Impact Wrestling
Date: January 22, 2026
Location: Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re back on AMC with another live show after last week’s less than well received debut and the ensuing Genesis pay per view. That means it is time to start getting ready for…whatever the next show is going to be. This week’s event features the return of Feast Or Fired, plus finding out the newest member of the System. Let’s get to it.

Here is Genesis if you need a recap.

Genesis recap.

Opening sequence.

Company President Carlos Silva is happy with the AMC debut. End of thoughts from Silva.

Cedric Alexander vs. Moose

Alisha Edwards is here with Moose, who has a banged up back. They shake hands to start and Moose chops him into the corner. A dropkick cuts Alexander off and sends him to the apron and they slug it out until Alexander plants him hard. Alexander hits a big suicide dive but gets sent hard into the steps as commentary runs down the show.

Moose loses a fight over a suplex and his back is banged up even more. A frog splash gives Alexander two so he kicks Moose in the bad back for a smart move. The springboard Downward Spiral gets two but Moose gets more fired up and kicks him in the face. For some reason Moose hits a backsplash but he’s fine enough to nip up.

The chokebomb out of the corner gets two on Alexander, who counters the spear into a Michinoku Driver for two of his own. They chop it out until Alexander grabs a Spanish Fly. Moose headbutts him out of the air to block a springboard before loading up a powerbomb. That’s fine with Alexander, who reverses into a hurricanrana for the pin at 9:59.

Rating: B-. I can certainly go for Alexander getting a bigger push, which is to say a push of almost any kind. This is the biggest win of his TNA career and it very well should boost him up before his X-Division Title shot. Moose sold the back well for the most part, though the last few minutes felt like a pretty standard Moose match, which isn’t a great sign.

Here is Mike Santana for a chat. He sits down in a chair and plays a message from his late father, saying Santana earned his way here, he deserves to be here, and he belongs here. The fans tell Santana that he deserves it and Santana talks about coming back here about two years ago. Every time he tries to do something, he remembers his father’s words. Santana talks about fighting back every time, even when he lost the World Title just thirty days after he won it.

Now he’s back where he belongs and he praises Frankie Kazarian after the wars they’ve had. He knows his back is against the wall against these people but that’s the way he likes it, because he’s earned his way here, he deserves to be here and he belongs here. This guy knows how to get fans behind him and he did it again here with a good promo.

Mustafa Ali, with Order 4, talks about the Hardys thinking they’re goats but they’re really sheep. Tonight, he will be Jeff Hardy’s shepherd.

We look at Zaria and Sol Ruca earning a Knockouts Tag Team Title shot earlier this week on NXT.

Indi Hartwell vs. M By Elegance

The rest of the Elegance Brand is here too. Hartwell backs her into the corner to start before grabbing a headlock. They run the ropes a bit until Hartwell uppercuts her into the corner. A running big boot misses though and M stomps on Hartwell’s foot, with the Personal Concierge smashing the foot with a shoe (as payback for Hartwell stepping on M’s foot). We take a break and come back with Hartwell grabbing a spinebuster, starting up the clothesline comeback. The Hurts Donut is broken up but Hartwell rolls her up for the pin at 9:05.

Rating: C. That was a bit of an oddly timed break at the end as there wasn’t much when we come back, though maybe AMC is still learning how to lay these things out. That being said, it was your usual Hartwell match, as she’s just not that great in the ring. The fans love her though and that’s more than enough of a reason to have her in a featured spot.

Post match the Brand jumps Hartwell but Ash By Elegance tries to cool things off. Violence is teased so cue the Angel Warriors…and Ash jumps Lei Ying Lee, suggesting that she might be able to do some physical stuff. That’s good to see after how bad things sounded.

Post break, Ash tells the Brand that she is back. If that means she’s healthy, that’s great.

Feast Or Fired

Mance Warner, Rich Swann, Hometown Man, Ryan Nemeth, AJ Francis, Eric Young, John Skyler, Jason Hotch, Eddie Edwards, Brian Myers, Steve Maclin, Trey Miguel

There are four briefcases (one at each corner), three of which contain title (World, X-Division, International) shots. The fourth contains a pink slip. Whomever gets a case has to get to the ground with it to officially win it, with the reveals next week. Miguel is a surprise, as his “break” from wrestling lasted…a week?

The ring is quickly cleared out so Swann and Miguel can have a hug. Francis cuts Miguel off from his climb and gets double powerbombed down for his efforts. Young is back in to clear the ring until Miguel…really doesn’t do well with a poisonrana attempt. Miguel hits a big dive and Man goes up top to dive off as well rather than going for a case. Man goes back up and tries for the case but Young steals his mask and the case, which he officially wins.

Hotch and Skyler go after a briefcase but Maclin takes it away and escapes so we’re down to two. Warner loads up chairs rather than going after a case, allowing Edwards to Blue Thunder Bomb him onto the chairs. Francis chokeslams Swann onto the apron but Miguel kicks Francis down. That’s enough for Miguel to get a briefcase, leaving Myers to clear the field so Edwards can get the last case. Francis is waiting on him though…so Edwards throws the case at him and hits a dropkick, allowing Edwards to get the case back and wrap it up at 8:21.

Rating: C+. This is a really weird one to rate as you have four winners but the rest don’t really lose. The big drama comes next week as we find out who gets what, but they went with a pretty standard group of winners. If nothing else, it gives me the hope that Young will be gone and that would improve a lot of things.

Mike Santana runs into Nic Nemeth and warns him to watch his step. Nemeth teases Calling His Shot and brings up Santana’s daughter, which is enough to trigger the brawl.

Post break, BDE and some of his friends are in the back playing video games. Nic Nemeth comes in to yell them for just playing games because this is real life. BDE isn’t happy and offers to face him next week. Nemeth says it’s on.

Here is Elayna Black for a chat. She’s the only one you need to talk about and she’s the only one who matters. Her first match is next week and this is the Era Of Elayna. This sounded like someone on Tough Enough making up a character on the spot.

Arianna Grace apologizes to Santino Marella, who doesn’t seem impressed. She says Stacks was wrong and begs his forgiveness. They hug, which I’m sure will go fine for both of them.

Mustafa Ali vs. Jeff Hardy

Order 4 and Matt Hardy are here too. They lock up to start with Jeff shoving him down out of the corner. Jeff takes him down for a quick ride and a right hand puts Ali on the floor. Back in and Ali gets punched to the floor again, meaning it’s time for a breather. Ali gets back in again and knocks Jeff into the corner, followed by a shot out to the floor. Agent Zero takes Matt out and we take a break.

We come back with the fight taking place on the apron until Jeff hits a Twist Of Fate onto the steps (turned on their side next to the apron). They both dive back in to beat the count with Jeff getting the better of things, including the basement dropkick. Another Twist Of Fate is blocked but Ali is sent face first into the buckle.

Tasha Steelz’s interference doesn’t work as Jeff hits a double Twisting Stunner for two so Ali grabs a title belt. Matt cuts that off and gets into it with Agent Zero, leaving Jeff to hit the Twist Of Fate. The Swanton misses though and Ali’s 450 gets two. Cue Elijah for a distraction, meaning it’s the Twist into the Swanton to finish Ali at 15:30.

Rating: B. So the Elijah vs. Ali feud continues, which hardly does Ali any favors. Ali is someone who seems like he could be put into the main event scene but he’s still dealing with Elijah, who doesn’t feel that big. Losing to Jeff is fine, though I have no idea who is supposed to take the titles from the Hardys. They feel almost unbeatable and that’s not the best situation to give the rest of your division.

The Righteous suggest it isn’t over with the Hardys. Is there really no better option?

Here is the System, with JDC, to announce JDC’s replacement in the team. He has handpicked his replacement and it’s…Bear Bronson. Bear Bronson? Ok then. The team seems happy with it…but Eddie Edwards and Bronson jump Moose and JDC. Cedric Alexander runs in for the save…and he hits Moose with a chair.

Eddie says they’re replacing TWO members of the System because Moose is out. Alisha Edwards is distraught as the beating continues to end the show. The turn makes sense, as the System works better as villains and Moose losing isn’t something they should tolerate. If nothing else, it means Alexander gets something to do and I’ll take that.

Overall Rating: B-. FAR better show this week, which was at least partially due to it feeling like a regular show instead of being the big premiere. They had some good action here, plus the big twist(s) at the end, which is a needed change. Next week should be interesting with some important matches and the briefcase reveals. Not a classic show here, but it felt like a return to form, which was needed after last week’s less than successful offering.

Results
Cedric Alexander b. Moose – Hurricanrana
Indi Hartwell b. M By Elegance – Rollup
Eric Young, Steve Maclin, Trey Miguel and Eddie Edwards won Feast Or Fired
Jeff Hardy b. Mustafa Ali – Swanton Bomb

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: January 15, 2026
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

This is a big one as we’re on AMC for the first time. That is the kind of show that you do not see very often and it should be one of the most important shows that TNA has ever had. The main event is Mike Santana trying to get the World Title back from Frankie Kazarian, but Nic Nemeth is lurking with his Call Your Shot trophy. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at most of TNA’s big stars and talks about how they’ve worked to get here.

Here is AJ Styles as a surprise to get things going. Styles says he’s going to keep this short and sweet because we have some wrestling to do. He wants the fans to keep the energy going because the fans here are TNA.

We get a shorter form (and minus voiceover) opening sequence.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling/Darryl Stewart

Elijah/Hardys vs. Order 4

The brawl is on fast to start with Elijah using the Great Hands as stepping stones for a superplex to Ali. Order 4 bails out to the floor and we take an early break. We come back with Elijah in trouble and the Hardys being knocked off the apron. Elijah fights out of trouble though and it’s Jeff coming in to clean house. Tasha Steelz tries to interfere so Jeff hits a double Twist Of Fate for quite the cool visual. Matt comes in for a Twist Of Fate to Skyler and Jeff adds the Swanton for the pin at 8:19.

Rating: C+. They started the show fast with some of their top stars winning, which isn’t a bad idea. At the same time, having the Hardys are the starting point of a show in 2026, especially going over a team like Order 4, might not be the best idea. At some point the Hardys are going to have to be replaced and I don’t know that I see such an option anywhere for TNA.

Post match Agent Zero comes in to deck the winners but the Righteous run in to make the save. Then the Righteous jump the Hardys, even chaining Jeff to the corner so Vincent can Swanton Matt.

Frankie Kazarian is ready for the main event but here is AJ Styles to cut him off. Kazarian tells Styles to thank him for the house. Styles looks at the title, thanks him, and leaves.

Video on the X-Division.

We look at various people in the crowd. This is a bad move as it shows A LOT of empty seats.

We hear from some of the people in the front row, including Mara Sade and former WWE star Candice Michelle. Ryan Nemeth comes in and interrupts, only to crotch himself on the barricade and get chopped by an actor.

Here is Santino Marella, now looking happier than in recent weeks, for a chat. He’s happy about what is happening here, but he has been upset by what has happened with his daughter. There are a lot of responsibilities, so he is getting an assistant: Daria Rae, formerly known as Sonya Deville.

She praises Marella and hypes up the move to AMC…and then says that TNA does NOT need Marella with all of his jokes. Rae knows she can do the job better because her name is Daria Rae and she is the Suit. She has signed a new Knockout, so here is Elayna Black, formerly known as Cora Jade. Not that she actually does anything, but she is in fact here.

AJ Styles gives Mike Santana a pep talk and he’s grateful.

So to recap: we’re about 45 minutes into this show. We’ve had one match, and the big stories have been the Righteous turning on the Hardys, plus the debut of Sonya Deville, who turned on her boss in about fifteen seconds and announced the signing of Cora Jade. While that’s hardly anything, the bigger problem is TNA is treating its audience like they know EVERYTHING that has happened thus far.

On a show like this, you might want to take some time and explain some people and stories rather than just jumping right into it. AJ Styles is praising Mike Santana. Well who in the world is Mike Santana? Why should I care about him? Maybe let us know about that? Or should we just let the fans know that they’re on AMC again?

The Elegance Brand is in the ring, with the Personal Concierge introducing….Perez Hilton, as we flash back at least ten years. Hilton insults the crowd and the Concierge introduces Mr. Elegance (who looks a lot like Matt Riddle). He claims to be the far heavier (and different) man we saw teasing being in the role last week after a week on the Elegance Brand. Apparently this is OVW wrestler AJZ, who gets about as big of a reaction as you would expect.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Elegance Brand vs. IInspiration

The IInspiration is defending and jumps them to start fast but we take an early break. We come back with M’s moonsault hitting raised knees as Sol Ruca and Zaria (from NXT) are watching in the back. Lee comes in to clean house but the Concierge pulls the referee, meaning it’s time to argue on the floor. Mr. Elegance distracts the referee but gets knocked to the floor. That leaves the IInspiration to load up the Idolizer, which is broken up by Mr. Elegance’s chop block. A rollup pins Lee to give us new champions at 8:45.

Rating: D. Oh my sweet merciful goodness this show is somehow getting worse. This barely had time to go anywhere and the Elegance Brand only needed five people to beat the IInspiration. I guess they were going for the “give us a title change to make it feel important” but could they have it be in a match that was at least somewhat good?

