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:

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

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:

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

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

 

 

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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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NXT
Date: January 28, 2025
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

We are closing in on Vengeance Day and that means it is time to start putting the card together. For some reason the big draw this week is NXT Champion Oba Femi appearing on the Grayson Waller Effect, which was presented as a bigger deal than the NXT Title match last week. Hopefully they have something good planned so let’s get to it.

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

Giulia/Bayley vs. Roxanne Perez/Cora Jade

The villains try to jump them to start but are quickly knocked to the floor. We settle down to Giulia and Perez trading rollups for two each until Perez is dragged over to the corner. Jade comes in to yell at Bayley, who drops her with a clothesline for two. Perez sends Bayley and Giulia to the floor for some dives and we take an early break.

Back with everyone down before Bayley Stuns Jade over the middle rope. A cheap shot cuts Bayley off the top though and double teaming ensues as the referee holds Giulia back. Perez mocks Bayley’s old wave before charging into a belly to back suplex to give Bayley a breather. The Bayley To Belly allows the tag off to Giulia, who sends Perez flying with a suplex. Jade accidentally runs Perez over with a forearm for two as everything breaks down again. Giulia drops Jade and Bayley hits the top rope elbow for the pin at 12:59.

Rating: B-. Nice opener here as Bayley feels like the biggest star around here, just due to her legendary status. It helps that NXT can get bigger names from the main roster here and if Bayley can do something for NXT, it’s all the better. The match itself was good action, though Jade taking the fall felt like a matter of time more than anything else.

Eddy Thorpe insists he isn’t done and will make his mark in NXT.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect and hometown boy Austin Theory is rather popular until Grayson Waller cuts them off. Waller brings out Oba Femi as the guest and praises him, only for Theory to say he doesn’t see their potential. Femi brings up that he is the only one of them to be NXT Champion but Theory talks about how Femi is going to get to the main roster and then wind up on the indies selling t-shirts. Femi asks where their titles are and offers them a title shot at Vengeance Day. Waller tries to accept but here is Ava to say she makes the matches. Cue Trick Williams, who is planted with the Fall From Grace.

Izzi Dame says there is nothing going on with her and the D’Angelo Family. She helped D’Angelo keep the NXT Title because neither of them like Shawn Spears. Cue Ridge Holland to yell at her but Stacks cuts that off.

Trick Williams vs. Wes Lee

Williams is still banged up and Lee has Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont with him. Lee wastes no time in knocking Williams, with his bad ribs, into the corner. More shots to the back keep Williams in trouble but he pulls Lee’s high crossbody out of the air. The back gives out but Williams knocks him hard to the floor. A Meteora from the apron sends Williams into the announcers’ table though and we take a break.

Back with Williams kicking his way out of a half crab and dropping Lee with a shot to the face. The Trick Shot is loaded up but Igwe pulls Lee to the floor in time. Back in and Lee is launched over the top onto the other two and Williams unloads in the corner. The referee is finally thrown down and Williams is DQ’ed at 10:10.

Rating: C+. This was more about making Williams look intense and that worked out well. There is a very, very good chance that we are coming up on Williams vs. Oba Femi at Stand & Deliver and Williams is going to have to get warmed up on his way there. Beating up Lee is a good way to get started there and this was a nice way to make Williams feel serious.

Post match Williams grabs a chair and the ring is cleared out in a hurry.

Ava yells at Oba Femi for overstepping his bounds before making Femi vs. Austin Theory vs. Grayson Waller in a triple threat at Vengeance Day.

Post break Ava yells at Trick Williams and makes him/Femi vs. A-Town Down Under next week.

Women’s North American Title: Shotzi vs. Fallon Henley

Henley, with Fatal Influence, is defending so Shotzi has Gigi Dolin and Tatum Paxley to even things out. Shotzi grabs a hurricanrana to start and a wheelbarrow faceplant gets an early two. Henley bails to the floor so Shotzi hits a big dive and the other four brawl to the back. Shotzi’s kick only hits the post though and Henley takes the leg out as we take a break.

Back with Shotzi hitting an inverted cannonball but Henley grabs a hair faceplant. A stretch muffler is broken up and Shotzi’s Sliced Bread gets two. Shotzi crushes her with a top rope backsplash for two but another Sliced Bread is broken up. Something like a reverse explodes drops Shotzi and the Hoedown (Fameasser) retains the title at 10:15.

Rating: C. Not much to this one, other than Henley’s finisher is called the Hoedown, just in case you wanted her to be treated as a serious star. I have no idea how that was the best name they had, but for now Henley gets to hang onto the title. That being said, I can’t imagine Henley holding the title past Vengeance Day when Stephanie Vaquer likely gets a title shot.

Post match Stephanie Vaquer comes out for the staredown and the title match is official for Vengeance Day.

Kelani Jordan and Karmen Petrovic argue over Ashante Thee Adonis.

Ava makes Giulia vs. Bayley vs. Roxanne Perez for the Women’s Title at Vengeance Day. Perez approves, Cora Jade doesn’t.

Ethan Page vs. Cedric Alexander

Alexander starts fast and hammers away to choke Page in the corner. A dropkick puts Page down again but he goes after the bad fingers for a needed breather. The covering is taken off of the bad hand and Page sends it into the post as we take a break. Back with Alexander fighting back and grabbing a modified Koji Clutch. That’s broken up with a grab of the bad hand and Page breaks up a handspring. The Twist Of Fate finishes Alexander at 11:12.

