Impact Wrestling
Date: April 16, 2026
Location: Upstate Medical University Arena At The Oncenter War Memorial, Syracuse, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Rebellion and that means we should be in for a big time fallout. Mike Santana is still the World Champion after dispatching Eddie Edwards and the Hardys FINALLY lost the Tag Team Titles, oddly to the System. There is a lot of fallout to cover here, including a heck of a return to the ring so let’s get to it.

Here is Rebellion if you need a recap.

We open with a long Rebellion recap, covering pretty much everything.

Opening sequence.

Here is Nic Nemeth, who stumbles down the ram, to join commentary on the opening match.

KC Navarro vs. AJ Francis

The much bigger Francis shoves him down to start but it’s too early for the Down Payment. Navarro knocks him outside but a dropkick is countered into a faceplant onto the apron. Francis posts him and then fires Navarro into the corner back inside. For some reason Navarro tries an Angle Slam and is promptly LAUNCHED with an AA.

A jawbreaker and dropkick work a bit better for Navarro and he hits some running dropkicks in the corner. They go up top and a super Angle Slam actually connects to give Navarro two. Francis Pounces him though, which lets Francis yell at Nemeth. That’s enough for Nemeth to get up, which allows Navarro to grab a rollup for the pin at 7:04.

Rating: C+. Navarro is back with a quick win and that’s a good thing to see. At the same time you have Francis ticked off at Nemeth, which should work out well for both of them. It’s certainly a step up for Francis to go after a star like Nemeth, though I’m wonder what is next for Navarro as well. He’s been gone for so long and was never a singles star, though he might just be lost in the shuffle again.

EC3 talks about carrying the company through its darkest time and then leaving for a long time. Now he’s back, and has to deal with Eric Young. What a great way to start.

Here is the System, once again with Alisha Edwards, for a chat. They’re happy to have the Tag Team Titles but Eddie Edwards blames Moose for not being the World Champion. Alisha mocks Moose for being stupid (even though he knew she was doing) and Cedric Alexander wants the X-Division Title.

Cue Leon Slater, who asks when Alexander will shut up. Moose comes in to insult all of them, who he finds to be b******. Slater wants a match right now but here is Daria Rae to say no but Slater says Santino Marella would do it. That’s enough for Rae to make the 4-2 handicap match for later.

We look at Frankie Kazarian cheating to beat Elijah at Rebellion.

Elijah comes in to see Daria Rae, who wants to face Kazarian again. Rae calls Kazarian, who says no. End of discussion.

Tasha Steelz vs. Jada Stone

The rest of Order 4 is here with Steelz and Mustafa Ali brags about his win at Rebellion. He’s a champion who doesn’t need a second chance so he’s GIVING a second chance, in the form of an open challenge for his newly won International Title. Stone storms the ring and we’re ready to go. They slug it out at the bell with Stone headscissoring her into the corner. Steelz bails to the floor and manages to post Stone to take over. That means some posing from Steelz and we take a break.

We come back with Steelz suplexing her for two and grabbing a camel clutch. That doesn’t last long so Steelz stomps away in the corner instead. Stone fights up and scores with a middle rope Meteora into a split legged moonsault. Steelz is right back with a neckbreaker and a German suplex but Stone gets in a facebuster. Ali offers a distraction though and Steelz grabs a middle rope cutter for two. The referee tosses Order 4 so Stone superkicks her into the Spark Stunner for the pin at 13:17.

Rating: B-. They had a good back and forth match here and it got some time. The other good thing is you can see Stone being treated as someone who could become a star. That is something that is always welcome, as the division needs some fresh blood. I don’t know if that’s going to be Stone but at least she’s getting some attention.

We go to the Undead Realm where Rosemary finds Joseph Park. He’s looking for his brother (“You know”) Abyss but is so happy to see Rosemary that he gives her a hug. Park is going to do something for her (she seems pleased) and is off to work on it. We cut to Tessa Blanchard trying to find her way out and beating up some women before running off. To be continued.

Nic Nemeth and KC Navarro are happy with his win but the System comes in for some mocking. Nemeth is ready to fight Bear Bronson any time.

Here is Mike Santana for a chat. He’s put down every former World Champion he’s faced so now he wants to issue a challenge of his own. There is someone else back there who has turned his life around so he wants Rich Swann out here. Swann asks if this is a good idea because he’s in the best shape of his career and is ready to fight all night long. Santana says the people have spoken and he’s ready for the title match next week. It seems to be on.

Lei Ying Lee talks about falling in love with wrestling and gaining a friend in Xia Brookside. She doesn’t know why Brookside abandoned her.

Brookside has nothing to say.

EC3 vs. Eric Young

Young jumps him from behind to start fast and the brawl is on, with EC3 getting beaten up on the floor and inside. EC3 fights up and runs over Young and the referee, which is enough for the no contest at 2:31. Well that’s odd.

Post match Young wraps a chair around EC3’s neck and sends it into the post.

Back in the Undead Realm, Rosemary runs into a masked man named Frank, who is holding an ax. They have a chat about his mother and he goes on his way. Mara Sade and Allie discuss vegan options and run into a woman who teleports around them. They aren’t impressed and move on.

Tessa Blanchard finds Rosemary and wants out so the fight is on, with Blanchard beating her up and tying her to a chair. Allie and Sade come in and untie her, with Rosemary finding it funny. Allie gives chase and we cut to Blanchard and her friends escaping, as James Mitchell lets them out. The teleporting woman comes in and Mitchell introduces himself to her. Hannifan: “What the h*** is going on?”

In the arena, Blanchard, Mila Moore and Victoria Crawford crawl out from underneath the ring…but the lights go out and Rosemary and Mara Sade are here for the brawl. Sade is beaten down but Rosemary isn’t worried. The lights go out again and Allie is back to quit the reaction.

The Hardys swear vengeance on the Righteous. Brokenness is teased.

The System vs. Moose/Leon Slater

Alisha Edwards is here with the System. Slater and Alexander start things off but the numbers game lets Alexander get in a shot from behind. Moose (who played college football here) comes in for a backsplash and sends Bronson outside. Myers spears Bronson by mistake and Moose powerbombs Alexander onto the two of them. Slater busts out the big dive and Moose spears Alexander back inside.

Myers makes the save and Edwards hits a Boston Knee Party to put Moose down. Bronson sits on Moose’s chest for two and Edwards ties up his leg. Moose fights out and drops Edwards, allowing the tag off to Slater. Some running boots in the corner connect but Edwards pokes Slater in the eye. Alexander frog splashes Slater for two and Moose accidentally takes out a security guard on the floor. Back in and Alexander reverses a rollup into a Lumbar Check to pin Slater at 7:50.

Rating: B-. This was pretty much what you would have expected here, as there was no reason for Slater and Moose, as great as they are, to overcome these odds. The ending is a fine way to give Alexander another shot, as Slater is less than a month from the longest reign in history. It’s a star studded main event, which went exactly as you probably thought it would have.

Commentary gives us a recap of the night (not a bad idea) to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There was a lot to like here, as they set up something with Slater vs. Alexander II, plus Nic Nemeth possibly getting in on the battle against the System. Throw in the women getting out of the Undead Realm and things are looking up. I liked this show a good deal and it’s nice to see them hitting the ground running after a pay per view for a change.

Results
KC Navarro b. AJ Francis – Rollup
Jada Stone b. Tasha Steelz – Spark Stunner
EC3 vs. Eric Young went to a no contest
The System b. Moose/Leon Slater – Lumbar Check to Slater

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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Rebellion 2026
Date: April 11, 2026
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re already back with a full pay per view after Sacrifice a few weeks ago. Hopefully this show’s main event doesn’t end in about two minutes due to an injury. This time around, Mike Santana is defending against Eddie Edwards due to the Feast Or Fired contract, plus the Hardys defending the Tag Team Titles against the System. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Ryan Nemeth vs. BDE

Before the match, Nemeth brings up being from Cleveland and then reveals Pittsburgh Steelers (Cleveland Browns’ big rivals) gear. BDE jumps him during his latest batch of insults and knocks him to the floor. A springboard high crossbody connects on the way back inside but Nemeth gets in a knockdown of his own.

Some right hands on the mat set up a neckbreaker for two and we hit the chinlock on BDE. That’s broken up and the springboard cutter gives BDE two of his own. A DDT gives Nemeth the same but BDE hits a jumping enziguri. The frog splash connects, only to send Nemeth outside. Nemeth Stunners him over the top rope though, setting up a jumping Downward Spiral to finish BDE at 5:00.

Rating: C. This was the right kind of opener as it gives the fans a reason to get annoyed, though BDE could have gotten his first singles win here, just to pop the fans. Either way, it wasn’t like they were out there very long and the match was a bunch of entertaining spots. For a quick pre-show outing, they did fine.

And now, the show proper.

Charity Evonna sings the National Anthem.

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Cedric Alexander

Slater is defending. They start fast with neither being able to get very far. Slater misses a slingshot dive but Alexander can’t quite send him into the steps. Back in and a springboard high crossbody gives Slater two and he hammers away in the corner. Alexander is sent to the apron, where he grabs an STO to take over. Back in and a German suplex puts Slater down, followed by a basement dropkick for two.

Alexander goes outside but stops to yell at the crowd, allowing Slater to hit a dropkick through the ropes. They get back in where Alexander hits another German suplex and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up so Alexander rakes the eyes to put him right back down. A leg lariat gives Slater a breather so Alexander rolls outside, with Slater hitting the big running flip dive.

Alexander probably should have known that was coming as it’s kind of Slater’s thing but oh well. Back in and a standing Sliced bread Gives Slater two more but he misses the 450. Slater charges into a Michinoku Driver for two and Alexander crotches him on the top. A clothesline brings Slater back down and Alexander gives him a brainbuster onto the turnbuckle. The Lumbar Check gets two so the frustrated Alexander goes outside to grab the title. That takes too long though and Slater grabs a Styles Clash, setting up the Swanton 450 to retain at 14:23.

Rating: B. This was in the “of course it’s going to be good” category as Alexander can work well with anyone and Slater is on an absolute tear at the moment (ok several moments). At the same time, we’re at the point where it’s hard to imagine Slater actually losing the title, which is going to become an issue down the line. That being said, opening with the X-Division has worked for years and that’s still the case, so continuing the tradition worked well.

We run down the card.

Mike Santana, with his face painted, is ready to defend the World Title again tonight. Alisha Edwards comes in to offer him some tips on facing Eddie Edwards tonight.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Elijah

Elijah chases him to the floor to start and hits a big boot back inside. A jumping clothesline lets Elijah send him chest first onto the apron and Old School connects. Back up and Kazarian German suplexes him into the corner and a slingshot hurricanrana on the floor drops Elijah again.

The slingshot legdrop gets two back inside so Kazarian grabs the strap from Elijah’s guitar. That’s enough to swat Elijah out of the air and a clothesline gives has down again. Kazarian’s Old School is broken up with a slam though and an electric chair powerbomb gets two more.

The jumping knee knocks Kazarian out of the air for another near fall and Elijah straps him down for a change. The guitar is brought in but Kazarian catches him on the apron with a slingshot cutter onto said guitar. An annoyed Elijah pops up and grabs the broken guitar but the referee takes it away, allowing Kazarian to get in a low blow and rollup for the pin at 12:26.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t the most thrilling feud when it started and their match here wasn’t much better. It’s not that it’s bad, but it’s just kind of…there. Kazarian winning is good enough and the ending likely keeps things going for a more violent rematch. I would think a recent World Champion would get something better than this, but Elijah goes from a bit less than serious to a featured player rather quickly so it’s hard to say if this was a big step down for Kazarian or not.

Stacks says he’ll help Arianna Grace retain the Knockouts Title.

We recap Moose vs. Agent Zero. Moose has been going after Order 4 and Zero is their enforcer. Hoss fight time.

Moose vs. Agent Zero

Alisha Edwards is here with Moose, who gets jumped by Zero to start fast. Moose gets sent into the steps for the opening bell but he’s able to send Zero outside. The dive connects and it’s already time for the table. They fight on the apron with neither getting the better of things so it’s time to go back inside. Moose kicks him to the floor but makes the mistake of following, where Zero hits a powerbomb into the post.

Back in and they trade forearms until Moose knocks him into the corner for a top rope superplex. Moose nips up…and Zero does the same, only to get clotheslined to the apron. The spear through the table crushes Zero and they both have to beat the count. Back in and Zero wins a slugout, setting up a swinging Downward Spiral for two. Moose fist pumps his way back up and hits a release Rock Bottom into a backsplash.

Zero is able to send him outside though, only for Moose to catch his dive. That means a powerbomb onto the steps so cue the Good Hands, with Moose having to save Edwards. The pump kick sends Skyler to the floor but Edwards crashes down too and hurts her ankle. Moose carries her off and gets kicked in the face by Zero, making her drop Edwards in a crash. The chokebomb sends Moose onto the apron and a chokebomb gives Zero the pin at 10:47.

Rating: B. This was about two big strong men hitting each other until one of them made the mistake of showing some humanity and it cost him. Zero is starting to look more and more like a monster and beating one of the most decorated stars in TNA history is only going to help him. I could go for seeing what they have with Zero, as he’s doing rather well around here thus far.

We recap the Elegance Brand vs. ODB/Mickie James/Taryn Terrell. Basically Ash By Elegance has been running her mouth about various legends so the legends are here to go after her. The biggest issue here: Ash being called a MARK. It’s just going to be in a weapons based match to hide some limitations.

Elegance Brand vs. ODB/Mickie James/Taryn Terrell

Hardcore Country rules. James brings out the Mark Bucket, much to Ash’s annoyance. This doesn’t sit well with Ash, who rants a lot as the Brand’s shirts all say I AM NOT A MARK. It’s a brawl to start with the Brand’s anti-mark signs being destroyed. That lets all six throw in weapons and the legends all hit Thesz presses.

