Impact Wrestling
Date: October 15, 2026
Location: Dothan Civic Center, Dothan, Alabama
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Bound For Glory and there were a bunch of title changes. The biggest of them all was the World Title, with Leon Slater becoming the youngest World Champion in company history. We also have a new X-Division Champion in newly inducted Hall Of Famer Amazing Red, who joined the match for the vacant title at the last minute. As for tonight though, the Hardys are in charge in honor of their 35 years in wrestling. Oh dear. Let’s get to it.

Here is Bound For Glory if you need a recap.

Long Bound For Glory recap.

Opening sequence.

Here are the Hardys to get things going. They brag about Bound For Glory and promise that tonight will be especially extreme. That includes a brother vs. brother match, though not between the two of them. Instead it’s Nic Nemeth vs. Ryan Nemeth and if either of them lose on purpose, they’re stripped of the Tag Team Titles. Matt previews the rest of the show and then brings out Amazing Red, the new X-Division Champion.

The Hardys praise Red for his win but Red says he’s here because of them. That’s not all though as Matt brings out new World Champion Leon Slater, who talks about how much this means for the X-Division. Slater says his mother has always been his rock and will face anyone who wants a shot. Jeff Hardy would like one but instead we’ll have a five way ladder match for the #1 contendership tonight. Sure why not.

The Nemeths aren’t happy with their match tonight but Nic would rather complain about not getting his World Title rematch. He’s not even in the ladder match!

The System comes in to see the vacationing Santino Marella, who leaves rather than dealing with them. Hold on though as the System argues a bit over their less than successful Bound For Glory.

Nic Nemeth vs. Ryan Nemeth

They take their time to start and don’t exactly go after each other. A rather gentle kick to the leg puts Nic down as the referee doesn’t look impressed. Ryan goes for a cover but cue the Hardys to say not so fast. They sit down on the stage and say fight or be stripped of the titles. They trade rollups with tights/trunks for two each and the Hardys again try to make them fight. Nic hits a superkick and yells at the Hardys, who want him to do it one more time. A Fameasser finishes Ryan at 5:00.

Rating: C-. This was barely a match and more about the Hardys getting to torment the Nemeths. That’s a good way to go as the show is all about the Hardys, but my goodness can we just get the Hardys away from the titles? Or at least until after they win a match after their loss at Bound For Glory?

Post match Nic again complains about not being in the #1 contenders match.

The Hardys run into AJ Francis and Expressions, the latter of whom wants Francis to get a World Title shot tonight. Instead the Hardys say they’ll face the two of them tonight, which has Expressions responding as expected.

Harley Hudson runs into the Righteous and offers them luck tonight against the Syx. She seems to want to be out there with them.

Righteous vs. Syx

Tables match and both members have to go through to lose. They slug it out with the Righteous getting the better of things. Everyone goes outside and grab the tables as we take an early break. We come back with Sawyer dropping Vincent with the handspring clothesline.

Vincent is knocked off the apron and onto a table, which doesn’t break, so Sawyer goes outside to powerbomb him through it (nice, quick save for a misfire on the table). Dutch knocks Sawyer through another table at ringside and we’re tied up. Another table is loaded up but Sawyer’s distraction lets Shaw slam him through said table for the win at 9:35.

Rating: C+. This was just about the Hardys getting to screw with two teams they don’t like. As a result, it’s a tables match despite not needing to be in any way. The Syx continue to move up the ranks and have been protected thus far. Now just keep it that way and don’t let the Hardys drag them down for eight months and it should work out.

The Hardys run into Frankie Kazarian and Avery Styles, who are ready to get their Tag Team Title shot. Matt approves, but says they can have a title shot without the trophy being cashed in when the Hardys get the titles back.

We get closeups of Allie and then Rosemary, the latter of whom is smiling.

AJ Francis/Expressions vs. Hardys

Jeff avoids a charging Francis to start and works on the arm, with Matt doing the same. A double suplex puts Francis down again so Expressions offers a distraction. Francis gets in a big boot and Expressions comes in to stomp away. A bearhug goes on but Expressions misses an elbow, allowing Matt to come back in. Francis is tied in the Tree Of Woe while Expressions gets Twist Of Fated a few times. The Swanton finishes him off at 5:34.

Rating: C. This was similar to the opener as it wasn’t really about the match itself but rather just something to get the Hardys in the ring. That being said, it worked out just fine because there was no reason for this to be anything more than a squash. While I’m sick of the Hardys, having them beat up an annoying manager is a perfectly fine use of them.

Xia Brookside/Apex vs. Gabby Forza/Harley Hudson/Indi Hartwell

Brookside immediately hands it off to Baszler, who gets to start with Hartwell. Baszler takes her down to try the arm stomp, with Hartwell breaking it up rather quickly. Hartwell tries running the ropes but gets dropped by Serrano, who came in off a blind tag. It’s back to Baszler to stay on the arm, with Brookside getting to grab an armbar. That’s broken up and Forza comes in for a double suplex. Everything breaks down and Hudson is left alone with the Apex, which she knows is a bad thing. She’s willing to fight but is launched into a knee to the face, setting up the Kirifuda Clutch to make Hudson tap at 4:28.

Rating: C. Kind of a weird match here, with Apex smashing through Hudson and not having much trouble with Hartwell either. That’s a good way to make Apex look good, but it didn’t do much for Hartwell, the new Knockouts Champion. I do like Baszler being here, but maybe don’t have another former WWE star come in and be the most awesome thing ever?

Trey Miguel vs. Ricky Sosa vs. Jason Hotch vs. Moose vs. Elijah

Non-title ladder match for the World Title shot at Destination X and Leon Slater is on commentary. Moose and Sosa are left alone in the ring to start and the slugout is on, with Moose dropkicking him off the top and out to the floor. Elijah is cut off so Moose clotheslines Sosa for a loop. Miguel is back in to go after Sosa, who is taken down by Hotch’s rolling neckbreaker (as stolen from Mustafa Ali).

Hotch takes down Moose and Elijah with a double DDT but Miguel is back in with a poisonrana. Moose dives onto Elijah and grabs the ladder, which is cut off by Sosa as we take a break. We come back with a ladder actually set up in the ring, with Elijah and Hotch slugging it out near the top. Sosa is back in but gets shoved off the ladder and into the turnbuckle. Moose sets up the bridged ladder on the floor, with Miguel giving him a tornado DDT.

Miguel goes up and gets pulled down into Hotch’s torture rack neckbreaker. Cue Mustafa Ali to distract Hotch as the two brawl up the ramp and into the back. Sosa pulls Miguel off the ladder and into Elijah’s jumping knee. Moose is back in to powerbomb Sosa…in the general vicinity of the bridged ladder for a scary looking crash. Back up and Elijah gives Moose a springboard guitar shot but here is Nic Nemeth to cut Elijah off. Nemeth tries to go up but gets cut off by Miguel, who goes up and gets the contract at 17:53.

Rating: B-. It’s a ladder match. We saw two of them at Money In The Bank over the weekend and another at All Out a few weeks ago. Seeing TNA run a ladder match of their own so soon after just makes it feel like TNA trying to keep up. Miguel winning is a good choice as Slater can have a nice first defense to get his reign off to the right kind of start. This just didn’t need to be a ladder match, and it was quite the use of Hotch fresh off of his International Title win. Not bad, but not the best timing for something like this.

Post match the Hardys come out to thank the fans and TNA as Slater and Miguel have a respectful staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as it was mainly about the Hardys getting to do their thing all night long. That’s all well and good, but it’s not the right time to do something like that, as this put Bound For Glory WAY onto the backburner. The Hardys have gotten more tributes over the years than anyone could ever use and this was just another on the pile. Too much stuff was pushed off to the side here and it doesn’t help that I’m sick of seeing the Hardys/being told how great they are. At least it wasn’t another Broken Universe show, but that’s only so much of a bar to clear.

Results
Nic Nemeth b. Ryan Nemeth – Fameasser
Syx b. Righteous – Slam through a table
Hardys b. AJ Francis/Expressions – Swanton to Expressions
Xia Brookside/Apex b. Gabby Forza/Harley Hudson/Indi Hartwell – Kirifuda Clutch to Hudson
Trey Miguel b. Ricky Sosa, Jason Hotch, Moose and Elijah – Miguel pulled down the contract

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

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

Bound For Glory 2026
Date: October 11, 2026
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the biggest night of the year and that means it’s time for a match that is pretty important in its own right. The main event will see former X-Division Champion Leon Slater getting a World Title shot via Option C. That’s more than enough and we also have the annual Call Your Shot gauntlet. Let’s get to it.

National Anthem.

The opening video mainly focuses on Nic Nemeth vs. Leon Slater while talking about stretching to reach the highest of highs.

Ricky Sosa vs. Eddie Edwards

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. Sosa kicks him in the face and hits an early dropkick, followed by a quick rollup for two. Eddie is sent outside for a ram into the steps but Alisha is up with a tornado DDT off the apron. Back in and Eddie chokes in the corner, setting up the chinlock. That’s broken up so Eddie hits a quick swinging neckbreaker for two more. Sosa gets fired up and makes a quick comeback but gets sent to the floor.

That’s fine too as Sosa snaps off a hurricanrana to bring Eddie off the apron. Back in and a springboard cutter gives Sosa two but Eddie’s tiger bomb gets the same. Eddie can’t believe the kickout but the Boston Knee Party is countered into a powerslam. Alisha tries an interruption and gets powerbombed, allowing the Boston Knee Party to give Eddie two. Sosa is fine enough to hit a quick Head Shot into the corner, followed by a second for the pin at 11:19.

Rating: B-. That’s exactly what it needed to be. Sosa has been trying to find his place around here and while this won’t be the big game changing moment of his career, it’s nice to see him getting a win to prove himself a bit. I’m curious to see what they can get out of Sosa, who has the fans interested in him and can do well enough in the ring to back up a lot of his hype. Good opener.

Post match respect is shown and Eddie leaves in peace.

We run down the card.

Leon Slater agrees that he doesn’t have the same experience as Nic Nemeth but Nemeth has also never been a generational star who wants to become the youngest TNA World Champion of all time.

X-Division Title: Fabian Aichner vs. Ryan Nemeth vs. BDE vs. Cedric Alexander vs. KC Navarro vs. Rich Swann vs. Amazing Red

For the vacant title and Red, who was inducted into the Hall Of Fame earlier tonight, was added to the match on the pre-show. No one likes Nemeth to start and the ring is quickly cleared save for Swann and Alexander. Swann is sent outside fast so Aichner is in to take over. A running Red is pulled out to the floor and BDE is back in with a springboard crossbody for two.

Swann takes out the team of Nemeth and Alexander and we’re off to Navarro vs. Red for a rather odd showdown. They strike it out until Nemeth and Alexander jump them from behind, with BDE getting caught in the wrong corner. Alexander gets the worst of the Tower Of Doom so it’s BDE’s Kliq Cutter to Nemeth.

That earns BDE and Lumbar Check, followed by a Michinoku Driver for two on Swann. Aichner reverses BDE’s suicide dive into a suplex on the floor Aichner is back up with a springboard tornado DDT to Alexander but Navarro plants him. A dive takes Nemeth out on the floor and Navarro escapes Red’s Code Red back inside. Red’s super Spanish Fly plants Navarro and now the Code Red gives Red the pin and the title at 10:39.

Rating: B. Sure why not. The title was vacant coming in so it’s not like Red beat the reigning champion. With so many people flying around, Red basically won on a fluke. He was more than holding his own in there and this is far from some kind of an embarrassment. It’s a rather surprising moment but it really doesn’t hurt anything and gave them a nostalgic title win.

Post match Frankie Kazarian, who inducted Red into the Hall Of Fame earlier, comes out to show Red some respect.

Nic Nemeth is ready for Leon Slater, who isn’t ready to be the best.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Shayna Baszler/Zoey Serrano vs. Allie/Kiera Hogan

Serrano and the debuting Baszler are challenging. Allie and Baszler (whose gear says she’s “choosing violence today”) start things off with Baszler not looking intimidated. Baszler easily wrestles her into the corner but Allie manage to avoid a stomp on the arm. Hogan comes in and gets decked from behind and it’s time to work on the leg. Serrano mocks Hogan’s tag attempt and the half crab goes on to stay on the leg a bit more.

Hogan fights out of the corner but the leg gives out again, allowing Baszler to cut her off again. A clothesline isn’t enough for Hogan to get out of trouble as Serrano runs in to knock Allie off the apron. Hogan finally sunset bombs her way to freedom and it’s Allie coming back in to clean house. A full nelson backbreaker drops Serrano, who is right back with a knee to the face for two. Baszler knees Allie down and the Kirifuda Clutch gives Baszler and Serrano the titles at 8:45.

Rating: C+. There was no reason for Allie and Hogan to hold onto the titles here so this was the right call. Allie and Hogan weren’t even a regular team or the original champions so why bother keeping the belts on them? Instead go with Baszler and Serrano, who work well together and have a history. If nothing else, it gives me a reason to mock the Pure Fusion Collective again, a joy in life that seemed to have passed me by.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet

This is basically a Royal Rumble (20 entrants, two minute interval to start then sixty seconds) with over the top eliminations until we’re down to two. Then those two have a regular singles match, with the winner getting a title shot anytime within the next year. Trey Miguel is in at #1 and Avery Styles (making his TNA in-ring debut) is in at #2 to get things going. They fight over wrist control to start and the technical off goes nowhere. Stereo missed dropkicks leave them in a standoff and they stare at each other a bit.

Bear Bronson is in at #3 and takes both of them down without much trouble. Frankie Kazarian is in at #4 and slugs away at Bronson, with Styles helping with the knockdown. Dutch is in at #5 as the rapid entrances are working for me thus far. Bronson and Dutch have the big slugout until the dancing LJ Cleary is in at #6. Cleary’s poisonrana drops Bronson and it’s Gabby Forza in at #7.

Forza spears Kazarian and goes after Bronson, who eliminates Cleary to clear out some space. Matthew Rehwoldt (billed from The Commentary Table) is in at #8 and takes so long getting ready that Heather By Elegance is in at #9 before he even gets in the ring. Rehwoldt gets in, mocks Heather’s height, and is eliminated by her in a bit that is still funny after being done so many times. Naturally Rehwoldt gets back on commentary like nothing happens as Heather slides outside and hides underneath the ring. Vincent is in at #10 and helps Dutch double team Miguel in the corner.

Harley Hudson is in at #11 and pulls Heather out, sending her face first between Bronson’s legs in the corner. AJ Francis is in at #12 and gets to clean house, with the fans rather approving. A bunch of people get together but can’t get rid of Francis as it’s Elijah in at #13. Francis counters Walk With Elijah but gets caught with a quick tornado DDT. M By Elegance is in at #14 and dives onto Elijah.

That earns Heather a Highwayman’s Farewell from Elijah, who gets in a staredown with the Righteous. With that not going anywhere, the Hometown Man is in at #15 and wins a slugout with Francis. Bronson gets rid of Dutch, who stays on the floor to save Hudson as Brian Myers is in at #16. The System gets together to clean house as it’s Mr. Elegance in at #17. We get a quick string of eliminations with Vincent, Hudson, Heather and M going out within a few seconds, almost as if they realized “dang there are a lot of people in there.”