Rating: C. I’m starting to get into this more angry and aggressive Page as it is starting to make him stand out a bit more. What matters the most here is that Page continues to look like a monster and that is likely going to lead to a showdown with Je’Von Evans at Vengeance Day. Page has gone from little more than a generic villain to something more interesting and that is nice to see.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Je’Von Evans runs in for the save.

Fatal Influence is ready for Stephanie Vaquer.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Josh Briggs gives Yoshiki Inamura his own vest so they can match.

Vengeance Day rundown.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Meta Four vs. Naomi/Bianca Belair

Naomi and Belair are defending. Jackson takes Naomi down to start but gets caught in a wristlock to slow things down. An exchange of rollups gets two each and it’s off to Belair for a Paisan Elbow. Legend comes in to face Belair and the fans definitely approve. A headscissors is countered into a swinging backbreaker to drop Belair and Legend’s running moonsault gets two as we take a break.

Back with Naomi being sent into the corner but we cut to Cora Jade yelling at Ava backstage. Naomi gets over to Belair for a needed tag and house is quickly cleaned. The handspring moonsault gives Belair two but everything breaks down. Belair is sent outside for a dive from Jackson and the wheelbarrow faceplant/cutter gets two on Naomi. Legend’s powerbomb is countered into an X Factor for a needed breather but Jackson gets a VERY near fall (with the fans booing it being called two and commentary calling it out). A quick KOD retains the titles at 12:58.

Rating: B. I’ve been rather critical of Legend but sweet goodness has she come a LONG way in the last year or so. She has gone from horrible to a heck of a powerhouse and she feels like a star. The ending felt like it could be moving somewhere later on, but for now, Belair and Naomi getting a hard fought win is nice to see.

We get a test pattern saying WWE TRANSMISSION but those words are deleted and VENGEANCE DAY comes up instead.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a weird show, as they set up a bunch of stuff for Vengeance Day but I can’t quite get behind a lot of what we are going to be seeing. There are multiple triple threats and those matches are only so interesting. The show itself was decent and some people were showing good fire, though I’m less interested in Vengeance Day than I was coming into this week. That’s not a good sign, but there is still time to make it better.

Results
Giulia/Bayley b. Roxanne Perez/Cora Jade – Top rope elbow to Jade
Wes Lee b. Trick Williams via DQ when Williams shoved the referee
Fallon Henley b. Shotzi – Hoedown
Ethan Page b. Cedric Alexander – Twist Of Fate
Bianca Belair/Naomi b. Meta Four – KOD to Jackson

 

 

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NXT
Date: January 21, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

We’re less than a month away from Vengeance Day and that means it is time to start getting ready for the show. So far we don’t have a card set for the show but we should be able to start adding some things this week. On top of that, we have three title matches so let’s get to it.

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

Corey Graves is back. That’s good to see, as he’s far too talented to blow up his career.

North American Title: Tony D’Angelo vs. Ridge Holland

D’Angelo, with his Family, is defending and after the Big Match Intros….we talk about Booker T.’s time as a TNA Legends Champion. Graves: “I believe in Joe Hendry.” Even after this partnership has been going on for months, this still feels weird. D’Angelo runs him over early to start but Shawn Spears comes out for a distraction as we take an early break.

Back with D’Angelo fighting out of an armbar and taking over, with a fisherman’s suplex getting two. The spinebuster is broken up so D’Angelo goes with a spear for a knockdown instead. Cue Nico Vance and Brooks Jensen to go after the Family, but Izzi Dame comes in to kick Holland in the head. The spinebuster retains the title at 7:26.

Rating: B-. That was a heck of a spinebuster at the end, but what was more impressive was they had a good match with so little time. You can only get so much out of a seven and a half minute match with a break in the middle. For now though, the important thing is D’Angelo continues to look like a big deal and it would not surprise me to see him being NXT Champion by the end of the year.

Wes Lee, with Tyriek Igwe and Tyson DuPont, aren’t happy with Dion Lennox. Trick Williams comes in and Lee mocks him, earning an immediate right hand in a funny bit.

Here is Bayley for a chat. She’s here to talk about her issues with Roxanne Perez, who could be great but slapped her in the face. Perez thinks Bayley is like Natalya or CM Punk, but that might be a compliment? Last night, Perez interfered on Raw and that makes Bayley think Perez just isn’t ready. This women’s division has a lot going on and with a champion like Giulia at the top…and here is Giulia to say she certainly respects Bayley.

Giulia hopes to hold the title with as much honor as Bayley did. Bayley is appreciative as Roxanne Perez and Cora Jade interrupt to insult her. The fans boo them out of the building and suggest that Bayley wants the Women’s Title, because this era has exceeded the Four Horsewomen era. The brawl is on and the villains are quickly cleared out. Odds are this sets up a tag match, though I’m not sure I can imagine Perez or Jade as a serious threat to Giulia.

Jaida Parker and Kelani Jordan argue but Karmen Petrovic interrupts and gets in a fight with Parker over Ashante Thee Adonis.

Bayley and Giulia are still brawling with Jade and Perez.

Wes Lee vs. Dion Lennox

Lee is ticked off after being slapped by Trick Williams (Joseph: “Williams slapped Lee so hard he thought his name was Desmond.”) and jumps Lennox to start, knocking him to the floor. Back in and Lennox runs him over, setting up a spinebuster for two as they’re going fast so far. That doesn’t last long though as the Cardiac Kick gives Lee the pin at 2:24. They’re trying with Lee, but I just can’t picture him as a top star.

