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 20, 2026
Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the last show before Lockdown and the big story coming out of last week is the announcement of Lethal Lockdown. There is a good chance that we are going to be seeing a match between members of the team for the advantage on Sunday, as per tradition. Other than that, the rest of the card is likely to get its usual last push so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here is Order 4 in the ring for a chat. Mustafa Ali rants about everything at Jason Hotch has achieved, because all of those things were due to Ali himself. Even the clothes on Hotch’s wife’s back. All that matters to Ali is loyalty, so tonight, John Skyler will prove his loyalty by fighting Hotch, but not for the International Title. Skyler doesn’t seem pleased.

Hotch is not happy about having to fight someone who is like a brother to him. Daria Rae comes in to basically say get over it.

Rich Swann vs. Mr. Elegance

The Personal Concierge is here too and while he’s blind, he can smell all of the horrible fans. Elegance shoulders him down but gets dropkicked to the floor. Cue the Elegance Brand for a distraction, with Heather giving Swann a tornado DDT. A rather delayed vertical suplex gives Elegance two and we’re off to the seated full nelson. Back up and Elegance fires off some knees to the ribs but Swann kicks him in the head. The rolling splash gives Swann two and he reverses the wind up DDT into a rollup to pin Elegance at 5:42.

Rating: C. It was a rather basic match and there was no reason for Elegance to be able to beat a former World Champion in a straight up match. The point of someone like Elegance, or the entire Brand for that matter, is that they’re all talk and often in over their head. That was the case here, though having BDE beat Me. Elegance could have been a lot of fun too.

Knockouts TV Title Tournament Semifinals: Jada Stone vs. Heather By Elegance

They trade some rollups to start until Stone kicks her in the face. A springboard misses Heather though and she gets to stomp in the corner. The chinlock goes on but Stone is back up for a kick to the head. The split legged moonsault gives Stone two but Heather breaks up the Spark Stunner.

That lets Heather twist her neck around and they go back to the pinfall reversal sequence. They go out to the apron with Heather taking over, only to get hurricanranaed out to the apron for a big crash. Heather is back in at nine and the Spark Stunner finishes for Stone at 7:44

Rating: C+. Heather got further in the tournament than I was expecting and it wound up being a pretty entertaining match. I was thinking they might have gone with the all elegance final, but Stone is pretty clearly getting a push of some sort around here. I’m not sure if that’s going to be enough for the title, but at least she’s making a run in the tournament.

We get a split screen interview between Elayna Black and Xia Brookside. Black says it’s just the two of them in a cage at Lockdown (kind of the point of the show) but Brookside isn’t impressed. Brookside talks about getting rid of challengers and that’s what she’s going to do again with Black on Sunday.

The Elegance Brand freaks out over their losses tonight but the Personal Concierge gives them a pep talk. I think we can move on from the Brand tonight.

Fabian Aichner vs. Brian Myers

For the advantage in Lethal Lockdown. Myers whips him hard into the corner to start but Aichner is back with a hard toss to the floor. Aichner runs him over again and we take a break. We come back with Myers grabbing the chinlock but quickly getting knocked into the corner. Aichner’s crossbody sets up a middle rope moonsault for two, with Myers’ implant DDT getting the same.

The Roster Cut misses though and Aichner is up with a huge dive to the floor. Back in and Aichner grabs a DDT for two of his own, followed by a bulldog choke. Myers gets to the ropes and then kicks them into Aichner for a low blow. The spear gets two, followed by a more discreet low blow into the Roster Cut to finish Aichner at 11:55.

Rating: B-. This was a case of “one of the heels has to get the advantage for the match” and these two fit as well as anything else. Myers can do a good job with anyone and they had a nice match here. It was a perfectly acceptable match, even with the second low blow being a bit of overkill.

Harley Hudson calls Traci Brooks, who gives her a pep talk before her match against Alisha Edwards. This felt like a Cameo more than a phone call.

Jason Hotch vs. John Skyler

Non-title. Before the match, Hotch says he and Skyler are like brothers and while they have to have the match, it can be great wrestling instead of a fight, which seems to work for Skyler. They fight over wrist control and a headlock to start, with Skyler taking him down into an armbar. Cue Mila Moore to say this is NOT what Mustafa Ali wanted. The Secret Service comes out and Agent Zero decks Hotch for the DQ at 3:07.

Rating: C. This was an angle disguised as a match and that’s what you want to do with a match that might be something down the line. I’m not sure I can imagine Hotch retaining the title on Sunday but you don’t want him losing here, especially when he feels like a fluke champion in the first place. There’s a good chance that Skyler has to make his decision on Sunday and that could be interesting.