Elayna Black is in at #18 and hurricanranas Francis into the corner. Forza tosses Bronson in quite the impressive feat and it’s Jada Stone in at #19. Well in theory at least as Ben Bishop debuts to jump her and take her spot. Bishop, who is described as standing 6’12, comes in and is hurricanranaed out by Stone just as fast. Well that was quite the moment. Myers tosses Stone and gets tossed by Man, who gets tossed by Francis, who is wearing a lot of orange. Francis gets rid of Forza and it’s the rather chatty Joe Alonzo in at #20 to complete the field.

That gives us a final field of Miguel, Styles, Francis, Elijah, Elegance, Black and Alonzo, which is quite the grouping. Alonzo runs his mouth a lot on the way to the ring and I think you know where this is going. Alonzo actually gets in some offense, including some superkicks, but Styles throws him out for the elimination. Styles Peles Elegance out and tosses Francis over the top, with Expressions popping up for the save.

Francis is back in to get rid of Black and Elijah tries to knock Francis out, only to get eliminated by Kazarian. We’re down to four and everyone not named Francis goes after Francis to limited success. Francis cuts of Styles’ springboard to get rid of him but Miguel catches Francis with a Canadian Destroyer. That’s enough for Francis to be tossed, leaving Miguel vs. Kazarian in a regular match.

They slug it out until Miguel takes over but misses a Lionsault. Kazarian’s springboard legdrop gets two but the chickenwing is broken up. Miguel’s sunset bomb is blocked so he settles for a 619 in the corner. Kazarian’s slingshot cutter gets two and they trade rollups for two each, with Kazarian stacking him up for the pin at 34:06 (and his third straight win in this thing).

Rating: C+. It wasn’t horrible, but dang this thing is long every year. You have these long stretches with people just staying in the ring and not much in the way of interest. Bishop stealing the spot from Stone kind of worked but when Stone is in there a few seconds later anyway, it didn’t mean much. The action was good enough, but this was way too long for the same result (or close enough) that we’ve seen for the last two years. Just make it a regular battle royal next time and cut the time way down already.

We recap the International Title match. Order 4 has imploded and now the former members are getting a shot against Mustafa Ali.

International Title: Mustafa Ali vs. Special Agent Zero vs. John Skyler vs. Jason Hotch

Ali is defending, Tasha Steelz and Mila Moore are here too and it’s one fall to a finish. After quite the over the top intro for Ali, we’re ready to go. Skyler and Hotch start fast with a Total Elimination to Ali, who misses a hard charge into the corner. Zero is sent outside, leaving Skyler to slingshot Hotch out to the apron. Hotch kicks him down and does the same to Ali, followed by a moonsault out to the floor.

Back in and Zero gets tornado DDTed for two with Ali making the save. Zero chokeslams Hotch onto the other two before knocking a springboarding Ali out of the air. A Downward Spiral drops Hotch and Zero is up with the big dive to the floor. Steelz tells Zero to get the table but Ali is up with a suicide dive into the barricade. Ali gets Hotch and Skyler together so a 450 can put Zero through the table. That’s the end of the alliance and the middle rope G9 plants Ali back inside.

Skyler and Hotch show some respect and slug it out until Ali is back in. That means a double Destroyer to Hotch and Ali so it’s time for the steps, and Zero, to come back inside. Hotch pops up to use the steps for a superplex to Ali (that looked good) and everyone is down. They slug it out from their knees until Zero is up with a chokebomb to Skyler. Hotch superkicks Zero and gives him the spinning torture rack bomb. Hotch’s top rope double stomp hits Zero as Ali 450s Hotch…who reverses into a crucifix for the pin and the title at 13:17.

Rating: B+. This was the match that interested me the most and I can go with the idea of Hotch getting the title back. He’s someone new who could become one of the younger stars around here and TNA could use all the help they could get there. The action was rather good and Ali can move on to something else, which I’ve been wanting to see him do for a long time now. Maybe it’ll actually happen for once.

We recap Indi Hartwell challenging Xia Brookside for the Knockouts Title. Hartwell has been close to winning the title before but kept coming up short. Santino Marella granted her the shot here, in spite of Daria Rae’s protests.

Knockouts Title: Indi Hartwell vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside is defending and Mickie James is guest referee. Hartwell backs her up against the ropes to start and we actually get a clean break. A corner clothesline and bulldog give Hartwell two so she knocks Brookside to the floor. Brookside is fine enough to send her into the post and it’s time to take the turnbuckle pad off back inside. Some running knees in the corner and a floatover Russian legsweep give Brookside two, setting up the chinlock.

Back up and more running knees miss in the corner, allowing Hartwell to fire off some corner clotheslines. The spinebuster gives Hartwell two, followed by a powerbomb for the same. Brookside rolls outside and grabs the belt to leave but Hartwell sends her back inside. The top rope elbow only hits belt so they’re back up for a slugout.

Brookside pokes her in the eye and gets yelled at by James (who has done nothing of note thus far). Brookside gives James a slap and is promptly slapped down for two. Back up and Darkside gives Brookside two but Hartwell breaks up Brookside’s MickieDT attempt and sends her into the exposed buckle. The top rope elbow and Hurts Donut give Hartwell the title at 10:28.

Rating: C+. Hartwell winning the title here in the big moment was hardly a secret as it’s been built up for a long time now. That’s kind of a shame as Brookside was starting to gel as champion and I could have gone for a much longer reign. At the same time, James didn’t add much of anything here but on the plus side, Hartwell didn’t use that horrible looking submission of hers.

Moose vs. Max Caster

Caster is answering an open challenge. Caster’s rap invokes glory holes and bombs dropping in Riyadh. Moose powers him around to start so Caster hammers away as we get a Voodoo Kin Mafia reference because of the Billy Gunn association. They head outside with Caster dropkicking him into the steps and a high crossbody gets two back inside. Moose whips him hard into some corners back inside and the chokebomb out of the corner gets two.

We’re off to the chinlock for a bit with Caster fighting up, setting off an exchange of shots to the face. Moose is knocked outside for a running elbow off the apron. Back in and Caster misses a charge out to the floor, where he backdrops a charging Moose onto the steps. Hold on though as Caster doesn’t want a countout so Moose sends him into the post back inside. A top rope superplex and a release Rock Bottom have Caster in trouble but he gets in a hurricanrana. Caster hits an AA but the Mic Drop elbow hits raised knees. Moose spears him for the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C. Huh? Caster is your big name showing up for the most important show of the year and Moose just beats him clean? The match was fine, the rap wasn’t great and the result is….that? I’m not saying you put Caster over clean here but why should I care about him after that kind of a result? Moose shrugged off everything Caster threw at him and then just won. This really did not work.

Frankie Kazarian, with Avery Styles, says he’s going to cash the trophy in for the Tag Team Titles, with Styles of course.

We recap Syx vs. the Hardys. There was a string of mystery attacks and the Syx (Joseph Sawyer/Samuel Shaw) were revealed as the attackers. Now the Hardys, who were attacked as well, are in for a falls count anywhere match.

Syx vs. Hardys

Falls Count Anywhere. The Hardys jump them to start fast and Poetry In Motion into the Side Effect gets two on Shaw. Jeff throws in some chairs and opens them up, with Syx being sent onto them. It’s time to brawl into the crowd and then out into the concourse, with Matt grabbing a Hardy foam finger to beat on Syx.

Matt and Shaw brawl back into the arena and a DDT plants Shaw on the floor. Jeff loads up some tables underneath a balcony (oh dear) and, sporting a pair of foam fingers, Swantons Shaw through the tables for two as Sawyer makes the save. That leaves Sawyer alone in the ring with the Hardys hitting a Plot Twist for two.

Sawyer is taken up to the stage and of course let’s grab some ladders. Shaw is back up and the Hardys grab stereo Twists Of Fate to take over again. Syx is laid on the tables but Erick Redbeard (Rowan) debuts to take the Hardys out. A suplex/powerbomb combination drops Jeff inside and Sawyer powerbombs Shaw onto him (that didn’t look good) for the pin at 12:42.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t bad, but my goodness I’m over seeing the Hardys in these hardcore matches. The good thing is that Syx already feels like a bigger deal than the Righteous and there’s always going to be a place for someone like Redbeard. Odds are Uncle Howdy is going to be here next and I’ve heard worse ideas. Good enough here, with Redbeard looking like the star.

Sidenote: are all of the other wrestlers that Syx took out (and there were a bunch of them) ever going to come for revenge? Or are they all just letting it slide?

Santino Marella says the Hardys are in charge of Impact this week. Oh that could be something and not necessarily in a good way.

We recap the World Title match, with Nic Nemeth defending against Leon Slater, who traded the X-Division Title for the shot. Nemeth is a legend and Slater is a young star who wants to be the youngest champion in the title’s history.

TNA World Title: Nic Nemeth vs. Leon Slater

Slater is challenging and after the Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. The grappling doesn’t go very far to start so Slater takes him into the corner for the right hands. Nemeth goes to the eyes to cut that off but a running clothesline puts him on the floor. The big running flip dive over the corner is loaded up but Nemeth moves away, leaving Slater to hit a regular dive instead.

A running forearm off the steps drops Nemeth again but he’s right back with a Fameasser for two back inside. Nemeth starts in on the knee and we’re off to the chinlock. That’s broken up and Slater dropkicks him into the corner, followed by a running spinwheel kick. The high crossbody gives Slater two but Nemeth is right back with the sleeper. After doing something that looks a lot like tapping, Slater slams his way to freedom and goes up.

Nemeth cuts that off too but gets crotched on top, setting up a spinning torture rack slam. Slater tries what appears to be a powerbomb but it’s reversed into a pinfall reversal sequence. The big DDT gives Nemeth two and they fight over a suplex until Nemeth is dropped out to the floor. Slater is knocked down on the floor as well and has to dive back inside to beat the count.

Nemeth’s superkick gets two and a top rope elbow connects, only for Slater to reverse into a crucifix for two more. A Skull Crushing Finale gives Nemeth another near fall and they’re both down. Slater wins an exchange of superkicks and the Swanton 450 gets a rather near fall. Another one hits raised knees to give Nemeth two and the Danger Zone gets the same. Back up and Slater sends him to the floor for the big running flip dive and a top rope splash (three fourths of the way across the ring) connects back inside. Another Swanton 450 makes Slater champion at 18:21.

Rating: B. It was a good, back and forth match with the young star getting the chance to shine. That’s a great thing to see, but it really didn’t feel like a big moment. Slater winning is cool and it definitely shakes things up a bit while getting away from the idea of the former Dolph Ziggler being World Champion in 2026. It’s the right move, but only so interesting for the most part.

Slater celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was kind of a weird show as it had good enough action, a bunch of title changes, including the big World Title change, and a few debuts, but it still didn’t feel that special. It’s like this was just doing a checklist of things you see on a major show but it only got so far. The gauntlet match really just pulled the life out of the show as it went on so long, which is a running problem with the thing. Overall it’s a good enough show and definitely feels like it could be the start of something better, but it only felt so special on the way there.

Results
Ricky Sosa b. Eddie Edwards – Head Shot
Amazing Red b. Fabian Aichner, Ryan Nemeth, BDE, Cedric Alexander, KC Navarro and Rich Swann – Code Red to Navarro
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Serrano b. Allie/Kiera Hogan – Kirifuda Clutch to Allie
Frankie Kazarian won the Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match last eliminating Trey Miguel
Jason Hotch b. John Skyler, Special Agent Zero and Mustafa Ali – Crucifix to Ali
Indi Hartwell b. Xia Brookside – Hurts Donut
Moose b. Max Caster – Spear
Syx b. Hardys – Powerbomb to Shaw onto Jeff
Leon Slater b. Nic Nemeth – Swanton 450

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @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: October 8, 2026
Location: Boeing Center At Tech Port, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the last show before Bound For Glory and that means we’re getting the last push to the biggest night of the year. In addition to the usual stuff, we also have the Tag Team Titles being defended, with the Nemeths putting the titles on the line against the Hardys. That should make for a big main event so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here are the Hardys, with Matt holding a pipe. They’re ready to win the Tag Team Titles tonight and take them on to Bound For Glory to face the Syks. The challenge is on for the Syks right now but here are the Nemeths to interrupt instead. They promise to keep the titles tonight but Matt disagrees, and Leon Slater is winning the World Title too. This brings out Slater, who agrees with Matt. Nic brings up the no contact clause but Slater says he’ll be watching tonight and thinks the Hardys are going to do some deleting.

Allie and Zoey Serrano get into it backstage and are quickly held apart.

Moose issues an open challenge for Bound For Glory.

Allie/Kiera Hogan vs. Ki Vibez/Alex Gracia

Non-title. Hogan and Vibez fight over wrist control with Vibez sending her into the ropes for a running hip attack. Gracia comes in and gets elbowed in the corner so it’s back to Vibez, who takes over for a bit. That’s broken up with a jawbreaker and it’s Hogan coming back in for the running hip attack in the corner. Vibez hits Gracia by mistake and it’s Face The Music to pin Gracia at 3:12.

Rating: C. Not much to this one, though the jobbers got in some offense for a change. That made things a bit more interesting and it was nice to see the champs continuing to gel together well enough. If Rosemary is gone for the long term, it’s smart to let them have this kind of chance, as it can go a long way.

Post match Allie and Hogan send out the challenge to Zoey Serrano to find a partner for Bound For Glory.

Frankie Kazarian preps Avery Styles for the Call Your Shot Gauntlet.

Bear Bronson/Frankie Kazarian/Elijah/Trey Miguel vs. AJ Francis/Hometown Man/Brian Myers/Joe Alonzo

Random teams and whomever gets the pin is the #20 entrant in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet, while the person who take the fall is in at #1. Kazarian and Man start things off but Myers wants in, which is a rather smart idea for a change. Myers shoulders him down and Kazarian is back up with a chop…to Bronson for the tag. That doesn’t work for Bronson, who does the same chop to Miguel, earning himself a running hurricanrana.

Everything breaks down and the brawl goes to the floor with Elijah and Man hitting a dive each as we take a break. We come back with Elijah fighting out of Francis’ bearhug. The rope walk Destroyer is broken up though and it’s Elijah getting caught in the wrong corner again. Elijah knocks Alonzo down without much trouble though and it’s Kazarian coming in with the springboard spinning legdrop.

Alonzo and Avery Styles get into it on the floor, leaving Kazarian to give Alonzo a slingshot cutter for two. Everything breaks down and Styles actually gives Alonzo a Spiral Tap for two, with Francis having to make the save. Miguel comes in to strike away at Francis, including a DDT. We get the parade of knockdowns with Francis spearing Miguel but Alonzo tags himself in and steals the pin at 12:42.

