Impact Wrestling
Date: September 25, 2025
Location: The Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the night before Victory Road, which isn’t exactly looking like the most important show. There is only so much that can be done as we are on the way to Bound For Glory, making Victory Road little more than a glorified pit stop. Hopefully they find a way to spice it up a bit so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, looking at the System vs. Order 4.

Opening sequence.

Rascalz vs. Leon Slater/Cedric Alexander

Myron Reed is on commentary. Alexander gets taken into the corner to start and a Dream Sequence has him in more trouble. The four way brawl is on as everything breaks down, though we settle into Miguel slugging it out with Alexander. A suplex puts Miguel down and Slater comes in to start on the arm. Miguel slips out of a suplex though and it’s off to Wentz, who gets caught in the wrong corner. A high crossbody gives Slater two but Wentz knees him down to take over.

Miguel’s double stomp gets two and some rapid fire kicks set up the chinlock. Slater is back up with a running cutter and it’s back to Alexander to clean house. The Michinoku Driver gets two but everything breaks down, with Slater hitting a slingshot dive to the floor. Reed offers a distraction though and Wentz Swantons a hanging Slater for two. Alexander is back in to send Wentz outside for a heck of a suicide dive. Slater is able to hit the Swanton 450 for the pin on Miguel at 10:26.

Rating: B-. As usual, TNA knows how to open a show in the right way, as this kind of high flying, fast paced match is always going to be a fun starter. Slater is on his way to a medium title defense tomorrow night and then we get on to whatever his big story is going to be at Bound For Glory. For now, at least we got to see his awesome finisher, which works every time.

Jake Something and Frankie Kazarian are ready to face Steve Maclin and Mr. Anderson tonight. Kazarian is going to take the International Title at Bound For Glory and he mocks Anderson’s catchphrase.

We look at NXT invading NXT on Tuesday.

Earlier today, Eric Young demanded that Santino Marella put him in a match with Joe Hendry. Sure.

Victoria Crawford vs. Jody Threat

Threat grabs a headlock to start, followed by some rapid fire clotheslines in the corner. Crawford is able to send her throat first into the bottom rope and pound away at the back, only to miss a big boot. Threat’s boot sets up a release German suplex…but Tessa Blanchard is back for a distraction. Crawford scores with an ax kick for the win at 4:09.

Rating: C. The match was just a backdrop for Blanchard’s return and a distraction, which is fine as Blanchard is a big deal. Crawford’s return has been good enough and a nice little addition to the division, as she’s far from a top star but at least she’s getting to do something. I’m not sure what’s next in all of this, but I would hope Blanchard gets to do something other than face Gia Miller.

Joe Hendry is ready to face Eric Young, who was his mentor back in the day. Then things changed and now Young wants to get rid of him. Young is the one who has changed and Hendry will teach him a lesson at Victory Road.

The System is ready for the Hardcore War with Order 4 but Moose wants Mustafa Ali at Victory Road, one on one.

Battle Royal

Mara Sade, Matt Cardona, Home Town Man, Mance Warner, Xia Brookside, Lei Ying Lee, AJ Francis, Rosemary, Ryan Nemeth, Killer Kelly

The winner enters the Call Your Shot Gauntlet last and the final one eliminated enters it first. Francis runs his mouth before the bell and threatens Rosemary, who mists him. Everyone else jumps Francis and he’s out first. Nemeth goes to the floor (not out) for some choking and Sade is eliminated. Kelly is out as well and Warner chokes on the Man in the corner. Rosemary gets tossed and Warner clotheslines Lee and Brookside.

The Man loses his Twins jersey but reveals a Timberwolves jersey in a nice touch. Cardona helps him go after Warner, who sends them both to the apron, where Nemeth eliminates them both. Nemeth isn’t done as he tosses Brookside but gets low bridged by Lee. We’re down to Lee vs. Warner, with Lee busting out the martial arts. Warner sends her to the apron though and kicks her out for the win at 6:16.

Rating: C. It’s nice that they kept this quick and Warner as a threat to win the whole thing is a nice way to go. He’s the kind of villain who could do a lot of evil with the contract, though him winning is probably a long shot. This was hardly a good battle royal, but at least they kept it from taking up too much of the show for the sake of two people moving on to another battle royal.

Mickie James and the Beautiful People are going into the Hall Of Fame. Yeah that’s fair.

We get a rather jumpy video on Mike Santana’s road to Bound For Glory. He has never given up and this is everything to him. We hear from what appears to be his daughter, who wants him to win.

Here is Santino Marella to introduce the Hardys and Team 3D for the Final Negotiation. In a show of respect, Team 3D lets the Hardys go first. Matt talks about how these might be the best teams ever and we get an exchange of praises. If the Hardys want to be the best ever though, they need to beat Team 3D. We get a quick TLC flashback, with D-Von saying he and Jeff are never hanging from a ladder again “you crazy son of a b****.”

Jeff references Edge and Christian and Bully brings up the Dudley Boyz before saying the Hardys need Team 3D. That’s fine with Matt, who wants the losers to shake the winners’ hands and say they’re the best of all time. The Hardys are even willing to put up the title, with Santino Marella making it official…but Bully says no. The fans want tables so Bully talks about losing in a tables match at the 2000 Royal Rumble. That has always bothered them so we’ll do it again in a tables match. The contract is ripped up as all we need is a handshake. Well good, as that contract wouldn’t have had any of the details they just established.

Mustafa Ali, with Order 4, is tired of the System and the team is ready for both Victory Road and Bound For Glory. Ali recaps the rules of a Hardcore War and suggests that the match at Victory Road determines who has the advantage in Hardcore War. The System comes in for the staredown.

Victory Road rundown.

Frankie Kazarian/Jake Something vs. Mr. Anderson/Steve Maclin

Anderson doesn’t have a mic dropping in from the ceiling so Maclin gets a chair and lowers one to him for his introduction (I chuckled). Maclin and Kazarian start things off but Kazarian hands it off to Something instead. A shoulder and forearm to the back of the head have Maclin down and now it’s off to Kazarian, who gets to face Anderson for a nice reaction. Some forearms and a backdrop have Kazarian down so Maclin comes back in to take care of Something. The villains take a breather on the floor until Maclin pulls Kazarian back inside.

We take a break and come back with Anderson fighting his way out of trouble so Maclin can come back in. The spear misses Something in the corner though and Kazarian takes Maclin down on the floor. Back in and Something chinlocks Kazarian but he’s back up with a clothesline for the breather. Anderson comes in to clean house, including a Green Bay Plunge for two on Kazarian.

The Mic Check is blocked but Fade To Black is reversed into the Mic Check, with Something making the save. Kazarian gives Anderson a Backstabber into the Flux Capacitor for two, with the fans getting way into the kickout. Maclin is back in to clear out the villains as everything breaks down. Another Mic Check drops Something and KIA pins Kazarian at 16:41.

Rating: B-. I wasn’t expecting much here and it wound up being a pretty nice main event. The fans were into what Anderson was doing and having him back for a one off match is a fine idea. He’s a legend around here so it was a nice short term return. Kazarian feels very likely to win the title at Bound For Glory too, so at least the story is getting some attention, even with Kazarian losing here.

Overall Rating: C+. This did what it could to make Victory Road look more important, but the show is little more than a preview for Bound For Glory. The action here was ok, but it was mainly just filler as the two major shows were set up. That only makes for a somewhat interesting episode, though at least it did accomplish its main goals.

Results
Leon Slater/Cedric Alexander b. Rascalz – Swanton 450 to Miguel
Victoria Crawford b. Jody Threat – Ax kick
Mance Warner won a battle royal last eliminating Lei Ying Lee
Mr. Anderson/Steve Maclin b. Jake Something/Frankie Kazarian – KIA 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:

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 28, 2025
Location: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

The road to Bound For Glory continues but we still have a side trip at Victory Road. That show is starting to come together and now we get to see some more of the card coming together. It could take some time to get everything ready, though there have been at least a few seeds already planted. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Mike Santana/Steve Maclin vs. AJ Francis/Trick Williams

Maclin facebusters and clotheslines Williams to start before it’s off to Santana. That makes Williams think twice and everything breaks down fast. Santana hits a big flip dive to the floor and we take an early break. We come back with Maclin striking away at Francis, including an Angle Slam.

Williams offers a distraction though and Francis gets in a slam off the top to take over. Williams hammers away before Francis grabs a chinlock. Maclin is back up with a dropkick though and Santana comes in to clean house. The Death Valley Driver gets two as everything breaks down. Williams knocks Francis to the floor by mistake though and the Trick Shot is reversed into a rollup to give Santana the pin at 12:20.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match that can go a long way to setting up the title match, likely at Bound For Glory. Santana getting to save the title from the evil invader is a fine way to go, and we very well could be in for a great moment if that’s where it goes. Maclin and Francis were just kind of there, but at least they kept things moving.

Post match Williams shoves Santana, who beats him up again.

Leon Slater and Cedric Alexander are ready to go after the Tag Team Titles tonight.

We look back at Eric Young threatening Myron Reed with the cleanse.

Eric Young vs. Myron Reed

Zachary Wentz is here too. Reed knocks him down to start and grabs a slingshot Stunner to send Young outside. A suicide dive connects and Reed hammers away back inside. Young manages a Death Valley Driver but a Stundog Millionaire gets Reed out of trouble. A slam puts Reed back down but Young misses a moonsault. Reed’s slingshot legdrop knocks Young out of the ropes but he’s right back with a powerslam. Young threatens the referee so Wentz gets on the apron, which allows Young to get in a low blow. The piledriver finishes Reed at 5:56.

Rating: C+. There are not enough words to describe how little I want to see Eric Young’s latest “I’m here to fix everything about TNA and get rid of the bad people” deal. I’m not sure why that’s something they keep going back to but it seems like we’re getting it again. Heck it wouldn’t stun me if Sami Callihan is some big surprise for Young’s upcoming team.

We look at Dani Luna snapping last week.

Luna talks about being done coming in second and it’s time to be different.

Ash By Elegance is very proud of winning the Knockouts Title at NXT Heatwave and wants a massive celebration. Next week.

Fatal Influence vs. IInspiration

McKay takes Nyx down to start and the IInspiration score with stereo kicks. It’s already off to Henley for a knee to Lee and a double flapjack gets two. Lee gets out of a Muta Lock and it’s back to McKay as everything breaks down in a hurry. Henley is tossed outside and the Idolizer finishes for McKay at 6:23.

Rating: C. Fatal Influence has gotten something out of these matches as it’s smart to have the NXT stars getting more reps in different places. It wouldn’t stun me to see them getting a quick run with the Knockouts Tag Team Titles, as they fit the requirements well enough. On the other hand you have the IInspiration, who have just been kind of there since returning, though they’re still decent enough in their roles.

Trick Williams calls in help to deal with Mike Santana.

Here is Ryan Nemeth to say that his BIG BROTHER will be back next week. Alisha Edwards and Eddie Edwards interrupt, with Alisha saying Eddie is here to shut him up.

Eddie Edwards vs. Ryan Nemeth

Edwards punches away in the corner to start and an overhead belly to belly sends Nemeth outside. Alisha gets in a slap of her own but Nemeth manages to hammer away on the way back inside. Nemeth takes him down and drops some elbows but Edwards is back up. A missed charge hits the post though and Nemeth grabs a chinlock. That’s broken up but the Backpack Stunner is blocked. Edwards settles for a tiger bomb and the Boston Knee Party finishes at 5:40.

Rating: C. I can go for Nemeth as an annoying putz who loses in spots like this and keeps running his mouth because he thinks his brother can get him out of trouble. He’s also good for someone like Edwards to beat, as Edwards is well suited for what he’s doing. He and Alisha work well together on screen too, which shouldn’t be the biggest shock.

Indi Hartwell is upset at last week’s attack at the hands of Dani Luna. Santino Marella pops in to say that due to the attack, Hartwell is getting a #1 contenders match with Jody Threat next week but Luna comes in to say she should be in for that as well. Works for Hartwell, and the match seems to be set.

We get some stills of Joe Hendry beating the Miz at WWE’s European house show.

Eric Young says the cleanse is coming…and has attacked Joe Hendry. Oh sweet goodness just get on to his lame World Title feud (if Santana wins, Young is going to get a pay per view title shot) so we can move on to anything else on the show.

Mara Sade vs. Tasha Steelz

Order 4 is here with Steelz. Sade grabs a fireman’s carry and drops her to start but Order 4 grabs Sade’s foot for a distraction. Steelz gets in a choke and then a reverse chinlock, which is broken up rather quickly. A middle rope dropkick puts Steelz down but Order 4 offers another distraction, allowing Steelz to hit a middle rope Russian legsweep. Sade shrugs that off and hits Finish Her (or tries to at least as it didn’t look great), only to go after Order 4. Rather than covering, Sade goes after Order 4, which lets Steelz hit a cutter for the pin at 5:48.

Rating: D. To say this was rough would be an understatement, as I’m not sure what they were trying near the end but it really didn’t work. It doesn’t help that they had Order 4 getting involved three times in a match that didn’t even last six minutes. Really weak stuff here, which is surprising as both have done far better before.

Post match Order 4 goes after Sade, with Agent Zero blasting her with a clothesline. The Hardys run in for the save.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Cedric Alexander/Leon Slater

The Hardys are defending. Jeff forearms Alexander to start but gets taken into the corner for the tag to Slater. We get a quick show of respect before Slater kicks Jeff in the face. It’s off to Matt for the double elbow and we take an early break. We come back with Jeff jawbreaking Slater and bringing Matt in to slug away on Alexander. Matt sends Alexander into the buckle and then does the same to Slater.

The Plot Twist into a splash gets two on Alexander with Slater making the save. The Swanton 450 misses so the Hardys try a Plot Twist on Slater, who reverses into a cutter on Matt. Slater leg lariats Jeff but the Swanton 450 misses. A Downward Spiral hits Jeff but Matt is back in with the Twist of Fate, setting up the Swanton to retain at 10:36.

