Ring Of Honor
Date: April 30, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re coming up on Supercard Of Honor and the top of the card has mostly come together. That isn’t something that happens very often with big time Ring Of Honor events but they’re pulling it off this time. Unfortunately there is only so much of a connection between what we see here and what is being promoted for the show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Matt Menard

Well that’s a surprise. They take turns backing each other up against the ropes until Takeshita takes him down. A slam sends Takeshita outside, which feels like something of an overreaction. Back in and Takeshita knocks him into the corner for the knees to the head in the corner. Takeshita grabs the chinlock but Menard fights up and sends him into the corner for the right hands. The exchange of forearms goes to Takeshita and he hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. The running knee finishes for Takeshita at 6:43.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to be seen here as there was only going to be so much you could get out of Takeshita vs. Menard. I’m not entirely sure why Takeshita was here and especially with no promotion, but it’s nice to have a surprise every so often. If nothing else it was nice to have a relatively quick match, as Menard losing pretty fast is a good thing.

Shane Taylor vs. Mance Warner

Dang they’re throwing some curves into this one and somehow Warner has never wrestled in Ring Of Honor. They forearm it out with Warner firing off some overhand chops to send him outside. That means a running poke to the eye but Taylor rams him back first into the post. Taylor’s running legdrop connects on the apron and puts Warner in a chair for a running elbow.

Back in and a big clothesline drops Warner again, followed by a release Rock Bottom. The big splash gives Taylor two but the middle rope version misses. Warner fires off some clotheslines and hits a belly to back suplex before going to grab the chair. Said chair is used for a running tornado DDT but Taylor’s knee to the face gets two more. The Marcus Garvey Driver finishes Warner at 8:07.

Rating: C+. This was a hard hitting fight and I get why you would have Taylor win, though if Warner is available, he’s worth having around. I could go with seeing him around to do some insane talking as he would certainly add some spice to the show. Of course that’s assuming this isn’t a one off appearance, though that would be a bit of a surprise.

The Premiere Athletes warn everyone against laying a hand on Mark Sterling.

Stori Denali vs. Jacey Love

Mark Sterling is here too and threatens anyone who even looks at him the wrong way. Denali shoves her into the corner and Love’s dropkicks to the leg don’t do much good. The tornado DDT is blocked and a chokeslam finishes for Denali at 2:27.

Alan Angels vs. Lio Rush

Just in case you thought you might not have to watch Rush be WEIRD for a week. Angels snaps off a running hurricanrana to start so Rush does his bug eyed crawling. They run the ropes until Rush takes him down for a spinning kick to the head. Rush goes outside and screams at a chop, only for Angels to stomp on his back on the way back inside. A bridging northern lights suplex gives Angels two so Rush starts moving faster and catches Angels on top.

Angels bites the ear but gets caught with the springboard Stunner for two. A powerbomb out of the corner plants Rush again and Angels’ spinning kick to the head gets two more. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence for a bunch of one counts each until Angels rolls some half and half suplexes. The top rope splash gives Angels two so they head to the apron, where Rush hits another Stunner. Rush does his weird (because he’s WEIRD) running around the ring into a suicide dive, followed by a toss Blue Thunder Bomb to finish Angels at 9:33.

Rating: B-. Yeah……this Rush thing is not for me at all. He wrestles pretty much the same match but now he does the big eyes and weird hopping stuff as well. I’d be fine with Rush being around in another form, say as himself rather than with Action Andretti in a low level tag team, but this isn’t working for me.

We look at Diamante mocking Deonna Purrazzo last week.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Remi Reade

Non-title Pure Rules match. Purrazzo easily escapes a headscissors to start and mocks Reade a bit before grabbing a backslide for one. Reade slips away from her and gets in the same mock, with Purrazzo approving. Back up and Purrazzo backs her into the ropes, which counts as the first break. The threat of the Fujiwara armbar sends Reade over to the ropes (not a break) so Purrazzo goes with a powerbomb. Now the Fujiwara armbar makes Reade tap at 3:07.

Rating: C. This was hardly going to be some big, amazing match and that’s what we wound up getting. Purrazzo wrestled her down and won with a mixture of stuff, which is a good way to go for her. Purrazzo’s big match is in two weeks, even though there is little reason to believe that her title is in danger.

Top Flight vs. Soleil/Gringo Loco

Loco kicks at Darius to start but can’t get very far with a headscissors on the mat. Soleil comes in and picks up the pace (which was already up in the first place) and gets sent into the wrong corner. That doesn’t last long as Soleil hits a dive to the floor to take Darius out again. Some running kicks to the head get two on Soleil and Loco’s spinning split legged moonsault gets two.

Darius fights up and hands it off to Dante, who has to fight both of them off. A twisting Meteora puts Dante down and it’s Loco dropping a Swanton for two. Everything breaks down and Darius is back in for a German suplex. The double underhook DDT finishes Loco at 6:55.

Rating: B-. Well it was fast paced and energetic, with some good spots and absolutely no reason to believe that either of the teams are going to be doing anything important anytime soon. That’s the case with a lot of people around here and unfortunately it’s where Top Flight is as well. It would be nice to believe that there is a reason to believe otherwise but years of that not happening would suggest otherwise.

IInspiration vs. B3cca/Madison Maxx

Lee grabs a headlock on Maxx to start and the IInspiration clear the ring without much trouble. That means the double pose is on, followed by the double choking in the corner. B3cca comes in and gets beaten up as well, setting up stereo Pedigrees. The Idolizer finishes B3cca at 3:41.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what the IInspiration are supposed to do around here but they need some wins to boost them back up. Granted there is only so much value in having them win a match like this one, but it’s better than nothing. There are only so many women’s teams around in the first place so going with one of the few established ones makes sense.

We get a sitdown interview between Caprice Coleman and….Ian Riccaboni. Actually Riccaboni brings in Red Velvet, which would be a better interview, though Coleman looks nervous because he wasn’t ready for this. And I guess this is going to be on social media later. Ok then.

Viva Van vs. Sara Leon

Van rolls around with a wristlock to start and they go up to a standoff. Leon backs up a bit so Van rolls forward into a pose, leaving Leon to roll her up for two. A hurricanrana out of the corner drops Van, who is right back with a Brock Lock of all things. Leon has to escape a surfboard and gets two, only to get caught in a cross arm electric chair suplex to give Van the pin at 4:28.

Rating: C+. Van hasn’t done much around here but it’s nice to see her get a chance to actually win for a change. If nothing else, you need to have her win on occasion or beating her over and over only means so much. I’ve seen good things from Van elsewhere so maybe this is the start of something for her around here as well.

Paid In Full vs. Nick Halen/Vin Parker

Halen actually gives Keith a running STO for two to start but Keith rakes the eyes. Bill comes in for a running splash in the corner and the spinning Boss Man Slam plants Parker. The big boot finishes Halen at 2:21.

We look at Christian XO’s debut.

Christian XO vs. Frankie B.

The rather tall XO mocks Frankie with an offer of a test of strength and then knocks her down with ease. A Stratusphere has Frankie in trouble but she escapes a fireman’s carry. That just earns Frankie an ax kick (which looked more like a Fameasser) for the pin at 2:19.

TMDK vs. Don Callis Family

It’s RPG Vice and Mark Davis for the Family. Tito and Romero start things off but it’s quickly off to Beretta, who is powered into the corner. Everything breaks down and Davis knees Haste in the face. Haste is sent into the corner and stomped down but he fights up on Romero. The tag brings in Nicholls to clean house until everyone is knocked down for a big breather.

Tito and Davis come back in to slug it out and knock each other down again. They slug it out from their knees and then feet, with Tito hitting a brainbuster for two. A double spinebuster/powerbomb combination gets the same, with Romero and Beretta making the save. Back up and Davis runs Tito over for two before pulling Haste out of the corner for the piledriver. Strong Zero sends Nicholls outside but Tito is back up…and gets lariated for two. Another piledriver finishes Tito at 11:12.

Rating: B-. Another entertaining match with the Family getting to beat TMDK again. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Davis getting to hit that piledriver, which is becoming one of the more devastating moves in AEW/ROH. I’m not sure why we’re seeing so much from RPG Vice as of late, though if they’re signed they might as well be used in some way.

Overall Rating: C+. The pay per view is in about two weeks and one of the four matches announced got any real advancement this week (and that’s a stretch as Purrazzo winning a match isn’t much of an advancement). The rest of the show was just a bunch of stuff like you would see on any other show. I’m sure there will be a bunch of stuff added to Supercard Of Honor at the last minute and some of them will get on the show as a result, but this stuff doesn’t really make me care about most of these people. In other words, it’s Ring Of Honor at its most typical.

Results
Konosuke Takeshita b. Matt Menard – Running knee
Shane Taylor b. Mance Warner – Marcus Garvey Driver
Stori Denali b. Jacey Love – Chokeslam
Lio Rush b. Alan Angels – Toss Blue Thunder Bomb
Deonna Purrazzo b. Remi Reade – Fujiwara armbar
Top Flight b. Gringo Loco/Soleil – Double underhook DDT to Loco
IInspiration b. B3cca/Madison Maxx – Idolizer to B3cca
Viva Van b. Sara Leon – Crossarm electric chair suplex
Paid In Full b. Nick Halen/Vin Parker – Big boot to Halen
Christian XO b. Frankie B. – Ax kick
Don Callis Family b. TMDK – Piledriver to Tito

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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TJPW Live In Las Vegas
Date: April 16, 2026
Location: Pearl Theater At Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Veda Scott, Unknown

This is Tokyo Joshi Pro, meaning Japanese women’s wrestling. I’ve watched their Wrestlemania Week offering a few times now and had a good time with it, as this is usually much more lighthearted in a lot of ways. That should be the case again here, with some awesome wrestling going with the mirth and merriment. Let’s get to it.