Post match Mustafa Ali comes in to mock Hotch.

The Righteous seem to recruit BDE. Why?

Alicia Edwards vs. Harley Hudson

For Hudson’s contract, Eddie Edwards is here with Alisha, and Daria Rae is on commentary. Hudson goes for some early rollups but goes after Eddie, allowing Alisha to get in a posting. Back in and Alisha stomps/chokes away in the corner as Rae brags about her success running TNA. Hudson powers out of the corner, only to get caught in a Downward Spiral for two. Back up and Alisha loads up a double underhook but gets reversed into a rollup to give Hudson the quick pin at 6:27.

Rating: C+. They seem to be trying something with Hudson and as has been the case around here quite a bit lately, that is a good idea due to all of the roster turnover. The match wasn’t much to see, but Hudson is easy enough to like based on her recent vignettes. See what they have with her, which might result in a match against Rae down the line.

Post match Alisha jumps her again with Eddie getting in as well, only for Jada Stone to make the save.

Video on Cedric Alexander vs. Leon Slater, with Slater’s past title reign on the line in a rather bizarre stipulation.

Lockdown rundown.

Nemeths/AJ Francis/Frankie Kazarian vs. Hardys/Elijah/Moose

Kazarian and Jeff start things off with the latter’s early splash getting a fast two. Elijah comes in to chop at Ryan and the Walk With Elijah connects. Everything breaks down (I’m surprised it took that long) and the villains are sent into the buckles over and over as we take a break. We come back with Elijah fighting out of Kazarian’s chinlock and bringing Moose back in to wreck people. The chokebomb out of the corner gets two on Nic and it’s Matt coming in with a Side Effect for two more.

A cheap shot cut Matt off though and Ryan comes in for the Hardy Dance. For some reason Kazarian tries a Twist Of Fate and gets dropped with a clothesline. Francis comes in for the running boot in the corner before knocking Matt’s partners off the apron. They go up top, with Matt grabbing a super Side Effect for the double down. Jeff gets the tag and everything breaks down with Elijah having to save Jeff from the TFL. The Twist Of Fate and Swanton finish Francis at 14:18.

Rating: B-. This was the rare three PPV matches at once match and it worked fine. Of course the Hardys win because, you know, Hardys, but Francis is the best choice to take the loss here. It didn’t exactly do a lot to build up the three matches, but those were already set up and I’ll take something different like this over the standard video packages.

Cedric Alexander has been attacked in the back. Rehwoldt: “First Moose, now Alexander!” Oh yeah I had completely forgotten about Moose being attacked, mainly because he just wrestled in the main event the next week like nothing happened.

Overall Rating: B-. They were really just covering all of the bases here and that’s a good way to go for the last Impact before the pay per view. The action was completely acceptable, though I’m only so interested in Lockdown. TNA is doing what they can with the options that they have, but it’s still not the most thrilling stuff. Hopefully Lockdown is better, because they need some kind of a spark soon.

Results
Rich Swann b. Mr. Elegance – Rollup
Jada Stone b. Heather By Elegance – Spark Stunner
Brian Myers b. Fabian Aichner – Roster Cut
Jason Hotch b. John Skyler via DQ when Agent Zero interfered
Harley Hudson b. Alisha Edwards – Rollup
Hardys/Elijah/Moose b. Nemeths/AJ Francis/Frankie Kazarian – Swanton to Francis

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 6, 2026
Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re still on the way to Lockdown and the big story is that we’re coming up on Nic Nemeth defending the World Title against Jeff Hardy. Granted the match isn’t taking place at Lockdown, but at least it’s taking place. If nothing else, it’s better than seeing the Hardys vs. the Righteous again. In other news, the Righteous are back tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Matt Hardy vs. Ryan Nemeth

Jeff Hardy is here with Matt, who is a better actor than Ryan, who is here with his brother Nic. Ryan shoulders him in the corner to start so Matt is back with the rapid fire rams into the buckle. The Twist Of Fate is countered with a clothesline but Matt no sells a suplex to hammer away. Matt hits a clothesline of his own and the Side Effect gets two. Nic trips Matt down so Jeff gets on the apron, allowing Ryan to grab a DDT. Matt doesn’t seem to mind as it’s the Twist Of Fate to pin Ryan at 5:49.

Rating: C. Were you expecting anything else? This was all about Matt getting to beat Ryan up like it was a legend against a goof and…well yeah that’s exactly what it was. The match wasn’t meant to be anything bigger than this and that’s kind of nice to see for a change, as there were no shenanigans and the logical result took place.

Xia Brookside isn’t letting Wendy Choo take the Knockouts Title back to NXT. As for Elayna Black, who pops up, Brookside hopes she’s watching so she’ll know what she’s getting into by coming for the title.

