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

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

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

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

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Knockouts Title: Jody Threat vs. Arianna Grace

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Elayna Black vs. Mara Sade

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Nic Nemeth

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

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

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

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

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

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: February 26, 2026
Location: The Pinnacle, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

World Champion Mike Santana seems to have a big target on his back at the moment, with a variety of people wanting the title. This doesn’t even include the recently fired Steve Maclin, who will be here tonight to explain why he has been all angry and aggressive recently. In addition to being fired I’m guessing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Mike Santana/Leon Slater vs. Nemeths

Frankie Kazarian is on commentary. Slater and Nic start things off with Slater winning a battle over wrist control. The handspring elbow puts Nic down again and the Nemeths go outside, where Slater hits a slingshot dive as we take a break. We come back with Santana fighting out of Ryan’s chinlock and grabbing the Rolling Buck Fifty.

Slater comes back in with a high crossbody for two on Nic but the Nemeths cut off another Rolling Buck Fifty to put Santana down. Slater avoids Nic’s superkick but walks into the Fameasser for a quick two. Nic takes him up top but gets shoved off, only for Eric Young to come out and distract Slater. That’s enough for Nic to block the Swanton 450 and roll Slater up for the pin at 13:58.

Rating: B-. This certainly felt like a bit match and that’s rather nice to see to open the show, especially with it getting some time. The Young stuff does make sense due to his Feast Or Fired case, though hopefully Nic gets a title shot of his own out of this. That would be the kind of win that could really push Slater up another level and it might be where we’re heading, which is a good sign.

The Righteous don’t get why the Hardys don’t trust them because the four of them should be like brothers.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Dani Luna vs. Lei Ying Lee

Luna takes her down and hammers away but Lee flips over her and starts striking away. That’s cut off as Luna catapults her throat first into the top rope and we hit the neck crank. Lee tries to fight up and gets tossed backwards without much trouble. Some rollups give Lee two each but her guillotine is countered with a suplex. Luna grabs her chain and wraps it around the turnbuckle but Lee is back up to strike away.

A superkick puts Luna down and a t-bone suplex gives Lee two. Lee’s charge into the corner misses though and something like a slingshot Blue Thunder Bomb gives Luna a near fall of her own. They both miss running kicks so Luna kicks her into the corner where the chains are supposed to be (wrong buckle, so Lee doesn’t quite hit the chains). That and the Lunar Landing finish Lee at 10:17.

Rating: B-. Not so great finish aside due to missing the chain, it was nice to see Luna pick up a win like this. She’s the monster charging through the division at the moment and it’s hard to imagine that she doesn’t wind up as champion sooner or later. That’s a good thing too, as she has risen up the ranks and become a player, which should be paid off with some singles gold.

Alisha Edwards talks to Tommy Dreamer and Carlos Silva and declines a new contract. Moose comes in to say he’s going to take care of the System and thinks Edwards should be there with him. She’s in and signs.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

AJ Francis vs. Mance Warner

Steph de Lander is here with Francis. They start fast with Warner sending him outside, where Francis is rammed into the steps. Francis is fine enough to slam him off the steps and a running knee in the corner rocks Warner again. Back up and Warner fights back with some elbows to the head but s spear gives Francis two. Francis goes for a chair but de Lander cuts it off, allowing Warner to grab it instead. A shot to the ribs gives Francis the DQ win at 4:26.

Rating: C. I’ve always preferred Warner as a good guy and that was the case again here. Yes he’s still brawling for the most part but that’s always been his style. Throw in some of those Tennessee style southern promos and he should be fine. Not much of a match here, but I’m intrigued by what this version of Warner could do.

Here is Mickie James for a face to face showdown with Ash By Elegance. James calls Ash out and cuts off the Personal Concierge’s entrance, which does bring out Ash. James talks about helping Ash get a job here but Ash says that she was already the hottest free agent and was getting signed anyway. That doesn’t work for James, who calls Ash out for calling out former Knockouts Champions online, “LIKE A MARK!”.

Ash makes it clear that she is NOT a mark because she only cares about being the champion. That brings James to having to leave the title in the ring due to her injuries. She has thought about that every day and Ash isn’t going to disrespect the title by mocking it.

Ash says it’s none of James’ business what happened to her that made her vacate the title because she’s better than James anyway. The fight is on but we cut to the back where the Concierge is with James’ son. James sprints to the back but gets jumped by the Elegance Brand. Ash gives her a MickDT on the stage and James is left laying.

Post break Santino Marella comes in to check on a laid out Jody Threat, who was attacked by the Elegance Brand (seemingly in the same room where James’ son was). Daria Rae comes in to yell at Marella for letting everything fall apart.

Tasha Steelz vs. Jada Stone

Steelz jumps her to start fast and hammers away in the corner but Stone manages a kick to the head. The Great Hands cut off Stone’s dive but Steelz takes them out by mistake. A kick to the head puts Stone back in trouble and a running kick to the face gives Steelz two back inside. They trade some rapid fire rollups for one each until Steelz grabs a German suplex. Stone handstands her way out of a cutter though and a crucifix gives Stone the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C. Stone is another case where TNA feels like they want her to be something and that has to start somewhere. Pinning a former Knockouts Champion is a good start and I’m curious to see where she goes. Stone has talent and hopefully she can turn that into something else.

Post match Steelz lays Stone out.

Tom Hannifan brings out Steve Maclin for a chance to tell his side of the story. The fans tell Maclin that he doesn’t work here and Hannifan tells us that he and Maclin have been friends for a long time. Maclin says that for once, this is about him rather than Mike Santana. The fans say they don’t care as Maclin says that everything changed when he saw the briefcase that said he was fired.

That night, Santana came up to him and said he was sorry. Hannifan, seemingly realizing that the fans are derailing this, asks if that was enough to validate Maclin attacking Santana twice. Maclin brings up Santana not appearing for their tag match after he lost the World Title. Santana said he was “going through something” and that’s really being selfish.

Maclin could come out here and talk about his drinking problem or his PTSD or his survivor’s guilt. The fans get on Maclin again before he says that he got Hannifan his job. Hannifan says that’s true but they should have talked about this over a beer instead of on television.

