Slammiversary 2025
Date: July 20, 2025
Location: UBS Arena, Elmont, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s one of the biggest shows of the year for TNA and they’re in a major arena. In this case we have a main event about TNA getting the World Title back from behind NXT lines as Joe Hendry and Mike Santana go after Trick Williams. Other than that, we have a four way tag team ladder match for the titles, because we must ladder. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Knockouts Tag Team Titles: IInspiration vs. Elegance Brand

The Elegance Brand, with the Personal Concierge and M By Elegance, is defending. McKay shoves Heather into the corner for the stomping to start and the IInspiration gets to do their double pose. Heather gets in a cheap shot though and Ash comes in to hammer away. The handspring elbow in the corner connects and a running dropkick gets two.

McKay fights out of the corner though and it’s Lee coming in off the tag. A fisherman’s suplex gives Lee two and a top rope hurricanrana sends Ash flying. The superplex gets two more, with M putting the foot on the rope. Lee hits a big dive off the top but Heather breaks up the Idolizer. A cheap shot from M sets up Rarefied Air to retain the titles at 8:43.

Rating: C+. They weren’t out there very long but it was an energetic match with the champions retaining. As much as the titles would seem to have been made for the IInspiration, it’s too early for the Elegance Brand to lose the titles. Good enough match too, with a simple story that didn’t overstay its welcome.

Here is the Northern Armory, with Eric Young insulting the New York crowd (with no subtlety whatsoever). He is sick of the Home Town Man and issues an open challenge so here we go.

Kickoff Show: Eric Young vs. Home Town Man

Man backdrops him to start and hammers away in the corner but Young gets in a hot shot onto the turnbuckle. Young rips off Man’s Islanders jersey and we hit the chinlock. That doesn’t last long as Man fights up and makes the clothesline comeback. Young knocks him off the top though and the top rope elbow gets two. We pause for Young to yell at some fans, allowing Man to backdrop his way out of a piledriver and cradle Young for the pin at 4:05.

Rating: C. See, this is the kind of gimmick that can work well. It might not work for a long time, but I’ll absolutely take this over TNA trying to make me care about Cody Deaner’s career prospects. This is a goofy, fun thing where the fans are in on the joke and there is nothing wrong with that.

Kickoff Show: Real1/Zilla Fatu/Josh Bishop vs. Steve Maclin/Jake Something/Mance Warner

This is a mini-invasion deal, as Real1 and company are from Fourth Rope Wrestling. Real1 does the same catchphrases he’s used for ten years now and introduces his partners. Warner and Fatu strike it out to start with Fatu knocking him down, only to miss the top rope splash.

Maclin comes in to strike away and Fatu’s splash hits Bishop by mistake. Real1 gets caught with the running shoulder in the Tree Of Woe but Bishop gives Maclin a chokeslam. We hit the parade of dives until Warner hits something by mistake. Real1 hits Eat Defeat to pin Something at 2:54. Sweet goodness I could go with never seeing Real1 again.

And now, the show proper.

Brianna Laughlin (I believe Tommy Dreamer’s daughter) sings the National Anthem.

The opening video starts with a brief history of the promotion before looking at what we’re getting tonight.

Mustafa Ali vs. Cedric Alexander

Order 4 is here with Ali. They take their time to start with Ali getting in an armdrag, followed by a flipping exchange of arm cranking. A big exchange of chops sees Alexander kicking him into the ropes, followed by a German suplex on the floor. The Secret Service offers a distraction though, allowing Ali to hit a big dive.

Back in and Ali misses the 450, plus a charge into the corner. Ali is fine enough to go up top, where Alexander super Falcon Arrows him onto the pile at ringside. Back in and Ali DDTs him, only to miss a standing moonsault. Alexander misses a shot of his own, allowing Ali to grab a Sharpshooter. That’s broken up so they head back outside, where Ali gets backdropped HARD onto the steps.

The chase is on, with Jason Hotch getting in a DDT to cut Alexander off. Back in and the 450 gives Ali two, complete with the big shocked kickout face. Tasha Steelz gets in the ring to yell at the referee and is promptly ejected. Ali rolls into a cutter from Alexander, who suplexes him into the corner for a nasty landing. The Lumbar Check gives Alexander two but cue Steelz with a chair (How is this not a DQ?), earning herself a Lumbar Check. Ali hits a quick 450 for the pin at 14:30.

Rating: B. These two work very well together and they had a hot opener here, lack of a DQ at the end aside. I’m not sure what is next for Alexander, but it’s nice to see Ali get a nice win. Order 4 needs something to do, but at least Ali got some momentum after having issues with the team.

We run down the card.

Joe Hendry is ready to get the World Title back.

The System/Matt Cardona vs. Darkstate

Darkstate runs in for the brawl before the bell and everyone gets in a fight. JDC uses a chair and, after the Sabu point, hits a big flip dive. They get back inside to officially start, with Myers planting Shugars but missing a charge into the corner. Griffin rakes Myers’ eyes across the top rope and hands it off to Lennox to keep up the beating. It’s off to James for a chinlock but Myers fights out and hits a spear.

Cardona comes in to clean house, with the Reboot hitting Shugars for two. The middle rope triplebomb plants Cardona for two but Shugars gets powerbombed out of the corner. A top rope elbow into Down And Dirty gets two and they all brawl. Radio Silence hits Shugars, followed by the Boston Knee Party to give Edwards the pin at 6:44.

Rating: C+. And that’s how Darkstate loses their first match. I’m really not sure what the thinking is behind that but they did at least lose to some of the bigger names in TNA. Still though, kind of a weird way to go, with something of a makeshift team beating the invaders in a pretty short match.

We recap Tessa Blanchard vs. Indi Hartwell. They were friends years ago but Hartwell says Blanchard has change. Fighting is ensuing.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Indi Hartwell

Victoria Crawford is here with Blanchard. They start with a chase and Blanchard gets in a baseball slide, only for a stomp on the apron to be blocked. Back in and Blanchard starts in on the leg before kicking Hartwell in the face for two. Blanchard goes up top but takes too long, allowing Hartwell to come back with a superplex.

The knee is too banged up for her to capitalize though and Blanchard is back up. The slugout goes to Hartwell, who fires off some clotheslines and a boot to the head. Blanchard gets planted for two but the Hurts Donut is broken up. A superkick sends Hartwell to the floor for a running flip dive but she breaks up the buzzsaw DDT.

Blanchard is right back with a tiger driver for two, only to miss Magnum. Now the Hurts Donut can connect for two but Blanchard catches her on top with a super cutter. Magnum gets two so Blanchard yells a lot, only to get caught with the Hurts Donut for the pin at 15:34.

Rating: C+. Not a bad match, but Hartwell going over Blanchard feels wrong on a variety of levels. Hartwell is trying but she’s not on Blanchard’s level and it’s rather obvious when they’re in the ring together. Maybe this is more of Blanchard’s punishment after her absence, though I’m not sure what’s enough to make up for such a loss.

Post match Blanchard jumps Hartwell and takes out Gigi Miller for a bonus. In the back, Santino Marella ejects Blanchard from the building.

The Elegance Brand is happy with their win but the IInspiration comes in to yell a lot.

We recap Jacy Jayne vs. Masha Slamovich, title for title. The idea is Jayne is a huge underdog but that was the case when she won the NXT Women’s Title in the first place.

TNA Knockouts Title/NXT Women’s Title: Masha Slamovich vs. Jacy Jayne

Winner take all and the rest of Fatal Influence is here with Jayne. Slamovich sends her throat first into the ropes to start before taking out Jazmyn Nyx on the floor. Fallon Henley offers a bit of an assist though, with Slamovich going into the post. Back in and some knees to the back set up a chinlock from Jayne but Slamovich drops down onto her for the break.

Some running shots in the corner stagger Jayne for two and Slamovich drives her into another corner for the same. They go up top and Slamovich blocks a sunset bomb attempt. Jayne’s running knee gets two so the rest of the team gets on the apron. Jayne hits a belt shot for two but she misses a Cannonball in the corner. Slamovich’s running boot to the face connects but Fatal Influence gets up.

Here are Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Lee to even the score (this would have been a cooler moment if their names hadn’t been listed on Slamovich’s chyron at the beginning of the match) but the referee goes down. Slamovich hits the Snow Plow but there is no referee for the count, meaning the replacement referee gets a very delayed two. They trade rollups for two each before the Rolling Encore (discus forearm) makes Jayne a double champion at 12:38.

Rating: B-. It makes perfect sense, as there is something about having the unstoppable champion get stopped by someone in over their head. That’s something that has worked for years and it worked again here, with Jayne getting to look like a star again. Slamovich is going to be fine, though I’m not thrilled at the idea of Indi Hartwell as the possible Knockouts savior.

Naturally this is the darkest hour ever for TNA as Jayne is presented with the title.

Eric Young yells at the Northern Armory.

The company has set a new record for highest North American attendance. Nice job.

We recap the X-Division Title match. Leon Slater wants to become the youngest champion ever while Moose wants to become the longest reigning champion of all time. This has been set up for a few months now and it should be a good a good one.

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Moose

Moose, with his old school theme, is defending. Slater slugs away to start but gets choke bombed out of the corner for two. They go outside with Slater’s hurricanrana being blocked but he’s able to send Moose into the steps. Back in and Slater can’t hit a torture rack bomb, instead being sent hard into the buckle.

The release Rock Bottom drops Slater again and they go to the apron. Another chokebomb is countered into a hurricanrana and a powerbomb is countered into another hurricanrana. Slater takes him out with a bit flip dive but the pop up powerbomb drops Slater inside. Slater’s clothesline doesn’t so much so Moose blasts him with a discus lariat. Back up and Slater gets in a hard clothesline of his own but Moose crotches him on top.

The spear gives Moose two but he misses another into the corner. Slater manages the torture rack slam into a spear of his own, followed by the Swanton 450 for two. A springboard is speared out of the air to send Slater outside, where he hits a Code Red. Back in and a Swanton into another Swanton 450 gives Slater the pin and the title at 15:27.

Rating: B. Good action with a good story and that’s all you can ask for most of the time. The idea here was Slater getting to win the big one and that has been set up for the last few months. Slater gets the big win on the major stage and that is the best possible outcome. Moose had held onto the title, but Slater sound up being different, which is the way it should have gone.

Post match Slater celebrates with his family before Moose puts the title on him in a rare show of respect. With Moose gone, AJ Styles comes out to an absolute hero’s welcome (with Slater running around in circles). Styles asks if TNA missed him and talks about his history here. He says Slater earned it and says people like Slater make Styles love this business. Styles lists off some great X-Division wrestlers and says the division is in good hands before announcing Slater as the new champion. That’s as awesome of a rub as you’ll get.

The Home Town Man is in the crowd.

