Impact Wrestling
Date: July 31, 2025
Location: Thomas M. Ryan Center, Kingston, Rhode Island
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re continuing to see the rise of Mike Santana, who beat Joe Hendry last week in probably the biggest win of his career. Other than that, we’re getting ready for Emergence, which is one of the last stops on the way to Bound For Glory. The shows are going to need some work and we might find out some of those developments this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Jason Hotch vs. Leon Slater

Slater is defending and Hotch has Order 4 with him. Alexander wrestles them both down at the same time (that’s impressive) but Slater kicks him in the head. Back up and Alexander drops both of them, including a running kick to Hotch’s head. A Falcon Arrow gets two on Slater but Hotch German suplexes both of them. Hotch drops both of them with a middle rope moonsault to the floor, only for Slater to come back with a hanging Twist Of Fate. The Swanton 450 finishes Hotch at 4:05.

Rating: C+. Good, fast paced opener here with Slater getting to show what he can do in a more traditional X-Division match. Slater got his big moment and Slammiversary and it’s probably going to be a big before he had a next major challenger. This was a nice filler on the way to whatever that happens to be.

Post match Alexander and Slater have a staredown.

Masha Slamovich is ready to get the Knockouts Title back.

Cedric Alexander comes up to Leon Slater and a singles match is teased.

Indi Hartwell/Dani Luna vs. Arianna Grace/Jody Threat

Grace and Luna start things off with Grace spinning around and posing. That means a headlock takeover from Luna as Victoria Crawford, who apparently put the match together, comes out to watch. Grace fights up and brings Luna into the corner for the tag to Threat. A running crossbody puts Luna down and she misses a charge out to the floor. Back in and Grace stomps Luna down but the tag brings in Hartwell to stomp away. It’s quickly back to Threat, who walks into the Lunar Landing to give Luna the pin at 6:24.

Rating: C. While I hope that Hartwell and Luna aren’t slotted into a team, I’m not sure what any of these four have going on at the moment. Hartwell is coming off a big win at Slammiversary, but I can’t quite picture her as anything more than a challenger of the month for the Knockouts Title. The other three are just kind of there, which isn’t the brightest sign for their futures.

Jake Something wants the International Title. Steve Maclin comes in for the staredown.

Rascalz vs. Nemeths

The Nemeths try to jump them from behind but get cut off and sent to the floor. We settle down to the Nemeths taking over on Reed with Ryan elbowing him down for two. Nic’s chinlock doesn’t last long so he grabs a neckbreaker instead. Reed manages a Stundog Millionaire to escape and it’s off to Wentz to pick up the pace. Nic sneaks in a superkick from the floor to give Ryan two but Reed’s running diving cutter takes him down. Wentz Spiral Taps Ryan for the pin at 6:15.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have time to do much here but the Rascalz getting into the title picture isn’t a bad idea. The Hardys need someone to come after the belts before they face Team 3D at Bound For Glory (because that’s a thing) and the Rascalz could work well. It’s not like the Nemeths felt like they were a long term option as a top team anyway.

Post match the Nemeths say they didn’t get pinned to lose the titles so they want their rematch. Ryan mocks Rhode Island and that brings out the Home Town Man, who says these people are beautiful. The Nemeths try to say he’s really….and Home Town Man turns it into his theme song. The brawl is on and the mask is ripped off, but security covers his face with a towel. Eventually the Rascalz make the save.

Frankie Kazarian is tired of the lack of respect around here and wants to talk to company president Carlos Silva.

Here is Mike Santana for a chat. Standing in the crowd, Santana says that with everyone watching, he lost at Slammiversary. He has lost before and it makes him fight even harder. Santana walks to the ring and talks about seeing his daughter crying after his loss. As upset as he was, he had to be a dad and tell her it would be ok. Mark his words: he will be World Champion. Dang this is working and he needs to win the title.

Knockouts Title: Jacy Jayne vs. Masha Slamovich

Jayne, with Fatal Influence, is defending. They trade some fast rollups for two each to start and it goes so well that they keep going until Slamovich hits a running clothesline. Fatal Influence gets in a cheap shot though and Jayne adds a running knee from the apron. A running neckbreaker gives Jayne two and she grabs a chinlock. Slamovich fights up….and here is Ash By Elegance to jump her from behind for the DQ at 3:30.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have time to do anything but the point was to get rid of the contractually obligated rematch and set up something new for the future. As usual, Jayne doesn’t really have much of a chance in a one on one fight, but that’s the point of her run. It’s going to make her eventual loss feel that much more important and it could happen anytime she is in the ring, which is a nice twist.

The rest of the Elegance Brand gets in to argue with Fatal Influence. Lei Ying Lee and Xia Brookside run in to clear the ring.

KC Navarro is still injured and AJ Francis is NOT happy with him.

Ash By Elegance and Masha Slamovich have to be held apart. Santino Marella gives Ash a Knockouts Title shot next week, with the winner defending against Slamovich. Marella says these women drive him crazy.

Video on Mara Sade, who has an athletic background and wants to mix it up with looking fabulous. This is more individual attention than she got in her time in NXT.

Here is Order 4 for their victory rally. Mustafa Ali complains about the outsiders coming here to take their titles and now it is time to change. He introduces the new monster security guard as Agent Zero but the fans do not want to see Ali as the World Champion. Ali makes the mistake of insulting Joe Hendry, who is immediately there to interrupt.

Hendry mentions Ali having a secret service, but there are no secrets around here. This includes some footage of John Skyler, whose face is shown on a Wrestling Buddy. “Skyler” ate pizza, bought a Joe Hendry shirt, and used a Mustafa Ali shirt to clean himself off. Ali vs. Hendry is set for next week. I can absolutely go with Ali getting a bigger, more prominent role.

Earlier this week, Sami Callihan was asked about his future. Moose was right when he said Callihan wasn’t the same man he once was. Callihan needs to prove himself, so he wants a match with Mike Santana. If he can’t win there, he might be done for good.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

The System vs. Trick Williams/AJ Francis

Alisha Edwards and the still injured KC Navarro are here too. Francis kicks at Edwards to start but Moose comes in to send Williams and Francis to the floor. We take a break and come back with Francis hitting Moose with a running knee. Moose suplexes his way out of trouble though and it’s off to Edwards for a hard suicide dive.

Williams takes over on the floor though and Edwards gets taken into the wrong corner. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Edwards fights out of the corner, setting up a Blue Thunder Bomb to Francis. Moose comes back in to clean house as everything breaks down. Navarro crutches Williams by mistake and Moose spears Williams for the pin at 9:30.

Rating: C+. That’s a nice way to set up the title match at Emergence, despite it being strange to see the System as good guys for a change. I’m not sure if they’re full on heroes yet, but Moose going after the title for the sake of TNA isn’t a bad way to go. I can’t imagine it’s the title change, but it works as a stepping stone from Emergence until Bound For Glory.

Overall Rating: C+. This show started getting things ready for Emergence and now we have a few weeks left to fill in the rest of the gaps. The action was good enough for some nice matches, though that wasn’t exactly the point this week. While we have a long way to go before Bound For Glory, this was a good step on the way there.

Results
Leon Slater b. Jason Hotch and Cedric Alexander – Swanton 450 to Hotch
Indi Hartwell/Dani Luna b. Arianna Grace/Jody Threat – Lunar Landing to Threat
Rascalz b. Nemeths – Spiral Tap to Ryan
Masha Slamovich b. Jacy Jayne via DQ when Ash By Elegance interfered
The System b. AJ Francis/Trick Williams – Spear to Williams

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 12, 2025
Location: Mullett Arena, Tempe, Arizona
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

Against All Odds has come and gone and not much happened, with the biggest story possibly being the return of the IInspiration. We’re still on the road to Slammiversary and that could go in a few different directions. For one thing, we need some new contenders to the titles, including the one mostly likely to take the title from Trick Williams. We have a little over a month to go before the pay per view and that means it is time to get ready for the show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Against All Odds if you need a recap.

Against All Odds recap.

Earlier today, Santino Marella wouldn’t let Mike Santana in the building, saying he could be back in two weeks. Marella also had security throw Robert Stone out of the building.

Opening sequence.

Here is Santino Marella to get things going. He’s happy to be done with Robert Stone but he has business to cover. First up, Moose will officially be defending the X-Division Title against Leon Slater at Slammiversary. Second, next week it’s the Champions Challenge, with the champions teaming up against an all-star team. As for tonight, it’s the 8-4-1 match, with eight Knockouts in a four on four tag. The winning team then has a four way with the winner receiving a Knockouts Title shot. The next few weeks will be inspirational, so that brings out some returning stars.

IInspiration vs. Missa Kate/Brittnie Brooks

McKay won’t shake Kate’s hand to start but will run her over with a shoulder. It’s off to Lee to take Brooks down and some double kicks to the back have her in more trouble. IInspiration does their double pose but Kate gets in a cheap shot from the apron. Brooks takes over but it’s back to Lee to clean house. A fisherman’s suplex gets two on Kate with Brooks making the save, followed by the Idolizer to finish Kate at 4:38.

Rating: C. The IInspiration has never exactly been known for their in-ring work so this was all about getting them back out there for an official match. They beat up these two without much effort and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them getting a title shot rather soon. It’s not like there are many teams to beat to get there.

The Hardys are ready to get back to the Tag Team Titles and that starts tonight by beating First Class.

We look at First Class appearing this week on NXT, setting up a six man between First Class/Trick Williams vs. Elijah/Josh Briggs/Yoshiki Inamura.

It’s time for the First Class Penthouse and it’s looking like a first class summer. AJ Francis is looking to give away some money and has a kid come on stage to do his best MONEY MONEY MONEY. And that’s not good enough for Francis, who tells the kid to get lost. Therefore it’s time to bring out the guest, Trick Williams. He likes First Class, with Francis thinking they need their own gold. Once they beat the Hardys tonight, it’s time to get a Tag Team Title shot. And that’s it.

We look at Jason Hotch coming close to beating Mustafa Ali at Against All Odds. Several minutes of the match are aired.

The System comes up to Hotch in the back and says if he takes out Leon Slater tonight, there might be a spot on the team for him. Order 4 comes in and Mustafa Ali isn’t impressed. The System moves on to Matt Cardona, telling him to find a partner for a tag match next week.

Leon Slater vs. Jason Hotch

John Skyler is here with Hotch while Slater talks about coming after the X-Division Title at Slammiversary. Slater takes him down to start but gets flipped over into the corner, setting up a slingshot backbreaker for two. The seated abdominal stretch goes on twice in a row but Slater gets up for a suplex neckbreaker. A handspring elbow gives Slater two so Hotch hits a Mustafa Ali rolling neckbreaker for the same. Back up and Slater hits a quick Blue Thunder Bomb and a jumping knee sets up the Swanton 450 for the pin on Hotch at 7:40.

Rating: B-. Slater is already locked in for the title shot at Slammiversary so now it is time to hammer home the fact that he is ready for Moose. There was no need for this to get a lot of time and while Hotch isn’t a top level opponent, he’s not going to slow Slater down. Nice stuff here and it did what it was supposed to do.

Tessa Blanchard doesn’t care what kind of a match she’s in because the end result is her winning. And she doesn’t like Gia Miller very much.

Rosemary/Dani Luna/Tessa Blanchard/Xia Brookside vs. Jody Threat/Tasha Steelz/Killer Kelly/Indi Hartwell

The winning team moves on to a four way. Steelz quickly hands it off to Threat, who has to face her former partner Luna. They trade some rollups for two each and it’s off to Steelz vs. Brookside. A hurricanrana out of the corner and a crossbody put Steelz down and Rosemary comes in. Rosemary goes after Brookside, whom she still doesn’t like, and gets into a slugout with Kelly as the two bounce back and forth.