Rating: B-. Good enough main event here, even if it was the champions defending against a team without much history working together. The Hardys are gearing up for the match against Team 3D, though there is no guarantee that will be for the titles. For now though, it’s nice to see the Hardys getting another win, as they’re still more than good enough to hang in the ring.

Here is Trick Williams, with his lawyer, to discuss being attacked by Mike Santana. Williams calls this a crime scene and he isn’t defending his title for 50 days. Cue Santino Marella to say Williams will defend his title at Bound For Glory. The lawyer tries to yell at Marella and gets Cobraed to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t their strongest show, but it did have some good parts. They’re clearly setting the stage for Bound For Glory, though we’re going to have to get through some other parts on the way there. Now just get the rest of that stuff ready and the show should work out well. I mean, assuming you launch this Eric Young stuff into the sun once and for all.

Results
Mike Santana/Steve Maclin b. AJ Francis/Trick Williams – Rollup to Williams
Eric Young b. Myron Reed – Piledriver
IInspiration b. Fatal Influence – Idolizer to Henley
Eddie Edwards b. Ryan Nemeth – Boston Knee Party
Tasha Steelz b. Mara Sade – Cutter
Hardys b. Cedric Alexander/Leon Slater – Swanton to Alexander

 

 

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 21, 2025
Location: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Emergence and the big story coming out of the show is Trick Williams defeating Moose to retain the World Title. That means NXT is still in control of two major TNA titles as we get closer to Bound For Glory. That show is going to start getting set up sooner than later so let’s get to it.

Here is Emergence if you need a recap.

We open with a long Emergence recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. Williams brags about his success and says he is carrying two brands at the same time…and Mike Santana interrupts. Santana asks how many people are tired of hearing Williams run his mouth. He gives Williams credit for his success, but promises to spin the block and win the World Title.

Williams turns down the challenge (assuming there was one) but here is Santino Marella to make the match…but Williams apparently has a contract saying he doesn’t have to defend the title for fifty days. Williams insults Santana’s family so Santana chases him off. Simple way to stretch things out to Bound For Glory.

Mustafa Ali, with Order 4, is tired of being pushed around by the System so it’s time to fight back.

Post break, Trick Williams is in the back with AJ Francis. Santino Marella comes in and says that Williams might not have to defend the title, but he can be in a tag match against Mike Santana and a surprise partner.

We look at Je’Von Evans beating Trick Williams on NXT, plus Fatal Influence beating the Elegance Brand.

Knockouts Gauntlet Match

For a future Knockouts Title shot. Xia Brookside is in at #1 and Killer Kelly is in at #2. They crawl around at each other to play the mind games and Brookside grabs a headlock. That’s broken up so Kelly gets a headscissors, which earns her a kick out of the corner. An elbow to the back gets two on Kelly but she’s back with knees to the neck. A running forearm to the neck sets up a chinlock but Brookside Stunners her way to freedom. Brookside can’t get a super sunset flip so she settles for the Brooksie Bomb for the pin 5:52.

Dani Luna is in at #3 and, after a break, Brookside starts working on the arm. That’s broken up and Luna gets two off a northern lights suplex. The sliding clothesline takes Brookside down again but she sends Luna into the corner. The Broken Wings misses though and Luna kicks her down, setting up the Lunar Landing for the pin at 11:38.

Rosemary is in at #4 and, again after a break, she knocks Luna outside. Back in and Rosemary bites the fingers, followed by a sliding forearm for two. Luna knocks her down again though and hits a quick Lunar Landing for the pin at 15:02. Indi Hartwell is in at #5 and after the customary break, she strikes away and grabs an armbar.

Hartwell cranks on the arms and they trade rollups until Hartwell gets the pin at 19:03. Luna wrecks Hartwell after the fall though and leaves her laying, so here is Jody Threat in at #6 to break it up. Threat calms Luna down…and gets decked for the DQ to give Threat the title shot at 22:55.

Rating: C+. The Knockouts division is in a weird place at the moment as it doesn’t really feel like there is any fire to the whole thing. Indi Hartwell is ok enough, but the former Spitfire members fighting each other isn’t much of a top story. I’m guessing someone gets to step up at Bound For Glory and take the title back from Jacy Jayne’s evil NXT clutches, but who is the big hero? Slamovich?

Post match Luna destroys Hartwell with a chair until security breaks it up.

The IInspiration want the Knockouts Tag Team Titles. Fatal Influence come in to mock them and declare themselves the better team, leading to bickering.

Jody Threat says she doesn’t want the title shot this way but Dani Luna comes in and they argue as well.

Here is Ryan Nemeth to say his BIG BROTHER will be back in two weeks.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Jake Something

Something starts fast and backdrops him down, followed by a knock out to the floor. Kazarian gets dropped onto the apron and a powerslam gives Something two back inside. A clothesline gets Kazarian out of trouble and the springboard spinning legdrop gets two. Back up and Something plants him down for two and a sitout powerbomb connects for the same. Kazarian seems to have managed to get the turnbuckle pad off and Something misses a charge into the exposed buckle, setting up the Fade To Black for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C+. It’s pretty clear that Kazarian is coming for (and likely winning) the International Title so putting him over the previous #1 contender is a fine way of getting him closer. Kazarian really needs to win something as he has mainly been living off of that one battle royal win last year and that title shot has already gone. Giving him something else, like the International Title, would fix the problem.

Mara Sade is painting when the Hardys come in. She says they inspired her to paint at Slammiversary and of course Jeff Hardy is interested so they’re off to see some art.

Cedric Alexander sits down next to Leon Slater and admits Slater was the better man at Emergence. For now though, he’s gotten the two of them a tag match next week against the Hardys.

Steve Maclin will be Mike Santana’s partner. Works for Santino Marella.

Here is Jacy Jayne for a chat. She brags about her success and doesn’t think anyone can come close to her level. This is her company and she’s walking out of NXT Heatwave with both belts. Cue Ash By Elegance to interrupt and she is LIVID, ranting about how Sunday should be about the two of them, not Masha “Slamab****.”. Cue Slamovich, who calls them Brittney Spears and Evil Katy Perry, so she’s winning the title on Sunday. And that’s that.

Order 4 mocks Mara Sade’s painting when the Hardys and Sade come in. The villains say it’s hideous but Sade says she’s going to get a match with Tasha Steelz. Matt Hardy calls Steelz something censored and Order 4 leaves, with Jeff revealing that it’s a paining of the Hardys logo. The Knockouts division needs some fresh blood so why not give Sade something to do?

Eric Young comes up to Myron Reed and tells him to pick a side, because he’ll be gone when Trey Miguel is back. Zachary Wentz comes in and apparently will face Young soon. Young says a cleanse is coming. Sweet goodness can we cleanse this place from Young and his big ideas?

Matt Cardona/The System vs. Order 4

Myers and Skyler lock up to start with Myers stomping away in the corner. Cardona comes in with a Russian legsweep before it’s right back to Myers, who is driven into the corner. Everything breaks down and Moose powerbombs Hotch onto the other villains on the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Cardona fighting out of trouble to hand it back to Moose for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and the middle rope chokebomb gets two on Ali. Cardona adds a top rope elbow but the Great Hands make the save. Ali is back up with the dives but gets dropped by Moose. A triple superkick cuts Moose off and he gets sent into the steps. Cue Tasha Steelz to go after Alisha Edwards, which draws out Eddie Edwards, but Agent Zero cuts him off. Back in and a low blow cuts Myers off, setting up the Favor for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: B-. I like the idea of Order 4 getting the big push as the top heel stable, as the System’s face turn is going well enough. They need competition though and Order 4 is about as good as it gets. The villains playing the numbers advantage makes good sense and we could be in for a heck of a hoss fight when Moose faces Agent Zero.

Post match the big beatdown is on with Ali loading up a chair but JDC runs in with a chair of his own for the save. Agent Zero lays JDC out though and Moose is held back to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The problem here is we have a long way to go before Bound For Glory but the build to the show is already on. You can see where a lot of this is going (and that’s fine) but it’s going to be a long road to the show. This show was something like looking at the picture on a puzzle box, as you know what the end goal is going to be, but the building process is just getting started.

Results
Jody Threat won a Knockouts Gauntlet match last eliminating Indi Hartwell
Frankie Kazarian b. Jake Something – Fade To Black
Order 4 b. Matt Cardona/The System – Favor to Myers

 

 

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

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Emergence 2025
Date: August 15, 2025
Location: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s another big show and in this case we’ve got someone else trying to bring the World Title back to the company. The main event is Trick Williams defending the World Title against Moose, which should make for a good power match. Other than that, we have the Tag Team Titles on the line as the Hardys defend against the Rascalz. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Indi Hartwell vs. Rosemary

And we’re not in a good place to start as we get a graphic saying “lost signal”. We do see the opening bell and Hartwell hammers away, only to get bitten in the head. The feed keeps glitching and we come back to see Rosemary holding the Upside Down. Rosemary crushes her in the corner and we’re lost signaled again until Rosemary can hit a DDT. Hartwell makes the comeback but the signal goes away again, coming back Hartwell dropping a top rope elbow. Rosemary fights up and tries the mist but cue Dani Luna to cut it off. The Hurts Donut gives Hartwell the pin at 5:34.

Rating: C. The signal issues messed with the match a bit but there is only so much that can be done about that. Hartwell beating Rosemary is another big step for her and it would not surprise me to see Hartwell getting a title shot either at Victory Road or even Bound For Glory. I’m not sure where this leaves Rosemary, but the fact that she returned and then lost so soon is really not a good sign.

Kickoff Show: Home Town Man vs. Ryan Nemeth

Before the match, Nemeth insults the city so Man comes out with some local radio hosts. He’s ready to fight like his childhood hero, Cal Ripken Jr., and hammers away to start, including some running knees in the corner. Nemeth is back with a dropkick though and we get in the hip swiveling. The feed keeps cutting up as Nemeth pulls him out of the corner and grabs a chinlock. Man fight sup with a swinging slam and the airplane spin into a TKO gets two. Nemeth’s DDT (ala Nic) gets two but he pulls Man out of the corner and gets rolled up for the pin at 5:48.

Rating: C. This was exactly what you would have expected it to be, as Nemeth isn’t going to win anything important on his own and the Home Town Man is as easy of a reaction as you’re going to get. It’s a case of “don’t overthink things” and they did it as well as could be expected. Nice enough addition here, as Nemeth losing is always worth a look.

And now, the show proper.

The opening video is a basic look at the show’s bigger matches. Not exactly riveting stuff there but it doesn’t need to be.

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Cedric Alexander

Slater is defending. Some grappling goes nowhere so Slater goes after the leg, sending Alexander straight to the rope. Slater kicks him in the face and they head out to the apron, where Alexander snaps off an STO to take over. Slater gets dropped on the apron and a Michinoku Driver gives Alexander two. Alexander kicks him down for two more and a German suplex cuts off Slater’s comeback attempt.

A hard whip into the corner gets two and Alexander is looking frustrated. Some right hands in the corner start to fire Slater up and he comes out with a clothesline. Slater starts going after the leg again and a high crossbody gets two. Alexander is right back with a kick to the head and brainbuster.

They go up top and Alexander’s superplex is reversed into a swinging superplex. Alexander raises the knees to block the Swanton 450 though and they trade rollups for two each. Slater sends him outside for the big flip dive over the corner but Alexander is right back with a Spanish Fly. Alexander tries a rollup but gets reversed into a Styles Clash (nice touch from Slammiversary). The Swanton 450 retains the title at 14:29.

Rating: B. Yeah of course this was good, as Alexander is a more than competent hand and Slater has figured out a style that works for him. That dive over the corner and the Swanton 450 always look great and it was made even better by having him out there against a seasoned veteran. TNA might have something special with Slater and they seem to know it, which is a great sign. Also, the feed issues seem to have been solved so that’s a nice bonus.

Respect is shown post match.

We run down the rest of the card.

Trick Williams and First Class are ready to win their matches tonight.

Matt Cardona vs. Mustafa Ali

Order 4 is here with Ali. Feeling out process to start with neither getting very far. Cardona’s clothesline into a flapjack drops Ali but he slips out of a suplex attempt. Instead Cardona sends him outside and takes out Order 4 before posting Ali. Back in and the middle rope dropkick connects but Tasha Steelz offers a distraction, allowing Ali to grab a hanging DDT to the floor.

The chinlock goes on back inside until Cardona suplexes his way to freedom. Ali hits his rolling neckbreaker for two but Cardona hits a faceplant. A DDT gives Cardona two but Radio Silence is countered into a sitout powerbomb for two. Cardona fights up again and drops Ali, which draws in Order 4. They’re cut off as well but Ali hits a Helluva Kick into a 450 but Cardona reverses into a crucifix for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure about this one, as Ali had all of his help and still got pinned clean. Yeah Cardona is a big name, but that doesn’t mean he should be beating someone at Ali’s level under these circumstances. I keep waiting for Ali to break through to the next stage but with results like this, it might be a bit before it happens.

Post match Agent 0 comes in to lay Cardona out but the System makes the save.

First Class vs. The System

Myers elbows Swann down to start and works on the arm. A dropkick puts Swann down and Edwards comes in for the chops in the corner. Swann is tossed over the top but gets caught by Francis. Myers has to go outside and save Alisha Edwards, allowing Swann to post him. Back in and Francis’ big boot gets two and Swann’s moonsault gets the same.

Myers manages to knock Francis down though and Edwards comes in to…actually get splashed in the corner almost immediately. Edwards comes out with a Blue Thunder Bomb to Swann but Francis cuts him off with a headbutt. Edwards manages a quick suplex though and the System Overload is loaded up. Hold on though as cue Order 4 for the brawl, with Edwards hitting a suicide dive. Agent 0 chokebombs him onto the apron though and Francis’ chokeslam is good for the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C+. See, this is more what I was expecting from Cardona vs. Ali. The villains won here because they played the numbers game, with the System not being able to overcome it. Either way, I could go for the System vs. Order 4, though it would be nice if either side was winning a bit more to set that up.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Mike Santana. Callihan has been falling apart as of late and isn’t sure if he has it anymore. Santana, who gets along with Callihan, wants the old version of him back for their match.