The reality is that Maclin has been fined by the company over and over for internal actions because he won’t take responsibility for his actions. That’s enough for Maclin to deck Hannifan until security and Santana run in to chase him off. Maclin even shoves down Matthew Rehwoldt as he leaves. This was a good segment that the fans dragged back down, because it’s an interesting story that should set up a heck of a match.

Post break, Gia Miller has taken Hannifan’s place for the main event.

The System vs. Righteous/Hardys

Edwards hammers on Jeff to start but Jeff grabs a reverse full nelson. Everything breaks down and the System is cleared out as we take an early break. We come back with Bronson and Dutch slugging it out until Dutch grabs an exploder suplex. Vincent comes in and gets chokebombed for two, allowing Bronson to take him into the System corner.

Bronson goes up and does the Hardy dance before dropping a middle rope elbow (Miller: “Egad!”) for two. Vincent fights out of trouble and brings Matt in to clean a lot of the house. Everything breaks down and we get the parade of knockdowns, with a bunch of them fighting outside. Edwards loads up the Boston Knee Party but Vincent shoves Matt out of the way and takes the bullet, and the pin, instead at 11:34.

Rating: B-. This was about the moment at the end and that’s perfectly fine. Not every match needs to be some big epic showdown and it worked well enough here, with the Righteous continuing to make the Hardys believe that everything is ok. I’m curious to see where that goes, while on the other hand you have the System, who will have to deal with Moose. Good enough main event here.

Post match Moose comes in to go after the System but they beat him down until Alisha Edwards comes out to protect him, much to Eddie’s dismay, to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. TNA has found its groove in recent weeks since their not so great debut on AMC and that is great to see. What matters the most is that you can tell what’s going on with just about everyone involved, which is a great way to bring in new viewers. I like what I’m seeing here most of the time and that should be a good sign for their near future. If they can deliver on some of their potential, it will be even better.

Results
Nemeths b. Mike Santana/Leon Slater – Rollup to Slater
Dani Luna b. Lei Ying Lee – Lunar Landing
AJ Francis b. Mance Warner via DQ when Warner used a chair
Jada Stone b. Tasha Steelz – Crucifix
The System b. The Hardys/Righteous – Boston Knee Party to Vincent

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: December 25, 2025
Location: El Paso County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt
Host: Tom Hannifan

It’s Christmas night and that means it’s time to look at the best parts of the year. In this case we’re seeing the annual end of the year awards. That’s the kind of thing that means we should be looking back at some rather strong moments from a pretty good year for the company. Let’s get to it.

Note that I’ll be posting the full versions of the matches rather than the clipped versions shown on the broadcast.

Opening sequence.

Hannifan welcomes us to the show.

Gia Claus introduces the show’s main event, which will be ten person Christmas surprise tag match. There are two captains who will open packages to determine their teammates.

The Hardys are the Tag Team Of The Year in what should not be a surprise at all.

From Slammiversary.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Hardys are very happy with their win.

Joe Hendry wins the Crossover Moment Of The Year for appearing at Wrestlemania. Yeah that was kind of awesome.

Mara Sade picks her four partners but we don’t see who they are.

The Elegance Brand are the Knockouts Tag Team Of The Year and Ash By Elegance is the Knockout Of The Year.

We take a quick look at Ash By Elegance winning the Knockouts Title.

From Sacrifice.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Ash By Elegance/Heather By Elegance/Personal Concierge vs. Spitfire

Spitfire is defending in a handicap match and they get the Personal Concierge if they win. The Concierge introduces By Elegance and then disrobes, which has commentary, uh, unhappy. Luna takes Ash down into an armbar to start but Heather comes in to crank on the arm for a change. The Concierge goes to the…bottom rope for an ax handle before handing it back to Heather, who is quickly put down. Threat comes in for a basement crossbody, followed by a suplex/clothesline combination for two.

Ash offers a distraction though and Heather takes over inside. The Concierge adds some stomps, then stops to dance, meaning Ash has to come in for a save. A catapult into a Codebreaker gets two and we hit the chinlock on Threat. As usual, that’s broken up and the tag brings in Luna to clean house. By Elegance is sent outside for a big dive, leaving Heather to get caught with a helicopter bomb, with the Concierge having to make the save. The Pressure Drop hits the Concierge but Threat gets caught in an assisted top rope double stomp for the titles at 9:12.

Rating: C+. By Elegance had to win the titles at some point if they wanted to have any kind of a future. At the end of the day, Ash has been here for a bit but hadn’t won anything of note coming in. You can present has as a star all you want, but it doesn’t matter without getting some kind of a prize. That is what she pulled off here and it was fairly long overdue. The feud needs to end already, but it’s not like there are many other teams to come after the belts.

Leon Slater is X-Division Star Of The Year and has the Finisher Of The Year. Even Hannifan says this shouldn’t be a surprise.

Slater is very excited and appreciated.

From Slammiversary.

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Moose

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

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

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

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

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

Ryan Nemeth (still with the Thanksgiving turkey suit) picks his team but also doesn’t say his name. There are two boxes left unopened.

Mustafa Ali is happy to have won Match Of The Year with….someone!

From Rebellion.

Mustafa Ali vs. Mike Santana

Falls count anywhere and a drummer and dancers play Ali to the ring. Ali has the Great Hands with him while Santana has some boxers. Santana starts fast and backdrops him out to the floor for a big crash. The steps are loaded up and Ali’s dive is sent into them to give Santana two on the floor. Ali tries to leave so Santana dives off the stage to take him out. A moonsault off the barricade takes Ali down for two more but cue the Secret Service and the Great Hands to go after Santana.

That lets Ali climb to a balcony for a dive and they head back to ringside where Ali hits a superkick. Santana cuts him off with a Death Valley Driver through two open chairs but Ali chairs him off the top. Ali goes up top and goes Coast To Coast on the apron (ouch) for two. Back in and Santana sends him face first into the buckle but here are the Great Hands to go after Santana again. They put Santana on a table for a 450 to give Ali two. Back in and the Great Hands try to handcuff Santana, who gives them a double rolling cutter.

Instead Santana handcuffs them to the ropes and grabs a barbed wire baseball bat. Ali knocks it away but gets caught with a Spanish Fly. Tasha Steelz whips out a table…but Santana powerbombs her through it instead. Well that evens the odds a bit. Another table is brought in and Santana superplexes Ali through it for two. Ali grabs the bat and smashes Santana in the face but the bleeding Santana gets up for Spin The Block and the pin at 19:23.