Blanchard comes in and sends Kelly to the apron to stomp away before getting in a cheap shot on Hartwell. It’s back to Rosemary, who misses a charge into the corner, allowing the tag off to Hartwell. Everything breaks down and it’s the parade of finishers, with Hartwell hitting the Hurts Donut for the pin on Rosemary at 7:43.

Rating: C+. This was a tricky match to put together as the teams were basically drawn at random. You had some moments like Luna vs. Threat, but the majority was stuff taking place without much in the way of a backstory. The title is the big thing, but when half of the people are going to be gone in the #1 contenders match, it’s kind of hard to make the whole thing work.

Jody Threat vs. Tasha Steelz vs. Killer Kelly vs. Indi Hartwell

For a future Knockouts Title shot. Kelly and Hartwell knock the other two outside, leaving Kelly to get two off a northern lights suplex. Threat is sent into the steps and it’s Steelz coming back in to go after Hartwell. Kelly headbutts Steelz down and a faceplant gives Kelly two. Threat comes in with a high crossbody but gets clotheslined down by Hartwell. Steelz’s springboard bulldog is broken up and Hartwell hits the Hurts Donut on Steelz….but Kelly steals the pin at 5:22.

Rating: C. I’m not sure if it was due to having back to back matches or what, but this was rather disappointing. You would expect a #1 contenders match to get a bit of time but here they were, wrapping this up in just over five minutes. Kelly getting the shot makes sense given her history with Slamovich, but that doesn’t feel like a Slammiversary title match. Granted they never said when the title match will take place, but hopefully it takes place elsewhere.

Masha Slamovich is ready for Killer Kelly because this is where it would always go. She’ll put Kelly in her place.

We look at Steve Maclin retaining the International Title over Mance Warner at Against All Odds.

Maclin praises Warner for hitting him hard, but now it’s on to the Champions Challenge. He’s ready to take out Trick Williams, but if anyone wants to come at him, know what you’re doing.

Here are Mance Warner and Steph de Lander, with the latter claiming that Warner was cheated. Warner has to be held back from attacking a production assistant and takes his aggression out on Tommy Dreamer.

Sami Callihan isn’t happy that an outsider has the TNA World Title so here are Eric Young and the Northern Armory. They aren’t happy about it either and an alliance is teased, but Young decks Callihan instead.

First Class vs. Hardys

Francis tries a cheap shot to start fast but gets knocked outside, leaving Navarro and Jeff to officially get things going. Matt comes in to go after the arm and it’s Francis coming back in, only to get knocked right back out. We take a break and come back with a double suplex getting two on Navarro, followed by a catapult into a legdrop. Rehwoldt: “Egad!”

Jeff armbars Navarro but Francis grabs the hair. The distraction lets Navarro take Jeff down and it’s time for Francis to finally take over. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Jeff fights up and hits the Twisting Stunner. Another Twisting Stunner allows the tag off to Matt to pick up the pace in a hurry. A Side Effect gets two on Francis but Trick Williams runs in for the DQ at 7:32.

Rating: C+. The ending was designed to set up something else later on and that’s not a bad way to go. The Hardys are a team who can be put into a title match at the drop of a hat with no questions asked and First Class is in the biggest story they’ve ever had. Let them stay strong here, with a six man being likely.

Post match the beatdown is on but Joe Hendry and Elijah run in for the save. Cue the System and Leon Slater as well but the good guys clear the ring. Slater hits his big running flip dive onto the pile on the floor to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one all that much, as they did a few things, but a good bit of the show was spent setting up the Knockouts Title match. Other than that. Slater was all but guaranteed the title shot at Slammiversary so there wasn’t much to be done there. It’s not an awful show or even bad, but it felt like they weren’t putting a ton of content into this one. Maybe that’s due to the taping schedule, but this was only ok at best.

Results
IInspiration b. Missa Kate/Brittnie Brooks – Idolizer to Kate
Leon Slater b. Jason Hotch – Swanton 450
Jody Threat/Tasha Steelz/Killer Kelly/Indi Hartwell b. Rosemary/Dani Luna/Tessa Blanchard/Xia Brookside – Hurts Donut to Rosemary
Killer Kelly b. Jody Threat, Tasha Steelz and Indi Hartwell – Hurts Donut to Steelz
Hardys b. First Class via DQ when Trick Williams interfered

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

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

Against All Odds 2025
Date: June 6, 2025
Location: Mullett Arena, Tempe, Arizona
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re back on the big shows here and in this case it means someone else is trying to bring the TNA World Title back to TNA. Trick Williams is here from NXT to defend the title against Elijah in the likely main event. Other than that, Santino Marella is trying to keep his authority against Robert Stone from NXT. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: The Elegance Brand vs. Xia Brookside/Harley Hudson/Myla Grace

Grace strikes away at M to start and it’s Hudson coming in for a double suplex. Heather gets in a cheap shot though, setting up a running backsplash to a draped Hudson. Back in and M’s facebuster gets two but Hudson manages a suplex for a breather. Brookside comes in to clean house, including that always stupid looking spot where she sends two partners into each other and hits a neckbreaker which makes someone DDT her own partner.

Grace hits a kind of double underhook spinning slam for two and everything breaks down. The Personal Concierge gets in a shot with his trident (like every amazing person should have, along with a nice top hat to go with it) on Grace, setting up Rarefied Air for the pin on Grace at 5:17.

Rating: C. And this is what this kind of a match should be. They got in, they did their thing, Brookside got to clean house after her big win last night and one of the rookies got the pin. They need to bring in some fresh blood to the division and Grace/Hudson could be just that. Maybe not anytime soon, but the two of them coming together to win the titles has some potential.

Post match the Personal Concierge praises the team but the IInspiration is back. They want the titles and that’s it.

The opening video looks at the importance of the World Title and how Elijah is going to fight to win it back.

International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Mance Warner

Warner, with Steph de Lander, is challenging. Maclin chops and forearms away to start and knocks Warner outside for the suicide dive. A running elbow drop off the apron connects as well so Maclin does it again. Steph offers a distraction though and Warner pulls him into the corner to take over. A spinebuster gives Warner two but Maclin is back with a Thesz press and Angle Slam for two.

The Crosshairs miss though and another Steph distraction lets Warner take over again. They go to the apron where Maclin grabs a Death Valley Driver but Warner pops back up with a top rope superplex for a delayed two. The ensuing slugout goes to Maclin and he gets Warner in the Crosshairs. That’s enough to set up the KIA to retain the title at 9:40.

Rating: C+. Yeah this was fine, as Maclin continues to establish the title as something worth having. Maclin is already a former World Champion so he brings some status to the title and having him beat various stars is a good way to go. This was a good choice for an opener, as the talented champion beats a tough challenger.

We run down the remaining card.

The System vs. Leon Slater/Hardys/???

It’s a mystery partner in the form of….The Home Town Man, who is clearly Cody Deaner under a mask. Well of course it is. Slater and JDC start things off with Slater bouncing around a lot and jumping over a legsweep for a standoff. Matt comes in to work on JDC’s arm and it’s off to Jeff, who the fans rather like. Man comes in and wins a slugout with Edwards before hammering away in the corner.

Everything breaks down and the System is cleared out, with the fans encouraging the Man nonsense. Moose kicks Man in the face and it’s off to Edwards, who knocks Jeff down to put him in trouble for a change. Myers grabs the front facelock for a bit before Moose simplifies things with some choking. Jeff fights up and hits a Whisper In The Wind to Myers and JDC, allowing Matt to come in and clean house.

The Side Effect into Slater’s Crossover gets two on Moose and everything breaks down. The Man gets to clean house and we get a triple Twist Of Fate inside. A regular Twist Of Fate into the Swanton looks to set up the Swanton 450 but the rest of the villains make the save. That leaves Slater to flip dive onto them before he counters Moose’s spear into a small package for the pin at 12:38.

Rating: B-. And there’s your next big step towards Slater taking the title from Moose. That’s something that has seemed to be in the cards for awhile now and it’s a good story to tell. Slater has another reason to get a title shot now and Moose is going to have a reason to be worried. That’s basic, well done storytelling and the rest of the people were just there, which is fine.

We recap Mustafa Ali vs. Jason Hotch. Ali has snapped and doesn’t mind abusing his subordinates and Hotch stood up to him, setting up this match.

Mustafa Ali vs. Jason Hotch

The rest of Order 4 is here with Ali, with John Skyler joining commentary. They fight over wrist control to start and then trade near falls, with Ali bridging out and looking smug about it. Hotch rolls him up for some near falls and an exchange of armdrags gives us another standoff. Back up and a chop off doesn’t go to either of them so Hotch sends him to the apron. A dive is countered into a German suplex onto the apron though and Hotch is in trouble.

Back in and the rolling neckbreaker gives Ali two but Hotch snaps the fingers. A tornado DDT to the floor plants Ali and a high crossbody gives Hotch two. Hotch’s Spanish Fly gets two more but Ali sends him into the ropes…where Tasha Steelz won’t hit the cheap shot. They get back up and Hotch powerbombs him for two and a clothesline drops Ali again.

Hotch hits a running double stomp for two but Ali is back with the always awesome tornado DDT. The equally awesome 450 gets…two, as Ali pulls him up. Skyler comes over as Ali goes up, but another 450 hits knees. Ali is back up with a NASTY overhead belly to belly into the corner and now the 450 can connect for the pin on Hotch at 13:44.

Rating: B-. Hotch was trying here but there was no reason to believe that he was going to win. Ali is going to be in for something big going forward and it is likely involving someone important stepping up to fight him. I’m not sure who that is, but this was another step forward as Ali continues to lose his grip on reality.

Post match Ali won’t shake Hotch’s hand and walks away on his own.

The IInspiration is glad to be back because they are here to INSPIRE.

We look at Trick Williams beating Mike Santana to retain the World Title on NXT, albeit with First Class offering an assist.

It’s time for the First Class Penthouse, with the team yelling at the fans for saying rather unpleasant things. Their appearance on NXT was very popular and the attack on Mike Santana makes sense, as he has annoyed them a few times lately. They tease bringing Santana out but say he isn’t here tonight….and of course here he is. Security proves worthless so Francis throws Navarro to Santana, who puts him through a table. Francis hits him in the back of the head with a champagne bottle though and Santana is left laying.

Knockouts Title: Lei Ying Li vs. Masha Slamovich

Slamovich is defending after saying she wanted Li to have a title shot and Indi Hartwell is on commentary. They go with the grappling to start until Li’s dropkick sends her into the corner. Slamovich fights out of that without much trouble and sends her outside for a dive off the apron.

Li is back up with an over the shoulder backbreaker and walks Slamovich up the steps before throwing her down. Back in and Slamovich tosses her to the apron for a superkick. That earns Slamovich a legsweep and a hanging DDT onto the floor for two back inside. They slug it out from their knees until Li kicks her down to take over again.

Li goes up and gets hurricanranaed right back down, allowing Slamovich to fire off the running strikes. Li suplexes her down and hits a running kick for two and they trade some near falls. Slamovich catches her on top with a Death Valley Driver and the running knee gets two. The package piledriver is countered into a rollup to give Li two, but Slamovich rolls back through into the package piledriver to retain at 12:48.

Rating: C+. Li felt like a short form challenger and that’s something you need every so often. Slamovich hand picked her and those kicks are dangerous enough to be a threat to the title. Slamovich had to work here and then retains the title, which is a fine enough way to do this kind of a match. She’ll need someone bigger, and we’ll see who that is soon enough.

Post match Killer Kelly returns for the staredown with Slamovich. Eh not a huge challenger but at least they have a history together.

We look at last month’s Border Brawl, a rather bizarre show.

Mike Santana is looking for First Class.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Joe Hendry

This is Hendry’s first match since losing the TNA World Title. Hendry tackles him down and hammers away to start before tossing Kazarian out to the floor. Back in and Kazarian charges into a fall away slam as it’s all Hendry thus far. They head to the apron, where Kazarian has to escape a Standing Ovation.