Our ring announcer/host welcomes us to the show and gets us to cheer before introducing what sounded like the Up Up Girls, who warm us up with a rather perky song and dance.

We run down the card.

Toga/Uta Takami vs. Wakana Uehara/Yuki Kamifuki

Toga and Uehara trade waist and wristlocks to start with Uehara taking her down for a front facelock. They flip up to a staredown so it’s off to Kamifuki to slam Takami. A double choke has Takami in trouble and Uehara gives her a running elbow in the corner. The running dropkick puts Takami down for two but she’s up with a dropkick of her own. That lets Toga come back in for Rolling Thunder and a near fall of her own.

Uehara pulls Toga into a weird armbar but that’s broken up for a hard clothesline to put Uehara down instead. Kamifuki gets a Black Widow, which is escaped with a needed grab of the rope. Toga gets in a slam and it’s back to Takami for a dropkick of her own. Kamifuki blocks an attempt at a choke and boots Takami in the face. Takami is right back up with the Koala Clutch (a hanging cobra clutch), which is broken up without much trouble. Kamifuki grabs a brainbuster and Fameassers Takami for the pin at 10:01.

Rating: B-. This was a nice fast paced opener and the fans were into what they were seeing. As usual, it’s a good sign when I don’t know who these people are but I could understand what was going on. They weren’t out there too long either an it wound up being a nice opener. Well done.

Pom Harajaku/Raku/Yuki Aino vs. Alexis Lee/Himawari/Shino Suzuki

Hold on as the referee pulls out a remote and mutes one of the wrestlers, which is certainly a brilliant/stupid idea (your call). They all shake hands and we’re ready to go. A pillow comes out so Lee’s team teases a nap, only to get rolled up for a triple near fall. Lee and company send them into the corner, with Shino picking up Himawari to swing her into Aino

Himawari swings her hair at Raku, who takes her back down, runs the ropes, and calmly sits on her for two. Aino’s backsplash gets two and it’s off to Pom…who has a big die and rolls a three. That means three forearms so Himawari rolls a six…and Pom forearms her six times. Himawari manages to roll a zero but is fine enough to grab a Blockbuster.

Lee comes in for a rollup out of the corner before biting Pom’s neck. She teases checking on Pom, who rolls her up instead and hits a dropkick. Raku knocks Lee down in the corner and gets two off a running dropkick. Lee slams Raku’s head into the mat but misses a charge. Instead she settles for biting Raku’s arm, only to get caught with a Sling Blade. Aino comes in to face Himawari and pick up the pace, with Aino hitting a spinning Vader Bomb for two.

Himawari uses her own hair to choke and Shino holds Raku up for a spear. Aino comes back in and gets dropkicked but Pom (die) and Raku (pillow) are up to clean house. Back in and Pom cleans house with the die but Shino takes it away and rolls…a zero. Somehow she gets to throw six forearms until Lee is back in with a spear to Raku. The pillow is brought in and thrown out Aino gives Shino a reverse layout DDT for the pin at 14:33.

Rating: C+. I have no idea what a lot of this was about, but I think I liked it and I’ll call that a win. This is the definition of something that doesn’t exactly translate and I had a lot of instances of “WHY”, but the wrestling we got was good enough. Call it a culture clash, though it could have been worse.

Miyu Yamashita vs. Mizuki vs. Miu Watanabe

They seem to get along as we’re ready to go. Mizuki gets the worst of a three way test of strength before Yamashita grabs a double snapmare. Yamashita kicks both of them in the back and takes them to the entrance for some running kicks to the chest. Mizuki is ready for a kick on the ramp though and sends Yamashita to the floor for a double stomp.

Back in and Watanabe beats on Yamashita until Mizuki breaks up the giant swing. Yamashita drops Watanabe with a running clothesline before grabbing a kind of reverse cobra clutch. With that broken up, Yamashita hits an AA but Mizuki is back in for the save. A high crossbody gives Mizuki two but Yamashita drops her with a wheelbarrow suplex.

Watanabe is back in with the giant swing before they knock each other down for a triple breather. Back up and Mizuki’s spinning crossbody hits Yamashita for two, leaving Yamashita to kick the head out of Watanabe. Mizuki’s top rope double stomp hits Watanabe for two but Yamashita is back with a running knee to pin Mizuki at 14:06.

Rating: B. That’s probably the match of the night as it’s almost all action throughout. You don’t get many matches like this and it’s the match with the least silliness thus far. Yamashita is someone who feels like a force every time she’s in there and Watanabe is easy to cheer for due to her size. I liked this a lot and that’s nice to see, even with nothing on the line.

International Princess Title: Sakura Hattori vs. Suzume

Suzume is defending. Hattori tries to strike away and gets rolled up for some early near falls. A running back elbow puts Suzume down and a handspring kick gives Hattori two. Hattori’s victory roll out of the corner gets two more but Suzume is back with a springboard bulldog for a breather. A non-springboard bulldog gives Suzume two and they head to the apron, where Suzume grabs a running bulldog to send her onto the floor.

Back in and Hattori ties up her…well everything really for two, followed by a standing choke. Suzume slips out and hits a Gory Bomb before going up, only to get crotched down. Hattori spider superplexes her down so a top rope forearm can connect for two. A spinning Swanton misses though and Suzume hits a running dropkick. Suzume’s running cutter retains at 11;38.

Rating: B. Commentary didn’t seem to know much about Hattori but you could feel the basic idea of the match very easily. Suzume felt like the crowd favorite who was fighting from underneath against an aggressive challenger. That’s something that will work every time and they played it rather well here. I could see Suzume being a popular act and that seemed to be working, which isn’t a big surprise.

Princess Tag Team Titles: IInspiration vs. Shoko Nakajima/Hyper Misao

The IInspiration is challenging and Misao thinks she’s a superhero. The champs rip up a sign to start and the fans want to see a title change. Misao says their mission is to get the titles back so they jump the champs to start fast. The IInspiration fights back and strikes their pose, only to get wrapped up in the ring skirt.

Back in and Misao hits a running knee for two on Lee and Nakajima adds a slingshot hilo for two. That just earns her a drop toehold into a knee to the face, followed by a double choke in the corner. Lee forearms her down but Nakajima is back up for the tag off to Misao. McKay gets sent throat first into the ropes, only to come back with a big boot for a double down.

Nakajima is back in with a springboard dropkick but McKay cuts off the 619 attempt. The Idolizer is broken up as well though, allowing Misao to put on her cape and hit a double high crossbody. They all strike it out until McKay easily fights out of the corner. The Idolizer finishes Nakajima to retain the title at 12:35.

Rating: C+. As usual, the IInspiration are not the most polished in-ring team, but they know how to wrestle a story that works well enough for them. The ending kind of came out of nowhere here as the IInspiration just shrugged off what was thrown at them and retained the titles. Not a great match, but Misao continues to be memorable, as I remembered everything about her the second her name came up. That’s a good sign.

Princess Of Princess Title: Yuki Arai vs. J-Rod

Arai is defending the company’s top title. The rather muscular J-Rod isn’t having any of this being headlocked and hits a hard shoulder to put the champion down. Arai manages a takedown and drops a knee, only to get suplexed. A hair takedown drops Arai so a splash can give J-Rod two. They head outside with Arai being dropped onto the apron and we hit the double arm crank back inside.

Arai gets up and kicks her in the face before managing an impressive slam. Some kind of leglock is blocked and J-Rod’s spinebuster gets two. Arai tries a sunset flip, which lets her pull J-Rod into a Sharpshooter. J-Rod is into the ropes (the fans get sad) and it’s a big spear for two, with Arai making it to the rope as well. Another spear hits post though and Arai gives her a full nelson slam. The ax kick retains the title at 11:04.

Rating: B-. Perfectly fine match here, even though J-Rod was only doing basic stuff. She has a phenomenal look and is basically all muscle but is going to need some more time and experience in the ring. Arai didn’t exactly stand out, but it was pretty clear that she had more experience and polish here.

Post match respect is shown and here is the roster to celebrate to end the show (as it TJPW’s custom).

Overall Rating: B-. This show might be the definition of “not for everyone” as there are definitely parts that embrace the sillier side of wrestling. Throw in all of the princess themed stuff and there are going to be things that don’t keep everyone’s attention. That being said, there is some rather good action here and I definitely had a good time with the whole thing. If you like some of the less serious stuff which still has nice wrestling, maybe check it out. Or wait for Stardom if you still want to see women’s wrestling with a straighter style.

Results
Wakana Uehara/Yuki Kamifuki b. Toga/Uta Takami – Fameasser to Takami
Pom Harajaku/Raku/Yuki Aino b. Alexis Lee/Himawari/Shino Suzuki – Reverse layout DDT to Suzuki
Miyu Yamashita b. Mizuki and Miu Watanabe – Running knee to Mizuki
Suzume b. Sakura Hattori – Running cutter
IInspiration b. Hyper Misao/Shoko Nakajima b. Idolizer to Nakajima
Yuka Arai b. J-Rod – Ax kick

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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Ring Of Honor
Date: April 10, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

It’s an AEW PPV week so that means we get a bonus Ring Of Honor. I’m guessing the theory is to get the wrestling happy people on the Ring Of Honor bandwagon but the show was barely mentioned on this week’s Ring Of Honor show, with no mention on AEW TV. In other words, expect the equivalent of the deleted scenes from a TV taping. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

MxM Collection vs. Top Flight

Mansoor and Darius start things off with Mansoor stopping to pose but Darius bends the finger back. Dante comes in with a top rope ax handle to the arm so Mansoor bails into the ropes. That lets Madden come in from behind with a leg lariat and a side slam/legdrop combination gets two on Dante.