The Brand goes after…I think a celebrity in the first row so they get buckets put on their heads for a ramming together. Back in and Terrell suplexes Heather onto a pile of lollipops for two because that’s a thing here. The suckers are thrown into the crowd and the legends hit a bunch of baseball slides. James and Terrell are knocked down on the floor, leaving ODB to get beaten up with kendo sticks.

Back up and Ash is sent into a wheelbarrow full of hay and Terrell beats on her with a big lollipop. Mr. Elegance is sent face first into a cooler of pickle juice (because Mr. Elegance’s loins are pickle-esque) as I try to figure out what in the world I’m watching. The Personal Concierge is put in a pickle suit and Terrell hits a big dive onto the floor. Back in and Mr. Elegance clotheslines ODB, who uses a pair of tongs to grab him low. Ash is up with a DDT to ODB and a triple cover gives the Brand the pin at 10:55.

Rating: D-. What in the world was this? Hay, pickles, a pickle costume, tongs and whatever Mr. Elegance is supposed to be, all in one. I get the idea of having the goofy villains tick off the legends and then cheat to beat them, but this was a bunch of comedy stuff going on for way too long and nothing resembling a match for the most part. They had what could have been a somewhat serious story here but instead went all over the place and it was pretty much a disaster.

Post match the winners celebrate by imitating ODB’s signature taunt but Tommy Dreamer and Carlos Silva interrupt. The reason? ODB is going into the Hall Of Fame. AND THEY PICK THE MOMENT AFTER SHE LOST IN A PICKLE MATCH TO TELL HER! ODB thanks the fans and she’ll see us at Bound For Glory, maybe even with the food truck.

Elayna Black wants the Knockouts Title.

AJ Francis vs. Nic Nemeth

Francis took Nemeth out at Sacrifice and Nemeth, the hometown star, is back for revenge. As a bonus, Nemeth has former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar in his corner. Francis actually hits a superkick for two at the bell but misses a splash in the corner, allowing Nemeth to hammer away. The running DDT is blocked though and Nemeth crashes down to the floor.

A right hand knocks Nemeth out of the air for six and Francis hits a running knee in the corner. Nemeth elbows hits way up but collapses on a fireman’s carry attempt. Back up and Nemeth hits the running DDT, followed by the ten elbows. Now the fireman’s carry works, with Nemeth hitting an AA for two more. The superkick is countered with a spear to give Francis two but the chokeslam is countered into a Fameasser (that looked good) to give Nemeth the same.

Francis is back up and puts him on top, where Nemeth grabs a super Danger Zone…for two. Dang that should have been the pin. Francis grabs a chair but the referee takes it away, only for Francis to hit the referee. Kosar gets in the ring for the standoff but KC Navarro (Francis’ former partner) interrupts for a distraction. That means a chair shot from Kosar to set up the Danger Zone to give Nemeth the pin at 14:30.

Rating: B-. I’ve seen far worse than this, with Nemeth doing well as the hometown star and Kosar being there for the football pop. Nemeth knows how to wrestle this style rather well, while Francis has gotten a lot better in recent months. He’s still not exactly good, but he knows how to wrestle like a big man. I liked this more than I was expecting, though I’ve always liked Nemeth better as a good guy.

We recap Lei Ying Lee challenging Arianna Grace for the Knockouts Title. Grace is the undeserving champion and Lee wants the title back. Pretty simple indeed.

Knockouts Title: Lei Ying Lee vs. Arianna Grace

Grace is defending and Xia Brookside and Stacks are the seconds. Lee dropkicks her down to start and hammers away in the corner so Grace bails outside. Stacks’ distraction lets Grace take over, with a swinging neckbreaker getting two back inside. Brookside calls Stacks out on the cheating and he’s quickly ejected, leaving Grace all alone.

An exploder suplex gives Lee two and a Blockbuster connects for the same, meaning it’s time for the Warrior’s Way. Grace rakes the eyes to break that up but Lee tries it again, this time planting Grace down. The cover…is broken up though as Brookside puts the foot on the rope. Brookside pulls Lee outside and lays her out, allowing Grace to hit a running knee for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. This was about the turn and really, that has been an obvious twist for weeks. That’s not a bad thing though, as Lee and Brookside were only an ok team in the first place. It also lets Grace escape with the title again, which should set up a big title change down the line. This didn’t feel like the biggest match but they went in the right direction with the result.

Here is Eric Young for a chat. He’s tired of being here but he’s heard that EC3 is here and wants him out here for an explanation of why he isn’t a nepo baby. Cue EC3 (first time in nine years) to clothesline Young outside and challenge him for Impact. Do they really want to bring up that era of the company’s history?

Slammiversary is coming to Boston.

We recap Mustafa Ali challenging Trey Miguel for the International Title. Ali wants the title and had his goons attack Miguel’s friend Jada Stone. Now Miguel is out to defend her honor and the title.

International Title: Trey Miguel vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali, with Order 4 and in something like robot gear, is challenging. They slug it out and run the ropes to start until Ali grabs a hurricanrana. Back up and Ali’s chops just tick Miguel off so he knocks Ali outside. That means a running step up flip dive, followed by a twisting Destroyer for two back inside. That’s enough to draw the Great Hands to the apron, with Miguel being sent into a cutter from Tasha Steelz.

Ali’s rolling cutter gets two but so does a small package from Miguel. They go outside and Ali loads up the steps, only to take too long and get caught with the running Meteora from the apron onto said steps. Back in and Miguel grabs a German suplex, only to get caught with a DDT. Miguel gives him a spinning DDT for two and a basement dropkick but Ali tries the rolling neckbreaker.

That’s countered with a Stomp for two so Miguel goes up top, only to get caught with a super Spanish Fly. Ali tries the 450 but dives into a cutter to send him outside. Miguel’s suicide tornado DDT sets up the top rope Meteora for two back inside but Steelz offers a distractions. The Great Hands use the helmets from their entrance to knock Miguel silly and the 450 makes Ali champion at 12:36.

Rating: B. Some of those dives were excellent as these two are able to turn up the dial with the best of them. It’s great to see Ali get some more gold, which is vastly overdue and hopefully moves him closer to the main event scene. Granted that feels like something that should have happened a long time ago, but at least it’s a step. I’m curious to see what happens to Miguel, who is far too talented to just get lost in the shuffle.

Lei Ying Lee is rather emotional over Xia Brookside’s betrayal.

It’s back to the Undead Realm for the Abyss/James Mitchell reunion. Rosemary leaves them alone but we cut to Tessa Blanchard wandering around. Back to Mitchell, who apologizes to Abyss for everything. Abyss thanks him for being there for all those years and we hear about some of the times they were unstoppable together. Mitchell talks about wanting to be a mad scientist when he grew up and thanks Abyss for making it possible. They love each other and Abyss disappears. To Be Continued.

We recap the Hardys vs. the System. Well not really as there isn’t much to recap but we do talk about it, as the System won a title shot and….now they have it!

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. The System

The banged up Hardys are challenging but elbow Myers down to start. Matt sends him face first into all three buckles, followed by the Side Effect for an early two. Myers rolls outside though and Bronson gets in a cheap shot to take over. Bronson drops an elbow back inside before sitting on Matt’s chest for two. Matt loses his shirt to reveal some taped up ribs, only to counter a spear into the Twist Of Fate.

The tag brings in Jeff to start the comeback but a Boss Man Slam cuts him down. That means Myers’ top rope elbow gets two as everything breaks down. Matt and Myers clothesline each other on the floor and Jeff actually wins a slugout with Bronson. Spinal Destination goes on and Matt is back in for the Plot Twist. The Twist Of Fate sets up the Swanton but Myers pulls Jeff’s bad arm onto the top rope. Matt is sent outside and a superkick/fire thunder driver combination finishes Jeff to give us new champions at 10:24.

Rating: B-. Another good enough match here as the Hardys FINALLY lose the titles. That’s been overdue for a long time but it’s nice to see a fresh team get the belts. At some point you need new blood in the division and this version of the System is new enough. If nothing else, Bronson has looked good in his brief time in TNA so it’s nice to see him getting a title like this.

Moose and Alisha Edwards argue about his loss.

TNA World Title: Eddie Edwards vs. Mike Santana

Edwards, challenging and with the System, is sang/screamed to the ring. The lockup doesn’t go anywhere to start and an exchange of armdrags goes nowhere. The Boston Knee Party misses so Santana hits an elbow to send Edwards outside. Back in and a running shoulder puts him on the floor again but Edwards comes back in with some chops. A clothesline and the tiger bomb give Edwards two and it’s time for both of them to go outside this time.

Santana is fine enough to grab a belly to back drop onto the apron, but Spin The Block hits the post. Edwards starts in on the bad arm, which is sent crashing into the post. An arm crank goes on but Santana is up for a clothesline, only to bang up the arm again. Another knockdown sets up a frog splash to give Santana two so they head out to the apron. Edwards grabs a fisherman’s buster to send Santana outside and it’s time to peel back the mats. Another tiger bomb is loaded up but Santana reverses into a Death Valley Driver. Edwards comes up holding the knee so they get back inside for an exchange of clotheslines

Cue Alisha Edwards on crutches….with Moose following. Moose points to the screen, where we see their argument from earlier, plus some bonus footage of Alisha revealing that she’s faking her injury and is still great with Eddie. Cue the rest of the System to go after Moose but Santana hits a big flip dive. The Boston Knee Party hits Santana for two so Moose gets in for a spear to Eddie for two more. Another Boston Knee Party connects but Santana snaps off Spin The Block to retain at 19:17.

Rating: B-. As much as I love Moose being smart enough to see the most obvious turn in the world coming, there was something missing to keep this match from getting great. That something isn’t exactly a surprise either, as there wasn’t much of a reason for them to be fighting. As usual, there’s something so weak about a guaranteed title match ala the Feast Or Fired stipulation and that was the case (Get it?) again here. It’s not a terrible or even bad match, but it didn’t have a ton of fire because there was no real personal issue between them. Good angle with the Moose stuff, but it didn’t get them over the hump.

Post match Santana nods in appreciation to Moose and celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this for the most part, but WOW that six woman tag was another kind of a disaster. The good thing is that’s the only real negative on the show, as most of the matches were more than strong enough. It didn’t have some big must see match, but it did feel like a big time event with multiple title changes. I’m happy enough with the show, as it’s a step up after the mess that was Sacrifice.

Results
Ryan Nemeth b. BDE – Jumping Downward Spiral
Leon Slater b. Cedric Alexander – Swanton 450
Frankie Kazarian b. Elijah – Low blow
Agent Zero b. Moose – Chokebomb
Elegance Brand b. ODB/Mickie James/Taryn Terrell – DDT to ODB
Nic Nemeth b. AJ Francis – Danger Zone
Arianna Grace b. Lei Ying Lee – Running knee to the back of the head
Mustafa Ali b. Trey Miguel – 450
The System b. Hardys – Superkick/fire thunder driver to Jeff
Mike Santana b. Eddie Edwards – Spin The Block

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 9, 2026
Location: Alario Center, Westwego, Louisiana
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the last show before Rebellion and since we’re on a pretty compact schedule, it’s time for the contract signing for the show’s World Title match. That would mean Mike Santana and Eddie Edwards, who can hopefully have a bit of a more emotional standoff than last week. Other than that, it’s the Hardys vs. the Righteous in a tables match so let’s get to it.

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

Here are Santino Marella and Daria Rae in the ring for the contract signing. Rae handles the introduction for Eddie Edwards and Mike Santana, much to Marella’s annoyance. Edwards isn’t impressed with Santana and talks about how they’ve had similar paths around here. They both started as tag wrestlers who were fighting for every scrap they could find. Both of them wound up becoming two time TNA World Champion but that’s the end of the similarities.

Edwards stayed while Santana left when things were going badly. He carried this company on his back while Santana found out that the grass isn’t always greener in the Inner Circle. Edwards signs and we get a SANTANA chant. Santana takes his glasses off so Edwards can look him in the eyes for this. It’s true that Edwards stayed while Santana left so he could test himself against the best in the world. Then he came back to prove what he can do around here.

Two years ago he took a sledgehammer and cracked the foundation, including Edwards. At Rebellion, Edwards is losing to a man who bets on himself every single night. Santana is doing this for the fans and signs, but Edwards says the fans won’t be there to help him at Rebellion. The fight is teased and Edwards brings up Santana’s family.

Santana says that Edwards lost part of his family when his wife teamed up with Moose. Cue Cedric Alexander for the brawl but Leon Slater runs in for the save. House is quickly cleaned and Slater hits his big flip dive over the post. Santana is trying so hard here but this doesn’t feel like a big time World Title match.

AJ Francis insults the Cleveland Browns on the way to Rebellion, which is in Cleveland. He doesn’t like Nic Nemeth either, as he’s from Cleveland (close enough), which is why he took something away from him. Now it’s time to take out Ryan Nemeth at Rebellion.

Dani Luna vs. Jada Stone

Tasha Steelz is on commentary. Luna works on the arm to start but gets taken down with a headscissors. Stone sends her outside for a big dive but Steelz offers a distraction. Luna apron bombs Stone and we take a break. We come back with Luna forearming her in the back of the head but missing a big boot.

That lets Stone hit a quick dropkick and a hurricanrana out of the corner takes Luna down again. A slingshot Fameasser sets up a split legged moonsault to give Stone two but Luna is back up with another hard shot. Stone backflips into an anklescissors, setting up a nasty looking corkscrew moonsault (landing on Luna’s head) for the pin at 10:47.

Rating: C+. That’s a good result as Luna is still one of the bigger forces in the Knockouts division. Stone is someone who could turn into something and TNA seems to be treating her as a project. The Knockouts division could use some fresh blood so putting Stone in that spot isn’t a bad idea at all.

Post match Steelz lays Stone out.

