Impact Wrestling
Date: May 29, 2025
Location: CAA Centre, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re done with Under Siege and there wasn’t much to talk about on the show. However, there was also an NXT show over the weekend, where NXT’s Trick Williams won the TNA World Title. That’s going to set the stage for Against All Odds, which is already taking place next weekend. Let’s get to it.

Here is Under Siege if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Trick Williams winning the NXT Title at Battleground. Commentary welcomes us to the show and you would think someone died.

Opening sequence.

Rascalz vs. First Class vs. Aztec Warriors vs. The System

For the Tag Team Title shot at Against All Odds and Laredo Kid is on his own after the System attacked Octagon Jr. earlier today. The System bails to the floor to start so Miguel and Kid flip around to a standoff. We hit the rapid fire tags until Kid clears the ring. Alisha Edwards offers a distraction but gets ejected for her efforts. The Rascalz take everyone else out with a bunch of dives and we take a break.

Back with Myers grabbing a chinlock on Kid before Francis comes in with a hard clothesline. First Class starts taking turns on Kid, with Francis adding a running knee in the corner. Navarro accidentally tags Kid, meaning he has to face Francis. That doesn’t present a problem, as Navarro drops down and gets covered, with everyone else running in for the save. Why they did that rather than shaking hands and having Navarro suddenly give up isn’t clear.

Wentz comes back in to clean house until Francis has to make a save. Everything breaks down and Miguel hits a running flip dive onto the System. Kid is up to dive onto just about everyone else but Francis plants him with a chokeslam off the top. Miguel Meteoras Francis though, allowing him to steal the pin on Kid at 12:44.

Rating: B-. This was a match that had to happen as they only had so much time to get challengers ready for Against All Odds. The move makes as much sense as anything else as the Rascalz are an established team and won a fast paced match to get the title shot. As usual, it’s a good choice for an opener and it went well.

The Nemeths are ready for the Rascalz.

During the break, First Class had an argument and Mike Santana jumped AJ Francis.

We meet new signees Myla Grace and Harley Hudson, who are ready to prove themselves and have some attitude. They had a match on Xplosion and the fans seemed to like it so it’s time to keep fighting. The Personal Concierge pops in to ask where Santino Marella is, with Xia Brookside (watching the interview) and the newcomers laughing at him. I’ve seen worse ways to introduce someone.

Raj Singh vs. Mustafa Ali

The rest of Order 4 is here with Ali, who jumps him in the corner to start fast. Back up and a running dropkick puts Singh down again, followed by a neckbreaker to make it worse. Singh gets in a clothesline and hammers away but the Great Hands offer a distraction. Ali drops the 450 for the pin at 2:49. Hopefully that’s it for Singh, as he and Ali don’t need to do this long term.

Post match Ali yells at the rest of Order 4 until the Great Hands lay out Singh again.

Arianna Grace is worried about the mixed tag match but Santino Marella says it’ll be great for them to team together. And Jimmy Korderas is going to be the guest referee!

Ash By Elegance vs. Lei Ying Li

Ash wastes no time in bailing to the floor at the threat of a spinning kick. Back in and a running knee and a running dropkick have Ash in more trouble but she gets smart by kicking at the leg. An arm/leg crank doesn’t last long for Ash as Li is up to strike away in the corner. A running knee gives Li two and she yells a lot, setting up a spinning torture rack neckbreaker for the pin on Ash at 5:57.

Rating: C. This was a way to give Li a quick win and that’s all it needed to be. She might be in line for a title shot sooner than later, perhaps as soon as Against All Odds, so giving her a fast win makes sense. Li is mainly there to do her kicks, but she does them rather convincingly most of the time.

Post match Masha Slamovich comes in and says she’ll see Li at Against All Odds.

We look at Trick Williams winning the World Title, plus the fallout.

We look at Mike Santana winning his NXT debut and then challenging Trick Williams for an NXT Title shot next week.

Williams doesn’t like Brampton so he’s not there. Instead, he’ll beat Santana to keep the title.

Mance Warner vs. Bryce Hansen

Steph de Lander is here with Warner, who jumps Hansen in the corner to start. We pause for a crawl over to de Lander for a kiss before a clothesline drops Hansen again. A running knee and an implant DDT give Warner the pin at 2:40. Warner looked good here, and he did it without barbed wire.

Post match de Lander says Warner wants the International Title.

We look at Xia Brookside snapping and attacking Rosemary at Under Siege.

Rosemary is happy that Brookside has finally seen the dark. She wants Brookside to fill her soul with darkness.

Santino Marella/Arianna Grace vs. Robert Stone/Tessa Blanchard

Well hold on as Blanchard is injured so Victoria Crawford is taking her place. We have some special rules too: the match cannot go over ten minutes, Alisha Edwards will be the guest enforcer referee, and the Cobra is BANNED.

Santino Marella/Arianna Grace vs. Robert Stone/Victoria Crawford

Jimmy Korderas is guest referee. Stone runs away from Rivera to start and it’s quickly off to Grace. Blanchard trips her down and gets ejected, meaning Crawford gets the chance to come in instead. Crawford gets in a knockdown and grabs a chinlock. Stone teases coming in so Marella chases him off, meaning it’s time for a front facelock instead.

That’s broken up and it’s off to Marella as everything breaks down. Grace comes back in with a high crossbody but Stone pulls Korderas out. Said Korderas is sent into Marella, who is sent into the barricade. Crawford ax kicks Grace, allowing Stone to get the pin, as counted by Alisha Edwards, at 6:32.

Rating: C. The match was kind of a mess with so much going on, but that is probably a lot better than having them work a straight match. At the same time, this is still one of the worst stories going today as the battling bosses is only so good on its best day. When you have it with these guys, it’s leaving quite a bit to be desired.

We look at members of the local government helping Eric Young pin Moose at Under Siege.

Young, with the Northern Armory, wants the X-Division Title. Moose comes in and will talk to Santino Marella about it.

Heather By Elegance, with the Personal Concierge, introduces M By Elegance (Maggie Lee) after her makeover. Cue Myla Grace and Harley Hudson to interrupt, saying they want to earn some respect. Then they throw champagne on Lee, who panics and leaves with By Elegance.

Against All Odds rundown, with Elijah getting a World Title shot.

International Title: Matt Cardona vs. Steve Maclin

Maclin is defending and gets a pep talk from Tommy Dreamer in the back. Maclin starts fast and hammers away in the corner to knock Cardona outside. An elbow off the apron connects and a backdrop puts Cardona on the ramp as we take a break. Back with Cardona hitting a neckbreaker and then a neckbreaker for two. The neck crank goes on to keep Maclin in trouble, at least until the comeback is triggered.

Maclin fights up and we get a double knockdown, followed by the clothesline comeback. Cardona gets in a knockdown of his own for two and goes up, where he is superplexed back down. Back up and some running boots in the corner rock Maclin, who is right back with a running knee. The Jar Headbutt gets two, as does Cardona’s Unprettier. Radio Silence gets two more but Maclin ties him in the Tree of Woe for the running shoulder. KIA retains the title at 15:51.

Rating: B-. They got going a bit near the end here, which is a good addition to a match which seemed designed to give Maclin a nice win. Cardona is a name with some value and it worked with a one off match. Good stuff for a main event here, though we’ll get to Maclin’s next real challenger soon enough.

Mike Santana is ready to win the World Title.

Overall Rating: B-. This was an interesting show, as they barely touched Under Siege (makes sense), instead focusing on building Against All Odds. That’s what they had to do given the short turnaround time and we already have some title matches set up. If nothing else, the show is already looking better than Under Siege, though that’s only covering so much ground in the first place.

Results
Rascalz b. First Class, Aztec Warriors and The System – Top rope chokeslam to Kid
Mustafa Ali b. Raj Singh – 450
Lei Ying Li b. Ash By Elegance – Torture rack neckbreaker
Mance Warner b. Bryce Hansen – Implant DDT
Robert Stone/Victoria Crawford b. Santino Marella/Arianna Grace – Ax kick to Grace
Steve Maclin b. Matt Cardona – KIA

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Under Siege 2025
Date: May 23, 2025
Location: CAA Centre, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s another special and this card is lacking a bit to put it mildly. There isn’t much on the card as the big TNA match of the weekend is taking place on Sunday at the NXT Battleground event. This show will also see the some odd title matches and Cody Deaner’s future decided. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Rosemary vs. Xia Brookside

Rosemary has been trying to push Brookside to the evil side and jumps her in the corner to start. A stomp to the apron cuts Rosemary off and she rolls outside to yell at commentary. That’s enough of a distraction for Brookside to hit a dive off the top but Rosemary posts her to take over. Back in and a t-bone suplex gives Rosemary a delayed two and it’s time to choke on the ropes a bit.

The Upside Down is countered into a Samoan drop though and Brookside makes the clothesline comeback. Three straight Broken Wings hit Rosemary, who is right back with a spear for the double down. As Above So Below is broken up so Rosemary hits a second spear. Therefore, it’s time for a staple gun. The referee takes that away so Rosemary whips out a belt but Brookside hits a DDT. Brookside grabs the belt and whips Rosemary for the DQ at 8:39.

Rating: C. This was a storyline advancing match more than anything else, with Brookside finally being pushed over to violence. Hopefully the two of them don’t wind up teaming together or something, but it is nice to see Brookside getting a chance to do something new. That has been missing for a good while now and maybe this is where she moves upward after a long wait.

Post match Brookside goes nuts, even whipping the security for trying to break it up. The fans certainly seem to approve and even want more, which they receive.

The opening video looks at the show’s main matches, including stars such as Cody Deaner, the absent Jeff Hardy and NXT’s Trick Williams.

Mike Santana vs. AJ Francis

Hold on though as Francis comes out on a crutch and says he has a severe case of turf toe. After mocking the Toronto Maple Leafs, Francis announces that KC Navarro will be taking his place.

Mike Santana vs. KC Navarro

Santana is fine with this and pulls Navarro in before planting him down for an early two. Three Amigos get two more and we hit the required Eddie Dance. Some hard chops have Navarro in trouble so Francis offers a cheap shot. Navarro gets in a spinning headscissors but Santana is right back with some running shots in the corner.

The rolling Buck Fifty gets two but Spin The Block is blocked. Navarro kicks him down and gets two off a splash but Santana gives him a buckle bomb. The Cannonball gets two so Navarro collapses before Spin The Block can launch. Santana isn’t having this and hits Spin The Block for the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C+. I don’t think it’s the biggest secret that Santana is going to be in the World Title scene sooner rather than later. It’s what he has been talking about and even teased a few times now and going after the X-Division Title would feel out of place. Therefore, giving him a pretty simple win like this to start the show is a good way to prop him up a bit, which is what you need in his spot.

Post match respect is teased but Francis gets in to take out Santana. Navarro eventually helps.

We run down the rest of the card.

Some Brampton government officials, and a mascot, are here. One of them is more popular than others.

We recap Cody Deaner vs. Eddie Edwards. Deaner has not won a match in over a year and his contract is not going to be renewed. Therefore, he’s fighting for his job.

Eric Young gives Deaner a pep talk.

Cody Deaner vs. Eddie Edwards

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. They argue to start and Deaner fires off some right hands. A Steve Austin elbow gets two but Eddie fights up. Alisha gets caught cheating but is only warned rather than being ejected. Eddie takes him down into an early chinlock so Deaner fights up and hits a clothesline. A dive cuts Eddie off but he’s right back with a Blue Thunder Bomb onto the apron.

Back in and Deaner shrugs off some chops and grabs a bulldog. Deaner goes up and gets kicked in the head, setting up a superplex into a tiger bomb for two. They go back outside where Deaner hits Sliced Bread off the steps, followed by a high crossbody back inside. Deaner loads up the DDT but Alisha offers a distraction to the referee and a ring to Eddie. The big shot to the head gets two so Alisha hits Deaner low. The Boston Knee Party gives Eddie the pin at 10:34.