We recap the four way ladder match for the Tag Team Titles. The idea here is that the Hardys aren’t sure if they have it anymore and need to prove themselves one more time. The other teams are basically window dressing.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Rascalz vs. First Class vs. Nemeths

The Nemeths are defending in a ladder match so they throw ladders in to start fast. The Hardys take one of them away and start to clean house, with every non-Hardy team being dropped. For some reason the Hardys go up at the same time, with Francis shoving it over for a crash onto the top rope.

Francis World’s Strongest Slams Reed onto the ladder but Navarro gets on Francis’ shoulders, allowing Wentz to hit something of a Doomsday dropkick. Francis gets crushed with a ladder and Reed hits his diving cutter to the floor. Wentz dives through a bridged ladder at ringside and Francis is pulled off the ladder so the Hardys can double team him down.

The Nemeths break it up and climb at the same time, with the Rascalz making the save this time. The big ladder is sat up and Francis climbs up for a moonsault down into a big crash. First Class goes up and are promptly shoved over for a crash onto the bridged ladders outside.

Jeff hits a Swanton onto the Rascalz on more bridged ladders but these don’t break (though the Rascalz might), so Jeff goes up and does it again. With nothing else working, Jeff grabs a remote control and a rope ladder drops down (because of course). The Nemeths go up and crash down, with the Hardys giving them stereo Twists of Fate with chairs around their necks. Jeff climbs up to get the titles at 16:46.

Rating: B-. They had some unique spots here, but there was a grand total of no reason for this to be a ladder match. It felt like they were doing one for the sake of giving the Hardys another moment, which has been done to death. We’re not that far removed from the Hardys’ most recent title win either, so it isn’t like this is some big impactful win.

Post match, here is Bully Ray of all people and I instantly do not like where this is going. Ray praises the Hardys and puts over their history together. He wants to do it one more time at Bound For Glory and the match seems to be made. For the life of me this makes my head hurt.

Santino Marella announces that Tessa Blanchard has been suspended indefinitely. With that out of the way, the Busted Open Radio hosts make their main event predictions, but Frankie Kazarian interrupts. Kazarian thinks he should be in the main event but instead he’ll sit at ringside for commentary.

We recap the main event. Joe Hendry lost the World Title to NXT’s Trick Williams. This sent a bunch of people into a quest to get the title back in TNA, with Hendry and Mike Santana getting their shot tonight.

TNA World Title: Joe Hendry vs. Mike Santana vs. Trick Williams

Williams is defending and Santana gets rapped to the ring. That’s not good enough for Williams, who has a Harlem gospel choir singing him to the ring. Williams runs his mouth to start so the other two beat him up for a trip out to the floor. Santana flips out of Hendry’s wristlock but Hendry wins an exchange of shoulders.

Spin The Block doesn’t work for Santana and Williams is back in to hammer away in the corner. Santana is sent outside and Williams gives Hendry a release Rock Bottom for two. Williams guillotines Hendry, who powers out with a suplex for the breather. Back in and Santana strikes away but Williams cuts off the Cannonball. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Hendry is back in for a powerbomb/Blockbuster combination.

Santana is sent outside and Hendry gives Williams the Standing Ovation, only for Kazarian to pull the referee out. Santana dives onto Williams but Hendry drives onto both of them. We pause for Williams to be helped up, leaving Santana to Cannonball Hendry. Back up and Hendry hits an AA into the Standing Ovation for two but Santana is back with a pair of Spin The Blocks. That’s enough for Williams to pop slide back in, dumb Santana, and steal the pin to retain at 13:16.

Rating: B-. It might not make sense, but I’m really not surprised. TNA has a tendency to have what feels like a layup for a big moment and then not deliver on it, which was the case again here. The match itself was fairly good, but I could go without seeing the “and then someone steals the win” finish to a triple threat for a long time. Odds are Williams loses the title in the main event of Bound For Glory, but dang that feels like a long way off.

Overall Rating: B-. The action was mostly good, but outside of Slater’s title win, this was a rough night to be a TNA fan. NXT is dominating the title picture right now and other than Slater, we’re heading for the Hardys vs. the Dudleys. It’s not a bad show, but dang they better have something to make the fans happy on the way to Bound For Glory, because that’s a long way off. Just give us something to be happy about, as otherwise it’s killing the mood.

Results
Elegance Brand b. IInspiration – Rarefied Air to Lee
Home Town Man b. Eric Young – Rollup
Real1/Zilla Fatu/Josh Bishop b. Steve Maclin/Jake Something/Mance Warner – Eat Defeat to Something
Mustafa Ali b. Cedric Alexander – 450
The System/Matt Cardona b. Darkstate – Boston Knee Party to Shugars
Indi Hartwell b. Tessa Blanchard – Hurts Donut
Jacy Jayne b. Masha Slamovich – Rolling Encore
Leon Slater b. Moose – Swanton 450
Hardys b. Nemeths, Rascalz and First Class – Jeff pulled down the titles
Trick Williams b. Joe Hendry and Mike Santana – Spin The Block to Hendry

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: July 17, 2025
Location: UMPC Events Center, Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re at the final show before Slammiversary and that means we should be in for the final push towards the show. That should mean a good deal of talking, but there is always the chance of seeing some quality action on the way there. Odds are NXT’s Trick Williams will be here too so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Moose vs. Sami Callihan

Non-title and Alisha Edwards is here with Moose, who whips Callihan into the corner to start fast. A Stunner gives Callihan a quick near fall but the spear sends him outside. Back in and another spear finishes Callihan at 2:44. That’s quite the squash of a former World Champion.

Post match Moose promises to retain the title on Sunday before telling Callihan that he doesn’t have it anymore. The Death Machine is now just a fat piece of garbage. Callihan needs to take his boots off and get out, so Callihan unlaces a boot…and rolls outside. Cue the rest of the System as Callihan leaves.

The System vs. Order 4

Hold on though as here is NXT’s Darkstate to jump the System (who went after them on NXT). No match.

Dani Luna is ready to face Tessa Blanchard and knows what she (as in Luna) can do.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Dani Luna

Victoria Crawford is here with Blanchard. Luna powers her into the corner to start and hits a basement clothesline before cranking on the arm. A dropkick sends Blanchard into the corner but she knocks Luna down and chokes on the rope. Blanchard’s slingshot elbow gets two and she hammers away.

A DDT to the leg has Luna in more trouble and Blanchard grabs a guillotine choke. That’s reversed into a suplex and Luna kicks her in the face a few times. Luna’s powerbomb gets two but Blanchard is back with a Codebreaker out of the corner for the same. A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Luna two more but Crawford offers a quick distraction, allowing Magnum to finish for Blanchard at 9:21.

Rating: C+. Luna is still in a weird spot after the Spitfire split, as she doesn’t really have anything to do. At the end of the day, she was only so interesting in the first place (as was Spitfire) so now she’s just kind of floating. Blanchard at least feels like a star, and there is a good chance that she’ll get a nice win at Slammiversary and then move on to something bigger.

Post match the beatdown is on but Indi Hartwell runs in for the save. Hartwell says she and Blanchard have known each other for years but at Slammiversary, Blanchard will get to know her, b****.

The Elegance Brand messed with the IInspiration at an autograph signing.

The IInspiration is going to win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles.

We look at Masha Slamovich pinning NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne on NXT.

Here is the Elegance Brand for a chat. Ash complains about being fined for her actions against the IInspiration and is being forced to make an apology. Everyone is talking about Masha Slamovich vs. Jacy Jayne but the reality is you should be talking about her. Ash goes on a rant about how she should be the #1 contender but here is NXT’s Fatal Influence to interrupt.

Jacy Jayne doesn’t dislike the Elegance Brand, though that changed when Ash said they were the most dominant faction in women’s wrestling. Cue Masha Slamovich to interrupt as the Elegance Brand leaves. Slamovich talks about growing up in Russia and coming to New York, where she fought for her life. If Jayne wants to take the title from her, Jayne will have to stop her heart from beating. Good stuff here, and it still feels like Jayne is winning.

Killer Kelly and Indi Hartwell check on Dani Luna, who is getting checked by the medics.

We look at the TNA World Title contract signing from NXT’s Great American Bash, with Darkstate attacking Joe Hendry and Mike Santana. This led to a six man on NXT, with the System running in to attack Darkstate.

Video on Mike Santana, with what is I believe a voicemail from his father, talking about how proud is he is of Santana and wishing him the best.

Home Town Man vs. Judas Icarus

Travis Williams is here with Icarus. Man slugs away to start and hammers away in the corner, setting up a very spinning TKO for two. Icarus bites the hand though and hits a running knee for two of his own. Back up and Man hits a spinning slam, followed by a suicide dive to Williams. Sliced Bread gives Man the pin at 3:34. I hate to admit it but Man’s theme song is catchy.

Rating: C. See, now this is far better than what we were watching with Cody Deaner. The Home Town Man at least feels like something fun, and more importantly, he getting on Eric Young’s nerves, which makes him a national treasure. I’ll take that over Deaner looking all sad for months despite meaning pretty much nothing.

Post match Eric Young comes in to go after Man’s mask but Man bails into the crowd.

Real1 says he’s coming to Slammiversary and he’s bringing people with him. Please…..no.

Steve Maclin wants competition for his International Title.

Matt Cardona vs. Jake Paydirt

I think that’s his name at least. Before the match, Cardona (I’m more sure on his name) calls out Darkstate, saying he is always ready. The bell rings and the lights go out so here is Darkstate for the big beatdown. Brian Myers runs in for the save and the rest of the System comes in to clear the ring. Call it a no contest at 15 seconds.

Here are the Hardys for a chat. They thank the fans for allowing them to live their dream for thirty three years. That earns a THANK YOU HARDY chant before Matt talks about how they never wanted to be a shell of what they once were. Fans: “YOU STILL GOT IT!” Jeff reminds Matt that he recently got beat by AJ Francis, with Matt thanking him for the reminder.

They think it might be time to hang it up if they don’t win the titles back at Slammiversary. Cue Leon Slater to interrupt, saying he’s struggled to keep up with the Hardys in the ring for the last six months. They have changed his life in the last few months and wants to thank them. Matt appreciates that but wants Slater to focus on winning the X-Division Title.

Slater wants them to get back to being the Hardys but here is First Class to interrupt. They mock the Hardys, with Matt telling Slater that this is their fight. Cue the Nemeths to interrupt and brag about their success, with Ryan saying they have been in more ladder matches than anyone. Ryan has never actually been in one but here are the Rascalz to interrupt as well. The Hardys clear the ring with a ladder, which they then climb for a pose.

Slammiversary rundown.

Frankie Kazarian/Trick Williams vs. Joe Hendry/Mike Santana

Santana and Hendry aren’t sure about who should start so Williams jumps them from behind. We take a break ten seconds in and come back with Santana hitting the Rolling Buck Fifty to drop Kazarian. The Death Valley Driver is blocked though and Kazarian knocks him down so Williams can come back in.

A Samoan driver plants Santana for two and the front facelock keeps him down. Kazarian comes back in and stomps away a bit, only for Santana to springboard moonsault onto both of them. That’s enough for the tag back to Hendry, who cleans house with back to back fall away slams. Santana tags himself in though and Spin The Block finishes Kazarian at 9:37.