Mike Santana vs. Sami Callihan

If Callihan loses, he’s retiring and Joe Hendry comes out for commentary as a bonus. Callihan says he’s done if he loses, but what if we make it a street fight? Santana is in and we’re ready to go. They both try their finishers to start but settle for a double clothesline. Callihan Stunners him to the floor and follows, with Santana popping back up for an Asai moonsault.

A backdrop on the ramp cuts Santana off and it’s time for the weapons to be brought in. This includes a poster to cut Santana’s finger and mouth but Santana is fine enough to dropkick him out of the air. Callihan is back up with a staple gun to the chest and a Cactus Driver 97 gets two. Another one gets the same but Santana sends him into a chair in the corner. The Cannonball connects to give Santana two and the rolling Buck Fifty gets one. Spin The Block gives Santana the pin at 11:15 (with Callihan seemingly screwing up the kickout).

Rating: C. The street fight aspect only added so much here as Callihan’s career seems to come to an end. At the end of the day, that only means so much around here as Callihan hasn’t meant much in a good while. Having Santana be the one to retire him is enough of a boost for Santana, but the match wasn’t exactly worth seeing.

Post match Callihan leaves his boots in the ring and walks off. He heads to the back for some applause but Eric Young yells at him. Joe Hendry gets in his face and tensions are high.

We look at Home Town Man beating Ryan Nemeth on the Kickoff Show.

Ryan says HIS BIG BROTHER is coming back and they’ll get their rematch for the Tag Team Titles.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Elegance Brand vs. Fatal Influence vs. Xia Brookside/Lei Ying Lee vs. IInspiration

The Brand is defending but before the match, Lee is presented with a new contract. There are all kinds of people at ringside too so this has quite the mess potential. McKay and Henley start things off but M tags herself in, only to get double teamed by the IInspiration. Nyx and Heather come in, with Heather getting caught in a double flapjack as the rapid tags continue. The IInspiration beat up Henley but McKay gets put in a bow and arrow for a top rope double stomp from Heather.

Brookside and Lee come in to beat up M until the Brand double teams her instead (this is as all over the place as it sounds as people are switching places every few moments). Nyx gets caught in Lee’s spinning faceplant and the seconds get in a big brawl in the ring. That’s good for a mass ejection before Brookside and Lee hit dives to the floor. The Tower Of Doom is broken up so it’s a superplex to leave everyone down. A string of knockdowns sets up a belt shot to McKay so M can retain the titles at 11:25.

Rating: B-. This was getting good at the end but there were so many people doing so many things at once that it was more of a big mess for the most part. The champs retaining is fine, even if it means them going over almost the entire division at once. I’m not sure who is going to take the titles from them, but it isn’t like there is a ton of competition in the first place.

We look at Indi Hartwell beating Rosemary on the Kickoff Show.

Hartwell wants the Knockouts Title and thanks Dani Luna for helping her, but she has this.

We recap Jake Something challenging Steve Maclin for the International Title. They’ve been brawling so it’s time for (basically) a street fight.

International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Jake Something

Something is challenging, there are no countouts or disqualifications, and Frankie Kazarian is on commentary. Maclin has his special face paint on so he…grabs a headlock to start. They go outside in a hurry to slug it out, with Maclin sending him into the steps. Back in and Maclin hits a running knee into Jar headbutt for two. A double clothesline leaves both of them down and they slug it out.

Something gets clever by stepping on Maclin’s foot so he can’t move and then hitting him in the face. An Angle Slam knocks Something outside but he knocks the Scud out of the air. Into The Void connects on the floor and Something powerbombs him onto the steps. They go up the aisle and Maclin sends him off the stage for a big dive. Back in and Maclin ties him in the Tree Of Woe but Something manages to choke him while upside down. That’s clever but broken up rather quickly, with Maclin hitting the three shoulders. KIA retains the title at 12:22.

Rating: B. This was the match I was looking forward to the most on the card and they didn’t quite get over the hump from good to something even better. It was a hard hitting fight and Maclin got something of the win, though Something losing yet another high profile match isn’t a good sign. Either way, Maclin vs. Kazarian seems likely, probably with Kazarian taking the title at Bound For Glory.

Post match Maclin praises Something but gets in an argument with Kazarian, telling him “any time”.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Rascalz

The Hardys are defending. Matt and Wentz fight over wrist control to start with Matt running him over with a shoulder. Some dropkicks put Matt down though and it’s off to Jeff vs. Reed. Another dropkick connects with Jeff so Matt makes a blind tag, giving us a four way standoff. We settle down to Matt doing his ten rams into the turnbuckles but Wentz kicks the Hardys into each other. It’s back to Reed for a kick to the head and a slingshot Fameasser for two on Matt, followed by the chinlock.

Matt isn’t having that and comes up with a Side Effect, allowing Jeff to come back in. Jeff’s top rope superplex hits Reed but Wentz drops a frog splash, only for Matt to hit a top rope elbow and leave everyone down. The Hardys are back up but Poetry In Motion is cut off. A slingshot Codebreaker/top rope double stomp to the back combination gets two on Jeff, who blocks the diving cutter to the floor. The Twist Of Fate on the floor drops Reed and the Swanton retains the titles at 11:54.

Rating: B-. I actually wasn’t sure how this was going to go as the Hardys have the Dudleys waiting on them at Bound For Glory. That doesn’t necessarily have to be for the titles so the belts felt like they were in jeopardy here. The match itself worked as the Hardys were playing the veteran roles here and didn’t try to keep up with the much faster, younger team. That’s all they can do these days as it’s more about being cunning and smart, which can still make for some fine matches.

It’s time for First Class Penthouse. They both put over Maryland (Swann’s hometown and where Francis went to college) but their real success was when they left. Cue the Baltimore Ravens mascot but the System comes out to back him up. Alisha Edwards does her catchphrase until Francis cuts her off. That’s good for a slap and Francis ends the show.

We recap Moose challenging Trick Williams for the World Title. Williams is the invader and Moose is trying to bring it back. Simple, but logical.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. Trick Williams

Williams is defending and seems to have some Harlem Heath inspired gear while Moose is the hometown star. They shove each other around to start and Moose isn’t having any of Williams’ chops. The fight heads outside, where Williams reverses a powerbomb into a hurricanrana. Williams sends him into the steps and chops away in front of Moose’s family.

Back in and Moose hits a quick crossbody, only to be sent crashing into the corner. The front facelock keeps Moose down but he’s back up with some hard chops. Williams mocks Moose’s fist pump deal and gets planted with a release Rock Bottom. The backsplash and pop up powerbomb give Moose two each but Williams is back with an AA for two of his own.

Moose catches him on top with a superplex but Williams pops up with a regular suplex. The spear connects, with Williams wisely heading outside. Moose loads up another spear, which is countered with a backdrop through the announcers’ table. Back in and the referee gets bumped so another spear gives Moose no count. Williams is back up with a Trick Shot for two so he hits two more for the retaining pin at 16:48.

Rating: B-. This was running uphill as there was a grand total of no reason to believe that Moose was taking the title. Williams is all but destined to lose the title at the biggest show of the year to give TNA their big win in the battle with NXT so Moose was just the next victim here. They had a nice power match and didn’t go too long, but yeah this was never in doubt.

President Carlos Silva has to present Williams the title. Some Hollywood Hogan guitaring takes us out.

Overall Rating: B. For a show with very little in the way of drama or wondering who was going to win most of the bigger matches, I had a nice time with this one. It’s a show where very little of note happened, but it clears some of the way before we get to Bound For Glory (with only Victory Road in the way). Good show here, and now we get to move on to the really big stuff.

Results
Indi Hartwell b. Rosemary – Hurts Donut
Home Town Man b. Ryan Nemeth – Rollup
Leon Slater b. Cedric Alexander – Swanton 450
Matt Cardona b. Mustafa Ali – Crucifix
First Class b. The System – Chokeslam to Edwards
Mike Santana b. Sami Callihan – Spin The Block
Elegance Brand b. Fatal Influence, IInspiration and Lei Ying Lee/Xia Brookside – Belt shot to McKay
Steve Maclin b. Jake Something – KIA
Hardys b. Rascalz – Swanton to Reed
Trick Williams b. Moose – Trick Shot

 

 

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 14, 2025
Location: Thomas M. Ryan Center, Kingston, Rhode Island
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the night before Emergence so this week is likely going to be about setting things up for the pay per view. The big story coming out of this week’s NXT saw Trick Williams turn his back on his partners, including #1 contender Moose, allowing Darkstate to win an eight man tag. That is likely going to require some revenge so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Moose has been attacked in the back and the System hits the ring. They call out Trick Williams and First Class so it’s six man tag time.

First Class/Trick Williams vs. The System

The brawl is on in the aisle with the System getting the better of things. We settle down to Edwards crushing Swann in the corner and handing it off to JDC. Swann gets taken down but he kicks JDC out to the floor to take over for the first time. Francis’ chinlock doesn’t last long so it’s Williams coming in for a flapjack. Another chinlock goes on, followed by a bearhug from Francis. JDC suplexes his way out of trouble though and it’s off to Myers for an implant DDT to Swann. Everything breaks down and Swann gets a rollup with feet on the ropes to pin Myers at 6:12.

Rating: C+. That’s what this needed to be, with the System still finding their footing as good guys and Swann getting to steal a win to reestablish himself. Swann is a former World Champion but he’s been gone for so long that some people might have forgotten that he can hang at this level. Myers and JDC exist to lose for the System so this was hardly some big upset either.

We run down the rest of the card.

Myla Grace/Harley Hudson vs. Dani Luna/Indi Hartwell

Hudson can’t take Luna over with a headlock to start but Luna can easily power her down. A choke doesn’t work for Hudson either so she sends Luna into the corner for some running knees to the face. Luna powers them away again though and it’s off to Hartwell to clean house. The Hurts Donut finishes Grace at 3:40.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one, though Grace and Hudson are at least getting a chance to establish themselves as something. They still have a long way to go, but they have a bit of an identity as the rookies. Eventually they’ll need to win something, but we’re a long way off before they’re anything close to a failure.

Respect is shown post match but Rosemary pops out of the crowd to mist Hartwell.

We look at Order 4 costing Joe Hendry a match against Mustafa Ali last week.

John Skyler vs. Matt Cardona

Order 4 is here with Skyler. Cardona takes him into the corner to start but a distraction from the floor lets Skyler drop Cardona outside. Back in and the chinlock doesn’t last long but Tasha Steelz blocks the Reboot. Instead Cardona hits Radio Silence for the win at 2:19.

Post match Order 4 jumps Cardona and Mustafa Ali comes out to send Agent Zero out for the big beatdown.

Jody Threat and Dani Luna check on Indi Hartwell but get in an argument.

Matt Cardona is looking for Mustafa Ali and seems ready to face him at Emergence.

We look at a three way being set up for the Knockouts Title, with Jacy Jayne defending against Masha Slamovich and Ash By Elegance.

Here is Santino Marella for a Knockouts tag team summit. This brings out the Elegance Brand, Lei Ying Lee/Xia Brookside, IInspiration and Fatal Influence, with the Brand bragging about their abilities. Brookside promises a beating for everyone and Fatal Influence promises to show NXT’s superiority. Tension is teased and the brawl breaks out in a hurry, with dives taking out security. Pretty basic stuff here.

Rosemary isn’t happy with Indi Hartwell strolling in here so she made Hartwell as blind as Hartwell seems to be.

Steph de Lander and Mance Warner are annoyed at being suspended for having some personal time in Santino Marella’s locker room last week. Nothing is keeping him out of TNA.

Eric Young vs. Mike Santana

The Northern Armory is here with Young. Santana gets jumped from behind to start and gets sent outside. The Armory gets in some cheap shots so Young can hammer away in the corner, followed by a hard whip for two. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Santana fights back and hits an enziguri, followed by the rolling Buck Fifty for two of his own. Young shoves him off the top though and hits a top rope elbow for two. Young misses a clothesline off the top though and Spin The Block finishes for Santana at 5:31.

Rating: B-. Short and to the point match here, which is the best way to go as Santana can get a win over a name. They didn’t need to let this go long as Santana got everything he needed out of it by overcoming the odds to win. Now just get Santana where he belongs on the pay back to the World Title.

Post match the Armory jumps Santana but Sami Callihan makes the save.

We look at the TNA action on NXT, including Joe Hendry getting a win and Trick Williams costing his partners the eight man tag against Darkstate.

Here is Frankie Kazarian for the King’s Speech. Kazarian brings out Jake Something and Steve Maclin (facing each other at Emergence) as his guests and this isn’t likely to go well. They go face to face but Kazarian keeps telling them to keep from fighting, which has Maclin telling him to shut up. Maclin goes after Kazarian but walks into Into The Void. I’m not sure if he will, but I could go for Something winning the title.

Emergence rundown.

Sami Callihan says he’s done if he doesn’t win at Emergence. Eddie Edwards comes in to say he wants the real Callihan to come out one more time.

Rascalz/Cedric Alexander vs. Leon Slater/Hardys

Alexander wrestles Slater down to start before Reed comes in for a Fameasser in the ropes. Slater kicks him in the head though and brings Matt in to take over on Reed’s arm. Jeff gets in a few shots of his own, allowing Slater to hit a clothesline for two. The ten rams into the corner have Reed in more trouble but he gets over to Wentz. Slater gets taken down again, with Wentz firing off some elbows to the chest for two. Jeff comes in for a quick Poetry In Motion and grabs a chinlock on Wentz as we take a break.

