Impact Wrestling – April 2, 2026: The Sacrificial Show

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 2, 2026
Location: Alario Center, Westwego, Louisiana
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re coming off of Sacrifice, which was kind of incomplete. The World Title match lasted about a minute and a half due to Steve Maclin suffering an injury, resulting in the match being stopped. Eddie Edwards seems likely in line for the World Title shot at Rebellion, which is just over a week away. Let’s get to it.

Here is Sacrifice if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Mike Santana to get things going. He was in the ring with a tough man named Steve Maclin at Sacrifice and Santana dropped him. As Santana was growing up, his father told him to be a man of his word. He’s lived his life like that, which is why he left Sacrifice as World Champion. Now it’s Rebellion and Eddie Edwards, with the match officially ready to go. He’s told Edwards time after time that he lives his life with his back to the wall and at Rebellion, Edwards is getting the best in the world.

Cue Edwards and Cedric Alexander, with the former promising that at Rebellion, TNA will be run by the System. Santana is ready to fight now, but Alexander says not so fast. Alexander says he’s going to win the X-Division Title at Rebellion, which brings out Leon Slater. He says it won’t be so easy to win the title, but Alexander says the System is winning all of the gold.

This brings out Order 4, with Mustafa Ali saying he’s going to win the International Title at Rebellion. Cue Trey Miguel, who wants Ali to look at him when he’s talking. Miguel wants Ali to be a man and fight so he can get dropped. Ali: “Like what happened to Jada Stone?” Santana issues the challenge for the fight but here is Moose to wreck some of Order 4. Santino Marella comes in to make the eight man tag, albeit without getting any of the names right. Nice job of putting a bunch of feuds into one match.

Order 4/The System vs. Trey Miguel/Moose/Mike Santana/Leon Slater

Moose and Ali start but Moose wants Alexander instead. Alexander is dropped in a hurry so it’s off to Santana, who armdrags Edwards a few times. Slater comes in to offer Slater a step up for a backsplash to Edwards but it’s off to Alexander, who takes over in the corner. A basement dropkick gets two on Slater so it’s off to Ali, with Slater getting back up. Miguel comes in for a sliding DDT to drop Ali on the floor, followed by a top rope Meteora for two of his own. Zero gets the tag though and drops Miguel without much trouble as we take a break.

We come back with Miguel hitting a clothesline to put Ali down. Zero comes back in for a German suplex though and Miguel is cut off again. Edwards clotheslines Miguel in the corner and feeds him into Alexander’s Michinoku Driver for two. Miguel finally comes up with a moonsault to Alexander and Ali can’t stop the tag off to Santana. House is quickly cleaned and Santana’s top rope splash gets two with Ali making the save. Everything breaks down and Zero hits a dive onto the pile.

Ali tries one of his own to Moose but gets powerbombed onto the apron, meaning it’s time for Moose and Zero to slug it out. Moose takes him down with a superplex but gets 450ed by Ali. Slater hits the Swanton 450 but walks into the Lumbar Check. Santana clears the ring, including of the Great Hands, and hits a rolling Buck Fifty to Alexander. Edwards is right back in there with the Boston Knee Party to pin Santana at 15:33.

Rating: B+. This was a good example of a simple idea that wound up working very well. They hit a groove here and I was loving everything they were doing. You advanced a bunch of matches at the same time and the ending was exactly what it should have been. Heck of an opener here and this did exactly what it should have done.

Daria Rae yells at Santino Marella about how he can never follow structure. Does he know who attacked Nic Nemeth at Sacrifice? She was late because she was at a board meeting about Marella’s future, because he’s on thin ice. She’s also made a main event tonight: Arianna Grace vs. Xia Brookside, with the winner facing Lei Ying Lee at Rebellion. Now get out of her office. Marella points out that it’s his office but she doesn’t care. I like Rae in general, but this “shut up, I’m talking” deal is horrible.

We look at Ricky Sosa’s signing being announced at Sacrifice.

After the signing, some wrestlers welcomed him to the company. Eric Young interrupted to say that he’s the gatekeeper around here and now Sosa’s hard work begins. Sosa doesn’t seem impressed.

Here are the Hardys, who are rather banged up after Sacrifice. Matt says Sacrifice was a revelation because the Righteous betrayed them. They could have been a great team together but Dutch attacked him and rammed his head into the wall over and over, leaving him bleeding. Jeff says that wasn’t a sacrifice because it was a mistake. It’s time for apocalyptic consequences, but here are the Righteous to interrupt.

Dutch says that the Hardys were the offering, but Matt offers to give them a beating right now. The Righteous talk about how they had money and gave it away to stay in the game. The Hardys still want to fight, which Vincent thinks is a great idea…but not tonight. They’ll do it next week, with Dutch saying it has to be Hardy style: meaning extreme. Jeff says we’ll make it a tables match. This was pretty disjointed, as I don’t think I quite got why the Righteous attacked Matt. It felt more like “you say one thing, they say another, announce the title match”.

Victoria Crawford is coming to the ring with Tessa Blanchard but gets cut off by the White Rabbit.

Arianna grace and Stacks interrupt Mike Santana and mock him for his loss. Santana is ready to fight but Grace tells him to take notes on the main event. Santana: “They don’t even work here. I don’t understand.”

Tessa Blanchard vs. Jody Threat

Bunkhouse match so they’re both in street clothes (though I’m not sure which streets feature clothing like that). Threat jumps her at the entrance and the brawl is on fast, with Threat demanding the bell ring. Blanchard is down so Threat goes to grab an anvil case, which takes too long. That’s enough for Blanchard to fight back and load up a table, which takes too long as well. Threat manages to drop Blanchard onto the apron and we take a break.

We come back with Threat missing a charge into an open chair but Blanchard misses a bullrope shot. Instead she ties Threat up for a Cheeky Nandos kick but dropkicks Threat’s head into a chair and the cowbell. Somehow Threat pops right back up and gets in a shot in the corner before trying to crush Blanchard’s head in the anvil case.

A stomp doesn’t work and Blanchard takes off her own belt and whips away. That’s not good enough so she takes the referee’s belt and ties it around Threat’s neck. Threat is able to fight up with Pop Shove It but Blanchard holds on with the belt and chokes her out for the win at 13:23. Ignore Blanchard being on the floor to choke and commentary saying that the match had to end in the ring.

Rating: C+. They were trying and Blanchard went nuts with that belt, but Threat only got so far. I’m still not sure I see her appeal, but with the women’s division losing some names, she might be one of the best options they have. At the same time, Blanchard continues to look like an absolute star, which is great to see.

Ryan Nemeth wants to know who attacked Nic Nemeth and is looking for revenge. BDE comes in, with Ryan accusing him of attacking Nic. That’s not the case, but BDE is willing to fight again. Frankie Kazarian comes in and thinks BDE did it too, so here is Elijah to even things up. A tag match seems likely.

Tessa Blanchard gets distracted by the White Rabbit and follows it. To Be Continued.

AJ Francis vs. Home Town Man

Man chops at him to start but has to slap his way out of the Down Payment. A running clothesline puts Francis on the floor and the suicide dive connects. Back in and Francis falls on top of him during a slam attempt, allowing Francis to steal the Saints jersey. Francis throws it to Hannifan (a noted Eagles fan), who mocks Francis’ lack of Super Bowl wins. Man Hulks Up and manages the slam for two but Francis gives him a spear. The Down Payment finishes Man at 3:46.

Rating: C. This was kind of a weird one as it wasn’t a squash but Man’s big deal was Hulking Up for a slam before getting pinned. Francis has gotten better at being a monster though, as he is figuring out how to use his size in a better way. He’s kind of found his groove around here and that is rather nice to see.

Post match Francis reveals that he was the man who attacked Nic Nemeth. Two years ago, he debuted and beat Joe Hendry, just like he’s beaten all of the heroes. Nemeth likes to steal the show but he really just steals opportunities. He never wanted to play for the Saints, but here is Ryan Nemeth to scare him off. Francis challenges Ryan for Rebellion because he’s the best big man in the business. That business? Money, money money.

Xia Brookside is ready and Lei Ying Lee comes in with a video from her dad, wishing her luck tonight. It’s her birthright to become champion.

Rebellion rundown.

One Man Gang is here again.

Knockouts Title: Arianna Grace vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside, with Lei Ying Lee, is challenging while Stacks is here with Grace. They fight over arm control to start until Brookside snaps off some armdrags. A dropkick puts Grace on the floor and we take an early break. We come back with Brookside hitting the running knees in the corner for two. Grace elbows herdown and Stacks hands her the Cobra, only for Brookside to grab a tornado DDT for two, with Stacks breaking up the cover.

Lee goes after Stacks but gets decked by Grace. Lee gets sent into the steps so Brookside dives onto Lee and sends her into the steps as well. A tornado DDT drops Stacks as well and it’s back inside, where the women fight over the Cobra. Grace is shoved into Stacks for two but gets caught grabbing the title. A Codebreaker gives Brookside two so Grace goes up, with Stacks offering ANOTHER distraction. Lee dives onto Stacks but Grace gets in a belt shot. A TKO onto the knee retains the title at 11:50.

Rating: C. Well that was….a lot. There were multiple times here where I was wondering how in the world we didn’t get a countout or a DQ and that’s not a great way to go. The match was certainly not dull, but it had me wondering why the referee even needed to be there until the ending. At least Lee didn’t turn on Brookside, which was certainly a way they could have gone.

Post match Mike Santana comes in to break up a post match beatdown. Spin The Block drops Stacks but Eddie Edwards is in the crowd to call out Santana. Edwards says Santana is all about his ego but Santana says that’s tough talk from someone on the other side of the guardrail. That’s a no, because Edwards has already beaten him tonight and the next time he’ll do it is in Cleveland. They’re both ready for Rebellion, with Santana threatening to use his size 12 shoe on Edwards. The two things I took from this: Edwards isn’t a great talker and I wear a bigger shoe than Santana.

Tessa Blanchard (now in different clothes than the last time we saw her) is in a big house. James Mitchell is behind her and welcomes her….to the Undead Realm.

Overall Rating: B-. The opener was great and pushed a lot towards the pay per view but the rest of the show was kind of hit or miss. They don’t have much time to set up Rebellion and some of the injuries and changes caused them to have to make some last minute changes. Rebellion is only looking so good, but they could get one more big push next week. Not a great show, but the opener did a lot of good.

