Impact Wrestling
Date: December 18, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s a pretty big show this week, with a battle royal to crown a new #1 contender to the TNA World Title. That’s actually by far the smaller of the two main matches though, as we also have TNA vs. NXT in a ten man cage match. There is probably some more stuff throughout the show, but really, what else do you need? Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the cage match.

Opening sequence.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Battle Royal

Eric Young, Rich Swann, Mance Warner, Myron Reed, Trey Miguel, Zachary Wentz, Jake Something, Moose, Jake Painter, BDE, Brock Anderson, Cedric Alexander, Bear Bronson, CW Anderson, Jesse Funaki, John Skyler, Judas Icarus, Ryan Nemeth, Home Town Man, Travis Williams

For a World Title shot against Frankie Kazarian (on commentary) on the first Impact of 2026. Man throws Painter out to start and Funaki follows him. BDE actually eliminates Skyler and the brawling ensues as we take an early break. We come back with BDE getting knocked out, followed by Nemeth poking Man in the eye for another elimination. CW and Wentz are both out, with Miguel and Williams joining them.

Reed dives at Icarus for an elimination but the other Rascalz catch Reed for a nice save. Brock is superkicked out but Something tosses Reed as the ring is rapidly clearing. Something and Bronson knock each other down as here is AJ Francis to eliminate Swann, followed by a chokeslam onto the apron.

We’re down to Nemeth, Young, Something, Warner, Bronson, Moose and Alexander and it’s time for the big staredown. The brawl is on and Something is out, with Warner bulldog drivering Moose. Back up and Moose boots Warner out but Young’s double clothesline gets rid of Moose and Alexander. Bronson tosses Nemeth so Young throws Bronson, who holds on. Young doesn’t pay attention and Bronson tosses him to win at 11:14.

Rating: C+. I mean…why not? It’s a battle royal so it isn’t like anyone is really hurt by a loss. Bronson is brand new around here so this is a nice way to get things going. He doesn’t exactly have anything in the way of star power, but I do like adding some surprising, fresh names in the mixture, as that can go a very long way.

Team TNA is ready to end NXT.

Bear Bronson says he knew he would win and all of his scars tell a story. Now he’s coming for the title.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Angel Warriors vs. Tessa Blanchard/Mila Moore

Robert Stone and Victoria Crawford are here with the villains. Brookside and Moore start things off with Brookside sending her into the corner. Blanchard comes in and wants Lee, who quickly knocks her out to the floor. The Warriors hit stereo dives to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Lee in trouble but kicking her way out of the corner. A middle rope dropkick connects for Lee and she pulls Blanchard into a half crab. Stone pulls Brookside off the apron though and there’s no tag. Lee fights out of the tag though and the tag brings in Brookside to clean house. A kick to the head drops Moore and Brookside Iconoclasms Lee onto Moore for two with Blanchard making the save. The Warrior’s Way (spinning torture rack faceplant) finishes Moore at 11:06.

Rating: B-. This got going near the end and it’s nice to see the Warriors pick up a win as a team for a change. At the same time though, it feels like this is more about Blanchard coming after Lee and the Knockouts Title. If nothing else, at least Lee got the pin, which is something a champion should be doing on occasion.

Dani Luna wants a Knockouts Title shot.

Robert Stone yells at Mila Moore/Victoria Crawford/Tessa Blanchard (the Diamond Collective), with Blanchard saying she wants any three Knockouts to face them.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Here is Elijah for a concert. After chuckling about what he did to Mustafa Ali (involving dragging him away with a horse), Elijah starts singing about coming to El Paso. Cue Tasha Steelz with a podium so Ali can come out and complain about being dragged away by a horse. Elijah doesn’t want to her it so here are the Great Hands to jump him. With the Hands dispatched, Elijah goes to the stage, where he has to move Steelz, allowing Ali to get in a guitar shot to the back.

Indi Hartwell says she’s down but still coming for the Knockouts Title.

We look at Leon Slater in a huge match on Saturday Night’s Main Event and then this week on NXT, the latter of which saw him becoming #1 contender. Moose showed up on the same show and got a shot at the NXT North American Title on December 30.

Moose wants the X-Division Title back but Cedric Alexander comes in to say not so fast.

Frankie Kazarian isn’t worried about Bear Bronson and promises to keep the title for as long as he likes.

Team TNA vs. Team NXT

This is basically WarGames, including the timed (two minutes for the first period, then one minutes each) entrances. Mike Santana is in at #1 for TNA and Brooks Jensen is in at #1 for NXT. Jensen teases going through the door to start but Santana sends him into the cage a few times. Santana hammers away in the corner and grabs a top rope superplex for the big crash. Lexis King is in at #2 for NXT (who has the advantage after a win last week) and canes Santana down.

Steve Maclin is in at #2 for TNA to even things up and sends King into the cage. Tyson DuPont is in at #3 for NXT as these entrances are really, really fast. The TNA guys are beaten up again until Matt Hardy is in at #3 for TNA to even things up. It turns out that’s only in theory at Tyriek Igwe runs in to jump Hardy from behind and go in before him. Igwe is officially in at #4 for NXT but Santana manages to fight back as Jeff Hardy is in at #4 for TNA and actually gets inside. The numbers game take Jeff down though and Stacks is in at #5 for NXT.

Cue the Righteous to take Matt to the back (nothing good can come from this) and it’s Santino Marella in at #5 to complete TNA. That means it is first pin or submission to win and Marella cleans house, only for Jensen to jump him from behind. We take a break and come back with the TNA guys still in trouble but Jeff gets in a Twisting Stunner. Marella hits some splits Stunners and Maclin ties Stacks in the cage for a spear. Maclin goes up but gets caught, meaning it’s kind of a Tower Of Doom. The Cobra comes up to hit Jensen, setting up Spin The Block to give Santana the pin at 20:05. Matt never even got in the cage.

Rating: C. The fact that TNA never even had its full lineup in there and still didn’t feel like they were in danger tells you a lot. This was a TNA all star team (four former World Champions and Santino Marella, who is seen as a legend) against a bunch of NXT midcarders. TNA might not be a huge deal, but they’re bigger than this, and that was on full display with the match. It felt like a big match coming in, but that didn’t quite hold up once the bell rang.

Post match Marella glares at Stacks but Arianna Grace comes in to knee Marella low. Maclin gets back in to chase Stacks off.

In the back, Matt Hardy wakes up around a bunch of Hardys stuff with the Righteous promising to make him immortal. Dutch offers him…something, but Matt gets up and staggers away instead to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. While the execution might not have been great, this definitely felt like a big time show and that’s the best thing you can say about the whole thing. It’s nice to see TNA taking a step forward to something as huge as their debut on AMC and at least they’re trying something different. It might not have been a great show, but it felt big at the right time and I’ll absolutely take that, as there are more than a few things coming up worth seeing.

Results
Bear Bronson won a battle royal last eliminating Eric Young
Angel Warriors b. Tessa Blanchard/Mila Moore – Warrior’s Way to Moore
Team TNA b. Team NXT – Spin The Block to Jensen

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

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NXT
Date: December 16, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re in a bit of an interesting place with NXT, as there isn’t a pay per view anytime soon but we are fresh off of Saturday Night’s Main Event, which had a big NXT presence. That should be something to build on for at least tonight if not the upcoming few weeks as we close out the year. That’s in addition to the annual End Of The Year Awards, which get some people rather emotional around here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of the NXT involvement with Saturday Night’s Main Event, as well as what seemed to be Ricky Saints going evil last week to cost Je’Von Evans the NXT Title.

Evans is waiting for Saints but Ava tries to calm him down.

IMG Credit: WWE

Women’s North American Title: Blake Monroe vs. Thea Hail

Monroe is defending. Hail goes right to the armbar to start but gets taken down with a rather spinning side slam. Back up and Hail kicks her down for a standing moonsault, followed by a running dropkick to send Monroe outside. An exploder suplex has Monroe in more trouble but she armbars Hail over the ropes as we take a break. We come back with Hail hitting a World’s Strongest Slam and the springboard backsplash…for the pin and the title at 7:24? If that was planned, they’re better actresses than I thought.

Rating: C. The match barely had enough time to get anywhere but it seems like the ending didn’t exactly go as it was supposed to. There’s a chance that we got some really screwy booking to change the title, but it feels a lot more like Monroe didn’t/couldn’t kick out in time. Either way, Hail absolutely needed to win something at some point and this checks that box, even if it might not have been supposed to.

Everyone seems REALLY confused as Hail is awarded the title. It looks like Monroe was trying to get her shoulder up but couldn’t, as that definitely seemed like a mistake.

The Culling seems happy with what they’ve done to Tatum Paxley….but Niko Vance seems to be having second thoughts.

Here is Ethan Page for a chat. Page complains about being attacked by Tony D’Angelo and claiming that he can carry an industry on his back. He doesn’t care why D’Angelo attacked him, but D’Angelo needs to get out here right now. Cue Stacks and Arianna Grace, with Stacks saying grace wants some more gold. Like the AAA Mixed Tag Team Titles.