We look at Jason Hotch winning the International Title in a huge upset.

Hotch, with his family, says he’s not just a sidekick and he’s not taking being champion for granted. Rich Swann and BDE come in to offer congratulations.

Knockouts TV Title Tournament Quarterfinals: Mara Sade vs. Heather By Elegance

The Brand is here with Heather. Sade works on the arm to start so Heather stomps on her foot. That’s broken up and Sade sends her into the rope for a running shot to the back. A dropkick gets two on Heather back inside but she sends Sade outside, where Sade comes up holding her arm.

Back in and Heather works on the arm but Sade is able to power her up for a powerbomb into the corner. Some right hands have Heather in more trouble and Sade powerbombs the heck out of here for two. Sade goes up top but gets her arm pulled down onto the rope, setting up a top rope double stomp to give Heather the pin at 8:54.

Rating: C+. This was better than I was expecting, with Heather working on an injury and taking her apart until she won. That’s rare to see but it wound up working rather well, even with a somewhat surprising result. At the same time, Sade has since departed the company so the loss makes a bit more sense in hindsight.

Moose is ready to fight Frankie Kazarian and wants to face him for the first time so Kazarian can see what Moose is all about.

Jason Hotch has to go do something and leaves his family in the back, with Mustafa Ali coming in a few moments later. With the wife looking anxious, Ali talks about saving Hotch’s job and now he has to do what he has to do. Worry not though, as he’ll take care of the two of them after getting the title back. Ali was a good villain here as he felt evil.

KC Navarro vs. Brian Myers

Feeling out process to start until Bear Bronson offers a distraction. That earns him an ejection so here is Ricky Sosa to jump Bronson with a chair. Navarro takes over again but here is Eddie Edwards to spear Navarro for the DQ at 2:08.

Post match the beatdown is on so Fabian Aichner makes the save. Santino Marella, tag match.

The System vs. KC Navarro/Fabian Aichner

Aichner slams Myers down to start and the good guys hit stereo dives as we take an early break. We come back with Aichner getting chopped on the floor but he suplexes his way to freedom back inside. Aichner’s moonsault takes out a standing Myers and it’s back to Navarro vs. Edwards.

Everything breaks down and Edwards small packages Aichner for two but it’s a butterfly superplex to send Edwards into Navarro’s frog splash. Myers makes a diving save so Aichner gives him a sitout Last Ride. That earns Aichner a Boston Knee Party though and everyone is down. Alisha Edwards sends in a kendo stick so Eddie can knock Navarro silly, followed by a package piledriver for the pin at 11:13.

Rating: B-. This was getting going near the end, though I’m not wild on seeing Navarro take another fall after he lost his big World Title shot last month. The good thing though is that he feels like he belongs here and that is more than I would have bet on when this run started. It definitely doesn’t feel like it’s over yet though so we should have more coming up.

Post match Ricky Sosa runs in to chase the System off.

The Righteous run into the Hardys and respect is shown.

Jason Hotch freaks out on Mustafa Ali and the rematch is made for Lockdown. Hotch talks to John Skyler, who reluctantly says he needs this job, which has Hotch storming off. Makes sense.

Here is the Righteous for a chat. The Lake Of Reincarnation changed their direction, meaning they are going away from the Hardys (WOO HOO!). They’re not looking for opponents, but rather someone hanging to life who wants to bloom into something better.

Santino Marella talks to Harley Hudson, whose job is hanging by a thread. Alisha Edwards comes in to run her mouth and gets in an argument with Jada Stone. Hudson isn’t happy with this and gets a match with Edwards. That’s one way to help keep her job.

Allie looks for Rosemary but finds some miniature tarot cards.

AJ Francis vs. Home Town Man

The spear looks to set up the Down Payment but Elijah’s guitar offers a distraction. Man gets a rollup pin at 48 seconds.

We get a sitdown interview with Cedric Alexander, who talks about working so hard to get here and earn what he has become. Leon Slater comes in to face off with Alexander, where he asks for one more title shot. Alexander says no because Slater has had everything handed to him. They go nose to nose and Alexander turns him down again. He wants to erase Slater’s history with the title, which sounds ominous.

Daria Rae interrupts Frankie Kazarian (who is on a pay phone) and says that Kazarian is going to have to face Moose. That’s fine with Kazarian, who wants it in a cage at Lockdown. With Rae gone, Kazarian promises to show Moose why he’s the king.