Rating: C+. I get what they’re going for here with Deaner losing his job and everything….but it’s Cody Deaner. When the point of the story is that you haven’t won anything in over a year and you weren’t that important on your best day, it’s kind of hard to care about something like this. The story made sense, but it didn’t work given who it was about and that’s a big problem.

Post match here is the System to mock Deaner, saying no one cares about him and now he’s out of a job. Cue the Northern Armory, who don’t like this anti-Canadian rhetoric. Six man time.

The System vs. Northern Armory

The aforementioned mascot is in the Armory’s corner. Icarus and JDC lock up to start with Icarus taking him into the corner to kick away. Williams comes in for two off a clothesline and it’s off to Myers, who gets sleepered. Moose gets the tag and wants/receives Young for what is not quite an epic showdown.

Moose’s German suplex is blocked and Icarus comes in to strike away as the fans sing a song about Canada. A shot to Icarus takes him down and the villains (well the non-Canadian villains that is) take over on Icarus, with Myers grabbing a chinlock. It works so well that Myers does it again, setting up a Downward Spiral to plant Icarus. That’s broken up and Young gets the tag to clean house.

A high crossbody gets two on Moose and it’s a double powerbomb out of the corner to put him down again. Young’s top rope elbow connects but the piledriver is broken up. JDC gets sent outside and Young hits a Death Valley Driver on Moose. Alisha grabs a kendo stick and BEATS UP THE MASCOT but the councilmen take it away. Young piledrives Moose for the pin at 12:08.

Rating: B-. While I do not want to see Young and company as full time good guys, I can live with it as a way to add some local flavor to a show like this. That’s all this was supposed to be, though Young pinning Moose very well could get him an X-Division Title shot. It still feels like Leon Slater’s title to win, but odds are Young would be a short term deal if they go that way. Nice match too, with the Armory getting to showcase themselves a bit.

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

Street fight and if Spitfire (challenging) doesn’t win, they have to split up. Spitfire jumps them to start and load up a table but Heather is back with some hairspray. By Elegance get in a shot with a feathery stop sign but Spitfire sets some chairs on the stage. They go back to ringside where By Elegance takes over again, though it’s too early for Rarefied Air. Luna sends Heather face first into an open chair but Ash is in for the save.

Luna counters Ash’s handspring with a release German suplex but Heather is back up with a dropkick to send a chair into Threat’s face. A powerbomb onto some chairs gets two on Ash so the Personal Concierge throws glitter into Threat’s eyes. Since it’s just glitter, Threat is back up with a slam onto the floor but Ash cuts off Pop Shove It. Cue Maggie Lee to help Ash put Luna through a table and a trashcan shot cuts Threat off. Rarefied Air retains the titles at 12:11.

Rating: C+. They were going with the themed street fight here and it worked about as well as could be expected. Spitfire might not be the most interesting team, but at least they are a team who has accomplished something and that puts this above the Cody Deaner story. Odds are Rosemary and Xia Brookside are next for the titles, as it isn’t like there is a division waiting to come after them.

We look at Xia Brookside snapping on Rosemary on the Kickoff Show.

Brookside said this is what Rosemary wanted and whatever happens next is on her, b****.

We look at Mustafa Ali beating Ace Austin and reinjuring Austin’s already bad leg.

Order 4 vs. Rascalz/Indi Hartwell/???

Order 4 is Mustafa Ali and his cabinet under their official name for the first time. The mystery partner is…Raj Singh (Ali’s former associate). This is his hometown, though the fans didn’t seem to know that coming in. Singh doesn’t like the way Ali has been acting and the fight is on to start fast. The Rascalz take over on the Hands to start and hit some dives to put them on the floor.

Back in and Steelz takes over on Hartwell in the corner as we settle down. Hartwell throws her throat first onto the top rope and it’s off to Singh for something like What’s Up on Skyler. Hotch gets kicked down as well but a hanging DDT to the floor drops Singh hard. A double rolling neckbreaker and a standing moonsault gets two on Singh back inside but he’s over to Hartwell anyway.

Everything breaks down and we get the parade of knockdowns and the men get together to fight over a triple suplex. Hartwell and Steelz climb onto their backs and slug it out until Hartwell cutters her onto the pile to break it up. The Rascalz kick the Hands to the floor and hit Hot Fire Flame before breaking up Ali’s cheating rollup on Singh. Ali baseball slides Hartwell and the Favor drops Singh. Ali’s 450 finishes Singh off at 9:57.

Rating: C+. The match was fast paced and entertaining, but you’re only going to get so far with Singh as the mystery partner. It felt like a “who is that again?” reaction when he came out and that is not a good sign. I get that Ace Austin was the logical way to go but they needed someone better than Singh for a replacement.

Post match Ali stays on Singh so the cabinet tries to stop him, with Ali shoving Steelz down.

Santino Marella gives Arianna Grace (acknowledged as his daughter) a pep talk and Grace is ready to fight.

Steve Maclin, recovering from a skull fracture (geez) will be ready to face Matt Cardona.

Jimmy Korderas is here.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Arianna Grace

Santino Marella is here….but Robert Stone comes out to say Santino has to leave because he doesn’t have a manager’s license. Commentary isn’t sure how Stone has that authority as Blanchard takes her down without much trouble. Blanchard chokes away in the corner and hammers her down on the floor.

Grace seems to avoid a charge into the ropes (even commentary wasn’t sure what happened) but Blanchard hits a slingshot splash. A belly to back suplex puts Blanchard down and the comeback is actually on. Grace’s big boot gets two but Blanchard cuts her off with a cutter. Grace catches her on top with a superplex for two and stomps away in the corner. Blanchard knocks her off the top but slips on a Magnum attempt. Instead it’s the buzzsaw DDT and now Magnum can put Grace away at 8:07.

Rating: B-. Given the situation they were in, this was about as good as it was going to get. The story was that Grace was in way over her head and it wouldn’t have made sense to try anything else. Blanchard toyed with her before finishing her off and that’s how the match should have gone. Grace is from the bigger company but Blanchard is a way bigger star and talent no matter how you look at it.

Post match Marella comes out to check on Grace but Stone tells them to get out because the show must go on.

Knockouts Title: Victoria Crawford vs. Masha Slamovich

Slamovich is defending and Stone is here with Crawford. A clothesline drops Crawford fast so Stone offers an early distraction. Crawford gets in a shot of her own and a northern lights suplex on the floor has Slamovich in trouble. Back in and Crawford slowly hammers away but Slamovich fights up, cutting off some notable BORING chants. A package piledriver gives Crawford two so Stone gives her the belt. The referee gets bumped and the belt shot connects, only for Slamovich to come back with the Snow Plow. Slamovich avoids the ax kick and hits Requiem to retain at 6:57.

Rating: C. What else were you expecting here? Crawford is supposed to be the newcomer in over her head and Slamovich ran through her despite the shenanigans. That being said, I have no idea what the appeal of Marella vs. Stone is supposed to be, because it’s not connecting. Slamovich deserves something better than being part of this and hopefully the better stuff gets the focus again sooner rather than later.

Post match Slamovich grabs the mic and says Lei Ying Lee should be the next challenger. Cue Lee but Stone comes out to say Lee has to earn the shot on Impact.

We look at Joe Hendry and Trick Williams’ musical exchange on NXT.

We get a tribute to Sabu, which is nice to see given his history in the promotion.

Tag Team Titles: Matt Hardy/Leon Slater vs. Nic Nemeth/Ryan Nemeth

The Nemeths are defending and this is the Hardys’ official rematch, even though Jeff isn’t allowed in Canada. Matt and Nic start things off with the former grinding away on a headlock. Nic suplexes his way to freedom but Matt grabs it again to keep control. Slater comes in with a headlock of his own (apparently learning quickly) before the champions are sent outside.

Back in and Matt hits the middle rope elbow to start on Ryan’s arm. Slater elbows him down for two but a cheap shot sends Slater outside. Back in and Nic grabs a chinlock with a bodyscissors, followed by a Jeff Hardy legdrop between the legs for two. Slater fights up but Ryan pulls Matt off the apron for a nice save. A handspring elbow cuts Ryan off though and it’s back to Matt to pick up the pace.

The Nemeths get the rams into the buckles and a Side Effect each but the Twist Of Fate is blocked. Nic hits the Fameasser for two and an assisted neckbreaker gets two. Nic’s Twist Of Fate gets two on Matt but Slater is back in for a Plot Twist to give Matt two of his own. Poetry In Motion to the floor (dang) sets up the Twist Of Fate and the Swanton 450 gets two, with Ryan making the save. Ryan and Slater fight on the floor and Nic hits the Danger Zone to pin Matt and retain at 16:04.

Rating: B. They were in a tight spot here and they did what they could with the whole thing. No one was buying Matt and Slater as a threat to win the titles when it was made clear that Slater was merely filling in for Jeff. You’re only going to get so far with that, but thankfully Matt took the pin, leaving Slater to look good in defeat. He’s likely going after the X-Division Title around Slammiversary and he’s earned that spot.

Santino Marella gives Arianna Grace a pep talk and wants to face Robert Stone. Grace suggests a mixed tag and that seems to be the idea. As this feud continues.

We recap the main event. Trick Williams has attacked Joe Hendry, setting up their title match on Sunday at Battleground. Tonight though, Frankie Kazarian and Elijah are involved to make it a tag match. The fact that I couldn’t think of the main event until this recap isn’t a great sign.

Joe Hendry/Elijah vs. Trick Williams/Frankie Kazarian

Elijah and Kazarian get things going with Elijah taking over rather easily. Hendry comes in and wants Williams but has to stick with Kazarian instead. It’s back to Elijah and now Williams is willing to come in. Some big chops in the corner have Williams in trouble but he tries a powerslam out of the corner. That’s broken up and it’s off to Hendry, setting up some quick tags (with nothing in between) until Elijah takes the villains down on the floor.

Hendry hits a dive onto both of them and it’s time for Kazarian and Williams to argue. Hendry and Elijah break that up on the ramp and they fight into the crowd. Back in and Elijah hits Old School while Hendry holds Kazarian up with a rather delayed vertical suplex. Williams kicks Elijah down to take over for the first time though and even knocks Hendry off the apron.

Kazarian’s front facelock has Elijah in more trouble as we hear about Hendry’s success in WWE. Elijah fights up and hands it back to Hendry for the well received comeback. An Angle Slam gives Hendry two on Williams and he rolls through Williams’ high crossbody for a fall away slam. Kazarian is back in but can’t get the chickenwing, instead getting caught with an AA for two.

Elijah knees Williams, who hits a quick Trick Shot for two as Hendry makes the save. Kazarian grabs the guitar but walks into the Highwayman’s Farewell, with Williams making the save. Williams’ distraction means the referee doesn’t see Elijah small packaging Kazarian so it’s a rather delayed two. The Trick Shot hits Kazarian by mistake and Hendry grabs the Standing Ovation to pin Kazarian at 19:24.

Rating: B-. Oh man they were in a weird spot here and there was only so much that could be done as a result. This was a big preview for Battleground and nothing more, which left me a bit surprised as the result. Unless they just didn’t want an NXT star winning in the end, Hendry looking dominant is kind of a screwy way to go. Good match, but it didn’t feel important or main event worthy.

Hendry and Williams stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show is a weird case, as there was only so much that can be done when the show feels this unimportant. There is pretty much nothing on here which felt like top level stuff and it showed coming into the event. The good action made it a completely watchable show, but at the same time, it feels like an event that you do not need to see whatsoever. That happens occasionally to to be fair, this wasn’t a full priced pay per view. Pretty skippable card here, which didn’t feel like a big surprise.