Cue TNA’s Moose of all people and he gets straight to the point: TNA is ticked off and wants something done about Stacks. Therefore it’s Stacks’ lucky day, because Moose wants Page and the North American Title. The match is already set for December 30 and Moose clotheslines him the floor.

Leon Slater wants Je’Von Evans at ringside for his #1 contenders match tonight but Evans is focused on Ricky Saints. Evans eventually agrees.

OTM vs. Hank & Tank

Nima shoves Tank into the corner to start and it’s off to Price, who kicks Tank down. A running stomp gets two but Tank gets over for the tag off to Hank…as an SUV arrives in the back. Nima gets sent into the corner though and some running splashes have Price in trouble. OTM is right back with a double powerbomb and we take a break.

We come back with Tank and Nima trading big shots to the face. Tank’s seated armbar is broken up and a double torture rack slam drops him for two. Tank manages to avoid being sent through the announcers’ table and Swantons Price but Nima is back in for a save. Hank is back in as well and a small package gives him the fast pin at 13:48.

Rating: C+. Well, at least it wasn’t Hank & Tank being Japanese stereotypes like I was worried it might be. The team still doesn’t do much for me but the fans seem to like them and there are worse options. Granted I could still go for OTM getting a push for a change but that’s not going to happen at the moment.

Ricky Saints was in the SUV.

Jasper Troy is fine with Ava’s announcement of another Speed tournament.

Here is Ricky Saints for a chat. Saints isn’t here to apologize, because he promised to usher in the Absolute Era. He could carry any brand but he wasn’t happy with Je’Von Evans jumping the line to get a title shot. That’s why he had to cut Evans off, because he is tired of being stepped on. Saints told Evans to wait for his turn and now we’re supposed to believe that Evans is better than him? Cue Evans for the brawl but Saints sends him into the steps. Saints lays him out with the Roshambo through the announcers’ table.

Ethan Page complains to Ava about everything going on right now and Chelsea Green comes in to complain as well. Ava says nothing that happened to Green is her fault and gives her a Women’s US Title defense against Sol Ruca (also there, along with Zaria).

Fatal Influence vs. Kendal Grey/Wren Sinclair

Jacy Jayne is on commentary. Grey gets sent into the corner to start as Jayne impersonates Booker’s commentary. Sinclair fights back and it’s back to Grey for a front facelock to slow Reid down. It’s back to Sinclair for a butterfly suplex but she goes outside to yell at Jayne. That earns her a quick posting and we take an early break.

We come back with Reid grabbing a Stunner for two on Sinclair but she kicks Reid away. The needed tag brings in Grey to clean house but Shades Of Grey is broken up. Reid’s Blockbuster into a running faceplant from Henley gets two but everything breaks down. Grey gets a cross armbreaker but Jayne gets up for a distraction, earning herself a right hand. Sinclair hits a dive to take the villains out and the cross armbreaker makes Henley tap at 9:36.

Rating: C+. Grey is still establishing herself but it’s pretty clear that she’s going to be a big deal if she can live up to even some of her potential. Having her make Henley tap out is a nice moment and now we get to see if Grey can pull off a miracle win. Other than that, Sinclair getting to be on the winning side is nice to see as well, though that might not last very long.

Thea Hail is very, very excited about her win and says it’s going to say THEA HAIL very soon. Jordynne Grace comes in to congratulate Hail but Blake Monroe comes in to say she kicked out and wants her rematch. Grace doesn’t like the disrespect but Hail is rather excited anyway (shocking I know).

Izzi Dame finds a doll in her locker and knows it’s from Tatum Paxley. Lola Vice tells her to watch out but gets annoyed at Kelani Jordan moving back into the locker room. Vice warns Jordan that gymnastics is nothing like MMA.

Shiloh Hill meets Skylar Raye but Stacks and Arianna Grace come in to complain about earlier. They argue and a mixed tag is set for next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Leon Slater vs. Myles Borne vs. Joe Hendry vs. Dion Lennox

For the NXT Title shot at New Year’s Evil and Slater’s TNA X-Division Title isn’t on the line. Lennox takes Slater down for an early two before uppercutting Borne in the corner. A powerslam out of said corner gives Borne two but Hendry is back up with a double clothesline. Hendry’s DDT gets two on Slater, who is back up to send Hendry outside for a running flip dive.

A high crossbody gives Slater two on Lennox and Slater rains down some right hands in the corner. Another high crossbody gives Slater another two but he misses a dive to the floor and hurts his knee. Borne is back in with a dropkick to Lennox before Slater is back in, where he’s caught in a powerbomb/top rope clothesline combination. Everyone is down for a breather and we take a break.

We come back with Slater’s leg still banged up but he manages a kick to Borne anyway. Lennox catches Slater on top but Borne breaks it up, leaving Slater to get the best part of a Tower Of Doom for two each. Hendry is back up but can’t hit the Standing Ovation. Slater’s knee is banged up so he somehow manages a one legged Swanton to Lennox. Hendry makes the save and fall away slams Borne and does the same send Lennox flying. Slater is tossed over the top onto Lennox before Hendry plants Borne for two. Hendry and Lennox brawl to the floor, leaving Slater to hit the Swanton 450 to pin Borne at 16:27.

Rating: B. Slater winning (despite his knee injury suddenly being fine at the end) is an interesting choice as he and Oba Femi could have a heck of a fun match. Hendry is another interesting situation, as not only is it odd to have him in developmental, but also that he’s just kind of floating around ala Jordynne Grace. Borne needs something else to do and Lennox is still trying to find himself as a singles star. I’m just not sure if Lennox can find that kind of spot.

Oba Femi comes out for the staredown with Slater to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was one of the shows designed to set up things for later, though it seemed to include a non-planned title change. I’m not sure if that’s what was supposed to happen (if so, well done), but it seems like they’re following up on what they have. I liked what we got here well enough and the next few weeks are starting to come together. Granted I’m not wild on even more TNA/NXT invasions, at least it gives us some fresh matches, which does make for something fun.

Results
Thea Hail b. Blake Monroe – Springboard backsplash
Hank & Tank b. OTM – Small package to Price
Kendal Grey/Wren Sinclair b. Fatal Influence – Cross armbreaker to Henley
Leon Slater b. Myles Borne, Joe Hendry and Dion Lennox – Swanton 450 to Borne

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

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Saturday Night’s Main Event XLII
Date: December 13, 2025
Location: Capitol One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We have arrived. After a WWE career that started over twenty three years ago, John Cena is set for his final match, as he is going against Gunther. While there are other things taking place on the show, absolutely nothing comes close to this as it has been built up for over a year and a half now. This is going to be special so let’s get to it.

Various legends are here for Cena’s final match.

HHH narrates a video on Cena’s career, talking about how he is the greatest of all time in a variety of ways. They’re certainly pulling out all the stops with this and treating it like a huge moment.

Your hosts, Joe Tessitore and Stephanie McMahon, hype up the show.

Cody Rhodes vs. Oba Femi

Non-title and someone give the fan with the PUT THAT COOKIE DOWN sign a raise. Femi powers him into the corner to start and Rhodes can’t get very far with the right hands. A backbreaker cuts Rhodes down and Femi hammers away in the corner. Rhodes’ powerslam is blocked and Femi knocks him down without much trouble. A clothesline to the back of the head drops Rhodes again but he flips out of a belly to back suplex attempt.

Femi misses a charge into the post and now the powerslam works for Rhodes. He knocks Femi outside and hits the suicide dive, only to charge into a spinebuster back inside. Rhodes gets in his drop down uppercut but gets knocked outside again. Femi hits a heck of a running uppercut over the announcers’ table and Rhodes’ ear is busted open. A chokeslam gives Femi two back inside and they’re both down. Rhodes jumps over him and hits the Cody Cutter for two….and Drew McIntyre runs in for the DQ at 9:03.

Rating: B. Yeah this was the only way to go, as you don’t bring in a beast like Femi and have him lose his big debut, but you also don’t have the World Champion get pinned. McIntyre running in made sense, which thankfully came after Femi went toe to toe with Rhodes. The idea was Rhodes was trying to find his way to get around Femi but he couldn’t quite do it. This was basically a standoff until the interference and that’s a good sign for Femi.

Post match Femi isn’t happy with McIntyre interfering and drops him. Rhodes and Femi show respect to each other.

Various celebrities wish Cena well, including Peyton/Eli Manning and Snoop Dogg.

Various wrestling legends praise Cena.

We get a graphic showing Cena’s career stats. That’s quite impressive.

Bayley vs. Sol Ruca

Lyra Valkyria and Zaria are here too. Bayley works on the arm to start but Ruca backflips into an anklescissors to send Bayley into the corner. You can tell Bayley is a bit taken aback but she’s able to send Ruca outside. Back in and Bayley tries to pick her up and can’t quite get it to work, with Ruca being smart enough to reverse into a small package for two.

This time Ruca sends her outside for an awesome cartwheel moonsault to the floor and Bayley is rocked. Back in and Bayley sunset bombs her into the corner for two and we hit the chinlock. Ruca fights up and hits some elbows, followed by a top rope cartwheel DDT for two. Bayley gets in the Bayley To Belly and ties Ruca in the Tree Of Woe, setting up a running elbow for two more.