Knockouts Title: Wendy Choo vs. Xia Brookside

Choo is challenging and hammers away to send Brookside outside. Brookside gets kicked down and we take an early break. We come back with Choo firing off some clotheslines and runs her over for two. A Codebreaker gives Brookside two of her own so Choo is back with the Snooze Button for the same. The Dirt Nap goes on so Brookside sends her into the ropes for the break. The Darkside retains the title at 9:21.

Rating: C+. This could have been worse, but it was mainly just a quick match without getting very far off the ground. Choo never felt like she was a major threat to win the title but that’s going to be the case every so often. It helps to have Brookside getting another win though, as she’s starting to feel like a strong champion.

Post match here is Elayna Black for the staredown with Brookside.

Jeff Hardy is drawing in the back (possibly more so than he does in the arena these days) but Nic Nemeth comes in to mock Jeff for not doing anything important. Nemeth says he’s the best in the world and gets annoyed when Hardy won’t pay attention to him. They both sign the contract for their title match (in Sharpie) and Hardy still won’t talk, with Nemeth storming off in frustration. This feels like it should be at Lockdown but instead it’s just for an upcoming Impact. That doesn’t give them much time to set something up for Lockdown and that has me worried/curious.

Overall Rating: C+. They set things up for Lockdown and that’s good to see, though there is only so much to be said for the wrestling this week. It was perfectly fine but not exactly something that you need to see. Either way, Lockdown is the big goal but we have the weird side trip of Jeff Hardy vs. Nic Nemeth in their big match in the next week or so. Good enough show here, but mainly there to set things up for Lockdown rather than anything here.

Results
Matt Hardy b. Ryan Nemeth – Twist Of Fate
Heather By Elegance b. Mara Sade – Top rope double stomp
KC Navarro b. Brian Myers via DQ when Eddie Edwards interfered
The System b. KC Navarro/Fabian Aichner – Package piledriver to Navarro
Home Town Man b. AJ Francis – Rollup
Xia Brookside b. Wendy Choo – Darkside

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 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:

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

Summerslam 1999
Date: August 22, 1999
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Attendance: 17,130
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s been a bit since I’ve looked at this show so we might as well try it again. The main event is a triple threat match with HHH and Mankind challenging Steve Austin for the title with Governor Jesse Ventura as the guest referee. Other than that, The Rock is facing Billy Gunn for reasons I don’t quite understand. Let’s get to it.

We open with a long recap of the main event, which has involved a bunch of guest referees over the years. Now Jesse Ventura is the ultimate guest referee, as he is the governor of Minnesota and the biggest power around. Makes sense, in a wrestling way at least.

Jesse Ventura tells HHH that he knows all of the cheating that can happen out there so don’t even bother. Chyna needs to set HHH straight.

Chris Jericho gets on “Harold” Finkel for being late, especially when Jericho is trying to save his job.

Intercontinental Title/European Title: Jeff Jarrett vs. D’Lo Brown

Jarrett, with Debra, is challenging for both titles. Actually hold on as Jarrett ejects Debra, much to Lawler’s chagrin. Actually hold on again as Debra runs into Brown in the back and offers to manage him instead. Brown, like a moron, actually agrees. Jarrett jumps him to start fast but Brown is back up with a flying forearm.

A powerslam gives Brown two and Jarrett jumps into a sitout spinebuster for the same. Brown tries a middle rope bulldog but gets pulled into a side slam for a pretty unique counter. Jarrett sends him outside for a baseball slide and a ram into the steps. That earns him a clothesline over the barricade so Jarrett comes right back with a posting to cut Brown off again.

Back in and Jarrett starts in on the arm, with a tornado DDT on said arm leaving Brown in a lot of trouble. Jarrett stops to yell at Debra though and it’s a running Liger Bomb to give Brown two. The head shaking legdrop and a suplex have Jarrett in trouble but Brown misses a random Swanton. Debra gets on the apron for a distraction so Jarrett grabs the guitar. Cue Mark Henry to take it away and clock Brown, giving Jarrett the pin and the titles at 7:29.

Rating: C+. So in an opener that runs about seven and a half minutes, we had a (seemingly fake) split, a new pairing, a guitar shot and another turn in the end. All in a match for a double championship. What makes this all the more annoying is Jarrett and Brown are more than capable of having a good wrestling match without all of the shenanigans. Let them do their thing and save this nonsense for people who actually need it.

And of course Debra was in on it all along.

Earlier today, Edge And Christian were ready to start the Tag Team Turmoil match. They want to be the #1 contenders and who better to start against than the Hardys?

Tag Team Turmoil

Six team gauntlet match for the #1 contendership with Edge And Christian in at #1 and the Hardys (the New Brood but the graphic has the other name and I’m going with it) in at #2. The Hardys jump them to start fast until we settle down to Edge Russian legsweeping Matt. Christian comes in for a spinwheel kick which clearly misses (fair enough as Matt popped back up) but Gangrel gets in a cheap shot.