Madden crushes Mansoor in the corner though and it’s off to Dante to start the comeback. Everything breaks down and Darius gets caught in a sitout powerbomb/leg lariat combination for a rather near fall. Mansoor gets crotched on top though and it’s a hurricanrana into a sitout powerbomb to give Darius two. Darius suicide dives onto Madden and Mansoor is slingshotted into a cutter for the pin at 6:01.

Rating: C+. While it might not have been the exact same match, this feels like the kind of match that we have seen several times now. They’re both entertaining teams, but neither of them are going anywhere. The Tag Team Titles aren’t defended very often and it’s not like the champions even appear very often. In other words, nice match, not going to mean anything.

Rush vs. Dante Leon

Rush knocks him to the floor and then takes him back inside for the forearms in the corner. The Bull’s Horns finishes Leon at 1:12.

The IInspiration are ready to face anyone around here.

Hyan/Maya World vs. IInspiration

World has to duck out of a right hand out of the corner to start but Lee drives her right back into another corner. Hyan comes in for a hurricanrana out of the corner and a bridging suplex puts Lee down for two. Lee makes a blind tag though and hits a knee to the face to put Hyan in trouble for a change.

The IInspiration gets in some posing before talking some trash, followed by an armbar to keep Hyan down. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Hyan comes out of the corner with a running clothesline. World splashes both of them in the corner and a moonsault gets two on McKay. A posting puts McKay down on the floor and a double chickenwing faceplant/Downward Spiral combination finishes Lee at 6:55.

Rating: C. Well, they were undefeated for about a day. I’m not sure what the point was in having the team win a match on one episode of Ring Of Honor and then lose the next night. It isn’t like there are many teams who matter much in Ring Of Honor and the IInspiration lose that soon? Hyan and World are established enough and don’t gain much here so…why?

Gates Of Agony vs. Daisuke Sasaki/Paul Virk

Sasaki is a big deal in DDT. Kaun leapfrogs Sasaki to start and chops him into the corner before handing it off to Liona. Sasaki gets pulled out of the air and driven into the corner, only to get over for the tag to (the rather tall) Virk. That means a mini hoss fight with Liona, who eventually drops Virk with a spinebuster. Open The Gates finishes Virk at 3:10.

Rating: C. Sasaki might not be the biggest star in the world but he felt way out of place as a jobber in a tag match. Other than that, this was a reminder that the big power team are till a big power team. That’s pretty much what you’ve seen from the Gates for years now and that doesn’t seem likely to change.

Sisters Of Sin vs. Nixi XS/Aminah Belmont

XS and Hart knock the other two off the apron to start and it’s off to those other two rather quickly. XS is knocked off the apron this time and Belmont gets caught in the Tarantula, allowing Blue to hit a running dropkick. A snapmare into a PK gets two on Belmont but she fights out of the corner. There’s no XS to tag though and a Black Widow makes Belmont tap at 3:42.

Rating: C. The string of fairly run of the mill tag matches continues, albeit with a team who aren’t regulars around here. The Sisters are fine enough in their role, but there isn’t exactly anything for them to do around here. The match was little more than a squash, though at least Belmont got in a bit of offense to keep it from getting dull.

Dalton Castle/Outrunners vs. Deonn Rusman/Devo Knight/Alex Findley

Castle is rather excited for the new ROH figures and wants them in your guest bathroom. Magnum headlocks Knight to start and it’s off to Floyd to work on the arm. A spinning belly to back suplex drops Knight and his partners both get chopped. Castle comes in for the suplexes and the Mega Powers Elbow finish Findley at 3:42.

Rating: C. Cool, now give them a title shot. I’m not sure what else is next for the Outrunners/Castle, but the only logical step is a title shot. They’ve won all kinds of regular matches in a row, they’re popular and they’re…not likely to face the champions, because the titles have been defended once since December so we just get to keep waiting, as always.

Dralistico vs. Komander

Dralistico is wrestling in a shirt, which is apparently rather disrespectful in lucha libre. They trade some early rollups for two each but Dralistico tells him to stop running. Komander does for some reason, allowing Dralistico to remove his shirt. Dralistico takes him down and hits a running knee to the face, followed by a running shot in the corner. Komander fights up and chops away, followed by a DDT for two.

Dralistico avoids a 450 but gets rolled up for two more instead. A gutbuster hits Dralistico but he pops back up to kick Komander down. That doesn’t last long as Komander knocks him off the top and hits a super crucifix bomb for two. A poisonrana into Cielito Lindo finishes Dralistico at 9:29.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match you would have expected from the two of them and, while it doesn’t have the best competition, it did feel like the biggest match of the show. They had their high flying stuff and it worked pretty well, which shouldn’t be a surprise. Granted it’s the second Komander vs. a high flier match I’ve seen in two days but at least it was good.

Overall Rating: C. Yep this was exactly what I was expecting the second I saw this show being announced. Ring Of Honor turns these shows into big ads for the weekly show and that’s exactly what what it felt like: a bunch of mostly mediocre matches which don’t feel like they have any impact on the ongoing stories. If you like Ring Of Honor, you’ll like this, but after three plus hours of the same style in two days, I could go for a break from this stuff.

Results
Top Flight b. MxM Collection – Slingshot cutter to Mansoor
Rush b. Dante Leon – Bull’s Horns
Hyan/Maya World b. IInspiration – Double chickenwing faceplant/Downward Spiral combination to Lee
Gates Of Agony b. Daisuke Sasaki/Paul Virk – Open The Gates to Virk
Sisters Of Sin b. Nixi XS/Aminah Belmont – Black Widow to Belmont
Dalton Castle/Outrunners b. Deonn Rusman/Devo Knight/Alex Findley – Mega Powers Elbow to Findley
Komander b. Dralistico – Cielito Lindo

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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Ring Of Honor
Date: April 9, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Things have the potential to start getting bigger around here sooner than later, as Supercard Of Honor is set for next month. That should mean we get some things set up in advance, though at the same time it often doesn’t happen until the last minute. Other than that, it’s hard to say what we’ll be getting around here so let’s get to it.

Eddie Kingston and Ortiz want young, fresh opponents so here are Bustah And The Brain. The match is set but Kingston tells them to earn the handshake.

Opening sequence.

Video on TMDK vs. Roppongi Vice, who have never faced each other. UNTIL NOW!

TMDK vs. Roppongi Vice

Haste and Romero lock up to start, with Haste putting him on top for a pat on the head. A shoulder drops Romero again and it’s off to Beretta, who is quickly taken down as well. Nicholls comes in and hits a standing moonsault for two but Beretta is back with a suplex. Romero comes back in for a wind up poke to the eye and Nicholls is sent outside for a whip into the barricade.

Beretta’s charge misses though and the Forever Lariats are broken up, allowing the tag back to Haste. A suplex puts Beretta down for two but Romero is back in with a double hurricanrana. Haste gets knocked out of the ropes with a top rope double stomp and some running kicks in the corner rock him again. Nicholls makes the save and sends Beretta outside but Romero is back up with a suicide dive to drop Haste. Strong Zero finishes Nicholls at 11:05.

Rating: B-. It was good enough action and they had some fun spots near the end, but this is a prime example of how you have to build people up over time or it doesn’t make much of a difference. These teams have some status in New Japan but TMDK haven’t done much here and Vice have been little more than cannon fodder. The match was fine, though there wasn’t exactly a reason to be interested in the result as it isn’t like either team has any status.

Riccaboni on the win: “LFI better watch out!” This would be your latest incident of commentary making statements that are utter nonsense based on how title shots work in Ring Of Honor. And yes I get that Riccaboni is likely told to say this kind of thing. The problem is in the way the show works, not in him.

Lio Rush vs. Nathan Cruz

Cruz tentatively shakes his hand and wants Rush to stand up. They fight over a suplex until Cruz backs him into the corner for some elbows to the face. Rush’s spinning kick to the head gets one so Cruz knocks him outside, where Rush laughs a lot. Cruz bends Rush’s arms around the ropes but Rush is back up with a handspring kick to the head. The suicide dive drops Cruz again and a Thesz press gets two back inside. Cruz is right back with a Samoan driver for two of his own but Rush gives him a Stunner. The Final Hour finishes Cruz at 5:55.

Rating: C+. Hey, did you know that Rush was weird? That’s the whole thing here, as he just crawls around with his eyes bugging out…and then a few minutes go by and he’s the same wrestler he’s always been. Rush is good at his style and the way he usually moves is rather cool. I have no idea what the Gollum stuff needs to be there for but it’s what we’re getting for whatever reason.

We look back at the women of Ring Of Honor at Global Wars.

Deonna Purrazzo says if Diamante wants to come after the Women’s Pure Rules Title at Supercard Of Honor, bring it. So there’s your first title match and at least it does follow a story that has been going on.

Josh Woods vs. Matt Menard

Pure Rules. They go technical to start, as of course they should, with Woods being sent to the ropes for his first break. Menard goes to the floor for the chase and catches him in a front facelock on the way back in…while in the ropes, which is the second break. A Boston crab has Woods going to the ropes for the third and final break as we’re only 2:10 into the match.

Menard tries another Boston crab and Woods IMMEDIATELY reversed into a leglock for the tap at 2:46. Ok that was actually funny, as Menard took away the rope breaks but Woods realized he’s facing MATT MENARD and made him tap almost instantly. It probably wasn’t on purpose, but I chuckled at that ending.

Soleil vs. Komander

Soleil is better known as Sidney Akeem under a mask (commentary acknowledges that it’s him). They start with the tumbling and neither of them can make much contact, with Soleil doing something like an inverted Worm. Back up and a spinning crossbody gives Soleil two but he gets sent outside. A high crossbody gives Soleil two and a running kick to the head gets the same.

