights up before pulling Kazarian out of the air for the fall away slam.

Back up and Kazarian kicks him in the ribs but Fad To Black is countered into…well into an also countered spinning powerbomb. Instead Kazarian hits a Backstabber for two but Hendry is right back with a powerbomb for the same. Hendry takes him to the apron and tries a belly to back suplex, only to have Kazarian get in what looked to be a shot with a foreign object to knock Hendry cold for the pin at 7:31.

Rating: B-. They were getting to a good match before the Randy Savage/Tito Santana finish. I’m not sure I get the thinking to having Hendry, the hottest star in the promotion, losing like this, but odds are we’re going to be seeing a rematch. Hopefully Hendry gets the win back there, because otherwise this is a really questionable move at best.

Post match Kazarian goes after Hendry again but Ace Steele makes the save. Fans: “OH CRY ME A RIVER!”

We recap Mustafa Ali defending the X-Division Title against Trent Seven, who defeated his partner Mike Bailey to get the shot.

X-Division Title: Mustafa Ali vs. Trent Seven

Ali, with Champagne Singh and the Secret Service, is defending. We’re in Ali’s hometown, but Seven brings up the rather insincere interview Ali had with Tom Hannifan this week on Impact. We see some extended footage, with Ali ranting about how horrible of a place Chicago is and how he lives in the suburbs. Oh and the X-Division Title is a meaningless prop.

Ali charges at him to start but walks into the Seven Star Lariat for two. They head outside with Seven beating him around ringside as the fans say THEY STILL LOVE Ali. Seven chops away in the corner but Ali comes back with a tornado DDT. Seven is sent outside but he blocks a suicide dive dive and hits a dragon suplex. Back in and Seven misses a dive off the top, only to come up favoring his knee.

Ali’s running boot in the corner is countered into a powerbomb for two but Ali is fine enough to hit the rolling neckbreaker. Seven slams his way out of trouble and they slug it out until Ali goes after the knee again. Bop and Bang gets Seven out of trouble but the X Plex is countered with a low blow. Ali hits his own Seven Star Lariat for two so they go up top. Ali catches him with a superkick on the middle rope but Seven is back with the super swinging slam for two.

The Birminghammer is loaded up but Ali grabs the rope for the break. Another shot to the knee brings Seven down again and they go up top, only for Seven to give us the big knockdown to the floor. Seven barely beats the ten count but Ali is right there with the 450 for two.

With nothing else working, Ali grabs the belt, which is taken away, allowing Seven to hit him low right back. The Birminghammer connects for two and they’re both down. Back up and a super Birminghammer is broken up with a rake to the eyes, allowing Ali to kick out the leg again. A 450 to the legs sets up a Sharpshooter to retain Ali’s title at 15:30.

Rating: B. This was the kind of match where the ending wasn’t exactly in doubt but it worked well anyway. They went with Ali being frustrated but being smart enough to capitalize on he knee injury and using it to win. The big showdown is going to be Ali vs. Mike Bailey in Montreal, and it wouldn’t stun me to see the match end with a Sharpshooter, both as a call back to this and….well Montreal in general.

Frankie Kazarian is ticked about that piece of…..Chicago trash Ace Steele. Santino Marella comes in to say if Kazarian wants to get his hands on Steele, they can have a Chicago Street Fight this week on Impact.

ABC vs. Eric Young/Josh Alexander

Commentary has to point out that there is a theme of weird partners vs. established teams tonight. Young and Bey start things off and go to an early standoff, leaving Bey smiling. Alexander comes in and backs Austin into the corner before Austin sweeps the leg. A kick to the back staggers Alexander and it’s Bey coming back in for an armdrag into an armbar. It’s back to Austin to dropkick the knee out as we get a SUPER ERIC chant.

Alexander fights up and hands it back to Young, who gets taken into the wrong corner rather quickly. A hard whip into the corner has Bey in trouble though and it’s right back to Alexander. Bey gets caught in a release German suplex (a nice looking one at that) so Austin offers a distraction….as we get stereo testicular claws. This draws by far the strongest reaction of the night and commentary almost needs a minute to compose themselves.

Young grabs a neckbreaker for two but it’s back to Alexander as everything breaks down. Austin’s running crossbody to the back on the apron is cut off but Austin’s apron kick is countered into an ankle lock in a smart move. Bey and Young hit their own dives and everyone is down on the ramp. Back in and Austin fights out of a super fireman’s carry, with the fans requesting that everyone be careful. Austin’s kick to the head is countered into an ankle lock, with Bey making the save.

With that not working, Austin tries a sleeper, only to have Alexander suplex Austin and Bey at the same time. Not to be outdone, Young tries a double Death Valley Driver, only for ABC to slip out and hit him with a double superkick. Austin kicks Alexander in the head but walks into a powerslam. Alexander’s powerbomb backbreaker gets two on Bey and Young drops the top rope elbow for the same, with Austin having to make another save. Young accidentally runs Alexander over though, allowing Austin to hit the Fold for the pin at 18:11.

Rating: B. It was a good, hard hitting back and forth match and if they had cut a few minutes out, it would have been even better. I do appreciate the fact that the established team won here as it’s hard to buy one of the best teams in recent years losing here. For a bonus match added for no particular reason, this could have been a lot worse.