Results
Rosemary b. Xia Brookside via DQ when Brookside used a belt
Mike Santana b. KC Navarro – Spin The Block
Eddie Edwards b. Cody Deaner – Boston Knee Party
Northern Armory b. The System – Piledriver to Moose
Ash By Elegance/Heather By Elegance b. Spitfire – Rarefied Air to Threat
Order 4 b. Rascalz/Indi Hartwell/Raj Singh – 450 to Singh
Tessa Blanchard b. Arianna Grace – Magnum
Masha Slamovich b. Victoria Crawford – Requiem
Nic Nemeth/Ryan Nemeth b. Matt Hardy/Leon Slater – Danger Zone to Hardy
Joe Hendry/Elijah b. Frankie Kazarian/Trick Williams – Standing Ovation to Kazarian

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 22, 2025
Location: Bren Events Center, Irvine, California
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the last show before Under Siege and that could be the start of a rather eventful weekend. While TNA has its own show this weekend, its World Title is going to be on the line at Sunday’s NXT Battleground event. This is the go home show to set everything in stone and that can be a tricky way to go. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Mustafa Ali vs. Ace Austin

Ali, with a very banged up arm, has his cabinet with him. They start fast with Ali taking him down to little avail so he tries for the leg, earning himself a kick to the face from Austin. A tilt-a-whirl slam gives Austin two and he kicks Ali outside but Austin’s bad knee starts acting up. Ali is smart enough to go after that knee by pulling him out of the corner and then wrapping it around the post.

Back up and Ali ties him in the Tree of Woe, only to miss a baseball slide into the post for the painful landing. Austin misses something off the top though and gets Sharpshootered, sending him over to the ropes. Ali’s hard clothesline gets two but the 450 misses. Austin suplexes him into the corner so Ali pulls Tasha Steelz in front of him. That’s enough of a distraction for Ali to take the knee out again, setting up a kneebar for the tap at 6:59.

Rating: C+. This is a match that could have been better with more time, but they did some good stuff while they could. Ali going insane after his loss to Mike Santana is an interesting story, though I’m not sure where it’s going. Austin is someone who always felt like he could be a big deal but that doesn’t seem to likely be happening.

The System is ready to win at Under Siege and tonight.

Rosemary thinks she knows how to push Xia Brookside over the edge and has attacked Lei Ying Lee.

Northern Armory vs. Aztec Warriors

Eric Young is here with the Armory. Laredo and Williams spin around each other to no avail to start so Laredo takes him down to increase the frustration. Octagon comes in to headscissor Icarus into the corner, followed by a double faceplant and superkick. Williams offers a distraction though and Icarus goes after the eyes to take over. Young and Williams argue with the crowd though, allowing Octagon to come back in with some springboards. Reality sets back in for Williams but Octagon dives onto both of them. Back in and Laredo plants Icarus, setting up the moonsault for the pin at 5:56.

Rating: C. Not much to this one as neither team is exactly on fire at the moment. The Warriors are about as forgettable of a team as you have on the roster at this point and the Armory are even lower level lackeys than the Great Hands. That doesn’t make for a thrilling match and while the action was fine, it didn’t feel important at all.

Xia Brookside is ready to fight Rosemary at Under Siege.

Eddie Edwards vs. Jake Painter

Alisha Edwards is here and Cody Deaner is on commentary. Eddie jumps him to start and hammers away before throwing Painter outside. A Blue Thunder Bomb on the apron lets Eddie get in Deaner’s face but Painter grabs a small package for two. Painter hits a Backstabber for two more but he dives into a knee to the ribs. The Boston Knee Party finishes at 3:36.

Rating: C. I’ve said this since the beginning and it’s still true: it’s really hard to care about a story involving Cody Deaner’s future because there isn’t much of a reason to want to see him around. Even if he beats a star like Edwards on a fluke, I don’t want to see him around any longer. The match was there to show how dangerous Edwards is, even though we already know that, because Deaner can’t win a match before Under Siege. Hence the problem with the whole thing.

Video on Mance Warner and Steph de Lander. They like violence.

First Class vs. Sami Callihan/Mike Santana

O’Shea Jackson Jr. is on commentary. Francis runs Santana over to start but gets enziguried for some staggering. Navarro comes in and gets chopped down, followed by Callihan hitting a pop up powerbomb. Callihan tosses Navarro over the top, with Francis having to catch him. Back in and Navarro gets beaten down again, allowing the tag off to Santana. A Death Valley Driver plants Navarro and Francis gets clotheslined to the floor. Francis cuts off the Cactus Driver 97 though and a quick Blessing In Disguise gives Navarro the pin at 6:22.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what is going on with Santana but it very well may be just waiting around and having him fill in time before he moves into the main event scene. Odds are he beats Francis at Under Siege and then we get to see where things go from here. For now though, Callihan taking the fall is fine as it’s not like he has anything better to do.

We look at Trick Williams and Joe Hendry performing music live on NXT, leading to a brawl.

Gia Miller is hosting a debate between Santino Marella (with Arianna Grace) and Robert Stone (with Victoria Crawford). Marella talks about how he came here just over two years ago and no one in his family has ever had political power before. Then Stone showed up and started messing with his business, which should not be happening. Stone says Marella has not made this a better place and Marella doesn’t belong in wrestling.

When Stone takes over, he’s going to fire the losers and make a lot of money. Marella calls him stupid and says he does what the people want. Cue Tessa Blanchard to go after Grace but Masha Slamovich runs in for the save. Blanchard is powerbomb onto (not through) the table (THUD) with Grace helping, followed by a running Death Valley Driver onto (again not through) the table in the corner for a nasty crash. This is a simple story, but why is Stone possibly able to take over in the first place?

Matt Cardona reveals that Steve Maclin isn’t medically cleared for Under Siege so he should be named champion. Santino Marella comes in to say Maclin will be cleared for next week so the title match is on for then instead. I’ll take that over a last second change the night of the show.

Spitfire is ready to put their careers on the line at Under Siege. It worked before so it’ll work again.

Spitfire vs. Vipress/Mazzerati

Luna takes Mazzerati down by the arm to start and hands it off to Threat for a running corner clothesline. Mazzerati is able to send them into each other though and Vipress comes in for a running kick to the chest. It’s back to Mazzerati for a cravate but Threat fights up and hands it back to Luna. Everything breaks down and a quick Pressure Drop finishes Vipress at 5:13.

Rating: C. This weekend is going to be the second time that Under Siege’s future as a team is on the line and I have the same “well, ok” response. Spitfire has yet to be an interesting team and while they have been successful, I have pretty much no reason to care about them. Having their future as a team built up doesn’t make me want to see them win more, as this match has been done more than enough times already.

Matt Hardy explains team chemistry to Leon Slater and thinks they could gel well together.

Under Siege rundown.

Elijah/Joe Hendry vs. The System

NXT’s Trick Williams is on commentary. Elijah headlocks Myers to start and grinds away a bit before dropping Myers with a running clothesline. Moose comes in to take over on a test of strength with Hendry and the villains take over for a bit. Hendry muscles Moose up for a suplex and it’s back to Elijah for an Old School tornado DDT. Moose drops Elijah though and we’re already in the chinlock as we take a break.

Back with Elijah still in trouble but Moose chops the post by mistake. Elijah kicks his way to freedom but the tag is cut off again. JDC gets in some choking from the floor and Myers grabs another quickly broken chinlock. The release Rock Bottom gives Moose two and it’s back to Myers, who gets caught with a jumping knee. That’s enough for the tag back to Hendry so house can be quickly cleaned. Hendry and Moose knock each other down so it’s back to Elijah for the Highwayman’s Farewell and the pin on Myers at 14:24.

Rating: C. They are in such a tough spot with this Hendry vs. Williams deal, as they have to get through the Under Siege tag match, which doesn’t feel important, because it’s just a big preview of Sunday’s title match. That leaves a bunch of standing around waiting and this match did not feel important in the slightest as a result. It wasn’t the wrestlers’ fault, but just the entire situation is a mess.

Post match Frankie Kazarian runs in to jump the winners but Elijah comes back with a guitar shot. Trick Williams is not pleased to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show was stuck in a weird place and it showed badly. There is only so much you can do with the situation they’re in, as Under Siege could not feel much less important. That makes for a very weak go home show, even if the wrestlers were obviously trying. Not much to see this week, and hopefully they can find a way to make Under Siege feel more important.

Results
Mustafa Ali b. Ace Austin – Kneebar
Aztec Warriors b. Northern Armory – Moonsault to Icarus
Eddie Edwards b. Cody Deaner – Boston Knee Party
First Class b. Sami Callihan/Mike Santana – Blessing In Disguise to Callihan
Spitfire b. Vipress/Mazzerati – Pressure Drop to Vipress
Elijah/Joe Hendry b. The System – Highwayman’s Farewell to Myers

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 1, 2025
Location: Bren Events Center, Irvine, California
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Rebellion and the show only had so much going on. Joe Hendry is still the World Champion but it seems that he has a Trick Williams (from NXT) sized problem. That could make for something going forward in the coming weeks and it may start with this week’s show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Rebellion if you need a recap.

We open with a long Rebellion recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Joe Hendry, who is happy to still be the World Champion, but first the fans give him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY chant. After thanking the fans, Hendry recaps his recent escapades and calls out Trick Williams, who pops up…on the video screen. Williams isn’t going to come out here, which is fine for Hendry, who is ready for his six man tag main event.

The Rascalz are ready for Zachary Wentz to win the X-Division Title tonight.

Sami Callihan comes up to Santino Marella but Mance Warner and Steph de Lander interrupt. Callihan and Warner had a violent match and they aggressively shake hands to wrap up their feud. Callihan: “For now.”

Mike Santana vs. Isaiah Moore

Moore strikes away to start but charges into a shot in the corner. A Liger Bomb finishes for Santana at 1:01.

Post match Santana says he finished Mustafa Ali and now he wants Joe Hendry and the World Title.

We look at Steve Maclin beating Eric Young but getting beaten down by the Northern Armory after the match.

Here is Maclin for a chat but the Northern Armory jumps him from behind. Maclin gets hung with the chain again.

Post match Santino Marella yells at the Northern Armory when Steve Maclin comes in to yell too. Marella makes Maclin vs. Eric Young for next week.

X-Division Title: Zachary Wentz vs. Moose

Wentz, with Trey Miguel, is challenging while Moose has Alisha Edwards with him. Moose powers him into the corner to start but Wentz takes out the leg and sends things to the floor. A dive takes Moose out again and we take a break. Back with Wentz striking away to knock Moose outside, setting up a moonsault to drop him again. They get back in where Moose hits a heck of a pop up powerbomb into a high crossbody of all things. Another powerbomb is countered into a Code Red for a very near fall, followed by an X Factor to drop Moose again. The Spiral Tap gets two but Moore is back with a spear to retain at 6:32.

Rating: C+. The ending of that Ultimate X match at Rebellion makes it seem like Leon Slater is very likely going to be the person to take the title off of Moose. That means we need to wait to get to that match, and that’s where boosting Moose up here makes sense. Beating another former champion is a good thing and it worked well enough here, even in a short match.

We get a new injury report from Rebellion, with only Tasha Steelz out of action.

A disheveled Mustafa Ali has nothing to say but the Great Hands seem ok with everything.

Here is Cody Deaner for a chat. His contract expires very soon and he isn’t getting a new deal because he hasn’t won a match in over a year. He grew up in a tiny town and now he can say that he has had a 25 year career. Now he can say he is a proud husband and father to four children. Only one company gave him a chance though and because of the fans, no matter what, he feels like a winner.

Cue Santino Marella, who is willing to give Deaner an extension until Under Siege, and if he can get a win over Eddie Edwards, it might be enough for a new contract. Cue NXT’s Robert Stone (formerly Robbie E) and Victoria Crawford (formerly Alicia Fox), with Stone saying that Marella is officially under review. This company needs a new boss with a new vision, so Stone is going to be supervising him. The Deputy Director of Authority, Crawford will be assisting him in the process, as well as getting a Knockouts Title shot at Under Siege. Oh sweet goodness not battling authority figures. And also, it’s still just Deaner.

Post break, Marella and Stone argue, with Tessa Blanchard coming in to throw her support behind Stone.

Maggie Lee vs. Jody Threat

Dani Luna is here with Threat. They go with the grappling to start until Threat runs her over with a shoulder. A top rope seated senton gives Threat two but Lee kicks her in the ribs. Lee pulls her down by the hair for two and we hit the double arm crank. A bow and arrow keeps Threat in trouble but she fights up and fires off some chops. Lee catches her on top though and hits a Tower Of London for two but Threat is back with corner clotheslines. Pop Shove It finishes Lee at 5:20.

