TNA Genesis 2025: Dang They’re Good

Genesis 2025
Date: January 19, 2025
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the first major pay per view of the year and the big story is that Joe Hendry is getting his second chance to become TNA World Champion. That’s enough of a story, but other than that, there is a good chance that NXT is going to be heavily involved around here, as the two promotions have announced a multi-year partnership. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Ashante Thee Adonis vs. Jake Something

This is the result of NXT’s Adonis’ opening challenge to officially kick off the new partnership. Adonis throws his jacket at Something to start and is promptly run over with some shoulders. A hard forearm takes Adonis down again and, after shrugging off some stomps, Something shoves him into the corner. Adonis gets in a forearm to the back and kicks away but Something is back with a heck of a running shoulder in the corner. Something knocks him out of the air and hits Into The Void for the win at 3:54.

Rating: C+. Nice choice for an opener here as Something got to look like a monster and the fans liked what they were seeing. Other than that, it was nice to see a TNA star dominating an NXT name, even someone as low on the list as Adonis. Not a great match, but it was fun and got the fans going without taking much time. In other words, it was exactly what it should have been.

Kickoff Show: Leon Slater vs. Frankie Kazarian

JDC is on commentary. Kazarian armdrags him down to start but Slater gets in a whip to the corner, meaning it’s time to dance. Back up and Slater is sat on top for a shove out to the floor, setting up the slingshot legdrop for two back inside. The running flipping neckbreaker gives Kazarian two and there’s a springboard spinning legdrop, though JDC isn’t happy with Slater playing to the crowd (ignore Slater not playing to the crowd).

Slater fights up and hits a running boot to the face, setting up a high crossbody for two. Something like a Blue Thunder Bomb gives Slater two but the slingshot Fameasser into the slingshot cutter drops Slater again. Fade To Black is blocked and Slater kicks him to the floor, setting up the big running flip dive over the post. Back in and the Swanton 450 hits knees though, with Kazarian grabbing a rollup with tights for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C+. Gah they were starting to get to a higher level right at the end when it all stopped. I’m not sure if Slater is going to go on to become anything big around here but the fans are reacting to him and his high flying stuff is looking rather nice. That’s more than enough to warrant giving him another look and TNA seems to know that, even this early in his time with the company. The fans were reacting to Slater here and I could have gone for another few minutes.

Camryn Wright sings the National Anthem.

The opening video talks about how this is the beginning and looks at the biggest matches.

X-Division Title: Moose vs. Ace Austin

Moose, with JDC and Alisha Edwards, is defending and debuts a new title design. Austin immediately jumps him to start and hammers away in the corner but they’re quickly on the floor. Moose gets in a whip into the barricade and then does it again for a bonus. A missed charge sends Moose into the barricade for a change though and Austin adds a suplex on the floor.

JDC offers a distraction, allowing Austin to get chokeslammed off the top and onto the apron. Back in and Austin tries to fire off some chops but gets knocked down without much trouble. The spear misses for Moose and Austin Russian legsweeps him down. A springboard kick to the face and a double stomp gets two. The Fold is blocked and Moose’s middle rope chokebomb gives him two of his own.

They slug it out until Moose knocks him to the floor, where another chokebomb is countered into a hurricanrana. They go outside where Moose accidentally spears JDC, allowing Austin to hit the Fold. Cue Brian Myers for a distraction, with Moose hitting the spear for two. Austin kicks him in the head and tries the Art Of Finesse but gets speared out of the air. Another spear retains the title at 14:38.

Rating: B. I kept going back and forth about the winner here, as the appeal of having Austin win the title in honor of Chris Bey would have been an awesome moment. At the same time, Moose holding onto the title and dominating the division until someone steps up to dethrone him works very well too. I could go for seeing where that goes long term and if it means more matches like this, I’m all for it. This was a heck of a power vs. speed match and the fans, again, were all over what they were being given. Austin can go with anyone and I wouldn’t be complaining about seeing him doing something more important.