We come back with Matt getting taken into the corner so Wentz can grab a front facelock. That’s switched into a regular chinlock but Matt fights out without much trouble. A superplex drops Wentz and Jeff comes back in to take over on Alexander. Whisper In The Wind (though not a clean one) gets two and it’s Slater coming back in to plant Reed. We hit the parade of knockdowns and the good guys grab a string of Twist of Fates (or Twisting Stunner from Jeff because he’s weird).

It’s too early for the Swanton so instead Alexander gets splashed by Jeff. Slater’s crossover splash gets two with the Rascalz making the save. The Rascalz hit dives on the floor and Salter nails a big dive over the corner. Back in and Alexander avoids the Swanton 450 and grabs the Lumbar Check for the pin at 17:28.

Rating: B. I can always go for the “take two matches and put them into a six man” style and they did well with it here. Alexander is a good first challenger for Slater as he’s going to be completely fine in the ring and help make Slater look good. At the same time, the Hardys are getting ready for their big match against Team 3D, meaning the titles might actually be in jeopardy as they have bigger things going on.

The double staredown ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. While Emergence only feels so important between Slammiversary and Bound For Glory, this show did a good job of building it up. Oddly save for the World Title match, which was mainly touched on earlier in the week on NXT, the card got a solid boost here. Emergence could be a good show, and this week had a lot to do with making that work.

Results
First Class/Trick Williams b. The System – Rollup with feet on the ropes to Myers
Dani Luna/Indi Hartwell b. Myla Grace/Harley Hudson – Hurts Donut to Grace
Matt Cardona b. John Skyler – Radio Silence
Mike Santana b. Eric Young – Spin The Block
Cedric Alexander/Rascalz b. Hardys/Leon Slater – Lumbar Check to Slater

 

 

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 31, 2025
Location: Thomas M. Ryan Center, Kingston, Rhode Island
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re continuing to see the rise of Mike Santana, who beat Joe Hendry last week in probably the biggest win of his career. Other than that, we’re getting ready for Emergence, which is one of the last stops on the way to Bound For Glory. The shows are going to need some work and we might find out some of those developments this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Jason Hotch vs. Leon Slater

Slater is defending and Hotch has Order 4 with him. Alexander wrestles them both down at the same time (that’s impressive) but Slater kicks him in the head. Back up and Alexander drops both of them, including a running kick to Hotch’s head. A Falcon Arrow gets two on Slater but Hotch German suplexes both of them. Hotch drops both of them with a middle rope moonsault to the floor, only for Slater to come back with a hanging Twist Of Fate. The Swanton 450 finishes Hotch at 4:05.

Rating: C+. Good, fast paced opener here with Slater getting to show what he can do in a more traditional X-Division match. Slater got his big moment and Slammiversary and it’s probably going to be a big before he had a next major challenger. This was a nice filler on the way to whatever that happens to be.

Post match Alexander and Slater have a staredown.

Masha Slamovich is ready to get the Knockouts Title back.

Cedric Alexander comes up to Leon Slater and a singles match is teased.

Indi Hartwell/Dani Luna vs. Arianna Grace/Jody Threat

Grace and Luna start things off with Grace spinning around and posing. That means a headlock takeover from Luna as Victoria Crawford, who apparently put the match together, comes out to watch. Grace fights up and brings Luna into the corner for the tag to Threat. A running crossbody puts Luna down and she misses a charge out to the floor. Back in and Grace stomps Luna down but the tag brings in Hartwell to stomp away. It’s quickly back to Threat, who walks into the Lunar Landing to give Luna the pin at 6:24.

Rating: C. While I hope that Hartwell and Luna aren’t slotted into a team, I’m not sure what any of these four have going on at the moment. Hartwell is coming off a big win at Slammiversary, but I can’t quite picture her as anything more than a challenger of the month for the Knockouts Title. The other three are just kind of there, which isn’t the brightest sign for their futures.

Jake Something wants the International Title. Steve Maclin comes in for the staredown.

Rascalz vs. Nemeths

The Nemeths try to jump them from behind but get cut off and sent to the floor. We settle down to the Nemeths taking over on Reed with Ryan elbowing him down for two. Nic’s chinlock doesn’t last long so he grabs a neckbreaker instead. Reed manages a Stundog Millionaire to escape and it’s off to Wentz to pick up the pace. Nic sneaks in a superkick from the floor to give Ryan two but Reed’s running diving cutter takes him down. Wentz Spiral Taps Ryan for the pin at 6:15.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have time to do much here but the Rascalz getting into the title picture isn’t a bad idea. The Hardys need someone to come after the belts before they face Team 3D at Bound For Glory (because that’s a thing) and the Rascalz could work well. It’s not like the Nemeths felt like they were a long term option as a top team anyway.

Post match the Nemeths say they didn’t get pinned to lose the titles so they want their rematch. Ryan mocks Rhode Island and that brings out the Home Town Man, who says these people are beautiful. The Nemeths try to say he’s really….and Home Town Man turns it into his theme song. The brawl is on and the mask is ripped off, but security covers his face with a towel. Eventually the Rascalz make the save.

Frankie Kazarian is tired of the lack of respect around here and wants to talk to company president Carlos Silva.

Here is Mike Santana for a chat. Standing in the crowd, Santana says that with everyone watching, he lost at Slammiversary. He has lost before and it makes him fight even harder. Santana walks to the ring and talks about seeing his daughter crying after his loss. As upset as he was, he had to be a dad and tell her it would be ok. Mark his words: he will be World Champion. Dang this is working and he needs to win the title.

Knockouts Title: Jacy Jayne vs. Masha Slamovich

Jayne, with Fatal Influence, is defending. They trade some fast rollups for two each to start and it goes so well that they keep going until Slamovich hits a running clothesline. Fatal Influence gets in a cheap shot though and Jayne adds a running knee from the apron. A running neckbreaker gives Jayne two and she grabs a chinlock. Slamovich fights up….and here is Ash By Elegance to jump her from behind for the DQ at 3:30.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to do anything but the point was to get rid of the contractually obligated rematch and set up something new for the future. As usual, Jayne doesn’t really have much of a chance in a one on one fight, but that’s the point of her run. It’s going to make her eventual loss feel that much more important and it could happen anytime she is in the ring, which is a nice twist.

The rest of the Elegance Brand gets in to argue with Fatal Influence. Lei Ying Lee and Xia Brookside run in to clear the ring.

KC Navarro is still injured and AJ Francis is NOT happy with him.

Ash By Elegance and Masha Slamovich have to be held apart. Santino Marella gives Ash a Knockouts Title shot next week, with the winner defending against Slamovich. Marella says these women drive him crazy.

Video on Mara Sade, who has an athletic background and wants to mix it up with looking fabulous. This is more individual attention than she got in her time in NXT.

Here is Order 4 for their victory rally. Mustafa Ali complains about the outsiders coming here to take their titles and now it is time to change. He introduces the new monster security guard as Agent Zero but the fans do not want to see Ali as the World Champion. Ali makes the mistake of insulting Joe Hendry, who is immediately there to interrupt.

Hendry mentions Ali having a secret service, but there are no secrets around here. This includes some footage of John Skyler, whose face is shown on a Wrestling Buddy. “Skyler” ate pizza, bought a Joe Hendry shirt, and used a Mustafa Ali shirt to clean himself off. Ali vs. Hendry is set for next week. I can absolutely go with Ali getting a bigger, more prominent role.

Earlier this week, Sami Callihan was asked about his future. Moose was right when he said Callihan wasn’t the same man he once was. Callihan needs to prove himself, so he wants a match with Mike Santana. If he can’t win there, he might be done for good.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

The System vs. Trick Williams/AJ Francis

Alisha Edwards and the still injured KC Navarro are here too. Francis kicks at Edwards to start but Moose comes in to send Williams and Francis to the floor. We take a break and come back with Francis hitting Moose with a running knee. Moose suplexes his way out of trouble though and it’s off to Edwards for a hard suicide dive.

Williams takes over on the floor though and Edwards gets taken into the wrong corner. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Edwards fights out of the corner, setting up a Blue Thunder Bomb to Francis. Moose comes back in to clean house as everything breaks down. Navarro crutches Williams by mistake and Moose spears Williams for the pin at 9:30.

Rating: C+. That’s a nice way to set up the title match at Emergence, despite it being strange to see the System as good guys for a change. I’m not sure if they’re full on heroes yet, but Moose going after the title for the sake of TNA isn’t a bad way to go. I can’t imagine it’s the title change, but it works as a stepping stone from Emergence until Bound For Glory.

Overall Rating: C+. This show started getting things ready for Emergence and now we have a few weeks left to fill in the rest of the gaps. The action was good enough for some nice matches, though that wasn’t exactly the point this week. While we have a long way to go before Bound For Glory, this was a good step on the way there.

Results
Leon Slater b. Jason Hotch and Cedric Alexander – Swanton 450 to Hotch
Indi Hartwell/Dani Luna b. Arianna Grace/Jody Threat – Lunar Landing to Threat
Rascalz b. Nemeths – Spiral Tap to Ryan
Masha Slamovich b. Jacy Jayne via DQ when Ash By Elegance interfered
The System b. AJ Francis/Trick Williams – Spear to Williams

 

 

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

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Summerslam 2018
Date: August 19, 2018
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Attendance: 16,169
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Tom Phillips, Jonathan Coachman

This time for sure, Summerslam edition! Yes believe it or not the main event is once again Roman Reigns challenging Brock Lesnar for the Universal Title because that hasn’t gotten old this year. Other than that….as usual I can barely remember anything on these shows as they run together so much. Let’s get to it.

Oh and due to the recent WWE Network update, I get to watch the Kickoff Show on YouTube. Well done with that one people.

Kickoff Show: Andrade Cien Almas/Zelina Vega vs. Lana/Rusev

Rusev is on fire at this point and it’s a battle of the wrestling pairs. Andrade gets Rusev to chase him and it’s right into the double Tranquilo pose. Rusev and Lana shout at them but Andrade gets in a cheap shot to break up the chase. That’s fine with Rusev, who stomps him down in the corner until Zelina offers a distraction. Andrade posts him like a good rudo, setting up the armbreaker over the ropes. An armbar takes us to a break and we come back with Vega pulling Lana off the apron to prevent the tag.

The reverse tornado DDT gives Andrade two and the armbar goes on again. Another reverse tornado DDT is countered with a forearm (keeping it simple can work) though and it’s the hot tag to Lana. A bulldog lets Lana dance up and the neckbreaker gets two. Vega sends her face first into the buckle but Lana breaks up the running knees with a kick to the head. Andrade makes sure the Accolade doesn’t go on with a well timed distraction though and Vega grabs a rollup with her feet…..as close to the ropes as she can get them for the pin at 7:02. That was pretty adorable with Vega trying to get there and not reaching.

Rating: D+. What happened with Rusev and Lana? I know I ask that a lot but egads man. They’re married in real life, Rusev has more charisma than he knows what to do with and Lana is the walking definition of a blonde bombshell who can talk. A year later they’ve basically disappeared and I would love to know why. At least Andrade is getting a push, and with as much talent as he has, there is no reason for him not to. The fans are properly fired up now so well done on the job, even if the match wasn’t great.

Kickoff Show: Cruiserweight Title: Drew Gulak vs. Cedric Alexander

Cedric is defending in the first of NINE title matches because WWE has too many times and doesn’t get why that is such a problem. Gulak’s friends Brian Kendrick and Jack Gallagher are barred from ringside. Feeling out process to start with Cedric taking him into the corner but having his headscissors blocked. The Gulock is broken up in a hurry and Cedric hits a dropkick to take things outside.

Gulak gets in a big boot on the way back inside and Cedric has banged up his neck. The neck crank goes on and we take a break. Back with Gulak’s continued logical offense, including some clotheslines and a chinlock. Gulak throws him over his back and pulls on the neck some more (close to a Gory Special) but since that can’t last long, Cedric is right back with a springboard Downward Spiral. With the wrestling not working, it’s time to hammer away at the head before sending him outside.

The big running flip dive hits Gulak again but he’s fine enough to break up a springboard. The Gulak over the ropes is half and half on the logical offense theme but the regular version can’t go on. A hard elbow to the head rocks Gulak, who comes right back with the biggest right hand I’ve ever seen him throw. The Neuralizer is countered into the ankle lock but Cedric rolls into a cradle for two. Cedric’s Spanish Fly is countered into a rollup for two, which is reversed into a stacked up rollup to give Cedric the pin at 10:43.

Rating: B-. This was the well done match that I was expecting, with Gulak going after the obvious target but not being able to finish off the more well rounded Alexander. Cedric was kind of a dull character but he is more than good enough to have a fast paced match like this. Gulak winning the title here would have been a good moment, but Cedric was hardly a bad choice for champion.

Kickoff Show: Raw Tag Team Titles: B-Team vs. Revival

The B-Team is defending because WWE would rather laugh than go with a team they have invested so much in already. At least we get the B-TEAM B-TEAM GO GO GO entrance. Dallas headlocks Dawson down over but everything breaks down in a hurry with a shot to Dallas’ leg. The Shatter Machine hits the illegal Axel and a missile dropkick/spinebuster (Hart Attack variation) gets three straight twos on Dallas. More leg cranking takes us to a break and we come back with more leg cranking.

Dawson puts on a spinning toehold but gets kicked shoulder first into the post. Since Axel is still down (well done on making the Shatter Machine look awesome) though, it’s a backbreaker/middle rope knee for two more. Dallas grabs a hanging swinging neckbreaker on Wilder and now it’s back to Axel off the hot tag. Everything breaks down with the PerfectPlex being countered into a small package. Dallas shoves Wilder into the pile though and Axel winds up on top to retain at 6:12.

Rating: D+. This was the “let’s add a Raw match to the Kickoff Show because it’s for a title and people will care” theme and, as usual, it didn’t work very well. We’re three matches in and now the four hour Summerslam gets to start. It’s just one more thing added to the card that was completely forgettable and took a little bit more out of the fans. How does this make the night better?