Ruca’s running knee gets two but Bayley blocks the Sol Snatcher (an inverted flipping cutter, which has to be seen to be believed) and hits the Rose Plant. A top rope elbow hits raised knees though and now the Sol Snatcher can connect. Bayley slides halfway out of the ring though and manages a rollup, with Ruca reversing into one of her own for the pin at 9:36.

Rating: B-. There’s your upset of the night and my goodness it’s a good sign for Ruca’s future. It’s pretty clear that she’s going to be a big deal on the main roster when she comes up, as there is only so much left for her to do in NXT. This is the kind of win that can make someone’s career and it worked well. Nice match, but a bigger moment.

Post match respect is shown again.

More wrestlers pay tribute to Cena.

Various legends pay tribute to Cena.

Other legends are in the crowd, including Michelle McCool, Eve Torres, Sami Zayn (with son) Mark Henry, Rob Van Dam and Trish Stratus.

Michael Cole thanks various commentators, who have called Cena’s matches over the years, including Tazz and Jim Ross.

Stephanie and Tessitore talk about the show and believe it or not, praise Cena.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Leon Slater/Je’Von Evans vs. AJ Styles/Dragon Lee

Styles and Lee are defending and the challengers (both rather talented high fliers) superkick them down to start. Evans and Slater hit big dives to the floor and a high crossbody hits Lee back inside. Evans hits a heck of a frog splash for two but Lee kicks his way out of the corner. A missed charge sends Slater shoulder first into the post and Lee grabs a heck of a sitout powerbomb.

It’s back to Evans, who sends Styles outside but misses a Lionsault. Styles drives him into the barricade and Lee hurricanranas Slater into a Styles Clash attempt, with Evans making a save. Back in and the OG Cutter knocks Styles silly, setting up Slater’s Swanton 450 (exactly what it sounds like) for two, with Lee making the save. Lee hits a big running flip dive to take out Evans, leaving Slater to escape the Styles Clash. Styles slips on the Phenomenal Forearm attempt, with Slater being smart enough to go for a quick cover for two rather than just standing around. Back up and Styles counters a top rope hurricanrana into the Styles Clash to retain at 5:23.

Rating: B. They didn’t have much time, but you had all of them going nuts out there and hitting everything they could. It made for quite the spectacle and Slater and Evans both look like future stars if they’re given the chance (which they’ll get). Styles and Lee feeling like makeshift champions gives you the slightest bit of drama to the result and that’s a nice bonus.

Some wrestlers thank Cena for his contributions.

Various celebrities wish Cena well, including Tom Brady.

Tessitore and Stephanie are all emotional about Cena.

Here is a ticked off Miz to complain about how he was ignored during Cena’s retirement tour. He beat Cena in the main event of Wrestlemania wearing this gear…and here is R-Truth, in Cena cosplay, to interrupt. R-Truth isn’t happy with how Miz cheated someone out of the tournament by switching the balls and that name is right here. Miz takes the ball and reads…..Joe Hendry, who has Miz even more annoyed. Miz comes up swinging and is promptly beaten down, allowing the good guys to pose. After a ten knuckle shuffle, Hendry hits a Standing Ovation and R-Truth counts the pin. Waving ensues.

We get a big Cena tribute, with various wrestlers paying tribute by doing a Cena pose or motion. Drew McIntyre has to be convinced, while BROCK LESNAR holds up a sign without looking at the screen. Roman Reigns does the salute to wrap up an awesome tribute.

Gunther vs. John Cena

Gunther isn’t exactly popular while Cena gets the hero’s welcome you would expect. In a great touch, the video board behind him plays a bunch of his looks from over the years. Cena also steals the camera for a shot of Stu in a great moment. He also goes over to see various legends and wrestlers at ringside, including Haku Booker T., Kevin Owens, Elijah, Trish Stratus, Sami Zayn, Rob Van Dam and Mark Henry. Oh and Nick Khan, because he’s the boss.

A lockup goes nowhere so Gunther bails to the apron. Back in and Gunther knocks him down for some early stomping, plus the hard uppercut. Cena fights up and starts knocking Gunther around, only to get pulled into a German suplex. The big clothesline puts Cena down but he pulls Gunther into the STF. That’s broken up and Gunther dropkicks him into the corner.

The powerbomb plants Cena and the big clotheslines take him down again. An AA out of nowhere gives Cena two and the fans are disappointed by the kickout. A chop to the back staggers Cena though and the sleeper goes on, only for Cena to reverse into one of his own. Gunther uses the legs to make the rope and knocks Cena outside, where he puts Cena on the steps near the announcers’ table.

Cena is back up with a quick AA through the table and they’re both down. Back in and Gunther kicks out so Cena hits the top rope Fameasser for two. The Shuffle connects (with the fans getting to say it one more time) but Gunther plants him down again. Cena catches him on top though and the super AA gets two, leaving them both down. Another AA is countered into a powerbomb and the top rope splash gives Gunther two.

The sleeper goes on and Cena fights up, only to get pulled back down. Cena gets up again and Gunther jumps on his back, with Cena driving him into the corner for the break. A quick AA gives Cena two but the sleeper goes on again, giving us a DON’T GIVE UP chant. That’s good for two arm drops but he gets up…and Gunther elbows him right back down. Cena smiles, and gingerly taps out at 23:43.

Rating: B. Here’s the thing: there was a grand total of zero chance of Cena winning this match. That was the entire point of what non-heel Cena has been talking about this year and it wouldn’t have made sense for him to win in the end. The smiling tap out was perfect too, as Cena fought with everything he had, couldn’t escape, and admitted defeat as he went out. It was similar to Shawn Michaels slapping Undertaker in the face at Wrestlemania XXVI and giving up because he couldn’t do it and was done. This was Cena saying his time is done and that’s how it should have ended.

Post match Cena lays on the mat while Gunther soaks in the booing. Gunther leaves and Cena gets up, kisses the mat, and says that he left it all for the people. Cue the locker room, with CM Punk and Cody Rhodes putting the belts on Cena’s shoulders and everyone surrounding the ring. Cena holds up both titles and HHH is booed out of the building.

We see a video on Cena’s career (and get to see him watching it), including comments from his mother (who I don’t remember seeing very often) and various wrestlers, both past and present, on what he is about. We even get an old comment from Vince McMahon to really show how special this is. With the video over, Cena takes a bow, takes off his shoes, leaves them in the ring, and walks out, with one last bow and salute.

It’s going to take me some time to let this sink in. Like him or not, Cena has been the biggest star in wrestling for most of the last twenty plus years and now he’s gone. That’s a huge deal and the fans were totally into everything he was doing here. Cena is an all time legend and that’s not something WWE has in their back pocket anymore. He went out with a good one, but dang it’s bizarre to think that he’s really gone.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a weird show where they had a bunch of stuff going on but only one match felt like it really mattered. Given that the opener was the Smackdown World Champion against the NXT Champion, that makes things all the more impressive. This show was divided in two, as you had everything with Cena, which went well (though the ending is going to have a lot of people arguing), and everything else, which went….well it went well too.

This was about saying goodbye to the past and saying hello to the future, both of which looked good on the show. Nice stuff here, but the new reality is going to take some time to sink in. What matters is that Cena is gone and he went out with a good one, which was quite the special thing to see.

Results
Cody Rhodes b. Oba Femi via DQ when Drew McIntyre interfered
Sol Ruca b. Bayley – Rollup
AJ Styles/Dragon Lee b. Leon Slater/Je’Von Evans – Styles Clash to Slater
Gunther b. John Cena – Sleeper

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 11, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

Final Resolution has come and gone and shockingly enough, it was basically just a stop on the way towards Genesis next month. Frankie Kazarian is still the World Champion after beating JDC to retain the title. Other than that, Leon Slater is still the X-Division Champion and Mike Santana is on his way through the NXT invaders. Let’s get to it.

Here is Final Resolution if you need a recap.

We open with a Final Resolution recap, including Steve Maclin losing the International Title to NXT’s Stacks.

Opening sequence.

Here is Frankie Kazarian to get things going with the King’s Speech. He’s ready to lead TNA into the AMC Era and become the face of the network, so Walter White can move over. Kazarian has heard all of the fans’ hatred and it gives him his happiness. You need to get used to it but here is Mike Santana to interrupt.

After addressing the fans in Spanish, Santana says he respects how Kazarian got the title. At the same time, he’s a hot blooded Latino so he’s mad too. Next week, he’s in a cage against the NXT wrestlers and then he’s coming after the title at Genesis on January 17. Kazarian says no, but Santana says he’s coming for the title anyway.

We run down tonight’s card.

The NXT guys are ready to take out Team TNA, including Matt Cardona. Stacks doesn’t like Santino Marella getting involved in his relationship with Marella’s daughter and next week, he’s taking out the TNA stars.

We look at Leon Slater in last weekend’s NXT Iron Survivor Challenge. Slater will be in a four way for a future NXT Title shot next week.

Lexis King vs. Matt Cardona

Cardona armdrags King to start as we’re told that next week’s cage match is basically WarGames. King is sent outside for the crash, plus a dropkick through the ropes before being tossed back inside. Cardona gets his arm snapped across the top though, followed by a ram into the post. We hit the armbar before King hammers him down in the corner.

