Impact Wrestling
Date: July 9, 2026
Location: Broadview Center, Albany, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re in a new place around here with Nic Nemeth as the World Champion and KC Navarro seemingly coming after him as the first challenger. In addition, the Hardys are defending the Tag Team Titles this week, because the Hardys have to be champions around here every so often. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Great Hands

The Hands are challenging and are already in the ring. Hotch mocks the Hardys dance to start as he grabs a headlock on Jeff. With that broken up, Jeff drives him into the corner for the tag off to Matt and a neckbreaker puts Hotch down. Hotch fights back on Matt and knocks him into the corner and hits something like a jawbreaker to the knee. Matt kicks both of them away and brings Jeff in to clean house but the Whisper In The Wind misses. The Hands plant Jeff with Matt making the save, only for the Twist Of Fate into the Swanton to retain the titles at 5:33.

Rating: C+. Hey look: the Hardys get to run through another team, as they have done time after time. It’s just been done at this point and that has been the case for a long time. It isn’t that the Hardys are lacking talent or historic greatness, but it feels like they’ve had the titles for most of the last few years. Find someone new already.

Post match the rest of Order 4 comes out to glare at the Hands and Mustafa Ali makes a phone call.

Lei Ying Lee is ready to get the Knockouts Title back tonight and she’s giving it her all because that title belongs to a real warrior.

Here is Frankie Kazarian for the King’s Speech. After calling Albany boring, he brings out Moose as his guest. Moose talks about getting to share a moment with his wife and son at Slammiversary, but Kazarian suggests that it was quite the traumatizing moment. That doesn’t sit well with Moose, who says his family are doing great. He’s ready to dominate again and says anyone who wants some can come get some.

Kazarian approves of Moose’s abilities but asks if Moose is stupid. How can Moose call himself the face of the franchise when he’s in the ring with a king? Moose goes on a rant about how he’s been here for years and he isn’t leaving to chase a check. Kazarian calls himself an X-Division pioneer with a resume that even Moose can’t match.

Moose says they’re both pillars around here and it’s time for them to fight for the first time. Actually Kazarian isn’t interested and mocks Moose’s NFL career before bringing in First Class. AJ Francis says Tom Brady (who both he and Moose played with in the NFL) told Francis that Moose left the NFL out of fear of Francis coming for him. That doesn’t sit well with Moose, who wants a match with Francis next week. That one seems to be on.

Elijah, with a smoking guitar, wants the World Title and offers to take the fans to the promised land.

Knockouts TV Title Tournament First Round: Indi Hartwell vs. Vicki Venuto

This is Venuto’s debut and she’s here to win rather than make friends. Hartwell grabs an Oklahoma roll for two and hits a running corner clothesline and bulldog right back out. Venuto’s snap suplex puts Hartwell down and a kick to the head gets two more. The cravate has Hartwell getting back up and her spinebuster gets two. The Hurts Donut is blocked though and Venuto gets two off a cutter. Back up and the Hurts Donut finishes Venuto at 5:16.

Rating: C. Hartwell is likely a favorite in the tournament but I’m still not sure I get the appeal. She seems to be such a lighthearted star and that’s not a bad thing, but it doesn’t exactly scream champion. Having a finisher named after such a lame pun doesn’t help her either. You also have Venuto, who did about as fine as someone could do in a five minute match.

We look at Fabian Aichner training and talking about wanting to be here to become a star. Italy is always his home and he grew up as a skier but then got hooked on wrestling. He’s ready to put in the work to become the top star around here. This run has already been better than all of his singles stuff in WWE and he has barely done anything.

Righteous vs. The System vs. Ricky Sosa/Leon Slater

Myers and Slater start things off with the latter scoring off a bouncing kick tot he head. Dutch comes in and gets double superkicked out to the floor. Slater and Sosa hit some big dives and we take a break. We come back with Bronson and Dutch going head to head but Bronson has to chokebomb Slater for two.

Myers’ Roster Cut is blocked with a superkick and it’s back to Sosa to make the fired up comeback. Slater comes in as well for a bunch of kicks but Dutch and Bronson clear the ring and slug it out. Dutch is sent outside for a flip dive off the apron but Slater is right there with the big running flip dive. Back in and Sosa gives Bronson a running uppercut for the pin at 10:26.

Rating: B-. Slater and Sosa are doing well enough to start so why not see what they can do together? Sosa is someone who is at least new and attaching him to someone as popular as Slater isn’t a bad idea. If nothing else, it’s not like Slater has anything to do until he might get a chance at the World Title so this is an interesting use of their combined talents.

Santino Marella likes Sosa’s dance but Daria Rae mocks him. Ryan Nemeth comes in to ask about KC Navarro mocking Nic Nemeth and gets permission to get physical for the sake of defending his family.

Knockouts TV Title Tournament First Round: Jody Threat vs. Gabby Forza

Forza is a debuting powerhouse wearing a hat and LOD shoulder pads while describing herself as “the world’s strongest gnome”. Well that’s a lot going on at once. These two are old friends and Forza shrugs off a running shoulder to start. Threat tries a choke and gets driven into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs.

The “Oklagnoma” Stampede and a Vader Bomb give Forza two so they trade clotheslines until Threat can’t get Pop Shove It. A running dropkick to the back puts Forza on the floor and there’s the running flip dive off the apron. Back in and Forza drops her with a clothesline and again with a powerbomb, followed by a spinning Rock Bottom for two on Threat. Another Vader Bomb hits raised boots though and Pop Shove It finishes Forza at 6:40.

Rating: B-. Forza absolutely made the most of her chance here and it was quite the performance. She felt like a powerhouse that hasn’t been around here since Jordynne Grace and that should be worth at least a second look. At the same time, Threat is back and still pretty much what she always has been, meaning fine enough but not someone I ever look forward to seeing. Forza stood out here (including the gnome thing which was….yeah) and that’s nice to see.

Mustafa Ali tells someone that it’s time to make changes in Order 4 so next week there’s going to be an address, with mandatory attendance.

Here is KC Navarro for a chat. Navarro thought Nic Nemeth was someone he could look up to but now Navarro knows what Nemeth really is. This brings out Nemeth, who says he thought he could make Navarro something special but no one has that much time. Navarro is pretty good but he just doesn’t have “it”.

That sends Navarro into a rant about how he took forever to get here and he wants a World Title shot. Navarro mocks Ryan Nemeth, who runs in to jump Navarro from behind. Nic gets in the ring, saying never come near the family again and lose his number. Navarro was showing some fire here and I’m sure a World Title match is coming, as it should.

Knockouts Title: Lei Ying Lee vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside is defending and it’s No DQ. Lee jumps her on the floor to start fast and the fight is on the floor, with Brookside being tossed inside for the opening bell. They’re right back on the floor with Lee’s spinning kick hitting the steps. That’s shrugged off and Lee is right back with more stomping and forearms inside. A suicide dive hits Brookside and we take a break.

We come back with Brookside whipping her with a belt as Lee’s knee is banged up. Said knee is used to knock Brookside down and a running dropkick does it again. Some right hands in the corner have Brookside crashing out to the floor and it’s time to throw in some weapons. Naturally this includes a table, because setting one of those up makes more sense than hitting someone with a chair.

A piledriver through a table is broken up and Brookside beats on her with the kendo stick. Brookside grabs the title and turns over the table, allowing Lee to take her down. Lee grabs a chair but Brookside knocks it away, earning herself a kick to the face. A top rope flip dive misses for Lee and Brookside belts her in the head for two. Brookside blocks a fist with the chair and Darkside onto the chair retains the title at 16:59.

Rating: B-. It was a good fight and should be the end of the feud, with Brookside putting her away for good. The knee injury didn’t really go anywhere, but at least they didn’t spend a lot of time setting it up. Other than that, Brookside beat her pretty clearly here and now we get to see who is up next for the title.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was more focused on the midcard issues and that’s not a bad thing. If nothing else, it is nice to see those things get some focus instead of the same stuff over and over. Brookside vs. Lee did feel like a pretty big grudge match and that served well as a main event. Other than that, the Hardys got to do their usual stuff, while Slater and Sosa had a nice start as a team. Not a must see show here, but it did a decent job.

Results
Hardys b. Great Hands – Swanton to Skyler
Indi Hartwell b. Vicki Venuto – Hurts Donut
Ricky Sosa/Leon Slater b. Righteous and The System – Running uppercut to Bronson
Jody Threat b. Gabby Forza – Pop Shove It
Xia Brookside b. Lei Ying Lee – Darkside onto a chair

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: July 2, 2026
Location: Broadview Center, Albany, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Slammiversary and the big story is Nic Nemeth winning the World Title from Mike Santana, who might be done with the company. Other than that, the Hardys are the Tag Team Champions again due to the Hardys must be champions no matter what. We’re on the way to Lockdown, or possibly something between now and then, so let’s get to it.

Here is Slammiversary if you need a recap.

We open with a long Slammiversary recap.

Here is Ryan Nemeth to introduce the best wrestler of the last 35,000 years, his BIG BROTHER Nic Nemeth. Nic is rather pleased with how Slammiversary went and has Ryan pull out a scroll, listing various names he has beaten. The list includes Randy Orton, Ultimo Dragon, Kane, Rey Mysterio, Cody Rhodes, Johnny Nitro, Johnny TV, John Morrison and John Cena, among several others.

This brings out KC Navarro to say he wants to talk to Nic, but Ryan says not so fast. Nic cuts that off and offers to let Navarro face Ryan tonight. Other than that though, anyone can come at him and they will be put down. Navarro as a first challenger will be a fine way to burn off a few weeks before we get closer to Lockdown.