That allows the Hardys to take their shirts off (high pitched pop still in development and Jeff’s springboard moonsault gets two. Christian is cut off again and it’s a suplex into a Swanton with Jeff having to make a save. A double reverse layout DDT gets Christian out of trouble though and it’s back to Edge to clean house.

Everything breaks down and Jeff tries to run the barricade, only to get speared out of the air by Edge. Gangrel gets in a cheap shot but Christian hits a big springboard dive, with Matt moonsaulting onto all three of them. Back in and Edge electric chair faceplants Jeff, setting up Christian’s top rope elbow for the pin at 5:02.

Viscera and Mideon are in at #3 with Viscera jumping Christian and giving him a Samoan drop. A double elbow lets Mideon choke away but he misses a middle rope elbow. Edge comes in and gets dropped by Viscera’s rather impressive spinwheel kick but Viscera splashes Mideon by mistake. A double shoulder puts Viscera on the floor and the spear finishes Mideon at 7:38 total

Prince Albert and Droz are in at #4 and commentary gets in an argument over whether college football careers matter at all. JR points out that Lawler doesn’t know a thing about Albert but Lawler points out that you can tell everything you need to know by looking at Albert. Well, yeah. Albert misses a charge in the corner and Christian takes Droz out on the floor. A chop block and the Downward Spiral finish Albert at 9:37 total and the Acolytes are in at #5.

Christian is taken outside and rammed into the post, leaving Edge to hammer on Bradshaw in the corner. This allows Lawler to mock JR’s football obsession but JR says Lawler hurt his feelings. A powerbomb out of the corner drops Edge and it’s off to Faarooq for more pummeling. Edge’s spinwheel kick (popular move this match) drops Faarooq but Bradshaw is right there to cut off the tag. Faarooq gets a rather cocky two and we hit the chinlock.

Back up and the Dominator is reversed into a DDT, allowing Edge to bring Christian in. The dropkicks abound and a tornado DDT gets two on Bradshaw. Cue the Hollys (apparently jumping the gun) as Bradshaw blasts Christian with the Clothesline From Bradshaw for the pin at 14:42 total.

So the Hollys complete the field at #6 and go after the Acolytes, who don’t seem impressed. The Dominator plants Crash but Holly makes the save. Naturally this results in the Hollys fighting over who gets to stomp Faarooq, earning Hardcore a double shoulder. A suplex gets Hardcore out of trouble so Crash tags himself in, only to get clotheslined. Lawler mocks JR for saying he doesn’t know which Holly is tougher, even as Bradshaw gets two off a swinging neckbreaker. Hardcore comes back in and get in a fight among themselves, leaving an annoyed Faarooq to spinebuster Hardcore for the pin at 17:36.

Rating: C+. Believe it or not, Edge And Christian and the Hardys tore the house down while they could and most of the rest of the teams were just there. That’s pretty much the story of the tag division until the Dudley Boyz showed up in a few months but for now, it was those teams and no one else. This was at least different, though dang I could have gone for the Hardys and Edge & Christian getting that much time instead.

Al Snow tries to calm down his dog, Pepper, about the Big Boss Man with advice about Judy Garland.

Here is the Road Dogg for a chat. He’s not happy with being out of the Hardcore Title match but wants to face the winner tomorrow on Raw. Cue Chris Jericho (who had only debuted a few weeks ago) to interrupt (JR: “It’s Jericho.” Lawler: “How do you know?”), saying he can’t believe that Summersham is worse than Raw Is Bore.

There are a lot of terrible performers on this show and the worst is in the ring right now. Jericho mocks Dogg’s lack of reaction, with Dogg smiling at the cheers he receives. The reality is that DX and Dogg suck so Dogg calls him a b**** to wrap this up. What a nothing segment but it was a way to get Jericho on the show.

Hardcore Title: Al Snow vs. Big Boss Man

Boss Man is defending and Snow leaves Pepper in a pet carrier in the back. Dogg is on commentary but jumps up with a mic to do roving commentary. Snow climbs onto the set and dives onto Boss Man during his entrance and they go backstage, where Boss Man is put through a table. Boss Man fights back and throws Pepper’s pet case, earning himself what looks like a chalkboard to the back.

A crutch shot drops Snow and Boss Man rams him into a Pepsi case. Boss Man shoves the case over but can’t crush Snow in the process so they go outside instead. The fight goes across the street and Snow kicks him down for two outside of a restaurant. Boss Man sends him through some outside tables and they go into a bar, where Boss Man hits him with the Yellow Pages.