Arianna Grace and Stacks aren’t worried about Santino Marella. Grace was also behind NXT invading. When did they do that? Who invaded? What did they do? NOT IMPORTANT!

Indi Hartwell is talking about her childhood dream…and the Elegance Brand interrupts her with their celebration.

Video on the Knockouts Title over the years.

Santino Marella is in the ring and brings out Knockouts Champion Lei Ying Lee and Xia Brookside for a chat. Apparently Dani Luna, who has been built up as the monster challenger for weeks, isn’t going to be at Genesis due to a visa issue, so it’s open challenge time. Cue Sol Ruca and Zaria to answer, with Ruca saying that Zaria should get the show. The contract is signed. So to know what just happened, you need to follow NXT and TNA. This show has no idea how to introduce a new crowd to the product.

Video on the history of the World Title.

Santino Marella comes up to Cedric Alexander in the back, saying that Leon Slater can’t be at Genesis either. Therefore, Alexander will still get his X-Division Title shot down the line, but for now, he’s in a three watch match with Moose and…that guy who appears when you say his name. Alexander says the name….and Joe Hendry calls him. Doesn’t APPEAR of course, but does call him.

Genesis rundown, again, making quite the series of assumptions that you know these people.

Here is the System for a chat. Eddie Edwards is ready to face JDC in JDC’s retirement match at Genesis. JDC isn’t done though, as he’ll be in the ring live next week to announce the newest member of the team. As for Genesis, Eddie better be ready to pull the trigger, or JDC will. So Moose and Brian Myers didn’t get to talk and we’re set for JDC’s retirement match. Who is JDC? Well that’s just not important enough to explain.

Video on Frankie Kazarian vs. Mike Santana, with Nic Nemeth teasing cashing in his title shot.

TNA President Carlos Silva brings in….oh my goodness Dixie Carter. She isn’t well received but puts over TNA. Bully Ray comes out to do commentary on the main event but stops for a staredown and hug with Carter.

TNA World Title: Mike Santana vs. Frankie Kazarian

Santana is challenging and thankfully we get a recap of the title match (Santana won the title at Bound For Glory but Kazarian cashed in the TNA version of Money In The Bank to win the title shortly thereafter). After a break (so that we can pass an hour and forty minutes with two matches having taken place), we’re ready to go and Kazarian stalls right after the bell. The first two or so minutes feature the standard opening stuff, with Kazarian going for the arm but getting knocked outside.

Commentary of course ignores ALL of this to hype up next week’s show, as the World Title and featured attraction of the show is just background noise. Kazarian throws him down on the floor and we take a break less than three minutes in, lest we actually see some wrestling on this show. We come back with Kazarian reversing a rollup into a Backstabber, which just seems to wake Santana up.

They strike it out until Santana hits the rolling Buck Fifty (rolling Stunner) for two. A super Spanish Fly drops Kazarian and the Code Red gets two more. Angel’s Wings and a slingshot cutter give Kazarian two of his own and it’s time to grab the title. Santana misses Spin The Block and the referee gets bumped, meaning the second Spin The Block connects for no count.

A belt shot sends Santana to the apron for Fade To Black and a near fall. Santana pops up for Spin The Block and a near fall (oh that did not look right, as it seems it was supposed to be the pin but was called two instead), followed by another Spin The Block to give him the title back at 15:51.

Rating: B-. Well that was….fine. They had the big emotional title change back at Bound For Glory so there was only so much they could do here. Santana has more than enough charisma to make this interesting, but at the same time Kazarian felt like a champion in over his head. There was pretty much no drama here outside of something terribly screwy and it made things feel more like a waiting game than a dramatic match. Also, wouldn’t it have made more sense for AJ Styles, who was around both guys earlier, to be on commentary rather than Ray, who had nothing to do with either of them?

Commentary points out that there is a rematch already set for Genesis. Not shown here? Nic Nemeth trying to cash in his title shot and getting in a fight with Santana. The result is Nemeth will be guest referee for the title rematch, which will be a Texas Deathmatch. But at least we got Dixie Carter on the show right?

Overall Rating: D-. And that’s being as generous as I can. This was a disaster, as it felt like a show where you needed to have watched the last few weeks (if not months) of TNA and NXT to get a lot of this stuff. That’s a really bad way to go when this is your big DEBUT rather than a finale.

That’s in addition to the total lack of wrestling for long stretches, as when you factor out commercials, you had maybe twenty minutes of wrestling bell to bell. Throw in stuff like battling authority figures, the pretty terrible Knockouts Tag Team Title match, various big names/champions not doing anything and the bringing back of Dixie (and freaking PEREZ HILTON around) and this was a rough, rough sit.

Now, there were some good points to this show. Santana has the title back, which he never should have lost, and bringing in some fresh names like Cora Jade and Sonya Deville is a wise move. Having a newcomer as Mr. Elegance is fine, though he needed a much better debut. Also, Agent Zero looked good as a monster after the opener. There are some good pieces on this show, but my goodness they botched this hard. Absolutely terrible show for the most part, with even Santana not being able to save things.

Results
Elijah/Hardys b. Order 4 – Swanton to Skyler
Elegance Brand b. IInspiration – Rollup to Lee
Mike Santana b. Frankie Kazarian – Spin The Block

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: January 8, 2026
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

Dang this taping must have gone on for about nine years. We are a week away from the debut on AMC and that should make for a big night. Last week saw Frankie Kazarian retain the World Title over Bear Bronson in what was a surprisingly good match. Hopefully they can keep that going next week when things really matter so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Here are the Hardys for a chat. Matt says they already have a big match tonight but they need to talk about the Righteous. Last week, the Righteous turned their locker room into a shrine, with pictures of the Hardys’ wives and children. Get out here right now and deal with things. Cue the Righteous, with the Hardys saying they want to fight instead of talk. If they have to do this, the Righteous wants this to be a friendly competition, but that’s not what the Hardys want. The challenge is on for right now but the Righteous passes, because it needs preparation time. They’ll do it at Genesis instead. Simple and effective here.

Steve Maclin wants the International Title back and Eric Young comes in to threaten him with the Cleanse.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Dani Luna vs. Harley Hudson

Luna jumps her to start and gets in a hard slam. Hudson strikes away but can’t get a sunset flip. Instead it’s a bulldog out of the corner to give Hudson two but Luna kicks her back down. The Lunar Landing gives Luna the win at 3:02.

Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash, with Hudson giving Luna just enough trouble. Luna winning the Knockouts Title wouldn’t be a surprise whatsoever, which doesn’t sound like the worst thing. She’s come a long way in the last few months and is exactly the kind of fresh star the division could use.

Post match the beatdown stays on, with Myla Grace getting taken out as well. Lei Ying Lee runs in for the save and gets dropped, as does Xia Brookside. Well that worked.

Ryan Nemeth suggests that Mara Sade likes him and gets superkicked again.

Order 4 goes to the ring and Elijah follows.

The Elegance Brand can’t pick a Mr. Elegance….but then they pick a cameraman. He takes his shirt off and apparently it works. They go off together and independent wrestler Dustin Nguyen pops out from underneath the table, saying he must protect the Elegance Brand. That’s not a twist I was expecting.

Here is Order 4 for a chat. They talk about changes that are being made around here, which they’ll announce slowly so the people around here will understand. Mustafa Ali isn’t happy with Elijah and polls the audience about getting rid of all of Elijah’s stuff. This includes cowboy boots and guitars, but the fans aren’t impressed. Ali rants about the fans being stupid because he was dragged away by a horse…and here is Elijah on a horse to chase them off.

Post break Order 4 gets outside, where the chase continues. Rehwoldt things this is horse sh….bad.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Stacks

Stacks, with Arianna Grace, is defending and has the NXT stars (now the NXT Outlaws) with him. Maclin jumps him to start and grabs an early backbreaker for one. That’s enough for Stacks to bail out to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Maclin fighting out of a chinlock but getting sent into the ropes for some choking. The Outlaws get involved and are quickly ejected as a result. Maclin fights back but Grace gets inside, leaving Maclin to dive onto some of the Outlaws. Back in and Maclin loads up the spear in the Tree Of Woe but Grace comes in to rake Maclin’s eyes for the DQ at 7:33.

Rating: C. This was more of an angle than a match, with Maclin fighting back against Stacks but being outnumbered. Maybe he brings in some help against NXT, but it isn’t like the story is set to end anytime soon. If nothing else it gives Maclin something to do, though hopefully he winds up in the World Title picture again sooner than later.

Post match the Outlaws and Grace beat Maclin down.

We look at Leon Slater not winning the NXT Title this week.

In a Digital Exclusive edition of the First Class Penthouse, AJ Francis went on a rant against Rich Swann, who wasn’t grateful to Francis for saving TNA. Swann come in and beat Francis down, even breaking his new album.

Genesis rundown.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

The System vs. Leon Slater/Hardys/Cedric Alexander

This is the System’s Last Dance as JDC is retiring soon. Myers and Alexander start things off and a lockup goes nowhere. It does however allow commentary to thank AXS TV for being their home for the last six years, which is a nice touch. Matt comes in to send Moose’s head into the buckles over and over before catapulting Eddie throat first into the rope. It’s off to Jeff for a chinlock and Slater comes in for Poetry In Motion.

Edwards gets in a shot of his own though and it’s back to Moose to clean house. Moose misses a charge out to the floor though and it’s time for the parade of dives, with even Alisha getting in on things. We take a break and come back with Slater fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a handspring elbow.

Jeff comes in to pick up the pace but walks into an implant DDT. JDC gets in a chinlock of his own and the System gets to take over in the corner. That’s broken up and it’s Alexander coming back in to start the comeback. Everything breaks down and it’s a double Plot Twist to drop the System. Moose is up with a spear to Slater but Alexander rolls him up for the pin at 15:41.

Rating: B. This was about what you would have expected, though I was surprised to see Alexander pin Moose for the win. Moose has been having a bit of a losing streak lately and that’s not something you often see. At least they got in some good action and JDC can get his big moment at Genesis.

Video on Lei Ying Lee.

Santino Marella is in the ring and still depressed, but he brings out Mike Santana and Frankie Kazarian for their contract signing. Marella explains that the title is on the line and explains what it means for Genesis, with a new challenger needing to be chosen if Santana loses. Kazarian praises Santana before saying he’s an addict as well, but it’s to being the World Champion. That’s why he’ll do anything it takes to retain the title.

Santana has heard all of this before and this time he’s going to do it again. He goes to sign the contract…and here is Nic Nemeth, who also has a Call Your Shot match. Nemeth is going to watch them beat each other up and then cash in his trophy to become World Champion again. Santana signs anyway and Kazarian does the same so the big staredown can end the show. Normally I would say there was no way they would do a cash-in, but I would have said that after Bound For Glory as well.

Overall Rating: B-. This wasn’t the most wrestling heavy show but at least they did some things to start building up Genesis. At the same time though, they have next week’s major show to get ready and this show did a nice job of making that happen. Santana should get his (second) big moment next week and hopefully they can blow off that stupid trophy at Genesis. Either way, while it didn’t have a ton of action, this show set up some bigger events and that’s a job that needs to be done.

Results
Dani Luna b. Harley Hudson – Lunar Landing
Steve Maclin b. Stacks via DQ when Arianna Grace interfered
Cedric Alexander/Leon Slater/Hardys b. The System – Rollup to Moose

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: December 18, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s a pretty big show this week, with a battle royal to crown a new #1 contender to the TNA World Title. That’s actually by far the smaller of the two main matches though, as we also have TNA vs. NXT in a ten man cage match. There is probably some more stuff throughout the show, but really, what else do you need? Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the cage match.

Opening sequence.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Battle Royal

Eric Young, Rich Swann, Mance Warner, Myron Reed, Trey Miguel, Zachary Wentz, Jake Something, Moose, Jake Painter, BDE, Brock Anderson, Cedric Alexander, Bear Bronson, CW Anderson, Jesse Funaki, John Skyler, Judas Icarus, Ryan Nemeth, Home Town Man, Travis Williams

For a World Title shot against Frankie Kazarian (on commentary) on the first Impact of 2026. Man throws Painter out to start and Funaki follows him. BDE actually eliminates Skyler and the brawling ensues as we take an early break. We come back with BDE getting knocked out, followed by Nemeth poking Man in the eye for another elimination. CW and Wentz are both out, with Miguel and Williams joining them.

Reed dives at Icarus for an elimination but the other Rascalz catch Reed for a nice save. Brock is superkicked out but Something tosses Reed as the ring is rapidly clearing. Something and Bronson knock each other down as here is AJ Francis to eliminate Swann, followed by a chokeslam onto the apron.

We’re down to Nemeth, Young, Something, Warner, Bronson, Moose and Alexander and it’s time for the big staredown. The brawl is on and Something is out, with Warner bulldog drivering Moose. Back up and Moose boots Warner out but Young’s double clothesline gets rid of Moose and Alexander. Bronson tosses Nemeth so Young throws Bronson, who holds on. Young doesn’t pay attention and Bronson tosses him to win at 11:14.

Rating: C+. I mean…why not? It’s a battle royal so it isn’t like anyone is really hurt by a loss. Bronson is brand new around here so this is a nice way to get things going. He doesn’t exactly have anything in the way of star power, but I do like adding some surprising, fresh names in the mixture, as that can go a very long way.

Team TNA is ready to end NXT.

