Lockdown 2026
Date: August 23, 2026
Location: Credit Union 1 Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

So this is back and…yeah I still don’t get it. The idea here is that every match is going to be inside a cage, albeit with various rules. The main event is some choice between the Hardys vs. the Nemeths for the Tag Team Titles and Lethal Lockdown, neither of which exactly screams top level match. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Righteous vs. BDE/Rich Swann

Not in a cage and Vincent stares at BDE (on the apron) before jumping Swann to start. Some double teaming has Vincent in trouble and BDE stays in to kick away at the chest. Dutch comes in to drop BDE on his face, allowing Vincent’s sliding Downward Spiral to get two. We’re already off to the chinlock, with BDE fighting up and earning himself a clothesline.

Dutch drops Swann in a smart move and Vincent cuts off another tag attempt, only to kick BDE over to Swann in quite the slip. Swann kicks away and gets two off the frog splash but Vincent is back with a Downward Spiral. BDE breaks it up and Swann’s middle rope cutter gets two, but Dutch sends him outside. Back in and Orange Sunshine finishes BDE at 7:54.

Rating: C+. For a match featuring what was supposed to be a new start for the Righteous, it was pretty much exactly what it’s always been from them. In other words, not very much to see here, with the Righteous only breaking something of a sweat against a team who didn’t pose a real threat. Then again, that’s kind of BDE’s whole thing.

Pre-Show: Trey Miguel vs. Special Agent Zero

Again not in a cage and Miguel is in Spider-Man inspired gear, though he’s no Arachnaman. Miguel rolls away to start and a hurricanrana out of the corner sends Zero outside. Back in and Zero cuts him off with a clothesline and a big right hand puts him down again. A swinging Downward Spiral gives Zero two but Miguel knocks him to the floor. That means the step up flip dive can connect and some kicks do the same to Zero back inside. Zero drops him throat first across the top and loads up a fireman’s carry, only to get cradled to give Miguel the pin at 5:11.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here but they told a quick story with the power vs. speed. I’m rather surprised that Zero lost so soon as you don’t want that to happen to a monster, though it helps that it was mainly a fluke rollup. At the same time, Miguel’s return push continuing is good to see, as he has the status to turn into a bigger deal around here.

National Anthem, minus any singing.

The opening video, set to a song by Chris Bey, looks at the bigger matches on the card.

Remember: every match is inside a cage.

AJ Francis vs. Elijah

These two have been feuding for a bit and this is the rubber match. Francis runs him over to start fast but it’s too early for the Down Payment. Elijah is right back with Old School (not as impressive when he can grab the cage) and a Stunner but Francis avoids a charge into the cage. Francis whips him into the cage again so Elijah has to climb the corner to escape another Down Payment attempt.

That leaves them both on top, with Elijah getting in a powerbomb. The top rope elbow gives Elijah two so he goes all the way to the top of the cage, which seems rather dimwitted. Francis is there to cut off a Walk With Elijah on top of the cage, where they both sit down and slug it out. Elijah gets the better of things and superplexes him down for two and a huge crash.

Cue Francis’ goon Expressions in a wheelchair and the distraction lets Francis hit the Cash Out for two more. For some reason Francis goes for the door (even though you can’t win by escape), allowing Elijah to give him an F5. Now it’s Elijah going for the door, with Expressions slamming it on his head. The TFL gives Francis two as Expressions is back on his feet. A Canadian Destroyer cuts Francis off but Expressions dives in for the save. Elijah gives him a Highwayman’s Farewell, allowing Francis to hit a (nice) moonsault. The Down Payment finishes Elijah at 13:24.

Rating: C. The action was ok and the superplex looked good, but Elijah came off like an utter moron here. I get the idea of getting caught up in the moment but this was so many different levels of dumb. Elijah had to do so many idiotic things so Expressions could get involved for the distraction and it didn’t feel natural in the slightest. Just have Expressions interfere and let Elijah look a bit brighter and it’s far better.

Post match the Home Town Man comes in with a guitar for Elijah, who goes to the middle rope (somehow without Francis noticing) for El Kabong, because this feud might be continuing.

Allie can’t find Rosemary but she has a replacement partner. To be announced.

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

The Brand (dressed as police officers for some reason) is challenging, with the rest of the Brand with them. Allie does have a partner and it’s…..the returning Kiera Hogan. Allie fires off right hands to M to start and gives her a running knee lift. Hogan and Heather come in (with Hogan being the taller of the two at 4’11) with Hogan grabbing a neckbreaker for a quick near fall. Allie comes back in but gets distracted by Mr. Elegance, allowing the Brand to take over.

M’s dropkick to the back and suplex get two each and we’re off to the chinlock. Heather gets in a chinlock of her own, which doesn’t last long as Allie gets up and brings in Hogan to clean house. Everything breaks down (which feels weird in a cage match) and the Personal Concierge whips out some handcuffs. As she’s the size of a pipe cleaner, Heather slips through the cage bars and cuffs Allie to the cage…and Hogan easily fisherman’s neckbreakers M to retain at 7:32.

Rating: C+. The ending made me think of the scene in Raiders Of The Lost Ark where one of the villains does a big display with a sword and Jones just casually shoots him. Hogan looking to be in trouble and then just mowing M down like she was nothing was rather hilarious, even if I doubt that was the idea. If Rosemary is going to be gone for a bit, Hogan is a fine enough choice for the replacement and adds another name to the roster at the same time. That’s as efficient as you’re going to get.

Hogan seems to be the official replacement champion.

Commentary shouts out Rebel, which is great to see. Well in a way.

We recap Moose vs. Frankie Kazarian. They’ve both been in TNA for years but have never had a match, so that’s being remedied.

Moose vs. Frankie Kazarian

Escape only and Moose sits on a throne while a string (I believe) quartet plays him to the ring. Naturally Kazarian yells at the musicians and lays on the throne like a true villain should. Naturally Kazarian goes for the climb to start and is cut off just as fast. Moose’s powerbomb is escaped so he sends Kazarian into the cage and then has the referee lock the door.

Some right hands in the corner have Kazarian in more trouble and the spear makes it worse. Moose hits it again but Kazarian flips him off and sends a charging Moose into the cage. Kazarian mocks the Moose pose (it’s so easy to do) and grabs Angel’s Wings to plant Moose again. The trash talk takes too long though and Moose starts bobbing his head and pumping his fist (as moose are known to do).

Moose plants him down and hits the backsplash, only for Kazarian to Backstab him off of the ropes. Back up and Moose can’t hit a powerbomb so they trade right hands and clotheslines. Moose’s toss powerbomb sends Kazarian into the cage for quite the crash and they’re both down.

Kazarian’s climb is cut off again and they both go up, with Moose busting out a super Spanish Fly of all things. The door is opened but Kazarian cuts off the escape (er, Xscape) attempt and they’re down again. With the door open behind him, Kazarian gets caught in the cage, where Moose makes an incredibly dumb decision to go for a spear, which sends Kazarian through the door for the win at 14:14.

Rating: B. Stupid ending aside, that was a huge spot with the Spanish Fly and it was certainly a fresh match. At the same time, I do kind of like the idea of mixing up the stipulations here, as it helps keep things fresh. Odds are this isn’t finished after Kazarian won that way, though it does bring up the issue of starting with the cage match.

We recap Xia Brookside defending the Knockouts Title against Elayna Black. Brookside is the newly evil champion and Black is the hometown star getting a title shot despite not exactly doing much of note.

Knockouts Title: Elayna Black vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside is challenging. They yell at each other a lot and Brookside mocks the Chicago crowd, earning a quick takedown. Black gives her a basement dropkick and running hurricanrana but misses a knee against the cage. Brookside finds a belt from somewhere and whips away as Black is already busted open.

The point of the belt is stabbed into the cut and a few of the fans aren’t impressed. Some fingernail stabbing feels a lot more painful and Brookside starts in on the arm. That’s broken up and Black misses a running elbow in the cage. The Broken Wings hit Black as well but she strikes away and catches her on top.

That means a belly to back superplex and the comeback is on, with Black getting in a Stomp. The Blackout is countered into Brookside’s Darkside for two so Black grabs the Blackout for the same. Back up and Brookside throws some powder into Black’s eyes and gets a rollup to retain at 12:55.

Rating: C+. Well on one hand, the heel run continues tonight and so do the less than thrilling finishes. On the other hand, thank goodness they didn’t do something ridiculous like give Black the title here. Brookside is doing well as champion and Black just has not clicked, so changing things over wouldn’t have been a good idea, hometown crowd or not.

We recap the International Title match. Jason Hotch broke away from Order 4 and stunned Mustafa Ali to win the title, sending Ali over the edge. Now it’s time for Ali to try and get the title back, naturally inside of a cage.

International Title: Mustafa Ali vs. Jason Hotch

Ali, with Order 4, is challenging and he’s the hometown heel. Hotch’s family is in the front row as he starts fast with a could of superkicks. Ali gets in a superkick of his own but gets caught on top with a belly to back superplex. A discus clothesline takes Ali down again and Hotch takes him up top for a piledriver onto the turnbuckle (sweet goodness). Ali is back up with a DDT for two and Special Agent Zero opens the door.

Tasha Steelz shuts it right back though, earning some yelling from Mila Moore. Steelz knocks her down but the cage door is kicked into Steelz’ head to drop her as well. Hotch goes out to check on Steelz and John Skyler takes her to the back, with Ali getting in a dive onto Hotch from behind. They brawl around ringside and Hotch goes up the cage for a high crossbody to knock Ali through a table (that thing exploded).

Hotch starts spitting up blood so the medics take him out, leaving Ali to steal a stuffed animal from Hotch’s daughter. Ali teases LIGHTING IT ON FIRE but Hotch charges in to give him a spear. Hotch is too banged up though and Ali ties him in the cage for a whipping with a belt. Ali takes him to the corner but Hotch kicks Ali back and hits a double stomp off of the cage to a standing Ali, who somehow doesn’t pop open. Instead Ali knocks him down and hits a 450 to Hotch (still holding the stuffed animal) to get the title back at 14:17.

Rating: B. As fun as it has been to see Hotch playing way above his league in recent weeks, they had to put the title back on Ali. He very well might be the best heel in the company at the moment and it would be a big hit to him if he lost to Hotch again here. Hotch has already gotten all kinds of a career boost out of the title win so this is hardly some devastating setback.