Post match Lee calls out Trick Williams for next week so here is Williams to chase him off and accept.

We recap Lexis King winning the Heritage Cup for good last week.

Stephanie Vaquer wants the Women’s North American Title and doesn’t care who has it.

Heritage Cup: Lexis King vs. Charlie Dempsey

King is defending and Round One begins with a technical off going nowhere. King snaps off a dropkick into an armbar to work on the arm. They trade rollups for two each and it’s a standoff, with King trying another rollup. That’s reversed into a choke and then a crossface chickenwing but the round ends before a tap.

We take a break with King having gotten a pin in the second round to go up 1-0. Round Three begins with King working on the arm until a quick shot lets Dempsey take over. Dempsey gets two off a rollup and cranks on the arm some more before a bridging butterfly suplex ties it up at 2:28 of the round and 9:31 overall.

Round Four begins with King pulling out some brass knuckles but throwing them down with a shake of his head. Dempsey goes after the arm but gets suplexed out for his efforts. King hits a high crossbody for two, only to get suplexed for the same. Another tease of the knuckles doesn’t go anywhere so King knocks him outside for a big flip dive. Back in and the referee almost gets crushed in the corner, allowing King to get in a low blow. The Coronation retains the Cup at 2:50 of the round and 12:56.

Rating: C+. They’re definitely telling a story with King and his efforts to be good but getting pulled back into the dark side. That being said, this story feels like it is going to continue, even though it isn’t the most thrilling. Both of them need to move on to something else, though that low blow is likely going to result in another match.

Naomi and Bianca Belair are ready for Meta Four next week.

Andre Chase tells Hank And Tank to break up now because all teams split. As Kelani Jordan walks in the background, Chase goes to another room and sees people watching a Chase U video. Kale Dixon says Chase was great but Chase says Chase U is dead and leaves. Dixon: “But it doesn’t have to be.” It could be a long road from here, but dang the idea of Chase restarting the school and winning the NXT Title could be an all time NXT moment.

Karmen Petrovic vs. Jaida Parker

Ashante Thee Adonis is here with Petrovic, who takes him down by the arm to start. Parker catches her in an electric chair drop out of the corner and then hits the Tear Drop in the corner. A quick rollup gives Petrovic two and a Sling Blade gets the same. Parker gordbusters her down and loads up the Hipnotique, only to have Kelani Jordan come in for the distraction. Petrovic grabs a rollup for the pin at 5:09.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure what the appeal of Petrovic and Adonis is supposed to be but the story is probably the least interesting thing in NXT at the moment. I can go for more of Petrovic as she has something about her, but Parker losing isn’t the best thing to see. Not much of a match either, and it’s part of a less than interesting story.

Sol Ruca and Zaria give Meta Four something of a pep talk before next week’s Women’s Tag Team Title match. As usual, this sounded so scripted that it was painful.

Brooks Jensen/Nico Vance vs. D’Angelo Family

It’s a big brawl to start and a Stacks is hiptossed over the top onto Jensen and Vance. We settle down to Jensen suplexing Crusifino for two. Everything breaks down and the Family fights up, only for Crusifino to be sent outside. Back in and a spinwheel kick into a lariat from Vance finishes Stacks at 4:25.

Rating: C+. They kept this moving and it was nice to see a new team getting a chance. That being said, it’s also quite the big step for them to beat the D’Angelo family so soundly. It wasn’t a great match, but it did a good job of saying that Jensen and Vance, with Shawn Spears controlling them, could be a threat.

Fraxiom is happy with their win last week and they’re ready to go to Impact to defend against the Rascalz. Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura interrupt to say they want a title shot. OTM runs in and the brawl is on.

Dion Lennox is annoyed and throws a bunch of stuff.

The D’Angelo Family isn’t happy with Tony D’Angelo not being out there but he blames Izzi Dame for not shutting up. D’Angelo says Stacks has been the underboss for two years. He can do something on his own. Fair point.

Ethan Page is happy with hurting people and likes the sounds of people screaming in pain, including Je’Von Evans.

Je’Von Evans wants to fight Ethan Page but Ava says no due to his injury. Cedric Alexander comes in and is ready to face Page next week. Evans and Alexander leave but here is A-Town Down Under, who are supposed to be here next week. They want to offer the NXT Champion a spot on the Grayson Waller Effect next week. Maybe with some extra security. As for tonight, they’ll be watching the main event.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Diamond Dallas Page is here.

NXT Title: Eddy Thorpe vs. Oba Femi

Femi is defending and powers him into the corner to start, only to miss a charge. Thorpe’s quick kick staggers Femi for two but he glares up at Thorpe for quite the look. One heck of a backdrop sends Thorpe flying but he gets in a dropkick off the apron. A-Town Down Under is watching from the balcony as we take a break.

Back with Femi powering him away again and hitting a heck of a spinebuster for two. A chokeslam is countered into a triangle choke and Thorpe even adds a hurricanrana for a near fall of his own. Thorpe stuns Femi with a Stunner and drops a top rope elbow for two more. Back up and Thorpe hammers away, including a slingshot German suplex for two. Femi powers up and hits a chokeslam for two of his own, only to miss a charge into the post. Thorpe tries to slug away but gets tossed with ease. The Fall From Grace retains the title at 10:18.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure I get this one, as it was mostly the monster Femi selling for Thorpe, who has cheated his way into everything he has. Femi won in the end, but he’s not the kind of champion who should be fighting from underneath for so long. It’s a good enough match, but I’m really not sure I get the thinking behind what they were doing. Also, you might want to not promote “the winner gets to be on the Grayson Waller Effect” over “the winner is the NXT Champion.”