Results
Order 4/The System b. Moose/Mike Santana/Leon Slater/Trey Miguel – Boston Knee Party to Santana
Tessa Blanchard b. Jody Threat – Choke with a belt
AJ Francis b. Home Town Man – Down Payment
Arianna Grace b. Xia Brookside – TKO facebuster

 

 

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Sacrifice 2026: What A Shame

Sacrifice 2026
Date: March 27, 2026
Location: Alario Center, Westwego, Louisiana
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re back with another big show that isn’t quite a pay per view but it’s close enough. The main event certainly feels like it belongs on one of the bigger shows as Mike Santana is defending the World Title against Steve Maclin. That should be enough to carry things but we also have Moose finally getting his hands on Eddie Edwards. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Ryan Nemeth vs. BDE

Before the match, Nemeth says he wants BDE to play a real game. Like Duck Hunt. Nemeth wrestles him down to start but BDE is up with a springboard crossbody. BDE grabs his phone and records himself doing a dive before sending Nemeth outside. Nemeth gets in a running forearm to the head and sends him into the post, followed by a chinlock. BDE fights up so Nemeth takes him down for the chinlock sequel, only for BDE to fight up again. A reverse layout DDT gives BDE two, followed by the springboard cutter. The frog splash hits raised knees though and Nemeth grabs the tights for the pin at 6:26.

Rating: C. Pretty run of the mill match for BDE here, meaning it was a nice enough collection of spots before he lost to a better star. That’s just kind of what you expect here and it’s not a bad idea. Nemeth is little more than a goof and that’s a good spot for him, even if he isn’t going anywhere else.

Kickoff Show: Jody Threat vs. Tessa Blanchard

Harley Hudson, Myla Grace, Mila Moore and Victoria Crawford are here too. Threat starts fast but a suplex is broken up, allowing Blanchard to start in on her knee. Some elbows to the knee set up some cranking but Threat is back up with some running knees. The running kick to the head sets up a German suplex but the knee is banged up.

A Backstabber out of the corner gives Blanchard two but Threat is back up with a toss powerbomb. Moore puts the foot on the rope though and the seconds get in a fight on the floor. The distraction lets Moore come in with….I believe a shoe to Threat, allowing Blanchard to hit the Buzzsaw DDT for the pin at 6:20.

Rating: C. Another quick and to the point match with the villains cheating to win. That’s kind of the point, though the ending would suggest that the feud isn’t over. At the same time though, Blanchard should be on her way up the card, as she’s more than enough of a star to not be around a title.

Post match the beatdown stays on, with Threat getting choked with some cables.

And now, the show proper.

The opening video is a pretty standard look at the bigger matches on the card.

TNA Wrestling, Leon Slater, Sacrifice, Eric Young

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

X-Division Title: Eric Young vs. Leon Slater

Slater is defending. Young jumps Slater during the entrance and beats him down as the fight heads to ringside. Young pulls Slater’s hood off…and that’s not Slater. Instead here is Slater in the ring for a running flip and they keep brawling on the floor with Slater in control. Back in and the bell rings, with Slater’s Swanton (not the 450 version) connecting for two.

Slater knocks him into the corner and shrugs off a comeback attempt, setting up the handspring elbow for two. They go outside with Slater being sent into the steps but he comes back in with a Styles Clash attempt. That’s broken up with a bite to the leg of all things, leaving Young to hit his own Styles Clash for a near fall. What looks like it was supposed to be a wheelbarrow neckbreaker from the top winds up being more of a belly to back slam for two as Slater is in trouble.

Slater fights up with some forearms but gets dropped with a hard clothesline for two. A neckbreaker gives Young two but he can’t hit the piledriver. Slater is back up with a twisting neckbreaker for two but the Swanton 450 takes too long. Young catches him out of the corner with a Death Valley Driver for two before knocking Slater off the top.

The top rope elbow gives Young two so Slater strikes away, setting up a release Blue Thunder Bomb. Young bails out to the apron so Slater kicks him back inside. A rake to the eyes cuts Slater off though and Young piledrives him on the apron. That’s good for a very close two back inside and (the bleeding) Young can’t believe the kickout. A super piledriver is broken up though and it’s a Styles Clash into the Swanton 450 to retain the title at 15:16.

Rating: B+. Oh that was a sigh of relief as I was worried that they would try something crazy like pushing Young again. Slater continues to look like an absolute star and I can’t imagine him staying out of the World Title scene for the rest of the year. The good thing is they had a heck of a match, with Slater surviving to beat yet another former World Champion. Awesome opener.

The One Man Gang of all people is here.

We run down the rest of the card.

Mike Santana is ready to defend the World Title against Steve Maclin face to face. The title represents the sacrifices that he has made over the years, like missing with his baby girl, to get here as the World Champion. Yes he got Maclin his job back, and as payment, he’s eating Santana’s heart. Santana was fired up here and that worked, as usual.

Home Town Man/Elijah vs. Frankie Kazarian/AJ Francis

Man has quite the entrance, complete with people handing out beads. Elijah works on Kazarian’s arm to start and it’s off to Man for a string of right hands. A middle rope ax handle to the ribs has Kazarian in more trouble and everything breaks down, with the good guys hitting stereo Old Schools. Elijah hits a big running dive to the floor but Francis trips Man down, setting up the Flux Capacitor from Kazarian.

A stomp to the hand has Man down again but he fights out of the corner, allowing the tag back to Elijah to clean house. Kazarian is kicked out of the corner and Francis is sent into it, setting up a spinning electric chair powerbomb to give Elijah two. The rope walk Canadian Destroyer is blocked though and Francis plants Elijah for two more. Francis goes to get the guitar but Elijah takes it away, with Kazarian taking it away from him. Kazarian breaks the guitar on the floor and it’s Down Payment to the Man. Francis is cut off and Fade To Black finishes Man at 11:18.

Rating: C+. Perfectly fine midcard tag match here, with Francis getting to do something different than be his usual bullying self. It was a nice way to mix a pair of feuds into one match and the results were good enough. None of them have a hot feud going at the moment so this is as good of an idea as they had.

The System is ready for Jeff Hardy and Vincent.

Here are Tommy Dreamer and Carlos Silva for a chat. Dreamer talks about his history in this city and everything that it means to him to be here. He wants to bring out someone who is an inspiration to this company, which brings out Chris Bey. That’s quite the nice moment, with Bey talking about the success he has had and the future of this place. With that, he brings out the newest signee: Ricky Sosa, who debuted a few weeks ago. Sosa is happy to be here tonight and this is the moment he’s been working towards for five years. He hits his catchphrases and signs.

We look back at Tessa Blanchard cheating to win on the Kickoff show.

After the match, Mila Moore followed the white rabbit when Havok popped up behind her. Screaming ensued and this is To Be Continued.

TNA Wrestling, Sacrifice, Arianna Grace, Xia Brookside, Stacks, Lei Ying Lee, Dani Luna

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Women’s Title: Arianna Grace vs. Lei Ying Lee vs. Dani Luna

Grace, with Stacks, is defending, Lee (with Xia Brookside) is the former champion and Luna never got a title shot she earned. Luna jumps Lee during the Big Match Intros and Grace tries a quick rollup, which has Luna even angrier. Grace is sent to the floor so Lee dropkicks Luna into the corner. Stacks’ interference doesn’t work and Luna is knocked down on the floor.

Back in and Lee kicks away at Grace but Luna suplexes both of them. Stacks low bridges Luna out to the floor though, with Grace getting two on Lee as Luna dives in for the save. A big boot gives Luna two on Lee but she catches another boot, only for Grace to come back in with a cravate. Grace fisherman’s neckbreakers Luna for two but Lee is back with the Warrior’s Way. Luna makes another save though and everyone is down. Lee Thunderstrucks Grace to the floor but gets caught with a Blue Thunder Bomb for two.

Luna loads Grace up with a super Samoan drop, drawing Stacks up for a distraction. Lee comes back in and German superplexes both of them for two each. Stacks saves Grace from the Warrior’s Way so Brookside cuts him off. Lee dives onto Stacks and Grace before heading back inside for the showdown with Luna. They slug it out until Lee kicks her in the head. Warrior’s Way connects but Stacks breaks it up, allowing Grace to steal the retaining pin at 13:43.

Rating: B-. That’s about the ending I was expecting and that’s not a terrible thing. Ultimately, Grace stealing the pin against what felt like insurmountable odds was a good way to go as there is a long line of people coming after the title. I’m curious to see who comes after the title next, but Grace as the annoying, beatable champion isn’t a bad way to go for her.

Allie gets Mara Sade to follow the White Rabbit until she meets Rosemary. Sade wants her to make Michael B. Jordan appear but is told to let the man have his privacy. Rosemary isn’t about to stab her or send her to something like Wrestle House is she? Rosemary: “RD Evans is rolling over in his grave.” They’ll have a talk after Sade’s match. Again, To Be Continued.

Order 4 vs. Trey Miguel/Jada Stone

Mustafa Ali/Tasha Steelz for Order 4 here. Miguel and Ali start things off with Ali working on the arm. They trade some flips for an early standoff and it’s off to the women. Stone snaps off a quick headscissors to take Steelz down but the men have to break up a brawl. Ali seems impressed with Steelz and we settle down to Ali vs. Stone. This has Ali laughing as he grabs a lockup and swings her around with ease.

Stone is back up with a heck of a DDT to plant Ali, followed by a super hurricanrana to send a bewildered Ali outside. The Great Hands break up a dive so Miguel takes them down with a step up flip dive. Steelz is back up to feed Stone into a hanging DDT onto the floor and the villains take Stone into the corner. Stone fights out though and brings Miguel back in to clean house. Miguel rolls the dice on Ali so it’s back to Steelz to slap him in the face.

Ali kicks Stone down by mistake but Miguel avoids a charge into the corner. Dance With The Devil drops Miguel again so Steelz drops a frog splash for two. Back up and Ali pulls Miguel into a cutter off the top, only for Miguel to come back with a top rope Meteora. Stone comes back in to pick up the pace with a split legged moonsault getting two on Steelz.

Stone’s tornado DDT plants Ali and a Canadian Destroyer sends Ali crashing out to the floor. Ali gets planted again and a corkscrew moonsault gives Stone two. With nothing else working, the Great Hands zip tie Miguel to the ropes so Dancing With The Devil can plant Stone. Ali pulls her up at two and the 450 finishes for Ali at 15:15.

Rating: B-. The idea here was to push Stone as a star but I was having a bit of an issue suspending my disbelief that she was regularly beating up someone of Ali’s size and success. It might work every once in awhile but it was going too long here. That’s especially the case with Ali getting a title shot at Miguel in just over two weeks. It wasn’t a bad match at all and the action was good, but it went too long and that hurt things.

Arianna Grace and Stacks laugh at Lei Ying Lee, with Xia Brookside defending her friend. They argue over their fathers so Santino Marella comes in to make a title match for Impact. Stacks calls Marella a terrible father.

We recap Moose vs. Eddie Edwards. Moose started the System but then got thrown out, prompting him to go after each member of the team. Edwards is the final one to go.

Moose vs. Eddie Edwards

Alisha Edwards is here too and Eddie yells at her before we get started. Alisha takes the kendo stick away from him before the bell so Moose kicks Eddie down. Cue Order 4’s Special Agent Zero to jump Moose for the DQ at 30 seconds. Apparently this is a result of a meeting between Order 4 and the System on the Kickoff Show.