King takes too long posing though and gets blasted with a running clothesline. The Reboot gets two but Cardona’s arm is banged up, allowing King to hit a running clothesline to the back of the head (must be an Outback Jack fan). The cane is loaded up but it’s a distraction so Stacks can come in…and get dropped by Radio Silence. King uses the distraction to roll Cardona up for the pin at 5:00.

Rating: C. This wasn’t bad but the good thing is King is finally finding something to do. He hasn’t exactly been a great star in NXT but this is at least a step forward for him. Cardona is someone who can be treated as a big deal when he’s needed and odds are he’ll be around in the quest for revenge against NXT.

Post match Cardona goes after King but gets jumped by Stacks. Steve Maclin makes the save.

Lei Ying Lee and Xia Brookside are fine after their match at Final Resolution. Tessa Blanchard and company come in, with Blanchard saying she wants a title match. Ying doesn’t like Blanchard, who doesn’t care.

Harley Hudson/Myla Grace vs. Elegance Brand

The Brand is in dressed as elves for a special theme. They swing presents at Hudson and Grace and are knocked out to the floor before the bell. Back in and we officially get started with M taking Hudson down for a basement dropkick but Heather misses a backsplash. The tag brings in Grace to clean house as everything breaks down. The Personal Concierge grabs a present but gets it slammed onto his head. Hudson rolls Heather up but it gets reversed into a cradle to give Heather the pin at 3:14.

Rating: C. The Brand continue to be the top heels in the tag division so having them cheat to beat someone is a good idea. At the same time, it’s nice to see how fast TNA has rebuilt the Knockouts of any kind. There are a bunch of fresh faces around the division and it’s good that they’re already feeling like they belong. That can take time, but they’ve done it rather quickly. Nice job.

We look at Rich Swann snapping and turning on AJ Francis at Final Resolution.

Swann talks about his history with Francis and he’s done with being disrespected. Yes First Class is over but here is Francis to jump him from behind.

Dezmond Xavier vs. Jake Something vs. Cedric Alexander vs. BDE vs. Ryan Nemeth vs. Jason Hotch

One fall for an X-Division Title shot. Alexander and Xavier waste no time in clearing the ring to start. They both miss shots to the others’ heads and seem to show some respect. Something is back in to drop both of them though and we take a break. We come back with Something getting powerbombed out of the corner, leaving Alexander and Xavier to slug it out.

Alexander dives onto Something and Xavier hits a big flipping dive onto almost everyone else. Back in and Nemeth DDTs BDE for two before grabbing a chair. Cue Mara Sade to superkick Nemeth again, leaving Alexander to Spanish fly Hotch for two. BDE is back up with a cutter and a frog splash but Alexander gives him the Lumbar Check for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: B-. As usual, this was the kind of all over the place insanity that you knew was coming when the match was announced. It makes sense to have BDE take the fall here as he’s the celebrity (work with me here) entrant in the match. Alexander is someone who has been needing a win or two in order to let him showcase his talents so I’m rather pleased with the result. The match was exactly what you would have expected, meaning it was perfectly entertaining and messy.

The System is ready for tonight but JDC wants to face Eddie Edwards in his final match. Edwards is in.

Frankie Kazarian complains about facing Mike Santana so Santino Marella says he can defend the title against the winner of an upcoming battle royal in three weeks. In addition to facing Santana. The NXT guys come up to insult Santino, with Arianna Grace slapping Stacks and telling him to watch his mouth.

The System vs. Sinner And Saint

Edwards and Sinner start things off with Edwards dropping him off a clothesline. Myers comes in and gets struck down with some double teaming, allowing Saint to work on his knee. A chinlock doesn’t last long as Myers is up with a Michinoku driver to get out of trouble. Edwards comes back in with a backpack Stunner for two as everything breaks down. A belly to back suplex/sitout powerbomb combination gets two on Edwards but Myers cuts Sinner off. Saint is sent back in for a Roster Cut into the Boston Knee Party for the pin at 4:53.

Rating: C+. The System are one of the better teams in TNA today and they work rather well together. This wasn’t exactly a squash, but at least they didn’t waste time in getting to the point. Sinner And Saint aren’t the most thrilling team, but this was a pretty nice performance from both of them.

Post match respect is shown.

Here are the Hardys for a chat. Matt says he can feel Eddie Guerrero all around us here. They beat High Ryze at Final Resolution and they’re ready to face Team NXT next week. They have to protect TNA because 2026 is going to be their biggest year ever. Cue the Righteous to interrupt, with Vincent introducing himself and his partner Dutch.

The Hardys know who they are but don’t know why he’s here. Vincent praises the team and Dutch says they’re here because of the Hardys. They wish the Hardys luck in the cage match next week and Dutch declares himself righteous. I’ve heard worse, but this wasn’t exactly a great first promo from the Righteous.

Santino Marella announces that Matt Cardona can’t compete in the cage match so Santino will take his place.

Indi Hartwell vs. Dani Luna

Dog Collar match. Luna jumps her before putting the collar on, only for Hartwell to use the chain for some pre-bell whipping. Hartwell gets Luna cinched up and the bell rings and gets pulled down by the neck so Luna can hammer away. The chain is wrapped around the ropes so Hartwell can be pulled into them. That works so well that Hartwell does the same thing to Luna as we take a break.

We come back with Hartwell getting tripped down for two and getting tied to the post. Hartwell can’t kick her way out of trouble but she can pull Luna face first into the post to draw some blood. Luna goes up and gets pulled down into a spinebuster for two, only to catch Hartwell with a running dropkick. Luna is GUSHING blood and tries some powder, which is knocked out of her hands just as fast. Back up and the referee gets bumped, leaving Luna to…hit the Lunar Landing for the clean pin at 12:27.

Rating: B-. The blood looked awesome, but the match itself was nothing noteworthy otherwise. The ending just kind of happened, with the ref bump not really changing much. Luna has come a long way in the last few months and this was the kind of win that she has been needing. On the other hand you have Hartwell, who is falling rather quickly after a hot start.

Overall Rating: C+. Right now, pretty much everything is setting up the cage match next week, which feels like it’s close to the blowoff to the whole TNA vs. NXT feud. At the same time, it feels like everything is building towards the AMC debut, which makes sense, though it leaves them with kind of a weird limbo for the next five weeks or so. This was a good enough show with a main event that felt big, though next week is the really stacked event.

Results
Lexis King b. Matt Cardona – Rollup
Elegance Brand b. Harley Hudson/Myla Grace – Rollup to Hudson
Cedric Alexander b. BDE, Dezmond Xavier, Jake Something, Ryan Nemeth and Jason Hotch – Lumbar Check to BDE
The System b. Sinner And Saint – Boston Knee Party to Saint
Dani Luna b. Indi Hartwell – Lunar Landing

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

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NXT
Date: December 9, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

Deadline has come and gone and we have #1 contenders to both top titles. In one case though, there is a new champion though as Oba Femi beat Ricky Saints to regain the NXT Title. That means he is set to face the new Iron Survivor Je’Von Evans, while Kendal Grey is set to challenge Jacy Jayne for the women’s side. Let’s get to it.

Here is Deadline if you need a recap.

Long Deadline recap.

Here is Oba Femi to get things going. Femi talks about how this title is power. Ricky Saints took the title off of him at No Mercy and knocked the Ruler off his throne, but now things are back as they should be. When you look at him you will see power and the Ruler…and here is Saints to interrupt. Saints is able to admit that Femi was the better man at Deadline, but he’s not about to just bow down.

Now Saints is betting on himself and undoing all the mistakes. They’re 1-1 and now Saints wants one more match for the title. Cue Je’Von Evans, who reminds us that he won the Iron Survivor Challenge. He’s locked in right now, so how about we do the NXT Title match tonight? Saints tries to talk him out of it but Evans wants to do it tonight. Femi isn’t about to back down and the match is set. This feels like a way out of Cody Rhodes vs. Femi at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Or Saints is turning on Evans.

We recap Kelani Jordan’s fall to the evil side.

Tatum Paxley is ready to take care of the Culling until it’s just her and Izzi Dame.

Kelani Jordan vs. Jordynne Grace

Grace slams her down to start but it’s too early for a Vader Bomb. Jordan kicks the knee out and starts dropping some elbows onto it to make things worse. Back up and they fight to the apron, where Grace blocks what looks like a Spanish Fly. Jordan goes back to the knee and we take a break.

We come back with Grace suplexing her down but getting dropped with a chop block. They head back inside with Jordan going after the leg again, only to get caught in a rolling Chaos Theory. Jordan rolls outside and grabs a chair, only to have them fight over a Tombstone. With that not working, Jordan is sent into the steps, followed by a Vader Bomb. Grace grabs the chair but the referee takes it away, allowing Jordan to kick her through the barricade. Back in and a 450 gives Jordan the pin at 11:23.

Rating: B-. The stuff with the chair was a bit weird and the knee injury didn’t matter much in the end. The good thing is that Jordan continues her rise up the ranks, though I’m not sure what Grace is going to be able to do. At some point she has to win something and that’s been an issue for a long time now.