Rating: B-. Totally run of the mill tag match here, with the only question being which of the two good guys would beat Kazarian. Hendry still feels like something of a third wheel here, but that’s mainly because Santana has been presented so well. It feels like his time, and there is almost no way he doesn’t win the title either at Slammiversary or at Bound For Glory.

Everyone glares at each other.

We cut to what looks like a warehouse where a box is opened. Inside: a P1 vest, as in the one worn by AJ Styles. Someone blows dust off of it to end the show. Yeah that would be a big deal for a special show.

Overall Rating: B-. The best thing I can say about this show is that it made me want to see Slammiversary more than I did coming in. The Styles push at the end is a good idea, but it might have been better to announce it earlier. Other than that, I’m more interested to see the show than I was coming in so they’re doing something right. Slammiversary could be quite good and if they can live up to the hype, it could be their best show in a long time.

Results
Moose b. Sami Callihan – Spear
Tessa Blanchard b. Dani Luna – Magnum
Home Town Man b. Judas Icarus – Sliced Bread #2
Matt Cardona vs. Jake Paydirt went to a no contest at 15 seconds when Darkstate interfered
Joe Hendry/Mike Santana b. Trick Williams/Frankie Kazarian – Spin The Block to Kazarian

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

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NXT
Date: July 15, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We’re officially done with the Great American Bash and the big story coming out of the show is…well not much really. There were no title changes and the main event was little more than a preview for the title match at Evolution. That isn’t much to go on, but we are about five weeks away from Heatwave so let’s get to it.

Here is the Great American Bash if you need a recap.

Great American Bash recap.

We also look at Blake Monroe turning on Jordynne Grace to cost her the Women’s Title at Evolution.

Here is Fatal Influence, with Jacy Jayne (and her banged up voice after an elbow to the throat) not being happy with what the rest of the team did at the Great American Bash. It’s all ok though because she got to shock the world again at the Great American Bash. Shocking people is what Jayne does best and that is what she is going to do again at TNA Slammiversary this weekend.

Cue TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich to say she’ll win the title on Sunday, but Jayne says she’s walking out with both titles. Cue Sol Ruca and Zaria, with Ruca saying she’s already got two titles. Zaria says Ruca was the MVP of the weekend with her three matches (granted she only won one of them) and the brawl is on. Just make the six woman tag already.

Video on Tony D’Angelo’s rise up the ranks of NXT.

Joe Hendry/Mike Santana/Trick Williams vs. Darkstate

Santana dives onto Darkstate on the floor to start fast and the brawl is on outside. They get inside with Santana hammering on Shugars. Williams gets in a side kick but Griffin comes in off a blind tag. Griffin decks Williams as he mocks Hendry and we take a break. We come back with Lennox wrestling Santana down but Santana avoids a charge in the corner.

Santana kicks Shugars away and it’s off to Hendry to clean house. The fall away slam sends Shugars flying and everything breaks down. Darkstate is sent to the floor but Williams wants to run things, earning a double shot to the face from Santana and Hendry. The two of them hit dives onto Darkstate…and here is the System (top heel stable in TNA) to brawl with Darkstate for the DQ at 9:04.

Rating: C+. This was about the big surprise run-in at the end and it worked well enough. That’s also a smart way out of things as Hendry and Santana weren’t going to be able to beat Darkstate on their own. NXT has done a pretty nice job of making Darkstate feel like a threat and they kept that going here.

Arianna Grace suggests she should have been in the battle royal at Evolution. Karmen Petrovic says she should have been in as well but Kali Armstrong (Evolve Women’s Champion) doesn’t want to hear it. The match is set for tonight.

Video on Stacks, who went from the underboss to being Tag Team Champions with Tony D’Angelo before eventually turning on the team

Evolve Women’s Title: Kali Armstrong vs. Karmen Petrovic

Armstrong (a powerhouse) is defending and throws Petrovic down without much trouble. Petrovic tries to kick away but Armstrong slugs her in the face. Cue Jordynne Grace to pull Armstrong to the floor and drop her with a right hand for the DQ at 1:13.

Post match Grace beats up Petrovic (because it isn’t about Armstrong) and demands that Blake Monroe get out here right now. Instead she gets Stevie Turner and Robert Stone to explain that Monroe isn’t here. We get a video from Monroe, who hates everything about Grace. Which of them would you rather be? Grace is invited to Monroe’s singles debut next week. Grace beats the two of them up and yells at Ava and security on the way out.

Team Undertaker (from LFG) is excited for Undertaker to be here next week. Trick Williams comes in and doesn’t want to hear it, even getting in one of their faces. Undertaker calls one of them.

Jasper Troy comes in to see Ava, who isn’t happy with him attacking Ricky Saints. Troy isn’t impressed but Ava makes Troy vs. Saints next week.

Video on Luca Crusifino, the mind behind the D’Angelo Family, who now seems to be on his own.

We look at the Evolution battle royal, won by Stephanie Vaquer, with Lash Legend making a strong showing.

Legend brags about her success and wants a title shot. Jaida Parker comes in

Stacks vs. Luca Crusifino vs. Tony D’Angelo

Stacks and Crusifino grab D’Angelo’s arms to start but he breaks it up and hammers away. Crusifino gets up to tackle D’Angelo down and hits a baseball slide to take both of them down on the floor. A springboard right hand sends Crusifino back out to the floor though and we take a break. We come back with Stacks in control and hitting a pair of running Cannonballs in the corner.

Stacks sends D’Angelo into Crusifino but D’Angelo fights up and they go outside. D’Angelo ducks a crowbar shot from Stacks, who misses a top rope knee as well. A double German suplex sends Stacks and Crusifino down and a Tower Of Doom makes it even worse. Crusifino gets up and hits a brainbuster onto the knee for two on D’Angelo. Stacks sends D’Angelo outside and grabs the crowbar, only for D’Angelo to spear him through a wooden wall. A spinebuster puts Crusifino through the announcers’ table and another one to Stacks gives D’Angelo the pin at 13:35.

Rating: B. This was the way the match needed to go, as D’Angelo is the biggest star of the three but hasn’t done much in recent weeks. The ending saw him get up and ram through both of them, which is a great way to get D’Angelo back on track. Good, hard hitting match here and it worked well.

Tavion Heights complains to Wren Sinclair about losing to Charlie Dempsey last week when Dempsey comes in. They’ll argue about this later, because Sinclair has a match next week. The guys can be in her corner if they want to be.

We look back at Yoshiki Inamura not accepting Josh Briggs’ interference at the Great American Bash, resulting in him his shot at Oba Femi and the NXT Title.

Here is Briggs, who lost an opportunity at the Great American Bash. Why did Inamura get a title shot so soon? Inamura has only been here less than a year and got a high profile title match but Briggs has been here four years and has never gotten a shot. The reality is that Inamura is too nice and if you have a shot, you take it. Cue Oba Femi to interrupt, saying that Briggs ruined the match.

Briggs says that Femi was taken to his limit and Inamura let him up for air. Cue Inamura to say that Briggs does not speak for him, with Femi saying that Inamura has earned a rematch. Inamura cuts Briggs off, saying he is his own man and he will win his way, with honor. Briggs issues the challenge for a triple threat match for the title next week. Game, and fight, on.

Ethan Page brags about his win and how great it is for North America. The big celebration is next week in Houston.

Ricky Saints is sore but ready for Jasper Troy next week.

Undertaker doesn’t like Trick Williams being rude to his LFG team and wants Williams to stay out of his yard.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

The Culling isn’t mad at Tatum Paxley, who is touched by the forgiveness. She has an idea for Sol Ruca.

Fatal Influence vs. Masha Slamovich/Sol Ruca/Zaria

Zaria powers Henley around to start and it’s off to Ruca to work on the arm. Slamovich comes in and gets hit in the throat, which is quickly shrugged off. It’s off to Jayne, who gets rolled up for a fast two but elbows Slamovich in the face for two of her own. Everything breaks down and Jayne gets double teamed, including the double elbow. We cut to Lexis King in the crowd, with Ava yelling at him.

Ruca surfs on Jayne’s back and slams Nyx down onto her for a bonus. Back up and Jayne gets in a cheap shot though and Nyx gets in a superkick to send Slamovich outside. We take a break and come back with Ruca fighting out of a chinlock. A jawbreaker allows the tag off to Zaria to clean house in a hurry. Fatal Influence gets together to strike away at Zaria and get her in the wrong corner for a change.

That’s broken up and it’s off to Slamovich for a rolling kick to the face. A double flapjack into a double flipping faceplant drops Slamovich again. Everything breaks down again but here is the Culling, with Zaria and Ruca taking out Paxley and Dame. Hank & Tank come in to brawl with the rest of the team and they all brawl to the back. That leaves Slamovich three on one…but she kicks Jayne in the head and Snowplows her for the pin at 12:25.

Rating: B-. So in theory, the title match on Sunday should be a total layup right? Slamovich just beat all three members of Fatal Influence on her own, including pinning Jayne clean. That’s quite the big accomplishment, though at the end of the day I’m expecting Jayne to win at Slammiversary. Either way, good enough stuff here with three matches (or likely matches) being advanced at once.

Slamovich hands Jayne her title, which Jayne snatches away.

We run down next week’s show.

Overall Rating: B. In two hours, they managed to follow up on the Great American Bash/Evolution and set up next week’s show at the same time. That’s a heck of a use of a show and the wrestling was good enough. I liked this one a lot and the show flew by, which is always a nice bonus as well. Solid work this week, as it feels well structured and planned out.

Results
Darkstate b. Joe Hendry/Mike Santana/Trick Williams via DQ when the System interfered
Kali Armstrong b. Karmen Petrovic via DQ when Jordynne Grace interfered
Tony D’Angelo b. Luca Crusifino and Stacks – Spinebuster to Stacks
Masha Slamovich/Sol Ruca/Zaria b. Fatal Influence – Snowplow to Jayne

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

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

Great American Bash 2025
Date: July 12, 2025
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

It’s another big show and we have an interesting lineup here, with three title matches and some grudge matches to fill out the card. The (likely) main event will see Yoshiki Inamura challenging Oba Femi for the NXT Title. Other than that, Ricky Saints is challenging Ethan Page for the North American Title in a falls count anywhere match. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks back at the history of the Great American Bash, including some footage of the first Bash from 40 years ago. Tonight, the tradition continues and we look at the card.

Maybe it’s the camera angle but the ring looks a bit smaller than usual.

Jasper Troy vs. Je’Von Evans

Troy has been bullying Evans, who is coming in with bad ribs. Evans hits him in the face to start and is quickly knocked down, with Troy sending him to the apron. A jump over the post gets Evans out of trouble and he comes back with a dropkick. They crash out to the floor and Evans is sent into various hard objects to make the ribs much worse. Back in and Troy grinds away but Evans gets in a few right hands.