Rating: B. Good stuff here and Alonzo getting the spot is interesting, as he’s done well enough in his limited time thus far. If there’s something to him, let him see what he can do and find out what might be there. Miguel as the #1 entrant in the match should go well too as he can do well enough in that kind of spot. Everyone else is just kind of there, but that’s the point of a match like this.

The Righteous offer Harley Hudson their help in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet but she’s good.

We look at ODB winning the Knockouts Title way back in the day before her Hall Of Fame induction this weekend.

Mustafa Ali has the final Order 4 meeting, saying this is everyone’s last chance to say something. Jason Hotch is ready to hurt Mustafa Ali once and for all. John Skyler is sick of Ali, who he really doesn’t like. Tasha Steelz is ready for Special Agent Zero to wreck all of them. Ali promises to win and this was a clever enough way to go for the push towards the four way.

Knockouts TV Title: Elayna Black vs. M By Elegance

Elegance is defending on her own and backs her into the corner. Black avoids a big boot though and sends Elegance outside, where it’s time for an early breather. Back up and Black misses a Stomp, jamming her knee in the process. Elegance is fine enough to suplex her on the floor and knocks Black down for two more back inside. A northern lights suplex gives Elegance two and gets in a knee to the back. The apron boot gives Elegance two but Black backdrops her out to the floor for a breather.

Black makes the clothesline comeback and a stomp to the back gets two. The Blackout is blocked with a ram into the corner and a Samoan driver gives Elegance two more. Black grabs a gutwrench suplex of all things for two and it’s time to chase each other around on the floor. Back in and Black sweeps the leg for two and now the Blackout connects, leaving them both down. Black finally gets over for the cover and time expires at 10:00.

Rating: C+. The ending was a nice surprise there as I had forgotten about the time limit and they didn’t tease it at all so Black looks like she would have won with five more seconds. Odds are we’ll see a rematch between them and that’s only so good, as Black is still only so good in the ring. There’s just something off about her and if it doesn’t get better, I’m not sure how far her career is going around here.

Ricky Sosa says this weekend is going to be the biggest match of his career and he’s ready for Eddie Edwards.

We look at Amazing Red winning the X-Division Title back in the day before his Hall Of Fame induction.

Eddie Edwards gets rather fired up about Ricky Sosa’s comments and says Sosa will need every bullet in the gun to take him out.

Fabian Aichner vs. KC Navarro

Cedric Alexander is on commentary. They show respect to start and Aichner backs him into the corner for a pat on the head. Navarro is able to send him into the ropes but misses the 305. A missed charge sends Aichner to the floor, where he cuts off a dive to suplex Navarro onto the apron. Back in and Aichner grabs a waistlock, followed by a wheelbarrow suplex for two. Navarro gets up for a kick to the head and a frog splash connects for two more. Aichner muscles him up for a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker though and a sitout Last Ride finishes Navarro off at 5:04.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here but Aichner looked mostly dominant in his win. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him getting a bigger spot, including winning the title. At the same time, Navarro continues to feel like he’s the big underdog and him pulling off a bit upset wouldn’t be shocking.

Zoey Serrano calls someone to be her partner and the woman is in…and it’s Shayna Baszler.

We look at Konnan as the leader of LAX as he’s going into the Hall Of Fame this weekend as well.

Indi Hartwell talks about coming so close to winning the Knockouts Title last year at Bound For Glory but failed. Xia Brookside calls this an embarrassment and she’ll fail again this weekend. Hartwell promises to win, as does Brookside.

Bound For Glory rundown.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Nemeths

The Nemeths are defending and Leon Slater is on commentary. Matt elbows Ryan down to start and it’s off to Jeff for a basement dropkick. Nic comes in to save his brother but he gets sent into the wrong corner so Matt can take over. It’s already back to Ryan, who gets catapulted throat first into the bottom rope. Ryan gets the rams into various buckles and Nic comes in for the same as we take a break.

We come back with Matt fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a Side Effect to drop Ryan again. Jeff gets the tag to clean house, including a middle rope double clothesline for two. Poetry In Motion hits Nic, with Ryan making the save. Matt gets posted and it’s the Danger Zone to drop Jeff for two. Matt is back up with a Twist Of Fate each but the Syk’s flickering lights distract Jeff, meaning the Swanton is countered into a rollup to give Nic the pin at 13:18.

Rating: B-. This was more a matter of when would the Syk’s get involved rather than if and that’s…well it’s mostly ok at least, as you could go with them not caring about the titles. The violence should be fine enough on Sunday and while I would have liked Nic to not have two titles going into the main event of Bound For Glory, it’s probably better that he doesn’t lose. This was a big main event, but the interference was pretty telegraphed.

Post match Slater and Nic have a staredown and the lights go out, with Slater being knocked down. Nic denies doing it and the Syk are here to stand tall and end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show did a good job of getting Bound For Glory ready and that’s exactly what it was supposed to do. The card is all but set and now we’ll get to see what they are going to have at the biggest show of the year. TNA has had a lot of issues over the years but they have kept Bound For Glory strong, so hopefully that string continues this weekend. Good job here, which is a nice first step.

Results
Allie/Kiera Hogan b. Ki Vibez/Alex Gracia – Face The Music to Gracia
AJ Francis/Hometown Man/Brian Myers/Joe Alonzo b. Bear Bronson/Frankie Kazarian/Trey Miguel/Elijah – Spear to Trey Miguel
Elayna Black vs. M By Elegance went to a time limit draw
Fabian Aichner b. KC Navarro – Sitout Last Ride

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

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

Slammiversary 2026
Date: June 28, 2026
Location: Agganis Arena, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the annual anniversary show (because it would be weird for anniversaries to not be annual) and we have a pretty big main event this time. In this case it’s Mike Santana defending the World Title against Nic Nemeth. That’s in addition to Ultimate X and a four team ladder match so let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Indi Hartwell vs. Mara Sade vs. Elayna Black

Black’s early rollup gets two so she gets sent outside, leaving Hartwell to clothesline Sade for two. Sade’s spinning middle rope crossbody gets two but Black trips her up. Hartwell neckbreakers Sade but Black is back in with some running knees. Black is sent back outside with Hartwell following, leaving Sade to dive onto both of them. Sade goes up for a moonsault to Hartwell but Black runs back in for the Black Out to pin Sade at 5:00.

Rating: C. Black absolutely should have won here as she needs the slightest bit of momentum to do anything at all. She’s been around for months now and feels like she has done absolutely nothing. I’m not sure if this is the big upgrade for her but at least she got on the show (technically) and won.

Post match Black leaves and the other two wind up on the stage, where Hall Of Famer Traci Brooks comes out to announce a tournament, starting on Thursday, to crown the Inaugural Knockouts TV Champion.

Kickoff Show: Eric Young vs. Ricky Sosa

A Boston Celtics broadcaster is on commentary. Sosa sends him (Young, not the broadcaster) into the corner to start and knocks him outside for the big dive. Back in and Young slams him off the top and starts stomping away, only to have Sosa jump up to the top for a super hurricanrana. Sosa fires off some running uppercuts in the corner but Young is back with the wheelbarrow neckbreaker. The top rope elbow gets two so Sosa gets up for a northern lights suplex into a Falcon Arrow. A Blue Thunder Bomb finishes Young at 6:00.

Rating: C+. This was a perfectly fine match but the important thing here is that Sosa got a win, which he needed to get his time in TNA started. Beating Young only means so much but it’s better than nothing, as TNA can certainly use some fresh blood. Maybe Sosa can be that person, but it’s certainly worth a shot.

The roster comes out for a ten bell salute to Joe Doering. Cody Deaner gives a rather awesome speech about getting to be Doering’s partner and friend. The show is dedicated to him.

The opening video looks at the history of the company and focuses on how important tonight is, especially the World Title match. Makes sense.

X-Division Title: Amazing Red vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. Giovanni Vinci vs. Mr. Elegance vs. KC Navarro vs. Leon Slater vs. Cedric Alexander

Alexander is defending in Ultimate X and this is Slater’s official rematch for the title, which feels like a stretch. It’s a brawl to start and Red is left alone but Kazarian has to be pulled down. Red hits a big dive to take out the pile but it’s too early for him to climb. It’s off to Slater vs. Navarro with the latter posing in the ropes to frustrate Slater a bit. Navarro goes for a climb but gets pulled down, only to be thrown at Aichner for a DDT on the floor.

Kazarian and Red go up and kick away over the ring until they come crashing down. Elegance goes up until Navarro makes a save and gets a showdown with Red. Some Code Reds put various non-Reds down, leaving Kazarian to go up. Aichner cuts that off with a big high crossbody and almost everyone goes to one corner. Slater hits a double Doomsday Blockbuster before going up, with Red going up as well. Slater pulls the belt down but Alexander grabs it and hits the floor, which is enough to retain at 10:24.

Rating: B. This was what you would have expected from this kind of a match as it was all about Red getting to show that he still has it and Alexander stealing the win to retain. It also gets Slater out of the X-Division Title picture without having him take another fall. This was a hot way to start the show and that’s why you have a match like this one. Nice job.

Post match Kazarian shows respect to Red and praises him for the influence he has had on the TNA locker room. Kazarian throws us to a video package announcing that Red is going into the Hall Of Fame. Yeah that’s fine.

We run down the rest of the card.

We recap Elijah vs. AJ Francis, which is over Francis basically stealing Elijah’s image, likeness and music catalog. Now Elijah is fighting for all of them.

Elijah vs. AJ Francis

A man with a rather nice hat introduces Francis. Elijah mocks the two as being No Skill Uncle Phil and a bad Jazzy Jeff. A jumping knee gives Elijah two at the bell but Francis knocks him outside for the tease of a dive, which of course doesn’t happen. Instead Francis mocks the crowd but gets taken down with a springboard clothesline. Francis’ Styles Clash is cut off so he settles for a big right hand to drop Elijah instead.

A Stunner of all things gets Elijah out of trouble but Francis is right back with the TFL. An Alabama Slam sets up Francis’ middle rope moonsault (and it looked nice) for two but Elijah catches him going up. The Highwayman’s Farewell connects for two so the man with the hat grabs the guitar. Elijah takes that away and knocks him silly but it’s a Styles Clash to give Francis two. The Down Payment is loaded up but Elijah walks the corner, then goes down the rope for a super Canadian Destroyer for the pin at 9:01.

Rating: C+. This was a match that went the right way but I was kind of hoping that the build had gone on longer. Francis only took everything from Elijah about two weeks ago so it only had so much time to build. Elijah had to win in the end but he could have suffered more than he did. Either way, perfectly fine match with the bully getting what was coming to him.

Post match Elijah gets his guitar back in a big moment.

Mike Santana is ready for Nic Nemeth and wants him to bring it.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Elegance Brand vs. Rosemary/Allie

The Brand, with the rest of their ilk, is defending. M grabs a quickly broken waistlock on Rosemary to start so Rosemary takes her down for the right hands. Allie comes in for some shoulders to Heather and the Brand gets caught in stereo Upside Downs. Ash offers a distraction though and the champs get out so M can Death Valley Driver Allie for two.

M’s basement dropkick to the back gets two but Allie snaps off a neckbreaker. A distraction allows the Personal Concierge to break up a tag attempt and Ash goes Coast To Coast. Er, apparently Toast To Toast, as in champagne. Allie gets up for a double clothesline though and it’s back to Rosemary to clean house.

A side slam gets two on Heather but M gets in a cheap shot, allowing Heather to hit a moonsault. Everything breaks down and Rosemary spears M, earning a distraction from Ash. Rosemary mists the Concierge and escapes Nip And Tuck. Allie gives Heather a Codebreaker and Rosemary’s reverse DDT connects for the titles at 9:42.

Rating: B-. This was what it should have been with the Brand not needing to be champions all the time. Rosemary and Allie don’t need to be champions forever but it’s good for them to win the titles here, as they need to show that they still have it after being gone for so long. Also they’re a bit more fun after the Brand has held the titles for such a long time.

Daria Rae and Santino Marella argue over Marella making the International Title match a triple threat.

International Title: Mustafa Ali vs. ??? vs. ???

Ali, with Tasha Steelz, is defending against two mystery challengers in the forms of….Rich Swann and Uhaa Nation, the latter of whom is better known as Apollo Crews. Nation gorilla presses Ali over the top to start and shakes hands with Swann before slugging it out. They go out to the apron with Nation knocking him to the floor, followed by a top rope splash for two back inside.

Ali tries to come back in but gets crotched on top, only to give Ali a super Styles Clash onto Nation’s back. Swann is back up with a hurricanrana to send Ali to the floor and a middle rope 450 gets two on Nation. Back up and Nation starts muscling them up for German suplexes but Ali and Swann knock him down.

Swann drops Ali and gives him a frog splash but Ali bridges up to shock Swann in a great visual. Nation is back up so Steelz offers a distraction, as does the incoming Agent Zero. That’s enough for Ali to hit a suicide dive, allowing Zero to bury Nation underneath the steps. Back in and Swann avoids the 450 and kicks Ali in the face, only to get caught in a bridging backslide for the pin to retain at 9:31.

Rating: B. This was a good way to bring in Nation without taking the title off of Ali. Having the match be a triple threat came out of nowhere but it’s the best way TNA had of having it both ways. At least Ali gets to keep the title, as it’s either this or having him move up to the main event and I don’t quite see that happening just yet. Nation can be put into pretty much any spot on the card and be fine, which is just what the company needs at this point.

We recap Moose vs. Eddie Edwards in a No Surrender match. Edwards and company threw Moose out of the System so he’s out for revenge, having gone through the team one by one. Now it’s just Edwards left and the match can only end when the corner person throws in the towel.

Moose vs. Eddie Edwards

Anything goes and you can only win once your opponent’s corner person (JDC for Moose and Alisha Edwards for Eddie) throws in the towel. In the back, Moose runs into Uhaa Nation and they’ll be talking later. Moose jumps Eddie to start fast and gives him a powerbomb onto the apron, followed by a powerbomb into the post. Another powerbomb onto the steps is escaped though and Eddie backdrops him onto the steps.

They get inside where Moose hits a release Rock Bottom into a backsplash and let’s get a table. The chop off goes to Moose but he walks into a clothesline. The Boston Knee Party drops Moose again, which isn’t enough for JDC to throw in the towel, so let’s get a chain. Eddie wraps it around his knee but charges into another powerbomb. That earns him a double middle finger from Alisha so Eddie hits a superkick.

With Moose down, Eddie zipties him to the rope and it’s time to beat on him with the kendo stick. That’s enough for Moose’s wife to jump the barricade and try to throw it in, only for JDC to cut her off. Moose’s son comes over the barricade and gets pulled inside by Eddie. Said son hits Eddie low and Moose’s wife beats up Alisha. Moose breaks free and hits some spears, including one with a chain, but Alisha throws in the towel to avoid the spear through the table at 13:00.

Rating: B-. It felt like they had a bunch packed into one match and they never got to some extreme moment for the towel. Moose’s family getting involved was fine but they haven’t exactly been around much before and it took away some of the impact. If nothing else, hopefully it wraps up the feud already, because it is beyond time to finish it off already.