Post break, Grace complains to the women’s locker room but Thea Hail gives her a pep talk. It doesn’t go so well, but she does try.

Here is Blake Monroe for an open challenge.

Blake Monroe vs. ???

Non-title. A bunch of the locker room tries to come in but Thea Hail sneaks in from behind and Kimuras Monroe for the tap. Granted the match never started but she did make Monroe tap.

Shiloh Hill gives a scientific explanation for being nervous for his first match. He does however remember to put in his teeth.

Shiloh Hill vs. Lexis King

King tries to jump him to start but gets knocked outside and into various things before the bell. They get inside to officially start things off but King fights out of trouble in the corner. Some boot choking has Hill down but he’s up with a double clothesline. Hill takes out his fake tooth and hits a hard shoulder, followed by a belly to back neckbreaker for the pin at 2:57. I’ve liked Hill thus far and he wasn’t bad here, albeit in a small dose.

Oba Femi is ready for Je’Von Evans tonight and Cody Rhodes on Saturday.

Here is Ethan Page for a chat. Page talks about how he’s been winning over and over because he made sure to learn as much as he could. Now we’re going to watch John Cena walk away this weekend and someone is going to have to take his place. Page won the NXT Title in recent time and now he’s making the North American Title that much important. He’s the biggest superstar around…but the lights go out and Tony D’Angelo (who returned at Deadline) is back to lay him out with a spinebuster. That might be the end of Page’s rather impressive reign.

Ava has Dion Lennox, Myles Borne, Leon Slater and Joe Hendry in her office. They all tied at Deadline, so they’re in a four way for the #1 contendership to the NXT Title at New Year’s Evil. Ethan Page storms in to complain about everything and gets mocked by Borne.

Wren Sinclair vs. Sol Ruca

Kendal Grey is here with Sinclair. They hit the ropes a few times to start fast with Ruca getting two off a rollup. They trade rollups for two more each until Sinclair takes her down and starts working on the leg. Ruca is back up with some running elbows and a missile dropkick. A butterfly suplex drops Ruca, who knocks Sinclair into the corner. That means the Sol Snatcher can finish Sinclair off at 3:33.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have time to do much here but anything involving the Sol Snatcher is going to work. It just looks cool and has become Ruca’s signature spot, which has helped turn her into a star. If she isn’t brought up to the main roster sooner or later, she’ll be around the NXT Title. Or getting speared by Zaria.

Post match Zaria comes out to glare and Ruca leaves through the crowd to get to her.

Post break Grey and Sinclair are still in the ring with Fatal Influence joining them. Jacy Jayne says Grey has done well but this is as good as it’s going to get. Grey’s stock is doing well but her reality is going to slap her in the face at New Year’s Evil. Then these people will move on to the next new flavor of the month. Yeah she’s won the Evolve Women’s Title but the NXT Title is on another level.

Jayne brags about herself but Grey says she’s the one with the momentum now. No one is expecting Grey to win, just like no one was expecting Jayne to win the title in the first place. The best part of being the underdog is seeing people’s faces when the underdog bites back. Sinclair suggests she’s coming after the Women’s Speed Title and the big brawl is on, with Fatal Influence standing tall.

Hank & Tank have gone to Pro Wrestling Noah and won their GHC Tag Team Titles. Granted they lost them less than two weeks later, but it’s better than nothing.

Hank & Tank are back, now in Japanese robes. OTM comes in and a match is set for next week.

Blake Monroe complains to Ava about the attack by Thea Hail. Ava gives Hail a title match next week.

Sol Ruca and Zaria make peace because friends fight.

We look at Stacks becoming the TNA International Champion at Friday’s Final Resolution.

NXT Title: Je’Von Evans vs. Oba Femi

Femi is defending and powers Evans around to start. Evans’ running knee gets two and Femi is a bit rocked early on. Femi misses a boot in the corner and gets taken down by a running kick to the face. A big backbreaker gets Femi out of trouble and we hit the chinlock. Back up and Femi is sent outside, where he counters an Asai moonsault into a drop onto the apron.

Femi drops him face first onto the apron again and we take a break. We come back with Evans grabbing a hurricanrana out to the floor, followed by another on the floor. Femi Pounces Evans onto the announcers’ table (Booker takes a nice bump getting away) but Evans beats the count back in.

Evans is actually up with a frog splash to the back and another to the chest gets two. Femi is sent outside again for the big dive, followed by a German suplex for two back inside. A big elbow to the face gives Femi two more but the Fall From Grace is countered into a cutter. There’s the top rope cutter…but Ricky Saints pulls the referee. Evans takes him out and goes back inside, where he gets elbowed in the face a few times. The Fall From Grace retains the title at 13:47.

Rating: B+. These two work well together as Evans is an incredible athlete who has the size to make for an interesting challenger to Femi. They had me wondering if the title was going to change here, which granted might have something to do with the Cody Rhodes match coming up on Saturday. That aside, this was a heck of a match as Evans had the crowd wanting to see him win the big one, which is going to happen one day to a massive reaction.

Overall Rating: B. They pulled off a nice balancing act here with the fallout from Deadline, setting up New Year’s Evil and doing something this week too. That’s a heck of a thing to do and they managed to make it work in the end, with an awesome main event on top of it. I’m digging what NXT is presenting and hopefully they can keep that up, as it can make for some rather good stuff.

Results
Kelani Jordan b. Jordynne Grace – 450
Shiloh Hill b. Lexis King – Belly to back neckbreaker
Sol Ruca b. Wren Sinclair – Sol Snatcher
Oba Femi b. Je’Von Evans – Sitout Fall From Grace

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

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Deadline 2025
Date: December 6, 2025
Location: Boeing Center At Tech Point, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s NXT’s turn to have a show based on timed intervals as we have the Iron Survivor Challenges. These things can seem a bit complicated at first but once you get into the swing of them, they can be an absolute blast. Other than that, the NXT Title is on the line so let’s get to it.

Since it’s going to come up twice tonight, here are the Iron Survivor Challenge rules:

• 25 minute time limit
• Two wrestlers start with a new entrant every five minutes
• Any pinfall, submission or DQ is a fall and worth one point
• When someone loses a fall, they go to the penalty box for 90 seconds
• Most falls in 25 minutes wins a future NXT/Women’s Title shot

The opening video focuses on time, both with the Iron Survivor Challenges and with title reigns ending. The Iron Survivor Challenges actually aren’t treated as the only things that matter for a change.

NXT Title: Oba Femi vs. Ricky Saints

Saints is defending and starts in on the arm. The armbar is reversed into one from Femi, who powers Saints down. What looks like an F5 is blocked and Saints Codebreakers the arm. Saints knocks him away and gets two off a middle rope dropkick. Back up and Femi shoves him into the corner for a forearm and a Damian Priest Broken Arrow for two. Femi unloads with some more forearms and hard shots to the head.

Saints tells him to bring it so Femi hits him in the head again. Saints is back with some running kicks to the head and a top rope hurricanrana takes him down. The spear gives Saints two and a Stunner connects for the same. A guillotine choke has Femi in trouble but he powers Saints up onto the top rope. Femi misses a charge out to the floor though and Saints knocks him down again, only for Femi to beat the count.

A Fameasser gives Saints two but Femi starts hitting him in the face. What looked like a Big Ending is countered into a crucifix to give Saints two. A missed charge sends Femi into the post and another charge sends him into the steps. Saints’ tornado DDT off the barricade drops Femi onto the steps again. Another tornado DDT gives Saints two back inside, as does Femi’s Fall From Grace. Saints charges right into a sitout Fall From Grace to give Femi the pin and the title back at 17:22.

Rating: B. This is what it should have been, as Saints went at Femi with everything he had but ultimately couldn’t handle the monster. Femi is someone who feels like he is the biggest and most dominant star in a good while around here and him winning the title back is a logical move. I’m just not sure who is supposed to take the thing from him.

Post match, respect is shown.

Kendal Grey, with Wren Sinclair, is ready to shock the world and she is strategizing for the Iron Survivor Challenge.

Video on the Iron Survivor Challenge.

Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge

For the Women’s Title shot at New Year’s Evil. Kelani Jordan is in at #1 and Kendal Grey is in at #2. Jordan takes her to the mat to start but Grey is back up to knock Jordan into the corner. Grey grabs a front facelock and they trade small packages for two each. Jordan’s northern lights suplex gets two and they trade running faceplants to leave them both down. Jordan knocks her down in the corner and hits a handspring spinning Fameasser. Grey snaps off a powerslam for the pin at 4:57.

Grey – 1
Jordan – 0
Ruca – 0
Grace – 0
Vice – 0

Jordynne Grace is in at #3 and immediately takes Grey down for a Vader Bomb. Grace sits her down and cranks on both arms, only for Jordan to escape and make the save. Grey and Jordan trade rollups for two each until Jordan gets a fall at 7:17.

Grey – 1
Jordan – 1
Ruca – 0
Grace – 0
Vice – 0

Grace is back in to run Jordan over and things slow back down a bit. Jordan is knocked down into the corner and Grace is smart enough to run Grey over as she gets out of the box. A slingshot dive drops Grace and it’s Lola Vice in at #4. Vice wastes no time in striking away, including the spinning backfist to pin Grey at 10:25.