The chinlock goes on but Komander is right back up with a springboard missile dropkick. Something like a pumphandle Side Effect gives Soleil two but Komander grabs an Octopus Hold. Back up and Soleil misses a charge into the ropes and gets kicked down for two. A poisonrana gives Komander two but Soleil is back with a slingshot Canadian Destroyer. Komander pops back up and hits a gutbuster into Cielito Lindo for the pin at 9:01.

Rating: B-. It was the match you would expect from the two of them doing their flips and dives. As usual, that was rather entertaining and the two of them can do some awesome stuff that few others can pull off. At the same time, it felt like the same match they had before and it’s not like either of them are going anywhere anytime soon.

We look at the recent issues between the women of Shane Taylor Promotions and Zayda Steel/Red Velvet. And Shawn Dean cheating so Anthony Ogogo could win a match.

Shawn Taylor Promotions vs. Von Erichs/Bang Bang Gang

Moriarty and Austin start things off with Moriarty working on the arm. Austin pops up and pulls him down with an armbar. That’s reversed into an Octopus, which Austin reverses into the Koji Clutch. With that broken up, Ross and Dean come in so Ross can kick him in the face in the corner.

Ross stays on the arm before Taylor and Robinson come in, with neither being able to get a slam. Instead Taylor Snake Eyes him into the corner and everything breaks down. Bravo comes in to dance a bunch before we settle down to Bravo kicking Robinson in the face. Something like a Garvin Stomp gets two and it’s off to Dean for a running elbow drop. Taylor comes in for a splash and it’s back to Dean for a Bronco Buster.

Taylor misses a legdrop and Moriarty gets backdropped, allowing Austin to come back in and clean house. Everything breaks down again and Taylor powerbombs Austin, with Marshall making the save. Marshall manages to slam Taylor and Austin kicks Dean into the Fold for the pin at 14:55. Riccaboni: “He just pinned one third of the Six Man Champs!” Shame it’s not in a six man tag or that might matter a bit more.

Rating: B-. It’s another fun match and odds are this sets up a Six Man Tag Team Title match, even though it was a pair of two man teams pairing up. The match did get going in the end and it was nice to see Austin getting a pin. Can we just get him away from the Bang Bang Gang and let him do something better though?

Bustah And The Brain are ready to change the Ring Of Honor tag division.

Action Andretti vs. AR Fox

They go to the mat to start with Fox grabbing a headscissors before an exchange of rollups gets two each. The rollups continue for another series of near falls before Andretti avoids an enziguri to send Fox into the corner. Fox trips him down and grabs a suplex, followed by the slingshot dropkick to a downed Andretti. They go outside, with Fox putting him in a chair and running around the ring, only to get cut off.

Fox is right back up with a suicide dive, only for Andretti to hit a dive of his own. That doesn’t work for Fox, who sends him outside for a heck of a no hands dive over the top. Back in and Andretti grabs a very spinny wristdrag, followed by some driving shoulders in the corner. Andretti’s suplex gets two and they kick each other for a double down. Fox grabs a rolling cutter for two more but Andretti pips up with a forearm.

A split legged moonsault gives Andretti two but Fox is back up with some kicks to the head. Fox hits a basement cutter so he goes up, only to get caught with a running Spanish Fly. A springboard clothesline into a running shooting star press gives Andretti two, as does the torture rack neckbreaker. They slug it out until a springboard spinning crossbody drops Fox. Andretti dives into a cutter though and the 450 finishes for Fox at 16:59.

Rating: B. Well that was….long. It was rather entertaining and had two guys who are incredibly athletic, though much like a lot of the other matches on this show, it’s hard to buy either of them going anywhere. Fox will probably be in g a TV Title match at Supercard Of Honor and that’s about it. That being said, this was a heck of a match, though the near falls got a bit nutty near the end.

Post match respect is shown.

IInspiration vs. Viva Van/Frankie B

Van is taken into the wrong corner to start but ducks underneath the two of them to escape. Some kicks put Van and B down, allowing the IInspiration to pose a bit. Van gets knocked down again and the Idolizer finishes Frankie at 2:55. Just a squash.

Post match Riccaboni gets in to interview the IInspiration, who allow him to leave and then talk about how awesome they are. Posing ensues.

We look at Myron Reed beating Mansoor.

Workhorsemen vs. Rascalz

Reed is the odd Rascal out here, making the video about him before the match make a bit less sense. Xavier and Henry grapple around to start, which goes to a standoff. Drake comes in and blocks a double suplex so the Rascalz kick the legs out instead. Henry comes in to kick Wentz in the head and we settle back down to Xavier in trouble in the corner.

Drake’s headbutt gets two but Xavier fights up and gets over to the corner, allowing the tag to Wentz. The pace picks up as Wentz gets to strike away, including a big kick to Henry. Everything breaks down and the push moonsault hits Henry’s raised knees. The Rascalz kick Henry back down though and now the push moonsault finishes him off at 10:37.

Rating: B-. As usual, the Rascalz can do the flying around stuff rather well but they continue to feel like a copy of various other teams on the AEW roster at the moment. I could go for seeing more of them, but there’s only so much to be gained from being the Workhorsemen, as everyone does that. Still though, not too bad here, which isn’t exactly shocking.

Action Andretti and AR Fox agree to run it back but Andretti says it will go differently next time.

Nick Wayne vs. Alex Reynolds

Non-title Proving Ground match. Wayne kicks the handshake away and knocks Reynolds into the corner. Reynolds flips his way out of the corner and knocks Wayne out to the floor. Back in and a high crossbody puts Wayne down again but he goes after Reynolds’ arm to take over. They trade shots to the face until Reynolds grabs a neckbreaker for two more. A clothesline and fisherman’s buster give Reynolds two, followed by a string of rollups for the same. Wayne is right back up for a kick to the head and the pin at 6:16.

Rating: C+. I’m really not sure I get the appeal of Wayne. He had a bunch of potential and still has a good bit of it, but he’s feeling like an afterthought despite being a champion. Case in point this match, as he’s not defending the title against a member of a low level stable. It doesn’t feel important in the slightest, at least partially due to how many champions there are around here.

Post match Wayne, with Mother Wayne, talks about being the future around here because he’ll still be here in twenty years.

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz vs. Bustah And The Brain

Kingston tells Price to shoulder him to start but Oliver is in for a double dropkick. A double suplex drops Oliver though and it’s time to talk about the Backseat Boyz. Ortiz gets dropkicked down but Kingston comes right back in for a camel clutch to Price. With that broken up, Kingston chops him down and chokes away but Price fights out of the corner. That means a quick tag off to Oliver as everything breaks down.

An exchange of strikes to the face leaves everyone down and it’s Ortiz getting struck into the corner. That doesn’t last long though and a Doomsday faceplant drops Oliver. They load it up again but Price runs in with a hurricanrana for the save. Ortiz avoids a frog splash though and it’s a quick rollup to pin Price at 8:30.

Rating: C+. As usual, I like Bustah And The Brain but the two of them aren’t going to get very far if they keep losing like this. Kingston and Ortiz aren’t exactly a thrilling team either and the match wound up being about what you would expect. I’m not sure why this was the main event as it’s not exactly a major match but I guess Kingston being in the last match was the big idea.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Yeah fine. That’s about all there is to say about this show, as it’s a bunch of matches between people who don’t have much going on, but this one just happened to go two hours and fifteen minutes (couldn’t fit a title match in there though). It’s a great example of a show that is long for the sake of being long with pretty much nothing that felt important in the slightest. In other words, I guess we’re still waiting to start most of the build towards Supercard Of Honor, because it makes more sense to have shows go on and on without changing much of anything.

Results
Roppongi Vice b. TMDK – Strong Zero to Nicholls
Lio Rush b. Nathan Cruz – Final Hour
Josh Woods b. Matt Menard – Leglock
Komander b. Soleil – Cielito Lindo
Von Erichs/Bang Bang Gang b. Shane Taylor Promotions – Fold to Dean
AR Fox b. Action Andretti – 450
IInspiration b. Viva Van/Frankie B – Idolizer to Frankie
Rascalz b. Workhorsemen – Push moonsault to Henry
Nick Wayne b. Alex Reynolds – Kick to the head
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz b. Bustah And The Brain – Rollup to Price

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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Dynamite
Date: March 4, 2026
Location: Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re just over a week away from Revolution and that should make for a solid push towards the pay per view. Last week saw the announcement that MJF would defend the World Title against Hangman Page at the pay per view in a Texas Deathmatch. Other than that, we have the Women’s Title on the line as Thekla defends against Thunder Rosa. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

We run down the card.

We look back at Collision, with Kevin Knight interrupting Hangman Page and getting himself a World Title match as a result.

AEW World Title: Kevin Knight vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Knight, with Mike Bailey, is challenging. MJF shoves him during the Big Match Intros and they trade armdrags, along with explanations of what armdrags happen to be. Back up and Knight grabs some armdrags into an armbar, followed by a running shoulder for two. Another armbar is broken up and MJF hits him in the face, only to get stomped down in the corner.

It’s way too early for the UFO Splash though and MJF knocks him down again, meaning it’s time to pose. MJF starts in on the ribs and sends him hard into the corner, leaving Knight in trouble. Back up and MJF charges into a shot in the corner, allowing Knight to come back with a middle rope elbow. A dropkick into a splash gives Knight two but it’s still too early for the UFO Splash.

Instead Knight hits a big dive onto the floor and they go back inside, where MJF rolls outside again. Back in again and MJF drops the bad ribs across the top rope but Knight is fine enough to hit a quick DDT for two. They both need a breather before getting up for a pinfall reversal sequence and a series of near falls. MJF bails to the floor and gets taken down by a running dive as we take a break.