Rating: C. This Knockouts tag division stuff still isn’t clicking for me and Spitfire isn’t doing much. Threat and Luna have been together for a good while now but they haven’t done much that draws me in. Having them feud with By Elegance and their friend Lee going forward is still not going to fix it, but that’s been an issue for the division for years now.

By Elegance yells at Maggie Lee after her loss. The solution? MAKEOVER!

Here is Indi Hartwell for her Impact debut. Hartwell talks about her history watching TNA in Australia and now she is ready to be THE Knockout.

Under Siege rundown.

KC Navarro vs. Leon Slater

AJ Francis is here with Navarro. They run the ropes to start and Navarro jumps over him for some posing. That doesn’t go well as they’re quickly on the floor, where Slater hits a 619 on the apron. Francis gets caught interfering though and gets ejected, allowing Navarro to grab a tornado DDT. Slater is quickly out of a chinlock and hits a suplex neckbreaker for two. Navarro rolls outside so Slater tries the running flip dive, only to stick the landing when Navarro moves. Slater knocks him back again though and the Swanton 450 finishes Navarro off at 4:21.

Rating: C+. These guys having an entertaining match isn’t a big surprise at all as they’re both rather good. As was the case earlier in the show, it seems like we are going to be seeing Slater getting the next big shot at Moose. Therefore he needs some wins, and that’s what he got here, with the cool finishing move being included.

Masha Slamovich is ready to prove why Victoria Crawford is in over her head.

We look at Darkstate attacking Joe Hendry on NXT, setting up a six man tag for next week.

Ryan Nemeth/Nic Nemeth/Frankie Kazarian vs. Hardys/Joe Hendry

The good guys have a customized theme saying I BELIEVE IN JEFF HARDY. It’s a brawl at the bell to start and the good guys clear the ring as we take an early break. Back with Matt in trouble in the corner as the villains get to take turns beating him up. Kazarian grabs a cravate but Matt fights out and brings Jeff in to clean house.

The Twist Of Fate is countered into a rollup to give Nic two and everything breaks down. Hendry snaps off the fall away slams and we hit the parade of finishes. Cue Trick Williams to send Hendry into the steps though, allowing Ryan to break up the Swanton. The Danger Zone finishes Jeff at 6:48.

Rating: C+. This was mainly about Williams coming in at the end and that’s a fine way to wrap up the show. It wouldn’t shock me to see Williams getting a title shot at Battleground or whatever the next big NXT show happens to be. Other than that, the Nemeths vs. the Hardys gets to continue, though I’m not sure I can imagine that going on for a long time.

Post match Williams lays Hendry out again to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Not their most thrilling show here, but the ending did help things a good bit. You can see some of the bigger matches coming and I’m rather curious about Mike Santana jumping into the main event scene. If TNA wants to push someone who feels like a mostly homegrown star, he’s a great choice and that very well may be where they’re going. Other than that, it was only a good enough show, but they often take a bit of a breather after a major pay per view.

Results
Mike Santana b. Isaiah Moore – Liger Bomb
Moose b. Zachary Wentz – Spear
Jody Threat b. Maggie Lee – Pop Shove It
Leon Slater b. KC Navarro – Swanton 450
Ryan Nemeth/Nic Nemeth/Frankie Kazarian b. Hardys/Joe Hendry – Danger Zone to Jeff

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Unbreakable 2025
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

This is the second half of a double shot from TNA this week as we just got done with a regular Impact and now it’s a Wrestlemania Week special. This show is going to be in a weird place as it is only a little over a week away from the much bigger Rebellion show, which should make for quite the tricky rope to walk. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look at the famous Unbreakable triple threat from 2005, which is the inspiration for tonight’s triple threat for the inaugural International Title.

International Title Tournament First Round: Eric Young vs. JDC vs. Zachary Wentz

Young and JDC agree to go after Wentz to start so Wentz bails out to the floor in a smart move. Back in and Wentz dances a bit before diving onto both of them to take over. A high crossbody puts the villains down again but Young is up to go after Wentz. Young shoves Wentz at JDC, who gets dropped with a Stunner.

Wentz and Young go out to the floor with Young taking over, but he isn’t happy with JDC going after the pin. A DDT drops Young but Wentz is right there with a double missile dropkick. Wentz hits a running shooting star on JDC and an RKO on Young, the former of whom pops back up with a Falcon Arrow for two. JDC is sent outside so Young hits a Death Valley Driver on Wentz, with JDC running back in for the save. Young piledrives JDC for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. They only had so much time here and this could have been on any given edition of Impact. That being said, they needed something to fill in the time so having two of the three first round matches isn’t a bad idea. Young moving forward isn’t the most interesting choice, but there is a good chance he doesn’t win anyway.

We run down the rest of the card.

International Title Tournament First Round; Ace Austin vs. Steve Maclin vs. Eddie Edwards

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. Austin takes over to start and the other two clothesline each other to the floor. Eddie drops Austin onto the apron to take over but the Backpack Stunner is broken up. Maclin is back in with an Irish Curse to Eddie and he fires off some running clotheslines in the corner. The KIA is broken up and Maclin is knocked to the floor, leaving Austin to roll Eddie up for two.

A jumping double stomp to the back gives Austin two as Maclin is back in for the save. Eddie is sent outside and Austin tries his apron handstand, only for Maclin to break it up with the Scud in a nice sequence. Back in and Austin hits a Tower Of Doom for two each but Alisha crotches him on top. Eddie gives Austin a spider superplex but gets caught with the spear in the corner. Alisha’s interference doesn’t work as she slaps Eddie by mistake, setting up the KIA to send Maclin to the finals at 9:55.

Rating: B-. This was a more action packed match than the opener and it worked well, with the still popular Maclin going on to the title picture. While I could have gone for Austin winning the title in Chris Bey’s honor, this was a good way to go as well. If nothing else, the System losing is always worth a look as Alisha can throw some good fits.

Frankie Kazarian is fired up for the mixed tag tonight. Tessa Blanchard says she’s coming for Masha Slamovich tonight, but at Rebellion she’s coming for the title.

Earlier today, the System interrupted the UNLV men’s ice hockey national champions. We don’t know what else they did or said, but they did in fact interrupt them.

Moose vs. ???

Non-title open challenge with former NFL star Sean Merriman on commentary and…Sidney Akeem (formerly Reggie in TNA) answering. Moose wastes no time in whipping him hard into the corner to start but Akeem kicks him in the face. That’s broken up but the chokebomb is countered into a hurricanrana. Some dropkicks stagger Moose, who throws him outside without much trouble.

Akeem is back with a dive as the UNLV hockey team is in the front row. Moose powerbombs Akeem onto the apron but yells at the hockey players, allowing Akeem to cut him down. A crossbody gives Akeem two and he snaps off a hurricanrana on the floor. Back in and Moose misses a crossbody, allowing a backflip into a cutter to put Moose down. Alisha Edwards makes the save and gets ejected, but the distraction lets Moose hit a low blow. The spear finishes Akeem at 9:02.

Rating: C+. This is how Akeem can be best used, as he got to do his high spots and flips before losing to the bigger star. Moose cutting down a traditionally flippy guy is a good way to go for his title reign and that’s the direction they seem to have been going. It’s working well, and if Akeem stays more serious like this, he’s fine for an occasional appearance.

Steve Maclin tells Eric Young it’s may the best man win tonight.

We get injury updates on Joe Hendry and Sami Callihan, both of whom are ready to go. This is one of those “make it feel like a real sport” thing and that’s fine.

Mike Santana/Hardys vs. Mustafa Ali/Nic Nemeth/Ryan Nemeth

It’s a brawl to start with the good guys clearing the ring until Santana drives Ryan into the corner to get things going. Ryan fights back but gets caught in a powerbomb faceplant. Matt comes in to send Ali face first into the buckle over and over until Ali flips over him. Ali trips him into the ropes and it’s Matt getting caught in the wrong corner.

Nic comes in with a neckbreaker and the chinlock goes on. Matt fights up and breaks out but a distraction means the referee doesn’t see the tag to Santana. The referee does see a tag to Ryan, sending Hannifan into a rant about the referee being stupid. Ali cuts Matt off again but gets caught in the Side Effect, allowing the tag to Jeff.

A double Whisper in the Wind takes the Nemeths down and it’s time for the parade of knockdowns. Santana grabs Ali and turns the rolling neckbreaker into a Death Valley Driver. The two of them brawl to the back but Santana comes back with Spin The Block to Nic. The Twist Of Fate into the Swanton finishes Ryan at 12:36.

Rating: B-. I love seeing two feuds combined like this and it worked rather well here. The Hardys beating the Nemeths is a fine way to go and the tease of Santana vs. Ali makes things that much better. Both of the big matches will take place next week and I’m curious to see how they go, making this a perfectly fine preview.

The System jumps Zachary Wentz.

Victoria Crawford (Alicia Fox) and Debbie Gibson (Debbie Gibson) are here.

Joe Hendry/Masha Slamovich vs. Tessa Blanchard/Frankie Kazarian

The men start things off but we pause for Kazarian to be announced as the King Of TNA. Hendry whips him into the corner and hits a jumping knee, with Kazarian bailing to the floor. Slamovich knocks him right back inside (before glaring at Blanchard), where Hendry’s bad shoulder is good enough for a delayed vertical suplex.

Kazarian gets smart by going after the arm and stops to mock the rhythmic clapping. It’s off to Slamovich, who sends Blanchard outside. A quick suicide dive drops Blanchard again but she’s right back with some choking back inside. Kazarian hits the jumping Fameasser on the middle rope and Slamovich is in trouble again. Blanchard hits a cutter on Slamovich as Kazarian taunts Hendry with the Call Your Shot trophy.

Slamovich manages a shot on Kazarian but Blanchard is in for an exchange of basement dropkicks. That’s enough for the tag off to Hendry and house is quickly cleaned. Fade To Black is countered into an Angle Slam to give Hendry two but the shoulder is starting to bother him. The chickenwing is countered into a rollup for two but Blanchard is back in to grab Hendry. Kazarian clotheslines her by mistake and the Standing Ovation finishes Kazarian at 14:10.

Rating: C+. This was the same idea as the previous match, as they tied two feuds into one match and even gave us some intergender matches. That’s not a bad way to go and the ending leaves me curious about a title change, as Kazarian losing is something of a red flag. Blanchard vs. Slamovich feels like a huge match and I’m really not sure where it goes, which is a nice feeling to have.

Mike Santana wants Mustafa Ali at Rebellion and Santino Marella seems interested.

Here is Ace Austin….who brings out Chris Bey for a special appearance in his hometown. Bey walks out, with Austin shouting ON HIS OWN TWO FEET! Bey says he IS the Ultimate Finesser and 172 days ago, he broke his neck in the ring. It was embarrassing him because he wanted to finish the match for the fans. He was able to quickly have surgery and learned to walk again.

Austin was there with him every day and Bey had to remember who he was. Thanks to the fans at home and the people in that locker room, he is able to walk again. Bey had to remind himself that he is unbreakable, just like TNA. This is the greatest story ever told and thank you. They get to do their pose and the show needs to just end now, because nothing is topping this. That’s absolutely incredible and one of the coolest things I’ve seen in wrestling in a long time.

We recap Mance Warner vs. Sami Callihan. They’ve been fighting for weeks so now it’s Barbed Wire Massacre. As it tends to be.

Sami Callihan vs. Mance Warner

There are all kinds of barbed wire items around ringside and Steph de Lander is here with Warner. Callihan, dressed as Mankind, sends Warner through a barbed wire board to start and then hits him with a barbed wire bat. A barbed wire Nintendo 64 controller goes to Warner’s head (must be Strong Grapple + Down + B) but he comes back with a door shot.

Warner uses a barbed wire chair to drive the board into Callihan but he sends Warner back into the barbed wire around the ropes. A barbed wire ball to the head has Warner bleeding even more and a low blow makes it worse. The Cactus Driver 97 through a barbed wire door is countered into a spinebuster and Callihan is in trouble again. They shout at each other from their knees until Callihan Stunners him onto the barbed wire, which shouldn’t make much of a difference.