Post match the big beatdown is on, with Alisha yelling at Eddie and Zero.

Mara Sade vs. Elayna Black

No DQ. Sade brings a bedazzled bat with her but Black takes it away to jump start things. They fight to the floor with Sade taking over but Black gets in a kendo stick shot. Black grabs a stop sign, which is kicked into her face. Black winds up crawling underneath the ring but comes back with a chair shot to take over. A stomp gives Black two and it’s already time for a table.

And never mind as Black sends it back underneath the table rather than let the fans be happy. Sade gets up and grabs the bat to swing away but Black enziguris her back down. Black gets a bag of thumbtacks but the Blackout is countered, with Sade sending her into the tacks instead. A slam plants Black onto the tacks and Sade’s moonsault finishes at 9:28.

Rating: C. This didn’t do much for me, as not only was the thumbtacks spot not something I needed to see, but the whole thing didn’t feel like it needed the No DQ at thing. At the same time, I’m not seeing much of the upside in Black. She’s not the worst, but she doesn’t feel like the most natural in the ring. Maybe this just wasn’t their stipulation, as it really didn’t click.

We talk about the World Title match.

We recap Jeff Hardy/Vincent vs. the System. The System are the #1 contenders and took out Matt Hardy so Jeff is out for revenge, with the Righteous’ Vincent stepping up as a replacement partner.

TNA Wrestling, Sacrifice, Jeff Hardy, Vincent, System, Cedric Alexander, Brian Myers

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

The System vs. Vincent/Jeff Hardy

It’s Cedric Alexander/Brian Myers for the System here. Hardy and Myers start things off and everything breaks down in a hurry, with the System being cleared out. Back in and Myers takes Vincent into the corner, with the villains getting to take over. Alexander comes in and knocks Vincent into another corner for the chops and it’s back to Myers. A Russian legsweep gets Vincent out of trouble though and it’s back to Hardy to clean house.

An elbow gives Hardy two but Alexander is back up with a Michinoku Driver for two. Everything breaks down and Alexander gets Twisting Stunnered into a spinning DDT to give Vincent two. Another Twisting Stunner connects and Hardy goes up but we see a rather bloody Matt Hardy on the Titantron. Dutch is standing over him and seems rather pleased, leaving the distracted Jeff to get hit by the Roster Cut. The Lumbar Check gives Alexander the pin at 8:42.

Rating: B-. This was a means to an end more than anything else, as I don’t think it was any secret that the Righteous were going to turn on the Hardys at some point. The question was much more “when” than anything else and the answer was apparently here, which isn’t a bad thing. This sets up their big showdown, though the System is likely to get a title shot first.

We run down some upcoming cards.

Here is the Elegance Brand (minus Ash, who is still recovering after being called a mark) to threaten ODB to not show up again, as she needs to stay in her dirty food truck. Cue ODB, who thinks a little two on one sounds fun tonight, but she’s a married woman now. She has a lot of friends wherever she goes though, like New Orleans’ own Taryn Terrell, who doesn’t like all the garbage these b****** have been saying. So let’s have them say it to her face.

Mr. Elegance threatens to beat up ODB so ODB brings out Mickie James to even things up. Mr. Elegance tries to cut her off but James calls him “Pickle Dick”, which apparently isn’t kosher. The brawl is on and Mr. Elegance gets beaten up rather painfully. This went on for a long time and we’ve covered the “Knockouts legends beat up the Elegance Brand” deal.

Santino Marella and Daria Rae argue over the main event, with Rae not liking Marella picking sides.

We recap Steve Maclin vs. Mike Santana for the latter’s World Title. Maclin lost his job via Feast Or Fired but he attacked Santana, which got him his job back as Santana wanted revenge.

TNA Wrestling, Sacrifice, Eddie Edwards, Mike Santana, Steve Maclin

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

TNA World Title: Mike Santana vs. Steve Maclin

Santana is defending. They take their time to start and Santana works on a headlock. That’s broken up so Santana kicks him down with the fans rather approving of the champion. Hold on though as something happens and we need the medical staff to check on Maclin. Santana plays to the crowd a bit as Maclin stands up but then drops back down to a knee. Cue Eddie Edwards in street clothes to go after Santana as Maclin is taken out. I think we can call the Maclin match off, as they only had about a minute and a half of action before the injury.

Santana fights back and loads up a table before dropping Edwards with Spin The Block. A top rope splash puts Edwards through the table on the floor and Santana is declared the winner by no contest. I don’t believe Edwards’ portion was him cashing in his title shot as that was little more than a brawl. There was no bell for them either. I’m guessing that was a legitimate injury from Maclin as the show ends with Santana celebrating. Dang I hope it’s not serious.

Overall Rating: C. The show was just decent enough to get by, but DANG that was some horrible luck at the end. I won’t hold it against them as they took care of someone who was hurt, but it could not have come at a worse time. The opener was very good, though unfortunately that was about it. The Moose vs. Edwards match was an angle advancer and the Elegance Brand stuff was just long.

It’s not a bad show, but it’s pretty much totally uneventful and felt designed to set up Rebellion more than anything else. Hopefully Maclin is ok though, as that was a nasty looking superkick that took him out. It’s a terrible ending, but that part isn’t TNA’s fault. The rest of the show not being very interesting certainly was though and that’s a rough way to go.

Results
Ryan Nemeth b. BDE – Rollup with tights
Tessa Blanchard b. Jody Threat – Buzzsaw DDT
Leon Slater b. Eric Young – Swanton 450
Frankie Kazarian/AJ Francis b. Home Town Man/Elijah – Fade To Black to Man
Arianna Grace b. Lei Ying Lee and Dani Luna – Warrior’s Way to Luna
Order 4 b. Trey Miguel and Jada Stone – 450 to Stone
Moose b. Eddie Edwards via DQ when Agent Zero interfered
Mara Sade b. Elayna Black – Moonsault
The System b. Jeff Hardy/Vincent – Lumbar Check to Hardy
Mike Santana b. Steve Maclin via injury stoppage

 

 

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

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Impact Wrestling – March 26, 2026: Something About The Show Being Before Sacrifice

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 26, 2026
Location: Gateway Center Arena At College Park, College Park, Georgia
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the night before Sacrifice and the show is pretty much set. In this case though, we’re likely going to hear more from Mike Santana and Steve Maclin, who are set for a World Title match tomorrow night. Other than that, there is probably a chance that more will be added to the show so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Mustafa Ali vs. BDE

Order 4 and Rich Swann are here too. Ali takes him into the corner for an uppercut to start but BDE comes back with a crucifix bomb to send Ali outside. The required dive connects and they head back inside, where Ali takes him down by the leg. They slug it out until BDE hits a running boot into a handspring cutter, followed by a top rope frog splash for two. Back up and Ali hits a quick sitout powerbomb, setting up a swinging Downward Spiral for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C+. BDE continues to fulfill his role perfectly well as he can do spots just fine and then puts people over every time. I’m sure he’ll win a singles match somewhere in there and that’ll be fine, but for now this is working well for him. Ali gets a win, though I have no reason to believe he’s going to be getting much higher up the ladder.

Post match Order 4 jumps Swann but Trey Miguel runs in for the save. Jada Stone comes in to take out Tasha Steelz and Miguel saves her from Agent Zero.

Leon Slater and Mike Santana are ready to face the System tonight. They’re ready to keep their titles tomorrow night too. Daria Rae comes up to threaten Santana with losing the title if he touches Steve Maclin.

Jeff Hardy vs. Brian Myers

Matt Hardy and the System are here too. Jeff slugs away in the corner but Myers pulls him off the middle rope for a crash. An elbow to the face sets up a chinlock but Hardy is right back up. The basement dropkick hits Myers, who reverses the Twist Of Fate into an implant DDT for two. The Roster Cut is blocked though and the twisting Stunner sets up a Swanton to beat Myers at 3:15.

Rating: C. They were moving rather quickly here and Hardy winning is fine, though it didn’t exactly make me think the System is going to be a threat to win the titles. Then again no one has felt like a real threat to win the titles for months. This could have been better with more time, but it felt more like a way to get Hardy in the ring than anything else.

Post match the System jumps the Hardys until the Righteous makes the save. Bear Bronson is left in the ring…and here is Moose for their schedule match.

Moose vs. Bear Bronson

Alisha Edwards is here with Moose. Bronson hits a running shot against the ropes but Moose is back up with a dropkick. Back up and Bronson hammers away in the corner, where Moose is right back with some rapid fire chops. They head outside, with Moose being sent into the barricade and then go back inside, where Bronson snaps off a suplex. Moose doesn’t like being inside and goes outside again, with Bronson being sent into the steps. Bronson snaps off another suplex and we take a break.

We come back with Bronson superplexing Moose, who pops up and runs Bronson over. The running backsplash connects but the spear is countered into a pop up sitout powerbomb to give Bronson two. A swinging Boss Man Slam gives Bronson two more and they trade standing clotheslines. Cue the System again…so some former Atlanta Falcons (Moose’s former teammates) come over the barricade to cut them off. Moose hits the spear for the pin at 13:08.

Rating: B. I liked this more than I was expecting as Bronson has been a nice addition to the roster as a power guy. At the same time, Bronson was nothing more than the next person in line for Moose to smash through on his way to Sacrifice. It still doesn’t feel like it’s going to end well there for him, but this wound up being good stuff, with the Falcons deal being a nice bonus.

Mara Sade is ready for Sacrifice but gets a note saying READ ME. The note says “follow the White Rabbit” and then a bloody rabbit walks by. Sade follows and someone follows her (I think, as it was hard to see who was whom).

The System is ready to take out Moose and the Hardys. Eddie Edwards is sad to see Alisha Edwards getting dropped as well but she’s made her choice. The Righteous is watching as well.

Tessa Blanchard/Mila Moore/Victoria Crawford vs. Harley Hudson/Myla Grace/Jody Threat

Threat and Blanchard start things off but Moore comes in to face Hudson instead. Moore grinds away on a headlock but Hudson is back with a running crossbody for two. Grace comes in for a headlock before striking away at Crawford. Blanchard gets in a cheap shot from the apron but it’s off to Threat to pick up the pace. House is quickly cleaned and the villains are taken down with some dives on the floor. Blanchard drops Threat onto the steps though and a quick Buzzsaw finishes Grace at 6:20.

Rating: C+. They were moving rather quickly out there and Blanchard took the other team apart to get the win. That makes perfect sense as she’s pretty far ahead of the other three, especially Hudson and Grace. The match was pretty to the point here, even if they didn’t have much time with the amount of people involved.

WRATH! Rosemary goes up to see a man in a mask, who winds up being Crazzy Steve, with Allie popping up behind her. Rosemary shuts her up and Steve goes on a rant about how everyone has thrown him aside to rot. Now Rosemary is here to get something from him and she is ready to pay the price. She kisses Steve on the head and TO BE CONTINUED. Do we know what she is trying to get out of this whole thing?