Post match JDC gives Eddie a Stunner and Moose spears both Edwards’s through the table. Ok that has to end the feud right?

We recap Xia Brookside challenging Lei Ying Lee for the Knockouts Title. They were friends and partners until Brookside got jealous of Lee’s success and turned on her. That’s enough to set up the title match, as Lee wants to beat her up as well.

Knockouts Title: Xia Brookside vs. Lei Ying Lee

Lee is defending and takes her down to hammer away to start fast. Brookside is sent into the corner by the hair, followed by a hard knee to her face. Lee sends her outside for a dive from the apron but Brookside is back up to send the leg into the post. Said leg is wrapped around the post again and Brookside ties up the leg inside.

Some kicks to the chest have Lee in more trouble but she pulls Brookside into a half crab. With that broken up, Lee kicks her in the head and fires off even more kicks, only to bang up her own knee. They go into the corner where Brookside gets powerbombed down, bringing a turnbuckle pad with her. Back up and Lee is sent into the exposed buckle, setting up the Darkside to give Brookside the title at 11:55.

Rating: C+. This was another match that felt like it ended out of nowhere, but what mattered here was Brookside getting the title. After losing over and over, she needed to finally win something here and it was more than time for her to win the title. The match was kind of weird as Lee’s leg was worked on for so long but didn’t go anywhere, but the result was right.

Lockdown is coming to Chicago in August.

Destination X is coming in November.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Righteous vs. The System vs. Great Hands

The System is defending in a ladder match. The Hardys start with the ladder while their music is still playing but it’s way too early to go for the belts. That’s enough for the Righteous to fight back and clean house, with Dutch hitting a big dive to the floor. Skyler picks up Vincent for a Regal Roll off the top onto the pile, leaving Hotch to climb up. The ladder is tipped over though, with Hotch busting out a moonsault as he crashes down.

Back in and the Hardys load up a pair of ladders but are easily knocked down. Matt and Vincent go up again, with Matt ramming him into each rung on the way back down. Naturally it’s time for some tables but the Hands are up with the steps for the save. More tables are stacked onto the previously stacked tables (uh oh) but the System uses the ladders to beat up the Hands.

Cue the Righteous with the barbed wire ladder (of course), with Bronson being powerslammed into said ladder. Vincent’s Swanton crushes Bronson onto the ladder, which Bronson is then crushed inside of for a bonus. The Righteous set up the really big ladder but get it turned over just as fast. The Hands are back up to cut off the Hardys, including a G9 off the ladder to Matt.

Vincent cuts Skyler down and climbs up to slug it out with Myers. That earns Myers the poisonous flower and he falls down but Bronson is up to piledrive Vincent onto the barbed wire ladder. Bronson and Dutch go up at the same time and yes they do indeed go crashing through the four tables. The Hands pull the Hardys down, earning themselves a double beating. Jeff Swantons the Hands through a bridged ladder at ringside…and the Hardys win the titles back at 17:09.

Rating: B-. Yeah wow that’s fascinating: the Hardys winning the Tag Team Titles in a ladder match. This is one of the more annoying results I can imagine as the Hardys haven’t needed to win a title in years. Somehow they get to pad their resumes even more, but even worse, it means we’re likely STILL not done with the Hardys vs. the Righteous. How in the world is that their best idea? If nothing else, the System looks completely useless and the Hands were there…why?

Mike Santana gives a rather heartfelt message about all of the help Konnan gave him over the years by believing in him. Therefore, he’s thrilled to induct Konnan into the Hall Of Fame. I’m liking these multiple person classes as the company has more than enough history to cover them.

We recap the World Title match. Nic Nemeth is calling his shot for the title match and that’s fine with Mike Santana. Nemeth has attacked him a few times and brought up Santana’s daughter, which is the champ’s trigger.

TNA World Title: Mike Santana vs. Nic Nemeth

Nemeth is challenging. The fans get on the New York Yankees and declare that they suck (Santana mouths “they do”) and we’re ready to go. They start slowly and feel each other out a bit until Nemeth sends him outside. Back in and Nemeth gets two off a rollup but gets went outside for a breather. They switch places before Santana tosses him outside again for a die. The big chops have Nemeth knocked up against the barricade, with Santana appreciating the echo.

Santana throws him over the announcers’ table so Ryan Nemeth gets inside for a distraction. Said distraction earns Ryan an ejection but Nic gets in a trophy shot to take over. Santana is busted open and Nic rips at the cut, followed by a crossface to make it worse. Nic switches to a sleeper but Santana fights up to start the comeback. Santana hammers away and hits the rolling Buck Fifty for two but Spin The Block is cut off with a superkick.

The Danger Zone gives Nic two so he hits another superkick, only to walk into Spin The Block for another two. Nemeth kicks the knee out and hits a basement superkick for….one. Uh oh. Another Spin The Block doesn’t work though as the blood loss gets to Santana. The Danger Zone gives Nic the pin and the title at 14:45.

Rating: B. It was a good match with Santana getting to go out on his shield, but it seems like we are on the way to Santana moving over to WWE anyway. The good thing is that the promotions have a working relationship so Santana might not be entirely gone. If this is it for Santana though, he has come a VERY long way and deserves all kinds of credit for his rise. As for Nemeth, he doesn’t feel like a long term champion but he’s fine as a placeholder until TNA figures out who is next.

Nemeth celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Hardys winning aside, this was a strong enough show, with the right moves being made for the most part. If Santana is indeed leaving, the only option was to take the title off of him and Nemeth is as good of a choice that the company has. I liked most of the matches, with some of them being better than others, but nothing was bad and the show felt logical enough throughout. Nice job, with the Hall Of Fame announcements being a rather appropriate bonus.

Results
Elayna Black b. Mara Sade and Indi Hartwell – Black Out to Sade
Ricky Sosa b. Eric Young – Blue Thunder Bomb
Cedric Alexander won Ultimate X
Elijah b. AJ Francis – Top rope Canadian Destroyer
Allie/Rosemary b. Elegance Brand – Reverse DDT to Heather
Mustafa Ali b. Uhaa Nation and Rich Swann – Bridging backslide to Swann
Moose b. Eddie Edwards when Alisha Edwards threw in the towel
Xia Brookside b. Lei Ying Lee – Darkside
Hardys b. Righteous, The System and Great Hands – Hardys pulled down the titles
Nic Nemeth b. Mike Santana – Danger Zone

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

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

Culture Clash 2026
Date: April 16, 2026
Location: Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: JD From New York, Jason Solomon

This is House Of Glory, a promotion I’ve watched a few times before and liked well enough to give it another shot. They have a good roster with some stars who you might not see elsewhere and that keeps things fresh enough. I’m not sure what to expect here as I haven’t seen any of their stuff in a few years but let’s get to it.

The ring announcer welcomes us to the show.

Ken Broadway vs. Raymond Bright

Broadway has a lot of money during his entrance and mocks Bright with it for a bit. Bright springboards up for an armdrag and even throws in some gold dust. Broadway is sent outside, where he comes back with a big boot to take over. Back in and a dancing elbow drop hits Bright, followed by a double arm crank. With that broken up, Bright slugs away on the ropes and even hits a Superman Punch.

A high crossbody gives Bright two but Broadway forearms him in the face. Broadway sends him into the corner and adds a Backstabber, only to miss a top rope elbow. Bright is back up with a quick standing moonsault but…I think misses a dropkick (commentary was just as confused). Bright misses a top rope splash and gets kicked in the chest, setting up Broadway’s top rope elbow for the pin at 9:35.

Rating: C+. Perfectly nice opener here and that’s all it needed to be. Broadway is someone who has been around House Of Glory for a good while and seems to be someone who has a nice place carved out. Bright got to show off some nice athleticism but that weird missed dropkick was quite the odd spot.

Raheem Royal vs. Kuro vs. JJP vs. Phumi Nakuta vs. JJ Doze vs. Angel Jacquez

Say it with me: scramble match. This is Kura’s debut and Nakuta is an MMA fighter (with a belt). Jacquez is basically doing the Lex Luger Narcissist deal, with a bunch of people holding mirrors for his entrance. The bell rings and Jacquez runs out to the floor, with Kuro trying to get him back inside. Kuro gets tired of the posing and pulls him over the barricade, triggering a series of dives.

That leaves Nakuta and Royal in the ring, with the latter hitting a quick dropkick. Jacquez comes back in for a heck of a backdrop to Royal but Nakuta gives him a great looking release German suplex. Doze is back in with a double missile dropkick and Jacquez gets planted as well. Jacquez is back up to muscle JJP up into a suplex for two. Doze’s hurricanrana is countered into a toss powerbomb onto the ramp for an awesome crash. JJP is sent over the barricade and a bunch of people go into the crowd as well, with Royal moonsaulting off a balcony for the big crash.

Somehow Royal lands on his feet, which is all the more impressive. Back in and Nakuta tries a tornado DDT on Royal but eventually spins around for the Canadian Destroyer (that looked good, albeit quite cooperative). Kuro is back in with a fisherman’s driver to Nakuta, with JJP making the save. JJP kicks Kuro down for two but Doze gives JJP a…I think it was supposed to be a 450 but wound up being closer to a stomp. Jacquez knees Doze’s head off, only for Nakuta to come in with a kind of pumphandle suplex to pin Jacquez at 9:50.

Rating: B. I didn’t know who these people were and I wanted to see who was going to win in the end, which is a good sign. They were doing some different stuff out there and it wound up being a heck of a match. This was a lot better than I was expecting and Jacquez stood out, with Royal’s moonsault being even better. Rather good stuff here.

Women’s Title: Shotzi Blackheart vs. Charlie

Charlie, better known as Dakota Kai, is challenging. They trade early rollups for two each until Charlie is shoved out of the corner. Blackheart hits a quick dropkick but gets caught with a kind of running Codebreaker dropkick. Back up and Blackheart suplexes her into the corner for two, followed by a leg choke over the rope. That’s broken up and Charlie fires off some clotheslines, followed by a belly to belly. Blackheart kicks her in the head for a trip to the floor though, meaning it’s a suicide dive to take her out again.

Charlie is back up to catch her with a Stomp on the way back in, with Blackheart reaching her foot over to the rope. Blackheart is back up with a rolling Liger Kick and they’re both down again. Back up and they just start throwing the rapid fire forearms, with Charlie getting the better of things. Blackheart is sat up top but knocks Charlie down for a top rope backsplash. That and a running kick finish Charlie to retain the title at 10:33.

Rating: B-. This was a nice, hard hitting match between two people with a history and they did well here. Charlie has been away from the ring for a good while now and it’s cool to have her back, even if it’s just for one night. I liked this well enough, as they made it feel like a pretty big showdown.

Post match Steph de Lander runs in to lay Blackheart out and holds up the title.

Brody King vs. Zilla Fatu

Fatu’s Crown Jewel Title isn’t on the line. King backs him into the corner to start before Zilla invites him to try some running shoulders. Those don’t get Zilla very far so King fires off the big chops. Fatu is knocked out to the floor and there’s the suicide dive from King to knock him into the barricade. King misses a charge into the post though, allowing Fatu to hit a diving headbutt in the Tree Of Woe.

The slingshot dive to the floor hits Fatu as these guys are laying it in to start here. After grabbing a drink from the crowd, Fatu heads back inside and misses a running hip attack. King Cannonballs him for two but the Ganso Bomb doesn’t really work as King can’t hold him up. Instead Fatu hits a Samoan drop, setting up the top rope splash for two of his own. Fatu goes up again but cue Lance Anoa’i (part of Fatu’s family and they’re not getting along) to shove Fatu off the top for the DQ at 9:48.

Rating: B-. I was getting into these two beating the heck out of each other as they were two big men trading shots. The ending pulled a lot of the energy out of it though and I’m not sure why they didn’t just make this a title match. Fatu was able to hang with someone as big and strong as King though and that’s not easy to do.

Post match King and Fatu beat Anoa’i up but seem to want to fight again. King leaves and Fatu hits a Superfly Splash.

Cruiserweight Title: Daron Richardson vs. Joey Silver

Silver is challenging and loves candy, which he throws to the crowd. Richardson even spits on some candy to start, which makes me think he has something wrong with him. Maybe he’s an angry dentist. Anyway Silver knocks him back and hits a dancing Old School but Richardson knocks him into the corner. Some stomping in said corner sets up a spinning kick to the face and Richardson hits a standing shooting star press for two.

Richardson teases stomping on him but goes with a slap instead. That brings Silver up to start the comeback, including a running hip attack for two. Silver loads up a People’s Elbow but instead puts a lollipop in Richardon’s mouth. The Starburster (fisherman’s driver) and a frog splash give Silver two each but Richardson grabs the belt. That’s just a distraction though as he hits Silver with the lollipop, setting up a running flipping cutter to retain at 6:52.

Rating: C+. As you might be able to tell, it doesn’t feel like there is much of a need for a cruiserweight title these days. So many wrestlers are out there flying around and are already on the smaller side. If that’s the case, why do we need a title for them in the first place? As for the match, Silver seemed more about making people laugh than winning the title and that didn’t have me wanting to see him win the title. Not a bad match, but probably the weakest on the show thus far.

Amazing Red vs. Bandido

Bandido’s Ring Of Honor World Title isn’t on the line (of course). They take a knee to each other to start as they both wanted this match. Red misses a kick to the head so they try dropkicks, only to flip up to their feet. They trade running shoulders with Bandido being sent outside, with Red hitting one of the hardest suicide dives you’ll ever see, going into the front row with Bandido following after.

Bandido is back up with a flip dive into Red, who is knocked into the front row for quite the crash. They wander around the building a bit, with Bandido climbing a balcony for a big dive. Red knocks him back and climbs onto the stage for a VERY fast flip dive (dang I miss Don West). Once we establish that Red is still alive, they get back inside, where Bandido lifts him up for a very delayed vertical suplex.

Bandido blocks the Code Red and grabs something like the Bang A Rang for two. Back up and they get some rather fast running starts to hit stereo clotheslines. Red is up first and grabs a tornado DDT, only for Bandido to come back with a one armed gorilla press. The frog splash gets two but Red escapes the X Knee.

A running step up hurricanrana drops Bandido and it’s time to chop the goodness out of each other. Bandido grabs his pop up cutter but the 21 Plex is somehow countered into the Code Red for two more. They trade some kicks to the head until Bandido scores with the X Knee. With Red on the mat, Bandido busts out the 21 Plex and get the win at 16:42.

Rating: A-. I absolutely loved this as I’ve grown to appreciate Red that much more over the years. The stuff at the beginning with Red flying all over the place was great and you could tell this meant a lot to Bandido. At the same time, you had Bandido being his usual outstanding self and this was one of the best matches I’ve seen in a good while. Anytime AEW would like to do something with Bandido, I wouldn’t be objecting.

House Of Glory Title: Michael Oku vs. Charles Mason

Oku, with Amira, is challenging, as is his custom, while Mason weighs in at “a f*** ton of money”. They stare at each other and then fight over a lockup, with Oku shoving him into the corner. Mason seems to approve and tries a sleeper, only to get taken down with a running hurricanrana. Back up and Mason avoids a charge to send him crashing out to the floor, where Mason drags Amira around by the hair.