Terry Crews is outside the Barclays Center and talks about the measure of success. You can feel the heartbeat in your chest to drive you and then you grind to find the moments that define success for you. Tonight, this is where dreams come true because all the world’s a stage. So what defines success and greatness and how bad do you want it? Go ahead and take a bow because we’ll let you take a bow because you’re about to bear witness to another great Summerslam. The things he was saying only kind of made sense, but sweet goodness that man can get you fired up for a show.

The CGI Empire State Building is over the ring again. You can’t see it live in the arena of course and that will mess you up when you see it on a monitor and not before your eyes.

Intercontinental Title: Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler

Rollins is challenging with the freshly returned Dean Ambrose in his corner (because having him show up on Raw was far smarter than having him show up at Summerslam) to counter Drew McIntyre (because DOLPH ZIGGLER was the bigger prospect in 2018…..and kind of was in 2019 as well). As a bonus, Rollins is in Thanos inspired gear while Ziggler has a picture of the title over the front of his tights.

They go with the grappling to start with Rollins being backed up to the ropes, meaning it’s time for Ambrose to stare at McIntyre. The early superkick misses Rollins and Ziggler bails to the floor. That means a double staredown until Rollins throws him back in for some chops. Ziggler kicks at the leg to take over and we get a Flair Flip of all things. The chinlock goes on with Ziggler kicking the knee to keep Rollins down in a smart move.

Rollins’ comeback doesn’t last long as Ziggler backdrops him to the floor. Back in and Ziggler’s high crossbody is pulled out of the air but they crash to the floor again off of a suplex attempt (that’s always a scary looking spot). Back in again and Rollins gets two off a middle rope Blockbuster but Ziggler crotches him on top. Another superplex attempt is broken up and Rollins sends him outside for a suicide dive.

Rollins’ windup knee gets two but the buckle bomb is countered into a quickly broken sleeper. They fight to the apron with Ziggler kicking him into the post and nailing the DDT onto the apron for what should be a huge knockout. Since it’s this kind of a match though, it’s only good for two. Rollins hits him in the face again and gets his own two off the great looking frog splash.

Ziggler goes up top but Ziggler catches him with a reverse superplex into a reverse Falcon Arrow for a nice twist on the usual sequence. The fans give it a standing ovation so they seem to have some good taste. Hold on though as McIntyre sends Ambrose into the steps with the distraction letting Ziggler hit the Zig Zag for two. I blame the kickout on Cole declaring it over, which is the magical cure for a finisher. Rollins is busted open as he reverses a rollup into the buckle bomb. Dean gets back up and takes care of an interfering McIntyre, leaving Rollins to him the Stomp to get the title back at 22:02.

Rating: B. You don’t expect the opener to get this kind of time. The match was entertaining though it wasn’t quite the instant classic they were going for. It felt like the match was more of a collection of spots than a match that built on itself to get somewhere. That’s a great way to get an entertaining match and for what they were going for, I can certainly live with something like this. Maybe not the highest quality but very entertaining, which more or less defines Rollins.

Rollins and Ambrose celebrate a lot.

The Bellas are here to support their bestest friend ever Ronda Rousey, and to plug all their stuff of course. They might even get back in the ring at Evolution.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: New Day vs. Bludgeon Brothers

Big E. and Xavier Woods are challenging and it’s almost weird to see Kofi around a Tag Team Title match these days. Rowan wastes no time by spin kicking Woods in the face to start. Harper hits a big boot of his own and it’s off to the Gator Roll into the chinlock. A running splash from Rowan sets up the head vice as it’s total dominance to start. Big E. gets knocked off the apron and Woods is sent outside to join him, but Rowan can’t powerbomb Woods onto the steps.

A hurricanrana sends Harper into the steps and the hot tag brings in Big E. Belly to belly suplexes on the floor abound (with Harper landing on his head and thankfully not breaking something), followed by the Warrior Splash to Harper inside. Harper is right back with a Michinoku Driver but Big E. sends Rowan into the post. Woods hits a dive onto Rowan and Big E. spears Harper through the ropes.

Rowan is back up with his own dive off the apron to Big E. and things finally settle down a notch. Woods can’t complete a springboard tornado DDT as Harper reverses into a powerbomb for two, meaning it’s time for Kofi to play cheerleader. Apparently not a fan of cheerleading, Rowan plants Kofi but walks into the Big Ending.

Big E. Rock Bottoms Harper off the apron into what was supposed to be a backstabber from Woods, though it was more like Harper just landed on Woods’ legs. Eh can’t hit them all. Woods makes up for it by dropping the big elbow off the top to the floor and Harper is actually in trouble. UpUpDownDown is loaded up but Rowan hits Woods with the hammer for the DQ at 9:27.

Rating: B-. They didn’t play around here and went with the all action match, which was the right call here. Let them do whatever they wanted and have an entertaining match as a result. New Day was throwing everything they could against the unstoppable monsters and came close to getting a win. That’s the kind of hope spot you need over a team like the Brothers as you have to have a reason to believe something could happen in the future. That being said, it didn’t mean anything in the end as Rowan tore his bicep and New Day would win the titles in two days.

Post match the Brothers destroy New Day with the hammer.

Jon Stewart is here.

We recap Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman. Owens said he was on a role and tried to get Strowman’s help to win Money in the Bank. Strowman didn’t like it when Owens inevitably turned on him and threw him through a bunch of tables before winning the briefcase. The Strowman destroyed Owens’ car and put him in a portable toilet, which he knocked off the stage. Owens “beat” Strowman in a cage match when Strowman threw him off a cage so now it’s a rematch for the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Money In The Bank Briefcase: Braun Strowman vs. Kevin Owens

Strowman is defending and can lose the briefcase by losing in any way. An early pair of running splashes in the corner sends Owens outside and Strowman runs him over again. Owens’ superkick just makes Strowman angrier and it’s a chokeslam onto the ramp. The running powerslam finishes Owens at 1:55. Well that worked and makes Strowman look like the monster, but HAHA if you actually thought they would put the title on him.

Clip of a Be A Star rally.

We recap the Smackdown Women’s Title match. Carmella cashed in Money in the Bank at the Smackdown after Wrestlemania and has been put over one name after another, though she is still seen as in over her head. Becky Lynch has been trying to get back to the top and is getting the shot here. Then Charlotte saved Becky from a beatdown and got a match where she could be added to the match if she won. Since it’s Charlotte, OF COURSE she was added in, which Becky saw as someone else trying to steal her chance. Charlotte did get in a good line with Carmella “is a Diva living in a woman’s world.”

Smackdown Women’s Title: Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte vs. Carmella

Carmella is defending and we get the Big Match Intros, with the hometown champ not being well received. As I continue to not understand why the title belt is shown inside what looks like the Elimination Chamber during the graphic, the bell rings and Carmella starts running her mouth. Charlotte gets sent outside so Becky can hit a running legdrop but the second misses.

Carmella isn’t happy with Charlotte breaking up the cover but it’s time to get crafty. She slaps Becky in the head and blames Charlotte, who says she’s innocent as they knock Carmella to the floor. Becky and Charlotte trade rollups and it’s a standoff for some applause. An armbar puts Charlotte down for all of two seconds but Carmella is back in because she can’t just go away.

Becky gets sent into the steps so Carmella can shout and dance a lot. Charlotte is whipped down as well and Carmella takes Becky inside for, you know it, more shouting. She does even things out a bit with a chinlock until Charlotte comes back in, only to be taken down by the hair. Now it’s Charlotte getting chinlocked as we see the wide range of Carmella’s offense. Becky makes her own save, gets dropkicked down, and Carmella shouts about being champion again. How can she be repeating stuff that many times less than six minutes into a match?

Carmella mocks Becky’s pose and ducks a shot from Charlotte, which hits Becky instead. Some fall away slams drop Carmella and Charlotte nips up but Becky knees her in the face. A double missile dropkick puts Carmella and Charlotte down again with Charlotte being sent outside. Becky gets caught on top for a hurricanrana to give Carmella two, leaving herself open to Charlotte’s spear.

Since we can’t go that long with Carmella being on defense, she knocks Charlotte into the corner and shouts that no one cares about her anymore. Another hurricanrana out of the corner is countered into a Boston crab (with Charlotte driving her down from the corner almost like a Styles Clash) before switching to the Figure Four. That’s broken up with Becky’s top rope legdrop and they’re all down.

Becky gets up first and hammers on Carmella, who of course knocks her outside because SHE IS THE CHAMP. A rather hard suicide dive hits Becky but it’s Charlotte coming off the top with the moonsault, which goes right between them and barely makes contact, as usual. Back in and Carmella breaks up the Disarm-Her so Becky gets two off a Rock Bottom, with Carmella making ANOTHER save.

Carmella gets two off a superkick with Charlotte making the very last second save. Charlotte gets sent outside so it’s another superkick to Becky, who shrugs it off without much trouble. The Disarm-Her goes on but Charlotte dives in with Natural Selection for the pin on Becky at 14:42.

Rating: C+. The action was good but the important thing here is that Carmella can go off to do ANYTHING but be in the title picture. Her reign showed the entire problem with using Money in the Bank as a quick rise to the top: Carmella was never viewed as a serious wrestler but she won a ladder match and stole the title so now she can hang with Charlotte and Becky? It never worked and this match exposed how limited she was in the ring, with all the shouting and superkicks getting old in a hurry. She is perfectly fine as the cheerleader type character and it fits her SO much better, as time has proven.

The match itself was pretty good with a lot of saves and back and forth action, but I kept wanting Carmella to fall in a hole somewhere so the other two could have a better match. The fans wanted to see Becky and having Charlotte get the title back wasn’t the most thrilling result. Becky’s frustrations are proven right again and things could get interesting as a result.

Post match Becky hugs Charlotte but completely snaps, beating the fire out of her and throwing Charlotte over the announcers’ table to one of the biggest face reactions in forever. WWE actually tried to treat this as a heel turn for a bit before realizing that it just wasn’t working and strapped a rocket to Becky’s back, leading all the way to the main event of Wrestlemania and the biggest push in women’s history.

We recap AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe. AJ has been champion for about nine months and has beaten a bunch of challengers so he issued an open challenge for Summerslam. Joe choked AJ out and signed the contract before starting his real attack. He called out AJ for neglecting his family but promised to send AJ home by ending the title reign. Then he read a letter from AJ’s wife, saying that everything Joe said was true and how much she wanted Joe to win.

Smackdown World Title: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe

Joe is challenging and the fans certainly seem to like him, though AJ isn’t exactly being booed. AJ’s wife and daughter are in the crowd so Joe breaks up the Big Match Intros and says hi to both of them, promising to send daddy home tonight. An early Koquina Clutch attempt doesn’t work and it’s a TNA chant for a little flashback. Joe gets in a cheap shot in the corner and then bails to the ropes as the mind games continue.

AJ takes him down with a headlock as they’re starting slowly (which is ok). Back up and a big shoulder sends AJ into the ropes as Graves explains the psychology in a rare bit of usefulness. They trade kicks to the leg so things can start picking up a bit. In what shouldn’t be a surprise, Joe wins the battle of the strikes at first but AJ keeps going with chops against the ropes.

The drop down into the dropkick has Joe in trouble and AJ knocks him outside. Since AJ isn’t that bright, he gets his leg kicked out to send him face first into the apron. Joe hits the big suicide elbow to send AJ into the announcers’ table, with Graves saying it’s like a flying school bus. Can someone explain to Graves that the Magic School Bus is fiction? Back in and a clothesline gives Joe two and the chinlock goes on.

That goes nowhere so AJ fights up and sends Joe outside for the slingshot forearm. Back in and the middle rope moonsault into the reverse DDT gets two but Joe is right back up with a middle rope leg lariat. A big boot into the backsplash is good for two more as Joe keeps using the power advantage. AJ’s fireman’s carry gutbuster hurts his own knee so Joe is right back with the snap powerslam (great one too).

AJ is right back up and manages the Styles Clash for two and the fans bought the near fall. The Rock Bottom out of the corner gives Joe a breather but AJ is right back with the Calf Crusher (remember the leg kicks earlier). You don’t put holds on Joe though and he slams AJ’s head into the mat for the break, quickly followed by the Koquina Clutch. A foot on the rope breaks things up so Joe takes it outside….and talks to AJ’s wife, saying AJ won’t be coming home but he’ll be her new daddy. You know it’s on now as AJ tackles Joe over the barricade and hits him with a chair for the DQ at 22:45.

Rating: B. This is one where the DQ finish makes sense to keep the story going, though I’m not sure why Joe, who has been very calculating this whole time, would do something like that when he was in control. It came off more like he was admitting he couldn’t beat AJ tonight and that’s not Joe’s style. What we did get was a solid back and forth match with AJ fighting his heart out and Joe using the power and size advantage to dominate the emotional champ. I’m certainly down for a rematch and that’s where this is obviously going.

Post match AJ beats the fire out of Joe with the chair, drawing a WHO’S YOUR DADDY chant. With Joe gone, AJ checks on his wife and daughter, the latter of whom says he’s bleeding. AJ: “I’m sorry.”

Here’s Elias for a song. Believe it or not, he was a child once but then he grew up and wrote a great album. That album included a song called Elias’ Words and knowing that the entire world loves you is an incredible feeling. Tonight we’re getting a new song and it might be his greatest yet. This song is dedicated to all of the New Yorkers out there tonight, because all of the dirt in their ears and mind and the harsh reality of living in this city is all about to be washed away. And then his guitar breaks. Well so much for that.

Miz runs into the B-Team backstage (why they’re still in their gear two hours after their match isn’t clear) but he doesn’t need their luck. Tonight he’s proving that he’s better than Daniel Bryan, but if they want to fetch the limo for the post match celebration, he’s good with that. They’re leaving actually because they have their own celebrating to do. They’re not the Miztourage anymore because they’re the B-Team. The B stands for Daniel Bryan and offer him a spot on their new reality show: “Total Fellas, but with a B, so Total Bellas!” Miz looks confused.