Post match Skyler comes back in to check on Hotch while Ali and company leave. And yes, the daughter gets her stuffed animal back.

Here is Avery Styles (AJ’s son) for a chat. He’s officially signed with TNA but here is Frankie Kazarian to interrupt. Kazarian talks about the history he has with AJ Styles and warns Avery about the snakes in the locker room. Avery can always trust him. I would make a chair joke but I wouldn’t want to contribute to continuing the most overblown story of the year.

We recap Leon Slater challenging Cedric Alexander for the X-Division Title. Slater lost the title to Alexander and wants it back, but Alexander wants Slater’s history as champion on the line. Because that’s a thing you can do now.

X-Division Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Leon Slater

Slater is challenging in a Last Man Standing match in a cage, because THAT’S a thing now too. Before they come to the ring, we get a look at what it means if Slater loses and my goodness this is dumb. They immediately slug it out to start until Slater gives him a Helluva Kick in the corner. A super hurricanrana brings Alexander back out and he gets caught with a running spinwheel kick.

Slater goes up the cage for a diving back elbow to put Alexander down for nowhere near ten. Alexander catches him on the ropes though and it’s a lawn dart to send Slater into the cage. That’s enough to draw some more blood so Alexander kicks him in the face, at least until Slater is back with a toss Blue Thunder Bomb. Slater chops away in the corner but gets caught with a super Michinoku Driver.

That’s not enough to keep Slater down and somehow wakes him up for a Destroyer and some rams into the cage. Alexander is busted open as well and Slater hammers away before going up. That’s cut off and it’s a swinging superplex to leave both of them laying (as they both took it about the same). Back up and Slater hits three straight Lumbar Checks to make it personal, followed by a Swanton 450 to get the title back at 13:15.

Rating: B. Given that the other option was trying to mess with the laws of time and space, this was the way to go. I’m still not sure how the erasing the title reign would have made sense and it’s nice to see TNA reaching the point where I don’t have to see them explain it. Slater getting the title back is a bit of a problem though, as he was such a dominant champion that he needs to move into the main event scene.

Daria Rae yells at someone on the phone but finds Santino Marella checking on Elijah, who has been attacked as well.

The System vs. Ricky Sosa/Fabian Aichner/KC Navarro/Jada Stone

Lethal Lockdown, meaning WarGames, with two minute intervals. Bear Bronson and Aichner start things off with Aichner hammering away but having to block a ram into the cage. They trade suplexes and clotheslines until a double clothesline gives us a double down. Aichner is back up with a moonsault and the time expires, so Brian Myers comes in (as the System won control on Impact) to give the System the advantage. The double teaming quickly has Aichner in trouble and a double suplex makes it worse.

Aichner is sent hard into the corner and it’s Navarro in to even things up. Navarro cleans house and Aichner is up to help send the two of them into the cage. Eddie Edwards is in to give the System control again but Navarro gets smart by diving through the door to take him out on the floor. Navarro gets back inside as it’s still even for a bit but the System takes over.

The bleeding Bronson knocks Aichner down and hammers away and Edwards is back in as Sosa is here to even it up again. House is quickly cleaned again, with Sosa hammering away in the corner. Alisha Edwards is in to complete the System and a lot of stomping takes place. Stone is in as well so Alisha goes out to meet her, with Stone climbing the cage to moonsault onto everyone else.

Now the weapons are lowered and they all get up for the staredown, continuing the tradition of basically resetting the match and rendering everything they’ve done to this point useless. The good guys grab weapons and start working them over until Navarro splashes Eddie for two. Stone gets to beat on everyone with a kendo stick and of course it’s time for the back of thumbtacks.

A superplex drops Alisha onto the tacks and Stone is banged up as well. Aichner gives Eddie a Coast To Coast but Bronson is up to take out Aichner and Navarro. Naturally Bronson is sent into a barbed wire board and Sosa gives Myers a Blue Thunder Bomb into the tacks. A running elbow with barbed wire hits Myers for two as Alisha makes the save. Eddie is back up with a package piledriver onto an open chair to pin Sosa at 17:42.

Rating: C+. These things only worked so well before and that was the case again here. The match is basically cut in two with a bunch of quick segments to get everyone in and then all of the weapons. It doesn’t help that we’ve seen the weapons so many times over the years, with the tacks in particular making me roll my eyes. This is the definition of a match that sounds fun on paper but really doesn’t work in execution.

Tag Team Titles: Nemeths vs. Hardys

The Hardys are defending and this is a Texas Tornado match, which sounds rather dumb in a cage. We get a table thrown in fast and Nic is sent into the cage, followed by a slightly modified Poetry In Motion. They all climb on the ropes but get rammed into the cage to bring them back down. Danger Zone gives Nic two on Jeff but Nic splashes Ryan by mistake.

The Twisting Stunner hits Nic, who bounces back with a superkick and everyone is down. Back up and a Side Effect into a middle rope splash gets two on Nic, as does a Plot Twist to Ryan. Nic is laid on the table but Ryan gets in a jumping DDT for two on Jeff. Matt Side Effects Nic and it’s a Twist Of Fate to Ryan, but Jeff takes too long going to the top of the cage. Nic and Jeff both get crotched so it’s another Twist Of Fate to Ryan, who lays down on the table. Matt’s legdrop off the cage connects…and it’s a quick Danger Zone to give Nic the pin and the titles at 11:58.

Rating: B-. They were feeling pretty rushed for time here, which makes sense as the show was getting close to the three hour mark. I do like the Nemeths getting the titles back, as it means a break from the Hardys. The division really needs that at this point, though hopefully it sticks for a bit this time. They did what they could here in the time they had, but it was only so good.

Post match the Nemeths celebrate but here is Leon Slater, who is exercising Option C at Bound For Glory. Yeah that makes sense, as it’s the best thing he can really do now.

Overall Rating: C+. The problem here is the same as it always is at Lockdown: the cage gets a bit annoying after a bit as we’ve seen it done so many times. It doesn’t help that some of the matches simply don’t belong in a cage (Knockouts Tag Team Titles, the main event and Brookside vs. Black fit that description) and it came off as more something they had to do rather than needing to do.

The show is fine, but it really would have been better served as a regular PPV rather than the all cages thing. I do like Slater’s announcement at the end, as if nothing else it gave the fans something else to cheer for on a show that was rather dominated by the villains winning. That’s quite the choice and not exactly exciting, but I guess that’s what Bound For Glory is for.

Results
Righteous b. BDE/Rich Swann – Orange Sunshine to BDE
Trey Miguel b. Special Agent Zero – Victory roll
AJ Francis b. Elijah – Down Payment
Allie/Kiera Hogan b. Elegance Brand – Fisherman’s neckbreaker to M
Frankie Kazarian b. Moose – Kazarian escaped the cage
Xia Brookside b. Elayna Black – Rollup
Mustafa Ali b. Jason Hotch – 450
Leon Slater b. Cedric Alexander – Swanton 450
The System b. Jada Stone/Fabian Aichner/KC Navarro/Ricky Sosa – Package piledriver onto a chair to Sosa
Nemeths b. Hardys – Danger Zone to Matt

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 13, 2026
Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

This is an interesting week as we have the World Title on the line with Nic Nemeth defending against Jeff Hardy. That’s certainly a noteworthy main event, but at the same time, we’re ten days away from Lockdown and there is no World Title match scheduled for that show. Maybe we’ll get it tonight, but that’s pushing it awfully close, assuming such a match takes place there. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Ricky Sosa vs. Brian Myers

Bear Bronson is here too. Myers goes right after him to start but gets slammed down. They’re quickly outside with Sosa being sent into the apron so Myers can take over. Back in and a suplex gives Myers two and we’re off to the early chinlock. Sosa is back up with a spinning kick to the head into a Lionsault but Bronson offers a distraction.

That’s enough for Myers to get in a kick of his own and grab an implant DDT for two more. The Roster Cut is countered with a nice dropkick so here is Cedric Alexander for a distraction. Myers grabs a belt but here is Leon Slater to take it away. Sosa’s running uppercut gets the pin at 5:45.

Rating: B-. There was too much going on here but they were starting to have a hot match. Sosa is beginning to fit in nicely around here and that’s good to see, as the company needs all the help it can get. Slater works well as a partner to help give him a rub, and odds are we’re getting a big group match of some kind at Lockdown.

Post match Slater reiterates his X-Division challenge to Alexander, but knows he’s dodging it due to a high level of cowardice. Slater even offers to put up anything Alexander wants, so Alexander says he wants….Slater’s second longest reign ever is officially stripped from the record books. Since that wouldn’t really change much, Slater is in. What an odd choice for a stipulation.

BDE and Rich Swann are ready to face Order 4 and have a mystery partner, who isn’t Jason Hotch.

We get a preview of tonight’s show and there is an announcement of the Hardys vs. the Nemeths for the Tag Team Titles at Lockdown. Ah there’s the way around the World Title.

AJ Francis is in the recording studio when Elijah interrupts. Elijah is ready to face Francis in a cage…but it seems that Elijah is an illusion. Who seems to appear on camera because reasons.

Here is Moose for a chat, complete with Frankie Kazarian’s stolen scarf and sunglasses. This is the first episode of his own talk show and his guests are….all of these fans! He asks the guests some questions, all of which are answered with a chant of MOOSE. Cue Kazarian, who has his own questions and wants the answer to be KING. The fans seem to pronounce “KING” as “MOOSE” and he doesn’t want to play anymore. Then he mocks the Wawa chain of stores and gets in a fight with Moose, which is broken up by security.

Video on the Hardys vs. the Nemeths.

Order 4 vs. BDE/Rich Swann/???

The partner is…the returning Trey Miguel, who was injured against Ali earlier this year. Ali does the “start the match and immediately tag out” deal so the three opponents kick Agent Zero to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Zero giving Swann a swinging Downward Spiral and nipping up to show off a bit. Swann headscissors Ali though and it’s back to Miguel to fight back fast. Zero is back in to wreck everyone but Miguel catches Skyler with a diving tornado DDT on the floor. The Lightning Spiral gives Miguel the pin on Skyler at 8:39.

Rating: B-. As usual, Zero does well in his role as the monster who can smash through almost anyone and he’s good as the enforcer for Ali. Having Miguel back is a nice thing to see as he’s an established name and can go after Ali, whether Ali gets the title back from Jason Hotch or not. The commercial cut off a lot of the match but they did well in the time that they had.