That’s way too far for Oku, who dropkicks him into the barricade. Back in and a PK hits Mason but he’s able to snap Oku’s throat across the top. A hard whip sends Oku into the barricade and Mason rakes the back inside. That just wakes Oku up and he slugs away, only to get knocked right back down, with Mason seeming to enjoy this. The sleeper out of the corner oddly wakes Oku up and he scores with a middle rope dropkick.

A tornado DDT gives Oku two and he dropkicks Mason outside for the required Fosbury Flop. Back in and Mason spits some water in the eyes, allowing him to hit a rolling Death Valley Driver for two. Oku is ticked off so they slug it out and trade running shots to the face. The half crab attempt is countered into a small package so Oku knocks him down and hits a moonsault for two.

An O’Connor roll is countered into Mason’s rear naked choke but Oku manages to get to his feet. They crash out onto the ramp, where Oku is back with a pop up Canadian Destroyer to leave them both down again. Mason throws him back inside but here is Amira to spear Mason down. Back to back frog splashes set up the half crab but Oku pulls back too far and gets caught in the choke to retain the title at 18:31.

Rating: B+. They started rolling there at the end as it because a question of how could Mason survive and that’s exactly what he did. He drove Oku so nuts that Oku wanted to pull back too hard on his best hold and Mason got the choke as a result. Oku was selling the hatred here and it worked very well overall as this show is on a pretty great roll.

Tag Team Titles: Good Brothers vs. Hardys

The Hardys are defending and this is a bit of an odd choice for a main event. Hold on though as here is the Mane Event (Jay Lyon/Midas Black) who seem to be part of a circus. They want their titles back and this is officially a triple threat.

Tag Team Titles: Good Brothers vs. Mane Event vs. Hardys

The Hardys are defending. Matt works on Lyon’s arm to start and Lyon roars at him a lot. Anderson comes in and gets armdragged down by Lyon so it’s off to Black. This works a bit better for Anderson, who gets taken into the corner for the tag to Gallows. Black kicks away at Gallows but Matt tags himself in and goes after Gallows’ arm. It’s back to Jeff for a basement dropkick and the Poetry In Motion clothesline.

Anderson gets sent into a bunch of buckles but Black tags himself in, much to the fans’ annoyance. A spinebuster plants Black and Gallows comes back in for the rapid fire elbows. The Magic Killer is broken up though and a neckbreaker makes Gallows DDT Anderson, because that spot has yet to die.

It’s back to Lyon, who dives through a ring for the suicide dive onto the Hardys and Brothers. Black and Matt brawl into the crowd and the other four head out there as well. Back in and Matt gives Black a Side Effect but Gallows is back in to boot Jeff in the face. The Magic Killer is teased…and here are the Righteous. The Brothers are distracted and it’s the Twist Of Fate into the Swanton to pin Black at 14:11.

Rating: C+. This was as good as the Hardys vs. the Good Brothers was going to be at this point, with the Mane Event being added to get it some HOG flavor. The problem is the fans didn’t want that flavor at all as they wanted the bigger name teams. It’s not in front of the main HOG audience and that hurt the Mane Event’s status. This wasn’t a bad match, but after some of the other things on the show, it was a bit of a letdown.

Post match Matt thanks the fans and kind of recaps the main event to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B. The good stuff on here is great while the worst is mostly just mediocre, which isn’t a bad place to be. What mattered here was having a bunch of wrestlers who might not usually be a part of House Of Glory being mixed in with the usual roster. I liked this show a good deal, with the Bandido vs. Red match being in contention for best indy match of the weekend. I could go for more of this promotion and that’s not something I often say coming out of these things.

Results
Ken Broadway b. Raymond Bright – Top rope elbow
Phumi Nakuta b. Kuro, Raheem Royal, JJ Doze, Angel Jacquez and JJP – Pumphandle suplex to Jacquez
Shotzi Blackheart b. Charlie – Running kick to the head
Zilla Fatu b. Brody King via DQ when Lance Anoa’i interfered
Daron Richardson b. Joey Silver – Running flipping cutter
Bandido b. Amazing Red – 21 Plex
Charles Mason b. Michael Oku – Reign Of Terror
Hardys b. Good Brothers and Mane Event – Swanton to Black

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

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

Maple Leaf Pro Multiverse
Date: April 17, 2026
Location: Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Johnny Laquasto, So Cal Val

Maple Leaf Pro has gone from a promotion that doesn’t exist about a year ago to a pretty consistently good independent company. That is a heck of an impressive feat and it’s great to see them as part of the lineup around here. I’m assuming there are going to be a lot of guest stars here so let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on how worlds come together and how the greats will rise, but some will fall.

Subculture (Attack Wrestling) vs. Guy Cool/Vaughn Vertigo (UWN)

The sound mix is WAY off to start, as the theme music is drowning out everything, from the ring announcer to the commentary. Vaughn and Webster start things off with Vaughn taking him to the mat by the arm. Back up and Webster takes him down for an inverted flipping backsplash. Cool (“confidently aloof”) comes in and brings Vaughn right back in for a failed double suplex attempt.

Vaughn is quickly taken down by Subculture, who start in on the arm but manages to take Webster into the wrong corner. A cheap shot to the knee takes Webster down and a pumphandle backbreaker…seems to be a bad idea as Webster fights back. It’s back to Andrews for the double Pele as everything breaks down. Webster gets sent outside and Vaughn’s Swanton hits the standing Andrews. A Stundog Millionaire gets Andrews out of trouble though and Fall To Pieces (shooting star press) finishes Vaughn at 8:21.

Rating: B-. Rather good choice to open the show here, with Subculture getting to show off their rather impressive talents. They’re a team who have done well every time I’ve seen them in the ring and that was the case again here. Cool and Vaughn were fine as villains and held their own rather well, which isn’t surprising given how much experience commentary said Vertigo had.

Commentary previews the rest of the show.

Steven Borden (Ring Of Honor) vs. Kiran Grey (Defy Wrestling)

They shove each other to start and Borden wrestles him down, followed by a backdrop and dropkick. Grey knocks him outside and takes over though and it’s a running elbow back inside. The chinlock goes on and Grey cuts off a comeback rather quickly. A running neckbreaker gives Grey two and he goes up top, where Borden catches him.

The superplex is broken up but Grey misses a top rope splash. Borden hits a Stinger Splash and bulldog but a full nelson slam is blocked. A pump kick drops Borden and Grey tries his own Scorpion Death Drop. That’s broken up as well and the full nelson slam finishes for Borden at 5:55.

Rating: C. The main thing to remember here is that Borden is still brand new in the ring. He’s still certainly a work in progress and that’s going to be the case for a long time. He has a good look and is very athletic. The good thing is that you can see a lot of his father in him. Get him in a good developmental program and there is absolutely a shot of him going somewhere.

We see Paul Hauser on Jimmy Kimmel, talking about his wrestling career.

Sidney Akeem (GCW)/Rich Swann (MLP)/Michael Oku (RevPro) vs. The Demand (AEW)

Ricochet and Swann start things off but it’s off to Kaun before anything happens. Kaun tosses Swann into the corner and runs him over with a shoulder. Everything breaks down and Akeem and Oku go up, only to have the Gates pull them out of the air. That’s reversed into a pair of hurricanranas to the floor, leaving Swann and company to hit three straight dives.

Back in and Kaun chops the heck out of Swann in the corner and it’s back to Ricochet. Swann fights out of the corner and avoids a charge from Ricochet, allowing the tag off to Akeem. House is quickly cleaned and Oku comes in for a triangle dropkick. The Gates double team Akeem into a backsplash for two and Ricochet’s springboard splash gets the same.

Open The Gates is countered into a double DDT and some trouble teaming manages to knock Liona down. A pair of top rope splashes gets two on Liona with Ricochet and Kaun having to make a save. The Gates are knocked to the floor but come back in to clear out Swann and Oku. Open The Gates and the Ricocsault finishes Akeem at 12:37.

Rating: B. While it was fairly obvious that Akeem was out there to take the pin, at least he got to showcase his impressive athleticism first. This was about four people flying all over the place and the two monsters…well being monsters really. It was a fast paced and flashy match and it did exactly what it was designed to do so well done.

We look at the announcement of MLP’s upcoming weekly TV show. Yeah that’s a big deal.

CMLL World Title: Jonathan Gresham (MLP) vs. Hechicero (CMLL)

Hechicero is defending and actually shakes hands to start. They start off rather slowly with neither getting very far on while going for the legs. Hechicero twists the leg around and now Gresham isn’t interested in a handshake. We pause for Gresham to tie his boot and they go back to trying for the leg again and it’s a standoff.

Hechicero’s boot is undone this time and Gresham uses the distraction to hit a quick dropkick. A not so great Figure Four has Hechicero in trouble but he flips Gresham off anyway. The rope is grabbed but Gresham won’t let go as this is quite the evil side of him. Gresham dropkicks the leg out so Hechicero hits one heck of a chop to send him outside. Back in and Gresham’s chops have no effect on Hechicero’s rather large chest so it’s a low blow to put Hechicero in trouble instead.

Hechicero is right back with a dragon screw leg whip over the rope, followed by a top rope elbow for two. The hammerlock backbreaker drops Gresham again but Hechicero’s knee is banged up. An octopus doesn’t last long for Gresham as he gets faceplanted down. Gresham reverses a surfboard into an ankle lock, with Gresham switching into a German suplex for two. A springboard hurricanrana sets off a pinfall reversal sequence until Hechicero knees him down. Hechicero’s spinning sunset flip retains the title at 16:25.

Rating: B+. This turned into a chess match and I liked what we got here with Hechicero getting to be the hero for a change. It worked well for him with the technical stuff being so easy to cheer. On the other hand you have Gresham as a villain, which works out very well for him too. I liked this a lot and they had a great match.

We recap Paul Hauser vs. QT Marshall. They had a street fight in Ring Of Honor last year and they’re running it back here.

Paul Hauser (Progress) vs. QT Marshall (Ring Of Honor)

Street fight with Hauser actually as the villain this time. They circle each other to start until Marshall starts sending him into the corner. An early Diamond Cutter sends Hauser rolling out to the floor and Marshall knocks him over the barricade. Marshall spits an energy drink in his face and whips out a door but Hauser fights back.

A chair shot off the apron puts Marshall down but he’s back with a DDT inside. More weapons are brought in, including a barbed wire board, though Hauser blocks a suplex onto said board. Instead Marshall is sent into the wire and Hauser hits him in the head with his Progress title.

Hauser stomps away and sets up a table, which of course is covered in thumbtacks. A superplex takes too long though and Marshall sunset bombs him through the tacks (and table) instead. Hauser low blows his way out of trouble and hits a spinebuster into a quickly broken half crab. Some kind of Sharpshooter variant makes Marshall tap at 12:30.

Rating: C+. Hauser isn’t exactly a polished wrestler but he knows how to do a nice enough brawl. At the same time, he is absolutely playing with the house’s money, as he loses nothing for doing this kind of thing and can gain another following. I was a bit surprised by the ending as it came out of nowhere, but it was a nice enough brawl.

Gisele Shaw is ready to retain her Women’s Title against a bunch of opponents.

Women’s Canadian Title: Gisele Shaw (MLP) vs. Persephone (CMLL) vs. Shotzi Blackheart (MLW)

Shaw is defending…and hang on as we’re making this a four way.

Women’s Canadian Title: Gisele Shaw (MLP) vs. Persephone (CMLL) vs. Shotzi Blackheart (MLW) vs. Killer Kelly (Wrestling Revolver)

Shaw is still defending and rolls Persephone up for an early two. Blackheart sends Shaw outside though, leaving Persephone to roll Kelly up for two. Blackheart’s high crossbody takes the two of them down and the reverse cannonball hits Kelly. Shaw is back in to superkick Blackheart and a hanging swinging neckbreaker gets two. Back up and Blackheart hits a rolling kick to the head and a legdrop connects as well.

Persephone pulls Blackheart to the floor though, only for Blackheart to get back up for a heck of a suicide dive. Shaw dives onto all three of them and the head back inside, with Blackheart hitting a Doomsday Dropkick to Persephone. Everyone is down and it’s Kelly up first to crawl around a lot. Shaw spears the heck out of Blackheart and Kelly Death Valley Drivers Persephone for two. Kelly grabs a Tree Of Woe dragon sleeper on Kelly, which can only last so long. Persephone is back up with a Razor’s Edge to Kelly…but Shaw steals the pin to retain at 12:21.

Rating: C+. This was another perfectly fine match, with Shaw not so much winning as much as surviving. That’s how she should be going, as she has a big mouth but can back it up just well enough. Kelly as an addition was a surprise, though I’m not sure how big of a deal it was to have her in there. Good enough match, though nothing that hasn’t been done before, especially the finish.

Rascalz (AEW) vs. Mistico (CMLL)/Mascara Dorada (CMLL)/Amazing Red (HOG)

Yeah this should work. Dorada and Xavier start things off and they trade wrist twisting. With that not being the most thrilling, Xavier flips over him and brings Wentz in to stay on the arm. Dorada fights back on both of them before handing it off to Mistico for a quick dropkick. Red kicks Wentz to the floor but Reed cuts him off, setting up a Dream Sequence for two on Dorada.

A flipping legdrop gets two on Dorada and we hit the chinlock. Mistico breaks that up and hits a springboard elbow before Red plants Xavier with a tornado DDT. Back up and Reed and Xavier are tied up for a Boston crab/camel clutch, with Red adding a running dropkick. Wentz is back in for the save and it’s a triple dropkick to Dorada. Red kicks Xavier into the corner but Mistico gets kicked down and we get a needed breather. The Code Red gets two on Wentz but Reed hits his running cutter to take Red down. Back up and Mistico La Misticas Reed for the tap at 11:32.

Rating: B+. I love a match where it’s exactly what you’re expecting it to be and that was the case here. This was a situation of “here are six high fliers, watch them fly the whole time”. They did their job well, with one of the biggest stars in the world being there at the end for the show’s main event. Heck of a main event.

Overall Rating: B. Maple Leaf Pro is rapidly developing an identity for itself: they might not do anything new or revolutionary (which is fine) but whatever they do is done well. That’s all you can ask for in a promotion like this and I’ve yet to see them have a bad show. I’m curious about their upcoming TV show, as they’re certainly making things work with these stand alone events.

Results
Subculture b. Guy Cool/Vaughn Vertigo – Fall To Pieces to Vertigo
Steve Borden b. Kiran Grey – Full nelson slam
The Demand b. Rich Swann/Michael Oku/Sidney Akeem – Ricosault to Akeem
Hechicero b. Jonathan Gresham – Rolling sunset flip
Paul Hauser b. QT Marshall – Leglock
Gisele Shaw b. Killer Kelly, Persephone and Shotzi Blackheart – Razor’s Edge to Kelly
Amazing Red/Mascara Dorada/Mistico b. Rascalz – La Mistica to Reed

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

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

NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #26
Date: December 18, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West

Believe it or not, the big story is about Jeff Jarrett and Vince Russo, who may or may not be on the same page. That’s in addition to Russo having his Sports Entertainment Xtreme stable, which may or may not have AJ Styles on his side. That could make for an interesting story but, you know, Jarrett and Russo. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We look at Jeff Jarrett going to Europe and Japan to defend the NWA World Title. Believe it or not, this makes him look like a hero.