Eric Young vs. Brad Attitude

Young jumps him before the bell and chokes with his jacket. Attitude is sent outside and Young stays on him, but stops to yell at the referee. The Death Valley Driver gives Young two and he chases the referee, allowing Attitude to hit a dive. Back in and Young crotches him on top, setting up the piledriver for the pin at 3:53.

Rating: C-. This was just a way to get Young ready for his X-Division Title shot tomorrow and that’s about it. It was little more than a squash and that’s all it needed to be. Hopefully Young loses tomorrow and they get on with whatever his Cleanse thing is, which is totally coming one way or another.

Matt Hardy has been attacked and apparently it was the System. The Righteous are ready to get revenge.

Here is Buff Bagwell for a surprise chat. He thanks God for being with him through the loss of his leg, but he also needs to apologize for his behavior over the last twenty years (ignore his issues before 2006). Bagwell wants to walk down the aisle and wrestle one more time but here is Frankie Kazarian to say Bagwell isn’t walking anywhere. Hop maybe, but not walk. Kazarian mocks him some more but here is Elijah to chase him off. Elijah wants to be there when Bagwell walks that aisle again.

Santino Marella reveals that Matt Hardy is injured and unable to compete so the Righteous come in to get a match with Vincent/Jeff Hardy vs. the System at Sacrifice.

Dani Luna is ready to finally win the Knockouts Title at Sacrifice, when it is going to be doomsday.

Sacrifice rundown.

The System vs. Leon Slater/Mike Santana

Eddie Edwards/Cedric Alexander for the System here and the rest of the team is here too. Slater hammers on Alexander to start and it’s off to Edwards vs. Santana. The System is quickly cleared out and Slater hits a big dive. We take a break and come back with Myers offering a distraction so Edwards can get in a cheap shot.

Slater gets caught in the wrong corner and Alexander’s knee drop gets two. Back up and Slater hits a spinwheel kick, allowing the tag off to Santana for the fast comeback. A double flipping slam sets up a step up moonsault to give Santana two. Edwards avoids Spin The Block and hits the Backpack Stunner, with Alexander’s frog splash getting two.

Everything breaks down and the Boston Knee party misses, allowing Santana to hit a Death Valley Driver. Santana’s big running flip dive connects on the floor but here is Steve Maclin to choke Slater. Maclin stops to glare Santana though and Slater hits a superkick. Back in and the Boston Knee Party finishes for Edwards at 13:58.

Rating: B-. This was what it needed to be as Edwards gets the win to make him feel like more of a threat to take the title at some point. It also helped Maclin and Santana get ready for their match, which is a good thing to see as they can’t actually get physical. The action worked well and it accomplished a few things so that makes for a nice main event.

Overall Rating: C+. The best thing about this show is they made me more interested in seeing Sacrifice, which is feeling like a much bigger show than No Surrender. If nothing else, the main event is already feeling bigger. Hopefully it lives up to the hype as we move into the spring and get ready for the next regular pay per view. For now though, I’m interested enough in the show, though there were some less than thrilling parts here, like anything involving Eric Young and the Rosemary stuff, though the latter might need some more time. Either way, nice enough show this week with the big one coming tomorrow.

Results
Mustafa Ali b. BDE – Swinging Downward Spiral
Jeff Hardy b. Brian Myers – Swanton Bomb
Moose b. Bear Bronson – Spear
Tessa Blanchard/Mila Moore/Victoria Crawford b. Harley Hudson/Myla Grace/Jody Threat – Buzzsaw DDT to Grace
Eric Young b. Brad Attitude – Piledriver
The System b. Leon Slater/Mike Santana – Boston Knee Party to Santana

 

 

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Impact Wrestling – March 19, 2026: The One Good Thing

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 19, 2026
Location: Gateway Center Arena At College Park, College Park, Georgia
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re closing in on Sacrifice and the main event of Mike Santana defending the World Title against Steve Maclin is officially set. Other than that, there is still a good deal that needs to be announced but at least the top of the card is looking solid. The two of them are in the building this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, focusing on Steve Maclin vs. Mike Santana.

Opening sequence.

TNA Wrestling, AJ Francis, Impact Wrestling, Home Town Man, Frankie Kazarian

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Frankie Kazarian vs. Home Town Man

Man backdrops him to start and hammers away in the ropes as the fans certainly approve. A running hip attack connects in the corner but Kazarian goes for the mask. Cue AJ Francis as Kazarian hits a cool running Russian legsweep for two. Kazarian’s slingshot backbreaker gets two more and he rips off the Atlanta Hawks jersey.

That’s enough to start the comeback, including the Home Town Elbow. A TKO gives Man two but Kazarian is back with a Backstabber. The springboard legdrop gets two but Fade To Black is cut off. Man goes up but opts to dive onto a distracting Francis instead. Back up and Kazarian misses an apron legdrop, allowing Man to grab a small package for the big upset at 6:15.

Rating: C. This is the kind of win that is going to cause Francis and Kazarian to want to go after the mask and probably lead to a bunch of ranting and raving, which should be funny. Man isn’t going to rise up the card in any meaningful way but he can still be a fun act, which is all he’s supposed to be. This was a nice surprise and it made for a good opening.

Post match Francis goes after Man but Elijah runs in with the guitar shot for the save.

The Angel Warriors are ready to beat Dani Luna, who has to cheat to win, and Arianna Grace, who stole Li’s title.

Daria Rae comes in to see Santino Marella and talks about the Knockouts Title picture. Marella suggests a triple threat for the title with Arianna Grace defending against Lei Ying Li and Dani Luna. Rae agrees but leaves in annoyance anyway. Every week, I find myself more impressed at how pathetic “shut up, I’m talking” is as a signature line.

TNA Wrestling, Impact Wrestling, Mr. Elegance, Mike Jackson, Elegance Brand

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Mr. Elegance vs. Mike Jackson

The Elegance Brand is here with Elegance. Jackson low bridges him to the floor to start and hits a suicide dive. They go back inside with Jackson working on the arm, followed by Old School. Elegance kicks him in the ribs and hits a slam, setting up a fireman’s carry slam for the pin (as he sits on Jackson’s raised legs) at 4:17.

Rating: C-. This didn’t work so well, as a good chunk of it was about making sure Jackson got in his “oh wow a 76 year old can do this stuff!” offense. Elegance didn’t do much and while that’s kind of the point, it still wasn’t an entertaining debut. I’m still not sure what the appeal of Elegance is supposed to be, but it’s not quite working thus far.

Post match the Brand load up some cups of…something but ODB makes the save. ODB and Jackson pour the cups onto Elegance.

The System are ready to coming for some titles and Brian Myers is ready to take Moose out tonight.

Dani Luna/Arianna Grace vs. Angel Warriors

Stacks is here with Grace and Luna. Brookside gets thrown down to start and Luna loads up a suplex, only for Li to come in and grab a double suplex. The Warriors clear the ring and we take a break. We come back with Luna hammering on Li and Grace hitting a suplex of her own.

The reverse chinlock doesn’t last long so it’s back to Luna, who gets in an argument with Grace. That lets Li get over for the tag to Brookside, who Samoan drops Grace for two. A Codebreaker gives Li two as everything breaks down. Li takes Stacks but Brookside dives into the Lunar Landing for the pin at 11:37.

Rating: C+. This was a good way to make Luna look like a killer, as she smashed through Brookside and won in the end. Grace continues to look like she’s in over her head, which is the entire point. If nothing else, it was nice to see Brookside take the pin here rather than Li, as she’s in the upcoming title match. Little details like that can make a difference.

Here is Leon Slater for a chat. Two weeks ago, Eric Young gave him a piledriver and for the first time, Slater doubted if he was going to be able to get up. But the big bald b**** didn’t do enough because Slater is going to be ready for him at Sacrifice. Slater was showing some fire here and you don’t see that from him very often.

We look back at Moose beating Cedric Alexander in a street fight last week.

TNA Wrestling, Impact Wrestling, Moose, The System, Brian Myers

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Moose vs. Brian Myers

Alisha Edwards is here with Moose and the rest of the System is here with Myers. Hold on though as here is Santino Marella to throw the System out, just in case. Marella says ring the bell and Moose hits the spear for the pin at 12 seconds. That’s efficient.

ENVY! Rosemary meets up with the Allie, who hates the regular clothes she’s wearing. Rosemary gives her something different and they go to see Raven, who mocks Tommy Dreamer. Raven gives Rosemary some of Dreamer’s blood from 1995 (“chock full of cholesterol and obesity”). I have no idea where these things are going but Raven (on a throne) is worth hearing.

The System tries to calm Brian Myers down and remind him that they still have a Tag Team Title shot. Bear Bronson is ready to hurt Moose.

Elayna Black vs. Jada Stone

Mara Sade is on commentary. They fight over standing switches to start and Stone takes her down. The standing moonsault gives Stone two but she gets sent throat first into the ropes. Black stomps away and it’s off to the chinlock. Stone fights up but here is Tasha Steelz to offer a distraction, allowing Black to hit the Blackout for the pin at 4:05.

Rating: C. There wasn’t much to this one as Black continues to just kind of be here. She was the big acquisition on the AMC debut and then hasn’t really done anything important. She has a bit of star power to her but it doesn’t matter if nothing happens from it. At the same time, Stone and Steelz should be in for a match at Sacrifice, possibly with someone else and part of Order 4 involved.

Post match Sade and Black have to be separated. Cue Order 4 to surround Stone but Trey Miguel runs in for the save.

Tessa Blanchard and company laugh at the Knockouts Title picture but Jody Threat, Harley Hudson and Myla Grace come in. Threat doesn’t think much of Blanchard and her cheap glasses so a match is set for next week.

Nemeths vs. Righteous

Vincent and Nic start things off with Vincent taking him down, sending Nic over to…well no one actually. Instead Nic is sent into the wrong corner so Dutch can come in for a splash. Dutch drops Vincent onto Nic for two and we take a break. We come back with Nic saving Ryan and grabbing a sleeper on Vincent.

That’s broken up and a tornado DDT plants Nic, allowing Dutch to come back in. House is quickly cleaned and it’s right back to Vincent for a high crossbody and a spinning DDT for two on Ryan. Dutch misses a charge into the steps though and Nic gets in a cheap shot on Vincent. The jumping Downward Spiral finishes Vincent at 11:40.

Rating: C+. The Nemeths are still a nice idea, as Nic is doing everything because Ryan is mostly useless. It could lead to the two of them splitting down the line, just for the sake of Nic getting sick of his brother being so worthless. The Righteous are still in a weird place, but ultimately it seems like they’ll be turning on the Hardys and setting up their big match. Uh, their next big match.