That lets him go after Hendry’s leg, which is smashed into the steps, tied up and dropped down onto onto for bad measure. Kazarian grabs a half crab for a bit before tying up the leg again. A Backstabber sets up the missed springboard spinning legdrop and Hendry fights up with the clotheslines. The fall away slam (not bad on one leg) and a slightly delayed vertical suplex have Kazarian in trouble but he manages a slingshot DDT.

The ankle lock is countered and Hendry grabs an Angle Slam for two. Hendry can’t hit the Standing Ovation but Kazarian can’t hit Fade To Black, instead settling for the chickenwing. That’s good for two arm drops before Hendry fights up. They go into the corner, where Kazarian grabs a rollup with his feet on the ropes for the win at 12:44.

Rating: B. This feels like a story where Hendry is losing almost everything he has so he can be built back up later. Or his time in TNA is coming to an end and he’s going to WWE so he’s putting people over on his way out. For now at least, Kazarian gets a rare big win, even if it isn’t likely to get him very far.

Post match Kazarian brags about his win until the limping Hendry chases him off.

Robert Stone hires Matt Cardona to be the referee for his match against Santino Marella.

Tag Team Titles: Rascalz vs. Nemeths

The Nemeths are defending. Ryan wrestles Wentz down to start and hands it off to Nic for some double elbows (back/jumping varieties). Wentz gets back up and hands it off to Miguel for a Dream Sequence and two of their own as the pace quickens a bit. It’s back to Ryan to work on Wentz’s arm but due to it being Ryan, this doesn’t go well and Wentz hits a middle rope crossbody.

Wentz is knocked outside for a cheap shot from Nic and it’s the big jumping elbow back inside. The front facelock goes on so Wentz goes over to Miguel, who is pulled off the apron by Ryan (hey he did something right). Back up and Wentz manages a spinning kick to the face, which is enough for the tag off to Miguel. Everything breaks down and the Rascalz hit stereo dives.

Back in and a top rope Meteora sets up a Swanton for two on Ryan. A Blockbuster/double DDT combination (which didn’t look like cooperation whatsoever) leaves everyone down. Ryan’s running DDT gets two on Miguel but Wentz is back in for the save. The middle rope Meteora is loaded up but Nic breaks it up. The Danger Zone into the jumping Downward Spiral finishes Miguel at 12:41.

Rating: B-. The Rascalz might not have felt like a major threat to take the titles but they were a perfectly acceptable set of challengers. They’re an established team who can give the Nemeths problems and that’s an acceptable spot for a match like this one. I’m wondering who will be going for the titles next, but hopefully it isn’t the recently free Good Brothers.

Eric Young breaks in backstage but is cut off by Sami Callihan. They argue over how annoying it is that an outsider is the World Champion but security gets rid of Young (who isn’t allowed here after attacking a fan on Impact).

We recap Robert Stone vs. Santino Marella. Stone is from NXT and doesn’t like how Marella has been running things. Therefore, it’s time for a showdown, winner has authority.

Santino Marella vs. Robert Stone

Matt Cardona is guest referee, Stone has Tessa Blanchard/Victoria Crawford with him and Marella has Arianna Grace with him. Cardona does a weapons check…and actually finds some brass knuckles on Stone. The bell rings and Stone drops straight to the floor. Back in and Marella wrestles him down without much trouble so Stone bails out to the floor again.

They go out into the crowd, where Marella crotches him onto the barricade but Blanchard gets in a cheap shot at ringside. Cardona yells a bit as Stone sends Marella into the buckle a few times, setting up the chinlock. That’s broken up with a belly to back suplex, but Blanchard steals the Cobra. The chase is on, leaving Stone to grab a rollup with feet on the ropes. Cardona catches him and won’t count, setting up an argument with Stone.

Cardona shoves him into a rollup for two so Stone gets his badge, which Cardona blocks as well. The distraction lets Crawford hit an ax kick for two and Marella gets fired up. The women offer another distraction though and Stone hits him low for two. Grace offers a distraction of her own and Marella hits a superkick…but he doesn’t have a Cobra. Grace has one of her own though and Stone is done at 9:44.

Rating: C-. As usual, there is a big disconnect between Marella trying to be serious and still doing his goofy stuff. He’s supposed to be this shooter or grappling expert but he couldn’t do his finisher because he didn’t have a sock on his hand? It’s trying to do two things at once and it hurt what we had here, which was only so good in the first place.

Post match Marella thanks the fans for their support and promises to do his best job.

We recap Elijah challenging Trick Williams for the World Title. Williams beat Joe Hendry for the title and now everyone is panicking over an outsider being champion. Elijah is the next one to come after the belt.

TNA World Title: Elijah vs. Trick Williams

Williams is defending and they lock up to start. A wristlock doesn’t get Williams very far as Elijah headlocks him over. Back up and Williams hits him in the face a few times but gets sent to the floor. Elijah’s running knee on the apron connects, followed by the Old School knee for two. The Trick Kick (exactly what you think it is) gives Williams two of his own and he grabs a cravate.

That’s broken up so Williams takes a turnbuckle pad off (the referee doesn’t seem to mind). Elijah fights up and hits a suplex neckbreaker, followed by a rolling cutter for two. A Book End gives Williams two and they strike it out, until Elijah hits a Dalton Castle Bang A Rang for two of his own.

Elijah gets sent outside where he grabs a hanging swing neckbreaker. Back in and the top rope elbow gets two so here is AJ Francis to ringside. That’s a bit too nerve racking for Elijah so he takes Francis out with a dive and grabs the guitar. Believe it or not, the referee doesn’t like that and takes it away, allowing Williams to hit him with a belt shot for two. The Trick Shot misses so Williams sends him into the exposed buckle, setting up the Trick Shot to retain at 16:15.

Rating: C+. As has been the case with a bunch of matches on this show, there was only so much of a reason to believe that the title was changing hands here. Elijah felt like a fill in challenger and that’s all he was supposed to be. There isn’t much else to be said about this one, which was kind of the problem coming into this match: it never felt like Elijah was a threat to the title but it was hardly bad.

Overall Rating: B-. This show didn’t have the highest expectations coming in and it wound up being a completely watchable event. It’s nothing that you need to see but if you watched it, you would not have had a bad time. The bigger issue is that it felt like a show that we had to get through to get to the big night with Slammiversary. I’ll take an acceptable show with little going on as these things have felt far less important than this before.

Results
Steve Maclin b. Mance Warner – KIA
Hardys/Leon Slater/Home Town Man b. The System – Small package to Moose
Mustafa Ali b. Jason Hotch – 450 splash
Masha Slamovich b. Lei Ying Li – Package piledriver
Frankie Kazarian b. Joe Hendry – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Nemeths b. Rascalz – Jumping Downward Spiral to Miguel
Santino Marella b. Robert Stone – Cobra
Trick Williams b. Elijah – Trick Shot

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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Impact Wrestling
Date: June 5, 2025
Location: CAA Centre, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the night before Against All Odds and that means it is time for the final push towards the show. In this case we have to get ready for the World Title match, with Trick Williams set to defend against Elijah. That should mean a big talking segment, plus some more build towards the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Indi Hartwell vs. Tasha Steelz

The Great Hands are here with Steelz, who hammers Hartwell down into the corner to start. Hartwell knocks her to the apron but gets sent face first into the apron for his efforts. Back in and Steelz chokes on the rope, followed by a Sliced Bread out of the corner for two. A Codebreaker gets two more but Hartwell tosses her out of the corner. Skyler tries to get Hotch to interfere but Hotch won’t do it, leaving Hartwell to hit the Hurts Don’t It (full nelson swung into a faceplant) for the pin at 6:07.

Rating: C. That’s Hartwell in a nutshell: she’s completely fine and that’s about as high as I can go. There isn’t much that makes her stand out and that has been the case since she got to WWE in the first place. Having her be the reason for the latest Order 4 issues works well enough, though I’m not even remotely curious about what is next for Hartwell.

Post match Mustafa Ali comes out and shoves down the referee, plus Hartwell. Hotch gets in Ali’s face but everyone leaves Hotch alone in the ring.

Mance Warner, with Steph de Lander, wants Steve Maclin and is ready to take the International Title at Against All Odds.

John Skyler checks on Tasha Steelz and gets a phone call, asking if she’s ok. Steelz says she is, but asks whomever is on the phone if they can talk to Ali. Cue Ali, with Skyler getting off the phone in a hurry. Jason Hotch comes in, with Ali knowing it’s for an apology (which Hotch doesn’t actually give) before setting up a match between them anyway.

X-Division Title: Eric Young vs. Moose

Young, with the Northern Armory, is challenging and JDC is here with Moose. Young slugs away in the corner to start and does the O Canada standing in the Tree Of Woe. JDC freaks out so much that the referee gets distracted and we reach at least the second verse. Moose is back up with a chokebomb for two and they go outside with Young being whipped hard into the steps.

Back in and Young is fine enough to hit a suicide dive, followed by a high crossbody for two back inside. That doesn’t work for Moose, who runs the corner and hits a spinning high crossbody for two of his own. Moose’s charge into the corner misses though and Young gets two off a piledriver, with JDC putting the foot on the rope. The Armory takes JDC out so Moose gets in a low blow. The spear retains the title at 7:35.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of win that gives Moose something as he beat a former multiple time World Champion and someone who could be seen as a realistic challenger to the title. That being said, it feels like we are on the way to Leon Slater being the one to take the title from Moose and that has been the case for a long time now. Building Moose up on the way there is a smart way to go and this did just that.

Post match Young and the Armory jump and attack a fan in the crowd.

Dani Luna knows what it’s like to lose what you have but just because Spitfire is done doesn’t means she is.

Joe Hendry is disappointed in his loss because things had been going so well but now the title is in the hands of an outside. Elijah is coming for the title now and Hendry is 100% behind him. Frankie Kazarian comes in to mock him for the loss and promises to make it even worse at Against All Odds.

Heather By Elegance/M By Elegance vs. Myla Grace/Harley Hudson

The Personal Concierge is here with BY Elegance. Heather drives Hudson into the corner to start but gets hiptossed down so Hudson can pull on the arm. M comes in and Heather offers a distraction so M can take over. The double arm crank is escaped and Hudson runs her over, allowing Grace to come in. The Facewash hits in the corner with M having to break up the cover. M gets in a cheap shot and it’s a super Spanish Fly into a moonsault to finish Grace at 5:06.

Rating: C+. Well at least it wasn’t Spitfire again. I’m done with trying to find anything interesting in them and By Elegance is more interesting as a modern version of the Beautiful People. Grace and Hudson have some attitude to them, but we’re way too early into their careers for them to be a threat to anyone of note.

Video on Rosemary vs. Xia Brookside. Rosemary has tried to push Brookside to the evil side and now Brookside is a lot more aggressive, which resulted in Rosemary taking a beating. Now it’s Monster’s Ball, complete with the whole “they’re locked away for 24 hours” deal.

Rosemary vs. Xia Brookside

Monster’s Ball, basically meaning hardcore with a bunch of weapons around the ring. Brookside is looking terrified to start and Rosemary uses her cookie sheets to scare Brookside into the corner. Brookside gets in a few shots but takes too long loading up a belt, allowing Rosemary to take it away and give her a whipping. Rosemary loads up a chair in the corner and whips Brookside head first into it for the crash as we take a break.

Back with Rosemary choking on the floor but Brookside finds a hockey stick to take over. Broken Wings to a trashcan against the steps rocks Rosemary and Brookside stomps her head onto said steps. A door is set up in the corner but Rosemary is back with the Upside Down to cut her off. They take turns stapling each other and Brookside plants her on some hockey pucks (because Canada).

A DDT onto the chair gives Brookside two and it’s time to set up four chairs. As usual, that takes too long and Rosemary spears her through the door for two, leaving Rosemary frustrated. Brookside fights up and, after using a trashcan lid to block the mist (that was smart) hits the Brooksie Bomb onto the chairs for the win at 14:14.