Post match Trick Williams comes out for a Trick Shot to Thorpe before staring Femi down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show had a big card with three title matches and Bayley as a guest star, but it didn’t feel like a great show. They kept hyping up next week’s show in Atlanta and how big everything on that show was going to be and that didn’t keep me interested in what they were doing this week. It’s far from a bad show, but for what was included, it should have been better.

Results
Tony D’Angelo b. Ridge Holland – Spinebuster
Wes Lee b. Dion Lennox – Cardiac Kick
Lexis King b. Charlie Dempsey 2-0
Brooks Jensen/Nico Vance b. D’Angelo family – Lariat to Stacks
Oba Femi b. Eddy Thorpe – Fall From Grace

 

 

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NXT
Date: December 31, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the last wrestling show of the year (at least around here) and we also have one week to go before New Year’s evil, which has already been set up and now we get to see where things are going. Most of the matches are ready to go and now we are likely in for one more week of building things up. Let’s get to it.

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

Kelani Jordan vs. Lola Vice

Vice starts fast and pulls her into a chinlock, which is reversed into an armbar. Back up and Vice fires off the kicks, setting up the running hip attack in the corner. We take a break and come back with Vice hitting Two Amigos but taking too long to dance, allowing Jordan to do the dance and take her down instead. Back up and Jordan flips into a choke but manages to get to the ropes. Cue Cora Jade for a distraction though and Jordan gets a bridging rollup for the pin at 8:54.

Rating: C. This was another good example of a match that was hurt by the break in the middle, as probably 40% of it was in the commercial. Other than that, it was Vice doing her strikes and Jordan escaping with gymnastics. I’m not sold on Jordan as a villain yet but I’ll take it over her being rather dull on the other side.

Post match Jade unloads on both of them with the kendo stick but Stephanie Vaquer makes the save. Vice accidentally elbows Vaquer in the face when Jade ducks and panic ensues.

It’s time for the NXT Awards, with Oba Femi vs. Josh Briggs vs. Dijak at Stand & Deliver winning Match Of The Year. Briggs is the only one who gets to talk, but he does thank everyone who “feasted their eyes” on the match.

Video on Giulia, who wants to join the list of NXT Women’s Champions.

Moment Of The Year is…Joe Hendry in NXT. Hendry is grateful and teases another appearance, right before an ad for Raw on Netflix.

Cedric Alexander isn’t happy with Ethan Page attacking Je’Von Evans. A match seems to be set for New Year’s Evil but here is Page to taunt Alexander, triggering a brawl. We’ll do it right now.

Cedric Alexander vs. Ethan Page

Joined in progress with Alexander hammering away before hitting a pair of dropkicks. Another running dropkick to the back of the head gets two and Page is sent outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Page hits his own dropkick for two, setting up the chinlock. Alexander fights up and strikes away, setting up a Michinoku Driver for two of his own. Page pops back up with a big boot into a Twist Of Fate for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C. Page isn’t about to lose to someone on the level of Alexander and thankfully they didn’t waste a lot of time getting there. Page took out Evans a few weeks ago and needed a win to back it up, which is what he got here. It wasn’t anything great and it didn’t need to be, as Page looking more like his old self was the point.

Post match Page crushes Alexander’s hand in a tool box.

Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont/Wes Lee seem to like what Shawn Spears is telling them. Hank and Tank need partners.

Shotzi/Gigi Dolin vs. Meta Four vs. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance

Carter knocks Dolin to the ropes, where Legend tags herself in and puts Dolin on the apron. It’s quickly off to Jackson to suplex Shotzi. Everything breaks down and some running shots have Jackson in more trouble. Carter comes back in for a running boot to put Shotzi on the floor, with Carter and Chance’s dives taking out everyone else. We take a break and come back with Dolin striking away at Legend before Carter comes back in with a basement superkick.

The Keg Stand gets two on Legend with a bunch of people making the save. A belly to back moonsault hits Jackson’s raised knees as everything breaks down. Shotzi tries a dive and lands ON HER HEAD but thankfully she’s up fast enough to get take out by a dive from Jackson. Cue Fatal Influence for a distraction though, allowing Meta Four to hit a wheelbarrow faceplant/cutter combination to finish Dolin at 11:24.

Rating: C-. I really wasn’t feeling this one as it was kind of all over the place with people just doing stuff until even more people interfered to give Meta Four the win. The good thing here is that Shotzi is ok, as that was an absolutely terrifying landing. She was right back up though and I’m not sure how she managed to make that happen without a bad case of broken neck.

Post match the Unholy Union pops up on screen to challenge the Meta Four to a match with title implications.

Lola Vice tries to apologize to Stephanie Vaquer, who is not having it. Kelani Jordan comes in to mock them and everyone has to be pulled apart. Cora Jade is watching when Ava comes in to put her in a four way #1 contenders match next week for a shot at the Women’s North American Title.

Ava is in her office with William Regal, Lexis King and Charlie Dempsey. Apparently the rules aren’t clear if the Heritage Cup can change hands via DQ. Therefore, next week, King vs. Dempsey for the Cup, one fall, sudden death. Regal is having nothing to do with this. There are like five rules for the Cup. How is that not clear? It took them a week to figure this out?

The Tag Team Of The Year is Nathan Frazer and Axiom. Yes, the team who have dominated the tag division and won the titles twice while holding them for over half of the year are in fact the winners.