Snow fights back, flirts with a woman, and gets punched further into the building. A broomstick is broken over Boss Man’s back and let’s go to the men’s room. They go back to the bar where Snow hits him with a beer and a chain (as all bars have), followed by a moonsault off the bar through a table. Now it’s time to go to the pool area, but Dogg hits Boss Man with his nightstick. Snow gets in a low blow with some pool balls to get the title back at 7:21.

Rating: B-. Why not? This was the kind of insanity that you could get with the hardcore stuff and it wound up being a lot more memorable. Leaving the arena is always cool and while I prefer the Friendly Tap, this was fun stuff and it was insane enough to make the whole thing work.

Post match Snow immediately runs back to check on Pepper, having to beat up Stevie Richards and the Blue Meanie, who might be trying to steal him.

Jesse Ventura gives Mankind the same kind of speech saying he’s not counting a fall off a chair shot or something like that. Mankind would rather talk about Geraldine Ferraro being underrated as a candidate but Ventura wasn’t a fan. That is exactly the kind of response I would have expected from Mick Foley.

Women’s Title: Ivory vs. Tori

Ivory is defending after using shoe polish to write some rather mean terms on Tori’s stomach and back. Tori runs in and grabs an early powerslam to send Ivory bailing to the floor. Back in and Tori knocks her down again, only to get choked on the ropes. We go old school with the giant swing but Tori comes back with a spear. An Alley Oop sets up a high crossbody but Tori’s sunset flip doesn’t even get one. They try it again and Ivory awkward sits down on Tori for the pin at 4:12.

Rating: D. Yeah this was terrible and there wasn’t much of a way around it. The Women’s Title situation was pretty much a disaster at this point and that would be the case for a few more years. Ivory was trying but Tori was only so good. They did the smart thing by keeping it short but there was only so much that could be done. Just not good.

Post match Ivory tries to rip off Tori’s top but Luna Vachon runs in for the save, much to Lawler’s ire.

The Rock interviews Michael Cole, mocks his tie, asks if he’s a bit….however you spell what Rock said, and then promises to beat up Billy Gunn in about 45 minutes.

Billy Gunn has someone under a tarp.

We recap Ken Shamrock vs. Steve Blackman, which is basically over which one is tougher and more violent. Cars and condoms full of blood were involved so you know it’s serious.

Steve Blackman vs. Ken Shamrock

This is in the Lion’s Den, which is a small cage with weapons at the top next to the entrance. Blackman is in first and hides some nunchucks in his pants but the early shot is shrugged off. Shamrock goes for the leg and finds the nunchucks, only to have his leg swept out. Blackman chokes him with a stick so Shamrock grabs a cross armbreaker. With that broken up, Shamrock throws the nunchucks out and hammers away as things slow back down.

It’s time for the kendo stick but Blackman whips him into the cage to take over. Blackman uses the sticks to pound Shamrock down and a big shot drops Shamrock again. A belly to back suplex out of the corner gives Shamrock a breather and he snaps off a powerslam. Blackman is back up with the kendo stick to strike Shamrock down and a big shot to the head knocks Shamrock silly (Lawler approves). For some reason Blackman won’t just leave though as Shamrock is back with a belly to belly. Some kendo stick shots knock Blackman cold and the referee calls it at 8:58.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t really wrestling for the most part but it was the right way to present two guys like this. It felt like a fight between two people with some unique talents and it wound up working. The violence worked and they didn’t go on too long to the point where it got ridiculous. In other words, the whole thing was nuts, but it was well booked nuts.

Earlier tonight, Shane McMahon attacked Test and banged up his ribs.

Test vs. Shane McMahon

This is a street fight and it’s Love Her Or Leave Her, meaning if Shane wins, Test has to break up with Stephanie McMahon but if Test wins, Shane has to stay out of their relationship. You can feel the Russo soap opera writing all over this one and in this case it still works. Hold on though as here is the rather injured Mean Street Posse to sit in the front row, much to Shane’s, ahem, surprise (he has no idea why the couch and lamp are waiting on them).

Test jumps him to start but Shane spears him down to go after the ribs and hammer away. Back up and Test knocks him to the floor, with the fight quickly heading into the crowd. Shane goes after the ribs but dives into a powerslam onto the floor. Test goes over to shove the Posse but gets champagne to the face to slow things back down. He can see well enough to throw Shane at the Posse and beat them up, only to have the numbers game catch up to him.