Bear Bronson says he knew he would win and all of his scars tell a story. Now he’s coming for the title.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Angel Warriors vs. Tessa Blanchard/Mila Moore

Robert Stone and Victoria Crawford are here with the villains. Brookside and Moore start things off with Brookside sending her into the corner. Blanchard comes in and wants Lee, who quickly knocks her out to the floor. The Warriors hit stereo dives to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Lee in trouble but kicking her way out of the corner. A middle rope dropkick connects for Lee and she pulls Blanchard into a half crab. Stone pulls Brookside off the apron though and there’s no tag. Lee fights out of the tag though and the tag brings in Brookside to clean house. A kick to the head drops Moore and Brookside Iconoclasms Lee onto Moore for two with Blanchard making the save. The Warrior’s Way (spinning torture rack faceplant) finishes Moore at 11:06.

Rating: B-. This got going near the end and it’s nice to see the Warriors pick up a win as a team for a change. At the same time though, it feels like this is more about Blanchard coming after Lee and the Knockouts Title. If nothing else, at least Lee got the pin, which is something a champion should be doing on occasion.

Dani Luna wants a Knockouts Title shot.

Robert Stone yells at Mila Moore/Victoria Crawford/Tessa Blanchard (the Diamond Collective), with Blanchard saying she wants any three Knockouts to face them.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Here is Elijah for a concert. After chuckling about what he did to Mustafa Ali (involving dragging him away with a horse), Elijah starts singing about coming to El Paso. Cue Tasha Steelz with a podium so Ali can come out and complain about being dragged away by a horse. Elijah doesn’t want to her it so here are the Great Hands to jump him. With the Hands dispatched, Elijah goes to the stage, where he has to move Steelz, allowing Ali to get in a guitar shot to the back.

Indi Hartwell says she’s down but still coming for the Knockouts Title.

We look at Leon Slater in a huge match on Saturday Night’s Main Event and then this week on NXT, the latter of which saw him becoming #1 contender. Moose showed up on the same show and got a shot at the NXT North American Title on December 30.

Moose wants the X-Division Title back but Cedric Alexander comes in to say not so fast.

Frankie Kazarian isn’t worried about Bear Bronson and promises to keep the title for as long as he likes.

Team TNA vs. Team NXT

This is basically WarGames, including the timed (two minutes for the first period, then one minutes each) entrances. Mike Santana is in at #1 for TNA and Brooks Jensen is in at #1 for NXT. Jensen teases going through the door to start but Santana sends him into the cage a few times. Santana hammers away in the corner and grabs a top rope superplex for the big crash. Lexis King is in at #2 for NXT (who has the advantage after a win last week) and canes Santana down.

Steve Maclin is in at #2 for TNA to even things up and sends King into the cage. Tyson DuPont is in at #3 for NXT as these entrances are really, really fast. The TNA guys are beaten up again until Matt Hardy is in at #3 for TNA to even things up. It turns out that’s only in theory at Tyriek Igwe runs in to jump Hardy from behind and go in before him. Igwe is officially in at #4 for NXT but Santana manages to fight back as Jeff Hardy is in at #4 for TNA and actually gets inside. The numbers game take Jeff down though and Stacks is in at #5 for NXT.

Cue the Righteous to take Matt to the back (nothing good can come from this) and it’s Santino Marella in at #5 to complete TNA. That means it is first pin or submission to win and Marella cleans house, only for Jensen to jump him from behind. We take a break and come back with the TNA guys still in trouble but Jeff gets in a Twisting Stunner. Marella hits some splits Stunners and Maclin ties Stacks in the cage for a spear. Maclin goes up but gets caught, meaning it’s kind of a Tower Of Doom. The Cobra comes up to hit Jensen, setting up Spin The Block to give Santana the pin at 20:05. Matt never even got in the cage.

Rating: C. The fact that TNA never even had its full lineup in there and still didn’t feel like they were in danger tells you a lot. This was a TNA all star team (four former World Champions and Santino Marella, who is seen as a legend) against a bunch of NXT midcarders. TNA might not be a huge deal, but they’re bigger than this, and that was on full display with the match. It felt like a big match coming in, but that didn’t quite hold up once the bell rang.

Post match Marella glares at Stacks but Arianna Grace comes in to knee Marella low. Maclin gets back in to chase Stacks off.

In the back, Matt Hardy wakes up around a bunch of Hardys stuff with the Righteous promising to make him immortal. Dutch offers him…something, but Matt gets up and staggers away instead to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. While the execution might not have been great, this definitely felt like a big time show and that’s the best thing you can say about the whole thing. It’s nice to see TNA taking a step forward to something as huge as their debut on AMC and at least they’re trying something different. It might not have been a great show, but it felt big at the right time and I’ll absolutely take that, as there are more than a few things coming up worth seeing.

Results
Bear Bronson won a battle royal last eliminating Eric Young
Angel Warriors b. Tessa Blanchard/Mila Moore – Warrior’s Way to Moore
Team TNA b. Team NXT – Spin The Block to Jensen

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: December 11, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

Final Resolution has come and gone and shockingly enough, it was basically just a stop on the way towards Genesis next month. Frankie Kazarian is still the World Champion after beating JDC to retain the title. Other than that, Leon Slater is still the X-Division Champion and Mike Santana is on his way through the NXT invaders. Let’s get to it.

Here is Final Resolution if you need a recap.

We open with a Final Resolution recap, including Steve Maclin losing the International Title to NXT’s Stacks.

Opening sequence.

Here is Frankie Kazarian to get things going with the King’s Speech. He’s ready to lead TNA into the AMC Era and become the face of the network, so Walter White can move over. Kazarian has heard all of the fans’ hatred and it gives him his happiness. You need to get used to it but here is Mike Santana to interrupt.

After addressing the fans in Spanish, Santana says he respects how Kazarian got the title. At the same time, he’s a hot blooded Latino so he’s mad too. Next week, he’s in a cage against the NXT wrestlers and then he’s coming after the title at Genesis on January 17. Kazarian says no, but Santana says he’s coming for the title anyway.

We run down tonight’s card.

The NXT guys are ready to take out Team TNA, including Matt Cardona. Stacks doesn’t like Santino Marella getting involved in his relationship with Marella’s daughter and next week, he’s taking out the TNA stars.

We look at Leon Slater in last weekend’s NXT Iron Survivor Challenge. Slater will be in a four way for a future NXT Title shot next week.

Lexis King vs. Matt Cardona

Cardona armdrags King to start as we’re told that next week’s cage match is basically WarGames. King is sent outside for the crash, plus a dropkick through the ropes before being tossed back inside. Cardona gets his arm snapped across the top though, followed by a ram into the post. We hit the armbar before King hammers him down in the corner.

King takes too long posing though and gets blasted with a running clothesline. The Reboot gets two but Cardona’s arm is banged up, allowing King to hit a running clothesline to the back of the head (must be an Outback Jack fan). The cane is loaded up but it’s a distraction so Stacks can come in…and get dropped by Radio Silence. King uses the distraction to roll Cardona up for the pin at 5:00.

Rating: C. This wasn’t bad but the good thing is King is finally finding something to do. He hasn’t exactly been a great star in NXT but this is at least a step forward for him. Cardona is someone who can be treated as a big deal when he’s needed and odds are he’ll be around in the quest for revenge against NXT.

Post match Cardona goes after King but gets jumped by Stacks. Steve Maclin makes the save.

Lei Ying Lee and Xia Brookside are fine after their match at Final Resolution. Tessa Blanchard and company come in, with Blanchard saying she wants a title match. Ying doesn’t like Blanchard, who doesn’t care.

Harley Hudson/Myla Grace vs. Elegance Brand

The Brand is in dressed as elves for a special theme. They swing presents at Hudson and Grace and are knocked out to the floor before the bell. Back in and we officially get started with M taking Hudson down for a basement dropkick but Heather misses a backsplash. The tag brings in Grace to clean house as everything breaks down. The Personal Concierge grabs a present but gets it slammed onto his head. Hudson rolls Heather up but it gets reversed into a cradle to give Heather the pin at 3:14.

Rating: C. The Brand continue to be the top heels in the tag division so having them cheat to beat someone is a good idea. At the same time, it’s nice to see how fast TNA has rebuilt the Knockouts of any kind. There are a bunch of fresh faces around the division and it’s good that they’re already feeling like they belong. That can take time, but they’ve done it rather quickly. Nice job.

We look at Rich Swann snapping and turning on AJ Francis at Final Resolution.

Swann talks about his history with Francis and he’s done with being disrespected. Yes First Class is over but here is Francis to jump him from behind.

Dezmond Xavier vs. Jake Something vs. Cedric Alexander vs. BDE vs. Ryan Nemeth vs. Jason Hotch

One fall for an X-Division Title shot. Alexander and Xavier waste no time in clearing the ring to start. They both miss shots to the others’ heads and seem to show some respect. Something is back in to drop both of them though and we take a break. We come back with Something getting powerbombed out of the corner, leaving Alexander and Xavier to slug it out.

Alexander dives onto Something and Xavier hits a big flipping dive onto almost everyone else. Back in and Nemeth DDTs BDE for two before grabbing a chair. Cue Mara Sade to superkick Nemeth again, leaving Alexander to Spanish fly Hotch for two. BDE is back up with a cutter and a frog splash but Alexander gives him the Lumbar Check for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: B-. As usual, this was the kind of all over the place insanity that you knew was coming when the match was announced. It makes sense to have BDE take the fall here as he’s the celebrity (work with me here) entrant in the match. Alexander is someone who has been needing a win or two in order to let him showcase his talents so I’m rather pleased with the result. The match was exactly what you would have expected, meaning it was perfectly entertaining and messy.

The System is ready for tonight but JDC wants to face Eddie Edwards in his final match. Edwards is in.

Frankie Kazarian complains about facing Mike Santana so Santino Marella says he can defend the title against the winner of an upcoming battle royal in three weeks. In addition to facing Santana. The NXT guys come up to insult Santino, with Arianna Grace slapping Stacks and telling him to watch his mouth.

The System vs. Sinner And Saint

Edwards and Sinner start things off with Edwards dropping him off a clothesline. Myers comes in and gets struck down with some double teaming, allowing Saint to work on his knee. A chinlock doesn’t last long as Myers is up with a Michinoku driver to get out of trouble. Edwards comes back in with a backpack Stunner for two as everything breaks down. A belly to back suplex/sitout powerbomb combination gets two on Edwards but Myers cuts Sinner off. Saint is sent back in for a Roster Cut into the Boston Knee Party for the pin at 4:53.

Rating: C+. The System are one of the better teams in TNA today and they work rather well together. This wasn’t exactly a squash, but at least they didn’t waste time in getting to the point. Sinner And Saint aren’t the most thrilling team, but this was a pretty nice performance from both of them.

Post match respect is shown.

Here are the Hardys for a chat. Matt says he can feel Eddie Guerrero all around us here. They beat High Ryze at Final Resolution and they’re ready to face Team NXT next week. They have to protect TNA because 2026 is going to be their biggest year ever. Cue the Righteous to interrupt, with Vincent introducing himself and his partner Dutch.

The Hardys know who they are but don’t know why he’s here. Vincent praises the team and Dutch says they’re here because of the Hardys. They wish the Hardys luck in the cage match next week and Dutch declares himself righteous. I’ve heard worse, but this wasn’t exactly a great first promo from the Righteous.

Santino Marella announces that Matt Cardona can’t compete in the cage match so Santino will take his place.

Indi Hartwell vs. Dani Luna

Dog Collar match. Luna jumps her before putting the collar on, only for Hartwell to use the chain for some pre-bell whipping. Hartwell gets Luna cinched up and the bell rings and gets pulled down by the neck so Luna can hammer away. The chain is wrapped around the ropes so Hartwell can be pulled into them. That works so well that Hartwell does the same thing to Luna as we take a break.

We come back with Hartwell getting tripped down for two and getting tied to the post. Hartwell can’t kick her way out of trouble but she can pull Luna face first into the post to draw some blood. Luna goes up and gets pulled down into a spinebuster for two, only to catch Hartwell with a running dropkick. Luna is GUSHING blood and tries some powder, which is knocked out of her hands just as fast. Back up and the referee gets bumped, leaving Luna to…hit the Lunar Landing for the clean pin at 12:27.

Rating: B-. The blood looked awesome, but the match itself was nothing noteworthy otherwise. The ending just kind of happened, with the ref bump not really changing much. Luna has come a long way in the last few months and this was the kind of win that she has been needing. On the other hand you have Hartwell, who is falling rather quickly after a hot start.

Overall Rating: C+. Right now, pretty much everything is setting up the cage match next week, which feels like it’s close to the blowoff to the whole TNA vs. NXT feud. At the same time, it feels like everything is building towards the AMC debut, which makes sense, though it leaves them with kind of a weird limbo for the next five weeks or so. This was a good enough show with a main event that felt big, though next week is the really stacked event.