Post match Zero chokebombs Miguel but Hotch runs in for the save.

Xia Brookside gets her makeup done.

Post break, Brookside is not happy with some very black eyes, as she finds out that Elayna Black did her makeup. Brookside gets the better of a brawl and runs off.

Knockouts TV Title Tournament Semifinals: M By Elegance vs. Indi Hartwell

The Elegance Brand is here with Elegance, who bumps into Hartwell before the bell and gets clotheslined for her efforts. Elegance misses a charge into the corner and gets bulldogged for two as a result. Hartwell goes up and gets tied into the Tree Of Woe on the apron for a running dropkick. A suplex on the floor has Hartwell in more trouble and Elegance stomps her down in the corner.

The double arm crank is escaped and Hartwell gets two off a spinebuster. A top rope elbow to the back gets the same so Hartwell boots her to the floor…as Xia Brookside and Elayna Black brawl into the arena. That’s enough of a distraction for Elegance to send Hartwell into the steps, setting up a moonsault (with trunks) for the pin at 7:21.

Rating: C+. This was a surprise as I wouldn’t have expected Hartwell to lose here, if at all. Hartwell felt like the odds on favorite to win the whole thing but going with M is a more interesting choice. I’m not sure how much of a favorite she is to win the whole thing but getting to the finals is further than I would have expected.

We look at Harley Hudson winning a TNA contract and talking about how she has been dreaming of getting here and make her family proud. Next week is everything when she faces Alisha Edwards. These things often do a lot of good for the people involved and hopefully it works here too. Hudson could certainly use the better connection with the audience.

Moose is down in the back. I’m assuming he’s been attacked but he looks rather peaceful so hopefully he’s just getting a nap.

Eddie Edwards vs. KC Navarro

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie, who charges into a superkick at the bell and rolls out to the floor. Navarro hits him with a suicide dive and frog splash for two so Eddie sends him into the post. A tornado DDT gets Navarro out of trouble so Alisha throws in Kenny the Kendo stick and distracts the referee. Navarro intercepts said stick and drills Eddie in the ribs, meaning the Blessing In Disguise can finish Eddie at 3:06.

Rating: C+. Why not? Navarro has been warming up in the last few weeks and needed an actual big win so let’s see what he’s got. It’s another case of finding out what some of these newer stars can do and they need to be built up one way another. This could work out for everyone and again, it feels like we’re coming up on a big Lethal Lockdown at Lockdown. Might as well put Navarro in a big spot and see what he can do.

Post match the System jumps Navarro and load up a Pillmanization but Jada Stone, Fabian Aichner and Ricky Sosa run in for the save. Santino Marella does indeed come out to make the Lethal Lockdown match.

Allie looks for Rosemary and finds a message saying THE STRUGGLE IS REAL.

TNA World Title: Jeff Hardy vs. Nic Nemeth

Hardy is challenging. They trade hammerlocks to start until a superkick and Twisting Stunner are both blocked. Nemeth easily wins a wrestle off and sends him into the buckle for some raking of the eyes. Hardy kicks him out to the floor though and the running flip dive from the apron connects as we take a break.

We come back with Nemeth holding a chinlock and going to the eyes again. Nemeth mocks the Hardy dance though and gets sent into the corner, allowing Hardy to hammer away. The legdrop between the legs and basement dropkick have Nemeth in more trouble but he breaks out of Spinal Destination.

Hardy cuts off a running…something with a sitout powerbomb and the Twisting Stunner connects. Another is countered with a superkick for two, with Hardy going to the rope. The Danger Zone is countered into a cutter but the Swanton hits raised knees. Hardy tries another Twisting Stunner but gets reversed into the Danger Zone to retain the title at 15:03.

Rating: B-. Yeah it was fine. You know these two are going to have a completely acceptable match together and they did it again here. That being said, it was also a completely clean win for Nemeth and didn’t do much to make me interested in the Tag Team Title match. It felt like a bigger than usual main event but absolutely nothing that blew the doors off.

Nemeth celebrates to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: C+. This was the regular moving day show towards Lockdown as they did a lot to get the show over but it still doesn’t feel like the biggest card. I really do need a breather from the Hardys near the top of the card, as the “we’re the best team ever” isn’t exactly the most thrilling stuff. Having them face the Nemeths is only so good, even if the match should work. A bunch of the rest of the show was about the System, which is often the case, and at least they have something set up for them. It still seems like they’re trying to figure out what to do with the roster they have though and that makes for a rough build.

Results
Ricky Sosa b. Brian Myers – Running uppercut
BDE/Rich Swann/Trey Miguel b. Order 4 – Lightning Spiral to Miguel
M By Elegance b. Indi Hartwell – Moonsault
KC Navarro b. Eddie Edwards – Blessing In Disguise
Nic Nemeth b. Jeff Hardy – Danger Zone

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 30, 2026
Location: Liacourus Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

The countdown to Lockdown continues after the big title match last week. Nic Nemeth retained the World Title over KC Navarro and that means he’ll be needing a new challenger. As for this week, we have Jason Hotch challenging his Order 4 boss Mustafa Ali for the International Title. We’re live tonight too so let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s World Title match and sets up the International Title match.

Opening sequence.

Ricky Sosa/Leon Slater vs. The System

The rest of the System is here with the System. Sosa and Edwards slug it out to start with Sosa grabbing a quick full nelson slam. Everything breaks down and Slater comes in for a splash to Alexander and a monkey flip to Edwards. A pair of dives take out the System and we take a break.

We come back with Sosa in trouble and Alisha Edwards even getting in some choking from the floor. Alexander’s reverse chinlock doesn’t work very well and a diving tag brings in Slater to start the comeback. Slater tosses Alexander into a powerslam for two and a running shot to the face drops Myers. The Swanton 450 finishes Alexander at 12:13.

Rating: B-. Good opener here and odds are that result lets Slater get set up for a rematch for the title. At the same time Sosa gets a nice win by association and the System will bounce back as always. In other words, it’s a win that helps the winners and a loss that doesn’t really hurt the losers. Not bad at all.

Post match Slater issues the challenge for the title match at Lockdown.

Mustafa Ali wants the rest of Order 4 here for a meeting right now. John Skyler tries to go find the other members but gets distracted by Mila Moore. Ali yells a lot.

The Elegance Brand is ready to win, though Heather isn’t sure what happens if she has to face M in the Knockouts TV Title tournament. The Personal Concierge isn’t worried.

We pause to wish Rebel well as she is fighting ALS.

Knockouts TV Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Thea Hail vs. Indi Hartwell

Hail’s headlock doesn’t get her very far to start and Hartwell shoulders her out to the floor. A boot to the head gives Hartwell two back inside and she grabs the armbar. The Hurts Donut is blocked though and Hail is up to work on the arm as well. Hartwell actually can’t power out and gets taken back down.

Hail tries to switch to the Kimura but gets kicked out to the floor. Back in and Hartwell avoids the springboard backsplash but can’t get her up for the powerbomb (I’m not sure if that was legit or not but Hartwell grabbed her arm for a nice explanation). Instead it’s a Hurts Donut to give Hartwell the pin at 7:42.

Rating: C+. Hartwell moving on is hardly a surprise and it wouldn’t be shocking to see her winning the whole thing. It’s clear that TNA sees her as one of the bigger stars around so maybe she winds up getting some gold this way. The match was ok enough with the arm work, but Hail wasn’t going over one of the more popular stars in the division.

AJ Francis takes up a collection for his injured valet. Rich Swann and BDE aren’t impressed.

Here is KC Navarro for a chat. Last week he had the biggest chance of his life as he challenged for the TNA World Title but he came up short. He has tried for his entire career and wants to be an inspiration to people. After hearing that he’ll never be anything for years, he knows that he belongs and his career is just beginning.

Cue the System to interrupt, with Cedric Alexander turning down Leon Slater’s challenge for Lockdown. Ricky Sosa and Leon Slater don’t get another match either but Navarro interrupts, saying this is his time. The obvious beatdown ensues, with Sosa and Slater running in for the save.

Allie panics over not being able to find Rosemary but Daria Rae doesn’t want to hear it.

Xia Brookside attacked Wendy Choo and Elayna Black last week because she could. Choo comes in to call Brookside a coward so Santino Marella comes in to make a title match for next week. Black comes in to tell Choo to shut Brookside up next week.

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

Rosemary/Allie are defending, but there is no Rosemary to start. Allie slugs away at both of them to start but the numbers game catches up with her rather quickly. M tries to drop Heather onto Allie but hits raised knees. The Personal Concierge grabs a belt but gets pulled inside, with Allie raking his injured eyes (that’s mean). Mr. Elegance comes in so Allie hits him with the belt, followed by another shot to Heather for the DQ at 2:39.

Post match Allie takes out M as well.

Here are the Hardys, now in their GOAT masks, with Matt even confirming that he loves cheese steaks. They brag about their win over the Righteous last week and, after a shout out to Walking Dead spinoff star Aimee Garcia in the audience, say it’s time to start wrecking some people.

They invented the TLC match but here are Nic and Ryan Nemeth to interrupt. The Nemeths want a title shot at Lockdown and here is Santino Marella to make the match….and Nic is going to defend the World Title against Jeff. Well that’s kind of huge. Ryan gets to face Matt next week and goes to hit on Garcia, who throws a drink in his face. Garcia celebrates with the Hardys.

AJ Francis continues to try to collect money but runs into the Hometown Man. He’s not paying anything due to a case of hatred, so here is Elijah, who gets a cage match with Francis at Lockdown. That feud seemed pretty done but I guess they need to flesh out the card.

Daria Rae tells Santino Marella that it’s Rosemary/Allie vs. the Elegance Brand at Lockdown. They both think they need to find Rosemary, but they also need to trim some fat off the roster. Rae wants Harley Hudson gone but that gets shot down.

Knockouts TV Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Jada Stone vs. Jody Threat

They fight over arm control to start and Threat takes her into the corner for some clotheslines. A World’s Strongest Slam onto the apron drops Stone hard but she’s right back up with a 619. Stone’s split legged moonsault gets two but Threat kicks her in the back. A German suplex looks to set up Pop Shove It, with Stone elbowing her way out. The Spark Stunner is blocked so Stone grabs a rollup for the pin out of nowhere at 5:28.