Leon Slater says that Cedric Alexander stole the X-Division Title at Slammiversary and Slater is still coming for it. As for tonight, he’s going to teach Eddie Edwards a lesson in the main event as part of his path to becoming the biggest star in TNA. I’m not sure if he will, but Slater getting into the World Title picture isn’t out of the question. He might not be the next big thing, but it’s a distinct possibility.

We look at the announcement of the Knockouts TV Title and the tournament to crown the first champion.

Knockouts TV Title Tournament First Round: Tasha Steelz vs. Mara Sade

They trade some early rollups for two each and Steelz is sent outside, where Sade’s dive connects. A dropkick off the steps connects and Steelz bails again, only to manage to trip Sade on the apron. Back in and Steelz fires off some clotheslines but misses the top rope splash. Sade sends her outside again and hits a slingshot dive, followed by a Sling Blade back inside. A sitout powerbomb gives Sade two but Steelz’s neckbreaker gets the same. Steelz tries a springboard but gets kicked out of the air, allowing Sade to go up. That takes too long too and Steelz misses a charge, allowing Sade to hit the moonsault for the pin at 7:43.

Rating: C. Sade is a good example of someone who came into TNA with almost no reputation and wound up becoming a nice surprise. She’s one of the better stars in the division and has a presence to her. While she’s a long way off from going after Xia Brookside, she’s a good choice for a heck of a run in this tournament.

Post match Order 4 comes out and doesn’t seem pleased with Steelz.

Rich Swann gives BDE a pep talk, even though they’re both in a six way scramble for an X-Division Title shot.

BDE vs. Rich Swann vs. Fabian Aichner vs. Mr. Elegance vs. Jason Hotch vs. Home Town Man

They pair off to start until BDE and Swann are left alone for a respectful slugout. An exchange of rollups gets two each and it’s a standoff until Elegance breaks it up. Aichner drops Elegance with a clothesline and a butterfly superplex gets two on Swann. Hotch comes in to take over but the Man is right there to quite the reaction.

BDE hits a dive, followed by an even bigger one from Swann. Back in and a Tower Of Doom sends Swann flying into a Phoenix splash onto Hotch in a rather cool sequence. Swann hits a Lethal Injection on Hotch but Elegance makes the save. BDE splashes Elegance but gets caught in Aichner’s sitout powerbomb for the pin and the title shot at 5:28.

Rating: B-. As usual with matches like this one, it was a bunch of people flying around doing stuff with Aichner basically catching someone in the end. That’s not a bad thing either, as Aichner has been teased as a challenger for the title since he debuted. BDE continues to play his role of jobber to the stars who can do moves rather well and the rest of the people…well they were there too, as this was mainly about Aichner.

Ricky Sosa meets First Class and isn’t impressed.

Mustafa Ali does not want to hear Order 4’s excuses.

Here is Ricky Sosa for a chat. He’s new around here and the win on Sunday is just the beginning. This brings out the Righteous, who see the potential and offer him a spot on the team. Cue the System, who make an offer of their own, citing the team’s recent successes. Eddie Edwards sums it up by asking if Sosa wants to be a champion or join a cult. Sosa turns both of them down and the brawl is on, with Leon Slater running in for a failed save attempt. As has been the case, TNA needs fresh blood so trying Sosa out is worth a shot.

Elijah is happy to have his music back (despite never losing it).

Knockouts TV Title Tournament First Round: Heather By Elegance vs. Allie

M is here with Heather and Rosemary is here with Allie. Heather jumps Allie to start fast but gets sent into the corner for a running elbow. A trip to the floor goes badly for Allie as she gets her throat snapped over the top rope and a dropkick gives Heather two back inside. Allie shrugs that off to make the clothesline comeback and the Upside Down makes it even worse for Heather. Rosemary cuts off an interfering M but the distraction lets Heather hit a top rope double stomp for the pin at 5:34.

Rating: C. I’m not overly surprised that one of the likely challengers for the Knockouts Tag Team Titles beat one of the champions, but at least it was set up in a different way for once. Allie losing is a bit disappointing but the Elegance Brand has been too big of a deal to not have them go somewhere in the tournament. And it even involved some cheating for the protection.

Here is new Knockouts Champion Xia Brookside for a chat. She gets right to the point with the I TOLD YOU SO, as Lei Ying Lee was jealous and holding her back. Now we’ll get to see how good Brookside is and here she is as the new Knockouts Champion. The title doesn’t belong to the people because it belongs to her. This brings out Lee, who doesn’t see a champion, but rather a fake b****. The rematch is officially on for next week and Lee wants it to be No DQ, with the threat of Warrior’s Way sending Brookside running. Simple and to the point here.

Mustafa Ali begs Daria Rae for a Tag Team Title shot for the Great Hands. Sure. Next week.

KC Navarro vs. Ryan Nemeth

Nic Nemeth is here with Ryan. Navarro runs the ropes to start and hits a Sling Blade but Ryan pulls him off the top. A neckbreaker puts Navarro down on the floor and the chinlock goes on back inside. Navarro fights up for a tornado DDT but gets sent into the post to give Ryan two more. The hip swiveling neckbreaker takes too long though and Navarro comes back with the 305. The running neckbreaker finishes for Navarro at 4:19.

Rating: C+. I had thought that the match was going to be Nic vs. Navarro so it was nice to see Navarro get a win, even over a weasel like Ryan. Navarro is probably going to be getting a shot at Nic in a few weeks and that’s not a bad way for both of them to go. If nothing else, it’s getting Navarro a chance to showcase himself some more and it’s been working fairly well thus far.

Post match Nic lays Navarro out.

The Hardys are ready for the Great Hands but I’m not sure if calling the fans the Die-Hardys is going to work.

Leon Slater vs. Eddie Edwards

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. Hold on though as Alisha insists that Slater’s fans cheer for Eddie instead. They aren’t interesting so Slater’s music starts again (as he’s doing everything but YEETing) so we’re ready to go. Slater hits an early leg lariat before hammering away in the corner.

A poke to the eye cuts Slater off but he’s right back with a handspring elbow. Eddie cuts him off with a backbreaker and a hard whip sends Slater upside down in the corner. A backdrop gives Eddie two and Alisha gets in some choking from the floor. Eddie misses the moonsault though and Slater scores with a spinwheel kick.

The high crossbody gives Slater two but Eddie is back with the Backpack Stunner for the same. They trade shots to the face until a tiger driver and tiger bomb give Eddie two, leaving him looking rather stunned. Slater is right back with the toss Blue Thunder Bomb but Alisha gets on the apron. Cedric Alexander comes in and gets taken out, allowing Eddie to grab a rollup with tights for the pin at 7:34.

Rating: B-. Slater is getting more and more time in these main event spots and that means he’s going to lose on occasion. Losing to a multiple time World Champion is hardly the worst result, though Slater is going to need some help to fight back against the System. There are some options for that spot, but Sosa seems to be a likely choice.

Post match the beatdown is on but Ricky Sosa runs in for the save, much to Slater’s appreciation to end the show. Ah there we go.

Overall Rating: B-. TNA is in a rough spot right now as they aren’t likely to have Mike Santana anymore, along with a few other names. That means they are going to have to be tight with what they have and build up some fresh stars at the same time. While they didn’t take any huge steps forward here, they did a good enough job starting things off after Slammiversary. The post PPV shows have been an issue for TNA in recent years so it was nice to see things go in a different direction for once. They have a long way to go but it’s at least a good first step.

Results
Mara Sade b. Tasha Steelz – Moonsault
Fabian Aichner b. BDE, Rich Swann, Mr. Elegance, Jason Hotch and Home Town Man – Sitout powerbomb to BDE
Heather By Elegance b. Allie – Top rope double stomp
KC Navarro b. Ryan Nemeth – Running neckbreaker
Eddie Edwards b. Leon Slater – Rollup with tights

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: June 25, 2026
Location: National Western Center, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s time for the last show before Slammiversary and as usual in that case, the show is mostly set. The World Title match is actually getting built up well enough, with Nic Nemeth getting under Mike Santana’s skin. Other than that, we have some more matches to build up, which should make for an engaging enough go home show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here are the Broken Hardys to get things going. Matt talks about the Wicked Garden changing them but that is a good thing, as they have now ascended. They have been rebroken by fate and they will get the titles back at Slammiversary. This brings out the Righteous, who talk about how they have beaten the Hardys over and over. Here they stand more enlightened, but Matt threatens more violence.

Cue the System, who mock the whole idea of the weird stuff the other teams are talking about. Matt promises to retain the titles at Slammiversary and the big brawl is on. The Hardys throw in a ladder and Jeff climbs up, sending everyone running before he can dive. Sweet goodness the idea of another ladder match, or even more of the Hardys vs. Righteous, sucks the life out of this story.

In the back, Order 4 comes up to Daria Rae, who doesn’t like what Santino Marella has been doing. As a result, the Great Hands are now in the Tag Team Title ladder match. Well that was random, but that’s what the ladder match needed: more people!

Ash By Elegance vs. Mara Sade

Indi Hartwell is on commentary and the Elegance Brand is here with Ash. Hold on though as Ash has to freak out over the fans calling her a mark and she needs a mental health break RIGHT NOW. Actually M By Elegance can have the match for her. Cue Elayna Black to watch from the stage as Sade hammers away and low bridges M to the floor. The chase is on and Sade gets in a shot to cut M off. Back in and M grabs a hanging cutter out of the corner before grabbing a quickly broken chinlock. Sade hits a superkick and everyone gets in a fight on the floor. Sade’s tornado DDT looks to set up something off the top but Black decks her for the DQ at 5:30.