Rating: B-. It’s Monsters Ball and that means one simple thing: you know what you’re getting. That has been the case with these matches for a very long time now and it was on full display again here. There isn’t much that makes these things stand out and while I’m very glad Brookside picked up a win, I’m only going to be able to buy her as a big deal when she actually wins some gold, or at least stays in the title picture.

The Rascalz talk about various brother tag teams (like the Mega Powers and T&A) and promise to win the Tag Team Titles.

We look at First Class costing Mike Santana the TNA World Title against Trick Williams this week on NXT.

Elijah sings (and strums) about how Trick Williams has fans singing for him but he’s cracking under the pressure. Williams will find out in TNA why we walk this way.

Lei Ying Li is ready to win the Knockouts Title.

Here is Santino Marella to talk about how he has to beat Robert Stone at Against All Odds to retain his job and get rid of Stone for good. Marella missed a lot of his daughter’s life but then he came here and it reignited his love of wrestling. He’s stepping down as the boss for one day so he can fight for what he believed in. Cue Stone (with Victoria Crawford) to say Marella is a loser instead of a leader and he’s ready to turn this into the Sheriff Stone Show. Marella gets serious and talks about being ready to fight and coming for Stone’s soul. If Marella could drop the goofiness, this story would be so much better.

Masha Slamovich is focused on Lei Ying Li, who is a warrior.

Against All Odds rundown.

Nemeths/Frankie Kazarian vs. Leon Slater/Matt Hardy/Mike Santana

The brawl starts fast with Matt hammering Kazarian into the corner over and over until Slater comes in. Poetry In Motion sets up Santana’s Cannonball to Kazarian but Nic trips Hardy down. The springboard spinning legdrop connects and it’s Hardy in trouble in the corner. The sleeper goes on until Hardy jawbreaks his way to freedom, allowing the tag off to Slater.

Everything breaks down and Slater hits a slingshot dive to take the Nemeths out on the floor. The Danger Zone is countered into a Blue Thunder Bomb for two and Slater drops Nic with a leg lariat. Santana comes in to clean house and a double rolling Buck Fifty gets two on Ryan. The Death Valley Driver connects for the same and we hit the parade of knockdowns. Ryan breaks up the Swanton 450 but walks into Spin The Block to give Santana the pin at 7:10.

Rating: C+. Well, why else was Ryan going to be out there? He exists for the sake of driving people nuts with his MY BIG BROTHER stuff and to take pins. There isn’t much other use for him, and he helped Santana get back on track after his huge loss on NXT. It was a fairly thrown together match, but the fans like all of the good guys so I’ll take it.

Overall Rating: B-. They had a show that didn’t feel important coming in and have turned Against All Odds into something that looks pretty nice. That’s quite the feat for a clear B level show and hopefully they can make the event itself work. The action this week was hit and miss, but they got the big part done and that’s what matters the most.

Results
Indi Hartwell b. Tasha Steelz – Hurts Don’t It
Moose b. Eric Young – Spear
Heath By Elegance/M By Elegance b. Myla Grace/Harley Hudson – Moonsault to Grace
Xia Brookside b. Rosemary – Brooksie Bomb onto chairs
Matt Hardy/Leon Slater/Mike Santana b. Nemeths/Frankie Kazarian – Spin The Block to Ryan

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: St. Joseph Civic Arena, St. Joseph, Missouri
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s a special night for the company as not only do we have the usual Impact Wrestling, but the show will be followed by Unbreakable. That means tonight is a big preview for that show, but it is also one of the last shows before Rebellion. In other words, it’s going to be a packed night and TNA has a lot to cover. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Laredo vs. Jason Hotch

Tasha Steelz is here with Hotch and Laredo is no longer a kid. A wristdrag takes Hotch down but Steelz offers a distraction, allowing Hotch to get in a shot from the floor. Back in and Hotch strikes away but gets sent into the corner. A neckbreaker and missile dropkick have Hotch down on the floor and of course Laredo hits a dive. Laredo nails a twisting senton but gets caught with a Mustafa Ali rolling neckbreaker for two. They go up, where Laredo hits a super powerslam for two more, only to walk into a swinging backbreaker. Hotch goes up again but gets caught in a super Spanish Fly for the pin at 6:06.

Rating: C+. Laredo is a good choice to open the show as he wrestles a nice, fast paced style that works well with anyone. Hotch is talented as well and you could put him in there with Laredo for a fine outing. That’s what we got here, as TNA has a good record of starting off shows well.

Leon Slater is ready for Brian Myers tonight but he still wants to become the youngest X-Division Title.

Cody Deaner is trying to get Santino Marella to extend his contract so he gets an Ultimate X qualifying match.

Jazmyn Nyx vs. Xia Brookside

The rest of Fatal Influence is here with Nyx and Brookside has Lei Ying Lee. Nyx takes her down with a headscissors to start but gets rolled up for some near falls. A running dropkick rocks Nyx again but she kicks Brookside in the chest for two. Brookside gets bulldogged into the corner for one and we hit the chinlock.

Back up and they trade kicks to the head for a double down, followed by a slugout. Nyx hits a leg lariat for two but Brookside is back with a middle rope crossbody for the same. The seconds get into it so here is Rosemary to mist Jacy Jayne. Brookside is confused but manages to small package Nyx for the pin at 7:48.

Rating: C+. Brookside continues to be someone who could do something if she was given the chance, but right now it seems like she might be destined to team with Rosemary and go after the Knockouts Tag Team Titles. That’s not exactly a career breakthrough, but it’s better than sitting around in the midcard loop forever. Fatal Influence are still useful around here as they are NXT stars TNA wrestlers can beat and it’s working well enough.

Ultimate X Qualifying Match: KC Navarro vs. Cody Deaner

Deaner says he has to win to keep his job but Navarro doesn’t want to hear it. He offers Deaner a chance to leave but the people tell Deaner to wrestle. Deaner punches him in the face and they start fast with some right hands in the corner leaving Navarro in trouble. A shot to the face gives Navarro two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and Deaner grabs an airplane spin into a TKO for two. With nothing else working, Navarro whips out a chain and knocks Deaner cold for the pin at 3:56.

Rating: C. For the life of me I do not get the appeal of Deaner. The people’s choice deal is fine enough for someone but could they use it on someone a bit more interesting? Navarro is in a better place at the moment and he’ll be fine in Ultimate X, but right now his bigger appeal is that he’s not Cody Deaner.

Post break Navarro is very fired up about his win and is ready to be X-Division Champion.

We look at Maggie Lee beating Savannah Evans on Xplosion, albeit with some help from the Personal Concierge.

Lee thinks there is a lot going on at the moment but she isn’t changing for anyone.

The Personal Concierge is here with Maggie Lee, who is an official project of Elegance. Therefore, tonight she has a special partner.

Maggie Lee/Heather By Elegance vs. Gigi Dolin/Tatum Paxley

Dolin rolls Lee up to start and gets dropkicked against the ropes for two. Lee fights back but Heather isn’t interested in a tag. Some double teaming has Lee in trouble so the Concierge offers a distraction, allowing an assisted hot shot to drop Dolin for two. A few running shots in the corner get two and Heather chokes away for another near fall. Dolin fights up and brings Paxley back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and the Cemetery Driver finishes Heather at 4:42.

Rating: C. As usual, the Knockouts Title division is rather good but the Knockouts tag division just comes and goes without getting much of anywhere. That’s what we had here as neither the action nor the story are very interesting. The division hasn’t been very interesting in a long time now and this was another example of a match where nothing really changed.

Post break Heather is panicking so here are Meta Four, Spitfire and Gigi Dolin/Tatum Paxley. They all want a title shot, so Heather snaps and says yes to all of them.

We get a special look at the Unbreakable triple threat from 2005. To be fair, it’s so fondly remembered for a reason. We see the last few minutes of the match as well.

AJ Francis is ready to win the International Title.

Joe Hendry and Masha Slamovich are ready for Unbreakable.

Dani Luna vs. Jakara Jackson

Jody Threat and Lash Legend are here too. They fight over a lockup to start with Luna powering out of a headlock and shouldering her down. Legend gets in a cheap shot and that’s good for a quick ejection. Back in and Jackson’s chinlock doesn’t last long as Luna powers her down, setting up the clothesline comeback. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Luna two and Jackson’s tornado DDT gets the same. Luna grabs a quick Luna Landing for the pin at 7:05.

Rating: C. Another match without much to see here and that’s part of the problem with Spitfire. There’s nothing to them that really makes them feel interesting and that has been the case for a long time now. They just don’t do anything that makes them stand out and having them beat guest stars from NXT isn’t changing that reality.

Here is Elijah for a song. Elijah sings about how we walk this way in TNA and how he wants some barbecue after the show. Then he switches to talking and issues an open challenge for Rebellion. My goodness I am sick of open challenges.

Unbreakable rundown.

Ethan page is ready to win the TNA Title at Rebellion because Joe Hendry is banged up and he’s better than Frankie Kazarian.

Leon Slater vs. Brian Myers

Slater starts fast but gets punched in the face to knock him into the corner. A bouncing kick to the face knocks Myers to the floor but it’s too early for the big dive over the post. Instead Myers sends him into the post and we take a break. Back with Myers taking him down again and grabbing a chinlock.

That’s broken up in a hurry and Slater hits a running boot to the face, followed by the Crossover for two. Myers charges into another boot to the face of two but he’s right back with an implant DDT. Slater is back up to send Myers outside for the big running flip dive. That’s too much for Myers so he loads up the System ring, which is taken away, allowing him to hit Slater low. The Roster Cut gives Myers the pin at 11:38.

Rating: C+. Slater continues to be in that weird place where he needs to win something already or all of his athleticism and skills won’t matter very much. If he can’t beat Myers, whose job is pretty much to boost up bigger names, who is he supposed to beat? I’m not sure I get this one as it’s not like anything was on the line, so why not let Slater get a win?

One more Unbreakable rundown wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was ok enough and did a decent job of hyping up Unbreakable, but nothing right now is really grabbing me. Maybe that’s because Rebellion is just over a week away and that’s the really big show, but there is something missing from the last few weeks in TNA. They’re going to need to fix that for their big events, as this was just slightly above a middle of the road show.

Results
Laredo b. Jason Hotch – Super Spanish Fly
Xia Brookside b. Jazmyn Nyx – Small package
KC Navarro b. Cody Deaner – Chain to the head
Gigi Dolin/Tatum Paxley b. Maggie Lee/Heather By Elegance – Cemetery Driver to Heather
Dani Luna b. Jakara Jackson – Luna Landing
Brian Myers b. Leon Slater – Roster Cut

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 6, 2025
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re coming up on Sacrifice and perhaps the biggest story is the invasion/crossover from NXT. There are a variety of stars coming in from the other promotion and getting involved in some high profile stories around here. That should make for some interesting situations and more of them can take place this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, including some clips of TNA stars in NXT.

Elijah vs. Brian Myers

Alisha Edwards is here with Myers. Elijah jumps him to start and they go to the floor in a hurry. Some rams into the apron have Myers in more trouble and a running hip attack makes it even worse. Alisha’s distraction lets Myers grab a belly to back suplex though and she gets in a neck snap across the middle rope too. The chinlock is broken up rather quickly and Elijah hits a running knee. The implant DDT gives Myers two more so here is Eddie Edwards for a distraction. Elijah sends them together though and grabs the Highwayman’s Farewell (Tombstone) for the pin at 5:46.

Rating: C+. Myers is a great choice for someone to make Elijah look good since Elijah is still new around here. That is what we had here, as Elijah is already looking like a player. I’m not sure how far he is going to go, but at least he is off to a nice start by surviving three members of the System at once.

Post match the System comes in for the beatdown but Joe Hendry makes the save with his guitar.

Ace Austin and the Rascalz are ready for the Northern Armory tonight. They might not have the best history but their future is looking good.