We recap the Miz vs. Daniel Bryan, which is eight years in the making. Miz was Bryan’s NXT Pro back in the day despite Bryan being much more experienced. Bryan broke away from Miz and turned into a star but never could shake the Miz, who thought Bryan was a huge fluke. Then Bryan got hurt and had to leave for years, with Miz taunting him after he walked away and retired. Miz called him out for being a coward and started using Bryan’s offense for years.

This included Miz’s incredible Talking Smack promo where Bryan called Miz a coward, sending Miz into an all time rant about how Bryan was the coward for not getting back in the ring while Miz was here every day. Then one day Bryan was medically cleared and everyone saw this match coming. Now it’s on the big stage as everyone is ready to see Bryan kick Miz’s head off. The theme is passion vs. fame and completely different ideologies about wrestling. It’s a natural rivalry and this match has more than earned a spot on this kind of a major show.

Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz

Miz’s wife and daughter are in the front row (who knew AJ was so influential). Bryan has talked for months about wanting to punch Miz in the face so he immediately balls up his fist, sending Miz into the ropes. Miz gets in the first few shots and fires off the kicks in the corner but the running dropkick is caught by the throat. Bryan gets to punch him in the face to a BIG reaction and now it’s Miz getting kicked in the corner for his efforts.

Another kick to the chest gets two but Miz takes him down for a surfboard. It turns out that Bryan knows how to escape that pretty easily and puts Miz in it to even things up. More YES Kicks (Graves: “Paying homage to the Miz.” Tom: “I swear to God.”) connect but Miz is right back with a hard clothesline to drop Bryan again. A cravate lets Miz hit some knees to the head and Bryan is back down.

The Reality Check gets two but Miz takes too long loading up the kicks, allowing Bryan to hit the moonsault out of the corner into the running clothesline. A hurricanrana out of the corner gets two and Miz is sent outside, meaning it’s the running dropkick through the ropes. The big dive to the floor drops Miz again and Bryan gets smart by tying him in the Tree of Woe for the kicks to the chest. The belly to back superplex gets two as it keeps getting worse for Miz.

Bryan misses the big YES Kick though and Miz hits a DDT for a breather. Miz’s YES Kicks just wake Bryan up so he catches a kick and hits Miz in the face (as promised). It’s too early for the running knee as Miz counters into a failed Figure Four attempt. The Skull Crushing Finale doesn’t fail though and gives Miz his next close two. With his chest looking very banged up, Miz’s running knee is countered with another kick to the head for two and they’re both dazed.

As tends to be the case at this point in a match, they had to the apron, where Bryan’s kick hits the post to give Miz a big target. He’s smart enough to go straight to the Figure Four but Bryan eventually turns it over to reverse the pressure. Miz isn’t smart enough to just unhook his leg so it’s a long crawl to the rope for the break. Bryan is right back on him by tying up Miz’s arm for the elbows to the face and then the YES Lock.

With Miz getting close to the rope, Bryan punches him in the back of the head for some good measure. Miz gets a boot on the rope and rolls to the floor, where Bryan hits the running knee from the apron. As luck would have it though, he winds up next to Maryse, who slips him something made of metal. Bryan tries a suicide dive but gets knocked cold with a shot to the head, allowing Miz to get the pin at 23:45.

Rating: B. It wasn’t the big, epic match they were shooting for but what we got was something that got pretty close to living up to the hype. The problem is it’s nearly impossible to live up to a reality that fans had in their heads after so long, but they did very well anyway. Miz being cocky the whole time but not being able to survive against the more naturally talented Bryan made perfect sense. The cheating leaves them wide open for a rematch and since Miz’s wife got involved, Bryan’s should as well, right?

Super ShowDown is coming, including HHH vs. Undertaker for the last time ever.

Video on Undertaker vs. HHH, which is quite the story.

Baron Corbin vs. Finn Balor

Corbin has been a jerk to Balor so it’s Demon time, thankfully in a complete surprise so we didn’t have to hear THE DEMON IS FINN BALOR’S ALTER EGO for a month. The entrance shakes Corbin, possible because he’s realized that he’s Baron Corbin. Balor dropkicks him to the floor at the bell and hits the Sling Blade. The running flip dive hits Corbin and Balor sends him into the barricade. As Coach tries to figure out why Balor doesn’t use the Demon more often, it’s a top rope double stomp to Corbin’s back and the Coup de Grace finishes at 1:22. Exactly what it should have been, assuming you absolutely have to have Corbin employed.

Brie Bella checks on Bryan and they’re not happy with Miz and Maryse. Bryan says his comeback has been a bust but Brie calms him down.

United States Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura is defending and this is your “it just sounds cool” match of the show, as well as a rematch after Nakamura won the title in six seconds after a low blow last month. Jeff has been dealing with Randy Orton as of late as well so you can probably pencil in the interference. There’s no major contact for the first minute or so, meaning we need a COME ON from Nakamura. Hardy charges into a knee but stops to dance like Nakamura, which doesn’t sit well with the champ. Neither does Hardy doing COME ON as things actually get going.

Nakamura knees him in the face and grabs an arm trap chinlock, which is broken with a rather quick jawbreaker. Some more kicks have Hardy right back in trouble and we hit another chinlock. Jeff fights up again and hits something close to a Sling Blade to put them both down again. Another kick drops Hardy again though as he can’t seem to figure out that he needs to avoid the feet. He finally gets the idea as a running knee hits the buckle, allowing Hardy to nail the Whisper in the Wind for two.

Since that isn’t the most high impact move, Nakamura is right back with the hard knees but the low blow misses. Jeff dropkicks him down to set up the Swanton for a delayed two. With Nakamura rolling to the apron, Hardy tries another Swanton but crashes back first onto the apron for his efforts. Kinshasa retains the title at 10:57.

Rating: D+. The chinlocks hurt this one a lot and you could feel the energy going out of the crowd. This was around the time that Nakamura was putting it in coast mode and there wasn’t much that could draw him out. His charisma is more than enough to carry him, but it would be nice to see some effort into his matches. Jeff continues to drift around, which is pretty much all he does as a singles guy these days.

Post match Orton comes out but instead of going after Jeff, he just hits himself in the head and leaves without doing anything else. He can be an odd guy.

We recap Ronda Rousey vs. Alexa Bliss. Rousey had the Raw Women’s Title won at Money in the Bank but Bliss cashed in her briefcase to steal the title from Nia Jax. Bliss has been WAY too confident coming into this so Rousey has been suspended several times, yet still getting her title match here. Tonight Rousey is going to destroy Bliss and get the title for the first time.

Raw Women’s Title: Ronda Rousey vs. Alexa Bliss

Ronda is challenging and has Natalya, whose dad Jim Neidhart died a few weeks back (meaning she has her dad’s Summerslam 1990 jacket on for a great touch). Oh and the Bellas are here too because they’re stars. Bliss hides in the ropes a few times to start as she is trying to delay the inevitable for as long as she can. A cheap shot is blocked by a single right hand to send Bliss outside.

Back in and Bliss bails a second time so Rousey turns her back and sits down to let Bliss get in safely. Bliss comes in and tries a chinlock, not realizing that it leaves her arm exposed. Rousey picks her up for the yet to be named Piper’s Pit and Bliss is on the floor again. The chase lets Bliss get in a few shots….and there’s the stare. Rousey unloads in the corner and hits the judo throws (while talking trash), setting up the armbar (with Bliss popping the arm out of joint as only she can) for the easy tap and the title at 4:38.

Rating: C+. This is one where the presentation was all that mattered. Rousey was never in any danger and the match was a complete squash, which was the right call. There was no reason to pretend that Bliss could be a threat to her and they didn’t waste their time on anything stupid. Rousey is the biggest star in the division and one of the biggest in the company, so making her champion was the obvious move, especially since she’s here full time.

Post match Rousey hugs Natalya and the Bellas. Guess which two are booed. Her husband gets a big kiss as well. Rousey’s husband that is, in case it’s not clear.

We recap the Raw World Title match. Roman Reigns has been chasing the title and the win against Brock Lesnar for the better part of forever, having lost at Wrestlemania XXXI, Wrestlemania XXXIV and Greatest Royal Rumble. Now we’re doing it again because these two are joined at the hip in an eternal chase. This time around they’re presenting it as Reigns is here and Lesnar isn’t, even though the fans don’t seem to think much of Reigns so his attendance doesn’t make much difference. They teased Heyman jumping to Reigns but it was dropped in all of ten seconds so Lesnar could beat Reigns up again.

Raw World Title: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar

Reigns’ CGI entrance is a big dog head over the Shield logo, which is rather terrifying when you don’t know it’s coming. Lesnar is defending and Paul Heyman handles his Big Match Intro. Hold on though as Strowman comes out to say he’s going to be cashing in on whomever wins. Reigns hits three Superman Punches and two spears in the first thirty seconds but the third is countered into a guillotine choke.

That’s broken up with a spinebuster and we’re just over a minute in. Brock grabs it again so Reigns uses the same counter. For once it makes sense to have them laying down this early as they’ve beaten each other up quite a bit so far. Brock takes the gloves off and counters another Superman Punch into the rolling German suplexes. The fans say the two of them suck and Reigns escapes the F5.

A missed charge sends Reigns through the ropes and into Strowman, who Lesnar plants with an F5 on the floor. Reigns is thrown back in and Strowman grabs Lesnar’s leg. That earns him a beating with the briefcase, which Lesnar throws up to the stage (egads that’s not normal). Lesnar unloads with a chair, walks back inside and gets speared to give Reigns the title at 6:09.

Rating: D. NOW NEVER FIGHT AGAIN! This feud went on forever and their matches were the same finisher fests over and over again. Strowman could have been anything from the Monster to a stray puppy as he only served as a distraction to cost Lesnar the title. Reigns winning here doesn’t feel like some major moment, though it’s nice to have Lesnar FINALLY lose the title. They should have done this at Wrestlemania at the latest though and by the time they got here, no one cared and there was no reason for them to. At least it was shorter this time around so there is one minor positive. Just get on to any other feud, please.

Reigns poses as Strowman is still down to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. I had forgotten how good this show was as WWE managed to cut out a bunch of the nonsense and just roll with the awesome matches that have been well built up. It’s so frustrating to see what they’re capable of doing when they actually try because they don’t put in the effort so much of the time. This was an awesome show with nothing very bad (Reigns vs. Lesnar is more the result of everything that came before it between the two of them) and three or four matches that got time and lived up to it. Check this one out if you have the time, but completely skip the Kickoff Show.

Ratings Comparison

Zelina Vega/Andrade Cien Almas vs. Rusev/Lana

Original: D

2019 Redo: D+

Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak

Original: C+

2019 Redo: B-

Revival vs. B-Team

Original: D+

2019 Redo: D+

Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins

Original: B

2019 Redo: B

Bludgeon Brothers vs. New Day

Original: C+

2019 Redo: B-

Kevin Owens vs. Braun Strowman

Original: N/A

2019 Redo: N/A

Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch vs. Carmella

Original: C+

2019 Redo: C+

AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe

Original: A-

2019 Redo: B

The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan

Original: B+

2019 Redo: B

Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin

Original: N/A

2019 Redo: N/A

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jeff Hardy

Original: C

2019 Redo: D+

Ronda Rousey vs. Alexa Bliss

Original: C+

2019 Redo: C+

Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar

Original: C+

2019 Redo: D

Overall Rating

Original: A-

2019 Redo: A-

Most of them are in the same ballpark, but AJ vs. Joe and Reigns vs. Lesnar must have canceled each other out. Still a great show though and one of the better ones WWE has done in recent(ish) memory.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/08/19/summerslam-2018-they-can-still-do-a-thing-or-two/

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

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AND

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

Slammiversary 2025
Date: July 20, 2025
Location: UBS Arena, Elmont, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s one of the biggest shows of the year for TNA and they’re in a major arena. In this case we have a main event about TNA getting the World Title back from behind NXT lines as Joe Hendry and Mike Santana go after Trick Williams. Other than that, we have a four way tag team ladder match for the titles, because we must ladder. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Knockouts Tag Team Titles: IInspiration vs. Elegance Brand

The Elegance Brand, with the Personal Concierge and M By Elegance, is defending. McKay shoves Heather into the corner for the stomping to start and the IInspiration gets to do their double pose. Heather gets in a cheap shot though and Ash comes in to hammer away. The handspring elbow in the corner connects and a running dropkick gets two.

McKay fights out of the corner though and it’s Lee coming in off the tag. A fisherman’s suplex gives Lee two and a top rope hurricanrana sends Ash flying. The superplex gets two more, with M putting the foot on the rope. Lee hits a big dive off the top but Heather breaks up the Idolizer. A cheap shot from M sets up Rarefied Air to retain the titles at 8:43.

Rating: C+. They weren’t out there very long but it was an energetic match with the champions retaining. As much as the titles would seem to have been made for the IInspiration, it’s too early for the Elegance Brand to lose the titles. Good enough match too, with a simple story that didn’t overstay its welcome.

Here is the Northern Armory, with Eric Young insulting the New York crowd (with no subtlety whatsoever). He is sick of the Home Town Man and issues an open challenge so here we go.

Kickoff Show: Eric Young vs. Home Town Man

Man backdrops him to start and hammers away in the corner but Young gets in a hot shot onto the turnbuckle. Young rips off Man’s Islanders jersey and we hit the chinlock. That doesn’t last long as Man fights up and makes the clothesline comeback. Young knocks him off the top though and the top rope elbow gets two. We pause for Young to yell at some fans, allowing Man to backdrop his way out of a piledriver and cradle Young for the pin at 4:05.

Rating: C. See, this is the kind of gimmick that can work well. It might not work for a long time, but I’ll absolutely take this over TNA trying to make me care about Cody Deaner’s career prospects. This is a goofy, fun thing where the fans are in on the joke and there is nothing wrong with that.

Kickoff Show: Real1/Zilla Fatu/Josh Bishop vs. Steve Maclin/Jake Something/Mance Warner

This is a mini-invasion deal, as Real1 and company are from Fourth Rope Wrestling. Real1 does the same catchphrases he’s used for ten years now and introduces his partners. Warner and Fatu strike it out to start with Fatu knocking him down, only to miss the top rope splash.