Here is a ticked off Curt Hennig storming in from the parking lot and coming into the arena. He is here to deal with Vince Russo and since he isn’t Roddy Piper, he’ll be tying Russo in knots or punching him in the face. Cue Russo (with Don Harris) and the chase is on, only for Low Ki, Christopher Daniels and Elix Skipper to run in and jump Hennig. Apparently they’re part of Sports Entertainment Xtreme, so here is BG James to brag on commentary, followed by Russo yelling at Tenay.

Bob Armstrong stops AJ Styles in the back and asks why Styles is with Russo. Styles says he’s proven his greatness in the ring, including last week (when he lost clean) and now it’s time to be the heavyweight champion.

Gauntlet Match

Ten entrants with ninety second intervals and pin/submission for eliminations. Jason Cross is in at #1 and Amazing Red is in at #2…and we cut to the back where Jeff Jarrett jumps AJ Styles. They trade leapfrogs to start and go to a standoff, with Cross missing a running flipping legdrop. Red sends him outside for a jumping kick off the apron as Tony Mamaluke is in at #3. The same seated Brock Lock that made Cross give up last week doesn’t work this week so Mamaluke switches to a jawbreaker.

Jimmy Rave is in at #4 and goes after Mamaluke as the other two brawl on the floor. Mamaluke and Rave go up top and it’s Shark Boy in at #5 to powerbomb the two of them down. Everyone pairs off and thankfully we go split screen as Kid Kash is in at #6. Red charges into a boot to the face as AJ Styles and Boy slingshot dives onto Kash on the floor. Ace Steel is in at #7 and hits a springboard dropkick to Rave. Almost everyone is back inside as Rave rolls up Mamaluke for the first elimination at 8:40.

Rave’s spinning crossface to Boy is broken up so Boy grabs the Dead Sea Drop (Diamond Dust) to pin Rave at 9:21. Kash gets a quick pin on Shark Boy for another elimination at 9:35 for back to back…uh wrestler ejections. Jose Maximo is in at #8 and dives onto Kash, who cuts him off with a powerbomb. Joel Maximo is in at #9 and goes to the floor, where Steel gives him a suplex. Steel and Cross go inside as David Young is in at #10 to complete the field.

Young grabs a sitout powerbomb, followed by a double belly to back suplex tot he Maximos. Steel is sent into the corner, followed by a big flip dive from Young to take out a pile. Steel, Cross, Red and Kash all hit dives of their own, followed by Kash grabbing a rope walk hurricanrana to Young. The running tornado DDT plants Young again for two, leaving almost everyone else to brawl on the floor. A Doomsday DDT plants Young and Red’s Infrared is good for the elimination at 17:36.

Steel catches Jose up top with a super tornado DDT and the pin at 18:13. Joel Rolls Steel up for the elimination 18:36. A hurricanrana gets rid of Joel and we’re down to Kash, Cross and Red. Cross gets double teamed down, leaving Red to kick Kash in the head for two. Kash catches Red on top for a super gorilla press but Cross cuts Kash off. Red goes up for a diving cutter to pin Kash at 21:39. Cross brainbusters Red and hits the shooting star legdrop for the final pin at 22:11.

Rating: C+. It was fun and there were some good spots, but they were flying through the eliminations at the end and that wasn’t the best way to go. No one really had a chance to stand out, with the one on one portion barely breaking thirty seconds. I had a nice enough time, but they just needed a better structure.

Commentary runs down the card.

Here is Sports Entertainment Xtreme for a chat. Vince Russo talks about how people laugh at these fans for being so stupid looking. He introduces the fans to the three newest members of the team. Low Ki wasn’t being booked because he wouldn’t agree to a 52 week schedule. Christopher Daniels wasn’t here because a plane ticket from California was too much. And Elix Skipper wanted more money, which Russo promises him, along with various physical accompaniment. As for BG James, he needs to stop worrying about his dad and take care of him.

Russo is tired of Jeff Jarrett and wants an answer right now. Cue Jarrett to say it is time for Russo to shut up and listen. Russo is still a magazine writer who has no respect for anyone in this business. Jarrett was the first wrestler that Vince McMahon told him to interview. He has protected Russo time after time from people like Shawn Michaels and Bill Goldberg in the WWF and WCW. They have been successful together under the name of sports entertainment (oh good grief). And yes, Russo came up with the idea for the Good Housekeeping match with Chyna.

Then a few weeks ago, Russo crossed the line by spitting in Jerry Jarrett’s face. If not for wrestling, Russo would be selling TVs in New York. Russo says Jarrett has lost his respect and the boys laugh at him, so whose side is he on. Jarrett makes it clear that he has never been with Russo and never will be (….that’s not what he said just a few minutes ago but whatever). The brawl is on and Jarrett grabs a chair but the numbers game gets to him. Security breaks it up and Russo leaves through the crowd.

Disciples Of The New Church vs. America’s Most Wanted vs. Harris Twins

Non-title and for the sake of simplicity, I’ll refer to all three of the Harris’s by their first names. Storm Whispers In The Wind onto Slash to start, followed by a Russian legsweep for two. Chris comes in and gets booted down by Lee for one before a snap suplex gets two. A crossbody gets Chris out of trouble and Storm’s high version gets two.

Everything breaks down, as you probably knew was coming, and the brawl heads outside, as you probably also expected. Lee gets sent into the barricade and it’s AMW and the Twins brawling back inside. The H Bomb drops Chris but here is I believe Belladonna with a low blow…and never mind as the ROAD WARRIORS of all people run in to lay out the Twins. Hawk’s top rope splash lets Storm get the pin on Ron at 7:36.

Rating: C. Well, if the Twins are going to sell for anyone, you might as well make it the most dominant tag team ever. It was certainly a big reaction to have them show up, and if it gets the Twins away from the title picture, I’d certainly call it an upgrade. This was another “we’re not really wrestling for the most part” match and that’s happening too often around here lately. But, you know, Russo.

The Road Warriors say they still have it.

Bob Armstrong gives the X-Division a pep talk about going after Sports Entertainment Xtreme.

Video on the triple threat match for the X-Division Title, with champion Sonny Siaki ready to prove his greatness again.

X-Division Title: Sonny Siaki vs. Jerry Lynn vs. EZ Money

Siaki is defending and Lynn is in because he did well last week. The champ gets punched down to start and Money’s neckbreaker gets two. Siaki superkicks Money into a sunset flip to give Lynn two but Money fights up and takes over on both of them. Lynn uses Siaki as a launchpad for a tornado DDT to Money, followed by a flip dive to both of them on the floor. Back in and Money gives Siaki a Buckshot Lariat and a 3D drops him for two. Cue the woman from last week to open her jacket to Lynn, followed by a slap (she’s sending mixed messages). Lynn gets sent outside and Siaki’s swinging neckbreaker retains the title at 7:46.

Rating: C+. This was a good way to help get Siaki over as the champion, as he is still brand new in the title picture. Having the still unnamed woman with him should help as it’s a classic formula that works every time. Lynn being in there made this feel more important, but Siaki is going to have to beat him again at some point or his reign is only going to go so far.

Post match the woman hugs Vince Russo, who says he has had his eye on Siaki since the beginning. The woman (still no name) is a gift to him for every desire he has (because that’s all women are for in Russo’s world). Lynn comes back in to jump Siaki but the woman kicks him low and the villains leave.

BG James vs. Ron Killings

Street fight, which might be an improvement. James jumps the rapping Killings from behind to start fast and they brawl up to the stage. Killings’ ax kick gets two, as apparently this is falls count anywhere. They go over near the cage dancers (who are still a thing for some reason), with James getting in a trashcan shot. A powerbomb puts Killings through a table for two and James hits him with whatever he can find. Naturally Killings comes back with a shovel to the head but here are Christopher Daniels, Low Ki and Elix Skipper to take Killings out for the pin at 4:37.

Rating: D+. It was just a messy brawl which was barely a match, with the interference making it worse. That being said, it’s better to have James doing a brawl than a match, even with all of the screwiness. Then again I’m not sure I’m supposed to know the story in the first place, because the promotion probably didn’t either.

Post match here is Bob Armstrong, who has three men to face Russo’s three men.

Low Ki/Christopher Daniels/Elix Skipper vs. SATs/Amazing Red

Sure, send three people out there for their second match tonight. That’s the ticket. The villains clear the ring to start until Ki is left alone with Joel. Ki misses a charge and gets knocked out to the floor, leaving Daniels to come in. Red chases him out and it’s Ki coming back in to get caught in the corner for the running clotheslines. A doomsday dropkick sets up something like a wheelbarrow cutter for…nothing, as there’s too much time for that to be the pin.

It’s back to Daniels, who gets knocked down for two and Red kicks him in the face for two more. A backdrop sends Daniels outside and apparently we’re in Mexico as Skipper immediately comes in. The SATs tie up Skipper and Ki in a camel clutch/Boston crab combination, with Red adding in a running dropkick. Daniels comes back in for a clothesline to take over, with Skipper sending Red into the corner.

Another clothesline and a standing moonsault drop Red for two and Skipper grabs the chinlock. Red manages to counter the Ki Krusher into the corner and the Code Red puts Ki down again. Both Maximos come in (of course) off the tag and everything breaks down again. Skipper’s brainbuster gets two and he sends Jose outside for a slingshot dive. Red comes back in but misses the Code Red, only to avoid Ki’s phoenix splash but then miss Infrared.

Don West gets onto the announcers’ table to cheer for Red, whose hurricanrana gets two on Daniels. Ki comes in but kicks Daniels down by mistake, leaving Red to grab a springboard spinning Downward Spiral for two. Skipper’s gutwrench powerbomb gives Ki two on Red and everyone goes into the same corner. That results in everyone crashing down, leaving Ki to hit the super Ki Crusher to pin Red at 21:07.

Rating: B+. As usual, the X-Division guys do what they can to save the show with an awesome match. They beat each other up for over twenty minutes with pretty much nonstop action (hey that’s catchy) throughout. The villains winning is of course the correct call as they have to build some momentum now that they’re on the new team. Really good match here and it brought the show up a lot.

Post match Russo and company get in the ring to answer the greatest question in wrestling: why are there tables under the ring? BG James says it’s because he put them there, so some tables are set up. Curt Hennig tries to make the save but David Flair of all people comes in to take him out. Jeff Jarrett makes the save with a chair but AJ Styles saves Flair from the Figure Four. Skipper and Ki put Jarrett through a table and Russo destroys the set with an ax (because he’s manly like that) to end the show. And yes, while I know there were reasons, the show ended with David Flair as the big surprise rather than the ROAD WARRIORS.

Overall Rating: C-. The wrestling is good, but my goodness the huge overarching story is dragging everything else down. The Russo stuff is just people talking about old stuff and loyalty and bringing in random people for shock value. You have the awesome main event and a few other decent things, but having the Harris Twins and BG James in the ring so often is bringing it right back down. That’s in addition to Jeff Jarrett being one of the least interesting top stars you can find, yet here he is in the big featured spot. Oh but Russo got to use an ax so it’s cool. Not as bad as the previous show, but that’s not much of an improvement.

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

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

NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #25
Date: December 11, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West

So last week saw things get really Russo-y in a hurry, with the debut of the Sports Entertainment Xtreme (SEX) stable and a woman being treated horribly. Then Paul Bearer debuted to end the show, because that’s the kind of huge signing this place needs. I have no idea what I’m getting myself into here but let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, which is described as from “LAST WEEKY”, because this company can’t spell a four letter word with two letters being the same. Anyway we look at the beginnings of Sports Entertainment Xtreme, because this place was needing an NWO knockoff.

Opening sequence.

Jason Cross vs. Tony Mamaluke

Mamaluke takes him down by the arm to start but gets sent into the buckle. That means a crash to the floor, with Cross hitting a big flip dive. Cross ties him in the Tree Of Woe for a baseball slide, followed by a brainbuster for two. Back up and Mamaluke starts in on the leg but gets kicked in the face for his efforts.

Mamaluke’s charge misses in the corner though and Cross hits something like a sideways Blockbuster. Cross goes up for a flipping Unprettier (cool) into a shooting star legdrop. This bangs up the knee (which was fine enough to do two big flips in a row) and Mamaluke grabs a seated Brock Lock (the Sicilian Crab) for the tap at 6:31.

Rating: C+. Oh dang that ending screwed up a lot of the good they had going here. Cross hits two awesome finishers in a row and doesn’t even get a cover before giving up. Not only does it waste the finishers, but the leg was fine enough to go up a few times in a row but the landing hurts it that badly? That’s just overbooking, as Cross’ finishers look weak and he loses on top of it. Get this stuff straight.

Post match BG James comes out and puts a guitar on the announcers’ table. They are responsible for keeping track of the guitar, which Jeff Jarrett will need to retain the World Title. It’s an official order from Vince Russo, so you know it’s serious. Oh and the Harris Brothers come in and wreck Mamaluke and Cross, making it clear that they mean absolutely nothing.

James says that Russo isn’t here because he’s recruiting new talent for SEX (oh good grief). He promises that the army will grow and says D-Generation X was a cross between Russo’s ideas and the members’ talent so this is all for the good of the business. Cue Bob Armstrong who can’t believe that James is joining with Russo. James says his daddy (ah so it’s confirmed) never did anything for him, which has Armstrong bringing out Ron Killings with a chair and a chain.

Tonight, it’s a chair and chain match (a chain match with a chair in the middle of the chain) between James and Killings, with the Twins facing the Disciples Of The New Church. The villains tease a brawl but the Church and some other wrestlers come out for the big pull apart as the villains run off.

So in case it wasn’t clear, the match at the beginning of the show means absolutely nothing because this is all about the NWA vs. Russo’s IN YOUR FACE stable, making it WCW vs. the NWO. Again. Oh and remember that D-Generation X was a thing, because…well why else would James have a job?

Commentary runs down the show, with Mike Tenay talking about what Jeff Jarrett has been doing lately.

Jorge Estrada is crushed that Priscilla left him and maybe he needs a new direction. From now on, he’s playing things by ear.

Kid Kash vs. Jorge Estrada

They fight over arm control to start with neither of them really being able to get very far. An exchange in armdrags leads to Kash grabbing an armbar but getting sent outside. Estrada’s springboard corkscrew moonsault drops Kash again but he’s right back with something like a Whisper In The Wind. Estrada trips him down for a springboard legdrop to the back of the head but Kash is back up with a running DDT. A brainbuster gives Kash the fast win at 5:17.

Rating: C. The action was fine, but it felt like two people just doing moves to each other until Kash won. It didn’t really build towards anything and while Kash’s stuff was good, there is only so much you can get with the second short X-Division match in a row. Estrada’s downward spiral continues, and I can’t see it getting much better for him anytime soon.