Elijah walks through a cemetery and talks about how you just walk. A boy comes up, saying he and his dad were big fans. He asks Elijah to come to his dad’s grave and pray with him. That’s fine with Elijah but it’s a ruse so Frankie Kazarian can jump Elijah from behind. Kazarian gives the kid $20, but it was supposed to be $100. Kazarian: “Yeah I lied. Life sucks. Get used to it.” He throws in a Bible verse about revenge and leaves Elijah laying to end one of the more bizarre segments I’ve seen from TNA in awhile.

Here is Taryn Terrell for a chat. She’s glad to be in her hometown but she never got to say goodbye because her career was wrapped up early. Over the last few weeks, she’s seen what the Elegance Brand has been saying to various legends, which brings out the Brand to interrupt. M mocks Terrell, who wants nothing to do with the Brand. We see ODB and Mickie James down in the back so Terrell is on her own, with the group beatdown ensuing. Mr. Elegance even gives her a slam and Nip & Tuck leaves her laying.

Santino Marella yells at Arianna grace and Stacks, the latter of whom tells him that there is no one to protect him. Marella punches Stacks, who runs into the women’s locker room. Indi Hartwell pops up to make sure it’s clear and Marella goes in for the off screen brawl. Hartwell and Marella come back out, with Hartwell having retrieved the Cobra. Which is still just a sock.

Frankie Kazarian vs. BDE

Ryan Nemeth is on commentary and says he’s been carrying Nic for his whole life. Kazarian takes him down to start and hits the springboard spinning legdrop. A slingshot backbreaker has BDE in more trouble but he manages a quick neckbreaker for two. The chickenwing is loaded up but BDE slips out and hits a running knee. BDE’s springboard is countered into a Backstabber and the chickenwing finishes for Kazarian at 3:43.

Rating: C. They only had so much time here and it’s not like a recent World Champion like Kazarian is going to lose to BDE without some major shenanigans. There was a possibility that Elijah could interfere to cost Kazarian the match but BDE’s first singles win should be a better moment than that. Not much to see here, but Kazarian getting a win is a smart enough idea.

Post match Nemeth goes after BDE but the lights go out. Elijah shows up to chase Kazarian off.

Elayna Black vs. Myla Grace

Harley Hudson is here with Grace, who takes Black into the corner to start. A takedown has Black in more trouble but she’s right back up with a stomp to the back. Grace suplexes her down for two and goes up, where Black catches her with a running knee. The Blackout finishes for Black at 3:23.

Rating: C. Black’s time in TNA has been…not the most thrilling. She’s not bad, but there is just nothing to her that makes her stand out. Granted it didn’t help when her debut was so nothing and she hasn’t gotten much of a chance to do anything. There’s something to her, but she needs something to make her stand out.

Daria Rae tells Santino Marella that he is suspended indefinitely for his actions earlier. Indi Hartwell comes in to say that’s not how it went and gets suspended for “assaulting” Rae (she barely grazed her) as well. Rae is just so nothing in this role.

Here is Ricky Sosa for a chat. He’s here to show the world what the Young Savage is like but here is Eric Young to call him a wannabe. Sosa isn’t impressed and wants to fight but gets hit in the face. The brawl is on and Young leaves him laying.

Tessa Blanchard is still in the Undead Realm with James Mitchell, who tells her to enjoy her stay and then laughs a lot.

Mara Sade is with Rosemary in a cave, where Rosemary tells her to be on her guard. That’s fine with Sade, but Allie pop up. Yes she died (and we see a clip of it) but she’s kind of sick of being dead. Rosemary talks to the two of them and says they need to change a bit. They’re off to find new clothes and we cut to Victoria Crawford looking rather lost in the Undead Realm.

We cut back to Rosemary, who sees a bunch of ads from Shudder for some horror movies. Then Havok kidnaps Mila Moore and we cut to Mitchell singing My Way. Rosemary praises him but he thinks she’s up to something. Like a deep dive into the seven deadly sins. She needs some help from Mitchell….and they go to find Abyss. To Be Continued. This stuff is certainly unique, but my goodness how many years do you need to have been watching TNA to know what’s going on?

Here is Order 4, with Mustafa Ali calling out Trey Miguel. Cue Miguel, with Ali apologizing for what happened to Jada Stone. Ali mocks Miguel’s criminal history and says that he’s not a champion because he’s too good for TNA. Miguel says Ali isn’t a champion because he’s a scumbag or a coward.

Yes Miguel needed a second chance but maybe that’s why the fans accepted him. Ali is just so perfect but TNA treats him like family. That has Ali laughing, because Order 4 is the only family here since there are no Rascalz. Miguel mocks Order 4 and says Ali has nothing, including testicles. Ali is ready to fight one on one but Order 4 jumps Miguel. The beatdown is on so here is Moose for the save, including a big spear to Ali.

Rebellion rundown.

Tag Team Titles: Righteous vs. Hardys

The Hardys are defending in a tables match (both members have to go through tables). It’s a brawl on the floor to start with the Hardys taking over and setting up a table at ringside. Vincent gets caught in the ropes for a legdrop from Jeff before Dutch is sent into the steps. Matt’s top rope elbow misses Vincent and Matt crashes through the table (doesn’t count), leaving Jeff to get stomped down in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Dutch in trouble on the floor. Jeff whips out a broom to hit Vincent and it’s time to climb a ladder. Vincent breaks that up and DDTs Jeff on the floor before breaking up the ladder with a chair. Dutch is back up and puts Jeff on a table and goes up, only for Matt to cut him off. Matt knocks Dutch through a table but Vincent does the same to Matt to tie it up. Back in and Vincent misses a Swanton so Jeff does the same thing. The Twist Of Fate drops Vincent on the floor, setting up Jeff’s Swanton through the table to retain at 13:40.

Rating: B-. This was the expected violent brawl, though I did like that they avoided the other weapons for the most part. Vincent breaking the ladder was a bit of a sigh of relief as there was no need to go there. In theory this is it for the Hardys vs. the Righteous and if so, it’s quite the weak ending to a pretty long story.

Post match Dutch drives the Hardys through the table in the corner to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. All in all, this was not the strongest show and certainly not a great way to get me to want to watch Rebellion. Other than the good opening segment, a lot of this felt like it was just thrown out there to fill in time. Some of the midcard stuff got attention, but then there’s the big deal with the Undead Realm and all of the battling bosses stuff. It’s not a horrible show, but this was a pretty big misfire right before one of their biggest nights of the year.

Results
Jada Stone b. Dani Luna – Corkscrew
Frankie Kazarian b. BDE – Chickenwing
Elayna Black b. Myla Grace – Blackout
Hardys b. Righteous – Swanton to Vincent through a table

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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NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #24
Date: December 4, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West

We’re in the Russo/Jarrett era of the show and believe it or not, things went way downhill in a hurry last week. Russo’s mere presence drags the show down and it felt like a lot of the other stuff was treated far less importantly. It would be nice to see that change this week, but odds are it’s going to be more about Russo than anything else. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Vince Russo wanting an answer from Jeff Jarrett to end last week’s show. After the show ended, Ron Killings and Russo got in a fight and naturally Russo was able to hold his own with him.

Opening sequence.

Here is Roddy Piper to get things going, accompanied by someone in a Piper shirt. Piper wants to talk about Vince Russo (oh geez), who wanted to be a wrestler but couldn’t so he turned it into sports entertainment. He holds up some photos from his book (which is quite the read in a not so great way) and calls Russo the Bin Laden of wrestling. Piper warns us of what is going to happen if Russo is allowed to have his way and calls Russo out to meet him.

Russo runs in through the crowd and Piper gets in his face to talk about him killing WCW. He wants to know what Russo wants to accomplish and talks about how Piper has killed everything in wrestling. Cue the Harris Twins to hold Russo back as Piper mocks him. Piper’s music cuts him off. Oh and he raises the hand of the man who came with him, with Piper saying he hopes that people like this man listen to him. This was one of those things that felt like the company thought it would be awesome but…Russo.

We run down the card.

SATs vs. Divine Storm

Trinity is here with Divine Storm. Jose can’t break Storm’s bridge to start so they trade springboard armdrags. They go to a standoff so it’s off to Joel to send Divine outside. Everything breaks down and Divine Storm hit a running dive to the floor each. Trinity adds a huge moonsault of her own but the SATs are right back with a Boston crab/camel clutch combo to both of them at the same time.

A reverse rocking horse into a slingshot Fameasser gets two on Divine, who comes back with what looked like a low blow. Everything breaks down again and Divine hits what would become known as the One Winged Angel with Jose making the save. The super Spanish Fly is loaded up but Trinity gets in a low blow, allowing Storm to roll Jose up for the pin at 7:33.

Rating: C+. It was another fine tag match between two decent teams, but at the same time it wasn’t exactly a match that felt important. Maybe Divine Storm is being built up to go after the Tag Team Titles, but they’re not exactly stealing the show thus far. It could be worse, but it could also be a lot more interesting.

Here is Chris Harris for a match but hang on because here is Vince Russo to interrupt. He says he’s here to help Harris before moving on to Roddy Piper. He’s not going to talk about Piper and get sued, but if Piper wants to use Owen Hart’s name to sell a book, he’s going straight to H***. The way Russo sees it, the NWA doesn’t care about the fans but rather about a bunch of old people who won’t admit that it’s over. These people want violence, smut and language. They want sex: SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT XTREME baby!

Russo keeps seeing signs for Athena so here she is. Naturally he won’t let her speak, instead telling her to take her clothes off. She’s not interested so he calls her a b****, earning a slap to his face. Russo grabs her by the hair and screams at her until security comes in.

Athena goes after Russo anyway, with Russo threatening her as the Harris Twins hold them apart. Russo gets on the Twins for becoming bodyguards and Ron (I guess) says he’s not doing this anymore because Russo is here. Russo tells them to take out the trash so it’s an H Bomb to Athena. They do it again and then beat up the other security for trying to help. This has been a Russo segment involving a woman and that shouldn’t be a surprise whatsoever.

In the back Bob Armstrong yells at the Harris Twins…and gives them a match tonight. And Russo is a snake whose head needs to be crushed.

AMW yells at Mike Tenay, who tells them to go to the ring.

Chris Harris vs. Brian Lee

The usual associates are here too. The brawl starts on the floor with Lee knocking him over the barricade but Harris is back with a tackle onto the announcers’ table. A suplex brings Lee inside for the first time but a low blow slows Harris down. Lee slugs away and his associates get in their cheap shots from the floor. The chinlock doesn’t last long but Lee is back up with a knee to the ribs. That’s cut off with a running bulldog so here is Belladonna for a distraction. Said distraction lets Lee get in a big boot for two so Mitchell throws in a foreign object. That lets Harris hit a quick spear for the sudden pin at 5:14.

Rating: C. Nothing to see here, partially because it was a fairly bland match coming after the big promo from Russo. That’s another big issue with Russo, as he gets to take over everything going on with the show and the wrestling has to take a huge backseat. This is a match that is part of a hot feud, but instead it’s playing second fiddle to Russo establishing himself. Lucky us.

Ron Killings is told that if he teams up with Jeff Jarrett against the Harris Brothers, he gets a title shot. So who was Armstrong going to put them against if Killings said no?

James Storm vs. Slash

Slash jumps him to start but Storm gets in a quick slam. Back up and Slash kicks him in the face, followed by a suplex for two. The slow beating ensues until Storm manages to get in a quick superkick for the needed breather. A Russian legsweep gives Storm two but Belladonna offers a distraction, allowing Slash to throw powder in his face.

Slash’s neckbreaker gets two, as does Slash rolling through a middle rope high crossbody. A chair is thrown in and the referee is distracted for the reverse tornado DDT onto said chair for…two. Oh yeah Russo is in charge again. Chris Harris has to spear Brian Lee from invading but the distraction lets Slash get in a belt shot for two more. For some reason Mitchell gets up on the apron, allowing AMW to hit a Death Sentence to give Storm the pin at 6:15.

Rating: D. The main event of Wrestlemania isn’t this overbooked most of the time. Instead, it’s a six minute match and the second instance of two members of the teams facing off. I’m sure this is just a tiny step in their feud, but why not throw everything you can out there for this otherwise nothing match?

Apparently this win gets AMW a threw way bullrope match with James Mitchell tonight. Well of course it does.

Jerry Lynn hypes up a charity event.

Bob Armstrong gives Ron Killings and Jeff Jarrett a pep talk before the main event.

Kid Kash vs. AJ Styles vs. Amazing Red vs. Kid Kash

This is a double elimination (as in you have to take two falls) match for an X-Division Title shot. Hold on though (of course) as Styles jumps Red and gives him a Styles Clash on the stage. Cue Joel Maximo to take Red’s place, because of course. Red is literally picked up and carried out (no stretcher) and Maximo and Kash trade waistlocks to start. Maximo is sent outside for a nice slingshot hurricanrana so Styles takes Kash down with a cheap shot. That doesn’t seem to matter as Kash gives Maximo a gutbuster, only for Maximo to grab a German suplex for the first fall on Kash at 2:39.

Styles is in to jump Maximo but can’t give him the Clash, instead getting rolled up for two more. The middle rope moonsault into the reverse DDT gives Styles another near fall and something like White Noise gives Styles the pin on Maximo at 5:18. Money is back in to powerbomb Styles for two but the Buckshot Lariat is cut off by a dropkick. The Styles Clash is reversed into a belly to back piledriver to give Money two, followed by the Crash Landing to pin Styles at 7:20.

Kash comes back in and gets monkey flipped but grabs a spinning DDT on Money. A fisherman’s buster gives Kash two and Money’s full nelson slam gets the same. They go up and Money’s superbomb is countered into a super hurricanrana for two, meaning it’s time to argue with the referee. Styles gets in a cheap shot from behind on Kash, allowing Money to roll him up for the elimination at 10:25.

Styles is back in with the Clash to pin Money at 10:48, leaving all three of them with a loss each. Maximo comes in to hammer on Styles, who cuts him off with a fast dropkick. Styles’ brainbuster gets two on Maximo and we hit a Muta Lock, which Styles turns over to stretch Maximo even more. With that broken up (despite looking rather cool), Maximo avoids a charge into the corner and gets a quick two of his own.