Rating: B. This was the kind of overcome all odds win that Santana needed and he looked like a hero in the end. That’s what he has been needing in the last few months and it would not surprise me to see Santana getting into the World Title picture. They had the violence going here and Santana outsmarted and flat out beat four people at once. That’s quite the impressive move and Santana looked good here.

Santana thanks the fans for his first TNA award.

Santana is also Wrestler Of The Year. Well who else was it going to be? He dedicates the award to his daughter and asks if we’re ready for 2026.

Chris Bey is the Inspirational Wrestler Of The Year. Him walking out to the stage was an emotional moment so that’s a pretty safe call.

The System is the Faction Of The Year.

Team Sade vs. Team Nemeth

Ryan Nemeth, Mance Warner, Rosemary, Jake Something, Jessie McKay
Mara Sade, Dezmond Xavier, BDE, Eric Young, Cassie Lee

Everyone brings a present with them. Xavier and Warner start things off with a spinning headscissors dropping Warner but leaving Xavier dizzy. It’s off to Lee vs. McKay, so posing ensues. They drop down and try a double pin, which doesn’t work either. BDE comes in but Something pulls him out of the air.

It’s off to Sade to work on the arm but Rosemary comes in to put her in the Upside down. A Sling Blade gives Sade two so it’s off to Young, who gets taken down with a double superkick. BDE Canadian Destroys Something but Warner chokeslams BDE through a present. Everything breaks down and BDE hits a bit dive onto the pile (though he looked like he almost left it short). Back in and Sade superkicks Rosemary for the pin at 6:33.

Rating: C+. This was the definition of harmless fun and it worked out perfectly well. It’s basically a Christmas version of the Thanksgiving match and Sade beating Nemeth is a funny story at the moment. They threw in a feature match for the holiday show with no significant stakes and that’s fine for this kind of week.

McKay joins in the celebration.

Hannifan thanks the fans for watching to wrap up the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show is basically taking a pass for the holiday and that’s fine. It’s more or less a Best Of show with one extra match at the end. That’s all it should have been as everything resets for the show on AMC in three weeks anyway. There is nothing wrong with doing a show like this and the feature match was easy fun so it was a fine use of two hours.

Results
Team Sade b. Team Nemeth – Superkick to Rosemary

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

Victory Road 2025
Date: September 26, 2025
Location: Edmonton Expo Center, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the last big stop on the way to next month’s Bound For Glory and that means this show is in a rather weird spot. I’m not sure what it is going to mean and hopefully the action is good enough to carry it over the line. The card is only so interesting looking and now we get to see how it plays out. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Zachary Wentz vs. Trey Miguel vs. Cedric Alexander

We get a VERY loud TNA chat and Miguel silences it by superkicking Wentz (ala Shawn Michaels and HHH at the 2009 Survivor Series, which commentary points out). Back in and Wentz’s superkick to Miguel is blocked but Wentz knocks him down anyway. Alexander takes over with some German suplexes and kicks Miguel in the back a few times to quite the reception.

It worked so well that Alexander German suplexes both of them at the same time before covering Miguel for a frustrated two. Back up and Wentz gives Alexander a Sling Blade, followed by Wentz and Miguel giving each other a Sling Blade at the same time. Alexander gets two off a Michinoku Driver but Miguel hits him with the Lightning Spiral into a Muta Lock. Wentz breaks it up with a Swanton though and the UFO Cutter finishes Alexander at 7:58.

Rating: B-. Let three guys go out there and fly around in a fast paced opener. That’s one of those things that will work every time and they pulled it off rather well here. I’m a bit surprised that one of the Rascalz got the pin as you would expect the singles start to win, though Alexander has mainly been around to put others over. Either way, nice start to the show here as they did what they needed to do and got out before they overstayed their welcome.

We continue the Kickoff Show with AJ Francis and the First Class Penthouse. Francis brags about being a famous star and his association with Trick Williams, who he supports because they’re both all about the money. The fans tell him to shut the f*** up but he reminds them that there are children here. Francis takes off his jacket, revealing a Florida Panthers (who beat the Edmonton Oilers in the last two Stanley Cup Finals) shirt.

Francis wants to give us a listen to his new album but gets Matt Hardy (his scheduled guest) instead. That doesn’t work for Francis because he wasn’t ready for Hardy, who says that no one wants to hear Francis. The reality is no one wants to see the Hardys and Team 3D, because it should be First Class in that match. Hardy laughs that off and brings up what the Hardys and Team 3D have done (elsewhere). Meanwhile, the only things Francis has created in wrestling are headaches and boredom. The challenge is on and Hardy is quickly chokeslammed through a table.

Here is the System, who wants to beat up Order 4 right now. Santino Marella comes out to make it so, even as the opener for the show.

And now, the show proper, with no intro video.

The System vs. Order 4

Agent Zero, in his in-ring debut, kicks Myers down to start and sends him flying off a suplex. Myers gets a boot up to stop a charge in the corner and brings in Edwards, who gets cut off just as fast. Zero takes him into the corner and hands it off to the Great Hands for the double standing in the Tree of Woe. Skyler misses a charge into the post though and JDC comes in to clean house. A Falcon Arrow gets two and Hotch is left alone for a double butterfly bomb, setting up Down And Dirty for the fast pin at 4:31.

Rating: C. Well that happened. This is the kind of thing that could have been on the pre-show but maybe they were running low on time or something. Either way, this was about Agent Zero getting to look dominant and they more than covered that, even with the System getting the fast win. Not much of a match here, but Zero got his time and that’s what matters.

Now we get the opening video, which is a pretty basic look at the show.

Here is Ash By Elegance for a chat, with Santino Marella and President Carlos Silva in the ring. Ash is clearly upset and talks about coming here a year and a half ago with a goal. She came here to prove herself but life can throw you some curveballs. That is what happened again and she is no longer able to compete. Therefore, the title is being held up but she knows the locker room will elevate it as she did.

Whether you cheered or booed her (and she knows most of them booed because she was “a stuck up b****.”), the people gave her the best moments of her life. Thank you and she’ll miss you. The title is handed over and the bosses hug her before she leaves to quite the emotional sendoff.