Results
Lexis King b. Matt Cardona – Rollup
Elegance Brand b. Harley Hudson/Myla Grace – Rollup to Hudson
Cedric Alexander b. BDE, Dezmond Xavier, Jake Something, Ryan Nemeth and Jason Hotch – Lumbar Check to BDE
The System b. Sinner And Saint – Boston Knee Party to Saint
Dani Luna b. Indi Hartwell – Lunar Landing

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

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Final Resolution 2025
Date: December 5, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s another special as we are between the big shows. In the case we have a kind of odd main event as JDC is challenging Frankie Kazarian for the World Title. Other than that, a lot of the focus is going to be on the invading NXT stars, including some of whom are getting title shots. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Cedric Alexander vs. Eric Young

Alexander works on the arm to start and doesn’t get very far but he is able to send Young outside. Back in and Alexander snaps off a German suplex to send Young outside again. This time Alexander heads outside with him and the brawl is on again, with Young posting him to take over.

Young’s moonsault misses back inside and the springboard Downward Spiral gives Alexander two. Alexander takes him up top but Young bites his head, setting up the top rope elbow. That has Young arguing with the referee, allowing Alexander to grab a brainbuster for the pin at 7:37.

Rating: C. I’m happy with seeing Young lose and Alexander is still rather smooth in the ring, making it nice to see him win. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Young with his stupid Cleanse nonsense taking another hit. Just don’t make him into some big heel down the line and it should be fine.

Kickoff Show: The System vs. Bear Bronson/Brock Anderson/CW Anderson

Unannounced match and Alisha Edwards is here with the System. Before the match, the System issues an open challenge to anyone and this is what they get. CW and Eddie start things off as commentary tries to get CW over as a legend. Moose comes in for the right hands to the head and it’s back to Eddie. Brock comes in to work on the arm so Bronson comes in to shoulder Myers down.

A seated senton crushes Myers and a chokebomb cuts off the comeback attempt. Myers gets taken into the wrong corner but he manages to escape a double suplex. Instead it’s a double clothesline to the Andersons and Moose comes back in to take over on Bronson. The chokebomb gives Moose two and it’s back to Brock, who gets caught with a headbutt. The System Overload finishes Brock at 6:22.

Rating: C. Another mostly short match here with the System getting to run through a few newcomers. I’m not sure I can imagine the Andersons being a big deal around here, though there is always a spot for someone like Bronson. I get the idea of putting a team as important as the System on the show though, and at least they didn’t waste time.

The opening video looks at some of the top stars on the show and how important it is for them to give it their all and never give up their dream.

Mike Santana vs. Charlie Dempsey

Dempsey (the son of William Regal) is from NXT and is quite the technical star. The brawl is on to start fast with Santana sending him to the floor for a suicide dive. Back in and Dempsey breaks up Three Amigos (as we’re in Eddie Guerrero’s hometown) to knock Santana down. Dempsey gets in a hard stomp to the arm and then pulls on it as a bonus.

Back up and Dempsey sends him hard into the corner but Santana is back with some kicks to the face. A clothesline cuts Dempsey down again and the rolling Buck Fifty gives Santana two. Dempsey is back with a bridging German suplex for two and a top rope butterfly superplex drops Santana again. Dempsey’s next superplex attempt is blocked though and now the Three Amigos can connect. Spin The Block finishes Dempsey at 8:58.

Rating: C+. The point here was to have Santana put in the work to get through the first step of his revenge. That is easier said than done, but it wouldn’t make sense to have him smash through everyone in a hurry. Santana needs to prove that he’s good enough to get through these people, who should give him at least some trouble. Nice opener here, as the fans are still entirely behind Santana.

We run down the card.

Frankie Kazarian is ready to make JDC into a failure.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: IInspiration vs. Victoria Crawford/Tessa Blanchard

The IInspiration is defending, Robert Stone is with Crawford/Blanchard and Ash By Elegance is on commentary. Lee and Crawford start things off with Lee grabbing the arm and handing it off to McKay. Some stereo kicks and clotheslines put the challengers on the floor for some posing from Lee/McKay. Back in and McKay gets taken into the wrong corner for some boot choking before Blanchard starts working on the leg.

Blanchard just punches the leg (that’s funny for some reason) but McKay kicks her outside. An elbow misses for Blanchard and it’s back to Lee for a rollup. Everything breaks down and Stone slips in the belt but Lee kicks Crawford in the face instead. Cue the Elegance Brand (Ash says this isn’t her idea), who are quickly taken out, leaving the Idolizer to finish Crawford and retain the titles at 8:46.

Rating: C. This didn’t really do much, as the tag division continues to feel like it’s just kind of there. It’s not so much bad as much as it is uninteresting, which is a lot worse in quite a few ways. The division just isn’t that interesting, even if there are at least a few teams coming after the belts.

Santino Marella still wants to know who is behind the NXT invasion but Arianna Grace tells him to not worry about Stacks (her fiance).

Matt Cardona vs. Mance Warner

Street fight and Steph de Lander is here with Warner. Cardona tries some kendo stick shots to start but Warner chairs him down. Warner puts the chair in the corner but gets sent face first into it for his efforts. The fight heads outside, where Cardona hits him in the back with a trashcan. That’s taken away and Warner uses said can on Cardona instead, meaning it’s time for even more weapons. Warner throws a trashcan inside, hitting Cardona’s leg at the same time. A gift wrapped door is brought in as well and de Lander sprays Cardona’s eyes to cut off a comeback attempt.

Warner’s DDT sends Cardona through the door and it’s time to hammer away with the trashcan lid. They slug it out until Cardona grabs a faceplant for a quick two. The Reboot is loaded up but de Lander’s distraction lets Warner release Rock Bottom Cardona onto a trashcan instead. Cardona is back up with a bag of…action figures of himself, setting up the Reboot. An AA onto the figures gets two and it’s time for another door. Warner manages an implant DDT for two and grabs a screwdriver. The big running stab misses and Radio Silence through the door finishes for Cardona at 11:39.

Rating: B-. It definitely wasn’t anything out of the ordinary or different than we’ve seen before, but at least Cardona won a match which seemed more important. You don’t see that happen very often these days, and thankfully Cardona might actually have something of a future here. On the other hand you have Warner, who continues to be just kind of there no matter what he does.

An emotional JDC talks about how wrestling is the only place that ever made sense. Then he got married and it was time for him to retire. What if he just wins the title tonight and goes out at Genesis as champion?

International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Stacks

Stacks (from NXT), with Lexis King (also from NXT), is challenging. Maclin jumps him to start fast and the stomping is on in the corner. A backdrop puts Stacks down and they go to the floor where Maclin keeps up the beating. Back in and an elbow to the face drops Stacks again but he’s able to avoid the charge in the corner. Stacks chokes away inside and we hit the abdominal stretch, complete with an assist from King.

That’s broken up and a quick Rock Bottom gives Maclin a needed breather. Stacks is sent outside for the suicide dive, allowing Maclin to steal King’s hat. Back in and an Angle Slam gives Maclin two but Stacks’ running knee (Concrete Shoes) gets two. Maclin hits a running knee into the Jar Headbutt for two and there’ the spear in the Tree Of Woe. King’s distraction is cut off, only for Stacks to get in a cane to the head for the pin and the title at 11:39.

Rating: C. Yeah I’m not sure about Stacks being presented as a star and this didn’t help much. He’s the definition of “just there”, which is kind of a shame as he was starting to show potential in NXT. Maybe this is the kind of change that he needs, but I’m only somewhat convinced. At the same time, Maclin moving back into the World Title picture doesn’t sound like a terrible idea.

The Hardys are ready to defend their Tag Team Titles.

We recap Lei Ying Lee defending the Knockouts Title against Xia Brookside. They’re partners and Lee recently won the title, while Brookside won a #1 contenders match to set this up.

Knockouts Title: Lei Ying Lee vs. Xia Brookside

Lee is defending. They fight over a top wristlock to start with Lee taking her down into a headscissors. That’s broken up and they show some respect before Brookside grabs a hammerlock. Lee slips out of that and they trade stereo dropkicks for an early staredown. A headscissors doesn’t work for Brookside as Lee takes her down, setting up the chinlock.

That’s switched into a half crab to keep Brookside down but she’s back up with a running headscissors. Broken Wings into a Russian legsweep gives Brookside two and she grabs a Black Widow. Lee slips out and knees her in the face for two and a superplex brings Brookside crashing down. Brookside is fine enough to slip out of a torture rack and hit a quick Codebreaker for two. They slug it out from their knees with Lee getting the better of things and hitting the torture rack neckbreaker to retain at 12:42.

Rating: B-. This was kind of a weird match as they were playing up the idea that they were friends who respected each other. That’s a logical way to go, but it didn’t make for the most exciting match. That being said, there is something very, very good about having some fresh blood in the title picture, as it feels like we’ve been seeing a lot of the same people for quite awhile.

Post match Lee is happy with her win and praises Brookside for being a warrior. Cue Dani Luna to jump them both, with Indi Hartwell coming in to go after Luna.

The NXT stars are very pleased with Stacks’ title win. Stacks wants Italian food and High Ryze wants the Tag Team Titles.

Order 4 vs. Rascalz

Skyler can’t clothesline Reed to start and it’s off to Hotch, who gets caught in an armbar. A neckbreaker takes Hotch down and a Cheeky Nandos kick sends him outside. Ali comes in and gets sent into the corner, where he kicks Reed off the apron. A Bronco Buster hits Ali so it’s Agent Zero coming in for a big boot.

Zero shrugs off all four Rascalz at once and gives two of them a fall away slam. A swinging Downward Spiral plants Wentz and it’s back to Ali for a Chris Jericho arrogant cover. Tasha Steelz gets in some choking from the floor but Zero misses a charge into the post. Wentz avoids a charge to send Ali face first into the middle buckle for quite the painful crash. Everything breaks down and Steelz offers a distraction.

Xavier puts on some chapstick and kisses….Zero’s chest by mistake. We hit the series of dives, with Zero hitting a huge version, leaving Hotch to go up top. That’s fine with Reed, whose diving cutter takes him onto the pile has the crowd losing their minds. Ali walks out and the Rascalz get together to send Zero into the steps.

The Great Hands fight back and we cut to Ali in the back…and here is Elijah on a horse. Elijah jumps him from behind, ties him up, and uses the horse to drag him away. Back in and Zero is taken out with a sliding Canadian Destroyer on the floor, leaving Skyler to get caught with a series of top rope flips. The springboard 450 gives Reed the pin at 14:26.

Rating: B+. This was about everyone flying around and trying to stop Zero, which worked rather well for what they were doing. The Rascalz work well together and got to show off what they are capable of doing. Zero feels like an awesome monster and that should work well when he’s given the chance to turn into something on his own. At the same time, Elijah kidnapped Ali with a horse. Everyone wins.

Tag Team Titles: High Ryze vs. Hardys

High Ryze (Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont, a couple of powerhouses) is challenging. We get the big staredown and then the lights go out, with a graphic popping up on screen saying “THE GODS WALK AMONG MORTALS”. The lights come back up and High Ryze jumps the champs to start fast. Matt gets taken into the corner for the stomping before Igwe grabs a chinlock. DuPont works on the arm but a bit of miscommunication leads to DuPont working on Igwe’s arm by mistake (always a classic).

That’s enough for Jeff to come in and start the comeback before quickly handing it back to Matt. DuPont gets in a cheap shot though and Igwe grabs a chinlock. A jawbreaker and mule kick get Jeff out of trouble, allowing the tag back to Matt. That means the rapid fire rams into the buckles and a superplex to Igwe. DuPont is back in with a splash to Matt, setting up the Heartstopper (belly to back suplex/chokeslam combination) for two. Jeff is up for the save and Igwe is sent outside, leaving the Twist Of Fate into the Swanton to finish DuPont at 8:44.

Rating: C+. While there was just enough of a reason to believe an upset was possible, they played it pretty by the book here with the Hardys getting to come from behind and win again. They’re old and shells of their former selves, but the Hardys can still do a perfectly acceptable tag match. They’ll need some more challengers, and given who was teased before the match, I’m not sure how long we’ll be waiting for said challengers to show up.

Post match the lights go out again and here are the Righteous (kind of a cult team from ROH) to stare at the Hardys. The fans chanting WHO ARE YOU isn’t a good sign.

Eric Young again promises to cleanse TNA and OH MY GOODNESS JUST GET ON WITH IT ALREADY SO IT CAN BE ANOTHER MISERABLE FAILURE AND WE CAN MOVE ON.

X-Division Title: AJ Francis vs. Leon Slater

Francis, with Rich Swann, is challenging. Slater knocks him to the floor to start and hits a baseball slide through the ropes. Another dive takes Francis down again before the Down Payment is escaped back inside. Francis runs him over instead and one heck of a whip into the corner has Slater in more trouble.

Slater is pulled against the post and a big boot gives Francis two. We’re off to the chinlock for a bit before Slater fights up with a standing Blue Thunder Bomb. Francis kicks him low in the corner though and a TFL gets two. Cue YouTuber BDE to go after Francis, who takes him outwith ease.

Francis is sent outside, where Slater’s dive is pulled out of the air. Slater fights back and hits his crazy big flip dive over the post. The Crossover gives Slater two so Swann slides in a chair. The referee takes it away and it’s a belt shot for two on Slater. Francis yells at Swann, and with the referee intentionally turning her head, Swann blasts Francis with the belt. The Swanton 450 retains the title at 14:54.