It’s time for the First Class Penthouse and they have a special guest in the prizefighter: KO! As in KC Navarro! Cue Steve Maclin to tell them to shut up, with AJ Francis saying they can fight in thirty minutes.

Savannah Evans vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside strikes away to start and gets nowhere, instead getting smart by kicking out the leg. Rosemary is watching from the rafters as Evans takes over. Brookside gets sent hard into the corner and the chinlock goes on. Back up and Brookside sends her into the corner, setting up a high crossbody for two. Evans misses a charge into the corner and bangs up her knee, which has Brookside talking to the referee. The distraction lets Evans hit a hard clothesline to the back of the head for the pin at 5:15.

Rating: C. Evans is a powerhouse but she’s not a particularly interesting powerhouse. She’s just kind of there and there isn’t much for her to do at the moment so soon after losing to Masha Slamovich. Brookside is rather perky and can do some nice things in the ring, but it isn’t going to matter if she keeps losing like this.

Spitfire has given By Elegance a makeover, which isn’t to their liking. Don’t worry though as Spitfire has the perfect travel meals for them, which doesn’t sit well with By Elegance. The Personal Concierge watching from the distance in tears is a great touch.

John Skyler vs. Mike Santana

Jason Hotch is here with Skyler, who says he is here on behalf of Mustafa Ali. Skyler hammers away to start but is quickly caught in Three Amigos. A Cannonball into a sitout powerbomb finishes for Santana at 1:31.

Post match Hotch tries to come in but gets caught with Spin The Block. Mustafa Ali pops up on screen and says that Santana has been randomly selected for a urine test. I think you know where this one is going.

AJ Francis vs. Steve Maclin

KC Navarro is here with Francis. Maclin wastes no time by hammering away in the corner but Francis is too big for the Angle Slam. Instead Maclin goes up but Navarro’s distraction lets Francis slam him off the top. A running knee in the corner rocks Maclin again, only for him to tie Francis in the Tree Of Woe. The running spear gets two, as does Francis’ spear. Cue the Northern Armory as Maclin sends him outside for a Scud. Back in and Navarro offers another distraction, allowing Francis to hit a rather big Down Payment for the win at 4:13.

Rating: C. Well they certainly didn’t have Maclin go down easily as it took four people to put him away. That’s what it should be with Maclin against someone on Francis’ level and it made for a good enough story. I’m not sure what First Class is doing, but Eric Young and company against Maclin is only so interesting.

Earlier this week, Ryan Nemeth said he was going to be on Joe Hendry’s team at Sacrifice but Matt Hardy called Nic Nemeth to say not so fast. Ryan got annoyed and left.

Steve Maclin yells at Eric Young, who says they’re doing this for Maclin. Good grief enough of this Eric Young philosophical stuff. Maclin storms off and runs into Frankie Kazarian, who is enjoying what is happening to Maclin lately.

We look at the Hardys vs. Fraxiom being set up on NXT for NXT.

Also on NXT, Moose said his match with Oba Femi next week at NXT will be the biggest match of his career.

Here is NXT Champion Oba Femi for a face to face chat with Moose, with the System and a bunch of security. Femi wants to know what is up with the security, but he also wonders why Moose waited so long to come see him. Moose says he was just waiting for the right time to cross the line. Femi praises Moose, who agrees with what Femi says. Femi is ready to fight so JDC tells the security that the first person to jump Femi is in the System. The entire team jumps him at once so Femi clears them out, only to get speared by Moose. This is going to be two big men hitting each other really hard and it should be a great time.

Fraxiom is ready to prove themselves to the Hardys.

Northern Armory vs. Ace Austin/Rascalz

Austin takes Icarus down to start and hits a quick spinning middle rope crossbody for an early two. Williams comes in as commentary recaps how the Northern Armory got here. Miguel comes in and the Rascalz hit stereo suicide dives but Icarus grabs Wentz’s leg, allowing Young to get in a cheap shot. Wentz fights up but his partners are pulled to the floor to keep him in trouble.

As you might have expected, the comeback doesn’t take long and it’s back to Austin to pick up the pace. Young slams Austin down but misses a moonsault (because Eric Young can now do moonsaults), allowing Miguel to come in and clean house. The Rascalz start using some Motor City Machine Guns double teaming until Young manages a Death Valley Driver. Cue Wes Lee and company for a distraction though, allowing Young to hit a piledriver on Wentz for the pin at 9:46.

Rating: B-. Perfectly fine six man tag here with the Northern Armory getting built up a bit with Young vs. Steve Maclin likely on the horizon. The match was mostly action based and the interference at the end made sense and protected the good guys in the loss. That’s a nice way to go and it’s nice to see a perfectly well put together match like this one.

Mike Santana yells at Santino Marella about having to take a urine test. At the same time, Tasha Steelz yells about Mustafa Ali’s coffee not being right. The payoff here is so obvious that Santana smiles at the camera.

Spitfire tortures By Elegance in a training session but the Personal Concierge, disguised as a janitor, makes the save.

Here is Masha Slamovich for a chat. She’s ready to go to war with Cora Jade at Sacrifice so cue Jade to say she’ll win. Slamovich mocks her but here is Tessa Blanchard to jump Slamovich from behind. Lei Ying Lee makes the save.

Mustafa Ali is told that Mike Santana passed his drug test….but his coffee is terrible. Comedy ensues.

Ryan Nemeth says that Nic Nemeth will still be back at Sacrifice.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Hardys vs. Colons

Non-title. Matt backs Orlando into the corner to start and works on the arm before it’s already off to Jeff. We take an early break and come back with Matt missing a charge into the corner. Orlando comes back in and drops Matt for two, setting up a legsweep for two. Eddie works on the arm but gets sent into the corner, allowing the tag off to Jeff. Everything breaks down and the Plot Twist connects…but the System runs in to jump the Hardys for the DQ at 4:49.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to this one as it was more about the angle at the end rather than the match. That’s a fine way to go, as the ten man tag very well might be headlining Sacrifice at this rate. At the same time, the Colons are the latest definition of “I guess they’re here too”, which isn’t exactly glowing praise. There isn’t much for them to do other than put over better teams, but it’s also not exactly fun to see them show up.

Post match the beatdown is on but Elijah, Joe Hendry and Leon Slater make the save. Santino Marella comes out to make the ten man tag match a cage match as well. That’s going to be crowded.

Overall Rating: C+. This felt like a bit of a step back from recent weeks without much worth seeing. The best match was just pretty good and the Santana/Ali angle felt like bad comedy with a payoff so obvious that they were practically winking at the camera. They did add some stuff to the pay per view and built things up a bit, but it’s not a show you need to see in the slightest.

Results
Elijah b. Brian Myers – Highwayman’s Farewell
Savannah Evans b. Xia Brookside – Clothesline to the back of the head
Mike Santana b. John Skyler – Sitout powerbomb
AJ Francis b. Steve Maclin – Down Payment
Northern Armory b. Ace Austin/Rascalz – Piledriver to Wentz
Hardys b. Colons via DQ when the System interfered

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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Impact Wrestling
Date: October 24, 2024
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re two days away from Bound For Glory and the show is pretty much set. There are still some matches that could use a final push towards the show though and that is what we will be seeing here. Other than that, there is still the chance that we could be seeing something added to the show at the last minute so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Jake Something vs. Frankie Kazarian vs. AJ Francis vs. Sami Callihan vs. Laredo Kid vs. Jason Hotch

One fall to a finish, the winner is #20 in the Call Your Shot gauntlet match and the person who loses the fall is #1. Kazarian wants his special introduction but gets dropkicked outside for his efforts. Kid and Hotch are left in the ring with Kid flipping him around. Something comes back in but Francis knocks him down to take over.

Francis teases the dive but stops instead, only for Callihan to take him out. Kid breaks up Callihan’s dive so Callihan throws him onto the pile and a triplebomb puts Francis down for two back inside. Hotch hits a tornado DDT on Something but Kazarian is back in with the slingshot cutter for two. Callihan Stunners Something and hits the Cactus Driver 97 on Kazarian…but Francis steals the pin on Kazarian at 6:57.

Rating: C+. What do you want from something like this? It’s supposed to be a random scramble match with one person stealing the pin. That’s exactly what we got here with the people getting in their stuff until Francis stole the pin. Francis makes sense, though Kazarian being there at the beginning and already having a spot at the end of the pay per view in the World Title match is scary.

Jonathan Gresham is ready to prove he’s the best in the world and he’ll start against Josh Alexander.

Mike Santana is walking through his childhood neighborhood and talks about how tough they made him. He’s ready for Moose.

It’s time for a launch party, with Ash By Elegance and the Personal Concierge coming out around a champagne and punch table. We meet the new Heather Reckless, who looks quite a bit like Ash. Fans: “BASIC WHITE GIRL!” The women toast the champagne but here is Xia Brookside to say the excitement is almost as fake as the two of them. She doesn’t like what they did to Brinley Reece so here is Reece to help send the women into the beverages.

Josh Alexander vs. Jonathan Gresham

The Northern Armory is here with Alexander. They take their time to start before grappling to a standoff. Alexander works on the arm and Gresham can’t quite flip his way to freedom. An armdrag to the floor works a bit better and Gresham posts him for a bonus as we take an early break.

Back with Alexander getting in some cocky kicks to the head but Gresham scores with an enziguri. A springboard armdrag sends Alexander outside, setting up four straight dives, followed by a middle rope moonsault. Back in and Gresham slips on a springboard, setting up an exchange of rollups for two each. The C4 Spike is blocked so Alexander settles for an ankle lock. That’s broken up as well so Alexander grabs something from his headgear and knocks Gresham silly. The C4 Spike finishes Gresham off at 12:48.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match that boosts Alexander up on his way to a big showdown at Bound For Glory. Gresham has enough status left over from his time in Ring Of Honor and he’s not going to be hurt by losing to a multiple time World Champion. The action was good enough too and that’s all it should have been.

Post match the beatdown is on so Steve Maclin runs in with a chair for the save, only to get beaten down. The villains zip tie him to the ropes but some wrestlers run in to cut off a big chair shot to the head.

Mike Santana is still in New York and still from the streets. He was on the way to jail or the morgue but he got in the ring instead. These vignettes have been great.

Wendy Choo vs. Jody Threat

Rosemary is here with Choo. They go with some grappling to start before heading out to the floor. Choo gets in a posting to take over and Threat is slammed off the top back inside to make it worse. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Threat comes up for the double clothesline. Threat’s German suplex and clothesline get two but Rosemary gets on the apron for a distraction. The half nelson slam finishes for Choo at 7:04.

Rating: C. Rather to the point here as we have a match that helps set up a less than interesting showdown on Saturday. Choo and Rosemary as the creepy team is better than nothing as challengers for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles but it’s still only so good. Thankfully they didn’t waste time here and got to the point, even with Dani Luna not here for some reason.

The System is ready to win their matches at Bound For Glory.

Bound For Glory rundown.

The System vs. Hardys/ABC

ABC clears Moose out to start and the rest of the System is sent outside as we take a break. Back with Jeff slugging away at JDC and suplexing Edwards. Myers comes in for a cheap shot though and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and it’s Matt coming in to clean quite a bit of house.

It’s of to Bey, who gets distracted by Alisha Edwards, meaning a four way stomping can ensue on the floor as we take another break. Back again with Myers suplexing Bey for two but the Roster Cut is blocked. Austin comes back in to pick up the pace and we hit the parade of finishers. The 1-2-Sweet finishes JDC at 12:09.

Rating: C+. This was a way to get everyone in the ring before the three way tag match on Saturday, with JDC being the designated jobber. I’m still expecting the Hardys to take the titles in the “feel good” moment at Bound For Glory, but ABC getting the titles back is certainly not out of the question. For now though, a nice preview and that’s all it needed to be.

Post match the villains take out the winners, with Mike Santana’s save attempt not exactly working.