Mike Santana and Steve Maclin sit down in the back for a face to face confrontation. They stare at each other until Santana talks about how Maclin was the person who believed in him when he returned to TNA. Maclin was the one guy who would have his back but them Maclin’s pride and ego…and Maclin cuts him off. Maclin says Santana is the one with the ego and tells a story about volunteering to sweep for mines in Afghanistan.

Some drinks are sat out before them with Maclin having his, but Santana talks about fighting a war within himself. He’s made his past his superpower while Maclin has made his past his excuse. Everything Maclin has done better be worth it at Sacrifice because they’ll be ready to fight. When Santana wins, everything Maclin has done is for nothing. Santana even pays for the drinks and says Maclin is welcome for his job. This is still by far the best thing going in TNA and I want to see these two fight.

Overall Rating: C. I really wasn’t feeling this one so much, as most of the stories didn’t do much for me. The ending segment was good, but at the same time it only lasted a few minutes. Sacrifice should be a good show, but it needs something else to boost up the interest. The card is looking ok, though I could go for a second big match to come up. Not their best show here, but it did move us closer to Sacrifice.

Results
Home Town Man b. Frankie Kazarian – Small package
Mr. Elegance b. Mike Jackson – Fireman’s carry slam
Dani Luna/Arianna Grace b. Angel Warriors – Lunar Landing to Brookside
Moose b. Brian Myers – Spear
Elayna Black b. Jada Stone – Blackout
Nemeths b. Righteous – Jumping Downward Spiral to Vincent

 

 

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Impact Wrestling – March 5, 2026: They’re Better Than The Rest

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 5, 2026
Location: Gateway Center Arena At College Park, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re on the way to Sacrifice and that should make for some card building shows in the near future. I’m not sure what that’s going to entail, but it seems like we’re gearing up for Mike Santana defending the World Title against Steve Maclin. That feels like a full pay per view main event though so we’ll have to see what else they might have. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

The cast of Mama June is here! They sure are!

Lilian Garcia is here too! Ok that’s a bit better.

TNA, Impact Wrestling, Arianna Grace, Jody Threat, Stacks

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Knockouts Title: Jody Threat vs. Arianna Grace

Grace, with Stacks, is defending. Hold on though as here are Victoria Crawford, Tessa Blanchard and Mila Moore to watch, with Blanchard joining commentary. Grace jumps Threat to start fast but gets knocked into the corner for some right hands. Stacks offers a distraction though and Threat gets knocked off the top. Cue Indi Hartwell to watch as Grace knees Threat in the ribs.

A fisherman’s neckbreaker gives Grace two as Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Lee are here too. Threat fights up and makes the clothesline comeback, followed by a release German suplex. A Michinoku Driver gives Threat two and Grace goes outside, where Stacks gets taken out by a dive as Dani Luna is here to watch too. Back in and Grace loads up Santino Marella’s Cobra (because it has the power of a sock) but Threat takes it away. Grace goes after Threat’s bad ribs though and a rollup retains the title at 5:33.

Rating: C. The match itself was pretty generic, but the interesting part here was all of the women coming out to watch. It was a good chunk of the Knockouts division being out there, possibly scouting the less than great champion, and that has potential. Threat was only so thrilling as a challenger, but that wasn’t the point here.

Post match Stacks hands Grace the title rather than the tradition of Carlos Silva handing it over.

The Nemeths are in the back and, after the interviewer’s microphone is off to start, Nic says he’s ready to win the X-Division Title from the talented Leon Slater.

Here is the Elegance Brand (minus Ash) for a chat. The Personal Concierge says that Ash isn’t here for the sake of mental health after being called a mark, which is NOT TRUE. Hold on though as it’s time to go yell at the cast of Mama June…which brings ODB out of the crowd to say the Brand is disrespecting her people. That’s what they did to Mickie James so it’s time to fight. ODB whips out some cups of…I’m not actually sure, but she and the cast of Mama June pour it on the Brand and the women freak out. Your Knockouts Tag Team Champions people.

The Hardys give Leon Slater a pep talk for tonight and Slater is ready for Nic Nemeth.

TNA, Impact Wrestling, Sinner And Saint, Judas Icarus, Travis Williams, BDE, Rich Swann, The System, Righteous, Brian Myers, Bear Bronson

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

BDE/Rich Swann vs. The System vs. Righteous vs. Sinner And Saint

For a future Tag Team Title shot. Williams and BDE shake hands to start before BDE hits a quick springboard crossbody. Swann comes in but Bronson joins him to fire off the big forearms. That earns him a trip out to the floor so Swann and BDE superkick Sinner And Saint to the floor. The stereo dives connect to take out the System as well, leaving the Righteous alone. Dutch hits his own big dive and we get back inside, with Bronson chokebombing Vincent.

Myers’ chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s back to Swann to kick away at Williams. Swann drops Sinner And Saint, with a super hurricanrana getting two on Williams. Sinner And Saint are back up with a brainbuster for two on Swann so BDE comes back in to dropkick away. Orange Sunshine gets two on BDE with a bunch of people making the save and it’s time for the parade of knockdowns. Myers gives BDE a Roster Cut and Bronson’s over the shoulder piledriver finishes him off at 8:33.

Rating: B-. This was a fun four way tag where they kept things moving quickly enough to avoid things getting bogged down. I like the System winning as they’re supposed to be the big heel threat, meaning putting them into title contention is a good thing. Other than that, BDE continues to do better than he should be doing and having him put people over is a fine way to use him.

Rosemary (hey I remember her) is in a room with shadows going around her. She has a knife and talks about Decay ending, even though she was supposed to be the master of the realm. There is still a way to make things right though, which involves making a list.

Here is Moose, with Alisha Edwards, for a chat. Moose is tired of the System calling themselves a family when they’ll stab you in the back. He talks to some Atlanta Falcons legends in the front row, as he was part of the team at one point. Moose is ready to go through the System, one on one, starting with Cedric Alexander in a street fight next week. Then it’s Bear Bronson, with Eddie Edwards being saved for last. Alisha promises to stand by his side and take out the System, one by one. Right.

Rich Swann gives BDE a pep talk and Trey Miguel comes in to do the same. Order 4 shows up and complain about not being in the #1 contenders match. BDE and Swann leave so here is Jada Stone to get into it with Tasha Steelz.

TNA, Impact Wrestling, Mara Sade, Elayna Black

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Elayna Black vs. Mara Sade

Black backs her up against the ropes to start and we actually get a clean break. Huh. Anyway a running shoulder puts Sade down but she’s right back up with a dropkick to send Black outside. Sade gets pulled face first onto the apron and a step up stomp to the back gives Black two.

Black’s running elbow to the back gets two and she fires off knees in the ropes. The double arm crank goes on but Sade fights up and strikes away. Sade knocks her to the floor for the dive, followed by a missile dropkick for two back inside. Black is back in with a quick Canadian Destroyer for two of her own so she grabs a chair. That’s a distraction so she can load up brass knuckles though and Sade is knocked out for the pin at 7:21.

Rating: C+. Sade continues to be a nice surprise as she went from little more than a tag wrestler in NXT to someone who feels like she could be a big deal on her own here. On the other hand you have Black, who comes off like someone who should be a natural star but isn’t quite there. Maybe that changes, but either way it’s nice to have some bright options.

AJ Francis insults Atlanta so here is the Home Town Man for the brawl.

Here is Frankie Kazarian for the King’s Speech. He mentions showing up on Monday Night Raw for AJ Styles last week before bringing out his guest: Elijah. Kazarian praises Elijah for the “instant classic” of the guitar case casket match and Elijah hits his catchphrase. That’s not something Kazarian wants to do and brings up the Elijah has never won a title here.

Elijah talks about ending things with Mustafa Ali and Order 4 but Kazarian gets in his face, claiming disrespect. Hold on though as here are AJ Francis and the Home Town Man, with Francis chokeslamming Man off the stage and onto some people. Elijah goes to check on the Man.

Eric Young grabs a camera and says he hopes Leon wins. At least it was short.

The word PRIDE appears on the screen and Tommy Dreamer is…gone as Rosemary appears in his place. Rosemary offers Carlos Silva a new contract, and a feather to use as a pen. Silva signs and a monster appears in the door. Rosemary says that’s one down and six to go as Project Lazarus has been approved. She has ideas for the next one.

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Nic Nemeth

Nemeth, with his brother Ryan, is challenging. Nic starts fast with a neckbreaker and rakes Slater’s eyes up against the ropes. That seems to wake Slater up as he knocks Nic to the floor for the dive. Ryan gets in a distraction on the way back inside though and Nic’s Fameasser connects for two.

We take a break and come back with Slater hitting a running boot, followed by a spinning one for two of his own. Nic catches him going up top though and the running DDT gets two. The Danger Zone is blocked and Slater hits a standing Blue Thunder Bomb for two more. The Swanton 450 misses but Slater reverses a superkick into a Styles Clash.

Nic gets the knees up to block the Swanton 450 though and the sleeper goes on. That’s broken up so Ryan offers a distraction, allowing Nic to superkick Slater for two. A superplex is loaded up but Slater reverses into a spinning version of his own. Now the Swanton 450 can retain the title at 11:58.

Rating: B. That’s another pin over a former World Champion for Slater, who feels like he is becoming one of the big projects around here. There are far worse ideas out there too, as Slater has already become someone to look forward to every week. I could go for seeing how far he can go, as he’s already having one of the longest X-Division Title reigns ever. Good match here, as Slater lives up to the hype again.

Post match Eric Young runs in to jump Slater and give him a piledriver on the floor.

TNA, Impact Wrestling, Mike Santana, Daria Rae, Santino Marella

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Here is Mike Santana for a chat. He gets straight to the point as he wants to talk about Steve Maclin, who jumped him a few weeks ago. Accountability is what got him here as the World Champion. Tom Hannifan has gone to bat for Maclin and now Santana will too: he wants Maclin reinstated so he can get his hands on Maclin. Cue Daria Rae to grant his request, but she gets to decide when they’ll fight. Cue Santino Marella to say the match is on for Sacrifice, which works for Santana, but the violence is on next week.

Commentary gives us a quick recap of the show to wrap it up. I wonder if they were running short and had to fill time. Either way, it’s not a bad use of the last minute or so of the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Good enough show here, but it’s pretty clear that Slater, Santana and Maclin are miles ahead of pretty much everyone else. There are other talented stars, but most of them either aren’t around often or aren’t doing much. You can see a lot of Sacrifice from here and I’m curious about some of the stories, so they’re doing something right. This wasn’t a great week, but they have me interested enough for it to be an enjoyable night.