Rating: C-. So the idea here was basically a bait and switch, I’m assuming as Ash isn’t ready to get back in the ring yet. Fair enough, though her having issues due to fans calling her a mark is hardly the best story. Hopefully Ash can actually get back in the ring sooner than later (her wrestling in headphones or something could be amusing) and Sade getting a bigger win would be nice as well. Maybe do the two of them at the same time?

Post match the brawl is on with Hartwell and the Elegance Brand getting in. The Undead Realm runs in for the real save.

Eric Young tried to show Ricky Sosa how things worked and was disrespected. It’s a test and Sosa will learn at Slammiversary.

AJ Francis vs. Manny Lemons

Lemons tries a shot from behind to start and gets AA’ed for his efforts. A running knee in the corner lets Francis mock Elijah’s version of Old School. The TFL and Down Payment finish Lemons at 3:10.

Rating: C. This was just a squash but seeing Francis doing Old School, just like Elijah, doesn’t it impressive as much as it makes it seem like a lot of people can do it. Other than that, Francis continues to be decent as a big man as he has come a long way in a short while. TNA is probably his ceiling, but given where he was, that’s not half bad.

Post match Elijah pops up on screen to say he and Francis are fighting at Slammiversary with his name and likeness on the line. I’m not sure if that’s how contracts work.

Harley Hudson vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside jumps her to start fast but has to block a backslide attempt. Hudson knocks her back down and does some pushups on Brookside’s back, only to get stomped in the corner. Brookside kicks her into the corner and cranks on the arm before kicking her face first into the mat. Hudson fights up for a running hip attack in the corner and a fall away slam gets two. The middle rope elbow misses though and Darkside finishes Hudson at 5:54.

Rating: C+. Hudson has grown on me a bit in recent months and she could wind up being a nice addition to the midcard going forward. On the other hand you have Brookside, who almost has to win the title on Sunday as otherwise, what else is she supposed to do? It’s been set up perfectly well and it’s not like Lee is some top level champion. Just go with the logical move here and figure out what is next.

Post match Brookside goes after Hudson again but Lei Ying Lee….quickly walks to the ring for the save. What a sense of urgency.

Earlier today we had a sitdown meeting between Nic Nemeth and Mike Santana before their title match. Nemeth talks about how Santana has had a great year but Nemeth has had 23 great years. Santana goes through everything he has faced over the years and the title is his reward for the whole thing.

Yes Nemeth has done everything over the years and he deserves credit, but Santana was the one who put this company on his back and carried it forward. People thought Nemeth was going to be that guy but Santana actually was that guy. Nemeth brings up Santana’s daughter, which makes Santana take his sunglasses off. Santana decks him and the brawl is on, with Ryan Nemeth offering a distraction so Nic can send Santana into the title on the table.

Here is Moose, with JDC, for a chat. Moose is ready for the No Surrender match on Sunday, where you win when the other person’s cornerman throws in the towel. He suggests that payback is a b****, just like Alisha Edwards, which brings out Eddie and Alisha to interrupt. Eddie talks about rebuilding the System into a better version but JDC says that wrestling has made Eddie sick in the head.

JDC brings up their daughter and Alisha gets in his face before yelling at Moose for getting played. She calls Moose a coward as he leaves, which brings him back in but they avoid the violence as Moose and JDC leave. That’s two segments in a row where someone’s daughter was brought up. Maybe come up with something else?

Video on Ricky Sosa vs. Eric Young.

Mr. Elegance/Frankie Kazarian/Cedric Alexander vs. KC Navarro/Leon Slater/Giovanni Vinci

Alexander does the eternally fresh and never overdone “tag out at the bell” deal and Vinci takes over on Elegance to start. Navarro comes in to strike Elegance down for two and a slingshot dropkick hits Kazarian in the ropes. Everything breaks down and the good guys all hit dives for quite the positive reaction.

Back in and Elegance stomps on Slater hand before driving in some knees to the ribs. Alexander comes in and knocks Slater outside, where Kazarian gets in some cheap shots before sending him back inside. Slater fights up but Kazarian pulls his partners down, which is always a smart move.

A spinning crossbody takes Kazarian out though and it’s back to Vinci to clean house. Elegance saves Kazarian from a Doomsday Device and Navarro’s high crossbody is pulled out of the air. Everything breaks down and we hit the parade of strikes to the face and knockdowns until Slater hits Elegance with the Swanton 450. Kazarian is right there to roll Slater up for the pin at 13:54.

Rating: B. I love a good fast paced six man tag and it was a lot of fun here as a nice preview for Ultimate X. That match is going to be all about going nuts and doing one crazy spot after another and we more or less got this here. Throw in Amazing Red on Sunday and it should be even more fun with all kinds of craziness, which is the point of such a match.

Here is Nic Nemeth for a chat. He doesn’t think Mike Santana will be at Slammiversary so let’s just make him the World Champion right now. Nemeth wants Carlos Silva out here to give him the title but Ryan Nemeth falls through the entrance and a bloody Santana shows up for the beating. Security comes in to hold them apart and Santana goes into the crowd to end the show. They’ve taken a pretty much nothing story here and turned it into a hot feud. That’s impressive and it had to be done given how big of a show they have coming up.

Overall Rating: B. The best thing I can say about a go home show is that it made me more interested in the pay per view than I was coming in. They made that happen here and now I want to see how things go on Sunday. The main event match and the big segment at the end were both good and I’m interested in Slammiversary. This weekend is going to be packed and TNA needed to step it up to not get overlooked. This show did a good job of going in that direction and hopefully they can deliver on Sunday. Nice job here.

Results
Mara Sade b. M By Elegance via DQ when Elayna Black interfered
AJ Francis b. Manny Lemons – Down Payment
Xia Brookside b. Harley Hudson – Darkside
Mr. Elegance/Frankie Kazarian/Cedric Alexander b. KC Navarro/Leon Slater/Giovanni Vinci – Jackknife rollup to Slater

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 18, 2026
Location: National Western Center, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re coming up on Slammiversary and that means things are mostly set for the pay per view. There is still time to change a few things though and we might get something done about that this week. Nic Nemeth is officially next up for World Champion Mike Santana and that won’t sit well for the champ. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Xia Brookside for a chat. She finds it amazing that the people think she did something wrong. Everything was always supposed to be about her but then it became about Lei Ying Lee more and more every week. Brookside should have done this a long time ago and Lee never saw it coming. That’s because Lee is a dumba** but here is Lee to interrupt. Lee isn’t impressed and rants in Chinese, which doesn’t bother Brookside. The brawl is on with Lee beating up security, allowing Brookside to escape. Granted Lee just standing there rather than following made it easier.

Mike Santana is ready for his tag match tonight and facing Nic Nemeth at Slammiversary. Yeah Nemeth attacked him last week but at Slammiversary, he’ll Spin The Block and retain the title. KC Navarro (Santana’s partner) comes in to say they have to win and Santana seems ready.

Mustafa Ali/Great Hands vs. KC Navarro/Nic Nemeth/Mike Santana

The rest of Order 4 is here with Ali and company and Nemeth and Santana can’t fight each other without getting in trouble. Santana and Skyler start things off and I’m just waiting on Nemeth to tag himself in and yeah there it is before anything can happen. Everything breaks down and Santana powerbombs Ali over the top onto the Hands as we take a break.

We come back with Navarro in trouble and a triple powerbomb planting him for two. Something like a Stundog Millionaire lets Navarro bring in Santana to clean house but Nemeth tags himself in for the near fall. A middle rope G9 gets two on Nemeth with Navarro making the save. Santana saves Nemeth from a double suplex and grabs a double rolling Buck Fifty on the Hands. The double Danger Zone sets up the double pin for Nemeth and Santana at 9:11.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure why Navarro and Ali needed to be in this but the finish was good with Nemeth and Santana working together despite not really being able to stand each other. It’s nice to see the feud actually getting some attention and so far that’s working well enough. Just let Navarro challenge Ali for the International Title at Slammiversary and it should be fine.

Post match Ryan Nemeth runs in to go after Santana, who hits Navarro by mistake. Nic takes Santana out again.

Post break Nic comes up to Navarro and says he knew they couldn’t trust Santana. Ryan comes in and blames Navarro but here is Santana, with security holding him back. With the Nemeths gone, Santana takes the blame for hitting Navarro, who seems to want to fight the Nemeths.

Here is Frankie Kazarian for the King’s Speech. He’s excited about the return of Ultimate X at Slammiversary because he has won more of them than anyone on the active roster. That brings him to his guests, with Leon Slater and Cedric Alexander joining him. Kazarian brings up Slater being only a day away from the longest X-Division Title reign in history and Alexander laughs at Slater.

It’s true that Slater failed, with Alexander having way too much fun about taking away Slater’s dream. The fight is almost on and Kazarian calms them down, saying he’s in Ultimate X as well. Now hit his music. Alexander going all over the top was rather funny though and I’ll take that from this thing.

We get an AJ Francis: Inside The Music, with Francis talking about how much he wanted to be in music…and now he owns the rights to everything Elijah has done. That’s certainly a unique way to go.