Styles sends him outside though and Mortimer Plumtree gets in a few stomps, as a good manager should. The slingshot Swanton gives Styles two back inside, as does Maximo’s sitout powerbomb. Maximo grabs a figure four necklock as we see Money watching on, which actually makes sense for a change. Styles gets out and hits a sitout Dominator for two more as this is starting to drag.

Back up and Maximo grabs a quick rollup to pin Styles out of nowhere at 19:00. So we’re down to Maximo vs. Money, with Money coming back in for a superkick. The frog splash gives Money two as Styles and Plumtree yells at the referee. That means Maximo’s moonsault doesn’t get a count, allowing Money to get in a quick piledriver to pin Maximo for the win at 21:32.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to make of this one, as it was a pretty random lineup, with Red being taken out to take it down a few notches, though the action was fine. The problem is it did go longer than it needed to, which took away a lot of the fun. Money winning is fine and I do like the idea of bringing back the double elimination match, though this was a weird spot for it.

Some of the production team talks about the charity stuff on their website.

Sonny Siaki wants the X-Division Title.

Jerry Lynn is injured so his title defense against Siaki is postponed until next week. As this is going on, the Harris Twins come in the ring and go after Bill Behrens, even loading up the table. Lynn runs in for the save and gets sent through Behrens, through the table. Ron Killings comes in for the real save with a chair but the Twins beat him into the crowd. The Twins throw him off a balcony and through a table.

Bob Armstrong wants BG James to do…something tonight. Are we supposed to know they’re father and son?

America’s Most Wanted vs. James Mitchell

This is a three way bullrope match but Mitchell comes out to say his personal physician (Dr. Kevorkian) says his test results aren’t great, so he can’t do this tonight. Instead, here’s Belladonna to do it instead.

America’s Most Wanted vs. Belladonna

AMW shoves her down rather than tie up with the rope and go after Mitchell, only for the Disciples Of The New Church to run out for the brawl. The Disciples lay AMW out and now the referee is willing to attach the rope to their wrists, allowing Mitchell to come in and choke a lot. Belladonna comes in and ties herself by the wrist, allowing Harris to pull her off the middle rope. A TKO lays Belladonna out and the Death Sentence finishes her off. This was a match? Sure why not.

Don West does the preview for next week.

Curt Hennig has a sitdown interview where he talks about Vince Russo. Hennig isn’t a fan of someone putting himself on camera like that, but he’s also ready to win the World Title next week.

Harris Twins vs. Jeff Jarrett/BG James

AND NEVER MIND BECAUSE JAMES WAS ATTACKED BACKSTAGE. The Twins jump Jarrett and knock him over the barricade, where a chair is pelted at his head. Jarrett slips out of the H Bomb, gets knocked down, slips out of it again, and hits a double clothesline. Cue Ron Killings, barely able to walk and carrying a chair, as Jarrett cleans house with a chair and hits a Stroke to pin Don at 5:14.

Rating: D+. It was here that I realized Jarrett is now a good guy. Why this is seen to be a good idea is beyond me but he was doing things here that regular tag teams couldn’t do. Either way, the idea of having more from the Harris Twins is not a good thing, though that’s one of roughly 18,274 issues with this show. This was the usual angle disguised as a match, which is even more Russo standard operating procedure.

Post match Killings says he wants Vince Russo out here so the Twins beat him down again. Russo jumps the barricade as Killings gets H Bombed a few times. BG James runs in with a chair for the save…and then lays out Killings before hugging Russo. In case that isn’t enough, Paul Bearer pops up on stage to end the show.

Overall Rating: D-. Oh yeah we’re in big trouble here people, and it isn’t likely to get any better. The problem here is that it feels like a total Russo show, with all kinds of stuff going on and one twist after another. While that might make for an interesting sign, you can only get so much out of that when the people turning so much takes away what interest they might have. At the same time, we’re looking at a main event scene involving Jeff Jarrett, the Road Dogg and the Harris Twins.

That’s in addition to everyone suddenly talking about Russo (sidenote: Is Russo a TNA employee or is he just someone who is showing up? You might want to clarify that.), who is apparently the most interesting person in the world. This promotion has gone from getting ok to absolutely awful, with the Russo focus being the reason. I’m sure Russo would see that as proof that he’s doing his job but….yeah not quite. It doesn’t work when the show stops being fun and becomes a chore to watch, which is the case anytime Russo is prominently featured. Awful show here, and egads Russo is atrocious.

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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NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #23
Date: November 27, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West

And we’re in the Vince Russo Era. Yeah I’m as thrilled about it as you are, but there’s no particular way around it. Last week, Mr. Wrestling III helped Jeff Jarrett finally win the NWA World Title before revealing himself as Russo. I’m sure this won’t be a total disaster no matter what. Let’s get to it.

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

Goldilocks sings God Bless America in honor of Thanksgiving.

Opening sequence.

Divine Storm vs. Briscoe Brothers

Trinity is here with Divine Storm. Jay gets taken down by Storm to start and can’t quite get anywhere off a waistlock. Mark and Divine come in for an exchange of armdrags until Mark hits a dropkick. A northern lights suplex gets two and it’s back to Jay as Mark is sent outside. Everything breaks down and the Briscoes hit stereo running flip dives and Jay takes Storm back inside for a gordbuster.

Mark is back with a springboard missile dropkick but walks into something like a Blue Thunder Bomb. That’s shrugged off and Storm gets double teamed in the corner, with Storm having to make a save. Mark is sent outside and take down with an Asai moonsault, leaving Jay to grab a sitout brainbuster. Storm is back in with a half nelson driver to finish Jay at 6:07.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t a long match but this was a good choice to get two teams out there and fire up the crowd a bit. If nothing else, the company needs some challengers to come after the Tag Team Titles so building up Divine Storm for a quick shot isn’t a bad idea. The Briscoes were VERY young here but they had a look and the talent to make up for some of the age issues.

A rather sweaty Mike Tenay cuts a promo on how much he can’t stand Vince Russo and what Russo is all about.

We run down the card.

We look back at last week’s World Title change, with Mr. Wrestling III helping Jeff Jarrett take the title from Ron Killings before revealing himself as Vince Russo.

Here is Jarrett for a chat…in theory at least as Russo comes out before Jarrett does. Russo tells Mike Tenay to leave if he hates him so much and go pout with Sean Waltman. The reality is wrestling needs Russo to save it (oh here we go) and he’s here to talk about Jarrett. They met when Jarrett was doing a gimmick where he was spelling his name, but Jarrett was one of the few genuine people in wrestling.

Then one night, Jarrett walked out on the company and left Russo to take the heat while Jarrett jumped on the NWO bandwagon. Then when the WWF took over, Jarrett came back to the WWF and Russo left, while Jarrett lost to a WOMAN named Chyna. Jarrett had to get out of there and needed Russo’s help (uh, right). Eventually Russo got out of wrestling and Jarrett asked him to join this new company, with Russo giving the name (and it was supposed to stand for….well what everyone thinks TNA stands for).

The reality is Jarrett was led around by the nose by some old man he won’t name while Russo got to sit at home. Now though, he thinks that both the WWE and this place suck and he’s here to save the day once again. Jarrett has one chance to join Russo because the change is coming next week. Russo will be here tonight to help Jarrett win again and he wants Jarrett’s answer tonight. Oh boy this show just got a lot worse and I’m sure in Russo’s mind that’s a huge plus or something, because he thinks people being sick of him in five minutes is great.

Mortimer Plumtree complains about other managers not offering enough to bring in AJ Styles.

We recap Goldilocks and April leaving together last week, with Brian Lawler being all upset. Again.

America’s Most Wanted vs. Hot Shots

Stevens offers an early distraction so Storm can be sent into the corner. The double teaming puts him down, with O’Reilly getting in some choking on the mat. That’s broken up in a hurry and it’s off to Harris for the hard knockdown. A low bridge sends Harris outside though and the Hot Shots get to take over in the corner. The old Rockers double flip over into a double right hand to knock Storm off the apron.

Stevens’ Lionsault hits raised knees though and Storm comes in off the hot tag. Everything breaks down and Storm hits the reverse tornado DDT. Harris hits the swinging Rock Bottom on O’Reilly and here are James Mitchell and Bella Donna to watch. The Death Sentence connects for AMW but they go after Mitchell and Donna for the countout at 5:19.

Rating: C+. I’m still not seeing much of the appeal of the Hot Shots, though the division desperately needs some new blood. AMW is turning into a heck of a team and starting to establish themselves as the aces of the division. They’ll need to face someone else besides the Disciples, so why not see what the Hot Shots can do?

Post match AMW loads up the Death Sentence on Donna but the Disciples Of The New Church run in for the save. Security breaks it up.

Dory Funk Jr. (who apparently wrestled in a dark match) says he will be watching Jeff Jarrett’s match as he has a vested interest.

Tag Team Titles: BG James/Curt Hennig vs. Disciples Of The New Church

The Disciples are defending and do a full entrance despite being in the arena about a minute and a half ago. James Mitchell (along with Bella Donna) is here with the Disciples and says he has an interest…..IN EVIL! Hennig atomic drops Slash into the corner to start and it’s quickly off to James.

That means the champs get to choke on the ropes but James is right back with a clothesline to the floor. The shaky knee gets two on Lee and it’s off to Hennig to work on the knee. Most of a Figure Four has Lee in trouble and it’s back to James to stay on the leg. What looks like a low blow gives Lee a needed breather though and it’s back to Slash.

The cobra clutch has James in more trouble but he fights up, only to get caught in a sleeper. That’s broken up and it’s back to Hennig to clean house, including the HennigPlex to Slash. That’s broken up by Lee as everything breaks down. And never mind as AMW runs in to jump the Disciples for the DQ at 10:35.

Rating: D+. Sweet goodness James is hard to watch. He doesn’t do much anything other than punch and feels like he’s just there for the sake of star power. The problem is he has almost nothing to back it up in the ring and this was another good example. The match was nothing worth seeing, with Hennig not being able to do much out there with this assorted cast of characters.

Post match AMW and the Disciples brawl to the back while Hennig and James aren’t pleased.

Don West and Mike Tenay are happy about the company’s official website launching and some charity stuff. Nothing wrong with that.

EZ Money vs. Alex Winters

They go with the grappling to start and Money can’t get anywhere with the arm. Instead he hits a Buckshot Lariat and avoids a slingshot dive, setting up a rocking horse of all things. Back up and Winters tries to jump over Money in the corner but seems to get kicked low. The Crash Landing finishes for Money at 3:19.

Rating: C-. I liked Money when he was Jason Jett at the end of WCW but that wasn’t coming through here. Instead this was a dull, slow match with Money doing a lame squash. Nothing to see here and I wouldn’t be surprised if Money was…well given how this promotion works, he’ll probably get a push instead of leaving as a result.

Bruce insists that his name is Alan Funk and he and April are just friends. Maybe she can be Miss TNA from now on. If that stupid Bruce stuff is done, I’m much happier with this show.

Sonny Siaki vs. Crimson Dragon

Siaki starts in on the arm before they run the ropes for a crisscross. Dragon’s springboard armdrag doesn’t do much and they stare at each other a bit. Dragon sends him to the corner for a kick to the head, followed by a diving clothesline on the floor. Back in and Siaki just throws him over the top for a nasty crash. They get inside again with Siaki hitting a slingshot atomic drop but Dragon kicks him in the face for two more. Dragon gets crotched on top though, allowing Siaki to hit a big overhead belly to belly superplex. The swinging neckbreaker finishes the Dragon at 5:14.

Rating: C. That’s really not a good choice for back to back matches as while this was slightly better, it was just a tiny step above Money’s squash. Siaki has been a borderline main eventer for awhile but here he is winning a nothing squash. I could go for him being in a higher spot than this, but that might just be for the sake of avoiding another dull match.

Post match Siaki says he wants better competition.

April is distraught over Brian Lawler freaking out over her being in the shower with Bruce last week. Everyone knows Bruce is gay but Goldilocks says no one is buying this. April thinks Goldilocks is jealous and Goldilocks walks off, saying she doesn’t have time for this.

Here is Brian Lawler, looking downright mopey, to talk about how he has given his heart to a woman he thought loved him. Then it turns out that she’s doing whatever with Sean Waltman, she’s in the shower with Bruce and now apparently she’s having an affair with Goldilocks. He hasn’t been able to sleep and he has migraines so as of right now, he’s quitting wrestling. Thank goodness, as Lawler is regularly one of the worst things on this show.

Commentary talks about what happened and we cut to Lawler, who is leaving with Priscilla and grabbing her in a rather personal place.

Video on AJ Styles.

Video on Jerry Lynn.

X-Division Title: AJ Styles vs. Jerry Lynn

Styles, with Mortimer Plumtree, is challenging and yes, they’re actually doing this match again. Lynn isn’t happy with the early trash talk and slugs him down, followed by a basement dropkick to the back for an early two. Styles is tossed over the top for the big crash to the floor, followed by the baseball slide.

That’s shrugged off and Styles peels back the mats for a DDT onto the exposed concrete. Back in and Lynn is busted open so Styles hammers at the cut, with Plumtree even getting in a shot of his own. Lynn is able to crotch him on top though and a kick to the face sends Styles outside again. Plumtree’s distraction doesn’t work as the charging Styles hits barricade and it’s a jumping back elbow to give Lynn two.

Styles is able to send him outside though, with Lynn getting in a foreign object shot. Back in and a reverse tornado DDT gives Styles two but Lynn is back with a running Liger Bomb for the same. Styles’ belly to back faceplant gets two more and they go up, with Lynn managing a super gordbuster. With nothing else working, Plumtree tries a foreign object but Lynn takes it away and knocks Styles silly to retain at 12:36.

Rating: B. While it’s a match that can never go wrong, it’s also a match I don’t need to see again for a good while. The nice thing here is they did something a bit different by having Lynn go after Plumtree and using the weapon to even things up somewhat. Easily the best match on the show thus far, but they really need to find someone else to go after this title.