Rodney slams him onto the platform and Shane hits him with a mailbox, followed by a Do Not Enter sign. A framed picture of the Posse and Shane is broken over Test’s head so they can go back inside. An elbow to the face sets up Shane’s Spiral Tap (!), which only hits mat. Test gets in a powerbomb but Rodney’s distraction means it’s only a delayed two. The referee gets bumped (of course) and a running clothesline puts Shane on the floor again.

The Posse goes after Test again though and put him on the announcers’ table, setting up the REALLY flying elbow to put Test through the table (JR sells the heck out of it to make things better). Now the referee is back up so Rodney distracts him while the rest of the Posse throws Test inside. Why they need to distract the referee is beyond me but Test kicks out anyway.

Pete Gas hits Shane with a sign by mistake and Test gets two, with Joey Abs pulling Shane out at the last second. Rodney’s cast shot gets a very delayed two so here are the Stooges to beat up the Posse (the fans love that one). Shane misses a charge into the post and the pumphandle powerslam plants him again. Test’s top rope elbow finishes Shane at 12:12.

Rating: B. It went longer than it needed to and the Posse got involved once or twice too often, but dang this was fun. The Stooges getting involved at the end was great as the fans’ reaction made it even better. The fans were all the way into this one and carried it that much higher. It’s pure insane drama but they beat the fire out of each other and you know Shane is going to leave everything out there if he gets the chance. Good stuff here.

Post match Stephanie McMahon runs out to hug Test in a rather over the top celebration.

We recap the Unholy Alliance (Big Show/Undertaker) challenging X-Pac/Kane for the Tag Team Titles. X-Pac and Kane are the unlikely duo with the titles and Show/Undertaker are the big evil monsters. Show/Undertaker want to hurt everyone, including the champs, because they just like to beat people up.

X-Pac says this is a mismatch on paper but this isn’t paper. Kane’s inverted black and red gear makes this that much better.

Tag Team Titles: X-Pac/Kane vs. Unholy Alliance

The Alliance is challenging and has Paul Bearer with them. It’s a brawl to start with Show being knocked outside and X-Pac’s high crossbody getting two on Undertaker. The kickout sends X-Pac flying though and it’s already time for the beating. X-Pac gets in some right hands and hands it off to Kane for more of the same. Undertaker isn’t having that and knocks X-Pac silly but Kane breaks up a chokeslam on the floor.

Back in and Undertaker gets in that running DDT of his, allowing Show to come in for the rather loud chops. With the chopping not getting him very far, Show goes with the chokes and knee drops. A powerslam drops Kane again and it’s back to Undertaker, meaning it’s a double clothesline to leave them both down. X-Pac comes back in for the spinwheel kick, earning himself a right hand to the face.

They go outside with Undertaker crotching X-Pac on the post, followed by a low headbutt from Show to really emphasize the point. The bearhug goes on so X-Pac bites the nose and goes low on both monsters (works for the referee, who even winces at it). Kane comes back in and everything breaks down, with Undertaker getting knocked to the floor. X-Pac posts him but walking to Show’s chokeslam back inside. Show’s cover with one foot gets two but it’s a ticked off Undertaker with a Tombstone for the titles at 12:10.

Rating: C+. This went too long and while I do love seeing 1999 X-Pac get pummeled, it lost its charm by the end. There was pretty much no conceivable way for the champs to retain here and it made sense for the monsters to just turn it on and win in the end. X-Pac and Kane have grown on me a bit over the years and they were good as the big man/little man team. At some point the little man has to lose though and that’s what happened in the end here.

Steve Austin has no time to listen to Jesse Ventura.

Billy Gunn vs. The Rock

The loser has to give the winner a kiss in a certain area but Gunn brings out a lady (you can guess what she looks like) for Rock to kiss instead. Gunn jumps him to start and gets knocked outside for his efforts. Rock drags him to the entrance for a right hand as the referee is again fine with all of this. They trade rams into the barricade until Gunn is sent into the Lion’s Den cage.

Back at ringside and Gunn sends him into the steps, followed by a bell shot as they actually go inside (after about five minutes on the floor). A neckbreaker cuts off Rock’s comeback and Gunn drops an elbow on the apron. Back in and Gunn’s bulldog gets a rather delayed two so Rock hits that running clothesline out of the corner. The Maivia Hurricane drops Gunn again and they’re both down.

Rock’s swinging neckbreaker gets two but Gunn is right back with a heck of a Fameasser. Instead of covering though, Gunn brings the woman in and she leans over in the corner. You know exactly where this is going and the disgusted Gunn is Rock Bottomed and People’s Elbowed for the pin at 10:12.

Rating: C. This was all about setting up one screwy ending and there was no reason to believe that the Rock was going to leave here. That’s not the most thrilling thing, but it’s better than trying to take a man named Mr. A** seriously. It’s not terrible, but this was more about the comedy and that made for a long ten minutes. Gunn is a talented wrestler. He just wasn’t going to be a big deal with this gimmick no matter how much he was pushed.