The wire is wrapped around Warner’s arm and it’s time for a bag of salt. We’ll hold onto that for a second though as Callihan would rather staple Warner’s tongue to a board. Then he uses a barbed wire chair to the head to break it up. The salt shot is broken up with a low blow so Warner throws the salt into Callihan’s face instead. Warner grabs a screwdriver but Callihan is back with a spike and they stab each other in the head. Callihan whips out a sock for a barbed wire Mandible Claw. The Cactus Driver 97 onto the barbed wire finishes Warner at 19:23.

Rating: D+. Yeah ok. This was as advertised and in this case that’s not the best thing to see. It’s fine for what it is, but having that much barbed wire and over the top violence isn’t my thing. It only works so well and having Callihan dressed as Mankind only made me want to watch him do a hardcore match at a much higher level. I get that this has an audience, but it’s not for me.

We run down the Rebellion card.

Here is Elijah for a chat. Well a song actually, as he talks about his open challenge at Rebellion. In TNA, we walk this way.

We look at the first round of the International Title tournament.

International Title: AJ Francis vs. Steve Maclin vs. Eric Young

For the inaugural title. Francis is knocked to the floor, leaving Young to elbow Maclin in the face. Another forearm takes Francis down but he’s back in for an Alabama Slam to send Young onto Maclin. Francis gives Maclin a running knee in the corner and goes for a walk outside, where he cuts off Maclin’s dive. Young gets powerbombed onto the apron and, after tying his shoe, Francis sends Maclin back inside for a Death Valley Driver.

Maclin manages a running knee into an Angle Slam for two on Francis, who is back with a powerbomb for two of his own. Young is back in to slug it out with Maclin on top so Francis gives them a double AA for two each. Francis’ moonsault misses though and Young is sent outside. Maclin ties Francis in the Tree of Woe for the running shoulder, setting up the KIA for the pin and the title at 13:39.

Rating: C+. It was a fine enough match, but this really didn’t feel like any kind of a special showdown. I get trying to tie it into the original Unbreakable, but the second you start bringing that match up, you’re putting yourself in an unreasonable circumstance. That’s what we had here, and it made for a match that while entertaining, never lived up to its hype.

Maclin celebrates.

The Nemeths get a note from Matt Hardy, who appears via hologram to invite them to the Hardy Compound for DELETION. Can we please just NOT DO THIS AGAIN?

Overall Rating: C+. A lot of this is going to depend on your taste in Callihan vs. Warner, which went on far longer than anything else on the show. That dragged things down, but Bey’s return was one of the best things I can remember seeing in wrestling (or anywhere) for a long time. For a bonus show, this was perfectly fine, but Rebellion is going to have a bit more pressure on it now and that’s not a great thing. That being said, I do like having TNA getting involved in Wrestlemania Weekend, as they’re more than big enough to warrant a spot there.

Results
Eric Young b. JDC and Zachary Wentz – Piledriver to JDC
Steve Maclin b. Ace Austin and Eddie Edwards – KIA to Edwards
Moose b. Sidney Akeem – Spear
Hardys/Mike Santana b. Mustafa Ali/Nic Nemeth/Ryan Nemeth – Swanton to Ryan
Joe Hendry/Masha Slamovich b. Tessa Blanchard/Frankie Kazarian – Standing Ovation to Kazarian
Sami Callihan b. Mance Warner – Cactus Driver 97 onto barbed wire
Steve Maclin b. Eric Young and AJ Francis – KIA to Francis

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Sacrifice 2025
Date: March 14, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s time for another of the big shows between the really big shows and this one happens to be pretty stacked. We have both a ladder match and Lethal Lockdown, the TNA equivalent of WarGames. There are also some stars from NXT here as a bonus, which should help things out a lot. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Aztec Warriors vs. First Class

The Warriors are Laredo Kid and Octagon Jr. After First Class insults the fans, Octagon takes Navarro down with a hurricanrana and hands it off to Laredo. That means it’s a low bridge from Francis though and Kid is sent outside for a big dive. Back in and Francis gets to choke away on the ropes, setting up a running knee in the corner.

First Class spends too much time posing though and it’s a tag to bring Kid back in to pick up the pace. Kid’s moonsault and Octagon’s handstand moonsault hit Navarro with Francis having to make the save. Francis gets in a chokeslam on Octagon and Navarro goes after Kid’s mask. A running Sliced Bread gives Navarro the pin at 6:44.

Rating: C. The Warriors didn’t get to showcase much of their high flying stuff and it didn’t give the fans much to get behind. Throw in the good guys losing and it wasn’t exactly an exciting way to get things going. It’s a weird way to go, as while First Class getting a win makes sense, it might not have been the right way here.

The regular Kickoff Show stuff takes place but Sami Callihan and Mance Warner, who are scheduled to face off tonight in a street fight, brawl in the back. They come to the ring, where Callihan throws in a bunch of weapons, including a chair which hits Warner for a nasty shot. They get inside and we’ll ring the bell.

Sami Callihan vs. Mance Warner

Street fight and Steph de Lander is here with Warner. Callihan hits him with a trashcan but gets sent into one in the corner as a cameraman gets taken out. Warner chokes with a chain but gets powerbombed through a table…as we go to the official show. Thankfully we come back without missing anything (fair enough) and Callihan uses a poster to cut Warner’s fingers and mouth.

Warner’s hand is fine enough to hit a chokeslam onto the trashcan but neither can hit a suplex onto a chair. Instead they both grab a staple gun and trade, uh, stapling, with Callihan going low. Warner gets stapled to the turnbuckle pad before being Death Valley Drivered onto the chair for two. Callihan has to block a screwdriver to the head before hitting a Stunner for two more. De Lander throws powder in Callihan’s eyes though and Warner hits a running knee for the win at 10:57.

Rating: C+. Well at least they didn’t have glass and thumbtacks. This was the run of the mill brawling with the table and trashcans, which makes the ending a bit weak. After everything they did, it was a simple bit of powder and a running knee. That’s a weird way to go, but odds are this is going to keep going anyway.

We get the opening video, which looks at the main matches. That’s at least a fresh way to go over the standard way of doing things.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Lei Ying Lee

Local rapper Krystall Poppin sings Blanchard to the ring. Blanchard sends Lee into the corner to start but the big slap is blocked. A suplex sends Blanchard into the corner and another brings her back out of it (well at least Lee kept it even). They go outside where Blanchard takes over and sends her back inside, only to take it right back to the floor.

Back in and a dropkick gets two, setting up the chinlock. Lee fights up and strikes away, before grabbing a spinning torture rack slam. Blanchard shrugs that off and hits a slingshot splash for two but has to bail to the ropes to escape a leglock. They go up top, where Lee hits a twisting brainbuster (geez) for two more. Blanchard grabs a cutter though and Magnum connects for the pin at 11:15.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure if there was much doubt about the winner here as Blanchard is not only a bigger name but she is also likely getting ready for a title shot at Masha Slamovich. The good thing is Lee got in a lot of offense and gave Blanchard a run for her money, but this was the right decision. Blanchard is ready to get back into the bigger spots and this was a step in that direction.

Jeff Hardy and Joe Hendry’s team are ready to win their rather violent matches tonight. With everyone gone, Ryan Nemeth comes in to say “everything they said”. Gia Miller clearly mouths “what the f***?”

Wes Lee/Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe vs. Ace Austin/Rascalz

Lucha rules. Lee bails to the floor to start but comes back in to send Austin to the floor. Igwe comes in and gets hurricanranaed to the floor, with DuPont following. Triple dives are mostly cut off though, leaving Austin as the only part of his team standing. Back in and a full nelson slam plants Austin for two, followed by Lee’s basement dropkick between the shoulders.

Igwe kicks Austin in the head for two and we hit the abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Lee gets over for the Rascalz to come in and clean house. Everything breaks down and DuPont’s stomp to Miguel’s head gets two. Austin and Wentz kick away at Lee from the apron, allowing Miguel to hit a sliding DDT. Back in and Lee is left all alone so he yells a lot, only to get taken down with a Lightning Spiral/Fold combination. Wentz hits a Spiral Tap for the pin on Lee at 9:53.

Rating: B-. The lucha rules kind of hurt things here, as it was little more than just having people running in and doing things. It did feel like the end of the feud though, with Wentz getting his revenge on Lee. It was a fun match, which tends to be the case with Austin and the Rascalz.

Steve Maclin is ready to take out Frankie Kazarian.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Steve Maclin

Eric Young is on commentary. Maclin takes Kazarian into the corner to start and hits some clotheslines to the back but gets knocked down in a hurry. Kazarian hits a springboard spinning legdrop and grabs a suplex for two. After a quick Shawn Michaels pose from Kazarian, Maclin is back up with some more clotheslines and an Angle Slam. The running shoulder in the corner has Kazarian in more trouble so he snaps the throat over the top rope to get out of said trouble.

Kazarian pulls on something like a cross armbreaker but can’t hit the Fade To Black. The chickenwing is broken up and Maclin’s running knee gets two. Now the chickenwing goes on, even with Kazarian falling out to the floor without letting go (that’s a heck of a trick). Since submissions don’t count on the floor, Kazarian lets go, allowing Young to sneak in a brass knuckles shot. Maclin, who didn’t see it, grabs a quick KIA for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. This was something that could have been on any given Impact, as it was more about the Young involvement than anything else. The ending should be a way to see if Maclin wants to join him in what is likely the dark side, though that’s only so interesting. It would also be nice to have Kazarian lose the stupid trophy title shot already, but we could still be months away.

Spitfire is ready to get rid of By Elegance for good.

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

Spitfire is defending in a handicap match and they get the Personal Concierge if they win. The Concierge introduces By Elegance and then disrobes, which has commentary, uh, unhappy. Luna takes Ash down into an armbar to start but Heather comes in to crank on the arm for a change. The Concierge goes to the…bottom rope for an ax handle before handing it back to Heather, who is quickly put down. Threat comes in for a basement crossbody, followed by a suplex/clothesline combination for two.

Ash offers a distraction though and Heather takes over inside. The Concierge adds some stomps, then stops to dance, meaning Ash has to come in for a save. A catapult into a Codebreaker gets two and we hit the chinlock on Threat. As usual, that’s broken up and the tag brings in Luna to clean house. By Elegance is sent outside for a big dive, leaving Heather to get caught with a helicopter bomb, with the Concierge having to make the save. The Pressure Drop hits the Concierge but Threat gets caught in an assisted top rope double stomp for the titles at 9:12.

Rating: C+. By Elegance had to win the titles at some point if they wanted to have any kind of a future. At the end of the day, Ash has been here for a bit but hadn’t won anything of note coming in. You can present has as a star all you want, but it doesn’t matter without getting some kind of a prize. That is what she pulled off here and it was fairly long overdue. The feud needs to end already, but it’s not like there are many other teams to come after the belts.

Post match the lights go out and NXT’s Meta Four show up for your next crossover title feud.

We recap Mustafa Ali vs. Mike Santana, which is built around the idea of Ali wanting to make TNA better, which means a lack of Santana, who is a recovering addict. Santana wants to prove himself, while Ali wants to prove that Santana can’t handle the pressure. In other words, it’s JBL vs. Eddie Guerrero, which has made a good story, albeit a familiar one.

Mike Santana vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali has his cabinet with him and a local sportscaster introduces Santana. Just in case you didn’t get the story they were redoing, Santana drives a car into the arena. Santana scares Ali to the floor to start before catching him with a powerslam. Two Amigos connect but Santana cuts off the third with a small package.

Back up and Santana hits another suplex to send Ali outside for a needed breather. Ali fights up and goes after the arm, including a 450 from the top onto the arm, with Santana standing, on the floor. Back in and a rollup, with feet on the ropes, gets two and the referee is not pleased. The rolling neckbreaker gets two more and Ali stays on the arm with a crossface.