Maclin comes in to strike away and Fatu’s splash hits Bishop by mistake. Real1 gets caught with the running shoulder in the Tree Of Woe but Bishop gives Maclin a chokeslam. We hit the parade of dives until Warner hits something by mistake. Real1 hits Eat Defeat to pin Something at 2:54. Sweet goodness I could go with never seeing Real1 again.

And now, the show proper.

Brianna Laughlin (I believe Tommy Dreamer’s daughter) sings the National Anthem.

The opening video starts with a brief history of the promotion before looking at what we’re getting tonight.

Mustafa Ali vs. Cedric Alexander

Order 4 is here with Ali. They take their time to start with Ali getting in an armdrag, followed by a flipping exchange of arm cranking. A big exchange of chops sees Alexander kicking him into the ropes, followed by a German suplex on the floor. The Secret Service offers a distraction though, allowing Ali to hit a big dive.

Back in and Ali misses the 450, plus a charge into the corner. Ali is fine enough to go up top, where Alexander super Falcon Arrows him onto the pile at ringside. Back in and Ali DDTs him, only to miss a standing moonsault. Alexander misses a shot of his own, allowing Ali to grab a Sharpshooter. That’s broken up so they head back outside, where Ali gets backdropped HARD onto the steps.

The chase is on, with Jason Hotch getting in a DDT to cut Alexander off. Back in and the 450 gives Ali two, complete with the big shocked kickout face. Tasha Steelz gets in the ring to yell at the referee and is promptly ejected. Ali rolls into a cutter from Alexander, who suplexes him into the corner for a nasty landing. The Lumbar Check gives Alexander two but cue Steelz with a chair (How is this not a DQ?), earning herself a Lumbar Check. Ali hits a quick 450 for the pin at 14:30.

Rating: B. These two work very well together and they had a hot opener here, lack of a DQ at the end aside. I’m not sure what is next for Alexander, but it’s nice to see Ali get a nice win. Order 4 needs something to do, but at least Ali got some momentum after having issues with the team.

We run down the card.

Joe Hendry is ready to get the World Title back.

The System/Matt Cardona vs. Darkstate

Darkstate runs in for the brawl before the bell and everyone gets in a fight. JDC uses a chair and, after the Sabu point, hits a big flip dive. They get back inside to officially start, with Myers planting Shugars but missing a charge into the corner. Griffin rakes Myers’ eyes across the top rope and hands it off to Lennox to keep up the beating. It’s off to James for a chinlock but Myers fights out and hits a spear.

Cardona comes in to clean house, with the Reboot hitting Shugars for two. The middle rope triplebomb plants Cardona for two but Shugars gets powerbombed out of the corner. A top rope elbow into Down And Dirty gets two and they all brawl. Radio Silence hits Shugars, followed by the Boston Knee Party to give Edwards the pin at 6:44.

Rating: C+. And that’s how Darkstate loses their first match. I’m really not sure what the thinking is behind that but they did at least lose to some of the bigger names in TNA. Still though, kind of a weird way to go, with something of a makeshift team beating the invaders in a pretty short match.

We recap Tessa Blanchard vs. Indi Hartwell. They were friends years ago but Hartwell says Blanchard has change. Fighting is ensuing.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Indi Hartwell

Victoria Crawford is here with Blanchard. They start with a chase and Blanchard gets in a baseball slide, only for a stomp on the apron to be blocked. Back in and Blanchard starts in on the leg before kicking Hartwell in the face for two. Blanchard goes up top but takes too long, allowing Hartwell to come back with a superplex.

The knee is too banged up for her to capitalize though and Blanchard is back up. The slugout goes to Hartwell, who fires off some clotheslines and a boot to the head. Blanchard gets planted for two but the Hurts Donut is broken up. A superkick sends Hartwell to the floor for a running flip dive but she breaks up the buzzsaw DDT.

Blanchard is right back with a tiger driver for two, only to miss Magnum. Now the Hurts Donut can connect for two but Blanchard catches her on top with a super cutter. Magnum gets two so Blanchard yells a lot, only to get caught with the Hurts Donut for the pin at 15:34.

Rating: C+. Not a bad match, but Hartwell going over Blanchard feels wrong on a variety of levels. Hartwell is trying but she’s not on Blanchard’s level and it’s rather obvious when they’re in the ring together. Maybe this is more of Blanchard’s punishment after her absence, though I’m not sure what’s enough to make up for such a loss.

Post match Blanchard jumps Hartwell and takes out Gigi Miller for a bonus. In the back, Santino Marella ejects Blanchard from the building.

The Elegance Brand is happy with their win but the IInspiration comes in to yell a lot.

We recap Jacy Jayne vs. Masha Slamovich, title for title. The idea is Jayne is a huge underdog but that was the case when she won the NXT Women’s Title in the first place.

TNA Knockouts Title/NXT Women’s Title: Masha Slamovich vs. Jacy Jayne

Winner take all and the rest of Fatal Influence is here with Jayne. Slamovich sends her throat first into the ropes to start before taking out Jazmyn Nyx on the floor. Fallon Henley offers a bit of an assist though, with Slamovich going into the post. Back in and some knees to the back set up a chinlock from Jayne but Slamovich drops down onto her for the break.

Some running shots in the corner stagger Jayne for two and Slamovich drives her into another corner for the same. They go up top and Slamovich blocks a sunset bomb attempt. Jayne’s running knee gets two so the rest of the team gets on the apron. Jayne hits a belt shot for two but she misses a Cannonball in the corner. Slamovich’s running boot to the face connects but Fatal Influence gets up.

Here are Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Lee to even the score (this would have been a cooler moment if their names hadn’t been listed on Slamovich’s chyron at the beginning of the match) but the referee goes down. Slamovich hits the Snow Plow but there is no referee for the count, meaning the replacement referee gets a very delayed two. They trade rollups for two each before the Rolling Encore (discus forearm) makes Jayne a double champion at 12:38.

Rating: B-. It makes perfect sense, as there is something about having the unstoppable champion get stopped by someone in over their head. That’s something that has worked for years and it worked again here, with Jayne getting to look like a star again. Slamovich is going to be fine, though I’m not thrilled at the idea of Indi Hartwell as the possible Knockouts savior.

Naturally this is the darkest hour ever for TNA as Jayne is presented with the title.

Eric Young yells at the Northern Armory.

The company has set a new record for highest North American attendance. Nice job.

We recap the X-Division Title match. Leon Slater wants to become the youngest champion ever while Moose wants to become the longest reigning champion of all time. This has been set up for a few months now and it should be a good a good one.

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Moose

Moose, with his old school theme, is defending. Slater slugs away to start but gets choke bombed out of the corner for two. They go outside with Slater’s hurricanrana being blocked but he’s able to send Moose into the steps. Back in and Slater can’t hit a torture rack bomb, instead being sent hard into the buckle.

The release Rock Bottom drops Slater again and they go to the apron. Another chokebomb is countered into a hurricanrana and a powerbomb is countered into another hurricanrana. Slater takes him out with a bit flip dive but the pop up powerbomb drops Slater inside. Slater’s clothesline doesn’t so much so Moose blasts him with a discus lariat. Back up and Slater gets in a hard clothesline of his own but Moose crotches him on top.

The spear gives Moose two but he misses another into the corner. Slater manages the torture rack slam into a spear of his own, followed by the Swanton 450 for two. A springboard is speared out of the air to send Slater outside, where he hits a Code Red. Back in and a Swanton into another Swanton 450 gives Slater the pin and the title at 15:27.

Rating: B. Good action with a good story and that’s all you can ask for most of the time. The idea here was Slater getting to win the big one and that has been set up for the last few months. Slater gets the big win on the major stage and that is the best possible outcome. Moose had held onto the title, but Slater sound up being different, which is the way it should have gone.

Post match Slater celebrates with his family before Moose puts the title on him in a rare show of respect. With Moose gone, AJ Styles comes out to an absolute hero’s welcome (with Slater running around in circles). Styles asks if TNA missed him and talks about his history here. He says Slater earned it and says people like Slater make Styles love this business. Styles lists off some great X-Division wrestlers and says the division is in good hands before announcing Slater as the new champion. That’s as awesome of a rub as you’ll get.

The Home Town Man is in the crowd.

We recap the four way ladder match for the Tag Team Titles. The idea here is that the Hardys aren’t sure if they have it anymore and need to prove themselves one more time. The other teams are basically window dressing.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Rascalz vs. First Class vs. Nemeths

The Nemeths are defending in a ladder match so they throw ladders in to start fast. The Hardys take one of them away and start to clean house, with every non-Hardy team being dropped. For some reason the Hardys go up at the same time, with Francis shoving it over for a crash onto the top rope.

Francis World’s Strongest Slams Reed onto the ladder but Navarro gets on Francis’ shoulders, allowing Wentz to hit something of a Doomsday dropkick. Francis gets crushed with a ladder and Reed hits his diving cutter to the floor. Wentz dives through a bridged ladder at ringside and Francis is pulled off the ladder so the Hardys can double team him down.

The Nemeths break it up and climb at the same time, with the Rascalz making the save this time. The big ladder is sat up and Francis climbs up for a moonsault down into a big crash. First Class goes up and are promptly shoved over for a crash onto the bridged ladders outside.

Jeff hits a Swanton onto the Rascalz on more bridged ladders but these don’t break (though the Rascalz might), so Jeff goes up and does it again. With nothing else working, Jeff grabs a remote control and a rope ladder drops down (because of course). The Nemeths go up and crash down, with the Hardys giving them stereo Twists of Fate with chairs around their necks. Jeff climbs up to get the titles at 16:46.

Rating: B-. They had some unique spots here, but there was a grand total of no reason for this to be a ladder match. It felt like they were doing one for the sake of giving the Hardys another moment, which has been done to death. We’re not that far removed from the Hardys’ most recent title win either, so it isn’t like this is some big impactful win.

Post match, here is Bully Ray of all people and I instantly do not like where this is going. Ray praises the Hardys and puts over their history together. He wants to do it one more time at Bound For Glory and the match seems to be made. For the life of me this makes my head hurt.

Santino Marella announces that Tessa Blanchard has been suspended indefinitely. With that out of the way, the Busted Open Radio hosts make their main event predictions, but Frankie Kazarian interrupts. Kazarian thinks he should be in the main event but instead he’ll sit at ringside for commentary.

We recap the main event. Joe Hendry lost the World Title to NXT’s Trick Williams. This sent a bunch of people into a quest to get the title back in TNA, with Hendry and Mike Santana getting their shot tonight.

TNA World Title: Joe Hendry vs. Mike Santana vs. Trick Williams

Williams is defending and Santana gets rapped to the ring. That’s not good enough for Williams, who has a Harlem gospel choir singing him to the ring. Williams runs his mouth to start so the other two beat him up for a trip out to the floor. Santana flips out of Hendry’s wristlock but Hendry wins an exchange of shoulders.

Spin The Block doesn’t work for Santana and Williams is back in to hammer away in the corner. Santana is sent outside and Williams gives Hendry a release Rock Bottom for two. Williams guillotines Hendry, who powers out with a suplex for the breather. Back in and Santana strikes away but Williams cuts off the Cannonball. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Hendry is back in for a powerbomb/Blockbuster combination.

Santana is sent outside and Hendry gives Williams the Standing Ovation, only for Kazarian to pull the referee out. Santana dives onto Williams but Hendry drives onto both of them. We pause for Williams to be helped up, leaving Santana to Cannonball Hendry. Back up and Hendry hits an AA into the Standing Ovation for two but Santana is back with a pair of Spin The Blocks. That’s enough for Williams to pop slide back in, dumb Santana, and steal the pin to retain at 13:16.

Rating: B-. It might not make sense, but I’m really not surprised. TNA has a tendency to have what feels like a layup for a big moment and then not deliver on it, which was the case again here. The match itself was fairly good, but I could go without seeing the “and then someone steals the win” finish to a triple threat for a long time. Odds are Williams loses the title in the main event of Bound For Glory, but dang that feels like a long way off.

Overall Rating: B-. The action was mostly good, but outside of Slater’s title win, this was a rough night to be a TNA fan. NXT is dominating the title picture right now and other than Slater, we’re heading for the Hardys vs. the Dudleys. It’s not a bad show, but dang they better have something to make the fans happy on the way to Bound For Glory, because that’s a long way off. Just give us something to be happy about, as otherwise it’s killing the mood.

Results
Elegance Brand b. IInspiration – Rarefied Air to Lee
Home Town Man b. Eric Young – Rollup
Real1/Zilla Fatu/Josh Bishop b. Steve Maclin/Jake Something/Mance Warner – Eat Defeat to Something
Mustafa Ali b. Cedric Alexander – 450
The System/Matt Cardona b. Darkstate – Boston Knee Party to Shugars
Indi Hartwell b. Tessa Blanchard – Hurts Donut
Jacy Jayne b. Masha Slamovich – Rolling Encore
Leon Slater b. Moose – Swanton 450
Hardys b. Nemeths, Rascalz and First Class – Jeff pulled down the titles
Trick Williams b. Joe Hendry and Mike Santana – Spin The Block to Hendry

 

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 10, 2025
Location: UMPC Events Center, Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We are about a week and a half away from Slammiversary and the show has mostly come together. The big match will see Mike Santana and Joe Hendry challenging for the TNA World Title and we’ll be getting the contract signing this weekend at NXT’s Great American Bash. The rest of the card could use some building and we should be getting some of that this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Elegance Brand vs. Harley Hudson/Myla Grace

Non-title and the Personal Concierge is here with the Brand. Hudson and Grace are still out to prove themselves and it’s Grace dropkicking Heather down to start. Ash comes in for a test of strength with Hudson, who takes over on the arm. It’s back to Heather for some elbows in the corner and Ash’s Glam Slam into a basement dropkick gets two. Hudson fights out of trouble with ease and brings Grace back in as everything breaks down. The Concierge gets in a cheap shot on the floor, allowing Ash to hit a clothesline on Grace. Rarefied Air finishes for Ash at 6:20.