We come back with MJF whipping him into the barricade but Knight scores with a moonsault. The UFO Splash is broken up again (you might want to try something else dude) but Knight knocks him off the top. Now the UFO Splash connects, only for MJF to kick the referee so it’s a rather delayed near fall. Another UFO Splash hits raised knees and MJF grabs the Heatseeker to retain at 16:57.

Rating: B+. This match had solid action with a good story, as Knight kept trying to hit his big move but MJF was just too smart for him. That’s because Knight is still new at this level and isn’t ready for MJF’s tricks. Knight still came close to pulling it off though and that made MJF sweat, which worked well for a one off title match.

Post match MJF loads up the diamond ring but Hangman Page pops up for a distraction, allowing Bailey to kick him in the face.

Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin vs. The Dogs

Unfortunately it’s not Will Ferrara and Rhett Titus, but rather Clark Connors and Gabe Kidd, with the brawl starting fast in the aisle. The Dogs take over, with Allin being sent into the steps but fighting back with a running dropkick. A hanging choke knocks Cassidy silly, allowing Connors to run up the steps and spear him into the timekeeper’s area.

Allin and Kidd get inside for the opening bell (because the stuff before said bell was fine), with Kidd dropping him for an early break. We come back with Allin not being able to get over to the corner for the tag to Cassidy. Instead he’s sent outside and right back inside, where he strikes away at Connors from his knees.

With nothing else working, Allin whips off his belt and sweeps the legs, allowing Cassidy to come in and clean house. A top rope clothesline hits Kidd but the Beach Break is broken up. Kidd knocks Allin off the apron and clotheslines Cassidy, who is back with a Stundog Millionaire. Allin is back up with a Coffin Drop to the floor onto both of them, setting up the Orange Punch to pin Connors at 7:14.

Rating: B-. They were working rather quickly here and it was nice to have a straight tag match rather than the usual street fight or tornado rules. Cassidy and Allin are almost a dream team in AEW and having them fight off the new rather aggressive heels is a good way to go. That being said, the Dogs winning here would make more sense, especially with Cassidy being banged up before the match.

Post match David Finlay (a friend of the Dogs) debuts to attack Cassidy and Allin. A shillelagh to the head knocks Allin silly and the villains stand tall.

Bandido and Andrade El Idolo meet in the back but Andrade isn’t impressed enough for a selfie. There is no mention of this being for the Ring Of Honor World Title.

Brawling Birds vs. IInspiration

The IInspiration (Jessie McKay/Cassie Lee) are debuting (at least on television) and try to dance before the match, earning themselves a jump start from the Birds. The Birds hit stereo chops in the corner and it’s a backbreaker into a clothesline to put Jessie down. Two Birds One Stone gives us a double pin on the IInspiration for the pin at 1:28. Well that worked. I was worried that the Birds would lose here so nice surprise.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Hangman Page vs. Marty Smith

Buckshot Lariat at 10 seconds.

Post match Page says he wants to teach MJF a lesson, but he has no conscience in Texas Death. If MJF wants to use the diamond ring on someone, come use it on him. Cue MJF to say he already has to listen to Page at the press conference but he has to do it now? Cue the Don Callis Family to jump Page from behind until Jet Speed run in with chairs for the save. This brings out Callis to say Jet Speed and Page want too many titles, so they should put the Trios Titles up tonight. Oh and he’s talked to Tony Khan and the match is already made.

Earlier today, FTR, with Stokely Hathaway, sat down with the Young Bucks, saying that they can prove that they’re the greatest team of this generation at Revolution. The Bucks want revenge for their family but they want to do it in front of their family at the pay per view. The brawl is nearly on but FTR agrees to walk away, only for Harwood to punch Brandon Cutler, who wasn’t part of the no contact agreement.

Jon Moxley vs. Hechicero

Non-title. They go to the mat to start with Hechicero dropping an elbow on the mat. Moxley slips out and dances a bit (as Hechicero had done as well) before going to a Kimura. Back up and they trade running shoulders, with Hechicero knocking him into the corner. Moxley bites the finger and hits a running clothesline, followed by sending Hechicero over for a Flair Flip. Hechicero is able to snap the arm across the top rope though and we take a break.

We come back with Hechicero slipping out of a fireman’s carry but getting caught in a Tower Of London to send him to the apron. That just lets Hechicero tie the leg up in the ropes, though the leg is fine enough to hit a superplex. Hechicero is able to reverse a choke into one of his own before getting switched into a cross armbreaker.

That’s reversed into a kneebar, which sends Moxley crawling over to the ropes. They slug it out until Hechicero hits a jumping enziguri, only to get caught with the big clothesline. Hechicero is back with a rolling cradle (with his legs wrapped around Moxley’s head) for two but gets Stomped right back down. That earns Moxley a double middle finger, so Moxley knees him in the head and hits the Death Rider to retain at 14:43.

Rating: B. This was the weekly “Moxley has a good match on his way to the big match” match and that’s not a bad thing. Moxley has been doing rather well as of late, though I’m not sure how long this Death Riders vs. Don Callis Family feud can continue if Moxley keeps running through members of the Family. At least it isn’t Callis talking though, and that makes things better.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes out for a staredown with Moxley.

Here is an unscheduled Brody King for a chat. He wants to prove how dangerous he is to Swerve Strickland but gets Prince Nana instead. Nana asks if King wants to do this and upon hearing a yes, Nana waves Swerve out but Swerve jumps King from behind with a chain. Swerve hangs King with the chain and agrees to the match at Revolution. Bandido makes the save.

Wheeler Yuta, with the Death Riders, shows off his quickly recovering hair and credits the team for keeping him going. Marina Shafir doesn’t like Toni Storm and Jon Moxley is ready for Konosuke Takeshita at Revolution.

IMG Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Women’s Title: Thunder Rosa vs. Thekla

Rosa is challenging and the seconds (Kris Statlander and the Sisters Of Sin) actually go to the back after showing up at the entrances. Thekla tells her to take a shot and gets slapped in the face, allowing Rosa to chop away in the corner. Rosa teases a running knee but Thekla rolls outside, where Rosa gets to chop away against the barricade. A running crossbody hits Thekla as well and a running crotch attack in the ropes makes it worse. Thekla is right back up with a big boot and a double stomp to the back as we take a break.

We come back with Rosa fighting up but getting caught in the upside choke in the ropes. A jumping Stunner gives Rosa a breather and she hits some running clotheslines in the corner. Rosa’s northern lights suplex gets two but Thekla catches her up top to trade forearms. The spider superplex drops Rosa again and the spear connects, only for Thekla to pull her up at two. A cutter gets Rosa out of trouble and a sitout Tombstone gets two more. Rosa misses a charge though and it’s a spear into a pair of stomps to retain the title at 11:08.

Rating: B. This was a nice, hard hitting match and a good way for Thekla to get to retain the title. Beating Rosa still feels like a big deal and that’s the kind of way to make her feel more important. Thekla has grown by leaps and bounds in recent weeks and I’m starting to look forward to seeing her on the shows. That’s a great sign for her, and she could get a lot better rather quickly.

Post match the Sisters come out so here is Statlander to go after them, with Thekla bailing.

We look back at last week’s main event.

Jack Perry talks about beating Ricochet for a third time so it’s going to be time to end the war soon. WHAT WAR??? He’s beaten you twice in title matches. What is the point of this continuing?

Oh and Ricochet isn’t worried. As he shouldn’t be with his record against Perry thus far.

Here is Tommaso Ciampa for a chat. He wants to get straight to the point of Kyle Fletcher, who gave the title an unapproved makeover. Fletcher knows he’ll lose the next time they face off and if that means he has to face Mark Briscoe first, so be it. Cue FTR to hug Ciampa and offer him a spot taking over the company. Ciampa says they hated each other years ago and there is no reason for that to have changed. There’s no non-contact clause here so Ciampa chops Harwood and it sounds like we have a singles match at Collision.

Toni Storm storms into the trainer’s room, where Orange Cassidy is recovering. They’re going to fight the Death Riders next week and at Revolution.

Trios Titles: Don Callis Family vs. Hangman Page/Jet Speed

The Family (Kazuchika Okada/Kyle Fletcher/Mark Davis) is challenging and Excalibur makes sure to remind us that Okada is the greatest tournament wrestler ever. I’m not sure why as this isn’t a tournament, but then again it’s a pretty stupid accolade in the first place. The champs charge in to start fast (with the bell ringing almost four minutes after the show is scheduled to go off the air) as I wonder why this match is able to start with a brawl on the floor when the Dogs vs. Cassidy/Allin wasn’t.

Bailey’s running hurricanrana takes Fletcher down to start and it’s off to Davis, who takes Bailey down in a hurry. Some knees to the chest have Bailey in trouble but he manages to small package Fletcher for two. That’s enough for the tag off to Page as everything breaks down. Back in and a triple dropkick hits Fletcher and the champs all rain down right hands in various corners. Fletcher is able to send Knight off the top, with the bad ribs landing on the barricade.

We take a break (over nine minutes into the over run) and come back with Knight hitting a jumping clothesline but getting dragged back into the corner. Bailey breaks up a cover off a dropkick and Knight manages to get over for the tag. That means Bailey can hit the big moonsault to Fletcher on the floor and kick Davis down for two.

The moonsault knees get two on Fletcher and Bailey kicks Okada in the head to break up the Rainmaker. Page and Davis come in to slug it out with the Deadeye connecting and Fletcher making the save. Bailey reverses Fletcher’s lawn dart into a poisonrana and Page drops Davis with a series of clotheslines. Cue MJF to take Page out though and the Rainmaker hits Knight. Davis’ piledriver finishes Knight for the titles at 13:47.