That’s broken up and Ali sends him to the floor, where Santana cuts off a dive with a cutter. Back in again and Ali lifts him up for a German suplex and a tornado DDT, only to miss the 450. Santana’s rolling cutter gets two and the frog splash gets the same (with a BIG reaction from the crowd). Spin The block connects but the arm gives out, allowing Ali to go up. Santana pulls him out of the air with a powerbomb but the Good Hands get up for a distraction. Ali rolls him up and grabs the rope for the pin at 13:12.

Rating: B. this was the match I was looking forward to the most coming in and they didn’t disappoint, with both guys working hard and telling a story. Ali is the more polished wrestler of the two and better with the technical side of things, while Santana is more about powering through and hitting his big moves. That allowed Ali to pick him apart but then when he couldn’t handle Santana, he cheated in the end, which will allow him to brag about his amazing skill. Heck of a story told and a very good match at the same time.

Post match Ali leaves a drink for Santana.

We recap Masha Slamovich defending the Knockouts Title against Cora Jade from NXT. Jade showed up and decided she wanted a title so she went after Slamovich, setting up the title match.

Knockouts Title: Masha Slamovich vs. Cora Jade

Jade is challenging and Arianna Grace is on commentary. Jade jumps her to start and is quickly clotheslined down for a kick to the chest. The chase doesn’t go well for Jade but she gets in a cheap shot for a needed breather. A quick stomp to the back gives Jade two and she pulls Slamovich down by the hair for the same.

Back up and Slamovich hits a rolling kick to the face for two of her own but Jade is back up with a knee to the face. A Canadian Destroyer on the apron connects but Slamovich is down on the floor. Back in and Jaded connects for two, leaving Jade rather frustrated. Jade strikes away but walks into a kick to the face. The Requiem retains the title at 9:24.

Rating: C+. As was the case with Blanchard vs. Lee, there was only so much drama to be had here. Slamovich is the monster champion who can smash through just about anyone in front of her. Jade has gotten better, but she isn’t on Slamovich’s level and that isn’t going to change anytime soon. Jade got in some stuff here, but Slamovich wasn’t in much danger.

We look at Oba Femi defeating Moose to retain the NXT Title this week on NXT.

We recap Moose facing Jeff Hardy for the X-Division Title in a ladder match. Hardy has pinned Moose a few times in tag matches so now we’re doing the ladder match thing.

X-Division Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Moose

Moose, with Alisha Edwards, is defending in a ladder match. They stare each other down to start before going straight to the floor to grab the ladders. Hardy knocks him to the floor and hits a clothesline off the apron but the Twist Of Fate is shoved into the steps. Moose bridges a ladder between a chair and the apron but Hardy fights up and pulls out the painted ladder.

The climb takes too long though and Moose hits a powerbomb before bridging a ladder into the bigger one. Hardy gets powerbombed onto the bridge ladder, landing so hard that a rung on the bigger ladder is broken. Back up and Moose grabs a table, only to get pulled onto the bridged ladder for a Twist Of Fate down to the mat. Moose is able to get up and throws the ladders out (with one hitting a camera) before hitting a heck of a spear.

Hardy is fine enough to hit a backdrop onto the bridged ladder at ringside before grabbing another table. The Swanton sends Moose through that table so Alisha has to make a save. That earns her a Twisting Stunner but Moose spears Hardy through a table. That’s enough for Moose to retain the title at 16:54.

Rating: B-. Commentary summed up the issues at the beginning of this match: Moose was in his first ever ladder match while Jeff was in his thirty ninth. That kind of takes away the impact, as Jeff has literally done this dozens of times. What we got was indeed good as they beat each other up, though I never quite bought that Jeff was going to win. I get why they had the match though and it did feel interesting, at least most of the time.

Mike Santana rants to Santino Marella about what happened and gets a rematch on Impact.

Earlier this week, the city declared it TNA Wrestling Day in El Paso. That’s cool.

The cage is being set up (the arena isn’t big enough to have it hanging) so here is First Class for their Penthouse. They’re introducing their First Class Records label and consider allowing the fans to audition but then mock the idea of the fans having talent. The Aztec Warriors come out to protest and the brawl is nearly on but referees break it up.

We recap the main event. The System and the Colons have been annoying the resident good guys so it’s time to do this in a cage.

JDC/Brian Myers/Eddie Edwards/Orlando Colon/Eddie Colon vs. Joe Hendry/Matt Hardy/Nic Nemeth/Elijah/Leon Slater

This is unofficially Lethal Lockdown, meaning two competitors start for two minutes. Then a member of the villains (who won the advantage on Impact) gets a 2-1 advantage for two minutes. The good guys then get to even it up and after that, the entry intervals drop down to one minute. When everyone is in, first pin or submission wins. Edwards and Elijah start things off, with the latter coming in on a horse because reasons.

After a song mocking the System and the Colons, Elijah gets inside and we’re ready to go. Elijah starts fast and works on the arm, setting up an Old School. A big boot drops Edwards again and he gets sent into the cage as Myers is in for the advantage. The System Overload connects but Nic Nemeth is in to even things up. Nemeth hits a neckbreaker/DDT combination and it’s already Orlando Colon coming in to go up 3-2.

The rapid fire entrances continue with Leon Slater coming in as these intervals are too long to really work. Slater stomps away until Eddie Colon is in to cut him off as well. Matt Hardy is in as well for the Side Effect and rams Orlando into the buckle. JDC gives the villains their final advantage and some chairs are thrown in to keep up the beating. Joe Hendry is in last to complete the field and the bell rings, which I hope isn’t considered the official start to the match.

Hendry starts firing off fall away slams, including a super version to Myers. Back up and Myers hits Hendry low to cut him off and Edwards’ Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Nemeth. Slater is sat on top of the cage but crotches JDC and Myers, meaning it’s a Swanton 450 from the top of the cage onto a pile. Cue Ryan Nemeth as we hit the parade of finishers. Hendry grabs one of the chairs and a Twist Of Fate with the chair around JDC’s neck lets Hardy gets the pin at 17:05.

Rating: C. Yeah this didn’t really work, as it felt like they were scrambling to get the match in as fast as they could. That only got them so far, as the short entrances completely destroyed the intrigue of the match. Someone would get in, hit one or two things and then someone else would come in to reset the whole deal. It didn’t make for a good main event, as this needed way more time, and probably two less people, to really work.

Post match most of the team leaves but Ryan gets in and locks the door. That’s enough for Nic to jump Hardy (the camera mostly misses it) and the beating is on. The rest of the team is held off with a chair and Hardy is busted open. The beating continues to end the show. The Nemeths vs. the Hardys is certainly a choice for a title feud.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a back and forth show, as there were some good things on here that had me interested in what they were doing, but then they did some things that simply weren’t very interesting. The top two matches were only so good and the ending was more of an “eh, ok I guess” than anything else. Things should get to pick up a bit with a fresh top heel, but they need something else for Hendry to do already, as he’s just kind of floating around despite being World Champion.

Results
First Class b. Aztec Warriors – Running Sliced Bread to Kid
Mance Warner b. Sami Callihan – Running knee
Tessa Blanchard b. Lei Ying Lee – Magnum
Ace Austin/Rascalz b. Wes Lee/Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe – Spiral Tap to Lee
Steve Maclin b. Frankie Kazarian – KIA
Ash By Elegance/Heather By Elegance/Personal Concierge b. Spitfire – Assisted top rope double stomp to Threat
Mustafa Ali b. Mike Santana – Rollup while grabbing the rope
Masha Slamovich b. Cora Jade – Requiem
Moose b. Jeff Hardy – Moose pulled down the title
Joe Hendry/Elijah/Matt Hardy/Leon Slater/Nic Nemeth b. Orlando Colon/Eddie Colon/Brian Myers/JDC/Eddie Edwards – Twist Of Fate with a chair to JDC

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 13, 2025
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the last show before Sacrifice and the show is mostly set up. There is still the chance that we are going to see something new added, though there is only so much time left to fill in. The big match at Sacrifice seems to be the big team cage match so we’ll probably hear a lot about that here. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Eddie Edwards vs. Leon Slater

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie and the winner’s team gets the advantage in the cage match, which sounds a lot more like Lethal Lockdown. Eddie jumps him to start but Slater hammers away in the corner. A running hurricanrana sends Eddie outside, where he avoids a dive and hits a big chop. Slater uses the steps to snap off another hurricanrana but Eddie snaps his throat across the top rope.

Eddie sends him hard into the steps and then sends the banged up arm into the corner for two. The armbar doesn’t last long so Eddie snaps off an overhead belly to belly for two more. Eddie cranks on the arm again and grabs another armbar, at least until Slater kicks him in the face to escape. A high crossbody gives Slater two but Eddie catches a flip with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Slater kicks him down but misses the Swanton 450. Eddie sends him into the post and adds the Boston Knee Party for the win at 9:42.

Rating: C+. The villain winning this is the only thing that makes sense and as good as Slater has been, there is nothing wrong with him losing to a former multiple time World Champion. Eddie had to win to give his team the advantage so they weren’t going in any weird direction here. The match was fine enough, but the result making sense is what matters most.

Sami Callihan is ready to take out Mance Warner, who comes in (with Steph de Lander) to say Sami doesn’t have the guts to hit him now (which he isn’t allowed to do). Trash talking ensues.

Wes Lee vs. Laredo Kid

Kid twists the arm to start and sends Lee outside, where a baseball slide misses. Instead Kid is back up with an Asai moonsault, followed by a crossbody for two back inside. Lee is right back with a superkick and a bunch of stomping, setting up a brainbuster for two. That lets Lee crank on the arm (it must be required around here) until Lee is up for the slugout. Kid knocks him down and hits a pair of moonsaults for two. A hurricanrana gets the same so Lee belly to back suplexes him into the Cardiac Kick for the pin at 7:19.

Rating: C+. Lee gets to win something around here over a talented star, even if Kid has only done so much around here. It helps that Lee is someone who has done enough around here before so it isn’t the biggest stretch. Not a bad match at all, but Kid losing time after time has taken away a lot of his value.

Post match the Rascalz and Ace Austin come out to say they’re coming for Wes Lee, Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont.

By Elegance yells at Santino Marella over how they were treated by Spitfire. Marella gives them one more title shot….but with the Personal Concierge wrestling as well, to make it a handicap match. The Concierge panicking is rather amusing.

Rosemary vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside strikes away to start but gets taken down with a choke, allowing Rosemary to hammer away (and scream a lot). The chinlock is broken up but Rosemary is right back with the Upside Down. Rosemary pulls out a chain but Brookside takes it away, only to get misted for the DQ at 5:25.

Rating: C. This didn’t have the time to go very far and I’m a bit confused about what it is supposed to do. Rosemary was being hyped up as wanting to get back into the Knockouts Title scene but she just attacked Brookside when she was already winning a match. Odds are this gets a rematch, and I could go with either of these two moving up the standings a bit.

Steve Maclin is writing in a notebook and drinking when Eric Young shows up to drink with him. Maclin doesn’t want to hear from him and leaves.

JDC vs. Cody Deaner

Deaner talks about how he didn’t think he would be here just a year ago but now he is letting the fans decide for him and that has changed his life. JDC offers to let him have his countout loss but Deaner listens to the fans and hammers away to start fast. That’s broken up with some right hands from JDC, who gets caught with an atomic drop. The big right hand gives Deaner two but JDC pokes him in the eye. The Falcon Arrow finished Deaner at 1:56.

Tessa Blanchard/Cora Jade vs. Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich

Arianna Grace is on commentary. Jade tags out and lets Blanchard start with Slamovich, who drops her with some early clotheslines. Lee comes in and flips over Jade before hammering away in the corner. Blanchard offers a distraction though and Jade gets to choke away on the ropes. A basement dropkick gets two on Lee and Blanchard hits a rather hard running slap in the corner.

Jade’s chinlock is broken up and they collide for a double down. Slamovich comes back in to clean house as everything breaks down. Magnum hits Lee but Slamovich drops Blanchard. Lee hits a running knee off the apron to drop Jade before coming back in for Thunderstruck to send Blanchard outside. Jade hits Slamovich with the belt though and the Buzzsaw gives Blanchard the pin at 8:44.