Santino announces that the Knockouts Tag Team Title match has been moved to this week on Impact. Instead, we will have a battle royal, with the last two facing off for the vacant title later tonight. I’m not sure what is going on with Ash, but that did not sound good in the slightest. Hopefully she can come back to the ring one day, but more than that, hopefully she’s healthy and safe.

Knockouts Battle Royal

Xia Brookside, Lei Ying Lee, Kelani Jordan, Jessie McKay, Cassie Lee, Dani Luna, M By Elegance, Heather By Elegance, Jody Threat, La Pescadita

The final two advance to a title match tonight. Luna runs mouth to start and gets beaten down, only to fight the pack off. That lets Luna go after Threat while the IInspiration poses, as they are known to do. The Personal Concierge gets in the ring and throws La Pescadita at the IInspiration, who tosses her out (commentary: “Whoever that was.”).

Threat goes after the Elegance Brand but gets clotheslined out by Luna with a hard shot. Brookside and Lee double team Luna, who throws Brookside out. Lee holds on though and a bunch of people get together to dump Luna. The IInspiration and the Elegance Brand get in a fight of their own…but Jordan and Lee dump all four of them out to win at 4:46.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t much to see, though they do deserve points for getting some sequences together in there. Luna looked like a monster and the ending was at least different. At the end of the day, this was probably thrown together on very short notice and it worked out about as well as could be expected, all things considered.

Post match a brawl is teased but Lee and Jordan show respect instead.

Indi Hartwell, guest referee in the Knockouts Title match, promises to call it right down the line before she wins the title at Bound For Glory.

Nemeths vs. Home Town Man/Matt Cardona

Ryan wants a test of strength with Cardona to start but the boot to the ribs is immediately cut off. Man comes in to kick Nic down in the corner and sends a charging Ryan outside. A jumping elbow gets two on Nic and we cut to the back where Joe Hendry has been attacked. Nic fights back with an elbow and hip swivel before handing it back to Ryan.

Since Ryan is totally inept, Man fights back without much trouble and brings Cardona back in. An Unprettier (with a Chelsea Green shoutout) gets two but Ryan manages a DDT. That doesn’t get him very far as it’s already back to Man, who is caught with a quick Hart Attack. Ryan tries a Sharpshooter…and gets small packaged for the pin at 6:27.

Rating: C+. The Home Town Man is growing on me more and more every week as he’s just goofy fun. Above all else, everyone is in on the joke and it’s working well for what it is. On the other hand you have Ryan, who is becoming one of my favorite people in TNA. He’s just so inept that seeing him getting beaten up is rather funny.

Post match the Nemeths jump Man again and steal his mask but we don’t quite see his face.

Mike Santana is in the concourse and says he’s ready for Ridge Holland tonight before he wins the title at Bound For Glory, because he’s been working to get here for seventeen years. He’s been trying to get to a concourse in Edmonton for seventeen years?

Mike Santana vs. Ridge Holland

Santana wastes no time in hitting a running dropkick into the corner to start fast. Holland is sent to the floor for the big running flip dive, followed by a whip into the steps. Back up and Holland sends him into the apron, followed by a spinning driver for two. Santana’s crossbody out of the corner gives him a breather but Holland is back with something like a northern lights bomb for two.

A quick rolling Buck Fifty is blocked so Santana settles for a Death Valley Driver. Spin The Block is blocked as well so now the rolling Buck Fifty connects. A superplex brings Holland off the top and Santana tries to go with Three Amigos, which is countered into a powerslam. Holland hammers away but walks into Spin The Block to give Santana the pin at 8:00.

Rating: C+. Santana feels destined to win the title at Bound For Glory and it’s nice to see him getting some wins like this to build him up on the way there. That’s all he needs to do, as Santana is clearly getting ready. At the same time, Holland is shut down again, which is kind of frustrating as he still feels like he has potential. Santana winning is good, but there was no one else to take this loss?

Post match Trick Williams comes in and lays Santana out with a belt shot.

Matt Hardy is banged up but cleared.

We recap Moose vs. Mustafa Ali. Their teams are set for war at Bound For Glory and this is the match for the advantage.

Moose vs. Mustafa Ali

The winner’s team gets the advantage in Hardcore War at Bound For Glory. Ali ducks a clothesline to start and bails outside, with Moose throwing him back in. This time Ali chops away, only for Moose to show him how it’s really done. A dropkick sends Ali outside but he slips out of a powerbomb. Ali’s superkick sets up a tornado DDT on the floor and they head back inside where Ali is looking rather cocky.

Moose catches him on top but the chokebomb is countered into a hurricanrana to the floor. Ali hits a big dive but Moose is right back with a clothesline inside. The powerbomb is countered into a Canadian Destroyer to give Ali two but he springboards into a chokebomb to give Moose two of his own. Moose still can’t hit the powerbomb, with Ali reversing it into a suplex this time. Instead Moose goes with the spear for two, as Ali’s foot is in the ropes.

They go outside and Moose charges into a backdrop onto the steps to put him in trouble again. Back in and Ali’s 450 connects, with Moose sitting up in quite the power display. Ali slips out and goes up but gets knocked out of the air. Moose counters a roll into the powerbomb for two as some dancers who came out with Ali get on the apron. One of them hits Moose low and now the 450 can give Ali the pin at 12:27.

Rating: B. Good back and forth fight here, with a bit of a weird inversion of the power vs. speed formula. You don’t often see the heel as the faster guy but it was working here. It’s nice as a preview for the match at Bound For Glory, with the interference giving Moose and the System even more reason to go after Order 4. Match of the night thus far.

Post match the woman who hit Moose low is indeed Tasha Steelz and since the bosses don’t watch the show, that will be fine.

We recap Joe Hendry vs. Eric Young. Hendry is popular while Young is doing his latest “I’m evil and mean and want to hurt people”, with Hendry as his target.

Joe Hendry vs. Eric Young

Before the match, Young talks about Hendry not being available to wrestle so he wins on his own. This is part of the Cleansing, but here is a charging Hendry to start fast. Hendry hammers away and throws Young over the top, followed by more right hands on the floor. Back in and Young gets in a cheap shot to take over, including a running elbow for two. The neck crank keeps Hendry in trouble and it’s off to a more standard sleeper.

Hendry fights up but gets sleepered again, this time with a bodyscissors. That’s broken up and Hendry muscles him over for a suplex, followed by the fall away slam. Young rakes the eyes to break up the Standing Ovation as we keep cutting to the one THE CLEANSING IS COMING sign in the crowd.