That just earns him a slam on the ribs, only for Troy to miss an elbow. For some reason Evans tries a German suplex, which doesn’t work in the slightest. Instead Troy backbreakers and then tosses him down for a big crash. A seated abdominal stretch goes on but Evans gets up and hits him in the face. Evans kicks him in the face and tries a springboard but the ribs give out.

Troy misses a Vader Bomb and Evans unloads on Troy in the corner, even managing to get him to his knees. Some kicks to the face rock Troy and Evans slips out of a chokeslam. The German suplex doesn’t work again, with commentary again wondering why Evans went there. The springboard high crossbody does work this time, only for Troy to block a springboard cutter.

Evans’ running flip kick to the head gets two and he sends Troy to the floor for the big no hands dive. Back in and Evans seems to slip a bit on a springboard but he’s fine enough to finally get the German suplex. A frog splash gets two on Troy and you can hear the crowd being surprised. Troy is back up with the chokeslam but Evans reverses the Black Hole Slam into a rollup for the pin at 13:40.

Rating: B-. This was slow to start but once Evans started fighting back and swinging away, it got really good in a hurry. There is something about watching a smaller guy fight back against a bully that works every time and it was certainly working here. Good opener here, as they told a solid story and Evans gets a really big win. They might not want to job Troy any more for a bit though, as a monster who loses a lot isn’t a great visual.

Jaida Parker is ready for the battle royal at Evolution.

Stacks is ready to end the D’Angelo Family for good on Tuesday. He wants to make the Heritage Cup the #1 title in NXT so he’s been trying to come after some stars, like Koko B. Ware, Logan Paul’s dad, the Situation from Jersey Shore, the A-Train or Logan Paul….’s dad. Apparently only A-Train accepted the challenge so Stacks goes to face him at the Performance Center. Apparently A-Train was hacked and it wasn’t him. A-Train tells him to keep his head on a swivel…because someone has stolen the cup. Hokey smoke that actually went somewhere.

Zaria and Sol Ruca are ready to win this weekend. Darkstate hacks the video for a bit but doesn’t say anything.

Women’s North American Title: Izzi Dame vs. Sol Ruca

Ruca is defending and has Zaria in her corner, while Tatum Paxley is here with Dame. Paxley slaps Zaria at the bell and they go to the floor, allowing Dame to hit a quick Sky High. The referee is on the floor with the other two though, meaning Dame only gets a VERY delayed two. Ruca is back up with a dropkick to send Dame outside, setting up the running hurricanrana off the apron.

Back in and Ruca hammers away in the corner but Dame is back with a gutbuster to take over. A backbreaker keeps Ruca down and a clothesline gives Dame two. The chinlock is broken up but Dame absolutely blasts her with a big boot for two more. Ruca hits a clothesline and a quick Backstabber to send Dame outside. A step up middle rope step up moonsault drops Dame again, followed by a springboard Buckshot Lariat (which didn’t look great) for two.

Dame knocks her off the top though and hits a middle rope Codebreaker for two. They both go up top again, with Ruca grabbing a super X Factor. A belly to back faceplant gives Dame two but Ruca catches her with a superkick. Ruca flips out of a belly to back superplex though and hits a spear for two more. Dame is sent outside for a meeting with Paxley, who gets speared in half by Zaria (that looked GREAT). Back in and the Sol Snatcher retains the title at 11:45.

Rating: B. These two were beating the fire out of each other and it made for a heck of a match. I wasn’t expecting them to go this hard but it wound up being a lot better than I was expecting. The Sol Snatcher is still an awesome looking finisher and Zaria’s spear to to Paxley was a heck of a bonus.

We look at Lola Vice at a AAA show.

Blake Monroe is doing her makeup while Jordynne Grace warms up.

We recap Ricky Saints challenging Ethan Page for the North American Title. Page took the title from Saints, who wants both the belt and revenge. Saints won a gauntlet match to earn the rematch and the right to pick the stipulation, which will be falls count anywhere and anything goes.

North American Title: Ethan Page vs. Ricky Saints

Page is defending in what is basically a hardcore match. Saints slugs away during the entrances and hits a spear to send Page bailing out to the floor. Back up and Page tosses him over the barricade so they can fight into the crowd. Something like Old School along the barricade has Page in more trouble and they go back stage. Page drive shim into a pillar and grabs a Boston crab to stay on the back.

That’s broken up and Ego’s Edge into the pillar is escaped, allowing Saints to put him through a WWE Shop table. They head back into the arena with Page sending him into the steps and throwing a chair inside. Another chair shot misses though and Page hits him in the back with a fire extinguisher. A piece of the barricade is brought inside but Page slams him off the top.

Page slams him onto the tops of a pair of open chairs, followed by a suplex into the barricade for two. The chairs are set up again but Saints blocks a superplex, setting up a powerbomb to send Page through the tables for two. They go back stage again, with Saints using a pipe to dropkick him down.

Some flip flop shots to the back have Page in trouble but Saints bumps into Jasper Troy, who Black Hole Slams him onto an anvil case. They’re quickly back to ringside, where Page is backdropped onto the ramp. Saints uses the referee (yep) for a tornado DDT onto the stage for two. Roshambo is blocked though and Ego’s Edge off the stage through some tables (that looked AMAZING) retains the title at 14:50.

Rating: B-. Outstanding looking ending aside, this was your usual weapons based brawl, which was only going to be so interesting. They do get some points for doing some innovative stuff, but it feels like I’ve seen so many of these things before. Not bad at all, though I’m surprised Saints lost here. Maybe he’s going to the main roster, though he might have to deal with Jasper Troy first.

Luca Crusifino is ready for the biggest match of his life.

It’s time for the contract signing for the TNA World Title match at Slammiversary between Mike Santana, Trick Williams and Joe Hendry. Santana talks about how he doesn’t take moments like these lightly. He is ready to show what it means, which is what Williams used to do. Now though, Williams is all sizzle but no steak. Santana respects Hendry but he’s ready to throw hands with him to get the title.

Santana signs, allowing Hendry to talk about how he wants to bring TNA to new heights as only he can. Hendry says Williams will be behind enemy lines next week and Hendry is taking the title back. With Hendry signing as well, Williams says he wants some respect on his name.

Williams says this isn’t about making people believe or making promises to Santana’s daughter (Santana doesn’t like that). He’s ready to keep the title and signs as well but Hendry cuts him off from leaving. Hendry and Santana agree that they don’t like Williams so they put him through the table. Cue Darkstate to lay out Hendry and Santana as the random attacks continue.

Kelani Jordan wants to win the Evolution battle royal.

Tony D’Angelo recaps the history of his Family, which he’s ready to end on Tuesday. Stacks is going to come in a bit light though, because D’Angelo has the Heritage Cup…which he throws off a bridge.

Josh Briggs gives Yoshiki Inamura a pep talk.

NXT Title: Yoshiki Inamura vs. Oba Femi

Inamura, with Josh Briggs, is challenging. They trade shoulders to start with Inamura getting the better of things and knocking Femi outside. A running shoulder off the apron drops Femi again but he knocks Inamura down to take over. Back in and Femi starts in on the ribs, with a gutbuster getting two. Inamura fights back and manages to win a battle of the suplexes.

A German suplex brings Femi down again but the top rope splash misses. The referee gets bumped in the corner so Briggs hits Femi with the title. Inamura didn’t seem to notice as he backdrops Femi and goes up, but then realizes what happened. He doesn’t want it that way and climbs down, setting up a running headbutt to Femi.

The top rope splash connects but there’s no referee. Briggs tries to send in a chain but Inamura won’t use it, allowing Femi to grab a chokeslam for two. Inamura fights back and hits a lifting powerbomb but Briggs gets on the apron. Femi sends them into each other and hits the Fall From Grace to retain at 13:16.

Rating: B+. They followed a simple formula here, with two big bruisers beating the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. The Briggs stuff feels like it is leading to a split with Inamura and that’s about all Briggs has to do. This was pretty much Inamura’s best match in NXT to date and one of Femi’s best so we’ll call this a big success.

Lash Legend is ready to win the Evolution battle royal.

Trick Williams comes in to see Ava, who isn’t happy with what happened with Darkstate. Why did Williams leave when Darkstate showed up? Williams has no idea, but Ava puts him in a six man tag with Joe Hendry and Mike Santana against Darkstate. Williams: “Aw h*** nah!”

Yoshiki Inamura comes up to Oba Femi in the back and apologizes for what Josh Briggs did. It’s ok with Femi, who says Inamura deserves a rematch but Briggs storms in and yells at Femi. Shoving ensues, with Briggs saying he’ll fix this on Tuesday.

We recap Jordynne Grace and Blake Monroe vs. Fatal Influence. Jacy Jayne is the shocking champion and Grace wants to take the title. Monroe debuted a few weeks ago and was jumped by Fatal Influence, setting up the tag match with Monroe and Grace as the oddball team.

Fatal Influence vs. Jordynne Grace/Blake Monroe

Grace kicks away at Henley to start and powers her over with a suplex. Monroe comes in to drop Jayne before catapulting Grace onto Henley (after fixing Grace’s hair of course). Back up and Monroe is taken into the wrong corner, which doesn’t last long as she’s right back to Grace. The chase is on outside, where Jayne cuts Grace off with a big boot.

Back in and Grace gets double teamed in the corner, followed by Jayne’s basement superkick knocking her silly again. A Death Valley Driver out of the corner plants Henley though and the tag brings Monroe back in to clean house. Monroe can’t hit a powerbomb on the apron but she can headbutt Henley back inside. Grace tags herself in and powerbombs Henley, with Monroe decking Jayne during the two count.

Henley is sent to the ramp as Grace skins the cat, only for Henley to give her a big spear. Jazmyn Nyx offers a distraction but here is TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich to cut her off. A double shot to the face drops Monroe, with Grace diving in for the save. Back up and they all slug it out until Grace and Henley go outside. Jayne superkicks Monroe and rolls her up for two but Grace elbows Jayne into a double arm DDT to give Monroe the pin at 16:31.

Rating: B-. Kind of a weird choice for a main event here, but in theory this was promoting Evolution more than anything else. Monroe looked fine out there in her in-ring debut, with anything she does in the ring as a bonus compared to her incredible charisma. Grace is ready for the title match, though it would seem to have been the perfect place for her to pin the champion. Points for not being entirely predictable though.

Overall Rating: B+. Another pretty awesome show here with no bad matches and few rather good ones throughout. It didn’t feel like a must see show but it’s one where you’ll have a nice time if you watched. If nothing else, it was over at about two and a half hours so it isn’t even a long sit. Throw in some building towards next week and it was a rather nice Saturday afternoon.