Rating: B-. While Sacrifice is tomorrow, this feels like a way to get things ready for whatever the next major pay per view is going to be. Like her or not, Blanchard is an absolute star and putting her in the Knockouts Title picture immediately is not a stretch. I could go for seeing the match and this very well may have helped set it up.

We get a sitdown interview between Mike Santana and Mustafa Ali, the latter of whom shows up late with his cabinet. Ali says he respects Santana but they need to think about the bigger picture, which is TNA. He is here to knock down walls and can handle the pressure, unlike Santana. That doesn’t work for Santana, who has carried the pressure since he got here.

Ali shrugs that off and says Santana would crack under the pressure because he’s an addict. Santana: “Ali, you’re full of s***.” Santana is an addict but he’s an addict to the people. Ali can talk all the garbage that he wants, but at Sacrifice, his hands better cash those checks. Ali whips out a bottle of alcohol and asks Santana to take one sip and let everyone down. He brings up Santana’s daughter, which brings Santana out of his chair.

The cabinet beats Santana down and Ali leaves him a drink for when he wakes up. I liked this a bit better than the original with JBL and Eddie Guerrero, even if it’s almost the exact same story. That being said, this feud has been great for Santana (urine test gag aside), as he has looked like a star.

Sacrifice rundown.

Frankie Kazarian comes out for commentary on the main event and is told he’s facing Steve Maclin at Sacrifice. This doesn’t go well.

Here is Joe Hendry to defend the World Title against a mystery challenger. Santino Marella comes out to introduce….Ryan Nemeth, who announces that his big brother is returning at Sacrifice. He’ll be taking Nic’s contractually obligated rematch.

TNA World Title: Joe Hendry vs. Ryan Nemeth

Hendry is defending and retains with the Standing Ovation at 17 seconds, a good chunk of which was him holding Nemeth in the air.

That’s not what Santino had in mind, so here is the other challenger.

TNA World Title: Joe Hendry vs. Hammerstone

Hendry is defending and Hammerstone is even bigger than he was before. Hammerstone powers him into the corner to start before they chop it out. A jumping forearm staggers Hammerstone but he sends Hendry shoulder first into the post. Hendry fights up but gets dropped onto the apron as we take a break.

Back with Hendry fighting out of a neck crank but getting planted with a spinebuster for two. Another slugout goes a bit better for Hendry and he muscles Hammerstone up with a suplex. There’s the fall away slam to Hammerstone but the Standing Ovation is blocked. Hammerstone hits a powerslam for two and a German suplex into a powerbomb gets the same. A not great Boston crab sends Hendry over to the ropes (Kazarian finds this cheap.) and he’s back up with a German suplex. Now the Standing Ovation can retain the title at 15:29.

Rating: C+. This was a perfectly fine match and a way to get the champ in the ring. That being said, Hammerstone has gotten even bigger and it made him look almost goofy in a way. It doesn’t help that he has never really won much of anything in TNA, at least not in a good while, but at the moment he is little more than an intimidating looking star who gets beaten almost every time.

Post match the System and the Colons come in for the beatdown but Hendry’s teammates at Sacrifice run in for the big brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling wasn’t the best here, but what mattered was helping to build up Sacrifice. That show is looking like one of the biggest non-major pay per views that TNA has presented in a long time with a ladder match and Lethal Lockdown, plus one heck of a grudge match between Mike Santana and Mustafa Ali. There is a lot of potential on that show and while this week didn’t really make me more interested, it kept things going well enough on the way to El Paso.

Results
Eddie Edwards b. Leon Slater – Boston Knee Party
Wes Lee b. Laredo Kid – Cardiac Kick
JDC b. Cody Deaner – Falcon Arrow
Tessa Blanchard/Cora Jade b. Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich – Buzzsaw DDT to Slamovich
Joe Hendry b. Ryan Nemeth – Standing Ovation
Joe Hendry b. Hammerstone – Standing Ovation

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Impact Wrestling
Date: March 6, 2025
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re coming up on Sacrifice and perhaps the biggest story is the invasion/crossover from NXT. There are a variety of stars coming in from the other promotion and getting involved in some high profile stories around here. That should make for some interesting situations and more of them can take place this week. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap, including some clips of TNA stars in NXT.

Elijah vs. Brian Myers

Alisha Edwards is here with Myers. Elijah jumps him to start and they go to the floor in a hurry. Some rams into the apron have Myers in more trouble and a running hip attack makes it even worse. Alisha’s distraction lets Myers grab a belly to back suplex though and she gets in a neck snap across the middle rope too. The chinlock is broken up rather quickly and Elijah hits a running knee. The implant DDT gives Myers two more so here is Eddie Edwards for a distraction. Elijah sends them together though and grabs the Highwayman’s Farewell (Tombstone) for the pin at 5:46.

Rating: C+. Myers is a great choice for someone to make Elijah look good since Elijah is still new around here. That is what we had here, as Elijah is already looking like a player. I’m not sure how far he is going to go, but at least he is off to a nice start by surviving three members of the System at once.

Post match the System comes in for the beatdown but Joe Hendry makes the save with his guitar.

Ace Austin and the Rascalz are ready for the Northern Armory tonight. They might not have the best history but their future is looking good.

It’s time for the First Class Penthouse and they have a special guest in the prizefighter: KO! As in KC Navarro! Cue Steve Maclin to tell them to shut up, with AJ Francis saying they can fight in thirty minutes.

Savannah Evans vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside strikes away to start and gets nowhere, instead getting smart by kicking out the leg. Rosemary is watching from the rafters as Evans takes over. Brookside gets sent hard into the corner and the chinlock goes on. Back up and Brookside sends her into the corner, setting up a high crossbody for two. Evans misses a charge into the corner and bangs up her knee, which has Brookside talking to the referee. The distraction lets Evans hit a hard clothesline to the back of the head for the pin at 5:15.

Rating: C. Evans is a powerhouse but she’s not a particularly interesting powerhouse. She’s just kind of there and there isn’t much for her to do at the moment so soon after losing to Masha Slamovich. Brookside is rather perky and can do some nice things in the ring, but it isn’t going to matter if she keeps losing like this.

Spitfire has given By Elegance a makeover, which isn’t to their liking. Don’t worry though as Spitfire has the perfect travel meals for them, which doesn’t sit well with By Elegance. The Personal Concierge watching from the distance in tears is a great touch.

John Skyler vs. Mike Santana

Jason Hotch is here with Skyler, who says he is here on behalf of Mustafa Ali. Skyler hammers away to start but is quickly caught in Three Amigos. A Cannonball into a sitout powerbomb finishes for Santana at 1:31.

Post match Hotch tries to come in but gets caught with Spin The Block. Mustafa Ali pops up on screen and says that Santana has been randomly selected for a urine test. I think you know where this one is going.

AJ Francis vs. Steve Maclin

KC Navarro is here with Francis. Maclin wastes no time by hammering away in the corner but Francis is too big for the Angle Slam. Instead Maclin goes up but Navarro’s distraction lets Francis slam him off the top. A running knee in the corner rocks Maclin again, only for him to tie Francis in the Tree Of Woe. The running spear gets two, as does Francis’ spear. Cue the Northern Armory as Maclin sends him outside for a Scud. Back in and Navarro offers another distraction, allowing Francis to hit a rather big Down Payment for the win at 4:13.

Rating: C. Well they certainly didn’t have Maclin go down easily as it took four people to put him away. That’s what it should be with Maclin against someone on Francis’ level and it made for a good enough story. I’m not sure what First Class is doing, but Eric Young and company against Maclin is only so interesting.

Earlier this week, Ryan Nemeth said he was going to be on Joe Hendry’s team at Sacrifice but Matt Hardy called Nic Nemeth to say not so fast. Ryan got annoyed and left.

Steve Maclin yells at Eric Young, who says they’re doing this for Maclin. Good grief enough of this Eric Young philosophical stuff. Maclin storms off and runs into Frankie Kazarian, who is enjoying what is happening to Maclin lately.

We look at the Hardys vs. Fraxiom being set up on NXT for NXT.

Also on NXT, Moose said his match with Oba Femi next week at NXT will be the biggest match of his career.

Here is NXT Champion Oba Femi for a face to face chat with Moose, with the System and a bunch of security. Femi wants to know what is up with the security, but he also wonders why Moose waited so long to come see him. Moose says he was just waiting for the right time to cross the line. Femi praises Moose, who agrees with what Femi says. Femi is ready to fight so JDC tells the security that the first person to jump Femi is in the System. The entire team jumps him at once so Femi clears them out, only to get speared by Moose. This is going to be two big men hitting each other really hard and it should be a great time.

Fraxiom is ready to prove themselves to the Hardys.

Northern Armory vs. Ace Austin/Rascalz

Austin takes Icarus down to start and hits a quick spinning middle rope crossbody for an early two. Williams comes in as commentary recaps how the Northern Armory got here. Miguel comes in and the Rascalz hit stereo suicide dives but Icarus grabs Wentz’s leg, allowing Young to get in a cheap shot. Wentz fights up but his partners are pulled to the floor to keep him in trouble.

As you might have expected, the comeback doesn’t take long and it’s back to Austin to pick up the pace. Young slams Austin down but misses a moonsault (because Eric Young can now do moonsaults), allowing Miguel to come in and clean house. The Rascalz start using some Motor City Machine Guns double teaming until Young manages a Death Valley Driver. Cue Wes Lee and company for a distraction though, allowing Young to hit a piledriver on Wentz for the pin at 9:46.

Rating: B-. Perfectly fine six man tag here with the Northern Armory getting built up a bit with Young vs. Steve Maclin likely on the horizon. The match was mostly action based and the interference at the end made sense and protected the good guys in the loss. That’s a nice way to go and it’s nice to see a perfectly well put together match like this one.

Mike Santana yells at Santino Marella about having to take a urine test. At the same time, Tasha Steelz yells about Mustafa Ali’s coffee not being right. The payoff here is so obvious that Santana smiles at the camera.

Spitfire tortures By Elegance in a training session but the Personal Concierge, disguised as a janitor, makes the save.

Here is Masha Slamovich for a chat. She’s ready to go to war with Cora Jade at Sacrifice so cue Jade to say she’ll win. Slamovich mocks her but here is Tessa Blanchard to jump Slamovich from behind. Lei Ying Lee makes the save.

Mustafa Ali is told that Mike Santana passed his drug test….but his coffee is terrible. Comedy ensues.

Ryan Nemeth says that Nic Nemeth will still be back at Sacrifice.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Hardys vs. Colons

Non-title. Matt backs Orlando into the corner to start and works on the arm before it’s already off to Jeff. We take an early break and come back with Matt missing a charge into the corner. Orlando comes back in and drops Matt for two, setting up a legsweep for two. Eddie works on the arm but gets sent into the corner, allowing the tag off to Jeff. Everything breaks down and the Plot Twist connects…but the System runs in to jump the Hardys for the DQ at 4:49.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to this one as it was more about the angle at the end rather than the match. That’s a fine way to go, as the ten man tag very well might be headlining Sacrifice at this rate. At the same time, the Colons are the latest definition of “I guess they’re here too”, which isn’t exactly glowing praise. There isn’t much for them to do other than put over better teams, but it’s also not exactly fun to see them show up.

Post match the beatdown is on but Elijah, Joe Hendry and Leon Slater make the save. Santino Marella comes out to make the ten man tag match a cage match as well. That’s going to be crowded.

Overall Rating: C+. This felt like a bit of a step back from recent weeks without much worth seeing. The best match was just pretty good and the Santana/Ali angle felt like bad comedy with a payoff so obvious that they were practically winking at the camera. They did add some stuff to the pay per view and built things up a bit, but it’s not a show you need to see in the slightest.