Young goes up and, after raking the eyes to knock Hendry down, drops the top rope elbow for two. The Death Valley Driver is broken up so Young hits the piledriver instead for two more. The referee is almost bumped, allowing Young to get in a low blow. Young tries to bring in a chair, but the Northern Armory runs in to cut if off. That lets Hendry hit the Standing Ovation onto the chair for the pin at 11:22.

Rating: C+. Hendry has fallen a good deal in the last few months, which might be due to him getting ready to move over to WWE full time. On the other hand you have Young, who is doing about the same stuff that he has done for a long time now and it’s only so interesting. At the same time, it’s nice to have Hendry get a win, though I’m almost scared of what Young is going to do to keep up with the whole Cleansing thing.

Hendry gets quite the nice ovation as he leaves.

We look back at the TNA invasion this week on NXT.

We look at AJ Francis attacking Matt Hardy on the Kickoff Show.

AJ Francis vs. Matt Hardy

Hardy is banged up but he makes a special announcement: this is a table match. Okey dokey. They go outside to start fast and Hardy sends him into the steps. Hardy is too banged up to stay at it though and Francis puts a table back before sending Hardy into the steps as well. Back in and Francis misses a backsplash, allowing Hardy to get the first table. Said table is put in the corner but Francis is right back, only to miss a charge through the table.

That doesn’t fit the “offensively drive your opponent through the table” rule though so we keep going, with Hardy wrapping a chair around Francis’ neck. Francis rams the chair into Hardy’s face to escape but takes WAY too long loading up a moonsault. Hardy chairs him down and hits a super Side Effect, meaning it’s time for another table. Back in and Francis hits a spear and grabs Hardy’s title. That’s cut off as Hardy hits a Twist Of Fate into a belt shot. Hardy’s top rope legdrop sends Francis through the table for the win at 9:42.

Rating: C. It felt like a bit of a thrown together match but Jeff Hardy can’t come to Canada in the first place so this is about as good as it was going to get. It’s also a bit of a preview for the Bound For Glory match, which will be even more tableish. The fans were into Hardy so this could have been a lot worse.

We recap the Knockouts Title situation.

Knockouts Title: Kelani Jordan vs. Lei Ying Lee

For the vacant title and Indi Hartwell is guest referee. They shake hands to start and fight over a lockup, which goes to the mat. That’s broken up so Lee grabs a headlock, which is countered with a rather snazzy armdrag. Lee knees her in the face for two before an exchange of rollups get two each.

Back up and more respect is shown as the fans are split between TNA and NXT. Lee’s spinning torture rack faceplant is broken up and Hartwell is almost decked, allowing Jordan to pull on a half crab. With that broken up, Lee snaps off a super hurricanrana to send Jordan crashing down. They slug it out with Jordan getting the better of things but Lee kicks her in the face. A basement dropkick gives Lee two, followed by a Blue Thunder Bomb for two more.

They go outside, with Jordan looking to try a hurricanrana off the apron (I think) but it’s just kind of a crash instead. Back in and Lee pulls her into an STF, with Jordan having to slip out. Jordan kicks her down and gets two off a frog splash. One Of A Kind (split legged moonsault) is loaded up but Jordan lands on Hartwell (despite not doing any actual moonsaulting). Lee’s Thunderstruck connects for a VERY delayed two and they trade some rollups for two more. Jordan is back with a splits Stunner and One Of A Kind is good for the pin and the title at 15:36.

Rating: B-. Much like the battle royal, there was only so much they could do as this had to be set up in a hurry. At the end of the day, another NXT star winning the title isn’t the most thrilling way to go, but at the same time, it feels like Hartwell is all but guaranteed to win the title at Bound For Glory anyway. I can’t imagine Jordan is anything more than a placeholder champion, which is fine enough for the given circumstances.

Post match Ash By Elegance comes out to hold up Jordan’s hand in a nice moment.

We recap Steve Maclin defending the International Title against Frankie Kazarian. Maclin has been champion for months but has been dealing with Kazarian, who decided he wanted the title and doesn’t like Maclin very much, including his military service.

International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Frankie Kazarian

Maclin is defending and they fight over an armbar to start. With that broken up, Kazarian has to escape from a quick KIA attempt. Maclin sends him into the corner for some hard shots to the back and Kazarian is sent outside, where the Scud misses. Back in and a clothesline gives Kazarian two but he charges into what looks like Rock Bottom out of the corner. Kazarian is right back with a cravate and some knees to the face.

A quick facebuster and clothesline get Maclin out of trouble, followed by a Thesz press. The Olympic Slam gives Maclin two and the Jar Headbutt gets the same. Kazarian is tied in the Tree Of Woe but sits up and cuts Maclin off with a cutter in a sweet counter. The chickenwing is blocked but Maclin gets his throat snapped across the top rope.

Maclin gets up top for a superplex into a brainbuster, only to get caught with the slingshot DDT for two. Back up and Kazarian catches him on top, where he gets shoved down. The Jar Headbutt misses again so Kazarian grabs the chickenwing, which is quickly shoved away. Kazarian crashes out to the floor, where the Scud…takes out an invading El Mesias. The distraction lets Kazarian kick the rope into a low blow and a slingshot cutter finishes Maclin at 15:35.

Rating: B. As usual, Kazarian is someone who can wrestle a good match with anyone and Maclin has been getting a lot better in recent months. The Maclin vs. Mesias stuff feels like it’s coming out of nowhere, but Kazarian getting the title is what matters the most. Kazarian has been needing to win something new and this title is about as good as he’s going to do at the moment.

Video on Bound For Glory.

Mickie James and the Beautiful People are going into the Hall Of Fame. Rather earned.

We recap Leon Slater defending the X-Division Title against Myron Reed in the main event. Slater is a fighting champion and Reed won a #1 contenders match. Not much of a story, but this is an interesting choice for a main event.

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Myron Reed

Slater is defending. We get a fairly aggressive handshake to start before Reed starts in on the arm. That’s broken up so they go to a headlock takeover, which is quickly broken up. Reed hits a quick legdrop and Slater is not thrilled with having someone land on his head. Slater is backed into the corner where Reed teases a right hand but stops. Instead Slater hits him in the face and now it’s time to get serious.