Ricky Sosa vs. Dak Draper

Eric Young is on commentary and Draper was a thing in the dying days of Ring Of Honor. They fight over waistlocks to start until Draper takes him down but misses a knee drop. Sosa can’t get a suplex so Draper knocks him down again and gets the knee drop this time. Back up and Sosa knocks him to the floor for the dive but stops to glare at Young, allowing Draper to break up the springboard. Back in and a tilt-a-whirl powerslam plants Sosa for two but he’s back up with a spinning kick to the head. A snap German suplex drops Draper again and the Blue Thunder Bomb finishes for Sosa at 5:55.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure I get it with Sosa, as he really hasn’t done much that makes him stand out thus far. Granted it hasn’t been much, but there is only so much there. On the other hand, TNA needs some fresh blood and Sosa is as good as any other option they have at the moment so let’s see what he has.

The Elegance Brand comes up to see Daria Rae, with the Personal Concierge hyping up Mr. Elegance. This is enough for Rae to put him in Ultimate X. Indi Hartwell comes up and gets in a bit of an argument with Ash By Elegance.

Elayna Black vs. Indi Hartwell

Mara Sade is on commentary. Hartwell jumps over Black in the corner to start and boots her down for an early two. Black avoids a charge though and kicks Hartwell down for two of her own. A springboard (off the bottom rope) double stomp connects as well and Black grabs the chinlock. With that broken up, Hartwell grabs a spinebuster, only to be distracted by the Personal Concierge and Ash. Black gets in a cheap shot but Sade cuts Ash off, allowing Hartwell’s backslide to get the pin at 4:41.

Rating: C. This was more about the women getting involved in the end and that’s probably better than having the match go long. These two are in a less than great place as are only so interesting, though at least Hartwell can deal with the Elegance Brand. As for Black…yeah I’m still not seeing it and I don’t see that changing.

Post match the brawl is on with Sade and Hartwell clearing the ring.

Fabian Aichner talks to Santino Marella and gets a spot in Ultimate X. Nic Nemeth comes in to get KC Navarro a spot of of his own.

Mike Santana commandeers a camera and wants to see Nic Nemeth face to face.

The System vs. Moose/Hardys

The rest of the System is here with the System…and Moose is Broken. Oh joy. Moose and Edwards start things off but of course Edwards hands it off to Myers instead. Matt comes in to tie Myers’ arm up in the rope and crank away before Jeff comes in to help. The System is sent outside and we take an early break.

We come back with Jeff in trouble and Edwards going over to mock Moose. This earns him quite the planting onto the apron but Bronson keeps Jeff in the corner. It’s back to Myers for a chinlock but Jeff gets up for a double clothesline. Moose gets to come back in and clean house, with the chokebomb out of the corner getting two on Edwards. Everything breaks down and we hit the big parade of knockdowns. Cue the Righteous with the ladder on the stage for a distraction and Moose accidentally spears a kendo stick. The Boston Knee Party gives Edwards the pin at 13:57.

Rating: B-. The action was fine, which shouldn’t be much of a shock, but my goodness how long is this Hardys vs. Righteous stuff going to last? It’s been going on for months now and now we get to have a ladder involved because the Hardys are part of the feud. It feels so lame and standard for them and the Righteous being the latest “creepy” team isn’t much.

Here is Mike Santana to call out Nic Nemeth. Instead he gets Ryan Nemeth and Santana isn’t interested in the MY BIG BROTHER stuff. Cue Nic to say that Santana is too emotional and his title reign is on borrowed time. Santana isn’t impressed and he’ll see Nic at Slammiversary. What a thrilling ending.

Overall Rating: C+. This was the show where we got closer to Slammiversary, which was mostly set outside of the Ultimate X participants. They did a nice job with the Brookside/Lee stuff and Santana vs. Nemeth does feel bigger. This was the kind of show that Slammiversary needed, though they still have quite a ways to go.

Results
Mike Santana/Nic Nemeth/KC Navarro b. Mustafa Ali/Great Hands – Double pin
Ricky Sosa b. Dak Draper – Blue Thunder Bomb
Indi Hartwell b. Elayna Black – Backslide
The System b. Hardys/Moose – Boston Knee Party to Moose

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: June 11, 2026
Location: National Western Center, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s title night as while we’re about two and a half weeks away from Slammiversary, the World Title is being defended this week. Mike Santana is putting the title on the line against Eric Young, who won a battle royal a few weeks ago to get the shot. Other than that, we probably get to find out some more matches for the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

TNA World Title: Eric Young vs. Mike Santana

Santana is defending and, after the Big Match Intros, charges at him in the corner to start fast. A powerbomb out of the corner gives Santana two and he knocks Young around ringside. Young is back up with a slam onto the apron and a neckbreaker on the same apron as we take a break.

We come back with Young knocking him out to the floor and sending him back inside for two. Young goes up and gets superplexed down for a double breather. The rolling Buck Fifty gives Santana two but the referee gets bumped in the corner, meaning Spin The Block gets nothing. A low blow, belt shot and piledriver give Young two so Young loads up another piledriver. Cue the returning Ricky Sosa, allowing Santana to hit a quick rollup for the pin to retain at 13:32.

Rating: B-. Well, the most important thing here is that Young didn’t win the title and this should move him away from the title picture. Santana is likely dealing with Nic Nemeth at Slammiversary and now we should get ready for the next pay per view title defense. Young gets to move on to a better feud with Sosa and that should be a good way for Sosa to really start his run around here.

Post match here is Nic Nemeth with the trophy to say he could call his shot right now, but he’s a man of his word. Earlier this week, he said he would use his title shot at Slammiversary and that is what he is going to do. As cheap of a way as that is to set up a title shot, it’s about all there is right now.

Mustafa Ali, with Order 4, liked what Nic Nemeth just did. As for KC Navarro, Ali gives his condolences for Navarro’s losses. Both of them, including the match tonight and his uncle earlier this week. That’s rather cold.

We look back at AJ Francis laying out Elijah last week and apparently buying his likeness and music library.

Elijah vs. Mr. Elegance

Elijah says no one will silence him but here is a lawyer with a cease and desist letter. The distraction lets Elegance grab a small package for the pin at 12 seconds.

Post match here is AJ Francis to mock Elijah for losing again, earning himself a beating. They fight into the crowd (yo TNA: stop going into the crowd when there are large areas of empty seats) and here is Lei Ying Lee to brawl with Elegance. Xia Brookside comes in for a cheap shot but gets taken out.

Nic Nemeth gives KC Navarro a pep talk. Ryan Nemeth comes in as well but here is Mike Santana, who respects Nic for announcing the title shot man to man. Santana will be ready for him at Slammiversary. Navarro says he has a title to win and could use either Santana or Nic’s help with Order 4. They both seem intrigued but don’t agree.

Fabian Aichner/Leon Slater vs. The System

Slater and Alexander start things off and, say it with me, Alexander tags Edwards right at the bell. That earns Edwards a kick to the face and it’s off to Aichner, who gets cheap shotted from the apron. Alexander suplexes him onto the apron and we take a break. We come back with Aichner still in trouble and Edwards grabbing a chinlock.

That’s broken up and Aichner gets in a knockdown, followed by kicking Edwards away. Slater gets the tag to clean house and a high crossbody gets two on Alexander. Everything breaks down and Aichner tornado DDTs Alexander, which brings out the rest of the System. Slater dives onto both of them but Alexander grabs the Lumbar Check for the pin at 9:59.

Rating: B-. This was a perfectly acceptable tag match as Slater continues to want revenge on the System. I’m hoping that he moves on to something bigger after this is done, as he seems too important for the X-Division and yet he has only teased a few moves up the ladder. Other than that, Aichner’s start continues to go well now that he’s away from the awkward debut.

Post match the beatdown is on but Moose returns for the save. Moose vs. Edwards is set for Slammiversary.

Santino Marella is happy with his win last week. Indi Hartwell comes in and is granted a match with Elayna Black next week, which is all she wanted.

Here is the Righteous for a chat. They brag about their win last week, including poisoning Jeff Hardy last week. The Hardys have survived everything over thirty years but they come into the Wicked Garden and are immediately classified as obsolete. That leaves the Righteous wanting the Tag Team Titles.

This brings out Santino Marella, who says the Hardys still have a rematch clause so they’ll get a title shot at Slammiversary, as will the Righteous in a three way match. A three way LADDER match. GOOD GRIEF ENOUGH WITH THE LADDER MATCHES! My goodness just have them wrestle once in a blue moon already. The Righteous laugh at the idea because the Hardys are gone but the lights go out, Matt Hardy’s laugh is heard, and a ladder appears.

The Elegance Brand vs. Allie/Rosemary/Mara Sade

Mr. Elegance offers a quick distraction to start and it’s a big brawl on the floor before the bell. Sade and M start things off with Sade hitting a middle rope dropkick. Rosemary comes in with a doll, which seems to control Ash. This involves making her dance and biting her for some pain before throwing the doll to M. Ash chokes Rosemary on the rope and it’s off to Heather to choke on the rope. Rosemary fights up and brings Allie in to clean house as everything breaks down. Allie hits a quick running Codebreaker to pin Heather at 5:31.

Rating: C. This was more about the doll bit and fair enough. Given some of the things the Undead Realm (just name them that already) have done, this is hardly a stretch. Ash sells comedy well enough too and it could have been worse. The match was mainly about running all over the place, especially in the end and that’s fine enough.

Slammiversary rundown.