Results
Je’Von Evans b. Jasper Troy – Rollup
Sol Ruca b. Izzi Dame – Sol Snatcher
Ethan Page b. Ricky Saints – Ego’s Edge off the stage
Oba Femi b. Yoshiki Inamura – Fall From Grace
Blake Monroe/Jordynne Grace b. Fatal Influence – Double arm DDT to Jayne

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 10, 2025
Location: UMPC Events Center, Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We are about a week and a half away from Slammiversary and the show has mostly come together. The big match will see Mike Santana and Joe Hendry challenging for the TNA World Title and we’ll be getting the contract signing this weekend at NXT’s Great American Bash. The rest of the card could use some building and we should be getting some of that this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Elegance Brand vs. Harley Hudson/Myla Grace

Non-title and the Personal Concierge is here with the Brand. Hudson and Grace are still out to prove themselves and it’s Grace dropkicking Heather down to start. Ash comes in for a test of strength with Hudson, who takes over on the arm. It’s back to Heather for some elbows in the corner and Ash’s Glam Slam into a basement dropkick gets two. Hudson fights out of trouble with ease and brings Grace back in as everything breaks down. The Concierge gets in a cheap shot on the floor, allowing Ash to hit a clothesline on Grace. Rarefied Air finishes for Ash at 6:20.

Rating: C. It feels like they’re building towards Hudson and Grace getting a big win for the titles down the line and that could make for a great moment. If nothing else, the newcomers are getting put into the mix rather quickly and that is now you could help revitalize the division. It’s going to take time, but at least they are off to a nice start.

The Hardys and the Rascalz are ready for their eight man tag tonight, even if the Rascalz seem a bit confused.

Cedric Alexander/Great Hands vs. Secret Service

Tasha Steelz and Mustafa Ali are here too. Skyler dropkicks one of them down start and hands it off to Hotch, who is taken into the wrong corner. That’s broken up and it’s off to Alexander for some quick house cleaning. The Lumbar Check finishes at 2:40.

Post match Ali goes after Alexander, who fights back but gets low blowed by Steelz. Ali chairs Alexander down and leaves with Steelz.

Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich vs. Fatal Influence

Xia Brookside is here with the TNA team. Jayne starts with Lee and forearms Slamovich off the apron like a good villain. Slamovich comes in to drop Jayne and Lee adds a running forearm of her own. Lee gets two off a suplex but Jayne gets in a knee to the floor as we take an early break.

We come back with Jayne stomping on Lee in the corner, followed by the reverse chinlock. A double snap suplex gives Henley two and she grabs the armbar. That just fires Lee up and she breaks out of a cravate. Henley cuts that off with a World’s Strongest Slam but Lee fights out and brings Slamovich back in. Everything breaks down and a running knee into a neckbreaker gets two on Slamovich. Lee saves Slamovich from a double suplex and Slamovich’s spinning kick to the head into the Snowplow finishes Henley at 14:49.

Rating: C+. Slamovich feels like she’s going to run through Jayne if they face off at Slammiversary, but the idea of another Jordynne Grace vs. Slamovich match is interesting as well. For now though, it’s TNA getting to fend off a big enough NXT name and that’s a good sign. The crossover stuff is starting to feel more structured and that is a good sign, as it was lacking for such a long time.

Video on Moose vs. Leon Slater, looking back at the history of the X-Division.

Slater runs into Moose and the rest of the System. He still wants to take the title from Moose and become the youngest champion in history. Moose isn’t impressed and Slater leaves so here is Matt Cardona. He doesn’t like the team either but they walk away, with Brian Myers thinking about saying something before leaving too.

International Title: Jake Something vs. Mance Warner vs. Steve Maclin

Maclin is defending and Something charges in to jump Warner and start fast. With Warner on the floor, Something gives Maclin some running shoulders. Warner is back in with some chair shots though, with Steph de Lander giving him another one. That’s broken up as Something powerbombs Warner through the chairs, only to be sent outside by Maclin.

Back up and Maclin hits the running spear in the corner to hit Something, followed by the Tower Of Doom to leave everyone down. Back up and Maclin is dropped in the three way slugout so Warner takes Something out. The running knee gives Warner two but Maclin is right back with the KIA to Warner to retain at 7:35.

Rating: C+. Maclin is still looking for his big challenger/feud for the title and neither of these two exactly feel like it. At the same time though, it’s a good move to have Maclin out there building up some victories to start establishing the title. That’s one of the hardest things to do, but they’re making it work well enough here. They kept this one relatively short, but it was energetic while it lasted.

Tasha Steelz yells at the rest of Order 4 over their lack of championships. Steelz blames Ali for his loss to Mike Santana, which started tie team’s downward spiral. They’re going into Slammiversary as a team. Is that clear? Ali says Steelz lied to them but she said she had to. The System comes in to yell at them and a match seems to be made.

We get a video from 4th Rope Champion Real1, who implies that he’ll be going through the “forbidden door” because Slammiversary is in his neck of the woods. Can we please just not with this guy?

Video on Mike Santana, who talks about his father passing away. That made him a tougher man and he’s using the motivation to move forward.

Victoria Crawford vs. Indi Hartwell

Tessa Blanchard is on commentary. Crawford gets backed into the ropes to start and then bails to the apron a few times. Back in and Crawford manages a takedown but Hartwell hits a big boot for the pin at 2:40. It’s as sudden as it sounds.

Post match Blanchard yells about Hartwell being a horrible friend. Everything Hartwell has is because of her and Hartwell just backs off.

The Northern Armory yells at Santino Marella about Cody Deaner being the Home Town Man. Eric Young even admits that he was Super Eric, which has Marella confused.

We get a sitdown interview with Joe Hendry, who doesn’t like Trick Williams holding the TNA World Title hostage. Mike Santana has the fans believing in him as well, but Hendry thinks they believe in himself too. Hendry respects Santana, but it’s Hendry’s time to lead TNA.

First Class/Nemeths vs. Hardys/Rascalz

Trick Williams is on commentary. Nic and Reed start things off with Reed taking him down for an early legdrop. Wentz and Ryan come in, with the latter getting caught with a slingshot neckbreaker. Francis comes in and gets to face Jeff, with a Twisting Stunner staggering Francis into the ropes. Poetry In Motion connects and Wentz’s standing moonsault gets two. Some running splashes in the corner hit Wentz and we take an early break.

We come back with Ryan hammering on Wentz, with Nic dropkicking the knee out to keep him down. The villains keep taking turns on Wentz, including Nic going after the eyes. Wentz fights out of a chinlock and a double knockdown gives him a breather. It’s off to Matt to ram Nic into the corner over and over, followed by the Twist Of Fate to Ryan. Francis gets the turnbuckle treatment as well, but Williams offers a distraction. Francis chokeslams Matt down and steals the pin at 15:08.

Rating: B-. This got some time and wound up being a nice match, with the ending being more about making First Class feel like a bigger threat to win the titles. As usual, pinfalls mean nothing to set up a ladder match, because of course it’s a ladder match. For now though, we should be in for another wild match at Slammiversary, with this as a fine enough way to set it up.

Post match Williams gets in for the brawl but Mike Santana and Joe Hendry run in for the save. Hendry hits Santana by mistake though and they have to be held apart to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The best thing about this show is that a lot of things happened, with some of the matches being a bit shorter to keep things moving. It felt like a show with more matches than usual and that makes for a faster paced show. Nice stuff here, as the build to Slammiversary is coming together well enough.

Results
Elegance Brand b. Harley Hudson/Myla Grace – Rarefied Air to Grace
Cedric Alexander/Great Hands b. Secret Service – Lumbar Check
Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich b. Fatal Influence – Snowplow to Henley
Steve Maclin b. Jake Something and Mance Warner – KIA to Warner
Indi Hartwell b. Victoria Crawford – Big boot
First Class/Nemeths b. Hardys/Rascalz – Chokeslam to Matt

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

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

NXT
Date: July 8, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Corey Graves, Booker T., Vic Joseph

It’s the last show before both the Great American Bash and Evolution, both of which will have some NXT involvement. Therefore, it’s time to see who is going to be in the Evolution battle royal, plus finding out any last minute additions to the shows. That should make for a nice evening so let’s get to it.

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

Ricky Saints vs. Vanity Project

Gauntlet match, Jackson’s Drake’s Evolve Title isn’t on the line, and if Saints wins, he gets to pick the stipulation for his match with Ethan Page (here too). Brad Baylor starts for the Project and Saints strikes away, including a middle rope dropkick. Baylor gets in a shot of his own though and hammers away, including a spinning butterfly suplex. Saints makes a quick comeback though and hits the springboard tornado DDT for the first pin at 3:09.

Ricky Smokes is in second and grabs a quick suplex for two on Saints. We take a break and come back with Smokes hitting a fireman’s carry backbreaker for two more. Saints comes back again and grabs an overhead belly to belly for two of his own. An atomic drop into a jackknife rollup gives Saints the pin at 8:38 total.

Drake is in third and stomps away in the corner to start fast. A kick to the back gives Drake two and he grabs a surfboard. The fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two more and Drake is getting a bit frustrated. Drake misses a running kick to the chest and Saints gets his knees up to block a springboard Swanton. The Roshambo gives Saints the pin at 12:13 total.

Rating: C+. The Vanity Project is a good choice for something like this as they’re still a level beneath the NXT roster so it’s not like they lose any status here. Saints gets to run through some people and head on to his big match with Page at the Bash. For now, good enough opener for the show and it sets up some things for the future.

Post match Saints makes it an anything goes, falls count anywhere match with Page at the Bash.

Zaria and Sol Ruca are fired up for the Women’s Tag Team Title match at Evolution but Lainey Reid says she should be in the battle royal. She’s asked what she’s done to earn that spot and doesn’t have much of an answer.

Earlier today, Blake Monroe blew off a training session with Jordynne Grace, who wants her to have a glamorous workout. Grace agreed, and we’ll see more of this later.

Tavion Heights vs. Charlie Dempsey

If Heights wins, he is out of the No Quarter Catch Crew. Heights armdrags him down a few times to start and they take turns sending each other to the floor. Back in and Dempsey grabs a cravate to frustrate Heights. That’s broken up so Heights tackles him down and hammers away. They head outside again and knock each other down as we take a break.

We come back with Heights fighting off a crossface chickenwing and throwing him down a few times. They crash out to the floor again, but this time Dempsey crushes the knee with the steps. The half crab goes on back inside, followed by a stepover toehold. Dempsey turns it into an STF and Wren Sinclair throws in the towel at 9:39.

Rating: B-. The idea of Heights trying to get out of the team but not being able to do it is a good way to set something up for him, especially here where he didn’t give up. Sinclair could be going either way here and I like what they’re doing with the story. The match itself was a nice technical vs. power showdown as well, so we’ll call this a nice outing.

Hank & Tank are ready for their match while Lexis King messes with stuff behind them. Je’Von Evans comes in for a pep talk but gets jumped by Jasper Troy.

Mike Santana/Joe Hendry vs. High Ryze

Wes Lee is here with High Ryze. Hendry and Igwe take each other down for an early standoff and it’s off to Santana for a dropkick. DuPont gets sent flying with the fall away slam and we take an early break. We come back with Hendry getting two off a rollup but a clothesline drops him for the same. A series of splashes get two as we see Natalya and Maxxine Dupri arriving in the back.