BG James and Curt Hennig are willing to put up $5000….on golf?

Don West hypes up next week’s show.

Earlier today, Dory Funk Jr. sat down with Mike Tenay and talked about his NWA World Title reign and various opponents. He also hyped up the World Title match tonight and hopes people will be talking about it twenty years from now. Not likely, but a nice sentiment.

NWA World Title: Ron Killings vs. Jeff Jarrett

Killings is challenging and raps himself to the ring. We get the Big Match Intros before Jarrett gets rolled up for a fast two. Jarrett gets his boots up to cut off a charge in the corner and a middle rope sunset flip gets two. They trade rollups for two each and it’s an early standoff. That doesn’t work for Killings, who hits him in the mouth, so Jarrett takes him down by the leg.

The Figure Four is quickly broken up and Jarrett is sent outside, with Killings hitting a quick dive. A frog splash gives Killings two and we hit the sleeper to put Jarrett down for a bit. Back up and Jarrett’s dropkick is countered into a sitout powerbomb. Killings goes up and gets superplexed back down, followed by an enziguri which doesn’t look to come anywhere near connecting.

Jarrett kicks him low and of course denies it before loading up a chair in the corner. Killings sends him into said chair for two, only to miss one heck of a moonsault. With nothing else working, Jarrett pulls off a turnbuckle pad before sending Killings…outside and over the barricade (helpfully labeled the HEEL SECTION). They brawl around the arena and climb a lighting structure, which they fall off for the crash through a table. That’s enough for the double countout at 11:08.

Well hang on as here is Bob Armstrong to say there will be a winner so we keep going. They get inside and slug it out, with Jarrett being hot shotted onto the exposed buckle. Jarrett gets up again and the referee is bumped (of course) so cue Russo. The guitar is handed in but Jarrett smashes it on the post instead. Three straight Strokes retain the title at 14:18.

Rating: C. And yeah there it is. As usual, this is more about Russo than anyone else and it drags everything down. Russo being out there with Jarrett, either together or on opposing sides, feels like flashbacks to the dying days of WCW and that’s not a good thing. The match was decent enough as you had two talented wrestlers in there, but then it all goes to Russo again, which is likely going to be the start of a recurring trend.

Post match Russo says Jarrett has one chance to be with him or against him. Jarrett goes back inside and yells at Russo to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. You can see things going in a bad direction from here and that’s not an encouraging sign. Aside from the usually good Styles vs. Lynn match and maybe AMW vs. the Hot Shots, this was a show built around people who aren’t interesting and who are likely going to get a lot more screen time. Having to watch Russo, Lawler and to a lesser extent Jarrett get this much focus isn’t a good sign. It doesn’t help that a lot of the rest of the show felt like mostly meaningless filler. Not a good show, and unfortunately it’s probably indicative of where we’re heading.

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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NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #22
Date: November 20, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West

It’s a big time main event this week as Jeff Jarrett FINALLY gets his NWA World Title shot, which he’s wanted since he was a boy. Or maybe it just feels like that’s how long he’s been talking about the stupid thing. Other than that, the new Tag Team Champions re defending their titles, which should be dominance. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Commentary runs down the card.

Earlier today we got a sitdown interview with World Champion Ron Killings. He’s not thinking about Mr. Wrestling III and talks about being focused on the World Title because that is his passion. Tonight it’s about who is going to pay the ultimate price.

EZ Money/Sonny Siaki vs. Divine Storm

Storm is Chris Divine/Quiet Storm with Trinity. It’s a brawl to start with Money hitting a top rope clothesline to the floor, taking out Siaki and Storm in the process. Trinity moonsaults out onto Siaki and Storm and we settle down to Divine rolling Siaki up for two. Siaki suplexes him down for two before Money and Siaki plant Storm with a double slam.

A Spin Cycle sends Storm outside, where Siaki is right there with a kind of suplex. Trinity takes Siaki down with a hurricanrana but Money is right there to drop her with a clothesline. Back in and Storm cutters Money off the middle rope, allowing Divine to get the tag. That’s fine with Siaki, who gives him the fisherman’s neckbreaker for the fast pin at 5:50.

Rating: C+. This is following the standard classic idea of having a fast paced match to start the show. It works every time and it worked again here, with Money and Siaki doing well enough as a team. It’s not like they have anything going on, but there are far worse ideas for a show opening match.

Here are James Mitchell and Belladonna for a chat. Mitchell knows the wrestling world is watching the World Title match and now he wants the World Title too. Whoever wins tonight will face the New Church. Likely in the form of this man.

Malice vs. Kory Williams

Malice jumps him to start and they go outside with Williams being sent into the barricade. Back in and Malice…kind of hits a top rope shoulder, followed by a chokeslam for the pin at 1:57.

Spanish Announce Team vs. Harris Twins

For a future Tag Team Title shot.  The SATs start fast and jump the Twins during their entrances as we hear about some of the Twins’ previous gimmicks. Jose misses a dive though and the Twins take over, as they are so known to do. Ron spinebusters Jose but Joel is back in to take Ron down. The moonsault/guillotine legdrop combination gets two but Don is in to clean house. The big dive over the top takes the SATs out and the H Bomb finishes for Ron at 6:08.

Rating: D. You knew the Twins were going to get the title shot as soon as they were announced as being in the field as that’s just what they do. The team is presented as the most important, dominant thing in the division no matter who they’re facing and they squashed a perfectly fine team here. What luck that now we get to see them again.

April insists that she was NOT in the shower with Bruce last week. Cue Bruce, who insists that he’s gay so it wasn’t him. Lenny comes in to say Bruce is a fake gay guy so give him the Miss TNA crown. Cue Brian Lawler to jump Bruce, ending one of the dumbest segments I’ve ever seen.

BG James vs. Lenny

James says this won’t be a gay bashing, but just him beating Lenny up. Lenny shoulders him down to start but gets caught with a clothesline. The dancing punches are broken up and Lenny hits a standing moonsault from the top. Cue Bruce to beat Lenny up but Brian Lawler runs in to take Bruce out. James drops a knee on Lenny for the pin at 2:57, because none of that was a DQ. Well of course it wasn’t.

Post match Goldilocks comes out, kisses April on the cheek, and they leave while holding hands as Lawler is rather upset.

AJ Styles vs. Crimson Dragon vs. Jorge Estrada

For a future X-Division Title shot, Mortimer Plumtree is here with Styles and Priscilla is here with Estrada. They trade armdrags and hiptosses to start and a series of standing switches. Dragon superkicks Styles but Estrada powerbombs Dragon out of the corner. Back up and Dragon suplexes Styles into a Stunner before piledriving Estrada for two.

Styles is back with a brainbuster for two on Dragon with Estrada making the save. Dragon gets knocked into the corner so Styles kicks Estrada down for two. Dragon is able to kick Styles out of the air but Estrada takes Dragon outside for a whip into the barricade. Styles is whipped in for two as well but Dragon is back in with a double guillotine legdrop for two each.

Estrada rolls Dragon up and suplexes Styles for a double near fall, only to get crotched on top. Styles breaks up a near fall on Estrada but Dragon crotches him on top for a change. This time though the super hurricanrana is countered into a Styles Clash onto Estrada to give Styles the pin on Dragon at 11:02.

Rating: B-. Much like the opener, this worked just fine as Estrada and Styles were more than good enough to carry their part of the match. On the other hand you have Dragon (former ECW star Chris Hamrick underneath a mask) doing well enough as a warm body. Sometimes you need someone there to take the fall and that’s about the only reason to put him in there, which worked well enough.

America’s Most Wanted wants to beat up James Mitchell and get the Tag Team Titles back. James Storm also says “sorry about your d*** luck.”

Video on the Disciples Of The New Church winning the Tag Team Titles last week.

Tag Team Titles: Disciples Of The New Church vs. America’s Most Wanted

The Disciples are defending and it’s a big brawl on the floor to start again. AMW double teams Slash on the barricade and Lee is suplexed into the ring. Lee drops Harris to take over and it’s off to Slash for the right hands in the corner. We settle down to the champs taking turns beating up Harris, with Lee’s big boot connecting for two.

Harris finally fights out and gets in a middle rope clothesline, allowing the tag off to Storm. A reverse tornado DDT gives Storm two as everything breaks down again. Something close to a Tower Of Doom out of the corner leaves everyone down but Storm is up with a chair. A shot to Lee’s ribs sets up a spear from Harris for a rather close two so Lee grabs the spike. That’s taken away though and Storm uses it on Lee for the DQ at 10:46.

Rating: C. Yes after all of that brawling, there was actually a DQ. Not in the other matches around here, but in this one, because it’s what the script called for here. We’re probably setting up for a big violent blowoff match between these teams and I’ve heard worse ideas, as it’s an actual feud with stakes.

Post match Storm beats up Belladonna and Harris lays out a referee. Well we better get a violent rematch now. Security runs in to save James Mitchell so he can escape.

Video on the Amazing Red.

We get a sitdown interview with Red, who looks to be about 16 years old and is rather nervous. He wants to be the champion and will give it all he has. The idea here is that he’s quiet on the mic but loud in the ring and…I guess that makes sense.

Jerry Lynn is excited to face Amazing Red because he sees a lot of himself in him.

X-Division Title: Amazing Red vs. Jerry Lynn

Lynn is defending. They start slowly with both of them getting a quick take down to no avail. Lynn monkey flips him but Red sticks the landing on a hiptoss. A German suplex doesn’t work for Lynn either and Red snaps off a hurricanrana. Lynn finally catches him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and a surfboard works on Red’s back.

Back up and Red sends him to the floor but the flip dive off the apron is caught, allowing Lynn to ram Red’s ribs into the apron. Lynn ties up an arm and a leg for some cranking but Red gets up for a tornado DDT. That’s enough to send Lynn outside and the running flip dive takes him down again.

A 619 connects on Lynn and Red catches him with a kick to the head. Lynn manages a powerbomb out of the corner and then flips him over into another powerbomb for two more. Red is back up with something like a middle rope swinging Downward Spiral for two of his own and some frustration is setting in. A hurricanrana out of the corner gives Red another near fall but Lynn catches him on top with a super cradle piledriver to retain at 10:03.

Rating: B. Believe it or not, the X-Division guys continue to carry the show, with this being a nice story of the veteran Lynn being a bit overwhelmed by the young star. Red more than held his own out there and it was more a matter of him getting caught than getting beaten. That’s a good way to go (it worked two and a half years later for Shawn Michaels and Shelton Benjamin) and this was one of the better things I’ve seen from TNA in a minute.

Don West hypes up next week’s show.

Video on Ron Killings, who has been kind of forgotten in the last few weeks.

Video on Jeff Jarrett, who wants to be an all time great NWA World Champion.

NWA World Title: Ron Killings vs. Jeff Jarrett

Killings is defending. They go with the basics to start, with Killings grabbing a headlock and then a shoulder block, followed by some dancing. A dropkick puts Jarrett down and he’s not sure what to think here. The spinning forearm sends Jarrett outside and he yells at referee Scott Armstrong before making a fired up comeback. Some right hands and a dropkick have Killings in trouble but he hammers away and hits a Downward Spiral.

Killings powerslams him and hits the ax kick for two, followed by a Figure Four. Jarrett eventually manages to turn it over and everything is broken. They knock each other down before Jarrett is up with a powerbomb for two. The referee takes a thumb to the eye so Killings grabs a chair, which Jarrett uses for two more. Killings hits a sitout gordbuster for two but gets knocked off the top for a crash.

The Stroke gives Jarrett two so they head outside, where Killings gets in a posting. They fight into the crowd where Jarrett hits him with a chair, which Killings shrugs off. A splash off a balcony puts Jarrett through a table and he’s busted open. They go back to the ring, where the referee is of course bumped. The slugout leaves both of them down and Mr. Wrestling III comes in to guitar….Killings to give Jarrett the pin and the title at 17:38.

Rating: C+. The match was ok enough and felt like a big match, but egads why am I supposed to care about Jarrett winning the title? It’s treated like this huge important moment and…it’s still just Jarrett as World Champion, which wasn’t interesting in WCW and isn’t interesting here. Throw in the match being about as cookie cutter of a main event style match as you can get and there was a limited appeal here.

Post match Mr. Wrestling III is….Vince Russo. Well of course it is. Jarrett is shocked to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Maybe it’s that this show felt a bit bigger, but it was one of the easiest episodes of TNA thus far. There was less in the way of time being wasted and general dumb stuff, though those problems were still there. What matters the most here is having some nice action though and it helped make the show that much better. Not a great show, but it was enough to get by for a week, which is an upgrade around here.

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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NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #21
Date: November 13, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Don West

We’re getting closer to the end of the #1 contenders tournament and it’s starting to feel like Jeff Jarrett might actually reach his destiny. In theory that’s a good thing as it means he might shut up, but that’s never been in the cards for him. Other than that, Jerry Lynn is once again the X-Division Champion, which is not a bad thing. Let’s get to it.

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

Goldilocks sings the National Anthem in honor of Veterans Day.

Opening sequence.

Commentary runs down the card.

Here are Mortimer Plumtree and AJ Styles for a chat. Styles knows that the fans want to see Jerry Lynn defending the X-Division Title match against Kid Kash, but there is some fine print in the contract (oh yeah it’s a Russo show). Styles is guaranteed a rematch so the title match is off. Cue Lynn, who says Kash has earned a title shot so he’s already gotten the title match turned into a triple threat. So he was just assuming Styles was going to be whiny and rewarded him anyway?

EZ Money vs. Tony Mamaluke

They go with the basic wrestling to start until Money misses a charge over the top to the floor. The big suicide dive takes him out again but another dive is dropkicked out of the air. Back in and Money hits what would become known as a Buckshot Lariat as the fans certainly approve. Mamaluke grabs a quick choke to send Money to the ropes, followed by a guillotine legdrop for two. Money is right back up with a Jason Jett Crash Landing for the pin at 4:51. Makes sense, as Money is in fact Jason Jett.

