Impact Wrestling – January 16, 2025: The Genesis Of The Genesis
Impact Wrestling
Date: January 16, 2025
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt
We’re a few days away from Genesis and that means it should be time to hammer home the card. Most of the matches have already been announced, but there is still time to push everything just a bit harder. I’m sure we’ll get a big Joe Hendry and Nic Nemeth showdown so let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening recap.
Opening sequence.
Leon Slater vs. Trent Seven
Frankie Kazarian, who is facing Slater on the Genesis Kickoff Show, is on commentary. Seven takes him down to start but Slater kicks him in the head, followed by a knockdown out to the floor. A dragon suplex sends Slater down some steps but he dives back in for the save, setting up another running boot to the face to drop Seven for two.
Slater takes him up top but gets caught with a super slam for another near fall. Back up and Seven hits him in the face, setting up the Birminghammer for two more. Slater is back with a boot to the face and a DDT on the apron, setting up a big dive. Back in and the Swanton 450 finishes Seven at 8:47.
Rating: C+. I kept wondering what it was going to take to beat Slater and it just never happened so points for doing the logical thing before Slater’s match with Kazarian. Slater isn’t reinventing the wheel out there but he can do some nice high flying stuff and the fans seem into him. Nice opener here, with Slater continuing to look pretty good.
Post match Kazarian teases jumping him but stops just in time.
Video on Joe Hendry, who is ready to get to the top of the mountain after coming short at Bound For Glory.
Here is the Personal Concierge for the pre-championship celebration for Ash/Heather By Elegance. We get the reveal of some cardboard cutouts with the two of them as champions and Ash is happy to win the titles. Well this weekend that is. We get some tearful thank you’s before the fans are not happy with Heather. She’s ready to win as well but here is Spitfire to interrupt. Bickering ensues and By Elegance is sent outside, leaving the cardboard to be destroyed.
Sami Callihan and PCO are ready to beat the Hardys and get into the Tag Team Title match at Genesis.
First Class vs. Eric Young/Steve Maclin
Navarro slaps Young to start and is quickly beaten into the corner to cut that off. Maclin comes in to hammer away in the corner but gets sent outside by Francis as the villains get to take over. Francis gets in a shoving match with….someone famous at ringside, which is enough of a distraction for Maclin to get in an Angle Slam. Everything breaks down and Young’s top rope elbow finishes Navarro at 6:35.
Rating: C. Not much to this one but Navarro is pretty much just there to take the fall while Francis gets to be the star. That being said, there isn’t much shame in losing to a pair of former World Champions who have had some success as a team. First Class is likely going to be something at some point this year so this feels like something of a roadblock on the way towards inevitability.
Post match the System comes out for the staredown.
We look at Cora Jade and Masha Slamovich on NXT.
Rosemary is ready for violence with Slamovich.
We look at the Northern Armory destroying Mike Santana at a recent independent show.
Here is the Northern Armory to brag about taking out Santana…and Santana pops up to say he won’t quit. That’s why at Genesis, their match should be an I Quit match. Works for Alexander, who threatens a lot of violence and pain. Alexander promises to show that Santana is a middle of the road star, with Santana promising to become the new standard of TNA. Santana was fired up here and it showed.
Jake Something vs. Laredo Kid
Kid tries to start fast but is quickly sent outside without much trouble. Back in and Something hits a corner clothesline before knocking a diving Kid out of the air. Kid knocks him down though and avoids a charge into the corner, setting up some enziguris. A flipping DDT gives Kid two but Something catches him on top, meaning it’s a super sitout powerbomb (that looked good) for the pin at 5:17.
Rating: C+. Power vs. speed works pretty much every time in wrestling, but, as usual, none of this means a thing if Something doesn’t win a match that matters. We’ve seen him get built up so many times and it goes nowhere, which makes me hesitant to buy into it here. For now though, I’ll take a pretty awesome looking finisher like that powerbomb as Kid was done.
Video on Ace Austin, who wants the X-Division Title back and is only thinking about doing this for Chris Bey. He talks about what the X-Division means and how far he has gone in it over the years, which is why he’s going back to his roots. This was good stuff and it would be a heck of an awesome moment if he won the title.
PCO/Sami Callihan vs. Hardys
Non-title. Callihan knocks Jeff into the corner to start and it’s a four way slugout early on as we take a break. Back with Poetry In Motion hitting Callihan for two but Callihan takes over on Matt. PCO comes in for some clotheslines but a double DDT gets Matt out of trouble. Everything breaks down and Jeff comes in for the Whisper In The Wind. The Twist of Fate into the Swanton finishes Callihan at 10:03.
Rating: C. Well that was uneventful. I’m not sure what was supposed to be interesting here as they were teasing making the title match a triple threat and then the Hardys just beat them clean. Callihan and PCO never felt like a big time team but this should be it for them for good without much doubt.
Genesis rundown.
Jordynne Grace pops up on commentary to say that Tessa Blanchard hasn’t signed for their match. Grace has signed and leaves the contract behind.
Here is Joe Hendry for his showdown with Nic Nemeth. Hendry says he has to win the title because it is time for him to start a new era by holding up that championship. Nemeth says he understands what Hendry has to do but Hendry doesn’t know what it’s like to be champion.
We see a clip of John Layfield interfering at Bound For Glory and Nemeth says he didn’t see it live. All Nemeth saw was Layfield attacking his brother, who comes out to interrupt. Ryan comes in and goes after Hendry, allowing Nic to make the save with a superkick. The Nemeths leave and Hendry is shaken up. Hendry has to win. I just don’t know that he will.
Tessa Blanchard runs in to sign the contract, with Jordynne Grace appearing for the brawl. The Juggernaut Driver leaves Blanchard laying to end the show.
Overall Rating: C+. This was very much a TNA go home show, as the card for the pay per view was pretty much set and all they had to do was sharpen the edges a bit. Genesis is going to depend on how Hendry does in his next World Title shot, because that’s by far the biggest thing on the show. The rest of the card is good enough, but it’s all about the main event because Hendry is long past the point of needing to win the title. This show worked well enough, but it’s pretty much just a big preview for Genesis.
Results
Leon Slater b. Trent Seven – Swanton 450
Eric Young/Steve Maclin b. First class – Top rope elbow to Navarro
Jake Something b. Laredo Kid – Super sitout powerbomb
Hardys b. PCO/Sami Callihan – Swanton to Callihan
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