Hendry muscles Igwe up for a suplex and the tag brings in Santana to clean house. The Rolling Buck Fifty (rolling cutter) hits Igwe and a big flip dive to the floor takes him out again. Everything breaks down and Hendry hits a dive to the floor of his own. Cue Trick Williams for a distraction but Santana hits Spin The Block (discus lariat) to pin DuPont at 8:45.

Rating: B-. Good enough match here, though it continued to show that Hendry isn’t quite as interesting as Santana no matter how he is presented. Santana is just on fire right now and Hendry has already had his moment, but Hendry being there adds some star power to the title match. I’m not sure Santana wins the title, but dang it’s fun to see him in the ring every time.

Post match Williams drops Santana so Hendry goes after him. High Ryze comes back in for the beatdown.

We look at Yoshiki Inamura becoming #1 contender to the NXT Title last week. Various Japanese stars, including THE GREAT MUTA and Iyo Sky say they believe in Inamura.

Darkstate brags about invading TNA and suggest they’re coming for the Tag Team Titles.

Here are Oba Femi and Yoshiki Inamura, with Josh Briggs, for a face to face chat. Inamura says Femi is his greatest challenge but he is ready. He has the support of his friends and family and now he must make them proud. Femi says it’s good that Inamura has support, because maybe those people can pick up his pieces. No one is taking the title from him, but Briggs says Inamura beat Jasper Troy a lot more easily than Femi did.

Inamura may be a man of honor but Briggs isn’t, so he will do everything he can to make Inamura champion. This is “their” chance and the brawl is on, albeit quickly broken up. This was a good showing from Inamura, who feels like someone who is trying to prove he belongs here. At the same time, this is the second straight major event where Femi is defending against a pretty low level challenger, but it brings up a big issue in NXT: who else is there to come after the title?

Jordynne Grace shows up for Blake Monroe’s makeover and rips the sleeves off the robe she is given. They get their nails done and a massage, plus makeup. Grace admits she kind of likes this and they’re ready for the tag match at the Bash.

Kelani Jordan vs. Lainey Reid

They trade early takedowns to start with Jordan grabbing a monkey flip and dropkick out to the floor. Back in and Reid ties her leg up in the ropes and cranks away but a Figure Four attempt is blocked. Reid’s spinebuster gets two and the half crab goes on. Jordan tries to use the free leg to kick her way out but Reid just pulls her into a Boston crab for a smart counter. That’s broken up as well and Jordan hits a handspring elbow into a nipup (impressive after having her leg and back cranked). Reid catches her up top but gets shoved down, setting up One Of A Kind to give Jordan the win at 4:23.

Rating: C. I wasn’t wild about Jordan’s lack of selling but the ending was a nice touch which showed off Jordan’s rather impressive athleticism. The win gives her a boost going into the battle royal, which she isn’t likely to win but at least she could have a good showing. Reid is still finding her footing around here, but she’s far from a lost cause.

Post match here is Thea Hail to brawl to the back with Reid.

Jasper Troy jumps Je’Von Evans in the trainer’s room.

We have a meeting of the former D’Angelo Family, with all four members showing up. Riz tries to talk but gets shut down by Stacks. Riz isn’t having that and talks about what happened between Stacks and Tony. She realizes this can’t be fixed but she has set up a triple threat next week. While she doesn’t know if their paths will cross again, this will be the final battle. Stacks says he’s bigger than all of them and they can’t take it. Next week, he’ll prove it. D’Angelo says he’s done here and everyone stares at each other. That could go in a few different ways and that’s a good thing.

Here is Jasper Troy, who wants in on the NXT Title match. Cue Je’Von Evans to jump him and hit a big dive onto both Troy and security.

Tatum Paxley likes being part of the Culling, who are ready to win the Tag Team Titles.

Tag Team Titles: The Culling vs. Hank & Tank

Hank & Tank are defending and charge in to start the fight fast. We settle down to Spears stomping on Hank, allowing Vance to send him into the turnbuckle. Tank comes in for some dancing into a double splash but Spears is back with a neckbreaker. That doesn’t last long as the champs fight back, only for Hank to miss a top rope clothesline. The Culling runs Hank over on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Hank knocking Vance off the top, allowing Tank to come in and clean house. Everything breaks down and Vance’s top rope headbutt hits Tank for two. Izzi Dame gets in a cheap shot so Spears can grab an implant DDT for two more. Cue Zaria and Sol Ruca to take out Tatum Paxley and Dame, leaving the champs to hit their powerslam/neckbreaker combination on Spears to retain at 10:49.

Rating: C+. Hank & Tank still don’t feel like the most serious champions, but they’ve at least figured out something that fits for them. That’s a good thing for them to have and it would be nice to see it continue to grow. That being said, if Darkstate comes after the belts, there is no reason to believe the title reign will be lasting much longer.

Great American Bash rundown.

Kale Dixon couldn’t wrestle as scheduled due to high blood pressure, caused by nerves. Andre Chase isn’t happy but seems to understand.

Here is Ava, who talks about the original Evolution, which took place when she was in high school. She’s so proud that NXT will be all over Evolution, with Jaida Parker, Lola Vice, Kelani Jordan, Lash Legend, Izzi Dame and Tatum Paxley being in the battle royal. Cue Fatal Influence to interrupt, with Ava saying she just talked about Jacy Jayne. We get a rant from Jayne about how she’s the focal point of the show, but cue Jordynne Grace saying she’ll take the title.

Lash Legend comes out to say she’s going to win the battle royal. Stephanie Vaquer returns to NXT and says Grace will win. Maxxine Dupri and Natalya come out to say they’ll be the last two in the battle royal. Jaida Parker pops up in the crowd to say she’ll win. Everyone gets in and the big brawl is on to end the show. This was more than Raw and Smackdown have done for the show, and that’s not surprising given how much of a focus the women’s division has received around here.

Overall Rating: B. I came into this show not particularly wanting to see either Evolution or the Bash and I left a lot more interested in both. They did a heck of a job building up both shows and there is even some stuff set up for next week’s regular show. That’s a very nice way to go, even if the wrestling was pretty middle of the road this week. What mattered was everything else, and that stuff was quite well done.

Results
Ricky Saints b. Vanity Project last eliminating Jackson Drake
Charlie Dempsey b. Tavion Heights when Wren Sinclair threw in the towel
Mike Santana/Joe Hendry b. High Ryze – Spin The Block to DuPont
Kelani Jordan b. Lainey Reid – One Of A Kind
Hank & Tank b. The Culling – Powerslam/running neckbreaker combination to Spears

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

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NXT
Date: July 1, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We’re officially in the second half of the year and less than two weeks away from the Great American Bash. The card is starting to come together and we are going to be seeing some more added this week. In addition, TNA’s Joe Hendry is here to face Wes Lee, which should be a fun one. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Joe Hendry vs. Wes Lee

Trick Williams is on commentary and the rest of High Ryze is here with Lee. Hendry takes him down by the arm to start as Williams says his challengers (Hendry and Mike Santana) need to be the ones getting ready for Slammiversary. Lee rolls around and kicks him in the ribs before sending Hendry outside. That’s fine with Hendry, who blasts him with a clothesline.

We take a break and come back with Hendry glaring at the High Ryze, allowing Lee to hit a suicide dive. A middle rope phoenix splash gives Lee two but Hendry suplexes his way out of trouble. The comeback is on quickly but Lee slips out of the Standing Ovation. A fireman’s carry slam gives Hendry two so High Ryze gets up. Cue Santana to cut them off though and the Standing Ovation finishes for Hendry at 9:29.

Rating: B-. Well Hendry wasn’t going to lose here so this was about giving him a victory on the way to his big rematch with Trick Williams at Slammiversary. The good thing is that Lee is someone who can make just about anyone look good. Hendry’s charisma and star power are more than enough to carry him but he can back it up in the ring well enough, which was on display here.

Santana and Hendry stand tall as Williams doesn’t look happy.

We look at Tatum Paxley seemingly joining the Culling, with Zaria and Sol Ruca letting her go.

Here is Luca Crusifino for a chat. He wants to talk to Tony D’Angelo, who comes out to say the tables have turned. They argue over who has done what to whom in the last few weeks but Crusifino doesn’t want to hear it. Crusifino talks about the things he has sacrificed for D’Angelo and the Family and that is loyalty. Cue Stacks to interrupt but Crusifino doesn’t want to hear it. Crusifino decks D’Angelo…and then does the same to Stacks, saying his loyalty belongs to himself. There’s your big moment, with another betrayal/surprise likely coming sooner than later.

Oba Femi wants to see if Yoshiki Inamura has the fire to come after him. Inamura, with Josh Briggs, comes in to say he’s ready, but Femi says he is the hunter rather than the hunted.

Lexis King vs. Myles Borne

They fight over wrist control to start and King steps on his back a bit for some mind games. Borne takes him down and does the Florida Gator chomp, only for King to nail a dropkick on top. A top rope superplex brings Borne down for two and a running corner dropkick gives King two. The seated abdominal stretch goes on for a bit before King hits a running slap in the corner. That’s enough for Borne to fight up, including an Angle Slam for a breather. Borne’s big dropkick sets up a Zig Zag for the pin at 4:40. Well at least it’s a finisher.

Rating: C+. Good enough match here as the idea is to turn Borne into something more important. He had his big moment against Oba Femi and now the goal is to do something to keep him at a higher level. A clean win like this is a good way to start and I could go for seeing more of him. It’s nice to see NXT trying with someone who got a nice reaction and they’re doing it again here, which has potential.

Darkstate says everything that happens around here is because they allow it. They know what they’re going to do next, but we don’t.

Thea Hail vs. Lainey Reid

Hail isn’t happy and takes her down to start for some forearms to the face. Reid drops her face first into the corner and chokes away, followed by a spinning clothesline. A double underhook shoulderbreaker gives Reid two but Hail is back with a Codebreaker to the arm. The Kimura is blocked and Reid grabs a rollup but gets caught caught with her feet on the ropes. Hail’s rollup gets two so Reid kicks her away, setting up a running knee for the pin (while grabbing the rope and with Hail’s hand under the rope) at 4:22.

Rating: C+. And that’s another loss for Hail, who doesn’t really seem to win much of note…ever really. They’ve tried a few things with her but ever since that whole ordeal of Andre Chase throwing in the towel, Hail hasn’t felt like anything important. Reid isn’t that much further ahead, but she seems to be going in a rather different direction than Hail at the moment.

Tavion Heights isn’t happy with still being in the No Quarter Catch Crew. Charlie Dempsey agrees to give him one more “win and you’re out” match but this is his last chance.

Jasper Troy says you should fear him and Oba Femi knows what is coming for him if Troy wins tonight.