Rating: B-. This was a nice fast paced opener with two guys who are trying to become a thing around here. Money feels like someone who could be something if he had a bit of a better name, though it’s going to be a bit difficult to crack through the rest of the talent. For now though, good stuff here, even without much time.

Sonny Siaki vs. Chris Vaughn

Siaki jumps him to start and hits a quick belly to belly into the corner. Some shoulders in the corner have Vaughn in trouble and Siaki ties him in the Tree Of Woe. A Samoan drop sets up three straight rolling neckbreakers to finish Vaughn at 2:07.

Earlier today, Brian Lawler was annoyed at April for taking a shower. He didn’t seem to notice Bruce being there too.

Here is James Mitchell to talk about the difference between wrestling and sports entertainment. Of course none of that matters because the New Church is all about evil. He introduces the newest member of the team in Belladonna, plus the returning Malice.

Malice vs. Kaos

Malice jumps him to start and beats him up with quite the ease. Kaos is sent outside and then thrown back inside, with Malice choking away. An overhead belly to belly and big boot set up the chokeslam as Kaos is pretty much done. A top rope knee gives Malice the pin at 2:57.

Brian Lawler vs. Jorge Estrada

April and Priscilla are here too. Lawler dances a bit and stops for a kiss from April, followed by a backdrop to the floor. Back in and Estrada knocks him back, setting up a top rope leg lariat. Lawler tries a shot with April’s purse but Estrada takes it away and wraps it around Lawler’s neck. The springboard Fameasser staggers Lawler and Estrada goes after April, who gets slapped by Priscilla. The distraction lets Lawler get a rollup with tights for the pin at 3:24.

Rating: D. This was another quick match and nothing to see, as Lawler and his stuff with April continues to be absolutely nothing. I’m not sure what the point in having this stuff continue but I’m assuming the idea is that Lawler is a name with star power. That’s all well and good, but maybe come up with something actually interesting.

Jeff Jarrett is ready to do whatever it takes to get the World Title shot. He’s ready to beat BG James and win the tournament, as apparently he’s getting a bye to the finals.

Jimmy Yang vs. Amazing Red

For a future X-Division Title shot. Red backs him into the corner to start before they go to the mat to fight over arm control. With that not working, they get back up for a test of strength, only for Red to spin around him (a lot) into a headscissors. Yang is sent outside and a sliding headscissors takes him into the announcers’ table.

Back in and Yang shoulders away in the corner, setting up an STF. That’s broken up so Red dropkicks a springboard out of the air and the pace picks up. A spinning kick to the face drops Yang and a tornado DDT plants him again. The super Code Red gives Red two and something like a Whisper In The Wind gives Red the pin at 9:43.

Rating: B-. Red is rapidly rising up the ranks and you can see the talent on full display every time he’s in the ring. That is something that can always be useful in any company, but especially in one that is still getting started. Red is standing out and giving him a title shot is a good idea.

BG James is ready to face Jeff Jarrett for the World Title match next week. Jarrett comes in and says it’s the two of them next week. They have a history together and he wants to wish James good luck, man to man. Then Jarrett jumps him.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Lenny/Bruce vs. Spanish Announce Team

Yes we’re having a three team tournament for a title shot. Joel and Lenny start things off with Lenny doing his rather enthusiastic running of the ropes. Joel trips him down and the other two get in a fight on the floor. That’s enough for Joel to knock Lenny onto the two of them in a big crash.

Back in and a double elbow and gutbuster get two on Joel but Jose is back in for a moonsault/guillotine legdrop combination for two on Bruce. Lenny is back in with a super hurricanrana for two but Joel hits a missile dropkick. Jose comes back in to clean house and we get the, ahem, comedy landing between Lenny and Bruce. Lenny low bridges Bruce to the floor (intentions unclear) and a super Spanish Fly gives Jose the pin at 7:21.

Rating: C. See, this is a bit more like it. The Bruce/Miss TNA stuff is horrible, but it’s even more annoying when you consider that Bruce is not bad at all in the ring. He’s capable of having a fine match and that was what we saw here, as this was perfectly acceptable. Just stop with the low brow unfunny stuff and things would get so much better.

Bob Armstrong says Don Harris is fired as the head of security…but he can wrestle. BECAUSE WE NEED THE HARRIS TWINS.

Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Harris Twins vs. Hot Shots

The Twins jump them to start fast and it’s Ron beating up Stevens in the corner without much trouble. Commentary points out how hard it is to tell the Twins apart, ignoring that they’re in different style gear. O’Reilly comes in to fight back but gets knocked back without much trouble. Everything breaks down and the H Bomb finishes Stevens at 3:57.

Rating: D. Yep, the Harris Brothers are still a thing and they are still the most dominant team in the company. I have no idea what the point is in having them around at such a high level but they don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. The match was basically a squash and that made for another long, dull viewing.

That’s not good enough so the Twins beat the Hot Shots up after the match.

Here is a ticked off BG James, who isn’t surprised that Jeff Jarrett attacked him again. James wants Jarrett out here right now but Jarrett says they’ll fight next week. James says something censored and says Jarrett gets it from his parents and…let’s do this now I guess.

NWA World Title #1 Contenders Tournament Final: BG James vs. Jeff Jarrett

They brawl on the floor to start and go into the crowd, with James hitting him in the head with a trashcan. The fight heads into the balcony and walk around the arena, with James sending him into a table. Jarrett is back with a chair to the head to send James through another table, which is nearly enough for a countout as they both get inside for the first time. Jarrett hammers away again and hits a Stroke onto a chair for the pin at 7:19. They were in the ring together for about thirty seconds.

Rating: D-. What was that? Other than a way to get Jarrett his, ahem, long awaited title shot, what was the point of this? It was a brawl that took place in the crowd before a tacked on finishing move in the ring. Then again, none of that matters because the whole point of the thing is to get Jarrett into the title picture, which I guess now qualifies as interesting and important.

Tag Team Titles: Disciples Of The New Church vs. America’s Most Wanted

AMW is defending and run in through the crowd to start the brawl after last week’s beating. The fight heads to the floor and Slash is already busted open as Slash suplexes him on the stage. Back at ringside and a belt shot to the head busts Storm open, leaving Slash to give him the Eye of the Storm.

A spinning cutter gives Storm two of his own but Belladonna and James Mitchell offer distractions as everything breaks down. The distraction lets Slash hit Storm in the face with the belt for two but the referee gets bumped (like it matters). The Trash Compactor compacts Slash but Belladonna jumps on Storm’s back. That’s enough for Lee to hit Storm with the spike for the pin and the titles at 9:07.

Rating: C+. The lack of a DQ over the violence is just something you learn to live with around here. What matters the most is that it feels like we’re actually getting a story here. You can only get so far with AMW beating everyone in short order so they need some actual problems. That’s what they’re getting here and the Disciples are instantly a big deal. Nice job all around.

We look back at Kid Kash becoming the #1 contender to the X-Division Title last week. Then Jerry Lynn beat AJ Styles to win the same title.

X-Division Title: AJ Styles vs. Kid Kash vs. Jerry Lynn

Lynn is defending and Styles has Mortimer Plumtree in his corner. Styles gets dropkicked to the floor to start and then a double drop toehold does it again. Lynn and Kash trade armdrags for a standoff but Styles knocks Lynn outside. Plumtree offers a distraction so Styles can hit Lynn low but Kash gives Styles a twisting hurricanrana. Kash chops Lynn into the corner and hits a moonsault press for two.

Styles’ neckbreaker gets the same on Lynn, who gets back up to fire off forearms to Kash. Lynn is sent to the floor so Kash takes him down with a big dive, with Styles following with a springboard shooting star. Back in and Styles gets two but Kash clotheslines the other two down for a triple breather. A brainbuster drops Lynn, with Styles stealing the near fall. Lynn breaks up the Styles Clash with a clothesline before Kash backdrops Styles onto Plumtree. The cradle piledriver to Kash retains the title at 10:51.

Rating: B-. You could all but guarantee this was going to be good and that shouldn’t be a surprise. As usual, you have the group of wrestlers who dominate the division, but now we’re seeing some fresh blood enter the mix. Kash probably isn’t the next bit thing, but it’s nice to see another name added in here, just for the sake of some flavor if nothing else.

Bob Armstrong gives Don West next week’s card for the big over the top hype.

Jeff Jarrett talks about Ron Killings turning some heads as champion but for Jarrett, the title match is everything. This is what Jarrett has wanted to do since he was a boy so he’ll do whatever it takes to win the title, which is the absolute truth.

Overall Rating: C-. There were good parts here but you could also see some of the darker sides of the booking coming out this week. Stuff like Lawler and the Harris twins getting so much time is hard to watch, but that was at least somewhat mitigated by some fresh talent getting a change. There are still a lot of good things about the show, but they desperately need to refocus in some areas. If that happens, the talent will be enough to carry the rest, but I’m not sure I can see that taking place.

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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NWA-TNA Weekly PPV #20
Date: November 6, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Don West, Mike Tenay

We’re at a bit of a milestone here and we are celebrating it with…well more of the #1 contenders tournament actually as Ron Killings needs a new challenger. Other than that, the Disciples of the New Church are back and seem to want the Tag Team Titles. Mr. Wrestling III is getting closer to being unmasked as well so let’s get to it.

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

We look at some TNA wrestlers at the NWA 54th Anniversary Show and….my goodness OVW looked better at this point.

Opening sequence.

We run down the card.

We recap Jorge Estrada/Priscilla losing to Bruce/Ace Steel last week, because this needs to keep being a thing.

Bruce, now with rather shiny high heeled shoes, has made up with Lenny Lane, who might fill in for him as Miss TNA. Goldilocks says Bruce is a b****.

Bruce vs. Jorge Estrada

Lenny and Priscilla are both here and if Estrada wins, Priscilla is the new Miss TNA (I think). After a quick hug from Lenny, they go to the mat for some quick grappling. Estrada grabs some armdrags and hammers away, only for Priscilla to get on the apron. The distraction lets Lane come in for a cheap shot and Bruce gets an early near fall. Lenny comes in again so Estrada rolls both of them up for two at the same time (cool with the ref). Bruce goes to the eyes to take over and they crash out to the floor, with the seconds helping to put them back in.

Back in and Bruce gets two off a springboard sunset flip, only for Estrada to come back with a headlock takeover out of the corner. The Lionsault hits raised knees though and Bruce hits a spinning reverse powerbomb. Priscilla comes in again to kiss Bruce (he’s not a fan) so Lenny gives chase, earning a slingshot dive from Estrada. The chase is on and Bruce…actually slips on a banana peel (as dropped by Lenny) for the countout at 8:49.

Rating: D. I have run out of ways to describe how much I can’t stand the whole Bruce deal. It isn’t funny, it isn’t interesting, it is as low level comedy as you can get and somehow it’s getting even worse. The match literally ended because someone slipped on a banana peel. I’m sure the people writing the show find it hilarious but this terrible stuff is cutting away all of the positives that the decent wrestling cause. Terrible stuff here, as usual.

Post match Priscilla is crowned…but Lenny takes away the tiara and sash to return them to Bruce. As I guess this is continuing.

Sonny Siaki is ready to move on in the tournament. He hits on Goldilocks too, as is his custom.

#1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: BG James vs. Sonny Siaki

I’m not sure why the semifinals are starting before the first round is done but the previous match ended because of banana peel slippage so there are bigger problems. Before the match, James says the same thing he always says before getting jumped to start. James fights back and knocks him into the corner before working on the arm.

Siaki takes him down and starts in on the knee, including some general cranking. An Indian Deathlock stays on the leg before Siaki starts dropping down on the leg, allowing James to kick him out to the floor. Back in and Siaki hits his running Blockbuster for two but here is Jerry Lynn for a distraction. James is back with a neckbreaker into the pumphandle slam for the pin at 7:08 (with Siaki popping his arm up at 3.1).

Rating: D+. Siaki is good at what he does but James is just so generic in the ring and living off his reputation. The distraction finish didn’t help either, and now James is on his way to a #1 contenders match. I’m not sure how that’s supposed to be appealing, but at least James is someone with a bit of star power.

We look back at the return of the Disciples Of The New Church, as they laid out America’s Most Wanted last week.

America’s Most Wanted is ready to bring their own evil. This was by far the most fire both of them have ever shown and it worked.

Tag Team Titles: Disciples Of The New Church vs. America’s Most Wanted

The Disciples, with James Mitchell, are challenging and Mitchell talks about how evil his team can be. The champs charge in to start the brawl fast with the Disciples getting beaten up on the floor. Back in and Slash is already busted open, with Storm dropping a top rope elbow for two.

Lee takes Storm outside for a ram into the barricade though and the villains take over as we settle down. An elbow misses though and Harris gets the tag to clean house. Everything breaks down and Slash chairs Harris on the head for two, leaving Mitchell rather peeved. A double clothesline gets Harris out of trouble and it’s back to Storm as everything breaks down. Lee grabs a spike to stab the champs though and that’s a DQ at 7:44.

Rating: C+. The ending was there to set up a rematch and that’s a good thing for AMW. They need challengers and a pair of monsters who are all about violence is a good choice. It wouldn’t surprise me to see the titles change hands to give AMW a real issue for once. This was more of a preview than anything else and in this case, that’s a good thing.

Post match the Disciples keep up the beating and the champs are left laying. Slash is covered in blood and looks like a monster.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Brian Lawler vs. Syxx Pac

April is here with Lawler, who polishes up a seat for her. Lawler wants revenge so he jumps Pac on the floor and sends him into the steps. They get inside for the bell and trade some right hands in the corner as April screeches a lot. She won’t slap Pac, but does make sure Lawler knows everything is fine. Pac fights back and knocks him to the floor, where Lawler gets in a crotching against the post.