Frazer and Axiom wouldn’t have it any other way but OTM comes in to say they’re coming for the belts.

Zaria and Sol Ruca are ready.

Sol Ruca vs. Izzi Dame

Zaria is here too. Ruca takes her down with a headlock to start before voiding a charge to send Dame shoulder first into the post. Back up and Dame takes her out of the corner as Shawn Spears is watching from the platform. Ruca fights up with some springboard shoulders and a running X Factor. Dame rolls outside and has to avoid Ruca’s moonsault, which hits Zaria instead. Back up and Dame boots her in the face, setting up a Sky High for the pin at 4:58.

Rating: C. This was more about Ruca and Zaria than anything else and I’m not even sure why they’re having issues. At the same time, Spears being involved isn’t exactly making it more interesting, but this hasn’t been the most thrilling show so far. At least Dame got a win for a change after not exactly doing much for a good while.

Hank and Tank might have a partner for tonight: Andre Chase.

The Female Superstar Of The Year is Roxanne Perez. Again: the woman who dominated the title scene winning is hardly a shock.

Perez isn’t surprised. Neither am I.

Hank And Tank/Andre Chase vs. Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont/Wes Lee

Chase is looking rather unkempt and is in street clothes. The villains jump them to start and Hank gets caught in the wrong corner. That’s broken up and it’s off to Tank, who is whipped into the corner by Igwe. Everything breaks down and Chase hits a top rope flip dive onto Igwe and DuPont as we take a break.

Back with Hank still in trouble and getting caught with a pop up World’s Strongest Slam. Lee grabs a guillotine choke and a pop up double stomp hits Hank again. Hank fights out and brings in Tank for the house cleaning but quickly hands it off to Chase. Igwe gets knocked down and Chase loads up the spelling stomps but brings Hank back in instead before walking out. That leaves Hank to get hit in the ace, setting up a Stunner to give Igwe the pin at 12:00.

Rating: C. Here we have a storytelling match as Chase is back but can’t do it without it being Chase U. That’s going to create some issues going forward and those should be interesting, but for now this was a bunch of people with nothing else going on having a math where Chase was involved. You can get by with that on occasion, though this show hasn’t exactly been must see so far.

Ashante Thee Adonis calls Karmen Petrovic about New Year’s Eve but gets voicemail, saying he’ll spend it alone if he can’t spend it with her. Nikkita Lyons comes up to invite him to a party but he turns her down.

Shawn Spears praises Izzi Dame but gets turned down. The D’Angelo Family comes in before anything can happen, so Spears implies he’s coming for D’Angelo. With Spears gone, D’Angelo tells the Family to take him out.

Kale Dixon asks Andre Chase about the next semester, but Chase says Chase U is dead. Well that’s a sad way to end the year.

New Year’s Evil rundown.

It’s time to announce the Male Superstar Of The Year but Oba Femi interrupts before anyone is named. Femi says the award doesn’t matter because it’s just a popularity contest. He goes on about how he’s going to win the title because “I am the captain now.” Cue Trick Williams to interrupt, saying he needs to dig deep to retain next week.

Williams calls Femi “Old Beatable Oba”, which is true because otherwise it would be title vs. title. How long is Femi going to leave when he loses this time? Eddy Thorpe runs in to send them into each other and breaks the trophy over Femi’s head. Thorpe holds up the title to end the show. So I guess Femi won, but I don’t think it was ever made clear.

Overall Rating: C-. And that might be generous. This was the definition of a show where they knew it didn’t matter because of the holiday and next week being the big show. The wrestling was mediocre at best and most of the awards were obvious rather than having any drama. Not a good show here, and one of the weaker NXT’s that I can remember in a pretty long time.

Results
Kelani Jordan b. Lola Vice – Bridging rollup
Ethan Page b. Cedric Alexander – Twist Of Fate
Meta Four b. Kayden Carter/Katana Chance and Shotzi/Gigi Dolin – Wheelbarrow faceplant/cutter combination to Dolin
Izzi Dame b. Sol Ruca – Sky High
Tyriek Igwe/Tyson DuPont/Wes Lee b. Hank And Tank/Andre Chase – Stunner to Hank

 

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NXT
Date: December 3, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s the go home show for Deadline and that means it is time to finalize the lineups for the Iron Survivor Challenges. We have a pair of last chance matches tonight, plus the tag team battle royal to crown some new #1 contenders. This is a pretty stacked show and that should mean something good so let’s get to it.

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

Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Jaida Parker vs. Wren Sinclair vs. Kelani Jordan vs. Cora Jade

Jordan and Sinclair both grab early near falls and the other two join in with their own two counts. A high crossbody gets two on Parker but Jade is back in with a double clothesline to Jordan and Sinclair. Parker puts the two of them in the corner and sits on their ribs as we take a break.

Back with Jordan getting the worst of a Tower Of Doom but she’s able to powerbomb Jade out of the corner. Jordan frog splashes Parker and Sinclair at the same time with Jade making the save. Jade’s double arm DDT is broken up with a clothesline and Jordan drops a 450 but Parker drops Sinclair onto them to break it up. Parker goes for the cover but cue Lola Vice for the distraction, allowing Sinclair to get the pin on Jade at 11:16.

Rating: B-. They kept things moving here and it made for a fast paced match with Sinclair winning in a surprise. Jordan felt like the logical way to go here, but it was nice to see a bit of a twist. Sinclair has been doing rather well for the last few months and she deserves to get a chance to do something bigger.