Reed is back up with a slingshot monkey flip but Slater breaks up a springboard with a dropkick to the floor. A big slingshot dive drops Reed again and Slater hammers away back inside. Slater hits a middle rope crossbody for one and isn’t happy with the kickout. Back up and a hurricanrana gives Reed two, followed by a slingshot powerbomb for the same.

Reed tries a hanging faceplant but gets reversed, only to nip into Utopia to give Slater another near fall. Slater kicks him out to the floor and hits the big running flip dive, followed by a leg lariat for two back inside. Reed is back up with a suplex over the top though and a Stundog Millionaire drops Slater on the floor. Back in and Reed hits the running diving cutter (that always looks great) to put Slater outside again. A springboard 450 gives Reed two and Slater is banged up. Another cutter lets Reed put Slater on top, where he reverses into a swinging superplex. The Swanton 450 retains the title at 13:47.

Rating: B+. This worked very well, with both guys making the most of their chance in the main event. It’s one of those matches that would have done well at any point in the show but it felt more special here. It was two young, talented wrestlers leaving it out there until one of them got caught with a huge move. Reed looked great in defeat, but Slater is being treated as something very special, as he should be.

Post match respect is shown but here is Santino Marella. He’s very pleased with the match but has a special announcement. At Bound For Glory, Slater will be defending against…Je’Von Evans from NXT. Yeah that’s a big one.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s a good show for what it was, as there was only so much you could get out of this kind of card. At the end of the day, the show felt like a big warmup before Bound For Glory and they could only get so much out of that. The Knockouts Title situation was something that couldn’t be avoided and they did as well as they could have all things considered, but the whole show didn’t feel that important. Even with some title changes, the show felt like something that had to be covered before we got to Bound For Glory, which is only so interesting.

Results
Zachary Wentz b. Cedric Alexander and Trey Miguel – UFO Cutter to Alexander
The System b. Order 4 – Down And Dirty to Hotch
Lei Ying Lee and Kelani Jordan won a battle royal, last eliminating M By Elegance, Heather By Elegance, Jessie McKay and Cassie Lee
Matt Cardona/Home Town Man b. Nemeths – Small package to Ryan
Mike Santana b. Ridge Holland – Spin The Block
Mustafa Ali b. Moose – 450
Joe Hendry b. Eric Young – Standing Ovation onto a chair
Matt Hardy b. AJ Francis – Top rope legdrop through a table
Kelani Jordan b. Lei Ying Lee – One Of A Kind
Frankie Kazarian b. Steve Maclin – Slingshot cutter
Leon Slater b. Myron Reed – Swanton 450

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: September 18, 2025
Location: The Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re coming up on Victory Road, which is going to have its work cut out for it with Bound For Glory coming up just a month later. That show is going to get the big focus so Victory Road is only going to mean so much. The big story this week will be focusing on the Tag Team Titles as the Nemeths are getting a shot at the Hardys. Let’s get to it.

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

We get another promotion for the Minnesota charity shirt. Still nothing wrong with that.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Mustafa Ali vs. Brian Myers

The rest of Order 4 and the System are both here. Myers slugs away to start and quickly knocks him out to the floor. We get the big staredown between the teams on the floor and Ali hits a big suicide dive. Back in and Myers hits his implant DDT but John Skyler offers a distraction, meaning the top rope elbow misses. Ali gets a rollup for the pin at 2:35.

Post match the teams get in a brawl and we get the big Moose vs. Agent Zero showdown. Zero drops him with a headbutt but Moose pops back up and they have to be held out. Santino Marella comes out to make a Hardcore War at Bound For Glory.

The Nemeths are ready to get the Tag Team Titles back because it’s not a ladder match.

The Personal Concierge suggests to Dani Luna that she could get a Bound For Glory title shot if she just takes out Indi Hartwell tonight. Luna thinks about it.

We look at the set up of Oba Femi vs. Trick Williams for the NXT and TNA World Title.

ODB is here.

Judas Icarus vs. Eric Young

Travis Williams is here with Icarus, who jumps Young to start fast. Icarus runs him over but Young hits an elbow to the face (with the lights seeming to dim) and is back with a gutwrench powerbomb. The piledriver is blocked though and Icarus makes the comeback, with a frog splash connecting for two. Something like a Blue Thunder Bomb gets two and they go up, with Young biting the face to knock him down. Young drops a top rope elbow for two and loads up the piledriver but here is Joe Hendry for a distraction. Icarus grabs a rollup for the pin at 5:11.

Rating: C. This was a big win for Icarus but it’s the kind of win that is more credited to Hendry than anything else. This feels like it might be one of the last big feuds for Hendry around here and that’s not exactly the best feeling. At least Young hasn’t been doing the Cleanse or whatever he was threatening us with before as I don’t think I could take another thing like that.

Post match Young knocks out the referee.

Victoria Crawford is back with her talk show, Mentor U, with guest Jody Threat. Crawford brings up Gia Miller, who interrupts and threatens Tessa Blanchard again. That doesn’t work for Crawford, who doesn’t like the profanity.

The Rascalz are happy with Myron Reed for going after the X-Division Title and let off some steam. And smoke. Santino Marella pops in and…has a cookie?

IInspiration/Masha Slamovich vs. Elegance Brand

Slamovich and Heather start things off, though Heather needs a quick spank to get her into the ring. Everything breaks down and the Brand is kicked down and sent out to the floor as we take an early break. We come back with the Brand getting to take turns on McKay in the corner, with Heather getting to stomp away.

The running corner dropkick gets two and Heather grabs the chinlock. McKay kicks her way out and brings in Slamovich to clean house, including an assisted DDT to make Heather DDT M. Lee goes after M but Ash throws…something in Lee’s eyes so M can get a rollup for the pin at 9:31.

Rating: C+. The match was a nice back and forth effort, with Slamovich being protected before she gets a title shot against Ash By Elegance. The other four are just doing their usual things and that’s not the most exciting stuff. It feels like the Brand could be a big deal for a long time to come, as they certainly seem to be in the right place at the moment.

Here is Frankie Kazarian for the King’s Speech and now it’s time to make this city focus on a King rather than a Prince. His guest this week is…himself, as he is ready to become the next International Champion. That’s not all though as he has another guest in the form of Mr. Anderson of all people. Anderson calls this home and he is happy to be back in a TNA ring for the first time in nine years.