Rating: B. There’s something great about Francis being such a jerk that so many people are sick of him. It fits rather well actually and hopefully Swann can get to show off his talents rather than being an annoying lackey. Slater continues to feel like a breakout star and that is something that TNA needs to capitalize on for as long as they can.

Ryan Nemeth comes out to brag about his big brother and their YouTube views but here is Mara Sade to kick him in the face. Yeah that still works.

We recap JDC vs. Frankie Kazarian for the World Title. JDC is retiring next month and is getting one shot at the new champion, who feels rather beatable.

TNA World Title: JDC vs. Frankie Kazarian

Kazarian is defending and comes out in a low rider for the rather easy heat. JDC grabs him for a fast clothesline and the brawl starts. They go outside and up to the stage, where Kazarian hits a powerbomb. Kazarian beats him back into the ring and the slow beating continues. A belly to back suplex gives Kazarian two but JDC breaks up the springboard legdrop.

JDC’s legdrop in the ropes connects and a scoop powerslam gets two. Kazarian’s slingshot cutter gets two and he suplexes JDC into the corner. The referee gets bumped and JDC grabs an Air Raid Crash for two from a second referee. Down And Dirty misses and now Kazarian’s springboard legdrop connects. JDC grabs a rollup but gets reversed into the chickenwing and JDC passes out at 13:25.

Rating: C+. They were probably smart to get out of this as fast as they did as otherwise, you realize that it’s a main event of JDC vs. Frankie Kazarian for the World Title. JDC’s retirement is a nice sentimental story but it doesn’t mean that he’s going to be a threat to win the World Title. Kazarian doesn’t feel like a strong champion in the first place, but at least they had a perfectly fine match.

Post match the NXT guys run in for the brawl so here are some TNA stars for the save. Security breaks it up but Stacks decks Santino Marella to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The show had some nice moments here and there, but for the most part it didn’t feel overly important. The NXT invasion stuff is fine but we’ve seen the “NXT wrestlers win TNA titles” multiple times already. I liked the eight man tag a lot and it helped carry the show, along with the turn on Francis being rather awesome. It’s certainly not a bad show, but it’s not a show you need to go out of your way to see.

Results
Cedric Alexander b. Eric Young – Brainbuster
The System b. Bear Bronson/Brock Anderson/CW Anderson – System Overload to Brock
Mike Santana b. Charlie Dempsey – Spin The Block
IInspiration b. Victoria Crawford/Tessa Blanchard – Idolizer to Crawford
Matt Cardona b. Mance Warner – Radio Silence through a door
Stacks b. Steve Maclin – Cane to the head
Lei Ying Lee b. Xia Brookside – Torture rack neckbreaker
Rascalz b. Order 4 – Springboard 450 to Skyler
Hardys b. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont – Swanton to DuPont
Leon Slater b. AJ Francis – Swanton 450
Frankie Kazarian b. JDC – Crossface chickenwing

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

Turning Point 2025
Date: November 14, 2025
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

So we’re back with another special, which is coming a day after the Bound For Glory fallout show. The big stories coming out of last night are the NXT invasion and Frankie Kazarian winning the World Title as a result. That is going to make for quite the fallout and we might be seeing some of that here, even on such a short turnaround. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Jake Something vs. Home Town Man vs. Mance Warner

Steph de Lander is here with Warner. The fans are behind the Man, who gets jumped by Something as Warner watches on. Warner gets in on the slugout but Man punches away at both villains. A double running elbow has both of them in trouble and some right hands connect in the corner. Something clotheslines Warner by mistake so Man punches both of them in the same corner for a bonus.

Then he even alternates to get up to about thirty total punches in a funny move. The double clothesline drops Something and Warner and the fans greatly approve. Something finally manages to run Man over before dropping Warner as well. A delayed suplex has Man in trouble as the fans remind Something that he is NOT from here. De Lander gets in a cheap shot so Warner can chokeslam Man for two (de Lander does NOT like the count).

Something goes up so Warner catches him on top, which is of course turned into a Tower Of Doom for the huge crash. This time it’s Man getting caught on top and the other two slug it out, with Man hitting a big dive to take them out. De Lander yells at Man, saying he is NOT FROM HERE, earning Man a clothesline and de Lander a kiss (from Warner, in case that wasn’t clear). Back in and the Home Town Slice drops Warner but Something sends Man Into The Void for the pin at 7:30.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here in a cold match, with a far more interesting match than I was expecting. At the end of the day, Something is a guy who could be turned into a solid monster if he was allowed to win a bit more (and with some work on the name). Man is a fun novelty act and Warner….did I mention Something and Man?

Here is new World Champion Frankie Kazarian for The King’s Speech. The fans are of course all over him (save for one FRANKIE RULES fan), with Kazarian saying “you wanted the best, you got the best”. He is officially the World Champion and what matters the most is that he knows he is self made, with no one deserving this more than him.

There have been a lot of angry social media posts about him, but every tear off their cheeks is a shot of adrenaline into his black heart. Do not stop being jealous and envious of him because he will not stop hating all of the people. Oh and to make it clear: he had nothing to do with NXT’s invasion. As for tonight, he doesn’t have a guest, but instead he’s going to call someone out. He wants TNA President Carlos Silva to come out to his ring, which is exactly what he gets.

Normally, Silva awards the new champions with their belts, but he was nowhere to be seen last night. So now, Silva gets the chance to right a wrong by handing him the title. Silva does so, and congratulates Kazarian for winning the title, but there will be a formal investigation into the NXT invasion, with Kazarian being a big piece. Cue the Nemeths, with Nic holding the Call Your Shot trophy. Nic says he was attacked by NXT as well, but Kazarian was left alone. He knows Kazarian was behind this, but Kazarian denies it again, saying Nic was on his way to the ring to call his shot before Kazarian came out there.

Kazarian calls him Mr. Money In The Bank and says they’re equal levels of scoundrel. Nic agrees, and says he’s calling his shot, but only after they win their tag match tonight. Kazarian tells him to trust the champ, which Nic will only do for awhile. Nic: “I’ll have your back, and then later I’ll have your title.”

And now, the show proper.

We open with a recap of NXT costing Mike Santana the World Title last night. What else is there to talk about?

Knockouts Title: M By Elegance vs. Kelani Jordan

M, with the rest of the Elegance Brand, is challenging. After the Big Match Intros, M jumps her to start fast and fires off some chops. Jordan gets in some shots of her own but walks into a hip attack to the face. Back up and Jordan knocks her to the floor, with a big moonsault taking her down again. The Brand offers a distraction though and M gets in a boot to the head as a result. A northern lights suplex gives M two and it’s off to the double arm crank.

Jordan fights up but walks into a wheelbarrow suplex, allowing M to go up. The moonsault misses though and they slowly get up to slug it out. Jordan flips out of a belly to back attempt and hits a rolling shot to the face for the knockdown. A standing legdrop gives Jordan two but One Of A Kind is broken up. M’s Samoan driver gets two so Jordan starts in on the leg. The half crab has M down and Jordan stomps her out of the corner, setting up One Of A Kind to retain at 9:42.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to make of Jordan around here. While she’s a full on villain in NXT, she’s a big more neutral here, as she’s the invader but doesn’t wrestle in any different way. In theory a bunch of people are going to come after the title, but it’s not like she’s the female Trick Williams as the ultimate dragon to slay. Having her face the Elegance Brand on back to back nights didn’t help much either, though at least Jordan got to show off her incredible athleticism.

Lei Ying Lee, Xia Brookside and Mara Sade want the Knockouts Title. Ryan Nemeth comes in to say he’s the real story. Oh and Sade’s hair looks wet.

We run down the rest of the card.

We look at the World Title situation from last night. Again.

Santino Marella asks Ava and Arianna Grace about the invasion but Ava says they can manage their own locker rooms and storms off.

AJ Francis vs. BDE

BDE is a Youtuber who Francis put through a table last night before Impact went on the air. Francis takes his time coming in and gets jumped to start fast. Francis’ charge only hits the buckle and BDE strikes away, setting up the required “jump on the bigger guy’s back” choke. That’s broken up with a drop onto his back and Francis hits a splash in the corner. BDE’s ribs are stretched around the post but he avoids a charge, only to get powerbombed HARD onto the apron.

The count is beaten and Francis grabs a crossface chickenwing. Somehow BDE gets out and hits a cutter but the superkick is cut off. A Canadian Destroyer actually drops Francis and a running knee gets two. The frog splash misses though and it’s a spear into the Down Payment. For some reason BDE tells him to bring it, so it’s another Down Payment to give Francis the pin at 8:40.

Rating: B-. All things considered, this was a fun match with BDE clearly having the time of his life out there. He knows how to do big spots and that’s about all he needs to do, with Francis being there to handle the selling. It wasn’t a great match, but this could have been FAR worse. Maybe just don’t have BDE around that often though, as the charm might wear off quickly.

Steve Maclin doesn’t know if Mike Santana will be here tonight but he’s ready to fight alone if he has to. If NXT wants to go to war, they picked the wrong man.

Indi Hartwell vs. Dani Luna

No DQ after Luna brought in a chair last night but Hartwell used it on her instead. The brawl starts in the aisle with Hartwell managing another chair shot. They go to ringside, where Hartwell gets a quick drink and throws a collection of weapons inside. A ladder takes a bit too long though and it gets dropkicked into Hartwell for the delay. Hartwell is fine enough to drive her into the steps and it’s time to set up a table.

This takes too long as well (she has a problem with that) and gets powder thrown in her eyes, allowing Luna to snap off a German suplex. Back in and Luna unloads with some stop sign shots to the back for two. Luna sends her into a chair for two more but Hartwell is back with some kendo stick shots. The Hurts Donut is broken up though and Luna hits a slingshot Blue Thunder Bomb for two.

A crossface with the kendo stick is broken up as well and Hartwell gives her a spinebuster onto the ladder for two. Hartwell kicks her onto the table at ringside and drops a big elbow through it for the double down. They get back inside and Luna tries the Lunar Landing, which is reversed into the Hurts Donut onto the chair to give Hartwell the pin at 14:02.

Rating: B. It was a good, violent brawl and the kind of win that Hartwell needed after coming up short at Bound For Glory. Odds are she’ll become a bigger part of the division for a bit, though I’m not sure she’s going to be the one to rescue the title. On the other hand you had Luna, who was a good dragon for Hartwell to slay in a hard hitting match.

Santino Marella apologizes to Ava for the earlier accusations and they seem cool as Ava leaves again.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Tessa Blanchard/Victoria Crawford vs. Angel Warriors vs. IInspiration

For the sake of simplicity, Cassie Lee will be referred to as Cassie and Lei Ying Lee will be referred to as Lei. The IInspiration is defending, but Blanchard is in street clothes. It turns out that she isn’t medically cleared and, after insulting the Orlando friends, introduces Mila Moore as her replacement. Lei and Cassie start things off with an exchange of rollups for two each and everything breaks down. The IInspiration gets to clean house and strike their pose but Lei suplexes Moore for two.

Back up and Moore drops her throat first across the top rope and stomps Lei down in the corner. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a knee. The IInspiration is knocked outside and it’s Crawford coming in…and getting kicked into the corner almost immediately. Brookside comes in with Broken Wings and the IInspiration has to make a save. Everything breaks down and Moore’s big boot gets two as a six way brawl breaks out. Lei sends Moore into the post and dives onto Crawford and Moore, leaving the IInspiration to hit a quick Idolizer to pin Brookside and retain at 8:31.

Rating: B-. Fun enough match here, even with pretty much no story and one of the teams not being a regular pairing in the first place. The IInspiration are still the best team around and should be champions for a good while, though at least there are some teams coming together to go after the titles. Moore did get off to a nice start and certainly looked poised out there, with her size being a nice natural advantage.

Order 4 vs. Hardys/Cedric Alexander

Order 4 doesn’t like any of them and the good guys are…well they’re all from North Carolina. Alexander and Hotch start things off and run the ropes a lot with neither getting very far. Hotch gets caught by the arm though and it’s off to Jeff to stay on said appendage. Matt rams Hotch into all of the buckles before sending Skyler and Ali out to the floor. The good guys complete the ring clearing until Alexander sends Ali into the corner, allowing commentary to talk about their previous match at Wrestlemania.

Tasha Steelz offers a distraction though and Ali goes to the eyes to break up the Lumbar Check. Agent Zero gets in a cheap shot to Alexander, meaning it’s time for a glare off on the floor. Back in and Alexander hits a quick Michinoku Driver and an enziguri, but Skyler pulls the Hardys off the apron in an always smart move. As tends to be the case, the hot tag connects a few seconds later with Matt coming in to clean house. The Twist Of Fate is broken up though and what looks like a foreign object shot hits Matt for two.

A DDT gets Matt out of trouble and it’s Jeff coming back in to take over. Everything breaks down and the Lumbar Check hits Hotch, with Ali making the save. Jeff tries to go up but Steelz breaks up the Swanton attempt, leaving Matt to hit a double Twist Of Fate on Steelz and Ali at the same time. Zero pulls the referee at two so the Hardys use chairs to clear him out. Unfortunately that leaves Alexander alone and Ali kicks him low, setting up the small package for the pin at 13:33.

Rating: C+. Order 4 continues to be a good choice for a pesky midcard group who could wind up being a threat. I could go for Ali and Zero going after the Tag Team Titles, as they definitely feel like a better threat than the Great Hands. The Hardys should be losing the titles in a big deal sooner than later and Order 4 could be a good choice.