Santino Marella is here to moderate the contract signings for the Knockouts and World Title matches. After all four come to the ring, Slamovich says she’s said everything there is to say and promises to win the title. Slamovich signs and Grace says we know how this will go. Nothing will change from their first match and she signs.

That leaves Hendry, who talks about playing a lawyer the first night he saw Nemeth. That night, no one knew his name but everything has changed, because now they are chanting his name. On Saturday, they will be chanting WE BELIEVE and he signs. Nemeth wants Hendry focused on Bound For Glory, because he doesn’t plan on losing. He signs as well, leaving Marella stunned that this worked, but cue Frankie Kazarian to interrupt.

Kazarian went to the Earl Hebner Referee Academy and went over Marella’s head to get the referee spot. Marella means nothing at Bound for Glory because he is the law. Nemeth drops Kazarian and it’s a Cobra to put him down again. Everyone but Santino puts him through the table, setting up the four way staredown to end the show. Kazarian is going to be a factor, but him being in the Call Your Shot and still being there in the end needs to be a red herring, as another cash in title change to end the show would be terrible.

Overall Rating: C+. This was one of those shows that is always hard to pull off, as the show was all but set and they only had to put on the finishing touches. The good thing is they did a nice job of reinforcing what was already set up and didn’t make me lose any interest in the pay per view. Saturday is what matters the most though and now we should be ready for the big show.

Results
AJ Francis b. Jake Something, Frankie Kazarian, Sami Callihan, Laredo Kid and Jason Hotch – Cactus 97 Driver to Kazarian
Josh Alexander b. Jonathan Gresham – C4 Spike
Wendy Choo b. Jody Threat – Half nelson slam
ABC/Hardys b. The System – 1-2-Sweet to JDC

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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AND

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Emergence 2024
Date: August 30, 2024
Location: Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, Louisville, Kentucky
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re back on TNA+ with another special and in this case we have a stacked card. Granted it’s not stacked that high as there are only about five matches on the main show, mainly due to the main event being a sixty minute Iron Man match as Nic Nemeth defends the World Title against Josh Alexander. Other than that, Ultimate X is back for the X-Division Title. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Frankie Kazarian vs. Kushida

Kazarian begs off to start and yes we have to pause for his official introduction as the King Of TNA. Kushida doesn’t care for that and sends him outside, setting up the knee off the apron. A Shotei palm strike gets two on Kazarian and Kushida starts in on his arm. Back up and Kazarian elbows him in the face, allowing him to do his own Time Splitters post. A powerslam into the springboard spinning legdrop gives Kazarian two more and he sends Kushida into the buckle to cut off the comeback attempt.

The chinlock goes on but Kushida fights up and sends him into the buckle buckle to even things up. The basement dropkick staggers Kazarian again but Kushida has to slip out of a chickenwing attempt. Back up and the handspring elbow is pulled into the chickenwing, which is broken up again. Kushida hits him in the face and a flipping kick to the head connects on top. A dive to the floor sets up a cross armbreaker on Kazarian but the referee breaks it up because of the whole outside deal. That lets Kazarian kick the rope for a low blow on the way back in though and Fade To Black finishes Kushida off at 9:56.

Rating: B-. There is a very simple concept of “let talented wrestlers have a match” and that’s what they did here. Neither of these two feel like they are going to be in the World Title picture anytime soon, but they are both more than capable of doing something like this. Good stuff here and a fine choice to warm the crowd up.

Kickoff Show: Digital Media Title/International Heavyweight Wrestling Title: Shera vs. PCO

PCO, with Steph de Lander, is defending and Shera is replacing an injured Matt Cardona. They start fast with PCO beating him up around ringside but Shera gets in a shot of his own. Shera yells at de Lander and they go inside where Shera hits a spinning spinebuster for two. More yelling at de Lander just fires PCO up though and he hits a DDT out of the corner. Shera rolls outside so there’s the big dive to take him down again. The DeAnimator connects as commentary tries to figure out what kind of strange things PCO and de Lander do together. The PCOsault retains the titles at 6:02.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here but this wasn’t the match advertised anyway. Cardona not being here took away any heat that it might have had and thankfully they didn’t treat Shera as anything more than a glorified workout for PCO. The big story will be the Cardona vs. PCO match, likely at Bound For Glory, so this was just a quick stop on the way there.

And now, the show proper.

The opening video looks at the major matches and talks about how it isn’t about where you start, but where you emerge, while looking at the show’s major matches.

X-Division Title: Riley Osborne vs. Zachary Wentz vs. Laredo Kid vs. Jason Hotch vs. Hammerstone vs. Mike Bailey

Ultimate X, meaning you win by pulling down the title and with your feet hitting the mat while holding the belt (meaning shenanigans can ensue after the title comes down) and Bailey is defending. For those unfamiliar, Osborne is from NXT. Hotch makes an early climb attempt and gets nowhere, leaving Hammerstone to wreck some people. Kid is tossed at Hammerstone for a hurricanrana to the floor as commentary points out how hard it is to get the title. Hotch hits a big dive to the floor and the fans are impressed to start.

Back in and Bailey kicks away at Hammerstone, who runs him over without much effort. Hammerstone cuts off a dive to the floor, leaving Kid and Hotch to slug it out on the apron. Something like a Tower Of Doom onto Hammerstone leaves just about everyone down. Back in and Wentz hits a super cutter on Osborn and everyone is down again. A bunch of people go up the structure but Bailey moonsaults off onto a bunch of people. Wentz makes the first serious attempt at the belt but is joined by everyone but Bailey.

Hammerstone kicks the rest of them down, only to be pulled off the cables just in time. We hit the parade of strikes to the face until Kid goes up, with Hammerstone gorilla pressing him down onto the pile at ringside. Hotch cuts Hammerstone off with a torture rack bomb but gets taken down by Kid. Osborne goes up and shooting stars down onto a bunch of people before they can pull him down. Bailey hits the Ultimate Weapon to Osborne before going up on the cables with Wentz. They kick it out and Wentz actually kicks him down to win the title at 10:25.

Rating: B. Points for a surprise finish there as I would not have bet on a title change here. There is a good chance that this sets up Wentz’s match with Wes Lee at No Mercy as a title match and that could go in a variety of directions. For now though, heck of a match here with some big time spots and Hammerstone looking like a monster despite not winning. You kind of know what you’re getting with this match and that’s ok, as it wound up being a pretty cool spectacle, as usual.

Josh Alexander says he is the standard of the main event and the Iron Man match is his thing. He’s going to show Nic Nemeth that he doesn’t belong here because the title is all he needs. Tonight, he has Nemeth for sixty minutes and after this, Nemeth will be lucky to be alive. Rather fired up promo here.

Eric Young vs. Steve Maclin

They stare at each other to start and fight over a lockup, which goes nowhere. After some more staring, Young starts slugging away in the corner until Maclin reverses into an Angle Slam. Young does his slide between the legs into a sunset flip for two though before knocking Maclin down. The moonsault is broken up and Young winds up in the Tree of Woe, meaning the running shoulder to the ribs can connect for two. It works so well that Maclin does it again for two before hammering away.

Back up and they hit stereo crossbodies for the double knockdown. Young sticks out his chin so Maclin can hit him…which is exactly what Maclin does. That just makes Young happy and he punches the chin that Maclin sticks out at him. Maclin knees him outside but the Scud only hits floor. Back in and Young’s top rope elbow gets two, followed by a piledriver (after a struggle) for the same. Another piledriver is loaded up but Maclin reverses into a rollup for the pin at 9:54. Even commentary points out how sudden it was.

Rating: B-. Neither of these two have much going on but Maclin has more of an upside out of the two. Maclin needed a nice win to boost himself up a bit and beating a former multiple time World Champion is a good way to go. Much like the opener, this wasn’t going to steal the show but there are far worse things that could be added to a card.

Post match Young offers and receives a handshake.

Nic Nemeth knows what Josh Alexander can do and Alexander has had the only sixty minute Iron Man match in TNA. He knows what Alexander can do but Nemeth can get up and kick him in the mouth to come out on top, like he always does.

Jordynne Grace/Spitfire vs. Alisha Edwards/Masha Slamovich/Ash By Elegance

It’s a brawl to start and Threat hits a big flip dive to the floor to take out the villains. Luna hits a dive of her own and Grace teases one…but we pause because Alisha is apparently banged up. Grace takes Ash inside for a cover but the referee is with Alisha. Tommy Dreamer and medics check on Alisha who is still down as Threat clotheslines Ash in the corner and hits an exploder suplex for two. Dreamer carries Alisha to the back (for some nice applause) and an assisted powerbomb gets two on Ash.

Luna gets caught in the wrong corner but suplexes her way to freedom, allowing the tag off to Grace to clean house. Threat hits a running crotch attack to the back of Slamovich in the ropes but Ash cuts her off again. Rarefied Air misses though and Pop Shove It gives Threat the pin on Ash at 7:54. Alisha did not appear again after being taken out.

Rating: C+. This is on a completely sliding scale as they were likely having to make a lot of that up on the fly. There was only so much that could be done if that was a legitimate injury and doing a match 3-2 in favor of the heroes is only going to get so far in the first place. They did what they could here and hopefully Alisha is ok.

Tag Team Titles: ABC vs. First Class

First Class (AJ Francis and KC Navarro, the latter of whom is replacing a suspended Rich Swann) is challenging. The much taller Francis offers Austin a test of strength to start, earning himself a slap to the face. Bey comes in and kicks Francis in the head but has to escape the Down Payment. Navarro gets in a cheap shot from behind though and Francis scores with a big boot to take over. A trip sends Bey throat first into the ropes but he grabs a heck of a back breaker and a hecker of a clothesline for two.

Austin comes in for a chop in the corner as Rehwoldt gets on the fans for only knowing ABC instead of the rest of the alphabet. A quick distraction lets Navarro take Austin down though and another kick puts Bey down so the villains can take over. Francis comes in for a YOU CAN’T WRESTLE chant, which has Rehwoldt going on about the Kentucky public education system (as a product of that system, I would say Rehwoldt can keep talking). Bey kicks his way to freedom and it’s off to Austin to pick up the pace on Navarro.

A brainbuster drops Navarro but a fireman’s carry to Francis is just a bad idea. The second attempt works a bit better as Francis is planted with an AA, leaving Austin to drop Navarro for two of his own. A belly to back suplex/top rope clothesline combination connects on Navarro but Francis is back in with a double suplex. The Down Payment connects on Bey but Francis isn’t legal so there is no count. Austin grabs the Fold and a small package to Navarro gives Bey the pin at 11:41.

Rating: B-. For a match that was thrown together on the show earlier in the night, this could have been a lot worse and I had a good time with what we got. ABC doesn’t really have a top team coming for the titles right now and since the regular First Class was unavailable, this was about as good as it could have gone. Nice match here and another good addition to the card.

We recap the System vs. the Hardys/Mike Santana/Joe Hendry, which is the top heel stable vs. the plucky team of opponents, all of whom are sick of the villains.

The System/JDC vs. Joe Hendry/Mike Santana/Hardys

Hendry’s special entrance talks about how he believes in the Hardys, which leads to Hendry doing the DELETE pose. Santana and Moose start things off but Moose hands it off to JDC instead. That’s fine with Santana, who knocks JDC into the corner and then into the buckle. Santana drops him again and asks who wants the Hardys. Matt comes in for a running corner clothesline and lets Santana play Jeff for Poetry In Motion.

The real Jeff gets to play Jeff as well but JDC gets in a shot to Matt and Eddie comes in to hammer away in the corner. That’s broken up and it’s back to Jeff as everything breaks down, meaning it’s a big group suplex to take the System down. The Hardys and Hendry all do Hendry’s pose and the fans start to sing. We settle down to Santana in the wrong corner but avoiding Moose’s charge, allowing Santana to hit a middle rope double dropkick.