Eddy Thorpe is going to win tonight and says he didn’t do anything wrong last week. Lexis King comes in to say Thorpe needs to stay calm, but tonight King is on his path to winning a title.

Here is a ticked off Jaida Parker to call out Lola Vice. After a break, and with the ropes being removed, Parker wants NXT Underground. Ava comes out to make the match for Deadline but here is Vice to promise to knock Parker out. Parker throws her the brick and then knocks Vice out with an elbow.

Brinley Reece and Dion Lennox try to calm Karmen Petrovic down about Ashante Thee Adonis. Petrovic gets some flowers from Adonis, who says he sent the text to Nikkita Lyons before her. She’s impressed.

Axiom and Nathan Frazier aren’t on the same page (again) about which Deadline match they should be focused on.

Tag Team Battle Royal

D’Angelo Family, OTM, Gallus, Hank Walker/Tank Ledger, No Quarter Catch Crew, Josh Briggs, Yoshiniki Inamura, Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe

The winners get a Tag Team Title shot at Deadline and both members have to be eliminated. It’s a brawl to start with Inamura cleaning house. Hank and Tank get rid of DuPont and a chop gets rid of Crusifino. Heights and Briggs are both put out and Stacks is tossed to officially eliminate the Family. Back with Inamura and Nima out to get the field down even further. Hank and Tank get rid of Igwe, who grabs the rope and Walker is sent outside.

Walker catches Ledger before he’s eliminated and Gallus are put out back to back. We’re down to Nima, Borne and Ledger, with the fans rather behind….well NXT actually. Price chokeslams Borne onto Ledger, the latter of whom is back up to drop both of them. Back up and Nima gets crotched on top, allowing Borne to clothesline Ledger out. A dropkick eliminates Nima to give Borne, and the No Quarter Catch Crew, the win at 14:44.

Rating: C. Tag team battle royals are hard to make work and that was the case again here, mainly because a lot of these teams just don’t stand out. OTM and DuPont/Igwe haven’t done anything to distinguish themselves, Briggs and Inamura are brand new, the D’Angelo Family are just lackeys for D’Angelo himself, and the Catch Crew and Gallus are just ok. No one stands out above the pack and that didn’t help. Heights and Borne getting the shot works well enough though, as it’s no like there is a team who really belongs on top.

Here is Eric Bischoff to moderate a chat between Trick Williams and Ridge Holland. Bischoff talks about being on the cutting edge of wrestling and how awesome that has always been. It was a revolution in WCW and now the same thing is going on here in NXT. Two pieces of the puzzle to raise NXT up to that next level are his guests tonight so here are Holland and Williams.

Bischoff talks about how Holland is like a throwback to wrestlers like the Crusher. Williams is a total package (Williams: “Let’s talk about it.”) but Holland calls him a stand up comedian with abs. Holland is ready to take the NXT Title but Williams calls him bland and boring.

Holland says that while Williams was a football player, Holland was playing a man’s game in rugby. Williams slugs away and the fight is on with Holland hitting a lifting DDT onto the announcers’ table. That’s enough for Williams to be taken away on a stretcher. I have no idea why Bischoff was needed here.

Nikkita Lyons vs. Karmen Petrovic

They both miss kicks to start until Petrovic kicks her into the corner. Lyons is back with some choking on the ropes and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Petrovic strikes away but Lyons grabs a release German suplex. Cue Ashante Thee Adonis, who takes a kick from Lyons (aimed at Petrovic), which allows Petrovic to hit the Silent Slice for the win at 3:34.

Rating: C. Short and to the point here but I can go for Petrovic getting the win. She needs something to make her feel like a bigger star and while I’m not big on the Adonis story, it’s better than nothing. At the very least, she’s winning matches and that should help boost her up quite nicely.

Post match Petrovic says Adonis shoved her and walks off.

Shawn Spears is almost ready to unleash Niko Vance but we pan over to Tatum Paxley and Gigi Dolin, with Spears saying he’ll be watching Dolin’s return match.

The No Quarter Catch Crew is fired up and ready for Deadline.

Gigi Dolin vs. Izzi Dame

Tatum Paxley is here with Dolin, who takes Dame down for an early chinlock. Cue Shawn Spears to watch as Fatal Influence is watching in the back, with Dame stomping away on the ropes. A big boot takes Paxley out (Spears approves) but Dolin slips out of a half crab. An STO gives Dame two but Dolin is right back with the Gigi Driver for the win at 3:43.

Rating: C. Another short match here, with Dolin getting back in the swing of things after being away for so long. It seems like she is in for a Women’s North American Title match and she is going to need a few wins to get ready. That’s one of the easiest ways to do it, and odds are she’ll be facing the rest of Fatal Influence sooner than later. That’s not a bad idea, and in this case that is working well enough.

Sean Waltman praises Je’Von Evans, who is the same age Waltman was when he beat Razor Ramon. Evans is a big starstruck.

Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Cedric Alexander vs. Lexis King vs. Eddy Thorpe vs. Axiom

Ethan Page is on commentary. It’s a fast start with King snapping off a running hurricanrana to send Evans outside. Back in and Alexander knocks King to the floor. Axiom and Alexander put each other down and we take a break. We come back with Thorpe getting the worst end of a Tower Of Doom and King hitting a big running flip dive to the floor.

Back in and King’s Swanton gets two on Alexander but Axiom is back up with some running shots to the face. The super Spanish Fly gets two on Thorpe, setting up a cross armbreaker. That’s broken up and Alexander Michinoku Drivers King for two, with Thorpe making the save. The Golden Ratio hits King but Thorpe steals the pin at 10:45.