International Title: KC Navarro vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali is defending and elbows Navarro in the face to start. Navarro sends him outside though and hits a big dive as we take a break. We come back with Navarro getting to the rope to escape an STF. The 450 misses though and Ali misses a charge into the buckle. They both go up and Ali tries a fireman’s carry, with Navarro reversing into a cutter for a huge crash. Navarro hits a Fameasser for two and a running flipping neckbreaker gets the same. Navarro looks up at the sky but dives into a Sharpshooter for the tap at 10:37.

Rating: C+. This was ok while it lasted but at the same time, that was quite the punch to the gut of a finish, with Navarro referencing his uncle and then tapping out almost immediately. Ali retaining is fine as he’s likely going to be in for a big time title defense at Slammiversary. Navarro is a talented guy but he’s not on Ali’s level and it never seemed like he was.

Post match Ali puts the Sharpshooter on again but here are Nic Nemeth and Mike Santana for the save. Ali teases a belt shot on Santana but Nemeth gives Ali a superkick. Then Nemeth gives Santana the Danger Zone to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was the show where they got everything else cleared out of the way before we can get on to Slammiversary. That’s a good thing as well, as there wasn’t much of anything that stood out with what they were doing in recent weeks. Slammiversary still doesn’t look great but at least there is a card to build towards and that has been needed for awhile now.

Results
Mike Santana b. Eric Young – Rollup
Mr. Elegance b. Elijah – Small package
The System b. Fabian Aichner/Leon Slater – Lumbar Check to Slater
Allie/Rosemary/Mara Sade b. The Elegance Brand – Codebreaker to Heather
Mustafa Ali b. KC Navarro – Sharpshooter

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: May 21, 2026
Location: Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re back to taped after last week’s live show which was kind of all over the place. Last week’s show saw Cedric Alexander end Leon Slater’s near record setting X-Division Title reign. The show ended with the debut of Fabian Aichner, which is certainly a surprise, though maybe not the biggest. As for tonight, Steve Maclin gets his (second) World Title shot against Mike Santana. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is the System to get things going. Eddie Edwards brags about the team’s success and says Cedric Alexander got them one step closer to holding all of the gold. He’s coming for Mike Santana but Brian Myers doesn’t like the fans disliking them. Bronson promises that anyone who comes after them will be eaten alive. Alexander became the Record Taker last week and if Fabian Aichner has something to say, come say it.

Cue Aichner, who says he was out here to introduce himself last week. He knows he’s a future TNA Champion and that X-Division Title looks nice. The team comes after Aichner, who gets right through them and chokes Alexander, sending the System running. That already makes Aichner look more interesting than anything he did in WWE.

Daria Rae gives Steve Maclin a pep talk and he says…absolutely nothing.

Elayna Black vs. Indi Hartwell

Stacks and Arianna Grace are on commentary. Black gets shoved out of the corner to start fast and Hartwell boots her in the face. Another boot to the side of the head gets two but Black shoves her off the top for a crash to the floor. Back in and Black knees her in the back for two, followed by a running knee for the same. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Hartwell fights up with a spinebuster. Hartwell goes up but Grace shoves her down for the DQ at 4:05.

Rating: C. They didn’t have much time to get this going and the biggest thing here was Grace going after Hartwell. That’s a feud that has been built up for a bit and will probably get us closer to Hartwell going after the Knockouts Title down the line. Then you have Black who continues to just kind of be here, which has been an issue for her since her debut. At least she isn’t taking pins all the time though, meaning there is still hope for her at the moment.

Post match Grace throws Hartwell outside and rants about Santino Marella, who comes out to interrupt. Marella says that wasn’t cool and yells at Stacks, who seems interested in a fight. The Cobra is loaded up but cue Daria Rae to interrupt. After her catchphrase, she brings up her own past in MMA and tells everyone to leave.

The Elegance Brand is planning for Ash’s return when the lights go out. The lights come back up and there is a message from the Undead Realm, saying they’ll see the Brand soon.

Vincent vs. Matt Hardy

Dutch is here with Vincent. Hardy’s music starts but Vincent says hang on, because he wants Broken Matt. Cue Matt, with Jeff Hardy, and yes he’s Broken because this is still a thing. Jeff and Dutch have to be handcuffed to the corners and we start with Matt avoiding a charge into the corner. Dutch grabs him by the leg though and we take a break.

We come back with Matt striking away until a double clothesline puts them both down. Matt pops up and sends him into the corner over and over. The powerbomb out of the corner plants Vincent, who starts untying his boot. A big swing misses Matt and he bites Vincent’s foot. Dutch offers a distraction so Vincent gets in a running shot to the face.

The Twist Of Fate is countered and the referee gets bumped, with Vincent belly to back suplexing Matt down. Vincent steals the key from the referee’s pocket…but the lights go out (just like in the previous backstage segment). This time though, Willow is back to beat Vincent up with the umbrella. The Twist Of Fate gives Matt the pin at 11:29.

Rating: C+. I know the Broken stuff has its audience and I continue to not be part of it. This was another instance of the Hardys getting to do their weird stuff and get out their creativity or whatever they’re calling it this time. At the same time, the Hardys get to win again, as they tend to do far too often around here.

AJ Francis comes up to applaud Elijah’s guitar playing and suggests a collaboration. Elijah politely declines and Francis says you’re going to regret that. Francis: “You’re going to regret that.”

Santino Marella announces a pair of upcoming Champions Challenges (champions vs. challengers) but Daria Rae interrupts and makes Marella vs. Stacks for next week. Marella approves and leaves, with the System coming in. Eddie Edward requests and receives a match with Fabian Aichner next week.

International Title: Chazz Hall vs. Mustafa Ali

Hall, from NXT/Evolve, is challenging and Ali has Order 4 with him. They run the ropes and trade legsweeps to start until Ali sends him into the corner. Hall knocks him away and hits a springboard wristdrag, setting up a running flip dive to the floor. Back in and Ali cutters him for two before taking Hall up top. The super Razor’s Edge is countered into a super hurricanrana, followed by a standing corkscrew moonsault for two. Sliced Bread is broken up and Ali grabs a backslide and flips forward into a cradle to retain at 4:47.

Rating: B-. They packed a bunch of stuff into the limited time they had here and that was nice to see. Hall got to showcase himself fairly well, with those flips and dives looking nice. The rollup was rather smooth as well though and Ali certainly seemed to be fired up off that nice of a pin.

Mara Sade meets actor Keith Jardine, who agrees to be in her corner.

Eric Young fires up the rather serious/possibly zombified Steve Maclin. Young talks about giving him an opportunity and now Maclin has to make the biggest choice of his life.

Jada Stone vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside looks annoyed and backs Stone into the corner to start. Stone rolls her up and Brookside goes outside for a breather. Back in and the threat of a leglock sends Stone over to the ropes so she comes back up with a wristlock. Stone knocks her down but takes too long going up, with Brookside going back to the leg. Said leg is tied up and cranked on until Brookside ties it up in the corner. Stone fights back and gets in a kick to the face, setting up a split legged moonsault for two. A handspring is cut off with a kick to the leg though and Darkside (implant DDT) finishes for Brookside at 7:09.

Rating: C+. I like Brookside getting a chance in this way and while it’s early, it’s working for her thus far. She very easily could bring it back around the whole “it’s your birthright” thing and this is her way to get there. It’s working for her well enough so far and picking Stone apart was a good way to go.

Steve Maclin goes after Mike Santana in the back but security holds them apart.

Stacks and Arianna Grace are ready for Santino Marella next week.

TNA World Title: Steve Maclin vs. Mike Santana

Santana is defending. They immediately slug it out to start and Maclin blocks the superkick (which knocked him out at Sacrifice). A missed dropkick puts Santana down but he’s right back up with a belly to back faceplant. Maclin heads outside and gets taken out by a dive but is able to post Santana for a breather. The table is loaded up and Santana seems to tweak his knee. That’s fine with Maclin, who scores with a chop block to put Santana down.

We take a break and come back with Santana reversing a Figure Four to send Stacks over to the rope. Maclin dives into a Death Valley Driver and they’re both down again. Back up and a jumping enziguri rocks Maclin in the corner but the rolling Buck Fifty is blocked. Santana escapes the Tree Of Woe though and now the rolling Buck Fifty connects for two. A spinning powerbomb gives Santana two but Spin The Block is countered into a Michinoku Driver for two more.

The spear in the Tree Of Woe gets another two and they go up top. Santana drops down to the apron and kicks Maclin through the table, followed by a frog splash for two more. Maclin collapses before Spin The Black can connect, which is a ruse so he can connect with a superkick of his own. Santana is back with a jumping clothesline into Spin The Block to retain at 17:37.

Rating: B. So that was the Sacrifice main event postponed by a bit and that’s perfectly fine. I do like Maclin getting his title shot and a chance at a full match rather than the mishap from the first attempt. This worked and felt like a main event, though I could have gone with something other than a second match in a row with someone working on the leg.

Overall Rating: B-. It’s another perfectly efficient show, with a big main event and some stuff being set up for later. I could go for less of the Broken Hardys and the battling bosses, but the champions vs. all stars matches should be good. They covered quite a bit here and that’s always appreciated, with a more steady show after last week’s live edition.

Results
Indi Hartwell b. Elayna Black via DQ when Arianna Grace interfered
Matt Hardy b. Vincent – Twist Of Fate
Mustafa Ali b. Chazz Hall – Rollup
Xia Brookside b. Jada Stone – Darkside
Mike Santana b. Steve Maclin – Spin The Block

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 14, 2026
Location: Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s another live show this week and the card is pretty stacked. On the docket this week, we have a street fight and a 2/3 falls match as Leon Slater defends the X-Division Title against Cedric Alexander in a bid to become the longest reigning champion of all time. The live shows have been hit or miss and I’m hoping they make it work here. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Leon Slater’s near record setting X-Division Title reign, with only Cedric Alexander standing in the way of the record.