Kazarian brings up Anderson’s military career but thinks Anderson seems like a coward. He asks what branch Kazarian served in but Kazarian brings up Anderson’s family being here. Would Anderson’s mother and kids be ok with seeing Kazarian give Anderson a beating? Kazarian keeps talking trash until Anderson goes after him, with Jake Something running in to take Anderson down. Steve Maclin makes the save. This is a good way to use a company legend and it was a nice surprise.

Dani Luna vs. Indi Hartwell

Hartwell jumps her to start fast and sends Luna out to the floor. Back in and Hartwell tries to send her to the floor but gets hit in the face. A suplex sends Hartwell down again and Luna adds another to keep Hartwell in trouble. Hartwell fires back with some elbows but gets dropped with a clothesline. Hartwell is up for the real comeback and knocks Luna outside, where Luna comes up with a chair to the ribs for the DQ at 5:31.

Rating: C. This only got so much time and the ending was more about Luna getting to hurt Hartwell rather than beat her. At the same time, I really don’t get the appeal of Hartwell, who feels like a rather generic star. She’s in for a huge title match at Bound For Glory and that could be the start of a rather uninspiring title reign.

Post match Luna wrecks her with the chair.

Lei Ying Lee and Xia Brookside talk about being great friends and dub themselves the Angel Warriors.

Mike Santana vs. AJZ

AJZ runs his mouth on the way to the ring and Santana Spins The Block for the pin at 31 seconds.

Santana calls out Trick Williams before their match at Bound For Glory but NXT’s Ridge Holland runs in to lay him out.

Tag Team Titles: Nemeths vs. Hardys

The Hardys are defending and Matt Cardona is on commentary. The Nemeths start fast and get sent outside with an early double clothesline. We take an early break and come back with Nic cutting Jeff off as Ryan grabbing Jeff’s leg. Jeff misses the Whisper In The Wind and Ryan comes in to pound on Jeff a bit. Nic’s chinlock doesn’t last long so he fires off the elbows, including the big jumping version.

Jeff finally fights up and hits a Whisper In The Wind to take them both out for a breather. The diving tag brings in Matt to clean house, including the powerbomb out of the corner for two on Nic. The middle rope elbow to the back of the neck drops Nic again but he’s right back with a Fameasser for two. Ryan’s DDT into Nick’s top rope elbow gets two more so Ryan tries to grab the belt. Cardona cuts that off and the Twist Of Fate into the Swanton retains the titles at 11:56.

Rating: B. This was a good match between the teams who work well together, though we’re coming up on the Hardys vs. the Dudleys one more time. That’s going to be a rather different kind of match and the nostalgia is going to have to carry them a long way. I’m not sure what is next for the Nemeths, as they seem to be ready to go after Cardona, who is going to need a partner.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t a great show, though the main event did help it a lot. It doesn’t help that TNA seems to be building towards Bound For Glory more than Victory Road, which really feels like a nothing stop. Thankfully we’ll be done with that next week and ready to move on to the big show, but it isn’t making these shows much easier.

Results
Mustafa Ali b. Brian Myers – Rollup
Judas Icarus b. Eric Young – Rollup
Elegance Brand b. IInspiration/Masha Slamovich – Rollup to Lee
Indi Hartwell b. Dani Luna via DQ when Luna used a chair
Mike Santana b. AJZ – Spin The Block
Hardys b. Nemeths – Swanton to Ryan

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 11, 2025
Location: The Armory, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re back to the taped format here as Victory Road is coming up pretty soon. That show is going to be tricky enough as it is little more than a pit stop on the way to Bound For Glory next month. It’s going to be difficult to get some interest going, but maybe they can have a good idea or two. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a September 11th graphic.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Moose vs. AJ Francis

Hold on though as here is Order 4, with Mustafa Ali to watch. Ali shakes Francis’ hand and sits in on commentary and Moose is up with a dropkick to start fast. They go outside with Francis getting in a shot of his own and sending Moose into the apron. We take a break and come back with Moose grabbing a suplex and they go outside.

Francis cuts off a charge with an apron bomb for two, followed by a running knee in the corner. Moose uses the power of fist pumps to come back and a spinning high crossbody drops Francis. The spear misses for Moose though and Francis hits one of his own for a near fall. The Secret Service’s distraction doesn’t make much of a difference, as Moose is right back with a spear for the win at 9:27.

Rating: C+. This was about having two big guys beat each other up, with Francis rapidly turning into a decent power guy. He’s figured out a lot in recent months and that’s nice to see. Moose is probably on his way to something with Mustafa Ali, or Order 4 as a whole though, and that’s an intriguing prospect.

Post match Moose challenges Ali to a match but doesn’t get an answer.

The System is ready to take out the Nemeths.

The Rascalz are back together in the Tree House and they want to win some titles. Then the smoke starts up and they can’t figure out Jake Something’s name.

Joe Hendry vs. Eric Young

Young comes to the ring with the Northern Armory and makes his usual threats, allowing Travis Williams to jump Hendry. We get the opening bell, which apparently signals false advertising as Young isn’t in the match.

Joe Hendry vs. Travis Williams

Hendry fights back and hits a suplex but Young offers a distraction. Williams’ running knee gets two but a springboard tornado DDT is blocked. The fall away slam sends Williams flying and an AA into the Standing Ovation finishes for Hendry at 3:16.

Rating: C-. I’m really not big on the false advertising like that but it’s something that happens in wrestling. Odds are Hendry vs. Young takes place at Victory Road, which I’ll take over having to hear about The Cleanse or whatever it is this time. I’m sure we’ll see more about it sooner than later, but for now at least Hendry got to show off a bit.

Post match Hendry bails from Young and Judas Icarus. Young yells at the Armory and drops them with two piledrivers apiece.

We look back at Frankie Kazarian beating Matt Cardona last week, thanks to Ryan Nemeth.

Cardona tells Ryan to put his nose in Cardona’s business again.

Here is Victoria Crawford, who has her own podcast. Her first guest is Gia Miller, with Crawford yelling at her over getting Tessa Blanchard suspended. Miller blames Blanchard for her own actions and Crawford made it worse, with threats of violence ensuing. Jody Threat runs in to break it up, with Crawford bailing to leave Miller fuming.