Rating: B-. This was similar to the way the Iron Survivor Challenge is going to go as it was a bunch of fast paced offense with everyone trying to score a fast pin. It makes for some exciting action and that is the point of what we’ll be seeing this weekend. Thorpe going forward is an interesting way to go, though King and Axiom were viable options as well.

Ava calls in and says the NXT Title match is still on for Deadline.

Eddy Thorpe can’t find Ava but promises to win the NXT Title.

Deadline rundown.

Here is Roxanne Perez for a chat. She’s interested in the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge because it’s what got her on the map, but everyone this year is fighting for second place. Any of them can get something out of winning but nothing compares to stepping in the ring with her. Cue all of the people in the match to interrupt and the big brawl is on, with Perez being knocked to the floor.

We cut to the back where Eddy Thorpe has been laid out.

Overall Rating: C+. Other than the last members of the Iron Survivor Challenges being introduced, there was only so much to this show. They tried something at the end with Thorpe being attacked, but I was only kind of getting into this one. The good thing is Deadline is such a gimmick heavy show and we should be in for a good one. Not a great show here, but it helped set the bigger one.

Results
Wren Sinclair b. Jaida Parker, Kelani Jordan and Cora Jade – 450 to Jade
No Quarter Catch Crew won a tag team battle royal last eliminating OTM
Karmen Petrovic b. Nikkita Lyons – Silent Slice
Gigi Dolin b. Izzi Dame – Gigi Driver
Eddy Thorpe b. Axiom, Cedric Alexander and Lexis King – Golden Ratio to King

 

 

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NXT
Date: November 12, 2024
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We’re back at home this week after last week’s field trip to Philadelphia and the ECW Arena, meaning it’s time to start getting ready for Deadline. That means we’ll be seeing some Iron Survival qualifying matches this week, which should have some potential. Other than that, Zaria seems to be coming for the Women’s Title so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of last week’s show with the slightly rowdy crowd.

Meta Four vs. Giulia/Stephanie Vaquer

Legend and Giulia start things off with Legend kicking her in the face and handing it off to Jackson for a basement dropkick. They trade rollups for two each until Giulia takes her into the corner so Vaquer can come in for a double elbow. A running legdrop gives Vaquer two so it’s back to Legend for a hard right hand. Everything breaks down and Meta Four clears the ring as we take an early break.

Back with Jackson holding Vaquer in a crossarm choke, which is quickly escaped for the tag to Giulia. A snap suplex gets two on Jackson and a double belly to back suplex gets two. Giulia dropkicks Legend on the floor and a missile dropkick into a package backbreaker into stereo knees to the face finish Jackson at 10:54.

Rating: C+. Giulia and Vaquer continue to be the dream team and there is no reason for them to be losing anytime soon. They didn’t quite run through Meta Four here but they shrugged off the offense and won in pretty dominant fashion. Good opener here, with Giulia and Vaquer already feeling like a big deal.

Post match Vaquer and Giulia are ready for the Iron Survivor Challenge.

Video on the Iron Survivor Challenge.

Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Cora Jade vs. Sol Ruca

Jade stalls to start and they take turns sitting on the turnbuckles for some taunting. Ruca takes her down and surfs on Jade’s back but Jade gets in a quick knockdown. A stomp to the back has Ruca in trouble and Jade chokes away in the corner. Back up and they trade forearms until Ruca hits a springboard crossbody. Another springboard is broken up but Jade misses a charge into the corner, allowing the Sol Snatcher to give Ruca the pin at 3:32.

Rating: C. The Sol Snatcher is always worth a look and that’s about all they had time for here. You’re not going to be able to get much out of a match that barely breaks three and a half minutes, but at least Ruca won to give her a shot in the bigger match. It’s good to have Jade back, but she’s just not at that higher level and it’s showing more often in the ring.

Je’Von Evans and Cedric Alexander are ready to qualify for the men’s version.

Karmen Petrovic seems to hit on Dion Lennon when Brinley Reece interrupts. She wants to know what is going on but Ashante Thee Adonis comes in and can’t believe this is going on. Lennox: “Since when have we been friends?” A mixed tag seems likely.

Ava holds a meeting with the tag team division. They all bicker, with Ava telling the teams to show her.

Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge Qualifying Match: Wes Lee vs. Cedric Alexander

Alexander shoves him down a few times to start before slapping on a headlock. Lee flips out into an armbar before sweeping out the leg and adding a flipping backsplash. Alexander sends him outside for a dive but leaves it rather short as we take a break. Back with the Cardiac Kick being countered with a dropkick and adding a basement version for a bonus.

Something like an STO onto the apron sets up a springboard Downward Spiral to give Alexander two. Lee is right back with the Cardiac Kick for two but Lee pulls the turnbuckle pad off to break up the Lumbar Check. Alexander settles for a Michinoku Driver for two, only to miss a charge into the exposed buckle. The Meteora finishes for Lee at 11:51.

Rating: B. As has been proven before, there is certainly something to the idea of just taking talented stars and giving them a chance to do something in the ring. These two got about twelve minutes and had a solid match as a result, which is about all you can want in this. Lee is definitely the hotter star of the two at the moment, as Alexander is mainly there to make people look good, which was the case again here.

Tony D’Angelo is eating at the restaurant when Shawn Spears and Brooks Jensen come in. Spears wants the North American Title…so he’s asking for a title shot for Jensen. They leave and get into a car, which is driven by what appears to be Niko Vance, someone who has been on LVL Up for a few months.