Results
Elijah b. Brian Myers – Highwayman’s Farewell
Savannah Evans b. Xia Brookside – Clothesline to the back of the head
Mike Santana b. John Skyler – Sitout powerbomb
AJ Francis b. Steve Maclin – Down Payment
Northern Armory b. Ace Austin/Rascalz – Piledriver to Wentz
Hardys b. Colons via DQ when the System interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

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

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 26, 2024
Host: Tom Hannifan
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the second half of the Best Of 2024 and that should make for a good show. There was some nice stuff throughout the year and last week saw some of it get some attention. In addition, we have some more awards left to give out and that means we should be in for some interesting options. Let’s get to it.

Note that I’ll be posting the full versions of the matches rather than the versions on the broadcast with any potential edits.

Opening sequence.

Hannifan welcomes us to the show and runs down a bunch of upcoming events.

From Emergence.

TNA World Title: Nic Nemeth vs. Josh Alexander

Nemeth is defending in a sixty minute Iron Man match. They go with the grappling to start with Nemeth grabbing something like an abdominal stretch. That’s reversed into a front facelock, with Nemeth going straight to the ropes. They go to the mat for more grappling with Alexander having to bail into the corner.

Alexander throws him down so Nemeth reverses into a cradle for two before Alexander grabs a headlock. With that going nowhere, they get up again and the grappling continues with Alexander getting a standing armbar. Alexander takes him to the mat in a hammerlock, with Nemeth reversing into a cradle for two.

With that broken up, Alexander grabs a headlock as the fans are split here. Back up and Nemeth tries a dropkick, which is countered into the ankle lock to send Nemeth straight to the ropes. The headlock goes on again so the fans entertain themselves with an I BELIEVE IN NIC NEMETH chant. Back up and Alexander tries the ankle lock but Nemeth reverses into a cradle for the pin at 12:21.

Nemeth – 1
Alexander – 0

Alexander knocks him down again as they’re certainly not in a hurry here. A whip into the buckle makes it even worse for Nemeth and there’s a German suplex to send him flying, with a turnbuckle pad coming off at the same time. The chinlock with a knee in the back keeps Nemeth down before Alexander sends him chest first into the corner. A rather delayed vertical suplex drops Nemeth again but he grabs a rollup for two and a breather.

They go outside with Alexander slowly slugging away, though being smart enough to break the count at the same time. Nemeth sends him shoulder first into the steps, followed by the right hands in the corner. A top rope elbow connects but Alexander rolls him up for two. The C4 Spike is blocked and they trade rollups for two each until Nemeth hits a Fameasser for two more. The Danger Zone is loaded up but Alexander slips out, only to get Danger Zoned for the pin at 24:30.

Nemeth – 2
Alexander – 0

Nemeth sends him into the corner and slowly stomps away, setting up the jumping elbow for two. The armbar is countered into Alexander’s ankle lock but Nemeth breaks out rather quickly. Nemeth knocks him to the apron as they finally put the clock back up, because a countdown clock is too much to ask for in a match based on time. The clock goes away again with about 30:00 to go and Alexander cranks on the leg.

Alexander rolls some German suplexes, getting all the way into double digits, before slowing down to mock the fans. Nemeth uses the breather and rolls some German suplexes of his own before letting go, allowing Alexander to grab his own German suplex. A double knockdown leaves them both laying and some more time gets burned off. They get up at nine and Nemeth headbutts him so hard the headgear comes off. Alexander gets the ankle lock for a good while and adds the grapevine but Nemeth crawls over to the rope.

Alexander slowly kicks at the ankle and cranks on it some more as this is dragging horribly. Back up and Nemeth tries the running DDT but gets shoved into the referee with 20:00 to go. Alexander drops the referee and it’s time to load up a table. The C4 Spike onto the apron is countered with a scary looking backdrop to the floor but Alexander is back with a spinning Tombstone for two. Alexander grabs a chair but the referee takes it away, allowing Alexander to break off a piece of his knee brace to knock Nemeth cold. The C4 Spike finishes Nemeth at 43:52.

Nemeth – 2
Alexander – 1

Another C4 Spike ties it at 44:35.

Nemeth – 2
Alexander – 2

Alexander covers what’s left of Nemeth for two as we have less than 15:00 to go. Nemeth is back up with a sleeper and jumps on Alexander’s back, with the two of them falling out to the floor for a crash. They both get back in and then fall outside again, with Alexander hitting a toss powerbomb to knock Nemeth silly again. Nemeth beats the count back in and counters a C4 Spike with a backdrop over the top and through the table (which Nemeth didn’t know was there).

Alexander is down on the floor as we have 10:00 left. He count is beaten and Alexander hits a quick C4 Spike for….two, as Nemeth gets his foot on the rope. They strike it out on the floor until Nemeth grabs the running DDT back inside for two. They go up top with Alexander knocking him back down as we have 6:00 left. Nemeth’s top rope superplex sends both of them crashing down and a very delayed cover gets two on Alexander as we have five minutes left. Fans: “FIVE MORE MINUTES!”

Nemeth hits a superkick for two more and Alexander’s straps are down. A release German suplex sends Nemeth flying as we have 3:00 left. Alexander lawn darts him into the exposed buckle and grabs what is supposed to be Danger Zone for two, because Nemeth is freaking Superman in this thing. Another C4 Spike is escaped with 1:00 left and Nemeth hits the Danger Zone. Nemeth is back up with his own C4 Spike for the lead at 59:39.

Nemeth – 3
Alexander – 2

And time expires as Nemeth retains at 60:00.

Rating: C-. Oh sweet goodness what was that? This wasn’t a bad match but rather all kinds of boring save for a few nice spots here and there. I never once felt like Nemeth was in any danger of losing the title (he never even trailed) and some of the kickouts and near falls were just ridiculous.

It’s ok to give up a fall to a multiple time World Champion in an Iron Man match, as Nemeth was only really giving anything up for about five minutes out of the hour. I was losing interest about twenty minutes in and it just kept going. This absolutely should have been thirty minutes max, but instead we got this mess. Really dull stuff and a big disappointment.

And then John Bradshaw Layfield shows up. He whispers something to Nemeth, who nods, as JBL leaves. Nemeth celebrates to end the show.

Mustafa Ali is the X-Division Star Of The Year and he might win the title one more time.

From No Surrender.

X-Division Title: Chris Sabin vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali, with security, is challenging and they take their time to start. A test of strength goes to Ali, who uses his feet to take him down but Sabin rolls into a stalemate. Ali’s running shoulder doesn’t work and stereo dropkicks give us another standoff. Sabin seems frustrated that he can’t figure Ali out so he grabs a headlock takeover.

With that broken up, Sabin pulls him into a surfboard but Ali flips out of that as well, this time kicking some dirt onto Sabin. That’s not cool with the champ, who hammers away at Ali’s jaw and takes him to the apron. There’s the running headscissors to take Ali down again and we hit the chinlock. The fans are behind Ali, who jawbreaks his way to freedom. Ali goes up top and hits a 450 onto the arm to put Sabin in real trouble.

An STF and Border City Stretch stay on the arm and Ali cranks back on both. Sabin back and gets in a kick to the head, only to have Ali hit a similar kick and leave them both down. Sabin goes up top and, after shoving Ali down, hits a middle rope DDT for two and they both need a breather. Ali tries a crucifix but gets pulled into a crossface for his forts. The rope is finally grabbed but Sabin isn’t letting go immediately.

Sabin’s springboard is broken up and he falls outside, where Ali sends him back inside. The 450 misses but Ali takes a NASTY whip into the buckle and they’re both down. Back up and Sabin sends him to the floor, where the high crossbody hits the security instead. Sabin grabs Cradle Shock for two and the kickout has him stunned. A basement superkick lets Sabin take him up top but a super Cradle Shock is blocked. Instead Ali hits a sunset flip bomb into the 450 for the pin and the title at 20:28.

Rating: B+. Yeah this was really good and they nailed the big moment at the end. Ali has been built up as a huge deal and now he has FINALLY won something to make it feel validated. It helps that he beat the best X-Division Champion ever and the fans were behind Ali for most of the match. Rather awesome main event here with a feel good moment to end the show.

Spitfire is the Knockouts Tag Team Of The Year and are rather happy.

From Victory Road.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Masha Slamovich/Tasha Steelz vs. Spitfire

Spitfire is challenging and will split up if they lose, while Steelz is replacing an injured Alisha Edwards (here with the champs). Luna shoves Steelz down to start so Steelz takes her down for some glaring. Slamovich comes in to work on Threat’s arm but a slam puts Slamovich down. Luna slams Threat onto her, only to have Slamovich come back with a suplex.

It’s back to Steelz who fires off some chops in the corner before cranking on the arm some more. Slamovich gets two off Three Amigos and Steelz puts on the camel clutch. With that broken up, Threat tornado DDTs her way to freedom and Luna is back in with a powerbomb for two on Slamovich. Everything breaks down and Luna breaks up Steelz’s Sliced Bread attempt. Slamovich gets tossed into a sitout powerbomb to give Spitfire the titles back at 11:12.

Rating: C+. These titles still do not feel important and having Spitfire put their career as a team on the line against a makeshift team (not TNA’s fault) didn’t help things. Neither team, including the Alisha version felt like a special pairing, but that is going to happen when they have barely been together. This was about as good as it could have been, which isn’t saying much.

Post match Alisha yells at Slamovich and Steelz has to make a save.

Joe Hendry is Male Wrestler Of The Year. It might feel more appropriate if he had actually won the World Title but he’s certainly the most popular.

From Impact, May 30.

Eddie Edwards vs. Joe Hendry

Alisha Edwards and Brian Myers are here with Eddie. Before the match, Hendry says the only system he is worried about his his digestive system, because Eddie’s hair is so stupid. Cue the Nemeths to even things out (or actually uneven them) and we’re ready to go. Hendry starts fast with a running elbow and hits a rather delayed suplex for an early two.

We take a break and come back with Hendry fighting up until a chop takes him down again. Another chop is blocked and Hendry makes the clothesline comeback, setting up the fall away slam. Hendry slowly hammers away but gets elbowed to cut him right back down. Eddie tries to go up but gets super fall away slammed back down. Hendry goes up this time, only to get caught in a top rope superplex, followed by a tiger driver for two. Eddie kicks him down and loads up the Boston Knee Party but runs into the Standing Ovation for the pin at 12:01.

Rating: B-. The more I see of this ind of thing, the more it seems like we are going to be seeing Hendry getting a major title shot somewhere in the near future. Giving Hendry the title is far from the worst idea and I could go for seeing whatever he could do as the champion. If nothing else he would be a fresh direction for the company and that is definitely something they need.

And now, the Match Of The Year, from Bound For Glory.

Knockouts Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Masha Slamovich

Grace is defending. Feeling out process to start with Grace winning the battle over a lockup. Slamovich gets in some shots of her own but Grace ties her in the ropes for a kick to the leg. They head outside where Grace hits a rolling Death Valley Driver for a near fall back inside. Grace starts kicking away at the leg but it’s too early for the Juggernaut Driver. Slamovich fires off some kicks but the leg is too banged up for the full impact. A guillotine keeps Grace in trouble but she powers up into a Jackhammer for two.

They go up top where Slamovich plants her back down, setting up the Snowplow for a fast near fall. Slamovich knees her down and hits a running spinwheel kick, only for Grace to knock her down again. They fight back up and Grace runs her over, setting up the Juggernaut Driver for two. A leglock immediately goes on but Slamovich bails to the ropes. They go up again, and this time it’s a super Snow Plow to bring Grace down. A package piledriver gives Slamovich the pin and the title at 12:42.

Rating: B. Take two powerhouses, let the beat on each other until one of them can’t get up anymore. That’s all you had here and it worked rather well, with Slamovich FINALLY getting the big title win that she’s been needing. It was a good powerhouse match too, and now we’ll have to see who is coming after the title next. I’m not sure how much longer Grace has on her deal around here, but odds are she’ll be in WWE sooner than later, so this isn’t much of a setback.

Hannifan wraps us up to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This wasn’t so much a Best Of show as much as it was a bunch of featured stars getting included on the last show of the year. That’s perfectly fine and it was a nice way to wrap things up. For now, what matters is the show ending the year on a high note and they did well enough here. Hopefully next year can do as well, as this was a nice look back at a pretty strong year for the company.

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