Rating: B. It was another good match, though my goodness it came at the end of a show that was way too long. The best thing here though was that they got the titles off the latest makeshift champions and onto a team who might actually team together on a regular basis. Hopefully that is the case for a good while, as it might actually let the titles be featured (because they absolutely have to exist).

Overall Rating: B+. Here’s the thing: this show had a lot of good wrestling and it did a nice job of setting up Revolution, but it felt like they were just stretching things out for the sake of making the show longer. Some of the matches could have had a few minutes cut out or just move a few things to either Collision or next week. Seeing that the show was going about eighteen minutes over the regular run time for the third week out of four didn’t make me excited, but rather think “here we go again”. Let the good stuff be good and trim out some of the less important stuff already, because adding in that much extra time isn’t helping.

Now, as for the good stuff on the show, you had a really solid opener, a nice performance from the Brawling Birds, another good Moxley match and the double main event. As usual, AEW does well when it focuses on the in-ring side of things, which was more the case here. Just work a bit harder on getting the timing under control (and yes I know it isn’t going to happen) and things will be even better.

Results
Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Kevin Knight – Heatseeker
Orange Cassidy/Darby Allin b. The Dogs – Orange Punch to Connors
Brawling Birds b. IInspiration – Double pin
Hangman Page b. Marty Smith – Buckshot Lariat
Jon Moxley b. Hechicero – Death Rider
Thekla b. Thunder Rosa – Stomp
Don Callis Family b. Hangman Page/Jet Speed – Piledriver to Knight

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

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

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

Kickoff Show: Cedric Alexander vs. Eric Young

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mike Santana vs. Charlie Dempsey

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

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

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

We run down the card.

Frankie Kazarian is ready to make JDC into a failure.

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

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

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

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

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

Matt Cardona vs. Mance Warner

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

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

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

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

International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Stacks

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

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

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

The Hardys are ready to defend their Tag Team Titles.

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

Knockouts Title: Lei Ying Lee vs. Xia Brookside

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

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

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

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

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

Order 4 vs. Rascalz

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

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

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

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

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

Tag Team Titles: High Ryze vs. Hardys

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

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

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

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

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

X-Division Title: AJ Francis vs. Leon Slater

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

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

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

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

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

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

TNA World Title: JDC vs. Frankie Kazarian

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: December 4, 2025
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re just over a day away from Final Resolution and that means we have some finalizing to do before we get to the pay per view. That’s where we should be this week, especially with JDC getting set up for the World Title shot. Other than that, Mike Santana is still wanting revenge on the NXT invaders so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a vignette sat in what looks like a barn, with various wrestlers moving a glowing box labeled with the TNA logo. With a cover of In The Air Tonight in the background, the case opens to announce….that TNA is coming to AMC on January 15. Still a huge deal, as it seems to be nearly double the TV audience.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Home Town Man vs. Brooks Jensen

Lexis King is here with Jensen, who powers Man into the corner to start fast. Man ties him in the ropes for some right hands to the face but Jensen is back with a quick suplex. An Irish Curse gets two on the Man and Jensen stays on his back. Jensen grabs a bearhug, with Man fighting out in a hurry and firing off some clotheslines. The Home Town Slice connects so King gets on the apron for a distraction. Said distraction is enough for Jensen to kick him down for the pin at 5:33.

Rating: C. Jensen is hardly the most interesting star in the world but at least it feels like someone is here as part of a hostile invasion from NXT. Thankfully they didn’t go long with this either as there was no reason to stretch this out any further than it went. The Man’s simple gimmick is still working, and oddly enough it seems like it has a good while to go.

The Rascalz call each other in the Tree House and talk about name changes. Oh and they don’t like Order 4 either. Smoking and giggling ensue.

Here is the IInspiration for a chat. They brag about their recent success and tell other teams to shoot their shot. Cue Tessa Blanchard and Victoria Crawford, saying they’re challenging for the titles at Final Resolution. Mila Moore runs in and helps beat down the IInspiration, who pop back up and lay Moore out without much trouble.

Santino Marella fires up the Hardys/Steve Maclin/Cedric Alexander before they face NXT tonight.

We look at the TNA stars getting in a fight this week on NXT.

Dani Luna vs. Xia Brookside

For the Knockouts Title shot at Final Resolution. Luna shoves her down to start so Luna grabs a headlock to some more success. A running shoulder drops Luna but she pops up with a hurricanrana to the floor. We take a break and come back with Luna being whipped hard into the corner a few times in a row.

Luna fights up and scores with Broken Wings, setting up a high crossbody for two. A Black Widow into something like a reverse Koji Clutch has Luna in trouble so she powerbombs Luna into the corner. Luna goes to the floor to grab a table so here is Indi Hartwell to cut her off. The cheap shot is enough for Brookside to grab a small package for the pin at 12:33.

Rating: C+. Brookside continues to move up the ladder and I’m curious to see what happens with the title match. You have partners fighting for the title on Friday, which could go in a few different ways. Now just give us Hartwell vs. Luna again and everyone should be fine all things considered.

Lei Ying Lee is happy with Brookside winning and may the best woman win.

Robert Stone vs. Mike Santana

Stone jumps him before the bell and they go inside, where Santana gets in a kick to the face. Spin The Block finishes at we’ll say fifteen seconds, though I never heard an opening bell.

Frankie Kazarian doesn’t like JDC talking about how he’s retiring and trying to steal the spotlight. People like John Cena and AJ Styles are retiring but they’re stars. JDC couldn’t be a star if he was thrown by a ninja.

Here is First Class, with AJ Francis still not being happy with Rich Swann losing to Leon Slater. This brings out Slater as the guest, with Francis calling him stupid for granting Francis a title shot. Slater doesn’t get why Francis is talking down to Swann before promising to slap Francis in the face at Final Resolution. Francis offers a toast but slaps the glass out of Slater’s hand. The brawl is on but Swann won’t hit Slater with the title. Instead Francis gives Slater the Down Payment and is not happy with Swann whatsoever.

The System will get a replacement for JDC, though they aren’t sure who it’s going to be.

JDC talks about flying a lot of miles and being ready to hang up his boots for the sake of his personal life. At Final Resolution, he’ll show what he can do.

Mustafa Ali vs. Trey Miguel

Their respective associates are banned from ringside. Miguel armdrags him into the corner to start and catches him with a basement dropkick. Ali is frustrated enough that he runs Miguel over, only to get knocked outside just as quickly. Miguel’s dive is countered into a DDT and we hit the chinlock back inside.

That’s broken up so Ali hits a delayed suplex, only for Miguel to come back with a rolling neckbreaker. A handspring kick to the face sends Ali outside and Miguel hits a diving DDT. The top rope Meteora gives Miguel two back inside and a springboard Canadian Destroyer gets the same. Miguel misses another Meteora though and it’s a Sharpshooter to give Ali the win at 7:27.

Rating: B. This was a match where they packed a bunch of stuff into a short amount of time, which worked rather well. I had a good time with what we got as they didn’t stop throughout the whole thing. Ali winning isn’t a surprise, though at least Miguel did get in some offense on the way.

Final Resolution rundown.

Hardys/Cedric Alexander/Steve Maclin vs. Stacks/Tyson Dupont/Tyriek Igwe/Lexis King

The TNA stars jump them to start fast with Maclin and Alexander throwing them with suplexes. King has to save Stacks from Poetry In Motion but Stacks gets surrounded for a bunch of right hands. The NXT guys are all knocked outside and we take a break. We come back with Alexander in trouble in the corner, including Stacks hitting a Cannonball for two. Alexander dragon screw legwhips his way out of trouble and it’s off to Maclin to clean house.

A Thesz press has King in trouble and some clotheslines put his partners down on the floor. King gets in a cheap shot though and takes over inside. Maclin shrugs that off and clotheslines Stacks, allowing the tag off to Jeff. The real house cleaning ensues and we hit the parade of knockdowns. Alexander hits a big flip dive to the floor but King canes Maclin down, giving Stacks the pin at 14:29.

Rating: B-. This was a big preview for Final Resolution and that’s not a bad idea whatsoever. Sometimes you need a bunch of stuff crammed together into one match and it worked here. Letting the NXT stars steal a win with some cheating makes sense and we should be in for some nice stuff tomorrow night.

Santino Marella comes out to yell at Stacks to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was all about setting up Final Resolution and that’s what it needed to be. Final Resolution is already feeling far more important than Turning Point, which granted is aided by having actual build to the show. Genesis is the show that is going to really matter, though they’ve actually put some effort into Final Resolution, which is nice to see. Now just make it work in execution.

Results
Brooks Jensen b. Home Town Man – Kick to the face
Xia Brookside b. Dani Luna – Small packages
Mike Santana b. Robert Stone – Spin The Block
Mustafa Ali b. Trey Miguel – Sharpshooter
Stacks/Tyson Dupont/Tyriek Igwe/Lexis King b. Hardys/Cedric Alexander/Steve Maclin – Cane to Maclin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And now, the show proper.

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

Knockouts Title: M By Elegance vs. Kelani Jordan

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

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

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

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

We run down the rest of the card.

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

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

AJ Francis vs. BDE

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

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

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

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

Indi Hartwell vs. Dani Luna

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Order 4 vs. Hardys/Cedric Alexander

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

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

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

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

The System vs. Rascalz/Dezmond Xavier

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

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

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

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

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

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

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Rich Swann

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

Video on the upcoming Gold Rush shows.

Dani Luna vs. Indi Hartwell

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jason Hotch vs. Cedric Alexander

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

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

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

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

Knockouts Title: Kelani Jordan vs. Heather By Elegance

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

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

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

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

The Angels Warriors? They are too.

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

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

Turning Point rundown.

TNA World Title: Ryan Nemeth vs. Mike Santana

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

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

TNA World Title: Mike Santana vs. Frankie Kazarian

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

Kazarian celebrates while Santana is crushed to end the show.