Results
Arianna Grace b. Jody Threat – Rollup
The System b. BDE/Rich Swann, Righteous and Sinner And Saint – Over the shoulder piledriver to BDE
Elayna Black b. Mara Sade – Brass knuckles punch
Leon Slater b. Nic Nemeth – Swanton 450

 

 

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Impact Wrestling – February 19, 2026: Mike Santana, And Everyone Else

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 19, 2026
Location: The Pinnacle, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with No Surrender, where only so much of note happened but the show itself was pretty good. Now it’s on to…whatever their next big show is, which hopefully has a better main event. The idea right now is a bunch of people could be coming for the World Title so Mike Santana has to have his head on a swivel. We also have a guitar case casket match, which is apparently a thing. Let’s get to it.

Here is No Surrender if you need a recap.

We open with a long No Surrender recap.

Opening sequence.

Indi Hartwell vs. Heather By Elegance

The rest of the Elegance Brand is here too. Hartwell wastes no time in wrestling her down to start and a side slam gets an early two. Heather sends her outside without much trouble and avoids a charge into the corner. The chinlock goes on to keep Hartwell down with Heather switching into a sleeper to make it worse.

Hartwell fights up with a spinebuster and the rest of the Brand gets up for a distraction. The referee is too smart (work with me here) for that though and they’re all tossed (save for Ash, who was on commentary). A top rope elbow to the back gets two on Heather, followed by a Hurts Donut for the pin at 7:15.

Rating: C. I still don’t think I see it with Hartwell, as the fans like her quite a bit but there’s a certain spark missing from her. The size difference was a problem here as well as Heather is downright tiny and Hartwell is one of the taller women in the company. Not a bad match at all though, and Hartwell and Xia Brookside might still be coming for the titles.

Earlier today, Steve Maclin was stopped from getting in the arena by Tom Hannifan. Maclin told him to find a way for him to get in next week, with Hannifan saying he’ll do it.

Hannifan says TNA management hasn’t responded yet.

Here is Mike Santana for a chat. He gets to the point, saying that if Steve Maclin keeps knocking on death’s door, sooner or later, it’s going to answer. With that out of the way, Santana would like Leon Slater to come out here. This brings out Slater, with Santana welcoming him back. Santana was worried about someone cashing in on him at No Surrender but Slater had his back.

In addition, Santana wants to apologize for leaving him on his own, and they shake hands. Slater pinned a former World Champion in Nic Nemeth though, which brings out the Nemeth Brothers, but Santana tells Ryan to shut up with the catchphrase. Nic calls the win luck, but Santana says it was skill. The challenge for the tag match is issued, which brings out Daria Rae. The match isn’t happening right now, but maybe next week. For now, get out of the ring.

The System warns Moose to move on because they dropped him for being dead weight. They have titles to win.

Frankie Kazarian wants to be on commentary for the Nemeths vs. Slater/Santana next week. Works for Daria Rae.

TNA, Impact Wrestling, Trey Miguel, Arianna Grace, Stacks

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

International Title: Stacks vs. Trey Miguel

Stacks, with Arianna Grace, is challenging. Before the match, Grace talks about how great things went at No Surrender, where he won the Knockouts Title. Yes her daddy got her the match and yes she played him like a fiddle. Miguel now has a customized (bright green) title and starts fast by ducking away from a charging Stacks. An arm snap over the top puts Stacks on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Miguel catching him with a springboard moonsault before rolling a northern lights suplex into a Kimura. With that broken up, Miguel flips over him and stomps Stacks in the back, only for Stacks to pop back up to put him down. Miguel ties him in the corner for a Cheeky Nandos Kick and a 619, only for Grace to slide in the Knockouts Title. The distraction lets Stacks hit a running boot to the back of the head for two but Miguel is right back with the Lightning Spiral to retain at 9:49.

Rating: C+. I can go for Miguel retaining and getting a title defense underneath his belt, as he needs to rebuild his status as a singles star. Beating Stacks again is a good thing to see, if nothing else as it’s nice to see the TNA wrestlers beating the NXT names for a change. Nice enough match here, and it should be fun to see Grace yelling at Stacks again.

Eric Young and his unseen fans are ready to cleanse this place, starting with Leon Slater. Good for him. Now stop talking.

TNA, Impact Wrestling, Tessa Blanchard, Victoria Crawford, Jody Threat

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Tessa Blanchard vs. Jody Threat

They go to the mat to start, with Blanchard cranking on the arm early on. That’s broken up and Threat fires off some clotheslines in the corner, only to get knocked down again. Blanchard’s slingshot splash gets two and she grabs an abdominal stretch to hammer on the ribs. Threat fights up and grabs a fireman’s carry, which draws in Victoria Crawford for the DQ at 4:44.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here and having Threat get beaten up on her way to the Knockouts Title shot is a bit of a questionable move. At least she didn’t lose here, but this didn’t make her look like much. Hopefully she gets a better win down the line, preferably over Blanchard, as that would make her feel like a much better threat to get the title.

Post match Blanchard and company stay on Threat and her bad ribs until Harley Hudson and Myla Rose come in for the save.

BDE/Rich Swann vs. Sinner And Saint

Swann headscissors Williams to start fast and it’s off to BDE, who gets chopped down in a hurry. Icarus takes BDE into the corner, where he almost fights his way out. Instead he has to flip his way to freedom, allowing the tag to Swann. That means the pace can pick up, with Icarus being knocked outside as BDE comes back in.

The springboard cutter is blocked though and a backsplash into a brainbuster gets two, with Swann making the save. BDE is back up with a springboard cutter, followed by a handspring cutter from Swann for two, with Williams making the save. Swann is knocked outside, leaving BDE to get kicked in the head in the corner. Total Elimination finishes for Icarus at 5:37.

Rating: C+. Sinner And Saint have grown on me a bit, which is probably due to getting them away from being lackeys and making them their own thing. TNA has a history of building some some nice teams and maybe they can do it again here as well. It’s not like there are a ton of great teams around here so why not see what they have here? As usual, BDE is a unique case and he’s not going to be hurt by losing match after match.

Post match respect is shown.

Mance Warner and Steph de Lander swear vengeance on AJ Francis…and then go into his locker room where the fight is on. It’s also quickly broken up.

The Hardys are ready for the System, who come in to interrupt them. The Righteous come in and the System bails. With them gone, the Righteous say they’re still going to try to gain the Hardys’ trust. Shockingly, the Hardys don’t seem convinced.

Here is Elayna Black, who is not happy with Mara Sade for eliminating her from the #1 contenders battle royal. She wants an explanation from Sade, who comes out to the stage to say they both came from the same place. They’re in the same place again, but Black says Sade has been handed everything before. Sade says Black hates her for being a go getter and the challenge is on.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including an interview with Steve Maclin.

Elijah vs. Mustafa Ali

Guitar case casket match and Order 4 is barred from ringside. Ali charges into a boot to the face to start and they head outside, where Ali chairs him in the back. A bunch of chairs are set up on the floor but Elijah is back up with a ukulele shot. They fight to the ramp, where Elijah backdrops him onto the open chairs.

We take a break and come back with Ali putting him on a table at ringside, setting up a 450 from the top. Cue the barred Order 4, with Agent Zero putting Elijah in the casket…where Elijah comes out throwing powder. Elijah fights out and grabs Tasha Steelz for the Highwayman’s Farewell.

Ali grabs the guitar but Elijah is smart enough to turn around so Steelz gets hit in the back with the guitar instead. After Ali realizes that didn’t go well, it’s a Highwayman’s Farewell to put him down but Ali manages a low blow. Ali loads up the casket, which seems to have a door laid over the hole. Another 450 misses though and Elijah guitars him in the head. A chokeslam through the door into the casket gives Elijah the win at 11:56.

Rating: B-. There were some good spots here, but Elijah was reaching near superhero levels as he beat the entire team on his own. I’m still not sure why Ali can’t win anything big, but this does at least seem to be the end of their feud. Now get Ali on to something he can win and Elijah on to…whatever he’s going to do now.

Overall Rating: C+. I do like how things are going on the way to Sacrifice, but it only feels like so much of an event. That was the problem going into No Surrender and that doesn’t make for the best back to back schedule of shows. The show was good enough and Santana and whatever he is doing continue to be interesting, but there’s quite the step down from there and that needs to change.

Results
Indi Hartwell b. Heather By Elegance – Hurts Donut
Trey Miguel b. Stacks – Lightning Spiral
Jody Threat b. Tessa Blanchard via DQ when Victoria Crawford interfered
Sinner And Saint b. BDE/Rich Swann – Total Elimination to BDE
Elijah b. Mustafa Ali – Elijah shut Ali in the casket

 

 

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

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Impact Wrestling – January 1, 2026: Sad Santino

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 1, 2026
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re back to our regular show here with the first show of the year. With only two weeks before the big debut on AMC, there are a few things that still need to be set up, which isn’t even factoring in the Genesis pay per view in a few weeks. That means there is a lot to cover in the next few weeks so let’s get to it.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

TNA, Impact Wrestling, Elegance Brand, Angel Warriors, M By Elegance, Heather By Elegance, Lei Ying Li, Xia Brookside,

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Angel Warriors vs. Elegance Brand

Li starts with Heather, who quickly hands it off to M before anything can get physical. M teases some martial arts and gets pulled down into a leglock, meaning Brookside can come in to kick her down. A knockdown gets M out of trouble though and it’s Heather coming back in to stomp away. M’s boot from the floor gives Heather two but a double faceplant leaves them both down. That’s enough for the tag off to Li to clean house, only for Brookside to come right back in. Another kick takes her down as Dani Luna runs in to post Li. M holds up Brookside for a missile dropkick from Heather for the pin at 6:21.

Rating: C+. The Brand continue to hang around the title picture and are likely to get a shot at the titles in the near future. At the same time you have Luna, who has done better in recent weeks and deserves a shot against Li for the title on the big stage. That’s likely either the AMC debut or Genesis, either of which would work fine.

Santino Marella is crushed after Arianna Grace and gives a note to be read by “Tom and Jerry”.

Post break, Stacks vs. Steve Maclin is set for the AMC debut.

TNA, Impact Wrestling, Order 4, Mustafa Ali, Elijah, Hometown Man

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Mustafa Ali vs. Home Town Man

Order 4 is here with Ali, who knocks Man down to start fast. That’s shrugged off and Man knocks him into the corner for some stomping. A neckbreaker puts Man right back down but the rolling X Factor is countered into a rather spinning TKO. Order 4 offers a distraction though and it’s the 450 to pin Man at 2:59.

Post match the beatdown is on but someone walks by the entrance with a guitar covering their face. Ali thinks it’s Elijah and sends Order 4 after him, only for the real Elijah to show up and chase him off. Elijah even plays a bit of Man’s theme.

The Rascalz go talk to Santino Marella about getting an X-Division Title shot. Marella says the team can fight each other for a title shot on the AMC premiere, with the winner of that being added to the Genesis title match.

We look at Ethan Page beating Moose on NXT to retain the North American Title.

Here are Arianna Grace and the NXT stars for a chat. Grace talks about being tired of living in Santino Marella’s shadow. She knew she had to change things when her dad didn’t get her booked around here so now Stacks is the only person who matters. Stacks says Grace is his girl now and sometimes she even calls him daddy. Well that’s an image.