Back in and Lawler misses the Hip Hop Drop (might have spent too much time flipping off the fans), allowing Pac to hit the Bronco Buster. Hold on though as he goes outside to kiss April, earning a superkick from Lawler. Back in and Lawler hammers away but yells for April to get on the apron, which is enough of a distraction for Pac to hit an X Factor for the win at 5:02.

Rating: D+. Pac is trying and there are worse choices than Lawler for an in-ring star, but at the same time, OH SWEET GOODNESS THIS APRIL STUFF IS HORRIBLE! I have absolutely no idea why I’m supposed to care about Lawler or anything he’s doing, including his issues with April. The story just keeps going and it’s putting so much focus on Lawler, who really isn’t interesting in the first place.

Post match Pac holds up April’s hand, though she doesn’t seem thrilled. So our hero is a kidnapper…and never mind as Lawler has a heart attack. April goes back to check on him…and more on this near death experience later.

Ron Killings has signed a contract to face Mr. Wrestling III for the World Title so come see him.

Here is Jeff Jarrett to interrupt. He calls all of the top good guys idiots and looks at the contract for Mr. Wrestling III’s World Title shot. Jarrett says if he’s Mr. Wrestling III, all he has to do is sign the contract and get the title shot that he wants. He rips up the contract, saying he’s winning the tournament and getting the title shot on his own.

Kid Kash vs. Ace Steel vs. Jose Maximo vs. Joel Maximo vs. Tony Mamaluke

Elimination tables match for a future X-Division Title shot. The fight starts before Steel comes in but he joins the brawl, with the ring announcer having to throw him in as well. They go outside so Kash can hit a dive before going inside to brawl with Steel. Mamaluke Fujiwara armbars Jose, which is broken up for no apparent reason.

Joel powerbombs Kash on the floor but the Maximos’ double super Spanish Fly is broken up. Instead Mamaluke chokes Joel as the first tables are thrown in. Steel chokebombs Mamaluke off a table in the corner but Mamaluke sends Steel through another table for the elimination at 6:18. Mamaluke sets up a second table on the floor but Joel puts him on the first table for the moonsault and the elimination at 8:16.

Back in and Kash brainbusters Joel onto his knee and hurricanranas both Maximos down at the same time. A Cactus Clothesline puts everyone on the floor and Kash lays Joel on the table at ringside. Kash’s super hurricanrana sends Jose through Joel for the double elimination and the win at 12:57.

Rating: C+. And here we have a pristine example of the big issue with the way TNA is presented. It’s fine enough to have a five way match for a future title shot and even having it as an elimination match is acceptable. But then, for no logical reason, it’s all about the tables. There’s no reason for that to be added in, but here we are, with one extra stipulation thrown in for the sake of making things more complicated. Oh and why is Mamaluke in the same match as Kash when Kash beat him last week?

Video on Curt Hennig vs. Jeff Jarrett.

Here is Jarrett to say that he and Hennig had a title match scheduled tonight but no one has seen Hennig. Jarrett lists off his resume for some reason and here is Hennig, in street clothes, to start the brawl.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Curt Hennig

Hennig knocks him into the corner to start and the beating is on, with Hennig using a variety of choking. The referee tries to take a chair away from Hennig, who knocks him down and takes Jarrett inside for some HennigPlexes as the referee throws it out for the DQ at 4:32.

Rating: C. Somehow this was one of the better parts of the night, if nothing else because it showed emotion and logically followed something that happened last week. Hennig and Jarrett might not be the most interesting these days, but they know what they’re doing. You can put them out there and get something out of them, with Hennig showing fire here, even if it wasn’t really anything close to a match.

Don West runs down the card for next week.

Video on Jerry Lynn vs. AJ Styles.

X-Division Title: Jerry Lynn vs. AJ Styles

Styles, with Mortimer Plumtree, is defending. Lynn works on a wristlock to start but Styles spins out and we go to an early standoff. An exchange of headlock takeovers doesn’t go anywhere so Lynn flips around a bit to take Styles down, meaning it’s time for some staring. Back up and Styles backs him into the corner but Lynn hits a middle rope spinning crossbody.

The chinlock goes on for a bit, with Styles fighting up without much trouble. A backbreaker gives Lynn two and he drops Styles throat first across the top rope for two more. Styles is sent to the apron for a triangle dropkick before Lynn sends him into the steps. Lynn drops him throat first across the barricade and then cuts off a dropkick off of said barricade. Back in and Styles sends him crashing outside, where Plumtree gets in a cheap shot so Styles can hit a dive.

A powerbomb is countered with another hurricanrana but Styles grabs a dragon sleeper. That’s reversed into a powerbomb flipped into a facebuster, but Plumtree gets on the apron for a distraction. Instead Lynn hits a sitout powerbomb to leave both of them down. Back up and Lynn suplexes him into the corner, setting up the cradle piledriver for two and a shocked kickout face.

The TKO gives Lynn two more, as Sonny Siaki comes out to pull the referee. Styles sends Lynn face first into a chair in the corner, followed by the Styles Clash for two of his own. Lynn catches him on top with a superplex so Styles tries another Clash, which is reversed into a cradle Tombstone to give Lynn the title back at 21:04.

Rating: B+. Maybe it’s everything else I’ve had to sit through on this show, but I had a good time with this one. Take two rather good wrestlers with a history together, let them have a lot of time, and put together one of the better matches TNA has had to date. Lynn getting the title back is a good thing to see as he can have a solid match with almost anyone so it’s quite a smart move.

Overall Rating: C-. The main event tried to bail this out but there was only so much that it could do. The undercard stuff is just so dreadfully bad and unfortunately it seems like they’re leaning more into that direction. It’s another case where the company just needs to slow WAY down and unfortunately I don’t see that happening. Styles vs. Lynn was very good, but it’s nowhere near enough to bail out the rest of this mess.

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

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NWA TNA Weekly PPV #8
Date: August 7, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Ed Ferrara, Don West

I keep thinking that these shows might get a bit better and that seems to be my problem. Most of the time, wrestling companies start to figure things out and the booking gets better, but this is Vince Russo’s TNA and things don’t get better around here. The big story this week is Ron Killings getting a World Title shot against Ken Shamrock so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Apollo and the Dupps are outside Ricky Steamboat’s office.

Amazing Red/Spanish Announce Team vs. Flying Elvises

It’s a brawl to start until Siaki is left alone to clothesline Red. Jose Maximo (brother of Joel) gets triple powerbombed and the Elvises get to pose and dance. For some reason Yang and Estrada go to commentary, leaving Siaki to get triple teamed in the corner. Then they sing a little Elvis as a surfboard/dragon sleeper combination sets up a top rope double stomp for two on Siaki.

Back up and Siaki fights back but he doesn’t want a tag from Yang. Red kicks Siaki down on top and it’s a double super Spanish Fly for two. Yang and Estrada come back in and take out the Maximos but Estrada gets caught in Code Red for two more. Estrada counters a double super Spanish Fly into a double super DDT to the Maximos. A top rope legdrop/splash combination hits Red but the other Elvises pose, allowing Siaki to steal the pin at 11:46.

Rating: B-. Oh that’s a Russo trait if I’ve ever seen one. You have the team who doesn’t get along but wins anyway, making the other team look that much worse. If Red and the SAT’s can’t beat Siaki when they have him 3-1, why should I believe they can beat pretty much anyone? It’s a bad idea and something that Russo absolutely loved, which shouldn’t be all that surprising.

We run down tonight’s card.

Apollo is mad at being left out of the World Title picture because it’s a show of disrespect. Why is Ron Killings getting the shot over him? Apollo accuses Ricky Steamboat of being corrupt (Mike Tenay is STUNNED) and promises to do something about it.

AJ Styles leaves Steamboat’s office and Apollo confronts Steamboat, who will talk to him on his own time. With that done, Jerry Lynn jumps Styles and a big fight breaks out before their match tonight.

Steamboat comes to the ring but the Dupps interrupt him. Steamboat isn’t having this and sends them to the back, telling them to do whatever they wanted. Oh that does not sound smart Dragon.

NWA World Title: Ron Killings vs. Ken Shamrock

Shamrock is defending and Steamboat is on commentary. Shamrock goes for the leg and Killings goes straight to the rope. A kick to the chest takes Killings down again as Steamboat talks about “them” holding him away from the WWF Title in 1987. Killings takes him down into a chinlock but gets pulled into a quickly broken kneebar. Back up and they collide for a double knockdown before Shamrock grabs a slow motion hurricanrana.

The ankle lock is broken up again as the Disciples Of The New Church are watching from the stage. Monty Brown comes out to watch as well as Shamrock hammers away and grabs a cross armbreaker (with Killings just laying there). They fight to the floor and (deep breath), Apollo, the Disciples Of The New Church, Don Harris, Monty Brown and Ricky Steamboat get into it with them. Apollo superkicks Shamrock by mistake and Steamboat throws him inside, where Killings hits a cutter for the pin and the title at 9:20.

Rating: D+. The match was a mess (believe it or not with that many people interfering) but it’s also the right move. Killings has at least been featured somewhat regularly while Shamrock has been this guy kind of off to the side who happened to be World Champion. Shifting the title to someone who is a lot more active and important is a good thing, even if it was as messy of a way to get the title off of him as possible. It didn’t help that the match was bad too, with the two of them having completely different styles which did not click whatsoever.

Post match Steamboat gets in the ring to call out Apollo, because THE WORLD TITLE CHANGING HANDS (and Killings becoming the first Black man to win the title) isn’t important enough to warrant a few moments to breathe. Steamboat grants Apollo a title shot, but, say it with me, Jeff Jarrett comes out to complain. Jarrett says he’s not getting the title shot because he’s white, because a Black man is champion and a Puerto Rican is getting the title shot (oh dear). Steamboat is tired of this (preach it) and makes a #1 contenders match with himself as guest referee for tonight.

And now, Jive Talkin with Disco Inferno but someone has stolen his set. Cue the Dupps to announce the Dupp Cup Invitational, which is for a family cup that they have used for moonshine over the years. This is the new hardcore division and they’re doing it because Ricky Steamboat said do whatever they want. They bring out a chalkboard with rules on it, saying you have to score ten points to win the match (this is going to be really, really stupid). We even have scoring options (and yes, they go over EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM):

Put an opponent through a table: 2.5 points
Put an opponent through a burning “tabel” (that’s how it’s spelled: 5 points
Put an opponent’s head in a toilet: 2.5 points
Put an opponent’s head in a toilet with waste in it: 3.5 points
Goose a woman: 2.5 points
Goose a man: 3.5 points
Hit Jeremy Borash: 2.5 points
Hit the ticket lady: 2.5 points
Use a farm animal of any kind in any way: 2.5 points

Note that at this point we cut to a fan with her hand over her mouth and a horrified look on her face. This is about as appropriate as anything you will ever see in wrestling.

Spank an opponent’s bare a** with “Horsey Poo” (a stick horse): 2.5 points
If the opponent likes it: -2.5 points
Introduce an opponent to Jai: 2.5 points (no, they do not specify who or what Jai is)
Cry like a pu**y: – 5 points
Put your opponent’s head in a cotton candy machine for one full rotation: 10 points, automatic win

In case that’s not enough, Disco starts suggesting his own scoring idea, such as using a weapon from a fan for 5 points, but the Dupps say that’s just 1. We’re going to even have the first match, with Bo Dupp defending the honor of his “girlfriend” Goldilocks. They offer 64 cents but then add in a night with Fluff Dupp…which is enough for Ed Ferrara to accept. He even gets a 2 point head start by decking Jeremy Borash. Then he jumps West and gets in a fight with Borash, which somehow makes it 6-0 as I guess this is a match.

Dupp Cup: Bo Dupp vs. Ed Ferrara

First to ten points wins and Ferrara is up 6-0. The Dupps chair him down a few times to make it 6-2 and more weapon shots make it 6-5 in a hurry. A blowup doll is brought in as this somehow gets dumber. Stan goes after the ticket lady, who comes out of her office with a broom to beat him up.

Paulina From Tough Enough (yes that is her official name) uses the chalk board to beat up Stan as Ferrara spears Bo at ringside. Somehow it’s 8 to 6.5 so Ferrara uses Horsey Poo…which Bo likes so it’s tied (I think, as this is somehow even dumber and messier than it sounds). The table is brought in but Bo chokeslams Ferrara through it to win at 6:45.

Rating: N/A. This wasn’t wrestling.

By the way: this whole thing, from the start of Disco’s segment to moving on to the next thing was over seventeen minutes. That’s longer than the main events of multiple Wrestlemanias. On this mess. The next time you’re at some low level, badly paying job, just remember that someone was paid to come up with this. See how much worse that makes you feel. Absolutely horrible and one of the dumbest things I have ever sat through in wrestling.

Earlier today, Mike Tenay sat down with Monty Brown. We hear about his career in football as part of the Buffalo Bills and now he’s wrestling. He had to fight to get a contract as an undrafted free agent so he knows about the politics that he’ll have to face in wrestling. As for Ron Killings, he’s tired of hearing about about “them” holding him back. Cue Elix Skipper with a bunch of yellow paint to cover Brown.

Don Harris vs. Malice

First Blood. They brawl around ringside to start as James Mitchell is on commentary. The fight goes into the crowd as we hear about the weird symbolism of the blood from last week. It’s BLOOD. This doesn’t require an explanation. Harris hits him with a chair and they walk around the building with Malice taking over.

They go to the ramp where Harris reverses a powerbomb into a backdrop but here is Slash to jump him as well. Harris takes a spike from Slash and busts him open but Malice jumps him again. Mitchell gets the ceremonial blood poured on him, followed by Harris hitting a Boss Man Slam. Somehow this busts Harris open (yep) and Malice wins at 6:28.

Rating: D. Somehow, this was miles better than the previous match and it was a terrible brawl. The first blood thing is something that fits into what they did last week, but Malice won while Harris, as in one of the HARRIS TWINS, was beating him up. You can’t have one of the Harris Twins take a pinfall against the person who was supposed to be the big monster? It’s no wonder this promotion is such a mess if that’s their mentality out here.