JDC gets tossed over the top and onto the pile, setting up Santana’s big dive. All eight get inside to brawl at once but Matt’s Twist of Fate is broken up. Not that it matters as it’s already back to Jeff as everything breaks down again. Jeff hits the Twist of Fate on Myers but JDC breaks up the Swanton. That lets Eddie come in and hammer away before Moose grabs a chinlock. JDC’s hard whip into the corner gets two on Jeff, with the fans singing about how THEY BELIEVE IN JEFF HARDY.

Moose gets caught in the Twisting Stunner though and that’s enough for the tag off to Hendry. Eddie’s middle rope crossbody misses (almost Samoa Joe style) and Myers spears JDC by mistake. Moose tries a top rope cutter but Hendry walks away instead, setting off more singing. A pop up powerbomb gets two on Myers but Eddie and Hendry clothesline each other. Santana hits Spin The Block on Moose, setting off the parade of finishers. Moose pulls Matt off the cover from the Twist of Fate, earning himself one on the floor. Eddie kicks Matt low back inside and the Boston Knee Party finishes at 19:17.

Rating: B-. This was one of the bigger matches of the night and it wound up going well enough. That matters here is the System gets a little momentum back and now it’s time to get them into their big matches at Bound For Glory. Odds are you’ll be seeing Santana vs. Moose and Eddie/Myers vs. the Hardys, but I have no idea how you could put Hendry in anything but a main event spot. There is still time for that though, and this match helped set up a few things for the future.

Impact preview.

We recap Nic Nemeth defending the World Title against Josh Alexander in a sixty minute Iron Man match. They went to a time limit draw in a thirty minute match so let’s do it again here, with sudden death an option if necessary.

TNA World Title: Nic Nemeth vs. Josh Alexander

Nemeth is defending in a sixty minute Iron Man match. They go with the grappling to start with Nemeth grabbing something like an abdominal stretch. That’s reversed into a front facelock, with Nemeth going straight to the ropes. They go to the mat for more grappling with Alexander having to bail into the corner.

Alexander throws him down so Nemeth reverses into a cradle for two before Alexander grabs a headlock. With that going nowhere, they get up again and the grappling continues with Alexander getting a standing armbar. Alexander takes him to the mat in a hammerlock, with Nemeth reversing into a cradle for two.

With that broken up, Alexander grabs a headlock as the fans are split here. Back up and Nemeth tries a dropkick, which is countered into the ankle lock to send Nemeth straight to the ropes. The headlock goes on again so the fans entertain themselves with an I BELIEVE IN NIC NEMETH chant. Back up and Alexander tries the ankle lock but Nemeth reverses into a cradle for the pin at 12:21.

Nemeth – 1
Alexander – 0

Alexander knocks him down again as they’re certainly not in a hurry here. A whip into the buckle makes it even worse for Nemeth and there’s a German suplex to send him flying, with a turnbuckle pad coming off at the same time. The chinlock with a knee in the back keeps Nemeth down before Alexander sends him chest first into the corner. A rather delayed vertical suplex drops Nemeth again but he grabs a rollup for two and a breather.

They go outside with Alexander slowly slugging away, though being smart enough to break the count at the same time. Nemeth sends him shoulder first into the steps, followed by the right hands in the corner. A top rope elbow connects but Alexander rolls him up for two. The C4 Spike is blocked and they trade rollups for two each until Nemeth hits a Fameasser for two more. The Danger Zone is loaded up but Alexander slips out, only to get Danger Zoned for the pin at 24:30.

Nemeth – 2
Alexander – 0

Nemeth sends him into the corner and slowly stomps away, setting up the jumping elbow for two. The armbar is countered into Alexander’s ankle lock but Nemeth breaks out rather quickly. Nemeth knocks him to the apron as they finally put the clock back up, because a countdown clock is too much to ask for in a match based on time. The clock goes away again with about 30:00 to go and Alexander cranks on the leg.

Alexander rolls some German suplexes, getting all the way into double digits, before slowing down to mock the fans. Nemeth uses the breather and rolls some German suplexes of his own before letting go, allowing Alexander to grab his own German suplex. A double knockdown leaves them both laying and some more time gets burned off. They get up at nine and Nemeth headbutts him so hard the headgear comes off. Alexander gets the ankle lock for a good while and adds the grapevine but Nemeth crawls over to the rope.

Alexander slowly kicks at the ankle and cranks on it some more as this is dragging horribly. Back up and Nemeth tries the running DDT but gets shoved into the referee with 20:00 to go. Alexander drops the referee and it’s time to load up a table. The C4 Spike onto the apron is countered with a scary looking backdrop to the floor but Alexander is back with a spinning Tombstone for two. Alexander grabs a chair but the referee takes it away, allowing Alexander to break off a piece of his knee brace to knock Nemeth cold. The C4 Spike finishes Nemeth at 43:52.

Nemeth – 2
Alexander – 1

Another C4 Spike ties it at 44:35.

Nemeth – 2
Alexander – 2

Alexander covers what’s left of Nemeth for two as we have less than 15:00 to go. Nemeth is back up with a sleeper and jumps on Alexander’s back, with the two of them falling out to the floor for a crash. They both get back in and then fall outside again, with Alexander hitting a toss powerbomb to knock Nemeth silly again. Nemeth beats the count back in and counters a C4 Spike with a backdrop over the top and through the table (which Nemeth didn’t know was there).

Alexander is down on the floor as we have 10:00 left. He count is beaten and Alexander hits a quick C4 Spike for….two, as Nemeth gets his foot on the rope. They strike it out on the floor until Nemeth grabs the running DDT back inside for two. They go up top with Alexander knocking him back down as we have 6:00 left. Nemeth’s top rope superplex sends both of them crashing down and a very delayed cover gets two on Alexander as we have five minutes left. Fans: “FIVE MORE MINUTES!”

Nemeth hits a superkick for two more and Alexander’s straps are down. A release German suplex sends Nemeth flying as we have 3:00 left. Alexander lawn darts him into the exposed buckle and grabs what is supposed to be Danger Zone for two, because Nemeth is freaking Superman in this thing. Another C4 Spike is escaped with 1:00 left and Nemeth hits the Danger Zone. Nemeth is back up with his own C4 Spike for the lead at 59:39.

Nemeth – 3
Alexander – 2

And time expires as Nemeth retains at 60:00.

Rating: C-. Oh sweet goodness what was that? This wasn’t a bad match but rather all kinds of boring save for a few nice spots here and there. I never once felt like Nemeth was in any danger of losing the title (he never even trailed) and some of the kickouts and near falls were just ridiculous.

It’s ok to give up a fall to a multiple time World Champion in an Iron Man match, as Nemeth was only really giving anything up for about five minutes out of the hour. I was losing interest about twenty minutes in and it just kept going. This absolutely should have been thirty minutes max, but instead we got this mess. Really dull stuff and a big disappointment.

And then John Bradshaw Layfield shows up. He whispers something to Nemeth, who nods, as JBL leaves. Nemeth celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Shows with a huge main event like this are always going to be weird because one match takes up so much of the match time. Unfortunately in this case that one match was not exactly great, but the rest of the show was more than good enough to balance a lot of it out. It’s not a show that lived up to its hype, but as a show included with TNA+, it could have been worse. Just fix the main event and the show leaps up in quality, but that was a really lame way to spend a third of the show.

Results
Frankie Kazarian b. Kushida – Fade To Black
PCO b. Shera – PCOsault
Zachary Wentz won Ultimate X
Steve Maclin b. Eric Young – Piledriver
Jordynne Grace/Spitfire b. Alisha Edwards/Masha Slamovich/Ash By Elegance – Pop Shove It to Ash
ABC b. First Class – Small package to Navarro
The System/JDC b. Hardys/Joe Henry/Mike Santana – Boston Knee Party to Matt
Nic Nemeth b. Josh Alexander 3-2

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Impact Wrestling
Date: August 15, 2024
Location: Florida State Fairgrounds, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re getting closer and closer to Emergence but we have a pretty major title match this week. In the main event this time around, Nic Nemeth defends the World Title against Josh Alexander in another title match that feels like it should have been built up as a bigger deal. Other than that, PCO is going to want revenge on Matt Cardona for ruining his honeymoon last week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Chris Bey vs. Riley Osborne vs. John Skyler

Ultimate X Qualifying Match and Osborne is a British high flier from NXT. Hold on though as Frankie Kazarian comes out to join commentary. Skyler drops to the floor to start so Bey is right there to drop him with a dive. Back in and Osborne grabs a running hurricanrana on Bey but gets jumped by the returning Skyler.

A Boston crab has Osborne in trouble so Bey makes the save this time around. Bey is sent outside, leaving Osborne to Falcon Arrow Skyler for two. Back in and the Art of Finesse takes Osborne down but Skyler sends Bey into the post, only to get crucifixed to give Osborne two more. Osborne is right back up with a shooting star press to finish Skyler at 5:59.

Rating: B-. This was pretty much the definition of “it was fun while it lasted” but how much can you get out of a match that only runs about six minutes? It’s nice to see someone from NXT getting into a match like Ultimate X as you can throw him in there without needing him to take a loss to avoid making him champion. Nice match and as usual, the X-Division makes for a good opener.

Nic Nemeth arrived earlier today and promised to leave as World Champion.

Here is Santino Marella, who calls out Matt Cardona for a chat. Marella calls Cardona a wedding crasher but Cardona says Marella has no authority because Cardona doesn’t work here. Marella offers him a contract and threatens to prosecute him for attacking PCO last week. Cardona takes the contract and says he’ll look into it, which Marella calls a win.

Eric Young interrupts Frankie Kazarian and tells him he’ll never forget what Kazarian did. Steve Maclin comes in and yells at both of them, with Kazarian leaving.

Post break, Maclin (elsewhere from where he was before the break), says Young is his first step back to the World Title.

Tasha Steelz vs. Gisele Shaw

Shaw charges into an uppercut in the corner to start and gets sent outside for another shot to the face. Steelz grabs what looked like a wrench, which is taken away, leaving her to run Shaw over for two instead. Shaw is back with a spinebuster and Shock and Awe connects for two. The running knee is countered with a superkick and Steelz’s Codebreaker gets two more. A rollup with feet on the ropes gets caught though, allowing Shaw to hit the running knee for the pin at 4:45.

Rating: C. They were rushing through things here due to the lack of time but Shaw getting a win to even the score helps her a lot. It still seems like Shaw vs. Gail Kim is a possibility for Bound For Glory, but at some point it needs to be Shaw winning a title. She has been around long enough that she needs to win something and that has gotten so close so many times now it has to happen.

Mike Santana has been attacked, with the System and the System standing over him.

We look at Joe Hendry getting put into a #1 contenders match for the NXT Title.

Here are the System and JDC for a chat. Alisha Edwards says Mike Santana is out of his match with Moose tonight….but here is a banged up Santana in the crowd. Santana decks some of the team and gets inside, saying ring the bell.

Mike Santana vs. Moose

The rest of the System and JDC are here too. Moose jumps him to start but Santana forearms his way out of trouble. A hard whip into the corner drops Santana again and Moose fires off some elbows. The release Rock Bottom onto the apron puts Santana down again and we take a break. Back with Santana down on the floor following a posting but he manages to beat the count. Moose whips him into the corner again and stops for some posing, only for Santana to tell say bring it.

Santana fights up and hits a middle rope dropkick but Moose kicks him in the face to cut off the comeback. A rolling cutter drops Moose and a Cannonball in the corner gives Santana two. Spin The Block connects but Santana can’t cover due to his banged up shoulder (from the posting earlier), allowing Moose to roll outside. Moose goes after the arm again and hits the spear for the pin at 11:26.

Rating: B-. There is a good chance that Santana is going to need some help to fight back against the System, as he feels like a bit enough name to go after the team but there is only so much he can do on his own. I’m not sure I would have had Santana lose again but at least he had the arm injury and the numbers game to hold him off. For now though, Santana looked good in defeat, though that shouldn’t be happening too often.