And then there’s no kiss after the match. What a ripoff.

We recap the WWF Title match and….yeah this was a lot. So WWF Champion Steve Austin was attacked and Chyna became #1 contender but then Mankind became the #1 contender but then HHH became the #1 contender as well thanks to two guest referees. It was so bad that Linda McMahon got involved to announce the triple threat title match. Got all that? Yeah it doesn’t really matter because it’s 1999 and a lot of stuff didn’t wind up mattering.

WWF Title: Steve Austin vs. Mankind vs. HHH

Austin is defending, Chyna is here with HHH and Jesse Ventura is guest referee. Before the match, Ventura grabs the mic and says that he has been criticized for doing this. He’s proud that he was a wrestler and he’s proud to be here tonight. Here here indeed. HHH jumps Austin on the way in but gets taken outside by Mankind. Austin gets in a clothesline on HHH as JR sounds surprised by Austin and Mankind having chemistry (a rare miss to not bring up them being former Tag Team Champions).

Back in and HHH gets double teamed some more with Mankind hitting the running knee lift…but hugging Austin. He earns the ensuing right hands from Austin but the Stunner is blocked, with Austin being sent into HHH. The two of them head outside with Austin dropping Mankind with a clothesline but getting jumped by HHH. A chair to the leg has Austin down and Ventura asks the crowd if HHH uses the chair. Chyna crotches Mankind against the post and that means an ejection, much to HHH and Chyna’s annoyance.

Austin is back up so HHH wraps the knee around the post and then gets in a chop block as Mankind is down in the other corner. Back up and Mankind actually helps HHH double stomp Austin in the corner, which has the fans confused. Austin sends Mankind outside but HHH wraps the knee around the post again to cut that off. HHH gets pulled into the post and they all fight into the crowd, with Austin taking over again. Back in and HHH is catapulted into Mankind, who gets dropped with the Stunner.

HHH makes the save with a chair and then chairs Mankind down but Ventura shakes his head no. Instead Ventura just soaks in some cheers and then says no again, making sure to motion HHH using a chair so the fans get the idea. Here is Shane McMahon to yell at Ventura but Austin is up to give Shane the Stunner.

Ventura throws Shane over the top and yells about how that’s for Shane’s old man (my goodness if there was a way to book a Vince vs. Jesse match, it could have been amazing in so many ways). Austin and HHH clothesline each other but Mankind is back up with a double Mandible Claw. HHH kicks him low and tries a pedigree, with Austin breaking it up. The Stunner hits HHH but Mankind makes a save of his own. HHH Pedigrees Austin but Mankind jumps HHH and grabs the double arm DDT to pin Austin for the title at 16:43.

Rating: B. This was a good match with Ventura being the real highlight, as he felt like he understood the assignment and lived up to the expectations. Austin losing the title isn’t a bad thing as his body was falling apart at this point and he needed the break, but points for him taking the fall in the middle of the ring. Ventura was the big deal here, but the other three worked hard and made it work, even with Austin being so banged up.

Post match Ventura and Mankind leave so HHH destroys Austin’s knee with a chair. Austin is done to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There are some rough spots in the middle but I liked this for the most part, with the main event and street fight both working. You could tell Russo was still doing a lot of stuff here, but the talent involved was good enough that it could overcome a lot of the insanity. It was a good enough show and if you get rid of some of the weaker midcard stuff, it could have been that much better.

Results
Jeff Jarrett b. D’Lo Brown – Guitar shot from Mark Henry
The Acolytes won Tag Team Turmoil last eliminating the Hollys
Al Snow b. Big Boss Man – Pool balls shot
Ivory b. Tori – Sitdown splash
Ken Shamrock b. Steve Blackman via knockout
Test b. Shane McMahon – Top rope elbow
Unholy Alliance b. X-Pac/Kane – Tombstone to X-Pac
The Rock b. Billy Gunn – People’s Elbow
Mankind b. HHH and Steve Austin – Double arm DDT to Austin

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 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:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kickoff Show: Eric Young vs. Ricky Sosa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We run down the rest of the card.

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

Elijah vs. AJ Francis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Moose vs. Eddie Edwards

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

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

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

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

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

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

Knockouts Title: Xia Brookside vs. Lei Ying Lee

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

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

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

Lockdown is coming to Chicago in August.

Destination X is coming in November.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TNA World Title: Mike Santana vs. Nic Nemeth

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

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

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

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

Nemeth celebrates to end the show.

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

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

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

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

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.

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