Post match the Disciples beat him up and leave him laying.

Sonny Siaki is looking for Ricky Steamboat. Taylor Vaughn comes in to jump Bruce (who is here too) and challenges him for tonight. Bruce is in, for an evening gown match. Then AJ Styles and Low Ki start brawling.

Apollo vs. Jeff Jarrett

#1 contenders match with Ricky Steamboat as guest referee. Apollo hammers away to start but Steamboat cuts him off, allowing Jarrett to get in a shot of his own. The fight heads outside but Apollo grabs a sitout powerbomb for two back inside. They go back outside where Apollo (already bleeding) is dropped onto the announcers’ table but Steamboat cuts off a chair shot.

Back in and Jarrett knocks him down for two before tying him in the Tree of Woe. Steamboat breaks that up so Jarrett goes with the Figure Four instead. Apollo is up at two arm drops and the comeback is on, including a DDT for a double down. The right hands in the corner have Jarrett in more trouble and the superkick connects but Jarrett gets a foot on the rope. Apollo grabs a German suplex but Jarrett gets his shoulder up for the (delayed) three count at 10:05.

Rating: C+. Yeah Jarrett won, but my goodness it was nice to see a match actually go clean around here. It wasn’t a great match or even a particularly good one, but what matters is that it was actually wrestling. After everything else tonight, I’ll absolutely take this, even if it was just ok for the most part.

Post match Apollo yells at Steamboat, who says he has no problem with Apollo but Jarrett won. With Apollo gone, Steamboat says Jarrett gets Killings….just not in a World Title match. Instead, it’s Jarrett and Killings against AJ Styles and Jerry Lynn in a Tag Team Title match. So yeah, there’s the screwy twist that they just have to do. The fans even boo, because not only were they screwed out of a title shot, but Jarrett is screwed over as well as he won that match 100% clean and is getting ripped off. Again: this booking is horrible.

Miss TNA: Bruce vs. Taylor Vaughn

Bruce is defending in an Evening Gown match so Bruce is indeed in a dress. Bruce immediately takes her down and hits a suplex before adding a faceplant. Then he takes Vaughn’s dress off for the win in a total squash. This stuff is still so dumb.

Post match Bruce strips to make the fans happy and we get a lot of pixelation.

Don West gives us a preview of next week’s show and shills merchandise. To be fair, this is his specialty and he’s awesome at this kind of thing.

X-Division Title: Low Ki vs. AJ Styles vs. Jerry Lynn

Styles is defending and gets double teamed to start, including a faceplant. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gives Lynn two on Ki but Styles is back up with a powerslam. Ki is back up with a dropkick and elbows but Styles pulls the referee in and kicks Ki low (there’s a joke there somewhere). Ki and Lynn strike it out until Lynn sends him to the apron for a legdrop over the rope.

The dragon sleeper has Styles and Lynn in trouble but Lynn takes Ki down. A top rope hanging DDT gets two on Styles with Ki making the save. Ki butterfly suplexes Styles for two and Styles puts Ki down for the same with Lynn making the save. Styles and Ki go up top and it’s a super sunset bomb to turn it into a Tower Of Doom. Ki gets back to back dragon sleepers for back to back saves.

Styles brainbusters Lynn for two but Lynn is back with a Ki Crusher 99 for two on Ki. Back up and Ki accidentally takes out the referee (ERG) but gets launched out to the floor. Styles chairs Lynn down so Ki covers for two, only for Styles to hit the Styles Clash to break it up….but Ki falls back on Lynn for the three (as in the third count, with the break apparently not mattering, which isn’t how it works in wrestling) for the title at 16:18.

Rating: A-. Rough ending aside, this was great. They were all going nuts and doing their thing as fast as they could and it made for an awesome match. As usual, the X-Division stuff is stealing the show and that shouldn’t be a surprise given what else we’re seeing. Excellent match here as they were doing everything they could for all of the time they had.

Jeff Jarrett and Ron Killings argue in the back as Styles beats up Lynn. Jarrett comes out to yell because OF COURSE he’s the last thing we see.

Overall Rating: C-. I’m not sure what it says when a show with that awesome of a main event, plus a good opener and a fine Apollo vs. Jarrett match is still so weak. The bad parts on this are just so bad that they drag down the good things. As usual with a Russo booked show, everything is just so all over the place and at times idiotic that you forget how good some of the wrestling really is. It’s an improvement over last week, and that’s all because of the X-Division carrying everything they can.

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

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NWA TNA Weekly PPV #7
Date: July 31, 2002
Location: Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Ed Ferrara, Don West

While there are some interesting parts to this show, there are far more things where I either don’t know what is going on or even worse, I don’t care. Since security has given up around here, Ricky Steamboat of all people is going to be in charge this week. I’m sure he’ll set everyone right. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title: AJ Styles vs. Elix Skipper

Styles is defending and Jerry Lynn is on commentary. Skipper jumps him to start but Styles fights up with some right hands in the corner. A legdrop gets two on Skipper and a leg lariat puts him down again. Skipper is back up with a running forearm and a belly to back suplex cuts off Styles’ kicks to the ribs. A hard slam gives Skipper two and he knocks Styles down rather hard again.

Skipper kicks him in the back of the head and we hit a front facelock. That’s broken up and Styles tries a hurricanrana, which is countered into a powerbomb for two. Back up and Skipper tries a northern lights suplex but gets reversed into a guillotine for a smart counter. Styles leverages him out to the floor but Skipper switches places and hits a slingshot dive. Back in and Styles breaks up a springboard, setting up the Spiral Tap to retain at 12:40.

Rating: B-. This was a way for Styles to get a title defense against someone the fans are going to know. That’s the point of using people from WCW, as they are useful to boost up the new stars. Styles isn’t overly well known six weeks into the company’s history, but now they know he can beat a star from WCW. Build Styles up that way and let him go from here.

Ricky Steamboat has returned the NWA World Title to Ken Shamrock and lifted Jeff Jarrett’s suspension so Jarrett can face Scott Hall tonight. I mean, we don’t get to SEE these things but apparently they happened. And Malice stealing the title is just leading to….nothing? Sure.

As Elix Skipper is leaving, Monty Brown runs out to beat him up as payback from last week. The Alpha Bomb leaves Skipper laying. What a hero.

Here is Jeff Jarrett, carrying a big burlap sack over his shoulder, which appears to contain a person. Jarrett has to start from the bottom and work his way up to the top so he’ll start against….this kidnapped midget. Jarrett calls out anyone for a fight and gets Puppet, who pulls out a GUN. Security distracts him though, allowing Jarrett to drop Puppet with a chair. Cue Ricky Steamboat, with a Harris Twin and Bob Armstrong. Jarrett challenges Steamboat for a fight but Scott Hall sneaks in to chase Jarrett off before anything happens.

Sonny Siaki is fine with wrestling on his own tonight. And stop staring at his a**.

Slash vs. Sonny Siaki

James Mitchell is on commentary as Slash sends Siaki out to the apron. That earns Slash a hurricanrana to the floor but he sends Siaki into the barricade. Back in and an Eye Of The Storm plants Siaki again and Slash grabs the cobra clutch. They both go up and wind up crotching each other for a double down. Siaki fights up with some shots to the face and a pumphandle suplex gets two. Mitchell gets up on the apron for a distraction though and Slash puts a hood over Siaki, setting up a neckbreaker for the pin at 7:41.

Rating: C. It needed more Elvises. The match wasn’t much more than Siaki acting too much like Elvis as played by the Rock. Slash is just kind of a generic heel as well so there wasn’t much to be seen here. The New Church feels like a situation of “we need a weird heel stable” and that was the extent of the thinking behind it, which isn’t exactly inspiring.

Post match Slash ties him up in the ropes and Mitchell rubs blood on Siaki’s head. Don Harris, the head of security, comes in for the save.

Ricky Steamboat is here to lay down the law and he is not Bill Behrens.

Ron Killings comes out to complain about one of the cage dancers being exploited as a Black woman. She might claim to be a dancer, but she is nothing but a “$2 ho.” Violence is teased but Monty Brown comes in for the save, only to get hit in the head with something made of wood.

Cue Ricky Steamboat to say Killings has his attention, so have the guts to come say it to his face. Killings gets in his face but Steamboat doesn’t get his problem. Killings brings up Steamboat’s time in the WWF and says he was a fan. Steamboat was the Intercontinental Champion, but then it stopped. Why was that? It’s because the Intercontinental Title was always for second class citizens, which is just what is happening to him today. Steamboat actually agrees and gives Killings a World Title shot next week. Killings raps a bit. So did Steamboat just accuse the WWF of racism and side with the heel? Did I get that right?

Apollo vs. Malice

James Mitchell is here with Malice. Apollo jumps him to start but gets knocked into the corner without much effort. Something like a top rope leg lariat gives Apollo two and he knocks Malice outside to hammer away. They trade whips into the barricade until Malice takes him back inside for a powerbomb. A superplex gives Malice two and a middle rope legdrop connects for the same. Apollo was busted open somewhere in there but comes back with a DDT into a superkick for the pin at 6:34.

Rating: C+. This was mainly a brawl on the floor but that worked as you had two bigger guys here. Malice is a fairly generic monster but that’s the kind of thing you need to have on a show. On the other hand you have Apollo, who still feels like someone who could be something, with his look alone being a nice appeal.

Post match Malice chokeslams a referee so Don Harris runs in for the save. Slash comes in and helps tie up Don, who gets the blood treatment as well.

Don West brings out Taylor Vaughn for a chat about being Miss TNA but Bruce interrupts. Bruce wants a match for the Miss TNA title and gets kicked low, with the referee coming in.

Miss TNA: Taylor Vaughn vs. Bruce

A suplex gives Vaughn two but Bruce runs her over. The abdominal stretch has Vaughn in trouble and a spinning faceplant gives Bruce the win at 2:06. This is, in fact, stupid.

Post match Bruce cries after being given the tiara and sash.

Low Ki is ready to prove himself in the ring.

Low Ki vs. Jerry Lynn

AJ Styles is on commentary. Ki grabs a hammerlock to start but gets reversed into a headscissors. The grappling on the mat goes to a standoff so they fight over wrist control. Ki takes him down by the leg but gets reversed into an armbar and kicked in the head. Lynn’s tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two but Ki kicks him in the face for two.

It’s too early for the Ki Krusher 99 so Ki goes with a dragon sleeper in the ropes instead. Back in and Lynn gets in a facebuster but the cradle piledriver is countered into a triangle choke. That’s broken up (Styles approves) and Lynn hammers away. Ki’s dropkick into a jackknife rollup gets two and a springboard kick to the face knocks Lynn silly.

Another kick to the head gets two but Lynn catches him with a helicopter bomb for two. The dragon sleeper is countered into a tornado DDT to give Lynn two more but Ki kicks him in the head. Ki loads up the Ki Krusher 99, only for Styles to kick Lynn in the back for the DQ at 14:11.

Rating: B. These guys were rolling by the end and then it fell down a few pegs because of the lame ending. Other than that it was good stuff with both of them working hard and trying to steal the show, which they pretty much did again. Styles getting involved might make sense, but dang it would be nice to see a match end without something screwy happening.

Post match Ki plants Lynn as the match is a no contest, because a DQ apparently means something very different around here.

Don Harris wants a first blood match with Malice.

And now, it’s Jive Talkin, with Disco teasing that he’s going to replace Oprah Winfrey. He’s tired of the lack of skin around here so he introduces a “dumb b****” who is going to take her top off. The guest is Goldilocks and we talk about her music career a bit before he tells her to take off her shirt. That’s not happening so she slaps him and gets in a low blow but a woman from Tough Enough comes in to choke Goldilocks out. This show continues to go 100mph and it’s all about bringing in anyone who might have been around wrestling in any way.

Don West gives his usual overly hyped preview for next week and it’s awesome.

Scott Hall vs. Jeff Jarrett

Stretcher match. Hall brawls with Jarrett on the ramp to start and drops him face first onto the announcers’ table. They go up the ramp and into the back, almost going outside in the process. Hall uses various things to knock him back into the arena and Jarrett staggers into the crowd.

The stretcher (which is the kind that folds up rather than the traditional wrestling version) is pulled out and Jarrett hits him in the ribs but Hall whips him into it a few times. Hall drops him throat first onto the stretcher and then hits the Razor’s Edge…for two, as that’s what happens in a stretcher match. Anyway Ron Killings runs in for the save and gives Hall an ax kick so Jarrett can get two.

Monty Brown goes after Killings and Jerry Lynn goes after Jarrett so AJ Styles (who has pretty much NOTHING to do with ANY of this) comes in, only to get cut off by Don Harris. The Disciples Of The New Church take out Harris and we need a double count, with both of them getting up. They slug it out and Jarrett grabs a chair but Ricky Steamboat (the ninth person to get involved in the match) comes out to take it away. Steamboat takes it from Hall as well, but Jarrett hits the Stroke on Hall onto the chair for the win at 12:05.

Rating: D-. When you have enough people to present a decent battle royal involved in a singles match, you’re doing something wrong. Throw in the stretcher thing not making a ton of sense (at least not by the traditional definition) and this was, as usual, a Russo mess. Oh hey and Jarrett gets to stand tall again, because of course he does.

Hall is laid on the stretcher to end the show. Not moved, but just laid on it.

Overall Rating: D+. This is a show where the good parts are few and far between, because everything in between is so terrible and it kills the rest of the show. This show was built around Ricky Steamboat being in charge and we didn’t even get to see most of what he did. Other than that, you had Jeff Jarrett being brought back after a suspension (where he was threatened with another suspension, which doesn’t have much of a threat) and the rest of the dumb stuff filling it in.

This show is a mixture of some good action, which usually involves wrestlers who are able to avoid the storylines, and the worst of Vince Russo, who is getting to be his over the top worst here with no one to call him off. And odds are it’s only going to get worst as he loses whatever is left of his mind.

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