Rating: C. I’m not sure how much upside I see in either of these two but at some point the division is going to need some fresh blood. Stone might as well get a chance as she’s still new enough around here to not have anything tainted. She won’t win the tournament but she might get something out of a decent run to the semifinals.

International Title: Jason Hotch vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali, with the rest of Order 4, is defending and Hotch’s family is here too (interesting). Hotch’s early headlock just earns him a chop and Ali sends him outside for a suicide dive. Hotch is right back with a DDT on the floor and a high crossbody gets two back inside. Ali fights back but makes the mistake of mocking Hotch’s family though and gets taken down with a moonsault to the floor.

We take a break and come back with both of them on top and Hotch superplexing him to the floor and through a table in a crazy crash. They both have to dive back inside to beat the count and Hotch is fired up enough to grab a backbreaker for two. Hotch misses a frog splash and the referee gets bumped, allowing Ali to go low. Ali grabs a belt and starts whipping Hotch, with John Skyler coming in to take it away.

Hotch runs into Skyler by mistake (you schnook) so Ali grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes…which Tasha Steelz breaks up. Steelz and Mila Moore brawl to the back, leaving Ali to grab a piledriver. The 450 connects but Hotch rolls him up for a near fall of his own. Ali’s charge hits the buckle and it’s a top rope double stomp to a standing Ali, followed by a frog splash to make Hotch champion at 14:49. The shot of Hotch’s young daughter in the crowd being happy her dad won is great.

Rating: B+. I wasn’t expecting this to be much of anything but dang did they make this work. There is a very good chance that Hotch is a short term champion but this is the kind of win that he can point to for the rest of his career. There is also something great about the team rising up to get rid of Ali and the result worked far better than I was expecting. Heck of a main event here.

Hotch celebrates and his family gets in the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. TNA has a bad reputation for some of its live Impacts but they made it work here. The main event was a cool moment, which is more than I would have expected from that match. They also set up some matches for Lockdown (some of the buildups were better than others) and it should be a good build over the next few weeks. Solid show here, with that main event being a great surprise.

Results
Ricky Sosa/Leon Slater b. The System – Swanton 450 to Alexander
Indi Hartwell b. Thea Hail – Hurts Donut
Elegance Brand b. Allie via DQ when Allie hit Heather with the title
Jada Stone b. Jody Threat – Rollup
Jason Hotch b. Mustafa Ali – Frog splash

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 23, 2026
Location: Broadview Arena, Albany, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

With about a month to go before Lockdown, it’s time to wrap up the stories before we get to the pay per view. That includes the World Title being on the line tonight, with KC Navarro getting his one and only title shot against Nic Nemeth. We should be in for a good match as Navarro seems rather motivated so let’s get to it.

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

AJ Francis/Frankie Kazarian vs. Moose/Elijah

Elijah knocks Kazarian down to start and it’s quickly off to Moose to take over on Francis. It’s already back to Elijah, who gets tripped from the floor to put him in trouble. Moose isn’t having that and cleans house, only to get knocked down by Francis. Kazarian’s springboard spinning legdrop gets two and Elijah comes back in. The Old School is broken up as Expressions shakes the rope though and Francis hits the Cash Out for the pin at 3:47.

Rating: C. Well that was quick. The ending was more about establishing Expressions (what a name) as the new cheating manager and that’s kind of a weird way to end a shot match. There is a good chance that they are going to run it back and see what else they can do, as this really doesn’t feel done yet.

Post match Moose and Elijah lay out Expressions, likely writing him out of the next TV taping.

Order 4 is ready to open voting on the next #1 contender to the International Title. The roster will be voting, they get a vote each, and they can’t vote for themselves.

Knockouts TV Title Tournament First Round: Wendy Choo vs. Elayna Black

Choo wrestles her down to start fast and then grabs a headlock takeover. A dropkick puts Black on the floor and it’s already time to be frustrated. Choo follows her out and gets caught for a change, with Black sending her back inside for two. The chinlock, with trash talk of course, goes on before Black switches to a double arm crank.

Choo is back up for a running neckbreaker but Black gives her some running knees. A belly to belly gives Black two but Choo is able to catch her on top with a superplex. That’s enough for them both to need a breather and they’re both down…as time expires at 10:00. Well that’s a surprise.

Rating: C. This wasn’t much to see with Black continuing to do her usual mediocre stuff. At the same time, it’s nice to see a TNA name survive against an NXT guest star. If nothing else, this is the kind of thing you need to see in a tournament for the sake of cutting out some of the time. That being said, Black felt like a favorite to win the whole thing and she’s already out. Odd indeed.

Post match Xia Brookside runs out to jump both of them.

Some wrestlers vote for the International Title shot.

Here is the System for a chat. Bear Bronson doesn’t like Ricky Sosa and the team is ready to decide who is a star here and who isn’t. Tonight, they’re on the way to adding some more gold but here is Sosa to interrupt. They’re not impressed with each other so here is Leon Slater to interrupt. The challenge is made for a tag match but the System says we’ll do it next week in Philadelphia. Slater is ready.

Jason Hotch wins the election, which comes after he was looking at the ballot box earlier. Mustafa Ali seems to think it’s rather amusing and a rib from the roster.

BDE vs. Mr. Elegance

This is billed as an AMC+/Impact+ Exclusive match (it doesn’t appear on the AMC broadcast). BDE knocks him down to start but misses a springboard. Elegance takes over with a running forearm but BDE gives him a running forearm. A springboard cutter gives BDE two and a frog splash gets the same, with M By Elegance putting the foot on the rope. The distraction lets Elegance hit a swinging Downward Spiral for the pin at 3:18.

Rating: C-. Yeah this happened. I’m assuming this was something of a way to fill in some time and cut something out from the Hardy Compound match. The match was about what you would expect, with Elegance being his usual goofy self and BDE still looking for his first win, which might actually be a good moment if/when it finally happens.

And now, to the Hardy Compound.

Hardys vs. Righteous

I’m assuming this is non-title. The Righteous don’t like the darkness and turn on the sunshine. Matt Hardy wakes up and realizes they’re here, so the Righteous walk through the woods. The Hardys go to find them so the Righteous go into a building and touch a light, which teleports them to wherever the Hardys are (Yeah this stuff is going to be weird. Just get used to it.).

The brawl starts with Dutch being sent into a dilapidated boat and then a tree. The Hardys teleport away from a boat shot and the Righteous are teleported into the same barn. As usual, there is a ring with a referee there as well and the fight is on again. The brawl is on with the Righteous taking over but Matt gets in a Twist of Fate. The Swanton is blocked so Jeff and Vincent brawl off. Dutch takes over on Matt and they fight to the floor.

We cut to Jeff and Vincent outside (where it’s night)…and then we cut to the Righteous walking through the house and looking at some mementos of the Hardys’ lives. Then Matt bulldogs Dutch into the pool and we cut to the four of them sitting around and having some drinks (though Jeff has water). Matt’s son comes in and Vincent disappears, with the son saying he needs Dutch’s help. They go inside and Matt says Vincent has died. Dutch: “That is some heavy news. You got a cigarette?”

They open a coffin with Vincent inside, but he pops up to put the poison flower in Dutch’s mouth. The Hardys pop up to say this dream is orgasmic and now we’re back in the ring. Dutch is thrown inside, where he’s beaten up by Matt’s children and wife Reby. One of the daughters uses the power of confetti and now Vincent is there too. Matt, no longer Broken, pops in with a barbed wire baseball bat and does the Walking Dead pick of who he’s going to get their head cracked.

We cut inside where Dutch, back in his suit, meets Willow (in an Umaga shirt), who beats him up with the umbrella. Then Dutch gets out of the pool and I think we go back to reality. Jeff and Vincent slug it out and of course it’s time for the fireworks. Dutch comes up with some kind of necklace and the Righteous win the firework war.

Matt winds up eating the poisonous flower and the Righteous throw both of them into the Lake Of Reincarnation. The Hardys come out in goat masks (because they’re the GOATs you see) but Jeff needs another goat so he runs back into the water. Jeff comes out with his 2010 Immortal title (now a blue/green rather than purple) and gets into what I think is a bulldozer. A Swanton out of the bulldozer puts Dutch through a table for the pin at 19:47.

Rating: In the Romanian folk tale The Bear Fooled By The Fox, a fox steals some fish from a woman. The fox then refuses to share them with a bear, who is still hungry. Realizing there is a chance the bear might eat him, the fox tells the bear to put his tail in the water as a fishing pole. The tail then freezes off (or is eaten by the fish, depending on the version you read) and the bear tries to get the fox. That doesn’t happen though as the fox is smart enough to hide in a tree and the bear eventually gives up and walks away. That has as much to do with wrestling as this….thing did.

Then the Hardys throw the Righteous into the Lake. That’s it. Yeah I can’t stand this stuff. It was fun once or twice but doing it over and over for years on end makes it lose its charm really quickly. This is all the Hardys getting to show how creative and amazing they can be and you only need to have been watching for the last ten years to know what this was about. I’m assuming this is the big finale to the whole feud, and we’re right back where we started in December when it all started: the Hardys as the greatest, most amazing team in ALL of TNA with pretty much no one to challenge them. Great.

Jason Hotch goes to talk to management, but Leon Slater says not so fast. Slater believes in him and wants him to have the title match.

Knockouts TV Title Tournament First Round: Alisha Edwards vs. Jada Stone

Edwards slugs away to start but gets kicked down, with Stone hitting a standing moonsault. Stone sends her outside, where Eddie Edwards saves Alisha from a dive. That means a big dive onto the two of them, followed by a kick to the head back inside. Edwards goes to the eyes though and a Downward Spiral gets two. Stone’s handspring is broken up by some Eddie interference, but Stone is fine enough to grab a rollup for the pin at 5:05.

Rating: C. Maybe it was after seeing the Hardys stuff, but this was perfectly fine. They only had so much time and neither of them are the most regular wrestlers so this was only going to be able to get so far. Stone has been presented as a prospect though and it makes sense to have her move forward, as it helps make her look a bit bigger.

Post match Alisha goes after her again but Stone fights back and clears Alisha out.

Jason Hotch tells Mustafa Ali that he didn’t back out of the match and thinks he deserves this for the sake of his family. Ali is not pleased.