Opening sequence.

Battle Royal

Eddie Edwards, Bear Bronson, Brian Myers, Elijah, Mr. Elegance, Mustafa Saed, BDE, Eric Young, Vincent, Dutch, Frankie Kazarian, Home Town Man, Agent Zero, John Skyler, Jason Hotch

For a future World Title shot against Mike Santana and yes that is the same 62 year old Saed from ECW. Saed uses a bunch of weapons to start, gets in a fight with Zero, and is tossed. Good grief let the ECW thing die already. Anyway Zero and Dutch get in a fight and are both tossed. Elegance gets rid of BDE and poses, only to get tossed by Man. The System tries to get rid of Man, who backdrops Myers out instead.

Hotch gets knocked outside onto the steps (as moved by Zero) but pops back up onto the apron. A jumping knee knocks him out again as they’re certainly moving here. Kazarian tosses Man out of the corner but gets eliminated as well. Elijah faces off with the System but gets grabbed by Kazarian. That’s fine with Elijah, who backdrops the System out and before slugging it out with Young on the apron. A low blow gets rid of Elijah to give Young the win at 4:57.

Rating: C. Well they made good time. If you have a bunch of people who have no real chance of winning and a few stars in there, at least they didn’t waste time with all of the nonsense. That being said, Eric Young? That might actually be worse than bringing ECW, ahem, legends, out of mothballs again and again.

Leon Slater says this isn’t just another title match tonight because it’s his chance to rewrite the record books. The Hardys come in to offer some words of encouragement.

Mustafa Ali yells at Order 4 for losing and says the International Title open challenge is back next week.

Eric Young promises to win the World Title. That has to be illegal in multiple states yes?

Here is Lei Ying Lee for a chat. Last week was the greatest night of her life and she got the Knockouts Title back. She is so proud of herself for bringing the title back to TNA and while her English isn’t the best (her words), she wants to say thank you from the bottom of her heart. Cue Xia Brookside to interrupt, saying she wants the title. Lee rants in Chinese and translates to English, saying they can do this right now. Brookside says no and calls her a b**** in Mandarin.

The System promises to take out Moose and Cedric Alexander is getting the X-Division Title tonight.

Keith Jardine, star of an upcoming movie, is here but the Elegance Brand interrupts. Jardine isn’t impressed so Mr. Elegance gets in Jardine’s face. And then security gets them apart. Ok then.

AJ Francis vs. KC Navarro

Street fight and Chris Caray (the great grandson of Harry Caray and a fourth generation MLB announcer is on commentary). Navarro avoids a charge to start and kicks him in the face but gets knocked down without much trouble. They get inside where the Down Payment is countered and Navarro hits the 305. A suicide dive is pulled out of the air but Navarro keeps spinning into a tornado DDT. The table is set up on the floor and Navarro uses a chair before sending him into the steps.

We take a break and come back with Francis posting Navarro and stealing the baseball bat that Caray brought for protection. Navarro takes it away and finds an Athletics (the team Caray broadcasts and local to Sacramento at the moment) helmet. With Francis down in the corner, Navarro takes a swing at the air, runs around the corners, and dropkicks a trashcan into Francis.

A Fameasser gives Navarro two and he throws in a bunch of chairs. The chairs are set up but Francis gets in a bat shot, only for the super Down Payment is countered into a cutter onto the steps. Francis boots him down and hits the Down Payment over the top through the tables at ringside. What’s left of Navarro is thrown back inside and pinned at 15:01.

Rating: B-. I’m a big baseball fan so this was a nice little meeting of the two words. I’m not sure on Navarro being so obsessed with revenge that he had the time to stop for the home run deal but it was fine enough. That chokeslam at the end looked great and Francis can move on to something else. Caray was actually pretty good on commentary, as he might not have known much about what he was seeing but he made some nice comparisons to baseball and certainly sounded like he was interested. That’s a lot more than some guest broadcasters do.

We look at Leon Slater winning the X-Division Title last year at Slammiversary.

Here is Mike Santana for a chat (you might not want to have him walk through so many empty seats). Santana talks about his actions and words matching up and now he has a challenger. He’s facing Eric Young, who helped build this place, but Santana is the one who helped build this place in the AMC era. This brings out Daria Rae, who says the next challenger is actually Steve Maclin next week.

No she didn’t explain this to Santino Marella, but here he is to interrupt. He likes the title match, but he has his own announcements. First, Indi Hartwell has re-signed with TNA. Marella is also proud of Lei Ying Lee but Rae brings up Marella’s issues with Arianna Grace. Santana cuts them off and says he’ll beat anyone to keep his title. Rae has got to drop the SHUT UP I’M TALKING thing as it’s one of the worst catchphrases I’ve ever heard.

Myla Moore/Victoria Crawford vs. Rosemary/Allie

Tessa Blanchard and Mara Sade are here too. Rosemary backs Moore into the corner to start and Allie gets in a bite from the apron. Allie comes in to scream a lot and hits a running corner clockwise. Moore chokes her in the ropes though and it’s off to Crawford for a chinlock. Allie gets double kneed in the corner but comes out with a neckbreaker. Rosemary comes in to clean house and it’s a double Upside Down. Sade takes Blanchard out on the floor and Allie drops Moore next to her. Back in and As Above So Below finishes Crawford at 6:26.

Rating: C+. It’s so nice to have Allie and Rosemary back, as it gives Rosemary something to do and Allie has been gone for far too long. The Undead Realm stuff was kind of weird but the division needed some fresh blood. It helps that the two of them are long established names so they come in with an advantage.

Video on Leon Slater.

The Broken Hardys are ready to delete the Righteous.

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Cedric Alexander

Slater is defending in a 2/3 falls match. They trade some rapid fire strikes in the corner until Slater reverses the Lumbar Check into a rollup for the first fall at 35 seconds. We take a break and come back with Slater getting whipped into the Tree Of Woe. Alexander pulls him into a backbreaker for two and we hit the chinlock. Slater isn’t having that and makes the clothesline comeback, including a spinwheel kick.

A high crossbody gives Slater two and they trade some rollups for two each. The Michinoku Driver gives Alexander two more but Slater knocks him into the corner. That just earns Slater the Lumbar Check to tie it up at 10:41 total. We take another break and come back again with both of them pulling themselves up. Slater sends him outside for the big flip dive over the corner, followed by a super Styles Clash for two back inside.

They head outside, where Alexander lawn darts him into the steps but stops to hold up the belt. Slater is rather busted open but he’s able to get two off a small package. Alexander’s brainbuster gets the same and another Lumbar Check gets another two. Slater knocks him down but misses the Swanton 450. Two more Lumbar Checks give Alexander the title at 22:11 total.

Rating: B. Well it certainly felt big, mainly because the match was treated as a huge deal. That’s what it needed to be, as Slater has been an outstanding champion. The good thing is Slater is a made man after his title reign and very well could move on to the World Title picture. Either way, good match here, and I’m not expecting Alexander to hold onto it for very long. Rather good main event here, with the atmosphere helping a lot.

Post match….Fabian Aichner (Giovanni Vinci) of all people shows up to stare Alexander down to end the show. That’s the kind of moment that really doesn’t need to be ending a show this big. Aichner was never a huge deal in WWE and while that could be better here (it can’t be worse than his Vinci stuff), this comes off as “he used to be in WWE so bring him in”. Him being here is good, but it’s definitely not a big closing the show with a surprise moment.

Overall Rating: B. The show did feel big and the main event mixed with the better than expected street fight brights it up. That being said, TNA has a very odd definition of a big moment/surprise and that was certainly on display again here. It’s a good show, though Aichner coming out at the end was more of an “uh, ok?” moment than a “whoa”.

Results
Eric Young won a battle royal last eliminating Elijah.
AJ Francis b. KC Navarro – Down Payment through tables
Rosemary/Allie b. Victoria Crawford/Myla Moore – As Above So Below to Crawford
Cedric Alexander b. Leon Slater 2-1

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: April 30, 2026
Location: Upstate Medical University Arena At The Oncenter War Memorial, Syracuse, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

Unless I’ve missed it, we don’t have a big show announced yet outside of Slammiversary. That’s all the way in late June so I’d assume we’ll be getting an announcement sooner than later. I’m not sure who is going to be coming after the World Title, but it’s time for Elijah vs. Frankie Kazarian in a guitar strap match. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Vincent vs. Jeff Hardy

Their partners are barred from ringside. Hardy jumps him to start fast but it’s way too early for the Swanton. Instead Hardy dives outside to take him down on the floor, followed by the spinning mule kick back inside. Another Swanton attempt is broken up and Vincent rams him into the apron. Back in and Vincent bends Hardy’s back over his knee, only for Hardy to fight up with a sitout jawbreaker. They punch each other down until Hardy gets back up for the legdrop between the legs.

The Twist Of Fate gets two so Hardy Russian legsweeps him into a rollup for two more. A sitout gordbuster drops Vincent again but he pulls Hardy back out of the corner for the crash. Vincent goes up…and the lights go out…oh no….and yeah Broken Matt is back. The lights go out again and when they come back up, Jeff is on top and Vincent is down, meaning the Swanton can finish for Jeff at 7:55.