Sol Ruca/Zaria vs. Tatum Paxley/Izzi Dame

The rest of the Culling is here with Paxley and Dame. Ruca tries to talk some sends into Paxley to start but Zaria and Dame come in to argue as well. Ruca and Zaria clear the ring without much trouble and it’s Ruca grabbing a waistlock on Paxley. Some arm cranking has Paxley in more trouble and it’s off to Zaria to yell at Dame. They trade forearms until Paxley breaks it up with a high crossbody for two. Back up and Ruca and Zaria clear the ring again and we take a break.

We come back with Paxley tying Zaria up in the ropes for a running dropkick from Dame. A chokeslam drops Zaria again and a running flipping ax kick gives Paxley two more. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Paxley knocks her down again and puts it on for a second go. Zaria powers out without much trouble and it’s Ruca coming in to clean house.

A quick tag brings Zaria back in to clean house and an assisted splash from Ruca gives Zaria two. Dame hits a Codebreaker but there’s no Paxley, only for her to run back in and shove Dame out of the way. That means Zaria spears Ruca by mistake and Zaria is sent outside. A Sky High finishes Ruca at 13:17.

Rating: B-. Zaria and Ruca’s issues continue and it would not stun me to see them split for good in the near future. At the same time, Paxley seems to be finding a place with the Culling, though they don’t feel like the most trustworthy team in the world. There is a good chance that Dame gets a shot at Ruca out of this, and things might change even more once we get to that one.

Ethan Page, with the Vanity Project, and Ricky Saints are in Ava’s office. Page agrees to let Saints get a title shot if he can run the Vanity Project gauntlet (which happened recently on Evolve). Saints is in, but if he wins, he gets to pick the stipulation for the title shot. Deal.

We go to Chase U where Andre Chase actually apologizes. As a result, he has gotten Kale Dixon a match for next week and they hug. Chase does his swearing pep talk, but he does it WITH Dixon rather than at him.

Joe Hendry thanks Mike Santana, who says they’re uniting to fight for TNA. They’re not friends, but they’re fighting together against High Ryze next week. Works for them.

Josh Briggs gives Yoshiki Inamura a pep talk before his #1 contenders match, though Inamura says he has this.

Tatum Paxley is happy with their win and here is Ava to say Izzi Dame gets a Women’s North American Title shot at the Great American Bash. Hank & Tank come in to accuse the Culling of attacking them last week and Paxley talks them into giving the Culling a Tag Team Title shot next week.

Jasper Troy vs. Yoshiki Inamura

For an NXT Title shot at the Great American Bash. Inamura strikes away to start but Try gives him a hard whip into the corner. The chinlock is already on but Inamura powers out and shrugs off some clotheslines. A headlock grinds away at Troy and Inamura hits him with a sumo charges but Troy is right back with a side slam. Back up and Inamura knocks him to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Troy hitting three straight splashes for two and a World’s Strongest Slam gets the same. The abdominal stretch goes on but Inamura is quickly out for a ran into the post. Inamura unloads with shots to the head but walks into a swinging Boss Man Slam (appropriate as commentary compared Troy to Abyss earlier). Inamura muscles him up for a slam and the top rope splash connects for the pin at 11:38.

Rating: B-. I’m a bit surprised by the result but maybe they’re going with the idea of “Inamura isn’t here long, get what we can out of him”. He’s gotten a bit more interesting lately, though maybe that’s due to having him actually get in the ring rather than just talking about it most of the time. Troy is still a good monster, but that aura goes away quickly if he keeps losing.

Post match Oba Femi comes in to stare at Inamura as Je’Von Evans comes in to drop Troy.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here is Jordynne Grace for a chat. Getting here is the hardest thing she has ever done but last week reminded her that she thrives on pressure. Evolution is a major event for women’s wrestling and she will be making history. She’s terrified of being vulnerable though and she has been asking herself if she belongs here. She did everything to get here and became someone you can’t ignore.

Cue Fatal Influence to interrupt, with Jacy Jayne asking if Grace is done yet. Grace can bench press more than Jayne but she can’t carry as much as Jayne. Grace tells her to shut up and says it won’t be a surprise when there is a new champion at Evolution. The beatdown is on but Blake Monroe runs in for the save. Ava comes out to make the tag match for the Great American Bash. Jayne and Fallon Henley run back in and get knocked back down just as fast.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was much more about getting ready for the future with the Great American Bash, which is something that has been needed. At the same time, we’re building towards a big match at Slammiversary and likely some things at Evolution. That’s a tricky path to walk and they did it well enough here. NXT has found quite the balancing act of not having boring television while still setting things up for later. Other shows can’t make that work so well done for figuring out a nice formula.

Results
Joe Hendry b. Wes Lee – Standing Ovation
Myles Borne b. Lexis King – Zig Zag
Lainey Reid b. Thea Hail – Running knee while holding the rope
Tatum Paxley/Izzi Dame b. Sol Ruca/Zaria – Sky High to Ruca
Yoshiki Inamura b. Jasper Troy – Top rope splash

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 26, 2025
Location: UMPC Events Center, Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re just under a month away from Slammiversary and the company is taking its time setting things up. That’s perfectly fine as they still have a few weeks, though the main event is officially set. Joe Hendry will get his chance to regain the TNA World Title from Trick Williams and bring the belt back from NXT. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Joe Hendry to get things going and….wow some of those camera shots show hundreds of empty seats. Get the tarp out already people. Anyway Hendry thanks the people for having his back and giving him such a great life. At the same time, he has to acknowledge that he lost the World Title to Trick Williams.

That kills him and he could walk out and go home but hearing these people cheering his name makes it all worth it. He was in the Royal Rumble and at Wrestlemania as TNA Champion and he owes the fans something as a thank you. Now he wants the fans to be part of his redemption and he will bring the title back to TNA at Slammiversary. We’re getting to the point where he has to win the title and while that’s a strong possibility, I wouldn’t say it’s a guarantee.

Killer Kelly doesn’t like Masha Slamovich forgetting their past together and teases a chain match. As for tonight, she’s becoming the new #1 contender in a battle royal.

Ryan Nemeth vs. Zachary Wentz

Their respective partners are here too because these teams (and the Hardys and First Class) are in a four way for the Tag Team Titles at Slammiversary. And say it with me: it’s a ladder match. Ryan works on a wristlock to start but Wentz flips out and wristdrags him to the rope. Nic cuts off a handspring though and Ryan sends Wentz outside for two.

We’re already in the chinlock but Wentz it out rather quickly, earning himself a whip into the corner. A neckbreaker takes too long and Wentz gets in a backslide for two, followed by a kick to the chest. The running shooting star press gives Wentz two but Ryan’s DDT gets the same, leaving his eyes bugging out of his head. Ryan tries to bring in a belt but gets kneed down, setting up the Spiral Tap to give Wentz the pin at 4:25.

Rating: C. They didn’t have time to do much and as usual, it’s one of the one off matches that has no impact on a ladder match. I like the idea of a four way title match but hearing the stipulation being added kills the interest. Wentz getting a win is nice to see, but it is only going to mean so much when it comes to climbing ladders. Did I mention I’m sick of ladder matches? Just wanted to make that clear.

We look at Joe Hendry showing up in NXT, setting up his match next week with Wes Lee.

Trick Williams is ready to beat Hendry at Slammiversary and he’s ready for AJ Francis to kick Mike Santana back to the block tonight.

Masha Slamovich is ready for the battle royal to crown a new #1 contender. As for Killer Kelly, they can have a chain match next week. Arianna grace runs in to say she has a surprise for Slamovich, but we can’t find out what that is yet.

Battle Royal

Lei Ying Lee, Ash By Elegance, Alisha Edwards, Cassie Lee, Dani Luna, Harley Hudson, Indi Hartwell, Jada Stone, Jessie McKay, Jody Threat, Katie Arquette, Mila Moore, Myla Grace, Rosemary, Tasha Steelz, Tessa Blanchard, Victoria Crawford, Xia Brookside

For a future Knockouts Title shot. By Elegance stops to pose early on, earning a beatdown from the IInspiration. Everyone else gets involved and the five of them are all dumped, leaving the others to brawl. Arquette (yes she’s related to David) is tossed out rather quickly and Stone follows her. There goes Luna as well and we take a break.

We come back with Moore and Hudson tossing Rosemary but getting eliminated just as fast. Steelz dumps Edwards and Crawford follows her out. Brookside, Steelz and Lee are out in a hurry and we’re down to Blanchard vs. Hartwell. They both fight over the top and out to the apron…but Ash By Elegance comes out from underneath the ring and throws them both out to win at 11:26. A replay shows that Elegance went underneath the ropes before being tossed out earlier (fair play as I didn’t catch it).

Rating: C. Usually I can’t stand these “oh wait someone is still in” finishes but they did a nice job of surprising me this time so points for a bonus. Ash getting the shot is interesting as she’s a big enough star to be a threat to take the title. The rest of the match was a standard battle royal, but at least they didn’t do anything too bad.

Post match Masha Slamovich comes out for the staredown but here is NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne as well. And there’s the surprise.

We look at Tommy Dreamer bringing Jake Something back last week to deal with Mance Warner.

Something is glad he’s back and he’s ready to fight Warner next week. Then he wants the International Title. Maclin comes in to welcome Something back.

Mustafa Ali vs. John Skyler

This is a Call To Arms match, where both of them start with one arm tied to the ropes. You untie yourself and then have a regular match, won by pinfall or submission. That’s quite the odd choice for a stipulation. The rest of Order 4 is here too. Ali gets smart by whipping out some scissors to cut himself free and kicks Skyler in the face.

Skyler fights back and manages a backdrop to the floor. Jason Hotch gets the scissors away and gives them to Skyler, which removes the ropes as a factor less than two minutes into the match. Skyler hits a rolling neckbreaker for two but gets sent into the post. Ali hits a quick 450 for the pin at 3:36.

Rating: D. I have no idea what the point of this thing was, as the arm deal was basically not a factor. In theory the idea was to have Ali get annoyed at Hotch for helping Skyler as Order 4 continues to fall apart. That being said, at some point Ali is going to need a serious challenger to come after him and Hotch and Skyler aren’t big enough.

Post match Ali beats up Hotch for helping Skyler but Tasha Steelz blocks a chair shot. Cedric Alexander, and a former rival of Ali’s, debuts and the rest of Order 4 gets behind him. Ali leaves on his own, despite Alexander trying to reason with him. That might not be the big name, but it’s a step in the right direction.

We recap the System beating down Matt Cardona and the Home Town Man last week.

The System is ready for Leon Slater at Slammiversary but Cardona interrupts and wants a fight. The team just leaves instead.

Hardys vs. Northern Armory

Eric Young is here with the Armory. Jeff takes over on Williams’ arm to start and it’s off to Matt to do more of the same. Young pulls Matt out to the floor for a cheap shot though and Icarus takes over in the corner. Young gets caught interfering again though and that’s good for an early ejection. Matt is able to bring Jeff back in to clean house and the Plot Twist sets up the Swanton to pin Icarus at 4:13.