We recap Jordynne Grace going to NXT but getting cheated out of the NXT Women’s Title. It’s open challenge time.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. ???

Grace is defending against….NXT’s Tatum Paxley, a bit of an odd one who is obsessed with gold. Before we get going, Ash By Elegance’s handler comes out to say that out of the goodness of her heart, Ash will not be pressing charges against Jordynne Grace. With Ash sitting on the stage, we’re ready to go, with Grace powering her into the corner to start. Grace powers her down again and grabs a swinging faceplant to put Paxley on the mat again.

Some hard shots to the back of the head set up a camel clutch, with Paxley biting her way to freedom. Grace makes the mistake of going after Ash though, allowing Paxley to send her shoulder first into the ring structure. Back in and Grace gets pulled into a half crab, which is quickly escaped to set up a neckbreaker.

The Vader Bomb misses but Grace runs her over again and hits Grace Under Pressure for two. Grace puts her up top for the MuscleBuster and a near fall, meaning it’s surprised kickout face. Paxley gets two off some rollups before catching Grace on top for a super Lobotomy (swinging neckbreaker) for two more. Grace slugs away but gets caught in a guillotine, only to power up again. Some hard shots to the back and chest set up the Juggernaut Driver to retain the title at 11:06.

Rating: B-. Paxley isn’t exactly a top NXT name, but it’s cool to see someone going over to TNA and making Grace look like a star. That’s all you need here, as Grace has gotten one heck of a boost out of this whole story. Grace seems primed for a huge showdown with Ash By Elegance, and this was a great way to make her look dominant on the way there.

Post match Ash goes after Grace but gets the brass knuckles taken away. Grace lays her out and pours champagne over here, with Rehwoldt panicking.

We recap Matt Hardy challenging Moose for the TNA World Title. Hardy returned at Rebellion and wants the title, meaning it’s time for all the Broken stuff because that’s what Hardy does in TNA.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. Matt Hardy

Moose, with the System, is defending and this is Broken Rules, more or less meaning a street fight. Cue the Nemeths to brawl with the System (save for Alisha) to the back, making it a lot more even. Hardy hits a clothesline into a DDT and there’s the Side Effect onto the apron to put Moose down again. The Twist Of Fate connects on the floor but Moose is back up with some trashcan lid shots to the face.

Moose grabs a ladder and then chairs him over and over, only to have Hardy come back with a low blow. Now it’s Hardy getting in some chair shots of his own and they head outside, with the brawl going into the crowd. Hardy knocks him back to ringside and hits a suplex, setting up a middle rope elbow for two. The Twist Of Fate is countered into a release Rock Bottom so it’s time to load up a table in the corner.

The spear is blocked so Moose chairs him down instead and then piles the chairs up. A superplex onto the chairs gives Moose two so he sets the chairs up side by side. Another superplex through them is broken up and Hardy powerbombs him onto the chairs for two of his own. With the chairs exhausted, Hardy grabs a box from underneath the ring. Moose gets in a trashcan lid shot and puts Hardy down, allowing him to pull….a football helmet out of the box. With the helmet on, Moose charges into a backdrop over the top and onto the ladder at ringside.

Hardy uses the breaker to load up two ladders at ringside with a table between them. A well placed Chicago Bears helmet to the head drops Moose (and draws what sounds like a CTE chant, which is kind of chilling). Hardy’s legdrop off the ladder puts Moose through a table before Hardy wraps a chair around Moose’s head.

The Twist of Fate with the chair gets two, as Alisha comes in with the kendo stick for the save. Cue Reby Hardy for the brawl, including her own Twist of Fate to Alisha. Matt loads up his own spear but puts Reby through the table by mistake. The shaken up Matt walks into a spear from Moose to retain the title at 21:32.

Rating: C+. Well thank goodness for that. I was worried that Moose was going to drop the title here and I don’t think I could handle more of the Broken Hardys. Moose winning off the spear isn’t exactly an inspiring moment but it is going to be a pretty big deal when someone finally beats him. Better main event than usual from Moose, but there was a lot of time that could have been cut while they were setting things up.

Post match the beatdown is on with the Nemeths and Joe Hendry coming in for a failed save attempt…so here is Jeff Hardy with a chair for the real save. House is cleaned and a Swanton hits Moose, leaving the good guys to pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling was rather strong throughout most of the night, but it did feel like the show before the show that really matters. You had Grace winning to set up her match with Ash, the ABC winning a nothing match, Ali winning to set up his match with Bailey, and the Hardys coming back because they always have to be around. It’s a show that could have been a bit shorter, but I was expecting nothing and got about three hours of solid action, so I’ll call that a rather nice win.

Results
Sami Callihan b. Jonathan Gresham – Cactus Driver 97
Alisha Edwards/Masha Slamovich b. The Hex – Steiner Bulldog to Belle
Mike Santana/Steve Maclin b. The Rascalz – Spin The Block to Wentz
PCO b. Rich Swann – PCOsault
System b. Ryan Nemeth/Nic Nemeth – Boston Knee Party to Ryan
Frankie Kazarian b. Joe Hendry – Right hand with a foreign object
Mustafa Ali b. Trent Seven – Sharpshooter
ABC b. Josh Alexander/Eric Young – The Fold to Young
Jordynne Grace b. Tatum Paxley – Juggernaut Driver
Moose b. Matt Hardy – Spear

 

 

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