Kelani Jordan wants her North American Title back but Fatal Influence comes in to say it’s not happening.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. He gets right to the point by saying he wants Ridge Holland out here right now. Instead here is Andre Chase, who says he has no issues with Williams but wants Holland too. Williams respects Chase and seems to be ready to offer him an NXT Title shot but Holland interrupts.

Holland is done with Chase and is ready to move on to Williams and the NXT Title. That doesn’t work for Chase, who wants one more match and is willing to put all of Chase U on the line. Holland doesn’t care so Williams suggests a #1 contenders match next week for the Deadline title shot. Holland agrees, but if Chase loses, Chase U is completely done. That’s quite a risk for someone like Chase who can never win the big one, but Chase is in. Williams decks Holland and Chase gets in some stomps to wrap it up. Holland moving forward makes sense…but don’t end Chase U.

Jaida Parker is ready to win the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge.

Josh Briggs, with Pro Wrestling Noah star Yoshiki Inamura, is in the back with Ava when Eddy Thorpe interrupts. Thorpe wants a chance, which is why Ava has put him in an Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying match. Works for Thorpe.

Adriana Rizzo vs. Nikkita Lyons

Lyons strikes away to start and blocks an early sunset flip attempt. Riz gets in a shot and goes up, only to dive into a full nelson. Lyons throws her down for two and hits some hip attacks to the head, setting up a seated full nelson. That’s broken up and Riz hits a springboard spinning crossbody for a breather, only for Lyons to shrug of a middle rope Thesz press. A superkick into the Vader Bomb finishes for Lyons at 4:33.

Rating: C. I just don’t get it with Lyons. I’m trying to see the big star power in her and it’s just not clicking for some reason. It does help to have her wrestle as more of a monster as she has a physical style that is rather unique in the division. Other than that though, I just don’t get it and while it makes sense for her to beat someone like Riz, hopefully it doesn’t go much higher up than that. Which it likely will.

Post match, Riz decks her with a crowbar. Well that escalated.

The rest of Chase U asks Andre Chase what he’s thinking but this is the kind of risk that has to be taken. The team doesn’t buy it.

Men’s Iron Survival Challenge Qualifying Match: Je’Von Evans vs. Lexis King

They trade rollups to start and then flip over each other with neither getting very far. A springboard hurricanrana takes King down and Evans hits a big dive to the floor. Back in and King seems to hit him low off a leapfrog but King doesn’t want it that way. Instead we take a break and come back with Evans snapping off a suplex for two. A springboard high crossbody gets the same and the frog splash gives Evans two more. King is back with a Backstabber into a fisherman’s buster for two, only for Evans to hit a superkick. The top rope spinning splash finishes King at 9:37.

Rating: C+. I get more of what WWE sees in Evans but it’s still only getting him so far. It feels like someone where I’ve seen almost everything he can do and that’s not a great sign so soon into his career. Granted that also means he has time to develop, but it’s not showing so far. Granted, this was a good big better than last week against Wes Lee. As for King you can see the story they’re telling, but it could take a few different directions.

Respect is shown post match.

Nathan Frazier tells Axiom that he has an Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying match and Axiom is not pleased. OTM and the D’Angelo Family come in to argue.

Lexis King is frustrated by another loss so some people try to calm him down. This turns into an argument between Gallus and Hank Walker/Tank Ledger.

Women’s North American Title: Kelani Jordan vs. Fallon Henley

Henley, with the rest of Fatal Influence, is defending. They fight over a lockup to start until Henley’s chop seems to make Jordan…sad? An armdrag off the ropes puts Henley down and an anklescissors out of the corner does it again. They go outside with Jordan’s moonsault off of the announcers’ table mostly missing as we take a break.

Back with a double armdrag takedown leaving them both on the mat for a breather. They trade forearms as more tag teams are brawling backstage. Jordan gets in a knockdown into a rolling…shooting star press for two. With that completely illogical move out of the way, Henley pulls her out of the corner for two of her own but Jordan catches her on top. A super Spanish Fly (which Vic calls a Phoenix splash for some reason) gives Jordan two and One Of A Kind connects, but Jacy Jayne puts the foot on the rope. Jazmyn Nyx gets in a cheap shot of her own and a Fameasser retains the title at 9:26.

Rating: B-. Henley has improved rather nicely in recent months and that was on display here with one of her better singles matches to date. At the same time, the Fameasser is a better finisher than another running strike as that has been done to death in modern wrestling. It’s also nice to see her get a win, albeit with some cheating, to make her feel like something of a more legitimate champion. One of the newcomers will be coming after her soon enough though and that’s where the trouble will begin. For now, though, nice stuff here, as Jordan can move on to something else.

Post match the tag teams get in another fight in the arena to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There is always something to be said about a show that focuses on wrestling like this one did. Having a bunch of qualifying matches over this and the next few weeks is a good way to go and it worked here. There is a point to having these matches and it makes the show that much more interesting. It wasn’t a must see show, but it was a show that set things up for later and gave us some quality action throughout. I’ll take that every week.

Results
Giulia/Stephanie Vaquer b. Meta Four – Double knees to Jackson
Sol Ruca b. Cora Jade – Sol Snatcher
Wes Lee b. Cedric Alexander – Meteora
Sol Ruca b. Adriana Rizzo – Vader Bomb
Je’Von Evans b. Lexis King – Top rope spinning splash

 

 

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