TNA World Title: Nic Nemeth vs. KC Navarro

Navarro is challenging and mocks the hip shaking Nemeth entrance. Nemeth yells at him and a quick superkick gives Navarro two. Back up and Nemeth is ticked off and rakes the face in the ropes. Nemeth starts going after the leg but Navarro is fine enough to snap off a headscissors. That’s enough for Nemeth to get a breather on the floor, where Navarro scores with a suicide dive. Back in and a frog splash gives Navarro two but Nemeth knocks him down as we take a break.

We come back with Navarro fighting out of a chinlock but getting taken right back down. Nemeth misses a charge in the corner though and it’s time for the comeback. A very spinning Downward Spiral gives Navarro two and he gets the same off a rollup. Navarro powerbombs him out of the corner for another near fall and they both need a breather. Navarro’s Fameasser gets two more but Nemeth is back up with a superkick for the rather near fall, leaving Nemeth stunned. Back up and a Code Red gives Navarro two more but Nemeth reverses a cutter into the Danger Zone to retain at 13:38.

Rating: B. This was a match where the result was never in any serious doubt, as Navarro is hardly a main event star around here. What he is though is someone who the fans can get behind rather quickly and that’s what they’ve done recently. I wanted to see how close he could get and he did give Nemeth a sweat here, which is all you can ask for. Nice job.

Overall Rating: C. The main event helped but the Hardys/Righteous thing was the big deal here and…no. I don’t get it and I’d rather keep it that way so we’ll move on. It’s not their greatest show, but at least it clears a lot of things out on the way to the final push towards Lockdown. This wasn’t their best show, but the last match did bring it up a good bit.

Results
AJ Francis/Frankie Kazarian b. Moose/Elijah – Cash Out to Elijah
Elayna Black vs. Wendy Choo went to a time limit draw
Mr. Elegance b. BDE – Swinging Downward Spiral
Hardys b. Righteous – Swanton through a table to Dutch
Jada Stone b. Alisha Edwards – Rollup
Nic Nemeth b. KC Navarro – Danger Zone

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 16, 2026
Location: Broadview Center, Albany, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re in a bit of a weird time for TNA as a bunch of the wrestlers are leaving and that means some other wrestlers are having to step up. This includes KC Navarro, who is coming after Nic Nemeth’s World Title. Other than that, the Hardys and the Righteous are still fighting because eight months or so of them isn’t enough. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s Knockouts Title match main event.

Opening sequence.

Knockouts TV Title Tournament First Round: M By Elegance vs. Rosemary

M has Heather and the Personal Concierge (now blind) with her while Rosemary has Allie. Rosemary knocks her into the corner for a quick knockdown to start and then knocks her down in the middle as well. An Elegance distraction lets M take over though and it’s time to choke away in the corner. M’s snap suplex gets two and she sends Rosemary crashing out to the floor. Back in and we hit the chinlock but she stops to pose, allowing Allie to trip her down. Rosemary fights back with a t-bone suplex before going to the floor to mess with the blind Concierge. The distraction lets M mist Rosemary for the pin at 7:44.

Rating: C+. The ending is a bit of a surprise but it also continues the setup of the Elegance Brand getting a Knockouts Tag Team Title shot by the line. Yeah it’s the same thing way that you see a lot of those matches set up, but at least it has the tournament aspect to make it feel a bit more unique. If nothing else, Rosemary very well may be wanting some revenge in the next round.

The System wants to make it clear that they are NOT falling apart. In fact, they’re ready for their matches tonight, including Cedric Alexander defending against Fabian Aichner.

AJ Francis vs. Moose

Frankie Kazarian is on commentary. Moose jumps him to start fast but has to go after Francis’ goon. That lets Francis get in a powerbomb onto the apron to take over, followed by a big boot. Hold on though and it’s time to go after the fans. Back in and the Down Payment is broken up so Moose tries a spinning crossbody, only to get speared out of the air for two. Moose catches him up top with a superplex for two and there’s the nip back up. Kazarian pulls Moose outside though and sends him into the post for the DQ at 6:03 (shame about Kazarian dropping his popcorn).

Rating: C+. They only had so much time out there but it was interesting as a way to get them ready for what feels like a tag match. Moose is going to need some help (feels like an Elijah spot) and they should be able to set something up for TV down the line. At the same time, and as is becoming more usual, it’s impressive that Francis isn’t feeling out of place in these bigger matches. I wouldn’t have expected that and well done.

Post match Francis chokeslams Moose for a bonus.

Elayna Black is ready to win her tournament match next week and become the greatest Knockout in history. Xia Brookside comes in to warn her to watch her mouth. Black doesn’t seem impressed.

Here is Order 4 to address their future. Mustafa Ali complains about his team (save for Agent Zero) screwing up and brings in his new Secretary Of Strategic Affairs, Mila Moore, who is dressed like Miss Hancock. Tasha Steelz is not impressed as Moore is ready to figure out what is next for the team. Ali knows what should be next: giving the power to the roster. Therefore, next week, anyone in the locker room can vote for who gets an International Title shot. That’s not the direction I was expecting but I’m glad Moore is getting the chance to do something since she lost her partner when Tessa Blanchard left.

The Righteous get an invitation to the Hardy Compound for a Deletion match. Sure.

Bear Bronson vs. Ricky Sosa

Brian Myers is on commentary as they strike it out to start. Sosa jumps over Bronson and chases him to the floor, where a Black Hole Slam drops Sosa as we take a break. We come back with a rapid fire exchange of shots to the face until Sosa gets in a German suplex. Bronson catches him up top though, leaving Sosa to drop back down and catch him with a big boot.

Myers gets up for a distraction so Bronson can grab a chokebomb for two and he can believe the kickout. Sosa’s back gives out on the comeback though and it’s Shock Treatment (haven’t seen that one in a bit) into Bear Down (sitout Tombstone) to give Bronson the pin at 11:07.

Rating: C. I’m not sure about having Sosa lose here as he’s been off to a nice start. At the same time, Bronson has been steadily getting himself into place around here and that’s great to see. I never would have bet on him doing so well on his own but it’s working here and that’s nice to see.

Moose requests and receives help from Elijah against AJ Francis and Frankie Kazarian. Well that did its job.

Knockouts TV Title Tournament First Round: Harley Hudson vs. Thea Hail

They fight over a lockup to start so Hail shoulders her down and dances. Back up and Hudson gets in a knockdown of her own to stomp away. The armbar goes on so Hail rolls her way to freedom, only to get dropped with a clothesline. Hudson hammers away but misses a legdrop to the arm. Hail suplexes her out of the corner for two and they trade rollups for two each. A spinning DDT gives Hail two more and the springboard backsplash finishes Hudson at 6:37.

Rating: C. That’s a fine way to go, as Hail has a bit higher status than Hudson. While that would have been a good place to put Hudson over and give her probably the biggest singles win of her career, I do get the idea of wanting Hail to move forward and give her a chance to put someone else over later. Granted it is likely going to be Indi Hartwell, but the idea is there.

Here is Nic Nemeth for a chat. He knows what it’s like to have the world chasing him and when the title goes on the line, it’s big box office and big money. This brings out KC Navarro to interrupt but Nemeth says serious inquiries only. Nemeth tells him to leave and Navarro starts to head out, but turns around to shout about why he does everything he does. He’s lost his chances before but beating Nemeth can prove that it is all worth it. Nemeth mocks the speech but says this is his one and only shot. Seems to work for Navarro. He has no chance, but that was a heck of a promo and I kind of want to see the match.

X-Division Title: Fabian Aichner vs. Cedric Alexander

Alexander is defending and gets taken into the corner to start. A headlock doesn’t do much for Alexander as Aichner puts him down again for a moonsault. That and a clothesline put Alexander on the floor and we take a break. We come back with Aichner fighting out of an abdominal stretch but getting elbowed in the corner for two. Alexander chops away in the corner but Aichner knocks him to the floor for the big dive.

Back in and a double springboard moonsault gives Aichner two but Alexander’s Michinoku Driver connects for the same. Aichner dropkicks him out of the air for two more and a sitout Last Ride gets two, with Alexander having to get a foot on the rope. Alexander manages to send him outside though and here is Eddie Edwards with a Boston Knee Party. That’s enough to set up the Lumbar Check to retain the title at 14:40.

Rating: B-. Aichner did well in his big spot and he was protected with the team interfering to beat him. That’s all you can ask for in a losing effort and he should be fine going forward. If nothing else, Aichner continues to be someone who has already far exceeded his time as a singles wrestler in WWE, as it’s a case of finding the right fit for him and it’s working much better.

Post match the beatdown is on but Ricky Sosa and Leon Slater run in for the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show wasn’t the most prominent edition but it did what it needed to do, with some things like the tournament advancing forward, plus the big title match being set for next week. The best thing here is that the show went by quickly and nothing was really close to bad. It was a good example of an efficient show and that is always worth something, which was the case again here.

Results
M By Elegance b. Rosemary – Mist
Moose b. AJ Francis via DQ when Frankie Kazarian interfered
Bear Bronson b. Ricky Sosa – Bear Down
Thea Hail b. Harley Hudson – Springboard backsplash
Cedric Alexander b. Fabian Aichner – Lumbar Check

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 9, 2026
Location: Broadview Center, Albany, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re in a new place around here with Nic Nemeth as the World Champion and KC Navarro seemingly coming after him as the first challenger. In addition, the Hardys are defending the Tag Team Titles this week, because the Hardys have to be champions around here every so often. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Great Hands

The Hands are challenging and are already in the ring. Hotch mocks the Hardys dance to start as he grabs a headlock on Jeff. With that broken up, Jeff drives him into the corner for the tag off to Matt and a neckbreaker puts Hotch down. Hotch fights back on Matt and knocks him into the corner and hits something like a jawbreaker to the knee. Matt kicks both of them away and brings Jeff in to clean house but the Whisper In The Wind misses. The Hands plant Jeff with Matt making the save, only for the Twist Of Fate into the Swanton to retain the titles at 5:33.

Rating: C+. Hey look: the Hardys get to run through another team, as they have done time after time. It’s just been done at this point and that has been the case for a long time. It isn’t that the Hardys are lacking talent or historic greatness, but it feels like they’ve had the titles for most of the last few years. Find someone new already.

Post match the rest of Order 4 comes out to glare at the Hands and Mustafa Ali makes a phone call.

Lei Ying Lee is ready to get the Knockouts Title back tonight and she’s giving it her all because that title belongs to a real warrior.