Rating: C+. Dang it. I was hoping we wouldn’t be going here even after all of the signs pointing in this direction. I’m not a big fan of the Broken stuff and we’re probably coming up on another Final Deletion style match. That being said, I do appreciate that this is a story taking place without the titles, which is always appreciated.

Frankie Kazarian is ready for the guitar strap match because he’s been in the first of a bunch of matches over the last twenty years. Tonight, he’s doing it again.

International Title: Mustafa Ali vs. Adam Brooks

Ali is defending after picking a random country. Brooks gets run over to start and Ali grabs a running hurricanrana. A spinwheel kick knocks Brooks down but he’s right back with a kick to the face. Ali gets backdropped to the floor but plants Brooks on the floor to cut him right back off. The rolling neckbreaker gives Ali two back inside and we hit the chinlock. Ali gets up but dives into a punch to the face to knock him out of the air. Brooks brainbusters him onto the knee for two but misses a charge in the corner. The 450 retains the title at 5:55.

Rating: C+. Brooks got a chance to showcase himself here but this was the first time around for Ali’s international deal. That’s something that could go on for a long time and it means more of Ali in the ring, which is a good thing to see. Just let it get build up for awhile and then have a big name waiting on him. Simple and classic.

Eric Young wants to face EC3 once and for all next week.

We run down the rest of the card.

Tessa Blanchard/Victoria Crawford/Mila Moore vs. Rosemary/Allie/Mara Sade

And yes, commentary brings up that Allie was killed. Rosemary whips Crawford into the corner to start and hammers away, followed by a bite to send her outside. Sade hits a big dive onto the three villains and we take a break. We come back with Rosemary getting triple kneed in the corner as we see a rather bad shot of a bunch of empty seats. Rosemary fights up and brings Allie back in to clean house. Allie and Rosemary grab stereo Upside Downs and the Codebreaker finishes Moore at 8:36.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Allie get a win after such a bad case of death so at least she still has something. I’m a bit surprised to see Moore take the fall, as Crawford tends to be the team’s designated loser. I’m not sure how long the Undead Realm women are going to be around but at least we got a nice moment here.

Santino Marella says he has been cleared of all charges and he has authority again. Next week, it’s Moose/Leon Slater vs. the System, plus the Tag Team and Knockouts Titles are on the line. That’s a relief, as Rae being in charge full time doesn’t sound great.

Here is Indi Hartwell, who is happy with the Marella decision, despite Daria Rae’s interference. Other than that, she’s coming for Arianna Grace.

Mike Santana is happy with his match against Rich Swann last week but Nic Nemeth shows up, suggesting he’ll be cashing in soon.

Daria Rae talks to her unseen boss, who confirms that all of Santino Marella’s matches are set and Marella is back in power. Indi Hartwell comes in and Rae threatens to not renew her contract.

Mr. Elegance vs. Home Town Man

The Elegance Brand is here with Elegance, who poses to start. That earns him an armbar, which is broken up rather quickly. Instead, Man grabs an airplane spin and chokes on the rope. Elegance is back with a spinebuster, followed by some running knees to the back (which I had to see more than once to see what it was).

The Brand messes with Man’s Syracuse jersey though and that’s enough to really start the comeback. An elbow and high crossbody give Man two but Ash gets on the apron to dance. Man shrugs off her offer of a kiss though and puts a mask on her, only to get caught with the wind up DDT to give Elegance the pin at 6:05.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure what to make of this, as Elegance really isn’t good, which I guess is the entire point. I think? Maybe? Either way, he’s better as someone who stands outside and poses a lot, as the in-ring side of things isn’t his strong suit. The whole Brand needs something to do though, as they’re just kind of floating around at the moment.

Allie and Mara Sade are happy when Rosemary comes in to say they still have a lot of work to do. Sade dances, Allie tries to dance, and Rosemary gets caught dancing, which has her rather annoyed.

Lei Ying Lee is crushed and is ready to leave her title shot behind. Tommy Dreamer comes up to tie this into his feud with Raven. Everyone believes in Lee, who agrees to stay.

Here is Leon Slater for a chat. He’s happy to be here because he is getting closer and closer to being the longest reigning X-Division Champion of all time. That’s all fine, but he’s not happy with Cedric Alexander, who can’t keep Slater’s name out of his mouth. Cue Alexander, who says he has earned a title shot, which will come on May 14, a day before Slater sets the record. Cue the System to jump Slater but Moose runs in for the save. Brian Myers gets powerbombed onto the rest of the team and Alisha Edwards has to bail to avoid a spear.

Ryan Nemeth feels left out by his big brother…and explains this to AJ Francis. After explaining that he does NOT like Nemeth slapping his leg, Francis points out that the Nemeths did all of this to him. He doesn’t care, and wants Nemeth to leave KC Navarro to him.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Elijah

It’s a strap match with four corners rules, though they start in the back. Kazarian seems to try to cheat to start things off to no avail and they slug it out. They fight around a bit, until Kazarian finds some hand sanitizer to blind Elijah. Kazarian slams Elijah’s arm in a door but gets crotched on some piece of equipment. Elijah puts him on a cart and sends him rolling into a crash. Some rams into a garage door have Kazarian in more trouble and they head to ringside as we take a break.

We come back with the brawl continuing at ringside until Elijah sends him inside. A rope walk sunset bomb (cool) puts Kazarian down but he’s right back up with some whips to the ribs. That’s fine with Elijah, who ties him around the post and gets in his own whipping. Kazarian whips him on the apron and drops a leg but gets pulled into the post. Back in and Kazarian grabs the chickenwing but Elijah hits three buckles.

That’s broken up as Kazarian pulls him down into the middle to stay on the arm. Elijah breaks that up as well and knees him out of the air. A Backstabber cuts Elijah off so Kazarian gets three buckles, with Elijah pulling him down. The strap breaks so the Highwayman’s Farewell connects and Elijah gets three buckles. Kazarian tries to fight back so it’s a heck of a guitar shot to knock him silly and give Elijah the fourth buckle for the win at 16:34.

Rating: B-. Yeah it was fine, which is about as you’re going to get in this kind of a match most of the time. The feud was only so interesting in the first place and this match didn’t make things that much better. Elijah winning is fine, though I’d rather he just get into another personal feud rather than moving up the ladder very far. I just don’t see him as a bigger name around here, as he tends to fit in better around this level.

Overall Rating: C+. The show was fine, even if it felt more like a means to set up the bigger shows down the line. That’s not a bad thing to do every so often as it lets things get built up a bit more. They don’t have a special coming up, but there are a few big matches set, which is fine enough for the time being. It’s not a must see show but it kept things moving forward fairly well. Call it a setup show and a decent one at that.

Results
Jeff Hardy b. Vincent – Swanton
Mustafa Ali b. Adam Brooks – 450
Rosemary/Allie/Mara Sade b. Tessa Blanchard/Victoria Crawford/Mila Moore – Codebreaker to Moore
Mr. Elegance b. Home Town Man – Wind Up DDT
Elijah b. Frankie Kazarian – Elijah touched all four turnbuckles

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: April 23, 2026
Location: Upstate Medical University Arena At The Oncenter War Memorial, Syracuse, New York
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s World Title time, as Rich Swann is getting a shot at Mike Santana and the gold. That should be enough to carry the show but we still have a bit of fallout from Rebellion to deal with this week. If nothing else, the Hardys still want revenge on the Righteous, as their feud is somehow still going. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bear Bronson vs. Nic Nemeth

The rest of the System is here and Ryan Nemeth is on commentary. Bronson chokes in the corner to start and gives him a rather enthusiastic slam. Nic fights back but Bronson sits down on his chest, allowing Alisha Edwards to get in a cheap shot from the floor. The side slam gives Bronson two but Nic fights up and hits a quick Fameasser.

Bronson chokebombs him for two more, only to get sent into the post. The running DDT and superkick give Nic two more but Bronson knocks him outside. The System surrounds him but KC Navarro comes out to offer a distraction. Nic hits the superkick into the Danger Zone for the pin at 8:27.

Rating: B-. This actually wound up being pretty decent, which isn’t a surprise as Bronson has completely exceeded his expectations in his time around here. The interference likely sets up another tag match down the line and I’m digging Nic as a good guy. You could put him into the World Title scene rather easily and that will likely be the case down the line, though going after the System is a good way to start.

Rich Swann, with BDE, is very excited for the main event and wants to do this alone. BDE doesn’t seem to mind.

Here is…well it’s supposed to be Elijah for a concert but it’s obviously Frankie Kazarian with a fake beard (which commentary does recognize). He has a bad case of the blues because he can’t beat Kazarian and he has written a song called Kaz Is My Daddy. Cue the real Elijah to choke Kazarian out and announce a guitar strap match. Then he sings about how horrible Kazarian is. I’ve heard worse ideas for a gimmick match.

EC3 has a chair and is ready to end Eric Young.

Tessa Blanchard, Victoria Crawford and Mila Moore are back from the Undead Realm and next week, they’re fighting Rosemary and company in their world. Sidenote: I know it’s (probably) not intentional but Moore’s “Hotter Than Her” shirt with an arrow pointing at Crawford is hilarious.

Dutch vs. Matt Hardy

Their partners are banned from ringside. Hardy wastes no time in setting up a table at ringside and spray paints SACRIFICE on top. Dutch jumps him inside for the opening bell and blocks an early Twist Of Fate attempt. The Side Effect connects and they go outside, with Hardy ramming Dutch’s head into the steps over and over.