Post match the System goes after Santana but Joe Hendry runs in with a chair for the save. Hendry announces that next week, it’s Moose/JDC vs. the Hardys.

Spitfire wants another shot at the Knockouts Tag Team Titles.

We look back at Ash By Elegance ruining Jordynne Grace vs. Rosemary last week.

Grace expected Ash to take her loss and move on, which was a mistake. If Ash wants another fight, she can get one.

Ace Austin vs. Rich Swann vs. Jason Hotch

Ultimate X Qualifying Match and Top Dolla is on commentary. They trade headscissors to start until Hotch is sent outside. That leaves Swann to stomp on Austin until Hotch is back in for the save. Back up and Swann kicks Hotch in the back for two, leaving Austin to make the save for a change. Austin’s sunset flip makes Hotch German suplex Swann, who flips out to stick the landing but gets rolled up for two more.

Austin superkicks Hotch into a German suplex before planting Swann for another near fall. They go outside where Swann is sent into Doll, who drops Austin onto the apron. Cue Chris Bey to take out Dolla, leaving Austin to kick Hotch down. Cue John Skyler for a distraction though, allowing Hotch to grab a rollup for the pin on Austin at 6:05.

Rating: B-. Like the opener, they didn’t have much time to make this work, especially with so much going on other than the action itself. There were two people getting involved in a three person match, which is quite a bit in a match that was only about six minutes. I do like the surprise ending, as it would have seemed Hotch was there to take the fall, but they went the other way instead. Nice stuff, especially given the situation.

Matt Cardona agrees to sign the contract but wants a six person tag with two mystery partners vs. PCO/Rhino/Xia Brookside. Works for Marella, as long as Cardona faces PCO one on one at Emergence. Cardona signs.

TNA World Champion: Nic Nemeth vs. Josh Alexander

Nemeth is defending. Alexander wrestles him down to start and tells Nemeth to bring it. That’s fine with Nemeth, who takes him to the mat and works on the arm. Alexander bails out to the floor and we take an early break. Back with Nemeth getting two off a rollup but getting riven back into the corner. Some forearms to the back have Nemeth down again and Alexander offers some applause.

Nemeth gets forearmed in the face as the fans chant USA, only to have the American dropped with a clothesline. Alexander takes too long to set up a moonsault, allowing Nemeth to pull him down. Nemeth’s running DDT is blocked though and Alexander sends him outside as we take another break.

Back again with Nemeth fighting out of the chinlock and grabbing a German suplex for two. The superkick is countered into an ankle lock though, with Nemeth quickly escaping and hitting a Fameasser. Alexander is back with a Regal Roll into a middle rope knee to the back for two of his own. The ankle lock goes on again but Nemeth quickly reverses into a sleeper as we take another break.

Back again with Alexander hitting a powerbomb backbreaker for two and putting Nemeth on top. The belly to back superplex is countered into a crossbody to give Nemeth two, setting up the Danger Zone for no cover. Instead the running DDT plants Alexander for two more but he sends Nemeth shoulder first into the post. The C4 Spike is reversed into the Danger Zone…but we’re out of time at 30:00.

Rating: B. They were getting going near the end there and it was a good, back and forth match, even if the ending feels like a way to set up a rematch at Emergence. You’re only going to get so much out of seeing them fight for thirty minutes and then wanting to see them do it again on a major show, but Nemeth needs such an opponent. Solid main event here, especially if you accept that Alexander can be a bit dry.

Post match Nemeth wants five more minutes but gets kicked low instead. Alexander holds up the title before walking off to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was definitely the wrestling focused show, with two Ultimate X qualifiers, a big match in the middle, and the World Title main event. That is more than you get on the average week and it made for a good show here. The Cardona stuff is interesting as well as he really does feel like a big star. It was a good week around here and Emergence has the potential to be a pretty big show as well. Nice work.

Results
Riley Osborne b. John Skyler and Chris Bey – Shooting star press to Skyler
Gisele Shaw b. Tasha Steelz – Running knee
Moose b. Mike Santana – Spear
Jason Hotch b. Ace Austin and Rich Swann – Rollup to Austin
Nic Nemeth vs. Josh Alexander went to a time limit draw

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 22, 2024
Location: Osceola Heritage Center, Kissimmee, Florida
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the go home show for tomorrow’s No Surrender and as usual, the card is mostly set. There are still some matches and stories that could use an extra boost though and that is likely to be the focus this week. This is also the last TV show under the command of Scott D’Amore, so get ready to say goodbye to an era. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Chris Sabin vs. Jason Hotch

John Skyler is here with Hotch, who gets taken down to start and claims a hair pull. Sabin snaps him down with an armdrag before grabbing a middle rope sunset flip for two. A Russian legsweep into another cradle gets two and Hotch needs a breather on the apron. That lets him snap Sabin’s throat across the top rope but a chop hits post to give Sabin a breather. Back in and Hotch gets in a knee to the back of the neck for two as we slow down a bit.

Hotch uses the bad arm to chop some more, which really doesn’t seem to be the best idea. A rolling neckbreaker (ala Mustafa Ali) gives Hotch two more and we hit the neck crank. Sabin armdrags his way to freedom and hits a leg lariat, followed by a middle rope tornado DDT for another near fall. Cradle Shock is broken up though and Hotch grabs Rolling Chaos Theory for two of his own. They trade rollups for two each until Sabin is tossed outside. Hotch’s dive hits Skyler though and Sabin scores with a missile dropkick back inside. Cradle Shock finishes Hotch at 9:37.

Rating: B-. The Good Hands moniker does really suit Hotch and Skyler as they can be put in the ring with anyone and get at least something decent. It helps when you have Sabin on the other side, as he can do just about anything out there. Good opener here and a nice boost for Sabin before his title defense at No Surrender.

Mustafa Ali talks about how Chris Sabin has led the X-Division into an uncertain time and now it is time for new leadership. He approves this message.

The System is ready for tonight’s six man tag. Moose is ready for his No DQ match against Alex Shelley, but Santino Marella comes in to say both the System and Shelley’s friends are banned from ringside. Moose isn’t pleased.

Chris Sabin is ready for Mustafa Ali.

Simon Gotch vs. Jack Price

Josh Alexander comes out for commentary. Gotch easily takes Price down to start and the beating heads to the floor without much effort. Back in and Gotch hits some shots to the neck setting up a middle rope DDT and a Gotch Style piledriver. Gotch chokes him out for the win at 2:24.

Post match Gotch won’t let go so Alexander comes in for the staredown, though they’re not allowed to touch each other tonight.

The Grizzled Young Veterans want the Tag Team Titles because they are the best team in the world. The ABC has never been in water this deep and at No Surrender, they are going even deeper.

Video on PCO vs. Kon.

Steve Maclin vs. Trent Seven

The Rascalz are here with Maclin and Mike Bailey is here with Seven. They start fast with Seven hitting a crossbody into a legdrop for two before chopping away in the corner. Maclin clotheslines his way out of trouble and stomps Seven down with some rather basic (yet effective) offense. A hard right hand puts Seven down and we take a break.

Back with Seven firing off some chops in the corner but getting dropped with another clothesline. Maclin grabs a backbreaker and goes up, where Seven catches him with a superplex to put them both down. Seven grabs a DDT and clothesline Maclin outside, where Bailey has to take out the Rascalz. A top rope dive takes out everyone but Bailey and the Seven Star Lariat gets two back inside. Seven clubs away at the back and loads up what looks to be an abdominal stretch, only to have the people outside get into it again. Maclin knees Seven down and hits the KIA for the pin at 14:26.

Rating: C+. Good stuff here as Maclin gets a hard fought win on his way to a likely showdown with Nic Nemeth in the near future. Seven is another one in the good hands category as he is known enough to be a threat while not being likely to win any big matches. This was a nice match and boosted Maclin up, which he could use after a not so great last few months.

Gisele Shaw is ready to win the Knockouts Title but here is Gail Kim to interrupt. Kim likes that Shaw got rid of her friends but thinks Shaw could have done it with some more dignity. Shaw blows her off.

Mike Bailey and Trent Seven are ready for the Rascalz at No Surrender.

Eric Young vs. Frankie Kazarian

Well maybe not as Kazarian is here in street clothes with a chair. He’s not going to let Young call the shots here and brings out a ghost from Young’s past.

Eric Young vs. Big Damo

Damo was better known as Killian Dain in WWE as part of Sanity with Young. They start fast with Damo running him over and hitting a slingshot hilo for two. We’re already in the chinlock as Kazarian is watching from the stage. Damo grabs something like a seated abdominal stretch before missing a charge into the corner. The Death Valley Driver gives Young two, followed by a superplex to put Damo down. Young grabs the piledriver for the pin at 4:44.

Rating: C. This felt like your standard “you have to beat this guy to get to me” match and as usual, it worked well. Young vs. Kazarian has been a good choice for the veterans feud and the likely No Surrender match should be a nice addition to the card. This was a fine enough setup as TNA does their usual simple yet effective build.

Post match Young issues the challenge for No Surrender.

Tasha Steelz is down for a rubber match with Xia Brookside. As tends to be the case with these things, it’s not like the first two matches were that memorable in the first place.

Jody Threat and Dani Luna want the next Knockouts Tag Team Title shot.

Ash By Elegance vs. Savannah Thorne

Ash’s handler does the big intro and has Thorne go outside. Ash offers a hand to kiss and then blasts Thorne with a clothesline. Choking on the ropes, with trash talk, ensues and a handstand splash hits Thorne as well. Thorne dares to throw a right hand and gets choked in the corner, setting up Rarefied Air (Swanton) to give Ash the pin at 2:32. Ash was the “I’m beautiful and better than you” villain here, complete with some nice gymnastics. I’m not sure how far that will take her, but it’s better than the generic stuff she did as Dana Brooke.

Post break, Ash By Elegance has left the building. I hope she got in a shower first.

System vs. Kushida/Alex Shelley/Kevin Knight

Alisha Edwards is here with the System. Moose backs Shelley into the corner to start but Shelley grabs the arm to escape. Knight comes in to work on Eddie’s arm and all three good guys get in a crank of their own. A crossbody into a backsplash keeps Eddie down and Knight adds a regular splash for two. It’s back to Moose, who knocks Kushida out to the floor as we take a break.

Back with Kushida avoiding a charge to send Eddie and Myers outside but they cut off a tag attempt. Alisha gets in some choking before Moose misses a charge in the corner. Kushida knocks him down and brings Shelley back in to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Shelley gets Myers and Eddie in a hold at the same time, with Moose having to make the save.

Myers gets caught in a neckbreaker/moonsault combination for two with Moose making another save. Knight hurricanranas Moose off the top for one and then sends him outside. Another hurricanrana drops Moose on the floor and the step up dive puts the System down as the fans are rather pleased. Back in and Knight’s Code Red gets two on Moose and something like the Dream Sequence hits Myers. Alisha offers a distraction though and Moose spears Knight for the pin at 17:51.

Rating: B. Fast paced, action packed main event here with Knight getting quite the showcase. He feels like someone who could turn into a star if he is given the chance and that was on display here. What mattered was Moose getting to look strong before going into the title match, though he’s going to have to do it on his own at No Surrender. Heck of a fun match here and a good main event.

Post match the beatdown is on but Shelley pulls Moose into the Border City Stretch with the rest of the System making the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was the Impact that I’ve enjoyed for a long time now, as they had good matches combined with building things up for the important show. No Surrender is looking like a strong card and they did a lot of work for it here. I’m scared to know what the future holds around here, but at least they are ending their current era on a hot streak.

Results
Chris Sabin b. Jason Hotch – Cradle Shock
Simon Gotch b. Jack Price – Choke
Steve Maclin b. Trent Seven – KIA
Eric Young b. Big Damo – Piledriver
Ash By Elegance b. Savannah Thorne – Rarefied Air
System b. Kushida/Alex Shelley/Kevin Knight – Spear to Knight

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

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.