Here is Frankie Kazarian for the King’s Speech. After calling Albany boring, he brings out Moose as his guest. Moose talks about getting to share a moment with his wife and son at Slammiversary, but Kazarian suggests that it was quite the traumatizing moment. That doesn’t sit well with Moose, who says his family are doing great. He’s ready to dominate again and says anyone who wants some can come get some.

Kazarian approves of Moose’s abilities but asks if Moose is stupid. How can Moose call himself the face of the franchise when he’s in the ring with a king? Moose goes on a rant about how he’s been here for years and he isn’t leaving to chase a check. Kazarian calls himself an X-Division pioneer with a resume that even Moose can’t match.

Moose says they’re both pillars around here and it’s time for them to fight for the first time. Actually Kazarian isn’t interested and mocks Moose’s NFL career before bringing in First Class. AJ Francis says Tom Brady (who both he and Moose played with in the NFL) told Francis that Moose left the NFL out of fear of Francis coming for him. That doesn’t sit well with Moose, who wants a match with Francis next week. That one seems to be on.

Elijah, with a smoking guitar, wants the World Title and offers to take the fans to the promised land.

Knockouts TV Title Tournament First Round: Indi Hartwell vs. Vicki Venuto

This is Venuto’s debut and she’s here to win rather than make friends. Hartwell grabs an Oklahoma roll for two and hits a running corner clothesline and bulldog right back out. Venuto’s snap suplex puts Hartwell down and a kick to the head gets two more. The cravate has Hartwell getting back up and her spinebuster gets two. The Hurts Donut is blocked though and Venuto gets two off a cutter. Back up and the Hurts Donut finishes Venuto at 5:16.

Rating: C. Hartwell is likely a favorite in the tournament but I’m still not sure I get the appeal. She seems to be such a lighthearted star and that’s not a bad thing, but it doesn’t exactly scream champion. Having a finisher named after such a lame pun doesn’t help her either. You also have Venuto, who did about as fine as someone could do in a five minute match.

We look at Fabian Aichner training and talking about wanting to be here to become a star. Italy is always his home and he grew up as a skier but then got hooked on wrestling. He’s ready to put in the work to become the top star around here. This run has already been better than all of his singles stuff in WWE and he has barely done anything.

Righteous vs. The System vs. Ricky Sosa/Leon Slater

Myers and Slater start things off with the latter scoring off a bouncing kick tot he head. Dutch comes in and gets double superkicked out to the floor. Slater and Sosa hit some big dives and we take a break. We come back with Bronson and Dutch going head to head but Bronson has to chokebomb Slater for two.

Myers’ Roster Cut is blocked with a superkick and it’s back to Sosa to make the fired up comeback. Slater comes in as well for a bunch of kicks but Dutch and Bronson clear the ring and slug it out. Dutch is sent outside for a flip dive off the apron but Slater is right there with the big running flip dive. Back in and Sosa gives Bronson a running uppercut for the pin at 10:26.

Rating: B-. Slater and Sosa are doing well enough to start so why not see what they can do together? Sosa is someone who is at least new and attaching him to someone as popular as Slater isn’t a bad idea. If nothing else, it’s not like Slater has anything to do until he might get a chance at the World Title so this is an interesting use of their combined talents.

Santino Marella likes Sosa’s dance but Daria Rae mocks him. Ryan Nemeth comes in to ask about KC Navarro mocking Nic Nemeth and gets permission to get physical for the sake of defending his family.

Knockouts TV Title Tournament First Round: Jody Threat vs. Gabby Forza

Forza is a debuting powerhouse wearing a hat and LOD shoulder pads while describing herself as “the world’s strongest gnome”. Well that’s a lot going on at once. These two are old friends and Forza shrugs off a running shoulder to start. Threat tries a choke and gets driven into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs.

The “Oklagnoma” Stampede and a Vader Bomb give Forza two so they trade clotheslines until Threat can’t get Pop Shove It. A running dropkick to the back puts Forza on the floor and there’s the running flip dive off the apron. Back in and Forza drops her with a clothesline and again with a powerbomb, followed by a spinning Rock Bottom for two on Threat. Another Vader Bomb hits raised boots though and Pop Shove It finishes Forza at 6:40.

Rating: B-. Forza absolutely made the most of her chance here and it was quite the performance. She felt like a powerhouse that hasn’t been around here since Jordynne Grace and that should be worth at least a second look. At the same time, Threat is back and still pretty much what she always has been, meaning fine enough but not someone I ever look forward to seeing. Forza stood out here (including the gnome thing which was….yeah) and that’s nice to see.

Mustafa Ali tells someone that it’s time to make changes in Order 4 so next week there’s going to be an address, with mandatory attendance.

Here is KC Navarro for a chat. Navarro thought Nic Nemeth was someone he could look up to but now Navarro knows what Nemeth really is. This brings out Nemeth, who says he thought he could make Navarro something special but no one has that much time. Navarro is pretty good but he just doesn’t have “it”.

That sends Navarro into a rant about how he took forever to get here and he wants a World Title shot. Navarro mocks Ryan Nemeth, who runs in to jump Navarro from behind. Nic gets in the ring, saying never come near the family again and lose his number. Navarro was showing some fire here and I’m sure a World Title match is coming, as it should.

Knockouts Title: Lei Ying Lee vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside is defending and it’s No DQ. Lee jumps her on the floor to start fast and the fight is on the floor, with Brookside being tossed inside for the opening bell. They’re right back on the floor with Lee’s spinning kick hitting the steps. That’s shrugged off and Lee is right back with more stomping and forearms inside. A suicide dive hits Brookside and we take a break.

We come back with Brookside whipping her with a belt as Lee’s knee is banged up. Said knee is used to knock Brookside down and a running dropkick does it again. Some right hands in the corner have Brookside crashing out to the floor and it’s time to throw in some weapons. Naturally this includes a table, because setting one of those up makes more sense than hitting someone with a chair.

A piledriver through a table is broken up and Brookside beats on her with the kendo stick. Brookside grabs the title and turns over the table, allowing Lee to take her down. Lee grabs a chair but Brookside knocks it away, earning herself a kick to the face. A top rope flip dive misses for Lee and Brookside belts her in the head for two. Brookside blocks a fist with the chair and Darkside onto the chair retains the title at 16:59.

Rating: B-. It was a good fight and should be the end of the feud, with Brookside putting her away for good. The knee injury didn’t really go anywhere, but at least they didn’t spend a lot of time setting it up. Other than that, Brookside beat her pretty clearly here and now we get to see who is up next for the title.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was more focused on the midcard issues and that’s not a bad thing. If nothing else, it is nice to see those things get some focus instead of the same stuff over and over. Brookside vs. Lee did feel like a pretty big grudge match and that served well as a main event. Other than that, the Hardys got to do their usual stuff, while Slater and Sosa had a nice start as a team. Not a must see show here, but it did a decent job.

Results
Hardys b. Great Hands – Swanton to Skyler
Indi Hartwell b. Vicki Venuto – Hurts Donut
Ricky Sosa/Leon Slater b. Righteous and The System – Running uppercut to Bronson
Jody Threat b. Gabby Forza – Pop Shove It
Xia Brookside b. Lei Ying Lee – Darkside onto a chair

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 2, 2026
Location: Broadview Center, Albany, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Slammiversary and the big story is Nic Nemeth winning the World Title from Mike Santana, who might be done with the company. Other than that, the Hardys are the Tag Team Champions again due to the Hardys must be champions no matter what. We’re on the way to Lockdown, or possibly something between now and then, so let’s get to it.

Here is Slammiversary if you need a recap.

We open with a long Slammiversary recap.

Here is Ryan Nemeth to introduce the best wrestler of the last 35,000 years, his BIG BROTHER Nic Nemeth. Nic is rather pleased with how Slammiversary went and has Ryan pull out a scroll, listing various names he has beaten. The list includes Randy Orton, Ultimo Dragon, Kane, Rey Mysterio, Cody Rhodes, Johnny Nitro, Johnny TV, John Morrison and John Cena, among several others.

This brings out KC Navarro to say he wants to talk to Nic, but Ryan says not so fast. Nic cuts that off and offers to let Navarro face Ryan tonight. Other than that though, anyone can come at him and they will be put down. Navarro as a first challenger will be a fine way to burn off a few weeks before we get closer to Lockdown.

Leon Slater says that Cedric Alexander stole the X-Division Title at Slammiversary and Slater is still coming for it. As for tonight, he’s going to teach Eddie Edwards a lesson in the main event as part of his path to becoming the biggest star in TNA. I’m not sure if he will, but Slater getting into the World Title picture isn’t out of the question. He might not be the next big thing, but it’s a distinct possibility.

We look at the announcement of the Knockouts TV Title and the tournament to crown the first champion.

Knockouts TV Title Tournament First Round: Tasha Steelz vs. Mara Sade

They trade some early rollups for two each and Steelz is sent outside, where Sade’s dive connects. A dropkick off the steps connects and Steelz bails again, only to manage to trip Sade on the apron. Back in and Steelz fires off some clotheslines but misses the top rope splash. Sade sends her outside again and hits a slingshot dive, followed by a Sling Blade back inside. A sitout powerbomb gives Sade two but Steelz’s neckbreaker gets the same. Steelz tries a springboard but gets kicked out of the air, allowing Sade to go up. That takes too long too and Steelz misses a charge, allowing Sade to hit the moonsault for the pin at 7:43.

Rating: C. Sade is a good example of someone who came into TNA with almost no reputation and wound up becoming a nice surprise. She’s one of the better stars in the division and has a presence to her. While she’s a long way off from going after Xia Brookside, she’s a good choice for a heck of a run in this tournament.

Post match Order 4 comes out and doesn’t seem pleased with Steelz.

Rich Swann gives BDE a pep talk, even though they’re both in a six way scramble for an X-Division Title shot.

BDE vs. Rich Swann vs. Fabian Aichner vs. Mr. Elegance vs. Jason Hotch vs. Home Town Man

They pair off to start until BDE and Swann are left alone for a respectful slugout. An exchange of rollups gets two each and it’s a standoff until Elegance breaks it up. Aichner drops Elegance with a clothesline and a butterfly superplex gets two on Swann. Hotch comes in to take over but the Man is right there to quite the reaction.