TNA, Impact Wrestling, Jada Stone, Indi Hartwell, Jody Threat, Mila Moore, Tessa Blanchard, Victoria Crawford

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Indi Hartwell/Jody Threat/Jada Stone vs. Tessa Blanchard/Victoria Crawford/Mila Moore

Blanchard and company are rapped to the ring live by a singer from El Paso. Threat and Crawford start things off with Threat driving both Crawford and Moore into the corner. The villains are sent outside and Stone takes them out with a dive as we take a break. We come back with Stone still in trouble in the corner and Moore coming in to grab a chinlock. Stone fights up and ducks a boot, allowing the tag off to Hartwell to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and Magnum finishes Stone at 9:02.

Rating: C+. I can always go for a good six person tag as it gives you such a nice variety of options. That was the case here, with newcomers Stone and Moore getting their chances to show off a bit. It wasn’t a great match or anything close, but I’ll take this over having the same singles matches over and over again.

We recap the Righteous’ time in TNA, including kind of kidnapping Matt Hardy.

Here are the Righteous for a chat. The fans would rather have Matt, with Vincent talking about how they are many voices. “Last week”, Matt Hardy fell but the Righteous were there to pick him up. Then you have Jeff Hardy, with Vincent being just a reflection of him. Cue the Hardys, with Matt saying this sounds a bit cultish. They’re willing to defend the titles against the Righteous but that’s not what the Righteous want. They want the brotherhood, but the Hardys already have that covered. Threats are made, but the Hardys are more concerned about the AMC Era. And that’s that.

TNA, Impact Wrestling, Zachary Wentz, Myron Reed, Trey Miguel, Rascalz, Leon Slater

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Trey Miguel vs. Myron Reed vs. Zachary Wentz

For an X-Division Title shot against Leon Slater (on commentary) on the AMC premiere. Respect is shown to start and they trade some early rollups for a standoff. A series of armdrags sends Wentz outside but he’s back inside for a kick to Reed’s face. The spinning middle rope crossbody gives Reed two but tempers start to flare between Reed and Miguel.

Wentz joins in to kick Reed down and a neckbreaker drops him for two. The cover doesn’t sit well with Wentz and it’s a DDT/Blockbuster combination to Miguel to leave everyone down. Back up and Miguel hits a bit flipping dive but Wentz is back in with a UFO Cutter. Reed hits the springboard 450 to grab the fast pin on Wentz at 6:15.

Rating: B-. This was another match which fit the total nonstop action moniker as they got out there and went nuts for a little while. It was nice to see Reed get the win, as he’s the least established of the team. I could go for seeing Reed get back into the title picture and he got there in an entertaining match.

Post match everything is cool.

Here is the System for a chat. Eddie Edwards knows they are getting close to Genesis and the Last Dance, but JDC has one more idea. Next week, it’s the System against Leon Slater/Cedric Alexander and the Hardys. Works for the team, though I’m not sure why they needed to come to the ring to announce the match.

The Hardys are happy with the match…and then find a shrine to them.

TNA World Title: Frankie Kazarian vs. Bear Bronson

Kazarian is defending and runs his mouth to start, earning a hard shot from Bronson. Chops in the corner and a big backdrop have Kazarian in trouble and he tries to walk out, only to get thrown back into the ring as we take a break. We come back with Bronson fighting up but getting struck back down. Kazarian tries a sunset flip, only for Bronson to sit down on his chest.

The clothesline comeback is on and a running powerslam gives Bronson two. A chokebomb is countered into a DDT to give Kazarian two so the chickenwing goes on. That’s broken up with a bite to the hand and Bronson sends him outside for a dive. Kazarian slams him onto the steps for a near countout and Bronson gets a quick rollup for two. His back gives out on a powerbomb attempt though and Fade To Black retains the title at 13:06.

Rating: B-. This is a good example of how to get the most out of someone new. Bronson isn’t an established name around here and this match did a good job of making sure the fans got to know him. I’m not sure how much of a future he has, but it’s interesting to see someone start on top rather than having to work there way up over a long time. He did well with his chance too, as this was an effective debut.

Post match Mike Santana comes out to congratulate Kazarian. It’s not on the win though, but rather that their title match is at the AMC debut rather than Genesis.

Overall Rating: B. For a show that was almost just a placeholder before the big stuff in a few weeks, this did rather well. They had some solid action throughout and a logical change of the big title match to the AMC debut, which is a far bigger show than Genesis. Throw in Santino Marella being toned way down for a bit and it was a nice way to start the year.

Results
Elegance Brand b. Angel Warriors – Missile dropkick to Brookside
Mustafa Ali b. Home Town Man – 450
Tessa Blanchard/Victoria Crawford/Mila Moore b. Indi Hartwell/Jody Threat/Jada Stone – Magnum to Stone
Myron Reed b. Zachary Wentz and Trey Miguel – Springboard 450 to Wentz
Frankie Kazarian b. Bear Bronson – Fade To Black

 

 

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

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Impact Wrestling – November 20, 2025: As Always

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 20, 2025
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Turning Point and that show only meant so much. I’m not sure what that is going to mean but now we’re going to get ready for Final Resolution next month. Hopefully there is something a bit happier than what we got last week, but you never can tell with this place. Let’s get to it.

Here is Turning Point if you need a recap.

In Memory Of George Tahinos, a wrestling photographer.

We open with a recap of last week’s World Title change, plus Turning Point, both of which saw NXT invasions.

Opening sequence.

Here is Mike Santana to get things going. Santana sits in a chair in the ring and says he loves these fans. He fought to get to the top and he shared that victory with his baby girl. Last week, he made it to 1000 days clean and sober (awesome). Then the next day, it was all taken from him and for the first time on his journey, he was scared. Before Turning Point, he went to a safe space and went to a meeting.

The people here give TNA their hard earned money to see a show and now Santana wants the World Title that much more. He’s coming for Frankie Kazarian, but first, he is picking off the NXT guys one by one. Consider this their warning. The fans were SILENT when Santana was talking about the personal side of things. That felt like it was because they were with him the entire way and that’s a great sign.

Frankie Kazarian comes in to see Santino Marella and wants a formal apology for having nothing to do with NXT. JDC comes in to mock Kazarian’s style and then asks for a World Title shot. Marella gives JDC a #1 contenders match later tonight.

Myla Grace vs. Rosemary vs. Indi Hartwell vs. Dani Luna

The winner faces the winner of another four way later on for a title shot. They go with the fast rollups to start and Rosemary gets caught in the corner for some running shots to knock her silly. That’s shrugged off and she’s able to fight out of a Hurts Donut attempt. Hartwell beats up Grace in the corner and a side slam gets two.

We take a break and come back with Hartwell caught in the Upside Down. Hartwell is out of that in a hurry and spinebusters Rosemary for two. Grace hits a big dive to take Rosemary out on the floor. Luna and Hartwell clothesline each other as Rosemary loads up a chain. Grace posts Rosemary though and she drops the chain, allowing Luna to use it to knock Hartwell out for the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C+. This was one of those “everyone goes nuts for a bit until someone gets the pin”, with Luna taking out Hartwell to continue their issues. Luna has gotten a lot more interesting since Spitfire split up and I’ll take that, as someone has to move up the ladder at some point. Odds are she doesn’t win the title, but at least she’s getting a chance.

Eric Young blames Santino Marella for all of the problems in this company and the Cleanse is coming.

Santino Marella and Arianna Grace are in the back when the Hardys and Steve Maclin come in. They want a piece of the NXT invaders.

Matt Cardona vs. Mance Warner

Steph de Lander is here with Warner and has to pull him away from an early Reboot attempt. Another distraction lets Warner counter Radio Silence into a sitout powerbomb for two and it’s time to slug it out. Cardona gets in a spinebuster and a flapjack, setting up the Reboot for two.

Warner faceplants him down though and a running knee connects for two. De Lander slips in a chair, which is taken away (not the brightest plan), allowing Cardona to hit Radio Silence. This time de Lander puts Warner’s foot on the rope so Cardona goes after her. That’s enough for de Lander to slip in her purse, which Warner uses for a cheap shot. The Pay Window (implant DDT) finishes Cardona at 5:18.

Rating: C+. If TNA wants Warner to actually be something, he has to win a match every so often. That’s what we got to see here, as Warner and de Lander worked well together to get Warner a win. It helps that de Lander and Cardona have such a history together, as it made the match feel a bit more important.

The NXT invaders talk about how TNA came to their house first but now they’re they’re seen as the bad guys. Robert Stone insists that he is NOT the person behind all of this and Lexis King promises to shatter TNA into a million pieces.

Matt Cardona is sick about Mance Warner and Steph de Lander cheating him out of a win. Now the Death Match King wants Warner in a street fight at Final Resolution.

Myron Reed vs. John Skyler

Reed dropkicks him down to start but Skyler is back with a ram into the buckle. The Russian legsweep gives Skyler two and he knocks Reed down again to grab a waistlock. Reed’s comeback is cut off with a clothesline so Reed switches to a running boot to the face. A slingshot legdrop in the ropes staggers Skyler again and a slingshot belly to back suplex gets two.

The big diving cutter is cut off with a slingshot spear to give Skyler two but Reed is back with Stundog Millionaire. They’re both down and we cut to the back, where Order 4 has taken out the Rascalz. Reed is back up with a cutter to send Skyler outside, setting up a big dive. Back in and Reed tries a sunset flip but cue Jason Hotch to help Skyler get the pin at 6:28.

Rating: B-. I wasn’t wild on the ending but this was a good example of two people who are given the chance to showcase themselves. That’s exactly what they did here and it made for a solid match. Order 4 moving on from the System to the Rascalz is a nice shift, as both of them could use a bit of a change of pace. Good match here, with Reed’s athleticism being quite the treat.

We look at Leon Slater retaining the X-Division Title against Rich Swann at Turning Point.

AJ Francis isn’t pleased with Swann losing but Slater comes in, with Francis calling the title First Class property. Slater vs. Francis seems set.

And now, we get the next step in the search for Mr. Elegance. There are three candidates, the first of which is quickly taken away for some alone time with Ash. The second is sent away for his choice of jacket color. The third practically begs for the chance and is dubbed a loser. As a result, the search continues.

Victoria Crawford vs. Jody Threat vs. Xia Brookside vs. Killer Kelly

The winner faces Dani Luna for a future Knockouts Title shot. Threat clears the ring to start fast and Brookside hits a dive. Back in and Threat blocks a headscissors from Brookside before Crawford takes Threat out. A Russian legsweep gives Brookside two and we take an early break.

We come back with Tessa Blanchard jumping in on commentary but then jumping back off as Threat dropkicks Brookside, who had Crawford in a fireman’s carry. Kelly chokes Brookside and Threat adds in a running dropkick in the corner. A Michinoku Driver gives Threat two and Crawford catches Kelly with a kick to the head on the middle rope. Crawford and Threat brawl to the floor, leaving Brookside to hit the Brooksie Bomb for the pin at 8:51.