Jake Something vs. Zachary Wentz vs. Trey Miguel vs. Myron Reed

The inner gets an X-Division Title shot against Leon Slater, on commentary, at Victory Road. The Rascalz all bail outside to start before coming back in for a triple dropkick. Something shrugs that off and takes them all down. The Rascalz send him outside for a dive before we get a three way rollup exchange. Miguel punches Wentz down but Something is back in to run through everyone.

Wentz is powerbombed onto Reed for two but the Rascalz are back with a triplebomb out of the corner. The Rascalz slug it out until Something is back with Into The Void for two on Miguel. Wentz is back up with the UFO Cutter to Something but Miguel pulls him out. That leaves Reed to 450 Something for the pin at 8:08. Reed’s shocked face is great.

Rating: B-. I can go for the idea of mixing things up here as they didn’t go with the idea of the one different person wins. While Reed doesn’t seem to have much of a chance at winning the title, it’s very nice to see someone fresh getting a shot. That’s a smart thing to do and hopefully they can make the match part of it work in a few weeks.

Jake Something is in the back when he runs into Frankie Kazarian. Despite the loss, Kazarian offers him a spot by his side as Kazarian wins the International Title. Does he want to finally be…..something?

Heather By Elegance vs. Jessie McKay

Their partners are here too. Heather stomps away in the corner for two to start and we’re already in a chinlock. McKay fights up and sends her into the corner for some running knees, followed by a big boot. The Press Release (Gory Special) is loaded up but the Personal Concierge offers a distraction. Heather grabs a rollup and M grabs her feet for the pin at 3:10.

Rating: C-. There is only so much you can do with this kind of time but at least they did a smart finish by having the Elegance Brand cheat. That’s where everything tends to go with them so everything made sense. The IInspiration isn’t exactly inspiring lately, but it’s not like they have much else to do around here.

Post match Cassie Lee gets in to check on McKay and gets jumped. Cue Santino Marella to make the match.

Cassie Lee vs. M By Elegance

M tries to run but gets thrown back inside for the opening bell. A running big boot in the corner drops Lee for two and M’s snap suplex gets two more. Another big boot gets another near fall and we hit the double arm crank. That’s broken up so Lee can make the clothesline comeback into a Codebreaker for two. Heather gets in a cheap shot but McKay takes her out, leaving Lee to hit a swinging suplex for the pin at 5:07.

Rating: C. Slightly better match here, partially because they had a little bit more time to put it together. I’m not wild on having the two teams split like this but at least the ending could set the IInspiration up for something. It’s a basic way of going, though if you want the IInspiration to look strong, just have them sweep the night.

Steve Maclin talks about standing side by side in the Marines and now Frankie Kazarian is coming after him. That’s fine with Maclin, who isn’t getting through.

The Elegance Brand complains to Santino Marella about the upcoming title match against Masha Slamovich. Marella agrees and makes it No DQ with Indi Hartwell as guest referee. Oh and the IInspiration gets a Knockouts Tag Team Title match at Victory Road.

We recap the recent TNA issues on NXT.

Mike Santana is coming through the crowd for a match but Trick Williams jumps him from behind. Security breaks it up.

Nemeths vs. System

Nic and Myers start things off and go to the mat, with Nic getting two off a quick rollup. A dropkick sends Nic out to the apron and it’s Edwards coming in to send him into the corner. Everything breaks down and the System clears the ring as we take a break. We come back with Edwards fighting out of trouble and handing it back to Myers.

Ryan actually drops him so Nick can hit a top rope elbow, with Edwards making the save. The chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s back to Edwards to pick up the pace. A quick Fameasser gives Nic two and they’re both down. The Danger Zone is blocked and Edwards grabs a Blue Thunder Bomb with Ryan making the save. Cue Order 4 for a distraction, allowing Nic to hit a superkick into the Danger Zone for the pin at 12:44.

Rating: B-. If you want the Nemeths to be built up for their title rematch, this is the kind of win that they need to get. It wasn’t exactly a classic, but the Nemeths got to capitalize on the Order 4’s interference which should give us more between Order 4 and the System. Nice job of setting up two stories at once here.

Post match the Nemeths say they’re getting the title rematch next week so here are the Hardys to chase them off to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The show did a nice job of setting things up for Victory Road, though the action itself was only so good. The main event worked well enough but the rest was a good deal of quick stuff to keep the show moving. Victory Road is coming together well enough and that’s what matters the most, with the show in just a few weeks.

Results
Moose b. AJ Francis – Spear
Joe Hendry b. Travis Williams – Standing Ovation
Myron Reed b. Zachary Wentz, Trey Miguel and Jack Something – 450 to Something
Cassie Lee b. M By Elegance – Spinning suplex
Nemeths b. The System – Danger Zone to Edwards

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

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

Post match Alexander and Slater have a staredown.

Masha Slamovich is ready to get the Knockouts Title back.

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

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

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

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

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

Rascalz vs. Nemeths

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

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

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

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

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

Knockouts Title: Jacy Jayne vs. Masha Slamovich

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming next week.

The System vs. Trick Williams/AJ Francis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kickoff Show: Eric Young vs. Home Town Man

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

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

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

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

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

And now, the show proper.

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

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

Mustafa Ali vs. Cedric Alexander

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

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

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

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

We run down the card.

Joe Hendry is ready to get the World Title back.

The System/Matt Cardona vs. Darkstate

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

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

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

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

Tessa Blanchard vs. Indi Hartwell

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eric Young yells at the Northern Armory.

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

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

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Moose

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

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

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

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

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

The Home Town Man is in the crowd.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Moose vs. Sami Callihan

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

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

The System vs. Order 4

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

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

Tessa Blanchard vs. Dani Luna

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Home Town Man vs. Judas Icarus

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

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

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

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

Steve Maclin wants competition for his International Title.

Matt Cardona vs. Jake Paydirt

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

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

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

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

Slammiversary rundown.

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

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

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

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

Everyone glares at each other.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Elegance Brand vs. Harley Hudson/Myla Grace

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

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

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

Cedric Alexander/Great Hands vs. Secret Service

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

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

Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich vs. Fatal Influence

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Victoria Crawford vs. Indi Hartwell

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

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

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

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

First Class/Nemeths vs. Hardys/Rascalz

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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