Post match the beatdown is teased but Eric Young and Steve Maclin (scheduled to face the System tonight) run in for the save. The brawl is on and we’re doing this one now.

Steve Maclin/Eric Young vs. The System

Maclin backbreakers Edwards to start and knees Myers down, only for Edwards to come back with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Myers takes over on Maclin and Edwards adds a clothesline for two as commentary talks about the history of tag wrestling in the company. Maclin facebusters and clotheslines his way out of trouble, allowing Young to come in and clean house. The top rope elbow gets two on Myers but a double suplex drops Young for two. Everything breaks down and Alisha’s distraction lets Myers get in a spear for two on Maclin. The System Overload is broken up though and it’s the KIA to pin Myers at 7:30.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match here and the good thing is they didn’t take too long. That’s a trap that so many promotions fall into and it’s nice to see someone realize that a match like this doesn’t need to be fifteen minutes. Maclin and Young aren’t likely to be a long term team, but they’re fine for two bigger names who don’t have anything else to do at the moment.

We meet the French announce team and run down the rest of the card.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Spitfire vs. Ash By Elegance/Heather By Elegance

Spitfire is defending but the challengers get a New Age Outlaws style introduction by the Personal Concierge. By Elegance are in Dallas Cowboys cheerleader gear but stop to say GO EAGLES, meaning the fight is on in a hurry. Luna splashes Ash for two to start but a double suplex is broken up. Heather comes in and gets suplexed (with a squat) instead but the Concierge gets in a trip from the floor to take over.

Back in and Luna gets choked on the ropes, allowing Luna to flip around a bit. A running dropkick in the corner gets two on Luna and Ash grabs a chinlock. That’s broken up and it’s off to Threat to clean house. Everything breaks down and a Backstabber/double stomp combination gets two on Threat. Luna is back in with some German suplexes before Threat sends Heather outside with Pop Shove It. The Pressure Drop retains the titles at 9:31.

Rating: C. The match was fine but the titles still don’t feel like they really need to be a thing. By Elegance was a fine choice for challengers, but where do we go from here? The champions retained the titles clean, so other than a rematch, it’s time to find new challengers. That has been the problem for the titles since their inception and that is going to continue until there are a lot more teams to pick from, which isn’t seeming likely.

We look at Frankie Kazarian beating Leon Slater on the Kickoff Show.

Kazarian teases cashing in his Call Your Shot tonight.

We recap Tessa Blanchard vs. Jordynne Grace. Blanchard returned at Final Resolution and no one is happy about it, with Grace stepping up for the Knockouts division and the company.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Jordynne Grace

Grace wastes no time in powering her into the corner to hammer away. They head outside with Grace hitting a big dive but Blanchard sends her into the steps. A hurricanrana is countered into a swing into the steps but Blanchard stomps on the hand. The fans are all over Blanchard here as she comes back in with a dragon sleeper. Blanchard sends her into the corner for a running Codebreaker but Grace catches her on top with a super fall away slam.

They take their time getting up before slugging it out, with Grace getting the better of things. A package powerbomb gives Grace two but Blanchard is back with a double underhook Canadian Destroyer for the same. Grace’s suplex is countered into a neckbreaker for two more and they head back outside.

Grace shrugs off a shot to the head and hits a Death Valley Driver from the steps to the floor for a nasty crash. Back in and they go up, with Blanchard grabbing a super crucifix driver for two more. Blanchard is back up with an octopus but Grace reverses into a reverse fisherman’s suplex.

A cutter drops Grace for two but she’s right back up with a spinning reverse Alabama Slam for two more. With nothing else working, Blanchard rips off most of a turnbuckle pad and Buzzsaw (hammerlock DDT) sends Grace into the pad for two. A bulldog into the buckle and Magnum (top rope Codebreaker) finish Grace at 20:17.