Grey – 1
Jordan – 1
Vice – 1
Ruca – 0
Grace – 0

Vice sticks up with the striking and sends Jordan and grace into the same corner for the rather enthusiastic running hip attack. Neither of them are good enough for a fall but Grey is out for a cutter and the pin on Grace at 12:27.

Grey – 2
Jordan – 1
Vice – 1
Ruca – 0
Grace – 0

Grey belly to back superplexes Jordan into a running knee from Vice. A superkick on the apron rocks Jordan again but Vice can’t lock up Grey’s ankle. Grey can’t get the cross armbreaker either as Grace kicks the penalty box door into Jordan’s face. Back in and Grace package powerbombs Grey for two. Jordan’s high crossbody is rolled through though and Grace gets the pin at 14:58.

Grey – 2
Jordan – 1
Vice – 1
Grace – 1
Ruca – 0

Sol Ruca is in to complete the field but Jordan takes her out on the way to the ring. Ruca has to be taken out and it’s Grace loading up a Five Knuckle Shuffle. The free Jordan breaks that up and stomps on Grey as Ruca is in with a double Sol Snatcher to pin Jordan at 18:24.

Grey – 2
Jordan – 1
Vice – 1
Grace – 1
Ruca – 1

It was a double so Ruca pins Vice at 18:26.

Grey – 2
Ruca – 2
Jordan – 1
Vice – 1
Grace – 1

Ruca and Grace go after Grey as Vice chokes Jordan on their way out of the box. Grey grabs Shades Of Grey on Grace but Jordan makes the save with a splash to steal the pin on Grace at 20:58.

Grey – 2
Ruca – 2
Jordan – 2
Vice – 1
Grace – 1

Vice goes after Grey on the floor but Ruca moonsaults onto both of them. Jordan Asai moonsaults onto Ruca and then throw Vice back inside. Something like an Angle Slam drops Vice but Grace is back in to plant both of them. A spinning torture rack bomb finishes Jordan at 22:55.

Grey – 2
Ruca – 2
Jordan – 2
Grace – 2
Vice – 1

Vice kicks Grey down for the fall at 23:04.

Grey – 2
Ruca – 2
Jordan – 2
Grace – 2
Vice – 2

Vice chokes Ruca on the floor so Ruca drops back onto her as we have a minute left. A Sol Snatcher off the steps drops Vice on the floor as Jordan is out of the box. Jordan kicks Ruca’s bad knee out and hits a 450 on Vice with Grace making the save. Grey is in with a top rope Shades Of Grey to Vice as time expires at 25:00.

Grey – 3
Ruca – 2
Jordan – 2
Grace – 2
Vice – 2

Rating: B. These things work so well and they have the whole thing figured out rather well. This was all about the drama and trying to keep track of everything at once and they managed to pull it off. Grey winning is one heck of a moment for her, as it seems they’re ready to run with her. If she’s ready, it’s certainly worth a shot as she checks a lot of boxes at once.

Blake Monroe is going to issue an open challenge for the Women’s North American Title on Tuesday. Ava thinks this is a bad idea but approves it anyway.

Myles Borne is ready for Oba Femi again and has decided he’s entering the Iron Survivor Challenge third. A brawl between Kelani Jordan and Jordynne Grace cuts him off.

North American Title: Mr. Iguana vs. Ethan Page

Page is defending and shoulders him down to start, leaving Iguana to do his dead pose. Page spins him around and accuses Iguana of being dead, earning himself an armdrag. Iguana rolls him up for two and grabs the stuffed iguana, earning himself a DDT. A high crossbody gives Iguana two and they head outside, with Iguana hitting a dive. Page sends him into the steps though and they head back inside, with Page getting a bunch of green paint on his chest.

The stuffed iguana bites Page’s fingers but he pulls a rope walk out of the air into a powerslam. Page spits on the stuffed iguana and throws it to the floor, which has Iguana rather angry. Iguana gets crotched on top but a super Ego’s Edge is countered into a hurricanrana. Iguana’s diving hurricanrana over the top takes Page down on the floor and a flying headbutt gets two back inside. Page is able to slam him off the top though and grabs the Twisted Grin to retain the title at 8:40.

Rating: B-. This got rolling in the middle and the fans were into what Iguana was doing. At the same time though, it was hard to imagine a glorified comedy wrestler being the one to end Page’s rather impressive title reign. Page is a good choice for a heel and he could move up the card in a hurry once he loses the title, whenever that finally happens.

Kendal Grey can’t believe she won but Sol Ruca comes in to say she would have won if she wasn’t hurt. Wren Sinclair says that sounds like an excuse, as Grey got speared out of her boots by Zaria on Wednesday but won anyway. Ruca says she and Zaria are still friends.

Oba Femi and Dion Lennox have a staredown, with Femi hoping Lennox wins so they can fight again.

We recap Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame. Paxley needed a friend and Dame tried to do so, but then Paxley wouldn’t listen to her. Dame cost her the Women’s Title and now it’s time for revenge.

Tatum Paxley vs. Izzi Dame

Paxley is all shaken up and doesn’t want to do this. Dame puts her hand on Paxley’s cheek but Paxley gets angry and the fight is on. Paxley knocks her outside and we get a hug but Dame sends her knees first into the steps. A fireman’s carry faceplant drops Paxley back inside and Dame slowly hammers away.

Paxley’s sleeper has Dame in trouble but she rams Paxley into the corner for the break. The Boston crab goes on and Dame turns it into a Liontamer but Paxley slips out. A rebound German suplex puts Dame down and Paxley’s elbow drop gets two. Dame is able to dropkick her out of the air and a fisherman’s neckbreaker connects for two more.

They fight to the floor with Paxley grabbing a German suplex and loading up the announcers’ table. The Psycho Trap sends Dame into the table….but Shawn Spears pops up with the dolls. She takes them from him and Spears ribs the head off of one of them. That earns Spears a slap to the face but Paxley charges back inside, where it’s a big boot to her face. The chokebomb gives Dame the pin at 12:40.

Rating: B-. This was more about the emotions and the storytelling than anything else, as Paxley is going to find a friend sooner or later. That should make for an interesting twist in everything, though it’s hard to say who that will be. Other than that, Paxley is definitely feeling like more of a star than she was coming into this, so that’s a success.

Ricky Saints is upset by his loss but Je’Von Evans tries to give him a pep talk.

Shiloh Hill is back with his final chat before….I have no idea actually. One time he watched squirrels playing and wanted to know what it would be like to communicate with them. Then he chased one of them and finally caught it, but the high school football coach saw him and asked him to play. Then he tells a story about getting in a fight when he was a kid and losing a tooth. Then we see that he’s talking to a machine, which says it’s time for everyone to wake up. Apparently he’ll have his first match on Tuesday. Ok then.

Video explaining the Iron Survivor Challenge again.

Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge

For the title shot at New Year’s Evil. Leon Slater is in at #1 and Je’Von Evans is in at #2. Evans’ springboard cutter is blocked early on and they circle each other for a bit. They both catch kicks to the ribs and then put their feet down, only for Evans to hold on a bit longer. Slater kicks him in the face but Evans is back with a springboard hurricanrana. Evans gets in a kick to the face before they trade rollups for two each. Another springboard cutter misses so Evans settles for a jumping Stunner. Slater breaks up another springboard but charges into a hurricanrana to give Evans the pin at 4:44.

Evans – 1
Slater – 0
Hendry – 0
Lennox – 0
Borne – 0

Myles Borne is in at #3 and clotheslines away at Evans, followed by an Eye of the Hurricane for two. An Angle Slam gets two on Evans as Slater is back inside. Borne slugs away at both of them in the corners but Slater is back with a nasty chop. Evans helps Slater kick Borne in the head before knocking Slater down for two.

Dion Lennox is in at #4 and gets two off a northern lights suplex to Borne. Evans is back up to slug away at Lennox until Slater is in to help stomp Lennox down in the corner. Borne is back up to catch Slater in an electric chair, with Lennox adding a top rope clothesline. Lennox’s Air Raid Crash pins Evans at 12:40.

Evans – 1
Lennox – 1
Slater – 0
Hendry – 0
Borne – 0

Borne plants Slater for two and then punches away at him in the corner. A running corner splash hits Lennox but Slater kicks Borne in the face. Evans is back in with a heck of a springboard clothesline to Borne, followed by a dive to Slater. Back in and a frog splash gets two on Borne as Joe Hendry is here to complete the field. A double fall away slam drops Evans and Slater, allowing Hendry to strike his pose. Lennox breaks up the Standing Ovation so Hendry sends him outside for the big dive. Back in and Hendry’s spinning fireman’s carry slam finishes Borne at 17:40.

Evans – 1
Lennox – 1
Hendry – 1
Slater – 0
Borne – 0

We get an exchange of rollups until Slater and Evans kick each other in the head to leave everyone down. Borne’s time is up but Lennox kicks the door into his face. Evans is back up with a Swanton Coast To Coast to Lennox but Slater drops Evans and hits the Swanton 450 to pin Hendry at 20:12.