BDE hits a dive, followed by an even bigger one from Swann. Back in and a Tower Of Doom sends Swann flying into a Phoenix splash onto Hotch in a rather cool sequence. Swann hits a Lethal Injection on Hotch but Elegance makes the save. BDE splashes Elegance but gets caught in Aichner’s sitout powerbomb for the pin and the title shot at 5:28.

Rating: B-. As usual with matches like this one, it was a bunch of people flying around doing stuff with Aichner basically catching someone in the end. That’s not a bad thing either, as Aichner has been teased as a challenger for the title since he debuted. BDE continues to play his role of jobber to the stars who can do moves rather well and the rest of the people…well they were there too, as this was mainly about Aichner.

Ricky Sosa meets First Class and isn’t impressed.

Mustafa Ali does not want to hear Order 4’s excuses.

Here is Ricky Sosa for a chat. He’s new around here and the win on Sunday is just the beginning. This brings out the Righteous, who see the potential and offer him a spot on the team. Cue the System, who make an offer of their own, citing the team’s recent successes. Eddie Edwards sums it up by asking if Sosa wants to be a champion or join a cult. Sosa turns both of them down and the brawl is on, with Leon Slater running in for a failed save attempt. As has been the case, TNA needs fresh blood so trying Sosa out is worth a shot.

Elijah is happy to have his music back (despite never losing it).

Knockouts TV Title Tournament First Round: Heather By Elegance vs. Allie

M is here with Heather and Rosemary is here with Allie. Heather jumps Allie to start fast but gets sent into the corner for a running elbow. A trip to the floor goes badly for Allie as she gets her throat snapped over the top rope and a dropkick gives Heather two back inside. Allie shrugs that off to make the clothesline comeback and the Upside Down makes it even worse for Heather. Rosemary cuts off an interfering M but the distraction lets Heather hit a top rope double stomp for the pin at 5:34.

Rating: C. I’m not overly surprised that one of the likely challengers for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles beat one of the champions, but at least it was set up in a different way for once. Allie losing is a bit disappointing but the Elegance Brand has been too big of a deal to not have them go somewhere in the tournament. And it even involved some cheating for the protection.

Here is new Knockouts Champion Xia Brookside for a chat. She gets right to the point with the I TOLD YOU SO, as Lei Ying Lee was jealous and holding her back. Now we’ll get to see how good Brookside is and here she is as the new Knockouts Champion. The title doesn’t belong to the people because it belongs to her. This brings out Lee, who doesn’t see a champion, but rather a fake b****. The rematch is officially on for next week and Lee wants it to be No DQ, with the threat of Warrior’s Way sending Brookside running. Simple and to the point here.

Mustafa Ali begs Daria Rae for a Tag Team Title shot for the Great Hands. Sure. Next week.

KC Navarro vs. Ryan Nemeth

Nic Nemeth is here with Ryan. Navarro runs the ropes to start and hits a Sling Blade but Ryan pulls him off the top. A neckbreaker puts Navarro down on the floor and the chinlock goes on back inside. Navarro fights up for a tornado DDT but gets sent into the post to give Ryan two more. The hip swiveling neckbreaker takes too long though and Navarro comes back with the 305. The running neckbreaker finishes for Navarro at 4:19.

Rating: C+. I had thought that the match was going to be Nic vs. Navarro so it was nice to see Navarro get a win, even over a weasel like Ryan. Navarro is probably going to be getting a shot at Nic in a few weeks and that’s not a bad way for both of them to go. If nothing else, it’s getting Navarro a chance to showcase himself some more and it’s been working fairly well thus far.

Post match Nic lays Navarro out.

The Hardys are ready for the Great Hands but I’m not sure if calling the fans the Die-Hardys is going to work.

Leon Slater vs. Eddie Edwards

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. Hold on though as Alisha insists that Slater’s fans cheer for Eddie instead. They aren’t interesting so Slater’s music starts again (as he’s doing everything but YEETing) so we’re ready to go. Slater hits an early leg lariat before hammering away in the corner.

A poke to the eye cuts Slater off but he’s right back with a handspring elbow. Eddie cuts him off with a backbreaker and a hard whip sends Slater upside down in the corner. A backdrop gives Eddie two and Alisha gets in some choking from the floor. Eddie misses the moonsault though and Slater scores with a spinwheel kick.

The high crossbody gives Slater two but Eddie is back with the Backpack Stunner for the same. They trade shots to the face until a tiger driver and tiger bomb give Eddie two, leaving him looking rather stunned. Slater is right back with the toss Blue Thunder Bomb but Alisha gets on the apron. Cedric Alexander comes in and gets taken out, allowing Eddie to grab a rollup with tights for the pin at 7:34.

Rating: B-. Slater is getting more and more time in these main event spots and that means he’s going to lose on occasion. Losing to a multiple time World Champion is hardly the worst result, though Slater is going to need some help to fight back against the System. There are some options for that spot, but Sosa seems to be a likely choice.

Post match the beatdown is on but Ricky Sosa runs in for the save, much to Slater’s appreciation to end the show. Ah there we go.

Overall Rating: B-. TNA is in a rough spot right now as they aren’t likely to have Mike Santana anymore, along with a few other names. That means they are going to have to be tight with what they have and build up some fresh stars at the same time. While they didn’t take any huge steps forward here, they did a good enough job starting things off after Slammiversary. The post PPV shows have been an issue for TNA in recent years so it was nice to see things go in a different direction for once. They have a long way to go but it’s at least a good first step.

Results
Mara Sade b. Tasha Steelz – Moonsault
Fabian Aichner b. BDE, Rich Swann, Mr. Elegance, Jason Hotch and Home Town Man – Sitout powerbomb to BDE
Heather By Elegance b. Allie – Top rope double stomp
KC Navarro b. Ryan Nemeth – Running neckbreaker
Eddie Edwards b. Leon Slater – Rollup with tights

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kickoff Show: Eric Young vs. Ricky Sosa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We run down the rest of the card.

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

Elijah vs. AJ Francis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Moose vs. Eddie Edwards

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

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

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

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

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

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

Knockouts Title: Xia Brookside vs. Lei Ying Lee

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

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

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

Lockdown is coming to Chicago in August.

Destination X is coming in November.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TNA World Title: Mike Santana vs. Nic Nemeth

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

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

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

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

Nemeth celebrates to end the show.

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

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

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

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After a pretty lengthy time away, we’re back to the pay per view days for TNA and that might not be a bad thing. The build for this show has gotten more a lot more interested than I expected to be and now I want to see if they can pay that build up off. That’s the tricky part though as you never know how the whole thing is going to work. The main event is Nic Nemeth challenging Mike Santana for the World Title so let’s get to it.

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

I’m still trying to figure out why Black is treated as such a big deal, as I really do not see the success there to warrant it. She’s far from bad, but she has made no impact since her arrival in TNA and I often forget that she’s part of the roster. Maybe that changes here, but I really can’t imagine that being the case after such a long time of pretty much nothing from her thus far.

That leaves Sade and Hartwell as your realistic options here and I’ll take the former for the win. Sade has gotten somewhere with her charisma and general appeal and it’s working well for her. Given that she was little more than Lash Legend’s lackey in NXT, this is quite the step up for her and I’m curious to see what she can do on her own. Give her a win here and see what’s next around here.

Ricky Sosa vs. Eric Young

Oh dear it’s this match. For the life of me I do not get Eric Young and I haven’t for a long time. He’ll pop up, pick a new target, say the same things, lose, and then move on like nothing has changed. Sosa is his latest target and it’s hard to fathom that he’s going to be any different for Young. The whole idea of Young as this evil force is quite the miscast and I do not get the appeal but we’re here anyway.

I’ll go with Sosa to win here, as there is no point in having him lose to someone like Young, who loses all of the time. I’m not sure what Sosa is going to be but TNA is really in need of some new stars, so put him out there and see what he can do. It’s worth a shot and beating a former multiple time World Champion is a good start, especially if it gets Young off the show for a few weeks.

AJ Francis vs. Elijah

This is a battle for Elijah’s name, likeness and music catalog, because that’s a thing we’re doing in wrestling. As ridiculous as it might sound, I do appreciate the idea of having a less than normal reason for a feud in wrestling. This is Francis taking away the thing that defines Elijah the most and that is going to make Elijah mad as a result. Francis has been doing well as a big man too so it’s certainly worth a try.

As much as I would like to see Francis win here and see where he can go with things, it doesn’t make sense for Elijah to lose. I’ll take Elijah to win, as what in the world is he without his music deal? We tried that with the whole Ezekiel thing in WWE and we’ve seen how that worked out, so I’ll go with Elijah here, if nothing else for the sake of keeping his career going.

Knockouts Title: Lei Ying Lee(c) vs. Xia Brookside

Every so often you get a pretty much perfect setup for a big moment and that’s what we have here. Brookside turned on her friend out of jealousy over not being able to win the title and now gets a title shot. It helps that Brookside has turned into quite a nice heel in the process, which is impressive for someone who is fairly small in stature and easy to cheer in the first place.

There is a grand total of zero reason for Brookside to lose here so I’ll go with the logical result and say she wins the title. Lee is already a two time champion and hardly the biggest star in the world, so go with Brookside getting her big moment and see what she can do as champion. It’s kind of overdue at this point and if she loses, she’s basically dead in the water anyway. So yeah, new champion here.

X-Division Title: Ultimate X

Here we have the signature match of TNA and it makes sense to bring it out of mothballs for the anniversary show. They’re also bringing Amazing Red back, which should quite the nice thing to see. Red had a heck of a match with Bandido over Wrestlemania Weekend and he can still more than go. Seeing him back in the ring is an interesting idea, even if he has pretty much no chance of winning.

Red is one of a few wrestlers you can probably write off, along with Mr. Elegance. That leaves a host of people to win and I’m going to go with an underdog in KC Navarro. He’s come a long way lately and this is the kind of match where they can make him into something without having him get a big pin. I’m not saying it’ll work, but I think they could do it here. Granted this kind of thing is a total shot in the dark but why not have some fun?

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: The Elegance Brand(c) vs. Rosemary/Allie

Just name Rosemary and Allie the Undead Realm already. Anyway, this is an interesting one as normally I would say that there is no reason to leave the titles on the Brand but they’re kind of great with having the titles as accessories. It makes them even more annoying and that’s a perfect thing for a stable built around the idea of getting on the fans’ nerves. I’m just not sure they’ll keep the belts.