Rating: B+. Blanchard has a lot of baggage to her and that has ruined a lot of her career, but she is one of the most talented women of her generation. She’s a complete package and it makes sense for TNA to want her to be a major star. I’m not sure how well that is going to go given what she has done behind the scenes, but dang it can be fun to see her in the ring.

We recap Mike Santana vs. Josh Alexander. They hate each other, they’ve been fighting a lot, it’s time for an I Quit match.

Josh Alexander vs. Mike Santana

I Quit match and the Northern Armory is barred from ringside. Alexander goes for the wrestling to start and Santana realizes he’s in over his head, so he sends Alexander to the floor for a big flip dive. It takes to long to set up a table though and Alexander snaps off an overhead belly to belly suplex. Alexander starts going after the leg and rolls Three Amigos to really annoy the crowd.

The running crossbody to the back misses so Alexander has to settle for a World’s Strongest Slam onto the apron. Back in and Santana uses the good leg for a kick to the face, setting up a Cannonball. A Death Valley Driver hits Alexander and they’re both down. Spin The Block is countered into the ankle lock but Santana loses his boot to escape (and commentary points out the Eddie Guerrero connections), only to get backdropped over the top and through the table at ringside.

That’s still a no on quitting so Alexander grabs a chair and beats the heck out of the leg. Santana insists there is no quit in him so Alexander stomps away, even with Santana busted open. The C4 Spike just wakes Santana up and a springboard hurricanrana sets up a frog splash.

Spin The Block puts Alexander down but he won’t quit. Santana steals Alexander’s zip tie and ties the arms together, setting up another Spin The Block. A Cannonball against a table onto Alexander still isn’t enough so he pulls out the slap jack and hammers at the ribs. That’s still not enough so Santana loads up a Curb Stomp onto the steps, which makes Alexander quit at 23:08.

Rating: B. All of the Eddie tributes aside, this was a star making performance from Santana, as he survived everything Alexander threw at him and then overwhelmed one of the most successful stars TNA has ever had. If Santana isn’t World Champion by the end of the year, I don’t know what this company is doing, because he has stepped up in a huge way and the fans are reacting to everything that he does.

Post match Santana wants a handshake and Alexander gives him one….then he quits TNA.

We recap the Hardys defending the Tag Team Titles against the Rascalz. The Hardys are the champions and the Rascalz want the titles.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Rascalz

The Hardys are defending…and NXT Tag Team Champions Fraxiom come down to watch at ringside. Matt and Miguel start things off with a series of exchanges and escapes before it’s off to Jeff (pop) vs. Wentz. Jeff takes him down for some early near falls and it’s quickly off to Matt for two of his own. Wentz knees Jeff down though and some rapid fire strikes take over without much effort. A Dream Sequence gets two but Matt cuts off a dive and hits a Side Effect on the floor.

Back in and the Plot twist gets two on Miguel and everything breaks down, with a baseball slide sending Matt into Fraxiom. A dive takes Fraxiom out by mistake so here is security to get rid of them. Jeff uses the steps for Poetry In Motion but Miguel is back with an enziguri to Matt and everyone is down. The Twist Of Fate is broken up and it’s a Cheeky Nandos Kick into a 619 to Jeff. Another Twist is broken up but Matt grabs one on Miguel, setting up the Swanton to retain at 13:04.

Rating: C+. The match was mostly action packed and the Fraxiom tease was mainly about setting up something for the future, but it’s still a bit much to see the ancient Hardys beating another young, talented team. It wouldn’t shock me to see the Hardys getting the NXT Tag Team Titles soon and that’s a bit much to take.

Video on the Chris Bey Go Fund Me.

Rebellion is in Los Angeles on April 27.

We recap Rosemary challenging Masha Slamovich for the Knockouts Title. Rosemary hasn’t had the title in seven years so now it’s time for a Clockwork Orange House Of Fun match.

Knockouts Title: Rosemary vs. Masha Slamovich

Rosemary is challenging in a Clockwork Orange House Of Fun match, meaning a weapons filled, falls count anywhere street fight. Slamovich strikes away to start and grabs a trashcan lid to take over fast. A staple gun to various parts of Rosemary have her in trouble but she mists Slamovich to take over.