Evans – 1
Lennox – 1
Hendry – 1
Slater – 1
Borne – 0

Borne Again hits Slater but Lennox makes the save at two. Borne again hits Lennox as well though and Borne gets the pin at 21:11.

Evans – 1
Lennox – 1
Hendry – 1
Slater – 1
Borne – 1

Hendry is back up to beat on Lennox in the box as the other three slug it out from their knees. Slater is back in to clean house and everyone outside of the box is down. Lennox is out but he throws Evans in, with the door being locked because…I have no idea really. Since there is no roof on the thing, Evans climbs out and dives onto Lennox, only for Slater to hit his over the post flip dive.

Evans is back in with the top rope cutter to Slater for two, with Borne making the save as we have less than a minute to go. A super Borne Again drops Evans but Lennox makes another save. There’s the Swanton 450 to Evans but Hendry powerbombs Slater to the floor. Evans small packages Borne for the pin as time expires at 25:00.

Evans – 2
Lennox – 1
Hendry – 1
Slater – 1
Borne – 1

Rating: B. It didn’t have quite the drama as the women’s edition but Evans winning here ties into what happened last year when he came just short of winning. Evans is at the point where he has to win something and there is a chance that he pulls it off against Femi. It was another action packed match and the dive off the box was great. Another solid match here with the right winner.

Post match Evans shows respect to everyone, with Lennox not being interested. Oba Femi comes out for the staredown to…not end the show, as we see a video of someone walking on a bridge, though we can’t see his face. Femi and Evans aren’t sure what happened but Tony D’Angelo is back with a spinebuster to Evans. He drops some black…something on Evans (the same thing Ava saw this week) to really end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Another good show here, with the three big matches more than holding their own. Nothing on here is an all timer but they did a good job with pushing some new stars. I’m curious to see where some of these things go, including the deal D’Angelo at the end. Solid show here, as the Iron Survivor Challenge continues to be one of the best fresh concepts in a long time. Now just follow up with it as we get to the title matches next month.

Results
Oba Femi b. Ricky Saints – Sitout Fall From Grace
Kendal Grey won the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge
Ethan Page b. Mr. Iguana – Twisted Grin
Izzi Dame b. Tatum Paxley – Chokebomb
Je’Von Evans won the Men’s Iron Survivor Challenge

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

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

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

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

Kickoff Show: Cedric Alexander vs. Eric Young

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mike Santana vs. Charlie Dempsey

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

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

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

We run down the card.

Frankie Kazarian is ready to make JDC into a failure.

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

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

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

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

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

Matt Cardona vs. Mance Warner

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

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

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

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

International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Stacks

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

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

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

The Hardys are ready to defend their Tag Team Titles.

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

Knockouts Title: Lei Ying Lee vs. Xia Brookside

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

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

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

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

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

Order 4 vs. Rascalz

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

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

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

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

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

Tag Team Titles: High Ryze vs. Hardys

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

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

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

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

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

X-Division Title: AJ Francis vs. Leon Slater

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

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

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

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

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

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

TNA World Title: JDC vs. Frankie Kazarian

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Home Town Man vs. Brooks Jensen

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dani Luna vs. Xia Brookside

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

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

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

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

Robert Stone vs. Mike Santana

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

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

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

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

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

Mustafa Ali vs. Trey Miguel

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

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

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

Final Resolution rundown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NXT
Date: December 2, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We’re back in the regular location here and that means it’s time for the final push towards Deadline. The Iron Survivor Challenges are set and that means we get to see where things go from here. The rest of the show needs some attention of its own and hopefully that is what we get here. Let’s get to it.

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

The women’s Iron Survivor Challenge participants are in the ring with Ava to get things going. Sol Ruca thinks everyone should see her as being great, even though she’s had some issues recently. Jordynne Grace says she has experience winning and she’ll do it again at Deadline. Lola Vice tells Grace to shut up and Kendal Grey says she’s the only person who is already a champion.

Kelani Jordan (the fans DO NOT like her) doesn’t want to hear from Grey because the Challenge is innovative and electrifying, which describes Jordan as well. The other four are the stand ins and she’s the standout. Cue Fatal Influence to interrupt, with Jayne bragging about her skinny waist and then insulting the participants. Insults ensue, with Jordan and Fatal Influence being cleared out.

Joe Hendry and Thea Hail are rather happy with what’s going on around here. Stacks and Arianna Grace come in for an exchange of insults, with a match between Hail and Grace being set for later.

Ava tells security to keep Kelani Jordan and Jordynne Grace apart. Next up is Fatal Influence, who are going to be in a six woman tag tonight.

Thea Hail vs. Arianna Grace

Joe Hendry and Stacks are here too. Hail’s headlock doesn’t work as she gets pulled down into an armbar. Some forearms to the back and a neckbreaker have Hail in trouble but she avoids a charge. Grace crashes out to the floor and gets suplexed back inside. The guys get in a quick fight and Hail slaps on the Kimura for the win at 2:47.

Earlier this week, Chase U almost hit OTM with their car so OTM yelled at Andre Chase, who yelled at Chase U. Apparently OTM says if this happens again, it’s on sight, even if Chase doesn’t know what that means.

Je’Von Evans, Leon Slater, Joe Hendry and Myles Borne are ready for Darkstate, with Ava saying that there’s going to be a match involving Darkstate for the Iron Survivor Challenge advantage. As she’s explaining this, Robert Stone comes in with a box for Ava. It’s already been opened and it’s….coal?

Josh Briggs vs. Tavion Heights

The brawl is on outside before the bell and they come inside with Heights grabbing a spinebuster. Heights throws him down without much trouble, followed by a capture suplex for two. Briggs manages a good shot out to the floor, where Heights spears him through the barricade for the big crash.

We take a break and come back with Briggs working on an armbar before sending him into the corner. Heights shrugs that off and fires off the clotheslines so Briggs rips the chain off his own neck. The referee takes that away, leaving Heights to hit a belly to belly. Briggs gets a foot on the rope for the break so Heights yells at the referee. That’s enough for Briggs to hit a big clothesline for the pin at 11:36.

Rating: C+. Nice enough power match here and I’m liking the idea of Briggs getting reheated a bit. At the same time I’m not feeling Heights losing again, as he was starting to get somewhere. Unfortunately one of them had to lose here and hopefully Briggs gets to go a bit higher from here.

Here is the Culling for a chat. Izzi Dame gets why the fans love Tatum Paxley so much and the audio cuts off because the fans chant something negative. Dame wasn’t wild on Paxley turning her back on the woman who pulled her out of her terrible place. Paxley was known as a little weirdo freak and Dame gave her confidence.

It felt like Paxley didn’t think what the Culling gave her was good enough. Paxley won the title because Dame allowed her to and then Paxley ignored her. This week, they’ll be facing off at Deadline and Dame has one final lesson for her. Cue Paxley, who says Dame took everything from her and at Deadline, she has to make Dame feel her pain.

Sol Ruca apologizes to Zaria for not being there last week. Zaria says she won’t be here this week but the rest of the team doesn’t really care.

We get a video explaining the Iron Survivor Challenge.

Fatal Influence vs. Kendal Grey/Lola Vice/Sol Ruca

Reid shoves Vice around to start and everything breaks down in a hurry. Grey hits a big dive to the floor and Ruca adds a huge moonsault but Reid forearms her way out of trouble. The fans do the Wave as Henley comes in and gets taken down by an armbar. A basement dropkick gives Grey two but Reid comes back in with a dropkick of her own. Henley trips Grey on the floor and Jayne adds a backsplash as we take a break.

We come back with Grey flipping her way to freedom and rolling over for the tag to Vice. House is quickly cleaned, including the running hip attacks in the corner. Everything breaks down again and a springboard Blockbuster takes Ruca down. A double running knee gives Jayne two with Vice making the save. Ruca is back up with a slingshot X Factor and the Sol Snatcher finishes Jayne at 11:13.

Rating: B-. Ruca continues to feel like an absolute star and that is likely going to be the case for a long time to come. It wouldn’t shock me to see her go after Jayne’s title sooner than later as it isn’t like she has much else to do. On the other hand you have Grey, who feels like the other big prospect, which could go a long way. The future is bright and that’s a great situation to have.

Post match Zaria comes out and spears Grey, though it’s not clear who she was targeting.

NXT Anonymous shows us Je’Von Evans talking to Ricky Saints. They’re both ready to win at Deadline, though Evans does tease coming after the title.

Dion Lennox wants the NXT Title and gives his Tag Team Title to Saquon Shuggars. Oba Femi comes in and Lennox says he wants to face Femi at New Year’s Evil. Femi tells him to not get ahead of himself.

OTM vs. Chase U

Andre Chase is here with Chase U, who jump the monsters to start fast. A Swanton gives Connors two on Price, who gets chopped down in a hurry. That’s broken up and Dixon comes in to chop away. Price kicks him in the face though and the running stomp gets two, with Nima picking Dixon up. A press slam is countered into a Codebreaker though and it’s back to Connors to clean house. The tornado DDT gives Connors two and Nima gets sent outside with a springboard Stunner. Back in and the assisted sitout Alabama Slam finishes Connors at 4:38.