Rating: C+. Another fast paced match here, though the rest is only so much you can get out of a match that is just shy of nine minutes with a commercial in the middle. Brookside is another person who could be moved into title contention, even in the short term, and it’s nice to see her getting a chance. If nothing else, that Brookside Bomb is a cool enough finisher to get her somewhere.

We meet Jada Stone, who was trained by Al Snow in OVW and the New Japan Dojo. She wasn’t ready in her first tryout but then she got a contract with TNA. Stone is a big fan of Bayley and it meant a lot to get to meet her, as Stone is ready to prove herself.

Santino Marella runs down the Final Resolution card thus far:

Mike Santana vs. Charlie Dempsey
Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Tyson DuPont/Tyriek Igwe
International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Stacks

Here’s what’s coming in two weeks, as there isn’t a regular show due to Thanksgiving.

We get more of the Final Resolution card:

Knockouts Title: Kelani Jordan vs. Dani Luna or Xia Brookside
X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. AJ Francis
Street Fight: Matt Cardona vs. Mance Warner

JDC vs. Eric Young

Frankie Kazarian is on commentary and JDC gets a World Title shot if he wins (thankfully Young doesn’t have such a chance). Young jumps him to start but gets knocked outside, with JDC following to keep up the fight. Back in and Young stomps away, only to get punched out to the floor. JDC starts in on the arm but Young sends him into the corner to take over. An armbar suplex doesn’t do much to Young, who is right back with a nerve hold.

That’s broken up and JDC goes up, only to get shoved off the top for a crash. Young’s moonsault misses and the piledriver is countered into a rollup for two. They go up top with Young biting JDC’s head to send him back down. A top rope elbow gives Young two and the referee is nearly crushed in the corner. The low blow into the Death Valley Driver gives Young two and they slug it out. They go up top again, where JDC backdrops him down, followed by Down And Dirty to finish Young at 13:03.

Rating: B-. Going with the soon to retire JDC for one big shot at the World Title is a good way to go and even if there is no reason to believe he’ll win the title, it’s a nice idea. At the same time, I can go for Young losing more often, though I’m scared of whatever this Cleanse could mean. Just please don’t let him be behind the whole NXT invasion. I couldn’t handle Young as the top heel again.

The staredown ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This at least felt like a normal edition of the show, as they were focused on a few things and advanced those forward. Final Resolution might not be the most important show, but they’ve done a nice job of setting it up on short notice. I liked this show well enough and it makes me wonder where some of the things are going. At the same time, I’m scared to know where some of those same things are going. Ok I’m scared of seeing more Eric Young. As always.

Results
Dani Luna b. Myla Grace, Rosemary and Indi Hartwell – Chain to the head to Hartwell
Mance Warner b. Matt Cardona – Pay Window
John Skyler b. Myron Reed – Rollup with assist from Jason Hotch
Xia Brookside b. Jody Threat, Killer Kelly and Victoria Crawford – Brooksie Bomb to Kelly
JDC b. Eric Young – Down And Dirty

 

 

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

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Impact Wrestling – November 6, 2025 (Open Fight Night): Out Of Time

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 6, 2025
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

I’m not sure what to think of this show these days, as it’s basically just an assortment of random stuff from week to week. This week is described as Open Fight Night, meaning you can get a match with anyone you want. That could mean a lot of things, but at the end of the day, we still haven’t had a new TV taping since the pay per view so this isn’t likely to be much. Let’s get to it.

Santino Marella says we’re still dealing with the effects of Bound For Glory but we’re back live next week. Tonight though is Open Fight Night so it’s time for some challenges.

Brian Myers says that he and Eddie Edwards want the Tag Team Titles back so they’re starting against the Great Hands.

Opening sequence.

Northern Armory vs. Rascalz vs. Great Hands vs. The System

One fall to a finish with Tasha Steelz and Alisha Edwards at ringside. Icarus (with his taped up shoulder) and Wentz go to the mat to start and everything breaks down with the villains being sent outside. The Rascalz kick the System to the floor and hit the required dives as we take a break.

We come back with Icarus getting caught in a Dream Sequence to give Wentz two. Williams dropkicks Wentz for two but Myers comes in to drop Williams with a clothesline. Skyler is right back up with a knockdown into a chinlock before Hotch does the same. That’s broken up as well and it’s Edwards coming in to make the comeback. Everything breaks down and the Boston Knee Party hits Skyler to give Edwards the pin at 12:52.

Rating: B-. The action was good, but there was so much going on that it’s hard to have anyone really stand out. As usual, the issue with a match like this is that it doesn’t feel like the System won but rather they stole a fall when everyone else was busy. That’s what happens when you have this many people involved in a match and there isn’t much of a way around it with just one fall.

Jody Threat wants to fight Dani Luna.

The Elegance Brand is on a search for their Mr. Elegance. Ash is here as well, making me think this was taped a long time ago.

Dani Luna vs. Jody Threat

Threat wrestles her down to start and hammers away before they’re quickly on the floor. Luna avoids a backsplash and they get back inside, with Threat’s choke being broken up without much trouble. Threat misses a charge into the ropes and gets taken down with a German suplex.

We take a break and come back with Luna elbowing her in the head but Threat manages a clothesline. Luna is sent outside for a running flip dive off the apron, followed by a crossbody back inside. Luna’s comeback is quickly cut off with a rear naked choke, sending Luna bailing over to the ropes. A clothesline to the back of the head drops Threat but she’s able to counter the Lunar Landing. Luna is able to grab a bottom rope German superplex to bring Threat back in, setting up the Lunar Landing for the pin at 14:17.

Rating: B-. They had a hard hitting fight here, which helps make up for the lack of interest in seeing these two fight anymore. Their team was only so good in the first place and it feels like they’ve been feuding for even longer than they were together. Either way, the match worked well enough and that’s good for a one off match on a special like this.

Cedric Alexander gets smart by choosing to face Mike Santana.

We’re going to get a documentary on Dana Brooke, including a look at her retirement.

Nic Nemeth and Mike Santana were in El Paso to hype up Final Resolution.

Speaking of El Paso, here’s a match from the tapings in the city earlier this year.

Colons vs. Hardys

Street fight and the Hardys Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. Jeff and Eddie start things off with Jeff working on the arm. Matt comes in to ram the bad arm into his shoulder, followed by Poetry In Motion. It’s time for a table but the Colons fight back and kick it out to the floor. The Hardys aren’t having that and beat up Orlando on the floor, followed by stereo rams into the buckles.

Matt beats on Eddie in the crowd before stereo low blows cut off the Twists Of Fate. The table is sent back inside but Jeff crotches Orlando on top. Matt hits Eddie low and there’s the Twist Of Fate. After fixing the table again, the Swanton puts Eddie through said table to give Matt the pin on Eddie at 11:21.

Rating: C+. This felt like a post show dark match to send the fans home happy with commentary added later. That’s not a bad thing to show either, as the Hardys are still one of the top acts in the company and the fans love them. It’s not a great match, but it’s a nice exclusive to add in here.

The Hardys celebrate with the fans.

We go to the May 24, 2012 Impact (Open Fight Night II).

TNA World Title: Bobby Roode vs. AJ Styles

Roode is defending and it’s a feeling out process to start with Roode getting in a cheap shot but getting caught with a quick dropkick. We’re clipped to Roode hitting a suplex and dropping a knee, followed by a chinlock. Styles fights out and hits a quick Phenomenal Forearm for a slightly delayed two.

Roode powers him into the corner but Styles is right back up with a missile dropkick. Roode’s spear gets two but the crossface doesn’t last long. Styles’ Muta Lock sends Roode over to the rope, allowing him to fisherman’s suplex Styles for two. Styles gets in a Pele kick but gets distracted by….something, allowing Roode to block the springboard 450. The fisherman’s suplex retains the title at 8:08 shown (of 21:20 overall). I won’t rate what we saw with this much missing, but what we got was the usual good stuff you would expect from these two.

We look at Kelani Jordan retaining the Knockouts Title on NXT, earning her a spot at Gold Rush in a triple threat, defending against Lei Ying Lee and Jordynne Grace.

We get a sitdown interview with Jordan, who is tired of doing things the right way and getting treated badly as a result. She’s already beaten a bunch of challengers and the results will be the same at Gold Rush. The turn has helped Jordan, but having her talk in long form stuff is not a great idea.

Ash By Elegance is in Edmonton, looking for Mr. Elegance, which appears to be involving watching pre-show tryout matches. No one impresses them.

Mike Santana vs. Cedric Alexander

Santana doesn’t have the belt here, which is explained as he’s leaving it in the back due to respect for Alexander. This is of course translated to “it was taped before he won the title”. They go into the corner to start until Alexander works on the arm. Santana reverses into some arm cranking of his own but it’s way too early to Spin The Block.

A springboard spinning crossbody sends Alexander outside, with a superkick dropping him again. Alexander is right back in with a springboard moonsault to send Santana outside for a change. We take a break and come back with Alexander grabbing a snap German suplex for two.

Santana fires off chops in the corner but charges into a Michinoku Driver for two more. Santana fights out of a chinlock and strikes away until Alexander grabs a fisherman’s buster for another near fall. The Rolling Buck Fifty fives Santana two of his own and they forearm it out from their knees. They trade rollups for two each until Spin The Block gives Santana the pin at 15:11.

Rating: B. This was how a show like this should have ended, as the World Champion gets a nice hard fought win. Santana should have a lot more going on in the near future, but at least he got in the ring for a match. Granted it would have been better if he was having a match after winning the title, but I’ll take what I can get here.

Overall Rating: B. Maybe it was just having fresh content but I’ll take this as a one off special. That being said, the best part about this show was the announcement that we’re FINALLY getting some post-Bound For Glory content next week. The fact that it’s the day before Turning Point doesn’t make things much better, but at least it’s something.

Results
The System b. Northern Armory, Rascalz and Great Hands – Boston Knee Party to Skyler
Dani Luna b. Jody Threat – Lunar Landing
Hardys b. Colons – Swanton through a table to Eddie
Mike Santana b. Cedric Alexander – Spin The Block

 

 

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

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Bound For Glory 2025: This Close

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

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

Kickoff Show: Elegance Brand vs. IInspiration

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

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

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

National Anthem.

International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Frankie Kazarian

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

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

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

We run down the rest of the card.

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

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

Tessa Blanchard vs. Gia Miller

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

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

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

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

Call Your Shot Gauntlet

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Knockouts Title: Kelani Jordan vs. Indi Hartwell

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

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

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

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

Post match respect is shown.

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

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

The System vs. Order 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Genesis is in Dallas in January.

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

TNA World Title: Trick Williams vs. Mike Santana

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

 

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

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