Bob Armstrong is on the phone and can’t talk.

Divine Storm vs. America’s Most Wanted

Trinity is here with Divine Storm. Harris works on Quiet Storm’s arm to start and slaps a dropkick away without much trouble. Some shoulders don’t work well for Quiet either so it’s off to Divine. James Storm comes in to kick him in the head (a good job if you can get it) and Divine is sent outside. James hits a big dive onto both opponents, followed by Harris hitting a dive onto all three of them (which isn’t that bright but this show’s logic went out the window a long time ago).

Naturally Trinity wants in on this by moonsaulting onto Harris, who is right back in with something like a dropkick Hart Attack to Quiet. Divine comes in to take over on Harris though and cuts him off with a boot in the corner. The spear gets Harris out of trouble though and it’s back to James for the real comeback (after being in trouble for about thirty seconds). Quiet gets superkicked out of the air and everything breaks down, with Trinity breaking up the Death Sentence, allowing Divine to steal the pin on Harris at 6:56.

Rating: C+. Well, points for having a new team get somewhere. AMW is by far and away the best team in the company and it’s nice to see someone else getting a chance. I’m not sure if Divine Storm is going to be the next big thing but it’s better than having AMW run through one team after another.

Referee Scott Armstrong talks to BG James (his brother, who is smoking) and tries to get him back on the right side with their dad. James says he paved his own roads. Except for the ones with Russo right?

We look at AJ Styles taking out Amazing Red last week.

AJ Styles vs. Amazing Red

Mortimer Plumtree is here with Styles and Red runs in to start fast. Styles keeps shoving him away and gets hit in the face for his efforts. A 619 rocks Styles and sends him outside, but he catches Red’s dive for a powerbomb backbreaker. Back in and Red strikes away until a discus clothesline brings him right back down.

A middle rope sunset flip doesn’t work for Red, who backflips up and over Styles (that looked great) into a failed Styles Clash attempt. Red’s tornado DDT is countered into a northern lights suplex and he’s in trouble again. Plumtree even gets in a few shots, earning himself an anklescissors. Styles isn’t having that and drops him face first onto the steps but Red is able to snap off a hurricanrana.

A reverse DDT gives Styles two and he grabs a Muta Lock, even turning over onto his stomach while continuing the cranking. With that not working, Styles hits a hard sitout powerbomb and they go up top. The super Styles Clash is blocked though and a super hurricanrana gives Red the big upset at 12:09.

Rating: B. These two beat each other up, which isn’t a surprise given who was in there. It’s a similar story to the AMW match, as you have the established ace and need to bring up someone new, which is where a fall like this comes in. Red even won clean to make it better and it makes sense as he’s a good guy. Solid stuff here, which tends to be the case with anything Styles does.

Tag Team Titles: Disciples Of The New Church vs. Harris Twins

The Disciples, with Belladonna and James Mitchell, are defending and WHY? The whole point of the match was to punish the Twins….so they get a title shot??? Good grief the logic really is gone here. The Twins come in through the crowd and the brawl starts fast. AJ Styles even joins commentary, which isn’t something you would see around this time.

They fight in the ring for a bit until Slash hits a big dive to the floor, meaning it’s time to fight into the crowd. They head back into the ring with the Disciples fighting out of trouble until BG James comes in with a chair to Slash’s head. Ron gets the pin and the titles at 4:17…but here is Percy Pringle (Paul Bearer) to tell the referee about the interference, which is enough for the DQ.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one, which shouldn’t be a big surprise. At the end of the day, there is pretty much nothing to the Harris Twins in the ring and having them in a title match here makes less than no sense. Throw in the fact that they wound up getting the pin until Percy Pringle of all people makes the save. Because the champs need to lose to the really awesome team you see.

Post match Mitchell says the teams don’t have problem with each other and suggests beating up Pringle. Cue AMW with chairs to go after the Disciples as we again have WAY too much going on at once. That’s ignoring AMW being put into a bigger story right after losing, because the wrestling just doesn’t matter.

Video on Sonny Siaki challenging Jerry Lynn for the X-Division Title.

Siaki wants the old guys gone and new guys, like him, getting a chance.

X-Division Title: Sonny Siaki vs. Jerry Lynn

Lynn is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. Lynn drives him into the corner to start and grabs a headlock takeover. A crucifix gives Lynn two and it’s an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and a triangle dropkick sends Siaki outside but he’s able to send into the apron. Lynn sweeps the leg and hits a slingshot legdrop to the back of the head, only to get caught in a hot shot. The referee gets distracted and Lynn gets kicked low, allowing Siaki to send him outside again.

They trade rams into the barricade, with Siaki getting the better of things by swinging him into the steel. Siaki hammers away back inside but walks into a sitout powerbomb for two. The referee gets bumped in the corner though and naturally Lynn grabs his cradle piledriver immediately thereafter. The very delayed count gets two but cue a mystery woman to crotch Lynn on top. A hanging swinging neckbreaker gives Siaki the pin and the title at 12:59.

Rating: C+. I appreciate the idea of getting someone new in the title picture as you can only have Lynn and AJ Styles fight so many times. Siaki was treated as something important for a little bit before dropping back down the card. It’s nice to see him doing something else, as there are far worse options out there.

Ron Killings vs. BG James

Chairs and Chains match (ignore that there is only one of each), which is a chain match with a chair in the middle. Naturally it’s just dangling there, making it look like a scene from a screwball wrestling sitcom (which I would love to see). James wraps the chain around his fist and punches away to start, allowing him to grab the chair.

That takes long enough that Killings can go up for a dropkick to send the chair into his face. A moonsault only hits chair though and James chairs him in the ribs. The chair is wedged in the corner, with Killings pulling him into the chair for the big crash. Then the chain just falls off so Killings gives him a sitout gordbuster onto the chair for the pin at 4:04.

Rating: F. This is the definition of a hat on a hat, as just having a chain match is one thing, but then they needed to add in a chair because reasons. It also didn’t work due to the chair just kind of dangling there, because they had to go with the dumbest idea possible. Terrible match, which had Russo’s style all over it.

Post match Killings puts the chair on him and goes up but Bob Armstrong makes the save. James gets up and chairs both of them in the head, leaving the referee to check on Bob. For like five seconds.

We run down next week’s card.

We recap Curt Hennig challenging Jeff Jarrett for the World Title. Basically Hennig wants to win the title to prove his greatness and that’s about it.

Earlier today, Jarrett had a sitdown interview and talked about the importance of the NWA World Title. He doesn’t like Vince Russo but isn’t happy with some of the things Roddy Piper said either. As for his allegiance with Russo…he’ll address it to Russo’s face later.

NWA World Title: Curt Hennig vs. Jeff Jarrett

Jarrett is defending. They go with the wrestling to start and neither get very far. A headscissors doesn’t work for Hennig so he goes with the chops in the corner. They’re already on the floor with Jarrett hitting him in the back with a chair, earning a look from the referee. Back in and Hennig grabs a quick Robinsdale Crunch, allowing him to wrap the knee around the post. Hennig ties the leg up inside and Jarrett even has to raise his shoulder to avoid a pin. No it wasn’t going to happen, but points for doing something instead of just laying there.

Jarrett is back up with an enziguri and sends Hennig into the corner, where a turnbuckle pad is taken off. Hennig is sent into the exposed buckle and of course the referee gets bumped (again). Jarrett teases getting the guitar from earlier in the night but opts not to, instead loading up the Stroke. That earns him a low blow, but here is Vince Russo (of course) to guitar Hennig in the head (and it doesn’t break). Jarrett retains his title at 8:12.

Rating: C. Jarrett and Hennig could have a passable match in their sleep due to talent and experience alone, but they had too much going on here, including the Russo ending. They only had a few minutes to actually wrestle here until they got to the screwy stuff. It could have been good but instead they went with the sports entertainment nonsense, as is always the case with Russo.

Post match Russo hands Jarrett the title and they go head to head. Cue AJ Styles to run in to jump Jarrett to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. There were good parts in here, but the Russo dominance is destroying those positives. Everything important revolves around Russo vs. Bob Armstrong of all people, which makes for such a mess. The X-Division stuff at the beginning was nice, but it only gets you so far when, like the cruiserweights in WCW, it doesn’t feel important in the slightest. Watch the AJ Styles stuff as usual, and skip the rest.

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

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

NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #24
Date: December 4, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West

We’re in the Russo/Jarrett era of the show and believe it or not, things went way downhill in a hurry last week. Russo’s mere presence drags the show down and it felt like a lot of the other stuff was treated far less importantly. It would be nice to see that change this week, but odds are it’s going to be more about Russo than anything else. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Vince Russo wanting an answer from Jeff Jarrett to end last week’s show. After the show ended, Ron Killings and Russo got in a fight and naturally Russo was able to hold his own with him.

Opening sequence.

Here is Roddy Piper to get things going, accompanied by someone in a Piper shirt. Piper wants to talk about Vince Russo (oh geez), who wanted to be a wrestler but couldn’t so he turned it into sports entertainment. He holds up some photos from his book (which is quite the read in a not so great way) and calls Russo the Bin Laden of wrestling. Piper warns us of what is going to happen if Russo is allowed to have his way and calls Russo out to meet him.

Russo runs in through the crowd and Piper gets in his face to talk about him killing WCW. He wants to know what Russo wants to accomplish and talks about how Piper has killed everything in wrestling. Cue the Harris Twins to hold Russo back as Piper mocks him. Piper’s music cuts him off. Oh and he raises the hand of the man who came with him, with Piper saying he hopes that people like this man listen to him. This was one of those things that felt like the company thought it would be awesome but…Russo.

We run down the card.

SATs vs. Divine Storm

Trinity is here with Divine Storm. Jose can’t break Storm’s bridge to start so they trade springboard armdrags. They go to a standoff so it’s off to Joel to send Divine outside. Everything breaks down and Divine Storm hit a running dive to the floor each. Trinity adds a huge moonsault of her own but the SATs are right back with a Boston crab/camel clutch combo to both of them at the same time.

A reverse rocking horse into a slingshot Fameasser gets two on Divine, who comes back with what looked like a low blow. Everything breaks down again and Divine hits what would become known as the One Winged Angel with Jose making the save. The super Spanish Fly is loaded up but Trinity gets in a low blow, allowing Storm to roll Jose up for the pin at 7:33.

Rating: C+. It was another fine tag match between two decent teams, but at the same time it wasn’t exactly a match that felt important. Maybe Divine Storm is being built up to go after the Tag Team Titles, but they’re not exactly stealing the show thus far. It could be worse, but it could also be a lot more interesting.

Here is Chris Harris for a match but hang on because here is Vince Russo to interrupt. He says he’s here to help Harris before moving on to Roddy Piper. He’s not going to talk about Piper and get sued, but if Piper wants to use Owen Hart’s name to sell a book, he’s going straight to H***. The way Russo sees it, the NWA doesn’t care about the fans but rather about a bunch of old people who won’t admit that it’s over. These people want violence, smut and language. They want sex: SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT XTREME baby!

Russo keeps seeing signs for Athena so here she is. Naturally he won’t let her speak, instead telling her to take her clothes off. She’s not interested so he calls her a b****, earning a slap to his face. Russo grabs her by the hair and screams at her until security comes in.

Athena goes after Russo anyway, with Russo threatening her as the Harris Twins hold them apart. Russo gets on the Twins for becoming bodyguards and Ron (I guess) says he’s not doing this anymore because Russo is here. Russo tells them to take out the trash so it’s an H Bomb to Athena. They do it again and then beat up the other security for trying to help. This has been a Russo segment involving a woman and that shouldn’t be a surprise whatsoever.

In the back Bob Armstrong yells at the Harris Twins…and gives them a match tonight. And Russo is a snake whose head needs to be crushed.

AMW yells at Mike Tenay, who tells them to go to the ring.

Chris Harris vs. Brian Lee

The usual associates are here too. The brawl starts on the floor with Lee knocking him over the barricade but Harris is back with a tackle onto the announcers’ table. A suplex brings Lee inside for the first time but a low blow slows Harris down. Lee slugs away and his associates get in their cheap shots from the floor. The chinlock doesn’t last long but Lee is back up with a knee to the ribs. That’s cut off with a running bulldog so here is Belladonna for a distraction. Said distraction lets Lee get in a big boot for two so Mitchell throws in a foreign object. That lets Harris hit a quick spear for the sudden pin at 5:14.

Rating: C. Nothing to see here, partially because it was a fairly bland match coming after the big promo from Russo. That’s another big issue with Russo, as he gets to take over everything going on with the show and the wrestling has to take a huge backseat. This is a match that is part of a hot feud, but instead it’s playing second fiddle to Russo establishing himself. Lucky us.

Ron Killings is told that if he teams up with Jeff Jarrett against the Harris Brothers, he gets a title shot. So who was Armstrong going to put them against if Killings said no?

James Storm vs. Slash

Slash jumps him to start but Storm gets in a quick slam. Back up and Slash kicks him in the face, followed by a suplex for two. The slow beating ensues until Storm manages to get in a quick superkick for the needed breather. A Russian legsweep gives Storm two but Belladonna offers a distraction, allowing Slash to throw powder in his face.

Slash’s neckbreaker gets two, as does Slash rolling through a middle rope high crossbody. A chair is thrown in and the referee is distracted for the reverse tornado DDT onto said chair for…two. Oh yeah Russo is in charge again. Chris Harris has to spear Brian Lee from invading but the distraction lets Slash get in a belt shot for two more. For some reason Mitchell gets up on the apron, allowing AMW to hit a Death Sentence to give Storm the pin at 6:15.

Rating: D. The main event of Wrestlemania isn’t this overbooked most of the time. Instead, it’s a six minute match and the second instance of two members of the teams facing off. I’m sure this is just a tiny step in their feud, but why not throw everything you can out there for this otherwise nothing match?

Apparently this win gets AMW a threw way bullrope match with James Mitchell tonight. Well of course it does.

Jerry Lynn hypes up a charity event.

Bob Armstrong gives Ron Killings and Jeff Jarrett a pep talk before the main event.

Kid Kash vs. AJ Styles vs. Amazing Red vs. Kid Kash

This is a double elimination (as in you have to take two falls) match for an X-Division Title shot. Hold on though (of course) as Styles jumps Red and gives him a Styles Clash on the stage. Cue Joel Maximo to take Red’s place, because of course. Red is literally picked up and carried out (no stretcher) and Maximo and Kash trade waistlocks to start. Maximo is sent outside for a nice slingshot hurricanrana so Styles takes Kash down with a cheap shot. That doesn’t seem to matter as Kash gives Maximo a gutbuster, only for Maximo to grab a German suplex for the first fall on Kash at 2:39.

Styles is in to jump Maximo but can’t give him the Clash, instead getting rolled up for two more. The middle rope moonsault into the reverse DDT gives Styles another near fall and something like White Noise gives Styles the pin on Maximo at 5:18. Money is back in to powerbomb Styles for two but the Buckshot Lariat is cut off by a dropkick. The Styles Clash is reversed into a belly to back piledriver to give Money two, followed by the Crash Landing to pin Styles at 7:20.