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

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

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

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Bound For Glory 2025
Date: October 12, 2025
Location: Tsongas Center, Lowell, Massachusetts
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the biggest night of the year and in this case we have some more guest stars. For the first time ever, Bound For Glory is featuring a bunch of names from NXT, some of whom are reigning champions coming into the show. That includes the Knockouts and World Titles, both of which TNA is trying to regain. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Elegance Brand vs. IInspiration

The Brand is challenging and jump the champs during their entrance. Lee gets sent into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs and Heather shoulders away in the corner. M’s Coast To Coast gets two as commentary runs through the Bound For Glory card. A top rope double stomp gets two with McKay making the save. Lee fights back and McKay gets the tag to clean house but M’s pump kick gets two. Heather gets sent outside though and the Idolizer retains the titles at 4:59.

Rating: C. Good example of how to do a Kickoff Show match, as they got in, did their thing, and got back out before anything went too badly. They didn’t need to make it more complicated than that and it’s nice to see the titles retained. The IInspiration only won them back recently so let them get a win and be more established as champions.

The opening video talks about the history of legends in Boston, including a look at some TNA wrestlers from the city (like Eddie Edwards). Now it’s time for some new legends to rise up. We look at some of the bigger matches on the card, as tends to be the case in such a video.

National Anthem.

International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Frankie Kazarian

Maclin is challenging after losing the title to Kazarian not very long ago. We start fast with Maclin suicide diving onto Kazarian to take over before the bell. They get inside for said bell, where Kazarian hits a slingshot Fameasser, followed by a sunset bomb out to the floor. Kazarian goes after Maclin’s mom, who flips him off (BIG pop there), allowing Maclin to jump him from behind.

An Angle Slam hits Kazarian back inside and Maclin grabs his own chickenwing. That’s reversed into a rollup for two so Maclin switches to a Boston crab. Kazarian gets out and hits a Pele Kick into Angel’s Wings. Kazarian’s slingshot cutter gets two more but he misses a spear in the corner. Maclin doesn’t miss, followed by the KIA to get the title back at 8:01.

Rating: C+. Well that’s more than a bit surprising. I’m not sure I get the idea of putting the title back on Maclin so soon, but at least he got a nice win to start the show. Hopefully this doesn’t mean something like Kazarian getting the Call Your Shot win, though it would be quite the stretch to put him there in back to back years. Either way, nice stuff here, as Maclin continues to look strong.

We run down the rest of the card.

Trick Williams wants to know why he isn’t being thanked for everything he’s done around here. Yeah he wears the TNA Title upside down because he’s turned TNA upside down. He’s the champion because he’s best for business.

We recap Tessa Blanchard vs. Gia Miller. Blanchard was a jerk to Miller (a backstage interviewer), who wanted to be just like Blanchard, which Miller doesn’t seem to find accurate. She attacked Miller as well but now Miller is ready to fight back.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Gia Miller

Blanchard has Victoria Crawford and Miller has Jody Threat with her. Blanchard lets her grab a headlock to start and is out of it just as fast. Miller’s rollup gets a fast two but she gets sent throat first into the rope. Some choking on the floor has Miller in more trouble and Blanchard beats her up in front of Miller’s family. Back in and a superkick drops Miller again and Crawford chokes in the corner.

That’s enough for an ejection but first Threat flip dives onto Crawford, security, and Blanchard. Threat chases Crawford to the back and Miller gets in a Thesz press, followed by a spinning middle rope crossbody. Granted it hit Blanchard’s feed but at least Miller is trying. Blanchard isn’t having that and takes turnbuckle pad off, allowing her to press Miller’s head into the buckle. A headbutt staggers Blanchard, who comes right back with a roll of quarters to knock Miller silly for the pin at 6:17.

Rating: D. I didn’t get why this was on the pay per view and the match didn’t make it any better. Miller got in a tiny bit of offense at best and then gets knocked out to give Blanchard the win. This never felt like it belonged on the card and I’m rather worried if this is the best they have for Blanchard. Yeah she has issues, but if this it as good as she can get, let her go elsewhere.

We look at Lei Ying Lee and Mance Warner earning the first and last spots in the Call Your Shot gauntlet match.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet

20 person Royal Rumble, two minutes for the first two entrants then sixty seconds each, over the top eliminations, last two people have a regular singles match for a Money In The Bank style shot at any title. Lei Ying Lee is in at #1 and Mara Sade is in at #2. Sade knocks her down to start and dances a bit but Lee gets in a kick to the ribs. A Hennig necksnap has Sade in more trouble until Ryan Nemeth is in at #3.

The women chase him around and knock him into the corner for some stomping. Nic Nemeth is in at #4 (to quite the pop) with Sade dropping him with a superkick. Ryan has to save Nic, who clotheslines Sade and Lee at the same time. Cedric Alexander is in at #5 to go after the Nemeths until Rich Swann is in at #6. Swann takes Alexander down and knees him in the face as AJ Francis is in at #7.

Sade and Lee are both tossed, followed by Francis chokeslamming Swann and eliminating him as well. The former Northern Armory comes out and flips a coin, so it’s Travis Williams in at #8. A suplex takes Ryan down and it’s wrestling YouTuber BDE in at #9. BDE escapes a chokeslam and Stunners Francis to a big reaction. The Rascalz (all three of them) are in at #10 and team up with BDE to get rid of Francis. Dani Luna is in at #11 to clean house with some suplexes. Williams gives Luna a running knee and it’s Eric Young in at #12. Williams knocks Young down as well, only to get pulled to the apron, where Young piledrives him out.

Jake Something is in at #13 and runs some people over before he and Luna give the Rascalz stereo powerbombs. Young knocks BDE out and Rosemary is in at #14. Miguel and Alexander are both out and the Hometown Man is in at #15. Rosemary mists Something by mistake and he’s gone as Zack Clayton is in at #16. Luna tosses Rosemary but gets eliminated by the Man, with the fans approving.

Jody Threat is in at #17 but cue Frankie Kazarian to jump her and take her place, which apparently you can just do. Santino Marella comes out to glare…and he’s in at #18. The Cobra knocks Kazarian silly and Marella is knocked out almost immediately in a Royal Rumble flashback. Matt Cardona is in at #19 to get rid of Clayton but gets jumped by the Nemeths.

Mance Warner is in at #20 as the Rascalz are eliminated. Warner, with a zombie motif, grabs a chair and starts to clean house. Cardona breaks that up, leaving Young and Man to tease eliminations. Young low blows Man out but gets eliminated by Cardona. Warner is gone as well and the Nemeths go after Cardona, who knocks them both out of the corner. Nic kicks Ryan out by mistake but Warner is back to get rid of Cardona.

Kazarian and Nic are the last two so it’s a singles match for the title shot. The referee gets bumped so Kazarian’s rollup doesn’t get a count. Nic’s superkick gets a delayed near fall from a second referee so they go up top. A superplex brings them both back down and it’s a double pin (with double referees) at 30:51.

Rating: D+. That’s definitely a Call Your Shot Gauntlet, in that it was way longer than it needed to be, with pretty much nothing in the way of a good surprise, involved. It comes off as a “get everyone on the show” match, but dang it would be better if they cut it in half (at the longest) and just had a battle royal. Either that or make it all goofy fun, because this stuff is getting rather tedious over the years. Oh and yay for screwy finishes on top of that.

Post match Marella announces that there are two winners and gets booed out of the building.

We look at the NXT women beating the TNA women at Showdown.

We recap Kelani Jordan defending the Knockouts Title against Indi Hartwell. A few weeks back, Hartwell became the #1 contender but then Ash By Elegance had to step away from the ring, leaving NXT’s Jordan to step up and win the title.

Knockouts Title: Kelani Jordan vs. Indi Hartwell

Jordan is defending and grabs a headlock before sweeping the leg for two. A backslide gives Jordan two and they get up for a standoff. Jordan dropkicks her down but misses a big kick to the head, leaving Hartwell down for a breather. Hartwell gets sent into the corner for a springboard spinning legdrop to give Jordan two. Back up and Jordan cuts a springboard out of the air for a spinebuster.

We hit a chinlock with double knees in the back but Jordan elbows her way out quickly enough. They slug it out until Jordan cartwheels into a back elbow to drop Hartwell again. The splits Stunner lets Jordan grab a half Liontamer to work on Hartwell’s back for a change. That’s escaped and, eventually, Hartwell muscles her up for a sitout powerbomb.

Jordan kicks her in the head and drops a frog splash for two. Hartwell manages to trip her on the apron, followed by a running big boot. Back in and they trade rollups until the Hurts Donut gives Hartwell two more. Jordan avoids a top rope elbow and kicks her in the head, setting up One Of A Kind to retain at 12:32.

Rating: B-. Well ok then. That was quite the surprise, as it seemed like this was the time for Hartwell to get the big win and rescue the title from the (rather nice) outsider. I’m not sure where that leaves Hartwell, or the title, but it certainly seems that we’re going to be seeing NXT around here for a good bit longer.

Post match respect is shown.

The Nemeths have the Call Your Shot Gauntlet trophy but Kazarian comes in to say it belongs to him. Arguing ensues.

We recap The System vs. Order 4. They’ve been fighting for months and now it’s time to have a Hardcore War to blow the whole thing off.

The System vs. Order 4

The System: Moose, Alisha Edwards, Eddie Edwards, JDC, Brian Myers
Order 4: Mustafa Ali, Tasha Steelz, Agent Zero, Jason Hotch, John Skyler

Hardcore War, with two wrestlers starting for two minutes. Then Order 4 gets to send in its second entrant for a one minute advantage. They can all bring in a weapon of choice and the match can’t end until all ten are in, when it’s first pinfall or submission. Jason Hotch and Eddie Edwards start things off, with the latter being accompanied by the Boston Red Sox mascot. Some hip swiveling (I think) distracts Hotch so Eddie can hit a big dive to get us going.