Yeah I think I’ll go with the title change here, as Rosemary and Allie are popular enough at the moment to warrant getting the gold. If nothing else, the Brand is going to be able to drive everyone crazy with or without the titles so let them drop the belts for now. They can easily win them back later if necessary, but for now, Allie and Rosemary are a better option for the win here.

International Title: Mustafa Ali(c) vs. ???

This is one that’s hard to predict, as there is only so much you can do without knowing who is getting the title shot. There have been some rumored names, including at least one who used to be in WWE, but no one really stands out all that well. If nothing else, Ali deserves to hold onto the title longer as he’s getting somewhere with his stuff (as he tends to do when he’s given the chance).

I’ll take Ali to retain over whomever he is facing, even if I want to see him get into the World Title picture sooner rather than later. Ali is someone with the talent to make this work and you can almost guarantee that he’ll be doing something special around election season. For now though, he retains, likely with the help of his goons, though I’m almost worried to see who he’s going to be facing here.

Eddie Edwards vs. Moose

This is, at least in theory, the final blowoff to Moose vs. The System, though it feels like we should have been at that point months ago. The idea here is that you can only lose if your corner person (Alisha Edwards and JDC) throw in the towel to end the match. That opens the door for some shenanigans and it comes down to whom is going to screw the other one over.

I’ll go with Edwards winning here, as it feels like they have set up JDC to mess with Moose again because that’s the kind of thing TNA would do. I’m not sure how you pay that off down the line if JDC is retired, but for now at least, Moose loses again. This feud has gone on far too long already and at this point, I’ll take it ending in whatever way they can figure out.

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

Say it with me: it’s a ladder match! The level of eye rolling I did when that was announced should come with a doctor’s warning but here we are again. The Hardys almost have to be in a ladder match every so often because the law of diminishing returns means nothing in wrestling. It also doesn’t help that the non-Righteous teams are just kind of there, which should tell you where this is going.

The Righteous should take the titles here, as they should have done six months ago. I get that the Hardys are big stars but how many title reigns does one team need? On the other hand you have the Great Hands, who were randomly thrown into this match for reasons I don’t quite get. That leave the champions and, well, does anyone believe they’re the top team in the company right now?

TNA World Title: Mike Santana(c) vs. Nic Nemeth

This is one of the more impressive showings that TNA has had in a minute, as they have taken a pretty nothing story and turned it into one of the hotter feuds going into the pay per view. Nemeth is cashing in his Call Your Shot win and just got a title shot. The catch though, as usual with Santana, is bringing up his daughter, who is his one weak spot. Nic and Ryan Nemeth have gone after Santana over and over but they might have just ticked him off beyond belief. I’m just not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing.

At the end of the day, it seems all but guaranteed that Santana is going to WWE sooner rather than later. The question is whether he drops the title here or later and I think he’ll hang onto it for now. TNA and WWE have a working relationship so Santana doesn’t have to cut all of his ties to go over. It should be interesting to see how it goes, but if they have a big fight with Santana winning, he can move on to whomever is going to take the title as he leaves. For now though, he retains.

Overall Thoughts

For the first time in WAY too long, I’m actually excited about this. The problem is that at the end of the day, this is still TNA and that means there is a real chance of letdown. I’m almost scared to get my hopes up that far as they have been dashed far too many times over the years. The potential is there though and if everything works out, we could be in for a heck of a Sunday afternoon.

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: June 11, 2026
Location: National Western Center, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s title night as while we’re about two and a half weeks away from Slammiversary, the World Title is being defended this week. Mike Santana is putting the title on the line against Eric Young, who won a battle royal a few weeks ago to get the shot. Other than that, we probably get to find out some more matches for the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

TNA World Title: Eric Young vs. Mike Santana

Santana is defending and, after the Big Match Intros, charges at him in the corner to start fast. A powerbomb out of the corner gives Santana two and he knocks Young around ringside. Young is back up with a slam onto the apron and a neckbreaker on the same apron as we take a break.

We come back with Young knocking him out to the floor and sending him back inside for two. Young goes up and gets superplexed down for a double breather. The rolling Buck Fifty gives Santana two but the referee gets bumped in the corner, meaning Spin The Block gets nothing. A low blow, belt shot and piledriver give Young two so Young loads up another piledriver. Cue the returning Ricky Sosa, allowing Santana to hit a quick rollup for the pin to retain at 13:32.

Rating: B-. Well, the most important thing here is that Young didn’t win the title and this should move him away from the title picture. Santana is likely dealing with Nic Nemeth at Slammiversary and now we should get ready for the next pay per view title defense. Young gets to move on to a better feud with Sosa and that should be a good way for Sosa to really start his run around here.

Post match here is Nic Nemeth with the trophy to say he could call his shot right now, but he’s a man of his word. Earlier this week, he said he would use his title shot at Slammiversary and that is what he is going to do. As cheap of a way as that is to set up a title shot, it’s about all there is right now.

Mustafa Ali, with Order 4, liked what Nic Nemeth just did. As for KC Navarro, Ali gives his condolences for Navarro’s losses. Both of them, including the match tonight and his uncle earlier this week. That’s rather cold.

We look back at AJ Francis laying out Elijah last week and apparently buying his likeness and music library.

Elijah vs. Mr. Elegance

Elijah says no one will silence him but here is a lawyer with a cease and desist letter. The distraction lets Elegance grab a small package for the pin at 12 seconds.

Post match here is AJ Francis to mock Elijah for losing again, earning himself a beating. They fight into the crowd (yo TNA: stop going into the crowd when there are large areas of empty seats) and here is Lei Ying Lee to brawl with Elegance. Xia Brookside comes in for a cheap shot but gets taken out.

Nic Nemeth gives KC Navarro a pep talk. Ryan Nemeth comes in as well but here is Mike Santana, who respects Nic for announcing the title shot man to man. Santana will be ready for him at Slammiversary. Navarro says he has a title to win and could use either Santana or Nic’s help with Order 4. They both seem intrigued but don’t agree.

Fabian Aichner/Leon Slater vs. The System

Slater and Alexander start things off and, say it with me, Alexander tags Edwards right at the bell. That earns Edwards a kick to the face and it’s off to Aichner, who gets cheap shotted from the apron. Alexander suplexes him onto the apron and we take a break. We come back with Aichner still in trouble and Edwards grabbing a chinlock.

That’s broken up and Aichner gets in a knockdown, followed by kicking Edwards away. Slater gets the tag to clean house and a high crossbody gets two on Alexander. Everything breaks down and Aichner tornado DDTs Alexander, which brings out the rest of the System. Slater dives onto both of them but Alexander grabs the Lumbar Check for the pin at 9:59.

Rating: B-. This was a perfectly acceptable tag match as Slater continues to want revenge on the System. I’m hoping that he moves on to something bigger after this is done, as he seems too important for the X-Division and yet he has only teased a few moves up the ladder. Other than that, Aichner’s start continues to go well now that he’s away from the awkward debut.

Post match the beatdown is on but Moose returns for the save. Moose vs. Edwards is set for Slammiversary.

Santino Marella is happy with his win last week. Indi Hartwell comes in and is granted a match with Elayna Black next week, which is all she wanted.

Here is the Righteous for a chat. They brag about their win last week, including poisoning Jeff Hardy last week. The Hardys have survived everything over thirty years but they come into the Wicked Garden and are immediately classified as obsolete. That leaves the Righteous wanting the Tag Team Titles.

This brings out Santino Marella, who says the Hardys still have a rematch clause so they’ll get a title shot at Slammiversary, as will the Righteous in a three way match. A three way LADDER match. GOOD GRIEF ENOUGH WITH THE LADDER MATCHES! My goodness just have them wrestle once in a blue moon already. The Righteous laugh at the idea because the Hardys are gone but the lights go out, Matt Hardy’s laugh is heard, and a ladder appears.

The Elegance Brand vs. Allie/Rosemary/Mara Sade

Mr. Elegance offers a quick distraction to start and it’s a big brawl on the floor before the bell. Sade and M start things off with Sade hitting a middle rope dropkick. Rosemary comes in with a doll, which seems to control Ash. This involves making her dance and biting her for some pain before throwing the doll to M. Ash chokes Rosemary on the rope and it’s off to Heather to choke on the rope. Rosemary fights up and brings Allie in to clean house as everything breaks down. Allie hits a quick running Codebreaker to pin Heather at 5:31.

Rating: C. This was more about the doll bit and fair enough. Given some of the things the Undead Realm (just name them that already) have done, this is hardly a stretch. Ash sells comedy well enough too and it could have been worse. The match was mainly about running all over the place, especially in the end and that’s fine enough.

Slammiversary rundown.

International Title: KC Navarro vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali is defending and elbows Navarro in the face to start. Navarro sends him outside though and hits a big dive as we take a break. We come back with Navarro getting to the rope to escape an STF. The 450 misses though and Ali misses a charge into the buckle. They both go up and Ali tries a fireman’s carry, with Navarro reversing into a cutter for a huge crash. Navarro hits a Fameasser for two and a running flipping neckbreaker gets the same. Navarro looks up at the sky but dives into a Sharpshooter for the tap at 10:37.

Rating: C+. This was ok while it lasted but at the same time, that was quite the punch to the gut of a finish, with Navarro referencing his uncle and then tapping out almost immediately. Ali retaining is fine as he’s likely going to be in for a big time title defense at Slammiversary. Navarro is a talented guy but he’s not on Ali’s level and it never seemed like he was.

Post match Ali puts the Sharpshooter on again but here are Nic Nemeth and Mike Santana for the save. Ali teases a belt shot on Santana but Nemeth gives Ali a superkick. Then Nemeth gives Santana the Danger Zone to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was the show where they got everything else cleared out of the way before we can get on to Slammiversary. That’s a good thing as well, as there wasn’t much of anything that stood out with what they were doing in recent weeks. Slammiversary still doesn’t look great but at least there is a card to build towards and that has been needed for awhile now.

Results
Mike Santana b. Eric Young – Rollup
Mr. Elegance b. Elijah – Small package
The System b. Fabian Aichner/Leon Slater – Lumbar Check to Slater
Allie/Rosemary/Mara Sade b. The Elegance Brand – Codebreaker to Heather
Mustafa Ali b. KC Navarro – Sharpshooter

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

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