Kash comes back in and gets monkey flipped but grabs a spinning DDT on Money. A fisherman’s buster gives Kash two and Money’s full nelson slam gets the same. They go up and Money’s superbomb is countered into a super hurricanrana for two, meaning it’s time to argue with the referee. Styles gets in a cheap shot from behind on Kash, allowing Money to roll him up for the elimination at 10:25.

Styles is back in with the Clash to pin Money at 10:48, leaving all three of them with a loss each. Maximo comes in to hammer on Styles, who cuts him off with a fast dropkick. Styles’ brainbuster gets two on Maximo and we hit a Muta Lock, which Styles turns over to stretch Maximo even more. With that broken up (despite looking rather cool), Maximo avoids a charge into the corner and gets a quick two of his own.

Styles sends him outside though and Mortimer Plumtree gets in a few stomps, as a good manager should. The slingshot Swanton gives Styles two back inside, as does Maximo’s sitout powerbomb. Maximo grabs a figure four necklock as we see Money watching on, which actually makes sense for a change. Styles gets out and hits a sitout Dominator for two more as this is starting to drag.

Back up and Maximo grabs a quick rollup to pin Styles out of nowhere at 19:00. So we’re down to Maximo vs. Money, with Money coming back in for a superkick. The frog splash gives Money two as Styles and Plumtree yells at the referee. That means Maximo’s moonsault doesn’t get a count, allowing Money to get in a quick piledriver to pin Maximo for the win at 21:32.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to make of this one, as it was a pretty random lineup, with Red being taken out to take it down a few notches, though the action was fine. The problem is it did go longer than it needed to, which took away a lot of the fun. Money winning is fine and I do like the idea of bringing back the double elimination match, though this was a weird spot for it.

Some of the production team talks about the charity stuff on their website.

Sonny Siaki wants the X-Division Title.

Jerry Lynn is injured so his title defense against Siaki is postponed until next week. As this is going on, the Harris Twins come in the ring and go after Bill Behrens, even loading up the table. Lynn runs in for the save and gets sent through Behrens, through the table. Ron Killings comes in for the real save with a chair but the Twins beat him into the crowd. The Twins throw him off a balcony and through a table.

Bob Armstrong wants BG James to do…something tonight. Are we supposed to know they’re father and son?

America’s Most Wanted vs. James Mitchell

This is a three way bullrope match but Mitchell comes out to say his personal physician (Dr. Kevorkian) says his test results aren’t great, so he can’t do this tonight. Instead, here’s Belladonna to do it instead.

America’s Most Wanted vs. Belladonna

AMW shoves her down rather than tie up with the rope and go after Mitchell, only for the Disciples Of The New Church to run out for the brawl. The Disciples lay AMW out and now the referee is willing to attach the rope to their wrists, allowing Mitchell to come in and choke a lot. Belladonna comes in and ties herself by the wrist, allowing Harris to pull her off the middle rope. A TKO lays Belladonna out and the Death Sentence finishes her off. This was a match? Sure why not.

Don West does the preview for next week.

Curt Hennig has a sitdown interview where he talks about Vince Russo. Hennig isn’t a fan of someone putting himself on camera like that, but he’s also ready to win the World Title next week.

Harris Twins vs. Jeff Jarrett/BG James

AND NEVER MIND BECAUSE JAMES WAS ATTACKED BACKSTAGE. The Twins jump Jarrett and knock him over the barricade, where a chair is pelted at his head. Jarrett slips out of the H Bomb, gets knocked down, slips out of it again, and hits a double clothesline. Cue Ron Killings, barely able to walk and carrying a chair, as Jarrett cleans house with a chair and hits a Stroke to pin Don at 5:14.

Rating: D+. It was here that I realized Jarrett is now a good guy. Why this is seen to be a good idea is beyond me but he was doing things here that regular tag teams couldn’t do. Either way, the idea of having more from the Harris Twins is not a good thing, though that’s one of roughly 18,274 issues with this show. This was the usual angle disguised as a match, which is even more Russo standard operating procedure.

Post match Killings says he wants Vince Russo out here so the Twins beat him down again. Russo jumps the barricade as Killings gets H Bombed a few times. BG James runs in with a chair for the save…and then lays out Killings before hugging Russo. In case that isn’t enough, Paul Bearer pops up on stage to end the show.

Overall Rating: D-. Oh yeah we’re in big trouble here people, and it isn’t likely to get any better. The problem here is that it feels like a total Russo show, with all kinds of stuff going on and one twist after another. While that might make for an interesting sign, you can only get so much out of that when the people turning so much takes away what interest they might have. At the same time, we’re looking at a main event scene involving Jeff Jarrett, the Road Dogg and the Harris Twins.

That’s in addition to everyone suddenly talking about Russo (sidenote: Is Russo a TNA employee or is he just someone who is showing up? You might want to clarify that.), who is apparently the most interesting person in the world. This promotion has gone from getting ok to absolutely awful, with the Russo focus being the reason. I’m sure Russo would see that as proof that he’s doing his job but….yeah not quite. It doesn’t work when the show stops being fun and becomes a chore to watch, which is the case anytime Russo is prominently featured. Awful show here, and egads Russo is atrocious.

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

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

NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #22
Date: November 20, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West

It’s a big time main event this week as Jeff Jarrett FINALLY gets his NWA World Title shot, which he’s wanted since he was a boy. Or maybe it just feels like that’s how long he’s been talking about the stupid thing. Other than that, the new Tag Team Champions re defending their titles, which should be dominance. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Commentary runs down the card.

Earlier today we got a sitdown interview with World Champion Ron Killings. He’s not thinking about Mr. Wrestling III and talks about being focused on the World Title because that is his passion. Tonight it’s about who is going to pay the ultimate price.

EZ Money/Sonny Siaki vs. Divine Storm

Storm is Chris Divine/Quiet Storm with Trinity. It’s a brawl to start with Money hitting a top rope clothesline to the floor, taking out Siaki and Storm in the process. Trinity moonsaults out onto Siaki and Storm and we settle down to Divine rolling Siaki up for two. Siaki suplexes him down for two before Money and Siaki plant Storm with a double slam.

A Spin Cycle sends Storm outside, where Siaki is right there with a kind of suplex. Trinity takes Siaki down with a hurricanrana but Money is right there to drop her with a clothesline. Back in and Storm cutters Money off the middle rope, allowing Divine to get the tag. That’s fine with Siaki, who gives him the fisherman’s neckbreaker for the fast pin at 5:50.

Rating: C+. This is following the standard classic idea of having a fast paced match to start the show. It works every time and it worked again here, with Money and Siaki doing well enough as a team. It’s not like they have anything going on, but there are far worse ideas for a show opening match.

Here are James Mitchell and Belladonna for a chat. Mitchell knows the wrestling world is watching the World Title match and now he wants the World Title too. Whoever wins tonight will face the New Church. Likely in the form of this man.

Malice vs. Kory Williams

Malice jumps him to start and they go outside with Williams being sent into the barricade. Back in and Malice…kind of hits a top rope shoulder, followed by a chokeslam for the pin at 1:57.

Spanish Announce Team vs. Harris Twins

For a future Tag Team Title shot.  The SATs start fast and jump the Twins during their entrances as we hear about some of the Twins’ previous gimmicks. Jose misses a dive though and the Twins take over, as they are so known to do. Ron spinebusters Jose but Joel is back in to take Ron down. The moonsault/guillotine legdrop combination gets two but Don is in to clean house. The big dive over the top takes the SATs out and the H Bomb finishes for Ron at 6:08.

Rating: D. You knew the Twins were going to get the title shot as soon as they were announced as being in the field as that’s just what they do. The team is presented as the most important, dominant thing in the division no matter who they’re facing and they squashed a perfectly fine team here. What luck that now we get to see them again.

April insists that she was NOT in the shower with Bruce last week. Cue Bruce, who insists that he’s gay so it wasn’t him. Lenny comes in to say Bruce is a fake gay guy so give him the Miss TNA crown. Cue Brian Lawler to jump Bruce, ending one of the dumbest segments I’ve ever seen.

BG James vs. Lenny

James says this won’t be a gay bashing, but just him beating Lenny up. Lenny shoulders him down to start but gets caught with a clothesline. The dancing punches are broken up and Lenny hits a standing moonsault from the top. Cue Bruce to beat Lenny up but Brian Lawler runs in to take Bruce out. James drops a knee on Lenny for the pin at 2:57, because none of that was a DQ. Well of course it wasn’t.

Post match Goldilocks comes out, kisses April on the cheek, and they leave while holding hands as Lawler is rather upset.

AJ Styles vs. Crimson Dragon vs. Jorge Estrada

For a future X-Division Title shot, Mortimer Plumtree is here with Styles and Priscilla is here with Estrada. They trade armdrags and hiptosses to start and a series of standing switches. Dragon superkicks Styles but Estrada powerbombs Dragon out of the corner. Back up and Dragon suplexes Styles into a Stunner before piledriving Estrada for two.

Styles is back with a brainbuster for two on Dragon with Estrada making the save. Dragon gets knocked into the corner so Styles kicks Estrada down for two. Dragon is able to kick Styles out of the air but Estrada takes Dragon outside for a whip into the barricade. Styles is whipped in for two as well but Dragon is back in with a double guillotine legdrop for two each.

Estrada rolls Dragon up and suplexes Styles for a double near fall, only to get crotched on top. Styles breaks up a near fall on Estrada but Dragon crotches him on top for a change. This time though the super hurricanrana is countered into a Styles Clash onto Estrada to give Styles the pin on Dragon at 11:02.

Rating: B-. Much like the opener, this worked just fine as Estrada and Styles were more than good enough to carry their part of the match. On the other hand you have Dragon (former ECW star Chris Hamrick underneath a mask) doing well enough as a warm body. Sometimes you need someone there to take the fall and that’s about the only reason to put him in there, which worked well enough.

America’s Most Wanted wants to beat up James Mitchell and get the Tag Team Titles back. James Storm also says “sorry about your d*** luck.”

Video on the Disciples Of The New Church winning the Tag Team Titles last week.

Tag Team Titles: Disciples Of The New Church vs. America’s Most Wanted

The Disciples are defending and it’s a big brawl on the floor to start again. AMW double teams Slash on the barricade and Lee is suplexed into the ring. Lee drops Harris to take over and it’s off to Slash for the right hands in the corner. We settle down to the champs taking turns beating up Harris, with Lee’s big boot connecting for two.

Harris finally fights out and gets in a middle rope clothesline, allowing the tag off to Storm. A reverse tornado DDT gives Storm two as everything breaks down again. Something close to a Tower Of Doom out of the corner leaves everyone down but Storm is up with a chair. A shot to Lee’s ribs sets up a spear from Harris for a rather close two so Lee grabs the spike. That’s taken away though and Storm uses it on Lee for the DQ at 10:46.

Rating: C. Yes after all of that brawling, there was actually a DQ. Not in the other matches around here, but in this one, because it’s what the script called for here. We’re probably setting up for a big violent blowoff match between these teams and I’ve heard worse ideas, as it’s an actual feud with stakes.

Post match Storm beats up Belladonna and Harris lays out a referee. Well we better get a violent rematch now. Security runs in to save James Mitchell so he can escape.

Video on the Amazing Red.

We get a sitdown interview with Red, who looks to be about 16 years old and is rather nervous. He wants to be the champion and will give it all he has. The idea here is that he’s quiet on the mic but loud in the ring and…I guess that makes sense.

Jerry Lynn is excited to face Amazing Red because he sees a lot of himself in him.

X-Division Title: Amazing Red vs. Jerry Lynn

Lynn is defending. They start slowly with both of them getting a quick take down to no avail. Lynn monkey flips him but Red sticks the landing on a hiptoss. A German suplex doesn’t work for Lynn either and Red snaps off a hurricanrana. Lynn finally catches him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and a surfboard works on Red’s back.

Back up and Red sends him to the floor but the flip dive off the apron is caught, allowing Lynn to ram Red’s ribs into the apron. Lynn ties up an arm and a leg for some cranking but Red gets up for a tornado DDT. That’s enough to send Lynn outside and the running flip dive takes him down again.

A 619 connects on Lynn and Red catches him with a kick to the head. Lynn manages a powerbomb out of the corner and then flips him over into another powerbomb for two more. Red is back up with something like a middle rope swinging Downward Spiral for two of his own and some frustration is setting in. A hurricanrana out of the corner gives Red another near fall but Lynn catches him on top with a super cradle piledriver to retain at 10:03.

Rating: B. Believe it or not, the X-Division guys continue to carry the show, with this being a nice story of the veteran Lynn being a bit overwhelmed by the young star. Red more than held his own out there and it was more a matter of him getting caught than getting beaten. That’s a good way to go (it worked two and a half years later for Shawn Michaels and Shelton Benjamin) and this was one of the better things I’ve seen from TNA in a minute.

Don West hypes up next week’s show.

Video on Ron Killings, who has been kind of forgotten in the last few weeks.

Video on Jeff Jarrett, who wants to be an all time great NWA World Champion.

NWA World Title: Ron Killings vs. Jeff Jarrett

Killings is defending. They go with the basics to start, with Killings grabbing a headlock and then a shoulder block, followed by some dancing. A dropkick puts Jarrett down and he’s not sure what to think here. The spinning forearm sends Jarrett outside and he yells at referee Scott Armstrong before making a fired up comeback. Some right hands and a dropkick have Killings in trouble but he hammers away and hits a Downward Spiral.

Killings powerslams him and hits the ax kick for two, followed by a Figure Four. Jarrett eventually manages to turn it over and everything is broken. They knock each other down before Jarrett is up with a powerbomb for two. The referee takes a thumb to the eye so Killings grabs a chair, which Jarrett uses for two more. Killings hits a sitout gordbuster for two but gets knocked off the top for a crash.

The Stroke gives Jarrett two so they head outside, where Killings gets in a posting. They fight into the crowd where Jarrett hits him with a chair, which Killings shrugs off. A splash off a balcony puts Jarrett through a table and he’s busted open. They go back to the ring, where the referee is of course bumped. The slugout leaves both of them down and Mr. Wrestling III comes in to guitar….Killings to give Jarrett the pin and the title at 17:38.

Rating: C+. The match was ok enough and felt like a big match, but egads why am I supposed to care about Jarrett winning the title? It’s treated like this huge important moment and…it’s still just Jarrett as World Champion, which wasn’t interesting in WCW and isn’t interesting here. Throw in the match being about as cookie cutter of a main event style match as you can get and there was a limited appeal here.

Post match Mr. Wrestling III is….Vince Russo. Well of course it is. Jarrett is shocked to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Maybe it’s that this show felt a bit bigger, but it was one of the easiest episodes of TNA thus far. There was less in the way of time being wasted and general dumb stuff, though those problems were still there. What matters the most here is having some nice action though and it helped make the show that much better. Not a great show, but it was enough to get by for a week, which is an upgrade around here.

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

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