Back in and a triangle dropkick puts Eddie on the floor, where he comes back with a trashcan lid to the head. Skyler comes in to save Hotch in the corner and it’s the Favor onto a chair. That lets Skyler and Hotch pose until JDC comes in to even things up. JDC’s big dive to the floor takes them out and it’s time to scrape Skyler’s head with a cheese grater. Steelz, in a New York Yankees jersey, makes the save and the beatings continue.

Alisha comes in to cut Steelz off with the System getting to use a staple gun. Zero comes in to make it 4-3 and tosses the steps at Eddie’s head. Myers is in with a trashcan lid, which gets taken away so Zero can wreck things. Ali completes the Order and a top rope double stomp drives a chair into Eddie’s back. Moose is in to complete the System and clears the ring rather quickly. Zero and Moose slug it out, with Moose dropkicking a chair into his face. Moose is sent outside so Zero hits a big dive onto the pile. Alisha brings in a bag of tacks (sigh) but Zero is back in.

A chokebomb puts Alisha into the tacks so Eddie comes in, only to get taken out as well. Myers and JDC swing kendo sticks at Zero, who shrugs them off, only for Moose to come back in with the spear. Another, with a chain wrapped around his shoulder, drops Zero again but Moose bangs up his own shoulder. Myers and JDC dive onto the Great Hands, leaving Ali to pour more tacks onto Alisha. A 450 only hits tacks though and Eddie is back in with a barbed wire Boston Knee Party to pin Ali at 20:07.

Rating: B. This started slow but did get better near the end. They could have done more with the weapons and I could go with never seeing tacks in a match again, though that 450 did look good. Zero looked like a monster in there and while I’m surprised that the System won, and almost even more by Ali taking the fall, I liked this more than I was expecting.

We recap Leon Slater defending the X-Division Title against Je’Von Evans. Slater is the new, big star who has been trying to prove himself. Evans is here from NXT and it’s time for the big showdown, which has the potential to steal the show.

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Je’Von Evans

Slater is defending. They stare each other down to start and the fans are rather approving. They finally lock up with Slater taking him down and offering some polite applause. Evans takes him into the corner for a quick staredown before a springboard rollup gets two. Evans can’t get a standing moonsault so Slater small packages him for two more. A running shoulder puts Slater on the floor for a quick suicide dive, only for Slater to come back with a crossover.

Slater chops away but gets caught with a springboard clothesline for two. Evans gets kicked down and a handspring elbow knocks him down again. Slater’s slingshot cutter gets two and they head out to the apron, where Evans is back up with a kick to the head. Another slingshot cutter is countered into a DDT to drop Slater and Evans’ OG Cutter onto the apron knocks Slater silly.

Back in and Evans hits a heck of a frog splash, followed by a heck of a frog splash for two more. Slater is back up with a running side kick, only to get caught with a hurricanrana for another near fall. Slater manages to neckbreaker a springboard out of the air for two of his own and the fans are rather approving. Evans hits another OG Cutter for another rather near fall and they both go up top.

They crash down to the floor before Evans knocks him into the crowd. Naturally Slater is right there with a dive…and it’s a time limit draw at 20:00 (20:06 but close enough). Hold on though as the fans are VERY unhappy until Santino Marella comes in to say five more minutes. The bell rings and Evens kicks him down for two but Slater is back with Utopia. That means the big running flip dive over the post can connect, only for Evans to come back with a Spanish Fly. Then the lights go out and Darkstate is here to jump them both for the no contest at 23:42.

Rating: B. Oh sweet goodness they managed to tick the fans off TWICE. This started slow but got better as the match went on. At the same time though, it’s not a great look to have TNA now at 0-1-1 against NXT at the biggest show of the year. The good thing is that these two started going nuts near the end with the reactions to the near falls being outstanding. If they were able to build to one of them winning or something other than a time limit draw, or then the interference after the false hope, it would have been even better. But then NXT might not have stood tall over TNA and…well NXT, but it’s been a weird night.

Post match the big beatdown is on and Darkstate stands tall, with the fans again not being happy.

Here is Chris Bey to announce the new North American attendance record: 7,794. He sends us to our next recap.

We recap the Hardys defending the TNA/NXT Tag Team Titles against Team 3D. They’ve fought on and off for twenty five years so we’re doing it one more time with one more tables match. In other words, it’s time for a big legends/nostalgia match which is arguably the show’s main event.

TNA/NXT Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Team 3D

The Hardys are defending in a tables match, with both members having to go through for the win. Spike Dudley even shows up as a bonus. After a rather long staredown, Jeff’s charge misses and he’s sent outside, leaving Matt to charge into a 3D. Jeff fights back but misses a Whisper In The Wind and What’s Up makes it worse.

The tables are brought in and it’s a 3D to put Jeff through one of them. Another table is loaded up but Matt grabs a Twist Of Fate to D-Von on the floor. Matt’s running elbow only hits table, which doesn’t count as he wasn’t put through it by the other team. Back in and Ray is sent into (not through) a table in the corner, leaving D-Von to put Jeff on a table.

D-Von takes too long to climb a ladder, with Matt making a save. Jeff does the Swanton for the big flashback and we look at it about five times. The Hardys beat on Ray with chairs and it’s a Twist Of Fate into a Swanton. Ray gets up, they stare at each other, and it’s a double spinebuster to put Ray through the table and retain the titles at 15:56.

Rating: C+. I liked the story well enough and the match could have been FAR worse, but I wasn’t interested in seeing this before and that was the case again. Between the fans chanting for ECW at the beginning and this being a call back to a WWF match from twenty five years ago, it certainly didn’t come off as something involving TNA. It’s cool enough that they got to do it again, but dang it doesn’t exactly make the current tag division look great.

Post match we get the big staredown of EXTREME respect before Team 3D takes off their boots and hand them to the Hardys. Another big hug wraps it up. Well eventually, as the posing goes on for a good while.

Genesis is in Dallas in January.

We recap Trick Williams defending the NXT Title against Mike Santana. Williams, an NXT star, is holding the title behind enemy lines so it’s time for Santana to step up and take it. Santana is the hottest star in TNA and has been for a long time now, so this has felt like the logical conclusion for a long time. That’s not a bad thing either, as it’s the best way to go. Assuming nothing insane happens here.

TNA World Title: Trick Williams vs. Mike Santana

Santana is challenging. Williams promises a beating and does his own Big Match Intro. That earns him a kick to the face and the fight is on, with Williams getting chopped up against the barricade before the bell even rings. They go out into the crowd, where Santana blocks a trashcan shot and hits Williams with it instead. Santana is sent back to ringside, where he drops Williams onto the apron.

A belt shot knocks Santana down though and we get the opening bell. Williams hits the Trick Kick for two and grabs a neckbreaker before shoving him in the face. They head outside, with Santana being catapulted into the post to bust him open. Williams backdrops him onto the steps, followed by a side kick for two. A front facelock of all things doesn’t last long for Williams and Santana manages a Death Valley Driver into the corner.

A fireman’s carry faceplant and a Cannonball give Santana two but Williams slams him onto the apron. Williams makes the mistake of yelling at Santana’s daughter though and Santana dives onto him, followed by a powerbomb for two. The 450 hits Williams for two more and it’s time to argue with Williams’ lawyer.

The distraction lets Williams come back with a release Rock Bottom and a super Rock Bottom gets two. A quick Spin The Block gives Santana two of his own, followed by Williams hitting the Trick Shot for two of his own. Santana looks over at his daughter and it’s a clothesline into Spin The Block to make Santana the champion at 16:12.

Rating: B. This was a main event style match and what matters most is that it ended with Santana winning. There were no shenanigans as Santana overcame the odds to win the title. That’s how a major pay per view should end as a new champion is crowned. Santana has more than earned this and Williams got a lot out of being the invading champion. Good main event and it was nice to see them not go nutty with the booking.

Post match here is Nic Nemeth with the Call Your Shot trophy….but Elijah returns and guitars him down. Kazarian tries to cash in as well but gets dropped with Spin The Block. Santana is presented the belt, which he hands to his daughter in a great moment. A Puerto Rican flag is brought in (as the building is rapidly emptying out as he celebrates) and Santana poses to end the show. There was zero need to have the cash-in attempt(s) and the return here. Stop overthinking this and just let it end as it should.

Overall Rating: C+. They got the big moment at the end and, after the goofy cash in teases (BECAUSE EVERY PROMOTION HAS TO HAVE THAT STUPID STUFF THESE DAYS), the feel great moment to wrap up the show. Unfortunately, there are not many other things to be overly positive about here, between the double Call Your Shot winner, the stupid ending to the X-Division Title match and a Tag Team Title match that was first done almost twenty six years ago.

There were some good matches in there, but my goodness they need to stop making these things way too complicated. At least the ending was right, but they got really close to screwing this show up with some of their ideas. That has been a TNA problem for a long time now and it’s absolutely continuing.

Results
IInspiration b. Elegance Brand – Idolizer to M
Steve Maclin b. Frankie Kazarian – KIA
Tessa Blanchard b. Gia Miller – Punch with a roll of quarters
Nic Nemeth and Frankie Kazarian won the Call Your Shot Gauntlet
Kelani Jordan b. Indi Hartwell – One Of A Kind
The System b. Order 4 – Barbed wire Boston Knee Party to Ali
Leon Slater vs. Je’Von Evans went to a no contest when Darkstate interfered
Hardys b. Team 3D – Double spinebuster to Ray through a table
Mike Santana b. Trick Williams – Spin The Block

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