Rating: C+. The Armory was only able to do so much without Young here and that isn’t a big surprise. The Hardys get a win here and get ready for their next title shot in their signature match. I’ll spare myself yet another rant about the ladder stipulation and go with saying it’s nice to see the Hardys looking a lot better in the ring than they did in recent years. They seem to be all together for once and that is great to see.

Post match the Hardys invite Leon Slater to the ring because they’re ready to see him win the X-Division Title at Slammiversary. Slater say that endorsement means so much to him and he promises to win the title for himself and his family and the fans. He’s ready for Moose and will be at ringside during Moose’s match.

Moose vs. Shane Sabre vs. Jake Painter

Non-title and Slater is on commentary. Moose wanted this to be a three way so he could show Slater what is coming for him at Slammiversary. Moose boots both of them in the face to start and hits a double clothesline. Sabre is sent outside and the spear finishes Painter at 2:03.

Post match Slater gets in the ring for the staredown but Moose bails.

Video on First Class helping Trick Williams, including against Mike Santana.

Mike Santana vs. AJ Francis

Street fight and KC Navarro is here with Francis. They go straight to the slugout to start with Santana knocking him to the floor. It’s already time for a table and Santana hits a running boot to send Francis over the barricade. Francis is sent into the barricade but manages to send him into the same barricade as we take a break.

Back with Francis choking with a chair, which he then sits in to talk trash. Santana slugs back but gets slammed onto the chair to cut him off. That doesn’t last long as Santana sends him outside for a flip dive and it’s time to set up the tables. An Asai moonsault cuts Francis down again and the rolling Buck Fifty gets two back inside.

Santana AA’s him through two chairs for two and then does it again through the tables. Cue Trick Williams but Joe Hendry runs out for the save, leaving Santana to hit a frog splash for two. Francis pulls him out of the air for a Styles Clash of all things though and it’s time to bring in the champagne bottle. Santana takes it away though and smashes it over Francis’ head. Spin The Block gives Santana the pin at 15:44.

Rating: B. This was a heck of a fight and I got far more into it than I was expecting. It’s a good example of a match that is made better by the crowd, as they wanted to see Santana beat this guy up. I had a great time with the whole thing and Santana looked like a star. He’s going to be in the World Title picture sooner than later and if TNA doesn’t pull the trigger on him eventually, I have no idea what they’re missing.

Post match Santana thanks the fans and says he wants in the main event for the World Title at Slammiversary to end the show. Well that would be a game changer to the match.

Overall Rating: B-. That main event pulled this one way up and that’s nice to see. Santana continues his incredible rise and very well might be added to the World Title match at Slammiversary. The rest of the show only did so much for me, but Santana vs. Francis was more than enough to boost things up.

Results
Zachary Wentz b. Ryan Nemeth – Spiral Tap
Ash By Elegance won a battle royal last eliminating Tessa Blanchard and Indi Hartwell
Mustafa Ali b. John Skyler – 450
Hardys b. Northern Armory – Swanton to Icarus
Moose b. Shane Sabre and Jake Painter – Spear to Painter
Mike Santana b. AJ Francis – Spin The Block

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 19, 2025
Location: Mullett Arena, Tempe, Arizona
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

Slammiversary is coming up in about a month and the card is at least coming together. The big story continues to be the roster wanting to get its World Title back from that evil outsider, NXT’s Trick Williams, and someone is going to need to step up. That process could start this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Sami Callihan vs. Eric Young

The rest of the Northern Armory is here with Young. Callihan jumps them all to start fast and grabs a chair, which Young takes away. Young’s chair shot only hits the steps though and hurts his own hands, allowing Callihan to hit a clothesline. They gets inside for the opening bell, with Young getting two off a belly to belly suplex. Callihan headbutts away but gets dropped for two more. Young knocks him to the floor where the Armory gets in their cheap shots, meaning Callihan has to beat the count.

Back in and Callihan crotches him on top, where Young gets in a bite to the head. They both go for the eyes until Callihan grabs a Downward Spiral. Callihan charges into a boot in the corner, allowing Young to drop the top rope elbow for two. Back up and Callihan grabs him low, setting up a Stunner for a rather near fall. Somehow the Armory is able to get in with a chair shot without the referee noticing, allowing Young to grab a piledriver for the pin at 7:18.

Rating: C. This felt like a way to set things up for later, as we could be seeing a rematch, likely with some more violence included, down the line. Callihan doesn’t have much to do and neither does Young, so this should be about as good for both of them as anything else. Just don’t go too hardcore with the thing.

The non-champions are ready for the Champions Challenge tonight.

Here is Order 4 for a summit. Mustafa Ali starts by yelling at Tasha Steelz, accusing her of doing a terrible job. Ali also accuses her of calling “him”, even checking her phone and finding out that she did call “him” today. Steelz is thrown out, meaning it’s time for Jason Hotch. He’s not happy with Ali, who thinks Ali is wrong. Ali brings up that Hotch lives with his wife and family in a house that Ali pays for every month. Therefore, Ali wants an apology, which Hotch gives him.

That brings up John Skyler, who brings up every bad thing Ali has been doing lately. Ali is a great leader, but lately it has been up Order 1. Ali isn’t going to have that and orders Skyler to apologize, even from his hands and knees. That isn’t going to happen, with Ali bailing instead of fighting. The cracks continue to show, though I’m not sure who is going to be the one to take out Ali, because Skyler isn’t it.

Killer Kelly talks about the MK Ultra days with Masha Slamovich. Now it’s time for Kelly to take the title.

By Elegance vs. Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich

The Personal Concierge handles By Elegance’s entrance and M By Elegance is here too. The dancing Ash backs away from Lee but Heather does the same, leaving By Elegance not being sure what to do. Slamovich comes in instead so Ash grabs her phone…which earns her a beating. Everything breaks down and Slamovich hits a running dive to take the villains out.

We take a break and come back with Ying hammering away in the corner, sending Ash right back to the floor. Ash gets in a cheap shot this time and takes over on Ying back inside, where some forearms in the corner keep her in trouble. Ying fights up and hits a running knee to the face but Ash hits a Meteora for the same. Heather’s stomps don’t do much good as it’s back to Slamovich to clean house. A catapult into a Codebreaker cuts Slamovich off for two but Rarefied Air is broken up. Cue Killer Kelly for a distraction, allowing Ash to hit Rarefied Air for the pin at 11:16.

Rating: C+. This was a way to set up the Knockouts Title match and that’s not a bad way to go. Kelly isn’t someone who is going to go after Slamovich hand to hand but rather trying to get inside her head. That’s an interesting change of pace and I could go with seeing how it goes. If nothing else it’s someone fresh and that’s a good thing to see.

The IInspiration wants the Knockouts Tag Team Titles back.

Here is Santino Marella for a chat. Next week, Mike Santana will be back and facing AJ Francis in a street fight. Marella brings out Tommy Dreamer, who got in a fight with Mance Warner last week. He’s willing to let Dreamer face Warner anytime, but here are Warner and Steph de Lander to interrupt. Steph says that the Innovator Of Violence thing was impressive in 1996, but she wasn’t even born yet. Dreamer agrees that it isn’t his time, though there is something they should know. Cue Jake Something to clear the villains out. Cool. Now do something important with him already. And give him a better name.

Tessa Blanchard and Indi Hartwell argue about last week and Blanchard brings up helping Hartwell when her career was starting. Hartwell says that Blanchard is proving everyone right.

We look at some TNA wrestlers at AAA TripleMania.

The System vs. Matt Cardona/???

Cardona needs a partner and brings out….the Home Town Man. Thankfully commentary flat out says “this is Cody Deaner” as Cardona and JDC start things off. JDC wants and receives Home Town, who takes over on JDC without much trouble. Cardona sends JDC outside for a running flip dive but Alisha Edwards offers a distraction so Eddie can take over. A neckbreaker gets Cardona out of trouble and it’s back to Home Town for Sliced Bread on JDC. Eddie goes for the mask but gets rolled up for the pin at 3:57.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time here and that’s a nice thing to see given Home Town. I do like that they’re leaning into the joke instead of trying to make me care about Cody Deaner again, as that was a horrible failure. It’s nothing I want to see full time, but for a one off “fun” moment, it could have been far worse.

Post match Brian Myers comes in for the beatdown but Matt Cardona makes the save. The System beats him down as well.

We look at the six man tag from NXT, with Yoshiki Inamura pinning Trick Williams to earn a title shot…for Josh Briggs.

Rascalz/Elijah/Joe Hendry/Leon Slater vs. Moose/Steve Maclin/Trick Williams/Nemeths

Frankie Kazarian is on commentary. Nic and Elijah start things off with Nic out wrestling him without much trouble. Back up and Nic hits a dropkick, only for Elijah to grab the wrist for the Old School Meteora. Wentz comes in to flip out of Maclin’s wristlock, giving us a Maclin vs. Rascalz standoff. Ryan gets dragged in and double dropkicked before Williams and Moose get knocked to the floor.

The Rascalz hit stereo moonsaults but Moose is back in with the spear to Miguel. Everything breaks down and we take a break. Back with the champions taking turns choking Miguel on the ropes, though Maclin doesn’t seem to approve. Nic puts on a bow and arrow hold before it’s back to Williams for a cravate. A belly to back suplex is broken up though and it’s off to Slater to pick up the pace.

Maclin won’t tag in so Nic drops Slater to take over again. Slater suplexes Moose and brings Hendry back in…but the referee didn’t see the tag. Moose plants Slater but the spear is countered. The powerbomb is reversed into a DDT and the hot tag brings in Hendry to clean house.

The turning pose is cut off by Williams for the big staredown so Hendry clotheslines the Nemeths instead. Everything breaks down again and the Rascalz drop Moose, only to get knocked outside by the Nemeths. Ryan tries to bring in a title belt but Maclin takes it away. The Standing Ovation into the Highwayman’s Farewell finishes Ryan at 20:04.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of thing that happens every so often and for a rare treat, it works well. The ending lets someone get a potential title match set up in the near future but if nothing else, we have the already established feuds. They’re teasing the heck out of Hendry vs. Williams II and Moose vs. Slater is already set. That’s not a bad way to go and this was a fine way to set up some things which are likely to happen at Slammiversary.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event was the big deal on the show and while it worked, it made the rest of the show a bit tricky. You can only get so much out of the show when so many big names are tied up in the main event. It’s not bad and they did seem to boost up Slammiversary a bit, which is going to need to be the focus for the next few weeks.

Results
Eric Young b. Sami Callihan – Piledriver
By Elegance b. Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich – Rarefied Air to Slamovich
Matt Cardona/Home Town Man b. The System – Rollup to Edwards
Rascalz/Elijah/Joe Hendry/Leon Slater b. Nemeths/Moose/Steve Maclin/Trick Williams – Highwayman’s Farewell to Ryan

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

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Indi Hartwell vs. Tasha Steelz

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

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

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

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

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

X-Division Title: Eric Young vs. Moose

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rosemary vs. Xia Brookside

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lei Ying Li is ready to win the Knockouts Title.

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

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

Against All Odds rundown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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