The System vs. Rascalz/Dezmond Xavier

Xavier is the former Wes Lee, who is out of NXT. JDC and Reed start things off and fight over some waistlocks until JDC snaps off a headscissors. Reed takes him down just as fast and dances a bit so it’s off to Miguel to dropkick Myers for two. Edwards comes in to work on Wentz’s arm until Wentz is back with a springboard high crossbody. Moose comes in to face Xavier and the fans certainly approve.

A missed charge takes Moose down though and it’s a quick quadruple dropkick for two as the System just watches from the apron. It’s back to Myers to take over but a shot to the face cuts that off just as fast. Xavier comes back in to pick the pace way up and Moose adds the dropkick to knock Xavier off the ropes. The chokebomb gets two, followed by a powerslam/top rope knee combination. The Rascalz are back in for a triple dropkick to Moose but Xavier’s dive to the floor is countered with an apron bomb.

Myers spears Wentz off the apron and we hit the parade of dives, with Reed hitting a huge one onto the pile. Down And Dirty hits Xavier but a top rope Meteora makes the save. The parade of strikes to the face is on until it’s a double torture rack/double top rope double stomp to JDC for two, with Moose powerbombing Miguel onto the cover for two. Moose goes up but dives into a cutter, followed by a UFO Cutter. Hot Fire Flame into the Spinal Tap gives Xavier the pin on JDC at 14:21.

Rating: A-. Easily the best thing on the show thus far and one of the best TNA matches in a long time. Once they stopped having a regular match and just went nuts, it was all kinds of entertaining, with Moose as the big power guy and the Rascalz trying to find a way around him with all of their teamwork. I loved this and it was far better than anything I was expecting on this show.

The Rascalz and Xavier have a big hug in a nice moment. Respect is shown as well.

Eric Young comes up to Santino Marella and wants to expose the truth, which he seems to suggest is something Marella is hiding. Or something.

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Rich Swann

Slater is defending and takes him down by the arm to start. Swann is taken into the corner for a clean break before a nice headscissors lets him dance a bit. Back up and Slater sends him to the apron for a big boot, followed by the dive to the floor. Some running shots in the face in the corner rock Swann but he’s right back with a rolling clothesline. Swann wins a strike off and backdrops Slater face first onto the steps for a SICK sounding crash.

We pause to look at his eye but Slater wants to fight anyway, allowing Swann to superkick him out of the air for two. Slater is fine enough to hit something like a spinning White Noise for two so Swann goes right back to the eye. A slingshot cutter gives Slater two but the Styles Clash is cut off.

Swann’s frog splash is countered with a cutter for two more and a spinning torture rack slam drops him again. A quick hurricanrana and the Lethal Injection drop Slater again and the middle rope 450 gets two. Swann goes up again but gets thrown down again, setting up a Styles Clash. The Swanton 450 retains the title at 13:25.

Rating: B. They had a good match but there is only so much you can do after the previous match was stealing the show. It doesn’t help that Slater is at the point of “everything he does is great” and that’s going to become an issue. This was supposed to be another match that was some instant classic and it’s just pretty good. That’s not a bad result, though granted a lot of the issues here was it was set up in about 38 seconds.

Post match Slater is a bit emotional because he recently lost his grandmother, but he says he’s crying because of his eye injury. Oh and he and Je’Von Evans are going to win the NXT Tag Team Titles.

Steve Maclin/Mike Santana vs. Nic Nemeth/Frankie Kazarian

And there’s no Santana, as Maclin is going to have to fight on his own and Ryan Nemeth is making it 3-1. Maclin jumps them both to start fast and hits a Scud on Nic, followed by an Angle Slam for an early two. The spear in the Tree Of Woe gets two more and here is Mara Sade to take Ryan out. Kazarian is back in to slam Maclin and drops a leg for two as we settle down into a regular handicap match. Maclin manages to knock Kazarian away and get up top for a double missile dropkick and a needed breather.

Santana arrives, in jeans, and tags himself in to take over, including a Death Valley Driver on Nic. The running flip dive mostly hits Kazarian but Santana bangs up his already injured arm. Nic’s superkick gets two and it’s back to Kazarian, who rolls Santana up (how he won the title) for two. That just earns him a Spin The Block to give Santana the pin at 10:21. On the new champ. The night after he won the title. Which he stole. Dang I hate the instant cash in stuff.

Rating: C. This felt like a quick TV main event, though it wasn’t quite as good as when Steve Austin and Dude Love did something similar in 1997. Maclin continues to be an underrated valuable player around here, as he’s a firm midcard hand and someone who feels like he could be elevated into the main event in the blink of an eye. Santana needed the win after last night, though I’m almost scared to know how long this latest chase to the title is going to go.

Post match Nic tries to cash in his title shot but the NXT guys run in to beat down everyone (including Kazarian) down. Some other TNA wrestlers are cut off and Santino Marella comes out to yell. That earns him a beating of his own so here are the Hardys with chairs…to get beaten down as well. The NXT stars keep up the attacking to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Underwhelming main event aside, I was expecting absolutely nothing coming into this show and wound up having a good time. The eight man tag absolutely stole the show and thankfully it wasn’t the only good thing on here. I’m really not sure what they’re doing with the main event scene, but the rest of the show was more than worth a look. I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re looking for the next big step in TNA, but it was a good example of what their stars can do.

Results
Jake Something b. Home Town Man and Mance Warner – Into The Void to Man
Kelani Jordan b. M By Elegance – One Of A Kind
AJ Francis b. BDE – Down Payment
Indi Hartwell b. Dani Luna – Hurts Donut onto a chair
IInspiration b. Mila Moore/Victoria Crawford and Angel Warriors – Idolizer to Brookside
Order 4 b. Hardys/Cedric Alexander – Small package to Alexander
Rascalz/Dezmond Xavier b. The System – Spinal Tap to Moose
Leon Slater b. Rich Swann – Swanton 450
Mike Santana/Steve Maclin b. Frankie Kazarian/Nic Nemeth – Spin The Block to Kazarian

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: November 13, 2025
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

In the words of the 1993 forgotten classic, “A Dinosaur Story”, or “Ghostbusters II”, WE’RE BACK! After about a month removed from Bound For Glory, we FINALLY have a regular episode of the show. While a lot happened at the show, the biggest story is Mike Santana winning the World Title. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Here is Mike Santana to get things going. He’s happy to be back in front of the fans, who think he deserves the title. He knew it was going to be hard but he believed in himself, just like his daughter believed in him. That kept him fighting and clawing and now he’s here as the World Champion.

He knows there’s a target on his back and he doesn’t care what letters you come from, because you better bring the fire. This includes Frankie Kazarian and Nic Nemeth, so here is Ryan Nemeth to interrupt. Ryan says his usual stuff about Nic, with Santana cutting him off. Santana apologizes to the fans for wasting their time with this guy and says they’ll have a title match tonight.

Kelani Jordan is ready to retain the title. Mara Sade, Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Lee come up and say they’ll win the title. Brookside translates Lee, who called Jordan a “See You Next Tuesday.”

Here is Santino Marella, who introduces Ava for a chat. She puts over the TNA/NXT partnership and brings in Arianna Grace to help run things in Ava’s absence.

Video on the upcoming Gold Rush shows.

Dani Luna vs. Indi Hartwell

Hartwell takes her down and hammers away a few times to start. Luna uses the power to block a slam though and drives her into the corner, followed by a clothesline for two. The basement clothesline gets two more but Hartwell hurricanranas her way out of the corner. They head outside with Hartwell grabbing a spinebuster, setting up a top rope elbow to the back for two. The Hurts Donuts is blocked though and Luna scores with a dropkick. Luna tries a chair but gets booted in the face. Hartwell grabs the chair and blasts Luna for the DQ at 6:05.

Rating: C. Hartwell seems to be blowing off some steam after the loss at Bound For Glory, which is fine as long as it doesn’t mean an angry version of her or whatever TNA loves to do in that situation. Hartwell has something, though I’m not sure if having her as the straightforward hero is it. Maybe find something for her, as it’s not like there are a ton of options at the top at the moment.

Eric Young says the Cleanse is coming. He has fliers.

Indi Hartwell wants Dani Luna at Turning Point, No DQ.

Here is the System for a chat. They’re happy with their win in Hardcore War at Bound For Glory, with Eddie Edwards praising Alisha. His mom, his brother and his daughter were in the building for the match and he couldn’t be prouder. Moose says Alisha is hardcore and they are a family. JDC is a bit emotional and talks about how he got married two months ago.

They’ve decided that he’s going to retire from the ring after Genesis in January. He is thankful for the 27 years he’s spent in this business. There’s going to be a void in the System but he’ll help them find a replacement. Cue the Rascalz who are here to respectfully issue a challenge for an eight man tag. They know someone who can join them, with JDC saying make the match. It seems to be on.

Mustafa Ali gives Jason Hotch a pep talk. Order 4 runs into the Hardys and suggests they want the Tag Team Titles. The Hardys are fine with that.

AJ Francis beat up a YouTuber and a match is set for Turning Point.

BDE (said YouTuber) is grateful to have this opportunity. Leon Slater comes in to give him a pep talk but Rich Swann comes in to mock Slater. The title match is set for Turning Point.

Jason Hotch vs. Cedric Alexander

Mustafa Ali is on commentary as Alexander chases Hotch out to the floor to start. Back in and a Downward Spiral gives Alexander two but Hotch tosses him outside. John Skyler gets in a cheap shot on the floor and we hit the chinlock back inside. Alexander snaps off a German suplex but the Lumbar Check is countered into a rollup for two. Hotch’s rolling…something is countered into the Lumbar Check to give Alexander the fast pin at 3:33.

Rating: C+. I could go for more of Alexander, who is one of the better hands around here. It’s nice to have someone like him around as he can be heated up rather quickly, which might be what we’re seeing again. The match didn’t have much time, but Ali getting annoyed is worth a listen.

Post match Agent Zero comes in to lay out Alexander, drawing in the Hardys for the save. Ali gets back in and is taken out as well.

We meet Mila Moore, who talks about getting into wrestling in college and then getting signed. She was emotional when she was signed, but now she’s not sure what took everyone so long.

Knockouts Title: Kelani Jordan vs. Heather By Elegance

Jordan, with the Elegance Brand, is defending. After the Big Match Intros, Jordan snaps off a dropkick and Heather is on the floor in a hurry. We take a break and come back with Jordan slugging away but Heather knocks her down again. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Jordan escapes, meaning it’s time for the slugout. Jordan puts her down but One Of A Kind misses, allowing Heather to hit a tornado DDT. Back up and Heather gets sent into M, who….I’m not sure what she did but it knocks Heather down. One Of A Kind retains the title at 9:03.

Rating: C+. Jordan gets to show off her athleticism and beats the weaker member of the team in the process. It’s still weird having her be an invading champion defending against heels, as Jordan is still new at being evil. I’m sure someone will get the big win over Jordan sooner or later, though I’m not sure just how big that’s going to be as she doesn’t feel like some horrible evil monster champion.

The IInspiration is ready for the triple threat for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles.

Tessa Blanchard and Victoria Crawford are ready for the same match.

The Angels Warriors? They are too.

Here is Elijah for a concert. He talks about attacking Nic Nemeth at Bound For Glory because he didn’t want to steal Mike Santana’s night. He’s still recovering from triceps surgery, which has messed up his guitar playing, but hopefully we can have a good time. The first song is an up tempo Amazing Grace, with the first verse being the traditional version before shifting into something about walking with Elijah.

Cue Mustafa Ali (still banged up after the Hardys attack) who says no one cares about this and issues the challenge to the Hardys for a six man at Turning Point. Elijah cuts him off and wants Ali right now, only to get hit with the microphone. Ali adds in a guitar shot and Elijah is left laying.

Turning Point rundown.

TNA World Title: Ryan Nemeth vs. Mike Santana

Santana is defending. Before the bell, Nemeth demands that the fans cheer for him and threatens to have them ejected when they don’t comply. Nemeth jumps him to start and hits a running shoulder in the corner, only to get enziguried for his efforts. The Cannonball connects…and here is Nic Nemeth to…well actually get jumped by a masked man on the way to the ring. Cue a bunch of NXT stars to jump Santana for the DQ at 1:58.

Steve Maclin and the Home Town Man run in and get beaten down as well. The Rascalz are beaten up too, with Santana’s arm being cranked and Pillmanized. NXT leaves and here’s Frankie Kazarian, Call Your Shot trophy in hand.

TNA World Title: Mike Santana vs. Frankie Kazarian

Santana is defending and charges into Fade To Black for two. The chickenwing is broken up but Santana’s arm gives out as he tries to Spin The Block. Kazarian rolls him up for the pin and the title at 55 seconds. While I’m willing to give them some time and hope that they have some kind of a hot angle out of this, using the Money In The Bank cash in on the first real night after Santana wins the title is as stereotypical of a TNA move as you can get. They better have something huge planned, because otherwise, this is another horrible move.