It’s too early for a DDT onto an open chair and Slamovich can see well enough for a running crossbody to put Rosemary through a table at ringside. Slamovich’s running flip dive off the apron only hits chair though and it’s time to bust out Janice (the 2×4 with nails sticking out), which is raked over Slamovich’s back. The beating takes Slamovich up the ramp as Rosemary pours the tags onto the stage.

A spear sends Slamovich into the tacks but instead of covering, it’s time for a barbed wire board. As usual, that takes too long and it’s a Snow Plow to send Rosemary into the wire. Slamovich goes up a well placed ladder but gets shoved down through a table at ringside. Back in and Rosemary sets up some chairs, only to get piledriven from the middle rope onto said chairs to retain the title at 14:02.

Rating: B. It was a violent match, but it was hard to imagine that Slamovich was in any serious danger here. She is going to need a special kind of challenger to take the title. Rosemary is a talented star, but Slamovich is a monster champion right now and I could go for seeing her hold the title for a good while.

Post match NXT’s Cora Jade comes out for a staredown with Slamovich.

The Busted Open Radio hosts talk about the main event but Ryan Nemeth comes out to say HIS BROTHER is not going to be happy with their picks. Santana Marella bans him from ringside.

We recap the World Title match. Nic Nemeth beat Joe Hendry to retain the title at Bound For Glory but Hendry earned a rematch and feels he has to win to validate all of the faith in him.

TNA World Title: Joe Hendry vs. Nic Nemeth

Hendry is challenging. They fight over a lockup to start with the stronger Hendry shoving him down for an early advantage. They trade rollups for two each before fighting over wrist control. Nemeth hits a dropkick but Hendry is right back with a jumping knee. The delayed suplex is countered into a sleeper from Nemeth as Ryan Nemeth, ticket in hand, sits down at ringside.

Hendry fights out of an armbar and fires off some uppercuts, only to get caught with a neckbreaker. A crossface keeps Hendry in trouble until he fights up, where Nemeth hits another dropkick. Hendry is fine enough to grab a running cutter and wins a slugout, setting up the all away slam to send Nemeth flying. A short powerbomb gives Hendry two and an AA is good for the same as the momentum is building.

Nemeth knocks him off the top rope and hits a Fameasser for two, leaving them both down. For some reason Nemeth goes up but gets caught in a super fall away slam. Cue Kazarian with the trophy but John Layfield makes the save before taking out Ryan Nemeth and leaving. The Standing Ovation gives Hendry two and the superkick into the Danger Zone gives Nemeth the same. Back up and Hendry hits another fall away slam into another Standing Ovation for the pin and the title at 19:07.

Rating: B. They didn’t have another real option here, which makes the relief that they did the right thing all the funnier. What matters the most is that Hendry got the win (clean at that) and gets to be the top star, as long as it lasts. This is what TNA needed to do and it came after a hard fought, back and forth match where Hendry FINALLY won the big one. Good stuff here as they close it out on a feel good moment.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show with nothing bad and some nice feel good moments. I was way into a lot of what I was seeing here and they even paid it off with a big moment at the end. They didn’t do anything screwy here and it was about four hours counting Kickoff Show. Really awesome show here and worth a look if you want a look at what TNA can do and in this case, does.

Results
Jake Something b. Ashante Thee Adonis – Into The Void
Frankie Kazarian b. Leon Slater – Rollup with tights
Moose b. Ace Austin – Spear
Steve Maclin/Eric Young b. The System – KIA to Myers
Spitfire b. Ash By Elegance/Heather By Elegance – Pressure Drop to Ash
Tessa Blanchard b. Jordynne Grace – Magnum
Mike Santana b. Josh Alexander when Alexander quit
Hardys b. Rascalz – Swanton to Miguel
Masha Slamovich b. Rosemary – Middle rope piledriver onto open chairs

 

 

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