Rating: C+. Chase U hasn’t felt like anything for a good while now but at least they got in a nice performance here. They have to win something at some point or it won’t matter though, that point has probably already passed. At least OTM feels like they are being treated as something serious, which just needs to last.

We look at Ethan Page in a tag match against Mr. Iguana in AAA last month.

Page tries to leave but Ava stops him to say he has a title defense. Against Mr. Iguana. Who steals Page’s car.

Shiloh Hill talks about getting to eat raccoon at Thanksgiving and talks about a Thanksgiving race from when he was a kid. He got lost in the forest and went into survival mode, which changed things for him. It helped him on LFG, where Undertaker fired him up by telling him to take his opponents’ souls.

Deadline rundown.

Joe Hendry/Leon Slater/Je’Von Evans/Myles Borne vs. Darkstate

The winning side gets to pick the entry for the Iron Survivor Challenge. Griffin throws Borne around to start and it’s off to Shuggars for a cravate. Borne fights back with an Eye of the Hurricane and it’s off to Hendry for a shoulder. Shuggars slips out of the fall away slam and James comes in, earning a dropkick from Slater.

Evans’ double stomp to the back connects but James doesn’t like getting chopped. A springboard hurricanrana takes Lennox down but he pops back up with a spinebuster to plant Borne. Everything breaks down and the big slugout is on with Darkstate cleaning house on the floor.

We take a break and come back with Evans sliding between the legs and diving over to tag Hendry. That doesn’t go anywhere as Hendry gets choked on the rope and legdropped. Griffin comes back in for a shot to the face and Lennox slaps on a guillotine. That’s escaped with a backdrop and it’s Slater coming back in to start the comeback. Evans comes in for the big dives and a cutter drops Griffin for two. Everything breaks down with Hendry and Lennox brawling to the back. Borne tags himself in and it’s Slater’s Swanton 450 into Borne Again to give Borne the pin at 14:49.

Rating: B-. Well the point here was about having some issues with the good guys as they vie for an advantage in the Iron Survivor Challenge. That could have been a lot worse, though the match was about what you would have expected. Darkstate losing here is ok, but it shouldn’t happen very often. At the same time, Hendry doesn’t exactly feel hot now that he’s officially in NXT. Maybe that changes, but it’s not a great start.

Oba Femi and Ricky Saints are in the back for their contract signing. They both sign, while talking about how they promise to win. Ava tells them that they’re opening the show to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: B. They did a nice job of making me want to see Deadline, which is feeling like a more important show than they’ve had in a good while. It features the unique Iron Survivor Challenges and this show made me want to see what they’re going to do. That’s a great way to set up the new year and hopefully they can make the whole thing work. For now though, nice job of setting the table.

Results
Thea Hail b. Arianna Grace – Kimura
Josh Briggs b. Tavion Heights – Clothesline
Kendal Grey/Lola Vice/Sol Ruca b. Fatal Influence – Sol Snatcher to Jayne
OTM b. Chase U – Assisted sitout Alabama Slam to Connors
Myles Borne/Leon Slater/Je’Von Evans/Joe Hendry b. Darkstate – Borne Again to Griffin

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 27, 2025
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Gia Miller, Matthew Rehwoldt
Host: Tom Hannifan

It’s Thanksgiving and that means we’re likely in for the annual Turkey Suit match, which is one of those harmless gimmicks that you see in wrestling. In addition to the annual comedy affair, we get to see…well probably not much, though we are just a bit over a week away from Final Resolution. That should be enough to get us through the holidays so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Eric Young vs. Trey Miguel vs. Mance Warner vs. Home Town Man vs. Ryan Nemeth vs. Brian Myers

The winner gets money, the person who takes the fall wears the turkey suit. Nemeth gets sent outside to start, where he sends Myers into the steps to knock him silly. We take an early break and come back with Young poking Man in the eye. Warner and Young double team Miguel but Myers is back in for the save. Miguel is back up to turn it into a mini tag match, with the bad guys being dispatched in a hurry. Nemeth tries to steal the pin on Myers but gets caught with the Roster Cut to give Myers the pin at 5:23.

Rating: C. Ok being realistic, you could pretty much guess the loser as soon as Nemeth was introduced. He’s there to get stuck in one stupid situation after another and this is about as far as that goes in TNA. Myers winning doesn’t mean much as it’s all about Nemeth, so this was all in good fun.

Post match the good guys force Nemeth into the suit and humiliation ensues.

The Elegance Brand is still looking for Mr. Elegance. They want someone attractive, tough and talented. Resumes being accepted.

From September 2025 in Minneapolis.

Leon Slater/Mike Santana vs. Mustafa Ali/Trick Williams

The rest of Order 4 is here with Williams and Ali. It’s a big brawl to start fast with Santana and Williams (the World Champion at the time) brawling out to the floor. That leaves Slater to hammer on Ali and hit a high crossbody as we take an early break. We come back with Ali’s rolling neckbreaker connecting for two and Order 4 getting in a cheap shot from the floor. That’s broken up and it’s already off to Santana to clean house. The Rolling Buck Fifty drops Williams but Order 4 comes in for the DQ at 4:46.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to go anywhere and was likely just a dark match at the end of the show. I’d expect something to happen so the good guys can stand tall here momentarily, which isn’t the worst way to go. Santana vs. Williams was the big deal as Bound For Glory was approaching, so this was little more than a quick preview for their showdown.

Post match the beatdown is on but Slater fights back. Order 4 saves Ali from going through a table and one of the agents goes through it instead.

Apparently Ryan Nemeth is annoyed at being in the turkey suit and wants to…fight Christmas?

Ryan Nemeth vs. Krampus

Before the match, Nemeth mocks Christmas and insists that he NOT be called a turkey. Krampus (thank goodness a Christmas themed wrestler was here) sends him into the corner to start but gets caught with a neckbreaker for two. Nemeth’s chinlock doesn’t last long as Krampus bulldogs him into the corner and hits a quick spear for two more. A running DDT gives Nemeth two so he pokes Krampus in the eye and rolls him up (with trunks) for the pin at 3:40.

Rating: C. Kind of a weird way to go here but at least it’s something of a theme for the night. That’s about all you can do here, even if it seemed like they were all but guaranteed that Nemeth would lose for a second time here. Krampus was nothing of note and it’s not like they had much time to do anything here.

We look at Lei Ying Lee winning the Knockouts Title this week on NXT.

Lee is rather pleased with herself and can’t hold back her tears.

From July 2025.

Here is Joe Hendry for a concert. He does an acoustic version of his theme song and the fans seem to approve, but Hendry has a surprise. Hendry brings out Jeff Hardy as we’re in for a double concert for a special moment. Hendry praises the Hardys for doing everything they can to make things better for the fans and the locker room. They sing a song that sounds like it’s called Modest (which I believe used to be Hardy’s theme song).

Then they sing My Sacrifice by Creed (which was used in the Sacrifice videos from the WWF around 2001). Cue the Nemeths to interrupt, saying they come in peace. Ryan wants to sing a song for Nic, which is a version of the Pina Colada Song. Hendry and Hardy quickly clean house. This was great for the live fans but it wasn’t exactly good television as they just sang.

We go back to 2007 for the Thanksgiving feast at the Angle house, featuring some amazing cameos, food being thrown, and general insanity that you knew was coming. Oh and pies to the face, because of course. Jay Lethal declared the food fight on and OH YEAH it was.

Apparently Santino Marella isn’t happy with Ryan Nemeth so he’s going to be in a third match.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Final Resolution rundown.

Ryan Nemeth/Jake Something/First Class vs. The System/Leon Slater

Moose and Francis start things off and shove each other around. They get down in three point stances and collide before it’s off to Swann. A poke to Edwards’ eye has Swann in control and we take a break. We come back with Edwards chopping Swann onto the top but Swann sends him into the corner.

Francis is back in with a big boot to Myers, allowing Nemeth (in the suit) to come in and hammer away. Myers spears Something down for a break and Slater gets to clean house. A high crossbody gets two on Nemeth as everything breaks down. The Swanton 450 finishes Nemeth at 8:56.

Rating: C+. Much like the rest of the night, you can call this one harmless fun, with Slater getting to hit his big amazing finisher to beat the comedy goof. The System and Slater weren’t about to lose to a makeshift heel team, especially in these circumstances. It’s a short, to the point match and that’s all it needed to be.

Hannifan wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C. This was the definition of a show designed to be pure fun and that’s exactly what we got. They didn’t bother doing anything too complicated and the theme of Nemeth getting beaten up over and over worked well. I had a good time with a holiday tradition and that is perfectly fine for a show that has no impact on anything going forward. Oh and you got some Creed to make it even better.

Results
Brian Myers b. Trey Miguel, Mance Warner, Home Town Man, Eric Young and Ryan Nemeth – Roster Cut to Nemeth
Leon Slater/Mike Santana b. Mustafa Ali/Trick Williams via DQ when Order 4 interfered
Ryan Nemeth b. Krampus – Rollup with trunks
The System/Leon Slater b. Ryan Nemeth/Jake Something/First Class – Swanton 450 to Nemeth

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

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