Kazarian celebrates while Santana is crushed to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was far from their finest hour, as it took a month to get here and it feels like every bit of the momentum from Bound For Glory is long gone. At the end of the day, this show was trying to set up a hasty Turning Point and that went well enough, but then they had the big deal at the end. I’m really not sure why Santana lost here, but I’m going to need a heck of a reason to take the title off of him after he spent months becoming the hottest thing in the company. Either way, it wasn’t a good ending and it really does not bode well for the company’s immediate future.

Results
Dani Luna b. Indi Hartwell via DQ when Hartwell used a chair
Cedric Alexander b. Jason Hotch – Lumbar Check
Kelani Jordan b. Heather By Elegance – One Of A Kind
Mike Santana b. Ryan Nemeth via DQ when NXT interfered
Frankie Kazarian b. Mike Santana – Rollup

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: November 6, 2025
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

I’m not sure what to think of this show these days, as it’s basically just an assortment of random stuff from week to week. This week is described as Open Fight Night, meaning you can get a match with anyone you want. That could mean a lot of things, but at the end of the day, we still haven’t had a new TV taping since the pay per view so this isn’t likely to be much. Let’s get to it.

Santino Marella says we’re still dealing with the effects of Bound For Glory but we’re back live next week. Tonight though is Open Fight Night so it’s time for some challenges.

Brian Myers says that he and Eddie Edwards want the Tag Team Titles back so they’re starting against the Great Hands.

Opening sequence.

Northern Armory vs. Rascalz vs. Great Hands vs. The System

One fall to a finish with Tasha Steelz and Alisha Edwards at ringside. Icarus (with his taped up shoulder) and Wentz go to the mat to start and everything breaks down with the villains being sent outside. The Rascalz kick the System to the floor and hit the required dives as we take a break.

We come back with Icarus getting caught in a Dream Sequence to give Wentz two. Williams dropkicks Wentz for two but Myers comes in to drop Williams with a clothesline. Skyler is right back up with a knockdown into a chinlock before Hotch does the same. That’s broken up as well and it’s Edwards coming in to make the comeback. Everything breaks down and the Boston Knee Party hits Skyler to give Edwards the pin at 12:52.

Rating: B-. The action was good, but there was so much going on that it’s hard to have anyone really stand out. As usual, the issue with a match like this is that it doesn’t feel like the System won but rather they stole a fall when everyone else was busy. That’s what happens when you have this many people involved in a match and there isn’t much of a way around it with just one fall.

Jody Threat wants to fight Dani Luna.

The Elegance Brand is on a search for their Mr. Elegance. Ash is here as well, making me think this was taped a long time ago.

Dani Luna vs. Jody Threat

Threat wrestles her down to start and hammers away before they’re quickly on the floor. Luna avoids a backsplash and they get back inside, with Threat’s choke being broken up without much trouble. Threat misses a charge into the ropes and gets taken down with a German suplex.

We take a break and come back with Luna elbowing her in the head but Threat manages a clothesline. Luna is sent outside for a running flip dive off the apron, followed by a crossbody back inside. Luna’s comeback is quickly cut off with a rear naked choke, sending Luna bailing over to the ropes. A clothesline to the back of the head drops Threat but she’s able to counter the Lunar Landing. Luna is able to grab a bottom rope German superplex to bring Threat back in, setting up the Lunar Landing for the pin at 14:17.

Rating: B-. They had a hard hitting fight here, which helps make up for the lack of interest in seeing these two fight anymore. Their team was only so good in the first place and it feels like they’ve been feuding for even longer than they were together. Either way, the match worked well enough and that’s good for a one off match on a special like this.

Cedric Alexander gets smart by choosing to face Mike Santana.

We’re going to get a documentary on Dana Brooke, including a look at her retirement.

Nic Nemeth and Mike Santana were in El Paso to hype up Final Resolution.

Speaking of El Paso, here’s a match from the tapings in the city earlier this year.

Colons vs. Hardys

Street fight and the Hardys Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. Jeff and Eddie start things off with Jeff working on the arm. Matt comes in to ram the bad arm into his shoulder, followed by Poetry In Motion. It’s time for a table but the Colons fight back and kick it out to the floor. The Hardys aren’t having that and beat up Orlando on the floor, followed by stereo rams into the buckles.

Matt beats on Eddie in the crowd before stereo low blows cut off the Twists Of Fate. The table is sent back inside but Jeff crotches Orlando on top. Matt hits Eddie low and there’s the Twist Of Fate. After fixing the table again, the Swanton puts Eddie through said table to give Matt the pin on Eddie at 11:21.

Rating: C+. This felt like a post show dark match to send the fans home happy with commentary added later. That’s not a bad thing to show either, as the Hardys are still one of the top acts in the company and the fans love them. It’s not a great match, but it’s a nice exclusive to add in here.

The Hardys celebrate with the fans.

We go to the May 24, 2012 Impact (Open Fight Night II).

TNA World Title: Bobby Roode vs. AJ Styles

Roode is defending and it’s a feeling out process to start with Roode getting in a cheap shot but getting caught with a quick dropkick. We’re clipped to Roode hitting a suplex and dropping a knee, followed by a chinlock. Styles fights out and hits a quick Phenomenal Forearm for a slightly delayed two.

Roode powers him into the corner but Styles is right back up with a missile dropkick. Roode’s spear gets two but the crossface doesn’t last long. Styles’ Muta Lock sends Roode over to the rope, allowing him to fisherman’s suplex Styles for two. Styles gets in a Pele kick but gets distracted by….something, allowing Roode to block the springboard 450. The fisherman’s suplex retains the title at 8:08 shown (of 21:20 overall). I won’t rate what we saw with this much missing, but what we got was the usual good stuff you would expect from these two.

We look at Kelani Jordan retaining the Knockouts Title on NXT, earning her a spot at Gold Rush in a triple threat, defending against Lei Ying Lee and Jordynne Grace.

We get a sitdown interview with Jordan, who is tired of doing things the right way and getting treated badly as a result. She’s already beaten a bunch of challengers and the results will be the same at Gold Rush. The turn has helped Jordan, but having her talk in long form stuff is not a great idea.

Ash By Elegance is in Edmonton, looking for Mr. Elegance, which appears to be involving watching pre-show tryout matches. No one impresses them.

Mike Santana vs. Cedric Alexander

Santana doesn’t have the belt here, which is explained as he’s leaving it in the back due to respect for Alexander. This is of course translated to “it was taped before he won the title”. They go into the corner to start until Alexander works on the arm. Santana reverses into some arm cranking of his own but it’s way too early to Spin The Block.

A springboard spinning crossbody sends Alexander outside, with a superkick dropping him again. Alexander is right back in with a springboard moonsault to send Santana outside for a change. We take a break and come back with Alexander grabbing a snap German suplex for two.

Santana fires off chops in the corner but charges into a Michinoku Driver for two more. Santana fights out of a chinlock and strikes away until Alexander grabs a fisherman’s buster for another near fall. The Rolling Buck Fifty fives Santana two of his own and they forearm it out from their knees. They trade rollups for two each until Spin The Block gives Santana the pin at 15:11.

Rating: B. This was how a show like this should have ended, as the World Champion gets a nice hard fought win. Santana should have a lot more going on in the near future, but at least he got in the ring for a match. Granted it would have been better if he was having a match after winning the title, but I’ll take what I can get here.

Overall Rating: B. Maybe it was just having fresh content but I’ll take this as a one off special. That being said, the best part about this show was the announcement that we’re FINALLY getting some post-Bound For Glory content next week. The fact that it’s the day before Turning Point doesn’t make things much better, but at least it’s something.

Results
The System b. Northern Armory, Rascalz and Great Hands – Boston Knee Party to Skyler
Dani Luna b. Jody Threat – Lunar Landing
Hardys b. Colons – Swanton through a table to Eddie
Mike Santana b. Cedric Alexander – Spin The Block

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

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Victory Road 2025
Date: September 26, 2025
Location: Edmonton Expo Center, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the last big stop on the way to next month’s Bound For Glory and that means this show is in a rather weird spot. I’m not sure what it is going to mean and hopefully the action is good enough to carry it over the line. The card is only so interesting looking and now we get to see how it plays out. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Zachary Wentz vs. Trey Miguel vs. Cedric Alexander

We get a VERY loud TNA chat and Miguel silences it by superkicking Wentz (ala Shawn Michaels and HHH at the 2009 Survivor Series, which commentary points out). Back in and Wentz’s superkick to Miguel is blocked but Wentz knocks him down anyway. Alexander takes over with some German suplexes and kicks Miguel in the back a few times to quite the reception.

It worked so well that Alexander German suplexes both of them at the same time before covering Miguel for a frustrated two. Back up and Wentz gives Alexander a Sling Blade, followed by Wentz and Miguel giving each other a Sling Blade at the same time. Alexander gets two off a Michinoku Driver but Miguel hits him with the Lightning Spiral into a Muta Lock. Wentz breaks it up with a Swanton though and the UFO Cutter finishes Alexander at 7:58.

Rating: B-. Let three guys go out there and fly around in a fast paced opener. That’s one of those things that will work every time and they pulled it off rather well here. I’m a bit surprised that one of the Rascalz got the pin as you would expect the singles start to win, though Alexander has mainly been around to put others over. Either way, nice start to the show here as they did what they needed to do and got out before they overstayed their welcome.

We continue the Kickoff Show with AJ Francis and the First Class Penthouse. Francis brags about being a famous star and his association with Trick Williams, who he supports because they’re both all about the money. The fans tell him to shut the f*** up but he reminds them that there are children here. Francis takes off his jacket, revealing a Florida Panthers (who beat the Edmonton Oilers in the last two Stanley Cup Finals) shirt.

Francis wants to give us a listen to his new album but gets Matt Hardy (his scheduled guest) instead. That doesn’t work for Francis because he wasn’t ready for Hardy, who says that no one wants to hear Francis. The reality is no one wants to see the Hardys and Team 3D, because it should be First Class in that match. Hardy laughs that off and brings up what the Hardys and Team 3D have done (elsewhere). Meanwhile, the only things Francis has created in wrestling are headaches and boredom. The challenge is on and Hardy is quickly chokeslammed through a table.

Here is the System, who wants to beat up Order 4 right now. Santino Marella comes out to make it so, even as the opener for the show.

And now, the show proper, with no intro video.

The System vs. Order 4

Agent Zero, in his in-ring debut, kicks Myers down to start and sends him flying off a suplex. Myers gets a boot up to stop a charge in the corner and brings in Edwards, who gets cut off just as fast. Zero takes him into the corner and hands it off to the Great Hands for the double standing in the Tree of Woe. Skyler misses a charge into the post though and JDC comes in to clean house. A Falcon Arrow gets two and Hotch is left alone for a double butterfly bomb, setting up Down And Dirty for the fast pin at 4:31.

Rating: C. Well that happened. This is the kind of thing that could have been on the pre-show but maybe they were running low on time or something. Either way, this was about Agent Zero getting to look dominant and they more than covered that, even with the System getting the fast win. Not much of a match here, but Zero got his time and that’s what matters.

Now we get the opening video, which is a pretty basic look at the show.

Here is Ash By Elegance for a chat, with Santino Marella and President Carlos Silva in the ring. Ash is clearly upset and talks about coming here a year and a half ago with a goal. She came here to prove herself but life can throw you some curveballs. That is what happened again and she is no longer able to compete. Therefore, the title is being held up but she knows the locker room will elevate it as she did.

Whether you cheered or booed her (and she knows most of them booed because she was “a stuck up b****.”), the people gave her the best moments of her life. Thank you and she’ll miss you. The title is handed over and the bosses hug her before she leaves to quite the emotional sendoff.

Santino announces that the Knockouts Tag Team Title match has been moved to this week on Impact. Instead, we will have a battle royal, with the last two facing off for the vacant title later tonight. I’m not sure what is going on with Ash, but that did not sound good in the slightest. Hopefully she can come back to the ring one day, but more than that, hopefully she’s healthy and safe.

Knockouts Battle Royal

Xia Brookside, Lei Ying Lee, Kelani Jordan, Jessie McKay, Cassie Lee, Dani Luna, M By Elegance, Heather By Elegance, Jody Threat, La Pescadita

The final two advance to a title match tonight. Luna runs mouth to start and gets beaten down, only to fight the pack off. That lets Luna go after Threat while the IInspiration poses, as they are known to do. The Personal Concierge gets in the ring and throws La Pescadita at the IInspiration, who tosses her out (commentary: “Whoever that was.”).

Threat goes after the Elegance Brand but gets clotheslined out by Luna with a hard shot. Brookside and Lee double team Luna, who throws Brookside out. Lee holds on though and a bunch of people get together to dump Luna. The IInspiration and the Elegance Brand get in a fight of their own…but Jordan and Lee dump all four of them out to win at 4:46.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t much to see, though they do deserve points for getting some sequences together in there. Luna looked like a monster and the ending was at least different. At the end of the day, this was probably thrown together on very short notice and it worked out about as well as could be expected, all things considered.

Post match a brawl is teased but Lee and Jordan show respect instead.

Indi Hartwell, guest referee in the Knockouts Title match, promises to call it right down the line before she wins the title at Bound For Glory.

Nemeths vs. Home Town Man/Matt Cardona

Ryan wants a test of strength with Cardona to start but the boot to the ribs is immediately cut off. Man comes in to kick Nic down in the corner and sends a charging Ryan outside. A jumping elbow gets two on Nic and we cut to the back where Joe Hendry has been attacked. Nic fights back with an elbow and hip swivel before handing it back to Ryan.