Rating: C. It feels like they’re building towards Hudson and Grace getting a big win for the titles down the line and that could make for a great moment. If nothing else, the newcomers are getting put into the mix rather quickly and that is now you could help revitalize the division. It’s going to take time, but at least they are off to a nice start.

The Hardys and the Rascalz are ready for their eight man tag tonight, even if the Rascalz seem a bit confused.

Cedric Alexander/Great Hands vs. Secret Service

Tasha Steelz and Mustafa Ali are here too. Skyler dropkicks one of them down start and hands it off to Hotch, who is taken into the wrong corner. That’s broken up and it’s off to Alexander for some quick house cleaning. The Lumbar Check finishes at 2:40.

Post match Ali goes after Alexander, who fights back but gets low blowed by Steelz. Ali chairs Alexander down and leaves with Steelz.

Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich vs. Fatal Influence

Xia Brookside is here with the TNA team. Jayne starts with Lee and forearms Slamovich off the apron like a good villain. Slamovich comes in to drop Jayne and Lee adds a running forearm of her own. Lee gets two off a suplex but Jayne gets in a knee to the floor as we take an early break.

We come back with Jayne stomping on Lee in the corner, followed by the reverse chinlock. A double snap suplex gives Henley two and she grabs the armbar. That just fires Lee up and she breaks out of a cravate. Henley cuts that off with a World’s Strongest Slam but Lee fights out and brings Slamovich back in. Everything breaks down and a running knee into a neckbreaker gets two on Slamovich. Lee saves Slamovich from a double suplex and Slamovich’s spinning kick to the head into the Snowplow finishes Henley at 14:49.

Rating: C+. Slamovich feels like she’s going to run through Jayne if they face off at Slammiversary, but the idea of another Jordynne Grace vs. Slamovich match is interesting as well. For now though, it’s TNA getting to fend off a big enough NXT name and that’s a good sign. The crossover stuff is starting to feel more structured and that is a good sign, as it was lacking for such a long time.

Video on Moose vs. Leon Slater, looking back at the history of the X-Division.

Slater runs into Moose and the rest of the System. He still wants to take the title from Moose and become the youngest champion in history. Moose isn’t impressed and Slater leaves so here is Matt Cardona. He doesn’t like the team either but they walk away, with Brian Myers thinking about saying something before leaving too.

International Title: Jake Something vs. Mance Warner vs. Steve Maclin

Maclin is defending and Something charges in to jump Warner and start fast. With Warner on the floor, Something gives Maclin some running shoulders. Warner is back in with some chair shots though, with Steph de Lander giving him another one. That’s broken up as Something powerbombs Warner through the chairs, only to be sent outside by Maclin.

Back up and Maclin hits the running spear in the corner to hit Something, followed by the Tower Of Doom to leave everyone down. Back up and Maclin is dropped in the three way slugout so Warner takes Something out. The running knee gives Warner two but Maclin is right back with the KIA to Warner to retain at 7:35.

Rating: C+. Maclin is still looking for his big challenger/feud for the title and neither of these two exactly feel like it. At the same time though, it’s a good move to have Maclin out there building up some victories to start establishing the title. That’s one of the hardest things to do, but they’re making it work well enough here. They kept this one relatively short, but it was energetic while it lasted.

Tasha Steelz yells at the rest of Order 4 over their lack of championships. Steelz blames Ali for his loss to Mike Santana, which started tie team’s downward spiral. They’re going into Slammiversary as a team. Is that clear? Ali says Steelz lied to them but she said she had to. The System comes in to yell at them and a match seems to be made.

We get a video from 4th Rope Champion Real1, who implies that he’ll be going through the “forbidden door” because Slammiversary is in his neck of the woods. Can we please just not with this guy?

Video on Mike Santana, who talks about his father passing away. That made him a tougher man and he’s using the motivation to move forward.

Victoria Crawford vs. Indi Hartwell

Tessa Blanchard is on commentary. Crawford gets backed into the ropes to start and then bails to the apron a few times. Back in and Crawford manages a takedown but Hartwell hits a big boot for the pin at 2:40. It’s as sudden as it sounds.

Post match Blanchard yells about Hartwell being a horrible friend. Everything Hartwell has is because of her and Hartwell just backs off.

The Northern Armory yells at Santino Marella about Cody Deaner being the Home Town Man. Eric Young even admits that he was Super Eric, which has Marella confused.

We get a sitdown interview with Joe Hendry, who doesn’t like Trick Williams holding the TNA World Title hostage. Mike Santana has the fans believing in him as well, but Hendry thinks they believe in himself too. Hendry respects Santana, but it’s Hendry’s time to lead TNA.

First Class/Nemeths vs. Hardys/Rascalz

Trick Williams is on commentary. Nic and Reed start things off with Reed taking him down for an early legdrop. Wentz and Ryan come in, with the latter getting caught with a slingshot neckbreaker. Francis comes in and gets to face Jeff, with a Twisting Stunner staggering Francis into the ropes. Poetry In Motion connects and Wentz’s standing moonsault gets two. Some running splashes in the corner hit Wentz and we take an early break.

We come back with Ryan hammering on Wentz, with Nic dropkicking the knee out to keep him down. The villains keep taking turns on Wentz, including Nic going after the eyes. Wentz fights out of a chinlock and a double knockdown gives him a breather. It’s off to Matt to ram Nic into the corner over and over, followed by the Twist Of Fate to Ryan. Francis gets the turnbuckle treatment as well, but Williams offers a distraction. Francis chokeslams Matt down and steals the pin at 15:08.

Rating: B-. This got some time and wound up being a nice match, with the ending being more about making First Class feel like a bigger threat to win the titles. As usual, pinfalls mean nothing to set up a ladder match, because of course it’s a ladder match. For now though, we should be in for another wild match at Slammiversary, with this as a fine enough way to set it up.

Post match Williams gets in for the brawl but Mike Santana and Joe Hendry run in for the save. Hendry hits Santana by mistake though and they have to be held apart to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The best thing about this show is that a lot of things happened, with some of the matches being a bit shorter to keep things moving. It felt like a show with more matches than usual and that makes for a faster paced show. Nice stuff here, as the build to Slammiversary is coming together well enough.

Results
Elegance Brand b. Harley Hudson/Myla Grace – Rarefied Air to Grace
Cedric Alexander/Great Hands b. Secret Service – Lumbar Check
Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich b. Fatal Influence – Snowplow to Henley
Steve Maclin b. Jake Something and Mance Warner – KIA to Warner
Indi Hartwell b. Victoria Crawford – Big boot
First Class/Nemeths b. Hardys/Rascalz – Chokeslam to Matt

 

 

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 3, 2025
Location: UMPC Events Center, Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re less than a month away from Slammiversary and the big story is going to be Joe Hendry and Mike Santana both trying to get the World Title back to TNA from Trick Williams. More of the card needs to be set up, which very well could take place tonight. In addition, we have Killer Kelly vs. Masha Slamovich in a chain match. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

IInspiration vs. Victoria Crawford/Tessa Blanchard

Indi Hartwell is on commentary. Crawford backs McKay into the corner to start but McKay is right back with a quick Oklahoma roll for two. Blanchard comes in to choke Lee on the ropes, followed by a chinlock. That’s broken up and Lee gets in a swinging faceplant, allowing the tag back to McKay to clean house. Hold on though as Blanchard argues with Hartwell, leaving the IInspiration to hit the Idolizer for the pin on Crawford at 5:22.

Rating: C. Having the IInspiration back is a good thing as they actually offer a regular team in the Knockouts tag team division. They’re about as perfect of a team for the division as you can get and while I don’t know if they’re here permanently, it’s nice to see them getting some reps. What they’re doing so far is working though and that’s a good start.

Post match Hartwell and Blanchard get in a fight, with Hartwell issuing a challenge for Slammiversary.

Also at Slammiversary: the IInspiration gets a Knockouts Tag Team Title shot.

Here is Order 4, minus Mustafa Ali, for a chat. Tasha Steelz reveals that she called Cedric Alexander, and wants both he and Ali out here. Alexander talks about their history on 205 Live and how they wrestled all the way to Wrestlemania, with John Cena himself watching. Ali says he doesn’t want Alexander’s help, because Alexander took everything from him.

Ali wants a Wrestlemania rematch, but at Slammiversary. That’s not what Alexander wants, but he’ll do it. The fight is on, with Alexander and the Great Hands clearing out the security. I’m not sure on the idea of having this be focused on something from WWE but at least the match should be good.

We recap Killer Kelly vs. Masha Slamovich.

Knockouts Title: Masha Slamovich vs. Killer Kelly

Slamovich is defending in a chain match. They’re tied at the wrist by a chain and they slug it out to start. The fight is quickly outside where Kelly chokes her around the post to take over. Back in and Kelly fires off some knees to the face for two but Slamovich hits some clotheslines with the chain. Slamovich uses the chain to pull her into the post and then chokes away for a bonus.

Kelly is sent face first into the steps over and over and they go up the ramp, where Kelly gets in a suplex. Back in and they slug it out from their knees before a double clothesline leaves them both down. Kelly sends her into the corner and grabs Angel’s Wings for two. A running dropkick gets two in the corner so Slamovich goes simple by just choking her with the chain for the win at 11:16.

Rating: B-. The match was fine enough but I’m not sure how much interest there was in seeing these two fight. Yeah they have a history together, but Kelly was never a big star in the first place. Once MK Ultra broke up, Slamovich has moved way up and while it’s fine to have her face Kelly like this, it’s not the biggest match in the world.

Post match NXT’s Fatal Influence runs in to jump Slamovich. Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Lee make the save.

We look at Eric Young snapping last week and arguing with the Home Town Man in a digital exclusive.

Young yells at the Northern Armory, who promise to do whatever it takes to impress him. If this means we’re done with Young’s latest stable, I’m all for it.

Mike Santana says he has earned the World Title shot at Slammiversary and it is going to be worth everything he has gone through to get here.

Matt Cardona vs. Eddie Edwards

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. Cardona starts fast with a faceplant before hammering away in the corner. A backdrop and flapjack put Eddie down and Cardona hits the Reboot. Back up and Eddie gets in a shot of his own for two so Alisha puts the System ring on the apron. Cue Brian Myers to argue with Eddie though and Cardona gets a rollup for the pin at 4:15.

Rating: C. We might be seeing the beginning of the end of the System and after a year and a half, it might be time. Cardona and Myers getting back together isn’t the worst idea, but it’s still strange seeing Cardona as a good guy these days. I’ll take the possible cracks in the stable though, and that’s what we’re seeing so far.

Post match NXT’s Darkstate stable (four guys who attack various wrestlers) run in for the beatdown.

The Home Town Man has been attacked. I fail to see the negatives here.

Video on Leon Slater, who has been a TNA fan for years and is trying to become the youngest X-Division Champion of all time. This is a rather personal look at Slater and it makes him a lot easier to like, as this is obviously something he loves quite a bit.

Mance Warner vs. Jake Something

Steph de Lander is here with Warner and Steve Maclin is on commentary. Warner slugs away to start but Something fights back until de Lander grabs his foot. Warner slugs away again but the running knee is cut off. Something goes outside and yells at Maclin but the brawl is on, with Maclin jumping both of them for the double DQ at 2:57.

Post break Maclin agrees to fight both of them for the International Title.

Nic Nemeth vs. Zachary Wentz

Ryan Nemeth and Myron Reed are here too and Wentz is replacing an injured Trey Miguel. Wentz flips out of a wristlock to start and a middle rope crossbody gets two. Wentz goes after Ryan but gets jumped by Nic and we take a break. We come back with Wentz slugging away and catching Nic in a sitout powerbomb for two. They trade rollups for two each until Wentz hits a spinning knee for two more. Ryan grabs Wentz’s leg for a distraction so Wentz dives on him, only for Nic to grab the Danger Zone for the win at 9:02.

Rating: C+. Having Miguel in there wouldn’t have made much of a difference so this was about as good as we were going to get. The ending wasn’t exactly inspiring but Wentz isn’t going to be beating a star of Nic’s caliber. Then again it’s all about setting up their precious ladder match at Slammiversary so momentum only means so much.

We look at Joe Hendry beating Wes Lee on NXT, with Mike Santana helping him a bit.

Here is Frankie Kazarian for his new segment, the King’s Speech. He gets right to the point and brings out his guests: Joe Hendry, Mike Santana and Trick Williams (he’s a bigger fan of one than of the other two). Kazarian talks to Williams first, with Williams saying that he’s already beaten the two of them. The fans say they believe but Kazarian believes they’re idiots. Santana gets annoyed at Kazarian for cutting him off and says that he’s here to be the best in the world, and that’s what he’ll do at Slammiversary.

Hendry says the people are still believing in him but Williams says he’s still the man around here. Kazarian likes what Williams is saying and the brawl is on with the bad guys leaving Hendry and Santana laying to end the show. This was pretty basic stuff, but despite being a big star, Hendry isn’t feeling right in here. He’s had his moment and while I get the appeal of him doing it again, this feels like it would be better with Santana on his own.

Overall Rating: C+. The in-ring side of things was a bit weaker this time but what matters here is drawing up as much attention as possible for Slammiversary. That’s what they were trying to do here and there are some stories which have my attention. They still have a few weeks to go before the big show though and things can be developed in time. Just spice things up a bit and we should be in for a good event. This wasn’t a great show, but it took some necessary steps.

Results
IInspiration b. Victoria Crawford/Tessa Blanchard – Idolizer to Crawford
Masha Slamovich b. Killer Kelly – Choke
Matt Cardona b. Eddie Edwards – Rollup
Jake Something vs. Mance Warner went to a double DQ when Steve Maclin interfered
Nic Nemeth b. Zachary Wentz – Danger Zone

 

 

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