Since Ryan is totally inept, Man fights back without much trouble and brings Cardona back in. An Unprettier (with a Chelsea Green shoutout) gets two but Ryan manages a DDT. That doesn’t get him very far as it’s already back to Man, who is caught with a quick Hart Attack. Ryan tries a Sharpshooter…and gets small packaged for the pin at 6:27.

Rating: C+. The Home Town Man is growing on me more and more every week as he’s just goofy fun. Above all else, everyone is in on the joke and it’s working well for what it is. On the other hand you have Ryan, who is becoming one of my favorite people in TNA. He’s just so inept that seeing him getting beaten up is rather funny.

Post match the Nemeths jump Man again and steal his mask but we don’t quite see his face.

Mike Santana is in the concourse and says he’s ready for Ridge Holland tonight before he wins the title at Bound For Glory, because he’s been working to get here for seventeen years. He’s been trying to get to a concourse in Edmonton for seventeen years?

Mike Santana vs. Ridge Holland

Santana wastes no time in hitting a running dropkick into the corner to start fast. Holland is sent to the floor for the big running flip dive, followed by a whip into the steps. Back up and Holland sends him into the apron, followed by a spinning driver for two. Santana’s crossbody out of the corner gives him a breather but Holland is back with something like a northern lights bomb for two.

A quick rolling Buck Fifty is blocked so Santana settles for a Death Valley Driver. Spin The Block is blocked as well so now the rolling Buck Fifty connects. A superplex brings Holland off the top and Santana tries to go with Three Amigos, which is countered into a powerslam. Holland hammers away but walks into Spin The Block to give Santana the pin at 8:00.

Rating: C+. Santana feels destined to win the title at Bound For Glory and it’s nice to see him getting some wins like this to build him up on the way there. That’s all he needs to do, as Santana is clearly getting ready. At the same time, Holland is shut down again, which is kind of frustrating as he still feels like he has potential. Santana winning is good, but there was no one else to take this loss?

Post match Trick Williams comes in and lays Santana out with a belt shot.

Matt Hardy is banged up but cleared.

We recap Moose vs. Mustafa Ali. Their teams are set for war at Bound For Glory and this is the match for the advantage.

Moose vs. Mustafa Ali

The winner’s team gets the advantage in Hardcore War at Bound For Glory. Ali ducks a clothesline to start and bails outside, with Moose throwing him back in. This time Ali chops away, only for Moose to show him how it’s really done. A dropkick sends Ali outside but he slips out of a powerbomb. Ali’s superkick sets up a tornado DDT on the floor and they head back inside where Ali is looking rather cocky.

Moose catches him on top but the chokebomb is countered into a hurricanrana to the floor. Ali hits a big dive but Moose is right back with a clothesline inside. The powerbomb is countered into a Canadian Destroyer to give Ali two but he springboards into a chokebomb to give Moose two of his own. Moose still can’t hit the powerbomb, with Ali reversing it into a suplex this time. Instead Moose goes with the spear for two, as Ali’s foot is in the ropes.

They go outside and Moose charges into a backdrop onto the steps to put him in trouble again. Back in and Ali’s 450 connects, with Moose sitting up in quite the power display. Ali slips out and goes up but gets knocked out of the air. Moose counters a roll into the powerbomb for two as some dancers who came out with Ali get on the apron. One of them hits Moose low and now the 450 can give Ali the pin at 12:27.

Rating: B. Good back and forth fight here, with a bit of a weird inversion of the power vs. speed formula. You don’t often see the heel as the faster guy but it was working here. It’s nice as a preview for the match at Bound For Glory, with the interference giving Moose and the System even more reason to go after Order 4. Match of the night thus far.

Post match the woman who hit Moose low is indeed Tasha Steelz and since the bosses don’t watch the show, that will be fine.

We recap Joe Hendry vs. Eric Young. Hendry is popular while Young is doing his latest “I’m evil and mean and want to hurt people”, with Hendry as his target.

Joe Hendry vs. Eric Young

Before the match, Young talks about Hendry not being available to wrestle so he wins on his own. This is part of the Cleansing, but here is a charging Hendry to start fast. Hendry hammers away and throws Young over the top, followed by more right hands on the floor. Back in and Young gets in a cheap shot to take over, including a running elbow for two. The neck crank keeps Hendry in trouble and it’s off to a more standard sleeper.

Hendry fights up but gets sleepered again, this time with a bodyscissors. That’s broken up and Hendry muscles him over for a suplex, followed by the fall away slam. Young rakes the eyes to break up the Standing Ovation as we keep cutting to the one THE CLEANSING IS COMING sign in the crowd.

Young goes up and, after raking the eyes to knock Hendry down, drops the top rope elbow for two. The Death Valley Driver is broken up so Young hits the piledriver instead for two more. The referee is almost bumped, allowing Young to get in a low blow. Young tries to bring in a chair, but the Northern Armory runs in to cut if off. That lets Hendry hit the Standing Ovation onto the chair for the pin at 11:22.

Rating: C+. Hendry has fallen a good deal in the last few months, which might be due to him getting ready to move over to WWE full time. On the other hand you have Young, who is doing about the same stuff that he has done for a long time now and it’s only so interesting. At the same time, it’s nice to have Hendry get a win, though I’m almost scared of what Young is going to do to keep up with the whole Cleansing thing.

Hendry gets quite the nice ovation as he leaves.

We look back at the TNA invasion this week on NXT.

We look at AJ Francis attacking Matt Hardy on the Kickoff Show.

AJ Francis vs. Matt Hardy

Hardy is banged up but he makes a special announcement: this is a table match. Okey dokey. They go outside to start fast and Hardy sends him into the steps. Hardy is too banged up to stay at it though and Francis puts a table back before sending Hardy into the steps as well. Back in and Francis misses a backsplash, allowing Hardy to get the first table. Said table is put in the corner but Francis is right back, only to miss a charge through the table.

That doesn’t fit the “offensively drive your opponent through the table” rule though so we keep going, with Hardy wrapping a chair around Francis’ neck. Francis rams the chair into Hardy’s face to escape but takes WAY too long loading up a moonsault. Hardy chairs him down and hits a super Side Effect, meaning it’s time for another table. Back in and Francis hits a spear and grabs Hardy’s title. That’s cut off as Hardy hits a Twist Of Fate into a belt shot. Hardy’s top rope legdrop sends Francis through the table for the win at 9:42.

Rating: C. It felt like a bit of a thrown together match but Jeff Hardy can’t come to Canada in the first place so this is about as good as it was going to get. It’s also a bit of a preview for the Bound For Glory match, which will be even more tableish. The fans were into Hardy so this could have been a lot worse.

We recap the Knockouts Title situation.

Knockouts Title: Kelani Jordan vs. Lei Ying Lee

For the vacant title and Indi Hartwell is guest referee. They shake hands to start and fight over a lockup, which goes to the mat. That’s broken up so Lee grabs a headlock, which is countered with a rather snazzy armdrag. Lee knees her in the face for two before an exchange of rollups get two each.

Back up and more respect is shown as the fans are split between TNA and NXT. Lee’s spinning torture rack faceplant is broken up and Hartwell is almost decked, allowing Jordan to pull on a half crab. With that broken up, Lee snaps off a super hurricanrana to send Jordan crashing down. They slug it out with Jordan getting the better of things but Lee kicks her in the face. A basement dropkick gives Lee two, followed by a Blue Thunder Bomb for two more.

They go outside, with Jordan looking to try a hurricanrana off the apron (I think) but it’s just kind of a crash instead. Back in and Lee pulls her into an STF, with Jordan having to slip out. Jordan kicks her down and gets two off a frog splash. One Of A Kind (split legged moonsault) is loaded up but Jordan lands on Hartwell (despite not doing any actual moonsaulting). Lee’s Thunderstruck connects for a VERY delayed two and they trade some rollups for two more. Jordan is back with a splits Stunner and One Of A Kind is good for the pin and the title at 15:36.

Rating: B-. Much like the battle royal, there was only so much they could do as this had to be set up in a hurry. At the end of the day, another NXT star winning the title isn’t the most thrilling way to go, but at the same time, it feels like Hartwell is all but guaranteed to win the title at Bound For Glory anyway. I can’t imagine Jordan is anything more than a placeholder champion, which is fine enough for the given circumstances.

Post match Ash By Elegance comes out to hold up Jordan’s hand in a nice moment.

We recap Steve Maclin defending the International Title against Frankie Kazarian. Maclin has been champion for months but has been dealing with Kazarian, who decided he wanted the title and doesn’t like Maclin very much, including his military service.

International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Frankie Kazarian

Maclin is defending and they fight over an armbar to start. With that broken up, Kazarian has to escape from a quick KIA attempt. Maclin sends him into the corner for some hard shots to the back and Kazarian is sent outside, where the Scud misses. Back in and a clothesline gives Kazarian two but he charges into what looks like Rock Bottom out of the corner. Kazarian is right back with a cravate and some knees to the face.

A quick facebuster and clothesline get Maclin out of trouble, followed by a Thesz press. The Olympic Slam gives Maclin two and the Jar Headbutt gets the same. Kazarian is tied in the Tree Of Woe but sits up and cuts Maclin off with a cutter in a sweet counter. The chickenwing is blocked but Maclin gets his throat snapped across the top rope.

Maclin gets up top for a superplex into a brainbuster, only to get caught with the slingshot DDT for two. Back up and Kazarian catches him on top, where he gets shoved down. The Jar Headbutt misses again so Kazarian grabs the chickenwing, which is quickly shoved away. Kazarian crashes out to the floor, where the Scud…takes out an invading El Mesias. The distraction lets Kazarian kick the rope into a low blow and a slingshot cutter finishes Maclin at 15:35.

Rating: B. As usual, Kazarian is someone who can wrestle a good match with anyone and Maclin has been getting a lot better in recent months. The Maclin vs. Mesias stuff feels like it’s coming out of nowhere, but Kazarian getting the title is what matters the most. Kazarian has been needing to win something new and this title is about as good as he’s going to do at the moment.

Video on Bound For Glory.

Mickie James and the Beautiful People are going into the Hall Of Fame. Rather earned.

We recap Leon Slater defending the X-Division Title against Myron Reed in the main event. Slater is a fighting champion and Reed won a #1 contenders match. Not much of a story, but this is an interesting choice for a main event.

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Myron Reed

Slater is defending. We get a fairly aggressive handshake to start before Reed starts in on the arm. That’s broken up so they go to a headlock takeover, which is quickly broken up. Reed hits a quick legdrop and Slater is not thrilled with having someone land on his head. Slater is backed into the corner where Reed teases a right hand but stops. Instead Slater hits him in the face and now it’s time to get serious.

Reed is back up with a slingshot monkey flip but Slater breaks up a springboard with a dropkick to the floor. A big slingshot dive drops Reed again and Slater hammers away back inside. Slater hits a middle rope crossbody for one and isn’t happy with the kickout. Back up and a hurricanrana gives Reed two, followed by a slingshot powerbomb for the same.

Reed tries a hanging faceplant but gets reversed, only to nip into Utopia to give Slater another near fall. Slater kicks him out to the floor and hits the big running flip dive, followed by a leg lariat for two back inside. Reed is back up with a suplex over the top though and a Stundog Millionaire drops Slater on the floor. Back in and Reed hits the running diving cutter (that always looks great) to put Slater outside again. A springboard 450 gives Reed two and Slater is banged up. Another cutter lets Reed put Slater on top, where he reverses into a swinging superplex. The Swanton 450 retains the title at 13:47.

Rating: B+. This worked very well, with both guys making the most of their chance in the main event. It’s one of those matches that would have done well at any point in the show but it felt more special here. It was two young, talented wrestlers leaving it out there until one of them got caught with a huge move. Reed looked great in defeat, but Slater is being treated as something very special, as he should be.

Post match respect is shown but here is Santino Marella. He’s very pleased with the match but has a special announcement. At Bound For Glory, Slater will be defending against…Je’Von Evans from NXT. Yeah that’s a big one.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s a good show for what it was, as there was only so much you could get out of this kind of card. At the end of the day, the show felt like a big warmup before Bound For Glory and they could only get so much out of that. The Knockouts Title situation was something that couldn’t be avoided and they did as well as they could have all things considered, but the whole show didn’t feel that important. Even with some title changes, the show felt like something that had to be covered before we got to Bound For Glory, which is only so interesting.

Results
Zachary Wentz b. Cedric Alexander and Trey Miguel – UFO Cutter to Alexander
The System b. Order 4 – Down And Dirty to Hotch
Lei Ying Lee and Kelani Jordan won a battle royal, last eliminating M By Elegance, Heather By Elegance, Jessie McKay and Cassie Lee
Matt Cardona/Home Town Man b. Nemeths – Small package to Ryan
Mike Santana b. Ridge Holland – Spin The Block
Mustafa Ali b. Moose – 450
Joe Hendry b. Eric Young – Standing Ovation onto a chair
Matt Hardy b. AJ Francis – Top rope legdrop through a table
Kelani Jordan b. Lei Ying Lee – One Of A Kind
Frankie Kazarian b. Steve Maclin – Slingshot cutter
Leon Slater b. Myron Reed – 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