We take a break and come back with Dutch charging into a side slam and grabbing a chinlock. That’s broken up and Dutch misses an elbow, allowing Hardy to hit a DDT. Dutch is sent outside for a middle rope elbow…which breaks one of the table’s legs but not the table itself. Hardy suplexes him through the table but since it was set up before the match, it’s not a DQ. As I try to get my head around THAT logic, Vincent pops out from underneath the ring and slides a chair inside. The distraction lets Vincent shove Hardy off the top into Death Walks to give Dutch the pin at 10:15.

Rating: C. The idea here was that Hardy wanted revenge, but at the same time the stuff with the table didn’t exactly work. This feud feels like it should have ended a few times now and odds are we’re going to the Hardy Compound sooner than later. Dutch getting a win is a surprise, though it was only an ok match.

Post match Vincent sits in a chair as Dutch beats on Matt. Jeff Hardy runs in for the save, which is treated as a surprise because…well because villains in wrestling are dumb.

The Elegance Brand have Mr. Elegance show off his physique to convince Daria Rae to give him a match next week. Yeah sure. She’s rather confused as the team leaves. This could be funny, which might be due to Rae not using her terrible catchphrase.

Here is a rather upset looking Lei Ying Lee for a chat. After apologizing for her English not being great, she says she loves her friends and TNA but doesn’t know why Xia Brookside did that to her. Cue Brookside, now in a leather jacket, to say they aren’t best friends because if they were, they would have stood together at Rebellion. Lee is in tears as Brookside says she has the pressure of being a second generation star and being all alone.

Lee talks about being alone out here but then she met Brookside and tried to help her. She apologizes to Brookside and promises to be right by her side. Brookside says she made a mistake and that Lee has been by her side. She knows Lee will be champion again and they make up with a big hug. Then Brookside glares at the camera and lays her out. Perfectly fine stuff here, though Brookside as a heel might be hard to make work.

Elayna Black vs. Katie Arquette

Black knocks her down to start and then trips her onto the apron. Back in and Black knocks her into the corner, setting up the Blackout for the fast pin at 2:29. Total squash.

Mustafa Ali, with Order 4, welcomes us to the International Title summit, where a random country is selected to have a representative get a title shot. The lucky country is Australia and the challenger is….Chris Brookes! He’s thankful for the chance and calls Ali a “bloke”, which Ali doesn’t understand.

Bear Bronson is ticked off about his loss and Cedric Alexander wants Leon Slater and the X-Division Title. Eddie Edwards says the System will fix this.

TNA World Title: Rich Swann vs. Mike Santana

Santana is defending and Swann is in remarkable shape as that has never been his thing before. They shake hands to start and we’re ready to go. Santana goes after the arm to start and wrestles him down, with Swann popping up for a standoff. They go to the test of strength and head to the mat with neither being able to get the advantage.

Back up and they both miss dropkicks, followed by Swann catching Santana with a dropkick to send him into the ropes. That has Santana rethinking things and hitting a dropkick of his own. A belly to back faceplant drops Swann and Santana hits a backsplash for two. They go outside, where Santana sends him face first into the floor (ow) as we take a break. We come back with Swann hitting a running kick from the apron and putting Santana in a chair next to the barricade.

Some running kicks to the face have Santana rocked but he comes back with a superkick. They get back inside, where Swann superkicks him out of the air and goes up as well. That earns Swann a top rope superplex, though he might have countered in some way as they both stay down. Santana fights up and strikes away, setting up the Rolling Buck Fifty. The Cannonball and a sitout powerbomb give Santana two but Swann scores with a rolling clothesline.

Swann misses a middle rope 450 but connects with the handspring cutter. A super hurricanrana into a frog splash gives Swann two and they need a breather. Back up and Santana tries a sitout powerbomb but gets reversed into a Canadian Destroyer for a rather near fall. Swann hits a superkick but Santana pops up with a heck of a Spin The Block to retain at 19:06.

Rating: B+. Yeah this worked, as they beat the fire out of each other and Swann looks like he’s back after a weird few years. That’s great to see and he has clearly put in the work. At the same time, Santana continues to be the man and it’s great to see that he is feeling like the A-list star of this promotion. TNA has been needing that as even Joe Hendry felt like he was a rental before he could get to WWE. Santana doesn’t feel that way (though WWE would snatch him up as soon as they could if possible) and that’s good to see for the promotion.

Respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event is rather good, though there was only so much worthwhile on the rest of the show. Right now there isn’t a big show set up so until we start building towards whatever is next, we’re in something of a holding pattern. Granted having that good of a main event helps, but it’s the only thing really worth your time this week.

Results
Nic Nemeth b. Bear Bronson – Danger Zone
Dutch b. Matt Hardy – Death Walks
Elayna Black b. Katie Arquette – Blackout
Mike Santana b. Rich Swann – Spin The Block

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

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Rebellion 2026
Date: April 11, 2026
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re already back with a full pay per view after Sacrifice a few weeks ago. Hopefully this show’s main event doesn’t end in about two minutes due to an injury. This time around, Mike Santana is defending against Eddie Edwards due to the Feast Or Fired contract, plus the Hardys defending the Tag Team Titles against the System. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Ryan Nemeth vs. BDE

Before the match, Nemeth brings up being from Cleveland and then reveals Pittsburgh Steelers (Cleveland Browns’ big rivals) gear. BDE jumps him during his latest batch of insults and knocks him to the floor. A springboard high crossbody connects on the way back inside but Nemeth gets in a knockdown of his own.

Some right hands on the mat set up a neckbreaker for two and we hit the chinlock on BDE. That’s broken up and the springboard cutter gives BDE two of his own. A DDT gives Nemeth the same but BDE hits a jumping enziguri. The frog splash connects, only to send Nemeth outside. Nemeth Stunners him over the top rope though, setting up a jumping Downward Spiral to finish BDE at 5:00.

Rating: C. This was the right kind of opener as it gives the fans a reason to get annoyed, though BDE could have gotten his first singles win here, just to pop the fans. Either way, it wasn’t like they were out there very long and the match was a bunch of entertaining spots. For a quick pre-show outing, they did fine.

And now, the show proper.

Charity Evonna sings the National Anthem.

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Cedric Alexander

Slater is defending. They start fast with neither being able to get very far. Slater misses a slingshot dive but Alexander can’t quite send him into the steps. Back in and a springboard high crossbody gives Slater two and he hammers away in the corner. Alexander is sent to the apron, where he grabs an STO to take over. Back in and a German suplex puts Slater down, followed by a basement dropkick for two.

Alexander goes outside but stops to yell at the crowd, allowing Slater to hit a dropkick through the ropes. They get back in where Alexander hits another German suplex and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up so Alexander rakes the eyes to put him right back down. A leg lariat gives Slater a breather so Alexander rolls outside, with Slater hitting the big running flip dive.

Alexander probably should have known that was coming as it’s kind of Slater’s thing but oh well. Back in and a standing Sliced bread Gives Slater two more but he misses the 450. Slater charges into a Michinoku Driver for two and Alexander crotches him on the top. A clothesline brings Slater back down and Alexander gives him a brainbuster onto the turnbuckle. The Lumbar Check gets two so the frustrated Alexander goes outside to grab the title. That takes too long though and Slater grabs a Styles Clash, setting up the Swanton 450 to retain at 14:23.

Rating: B. This was in the “of course it’s going to be good” category as Alexander can work well with anyone and Slater is on an absolute tear at the moment (ok several moments). At the same time, we’re at the point where it’s hard to imagine Slater actually losing the title, which is going to become an issue down the line. That being said, opening with the X-Division has worked for years and that’s still the case, so continuing the tradition worked well.

We run down the card.

Mike Santana, with his face painted, is ready to defend the World Title again tonight. Alisha Edwards comes in to offer him some tips on facing Eddie Edwards tonight.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Elijah

Elijah chases him to the floor to start and hits a big boot back inside. A jumping clothesline lets Elijah send him chest first onto the apron and Old School connects. Back up and Kazarian German suplexes him into the corner and a slingshot hurricanrana on the floor drops Elijah again.

The slingshot legdrop gets two back inside so Kazarian grabs the strap from Elijah’s guitar. That’s enough to swat Elijah out of the air and a clothesline gives has down again. Kazarian’s Old School is broken up with a slam though and an electric chair powerbomb gets two more.

The jumping knee knocks Kazarian out of the air for another near fall and Elijah straps him down for a change. The guitar is brought in but Kazarian catches him on the apron with a slingshot cutter onto said guitar. An annoyed Elijah pops up and grabs the broken guitar but the referee takes it away, allowing Kazarian to get in a low blow and rollup for the pin at 12:26.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t the most thrilling feud when it started and their match here wasn’t much better. It’s not that it’s bad, but it’s just kind of…there. Kazarian winning is good enough and the ending likely keeps things going for a more violent rematch. I would think a recent World Champion would get something better than this, but Elijah goes from a bit less than serious to a featured player rather quickly so it’s hard to say if this was a big step down for Kazarian or not.

Stacks says he’ll help Arianna Grace retain the Knockouts Title.

We recap Moose vs. Agent Zero. Moose has been going after Order 4 and Zero is their enforcer. Hoss fight time.

Moose vs. Agent Zero

Alisha Edwards is here with Moose, who gets jumped by Zero to start fast. Moose gets sent into the steps for the opening bell but he’s able to send Zero outside. The dive connects and it’s already time for the table. They fight on the apron with neither getting the better of things so it’s time to go back inside. Moose kicks him to the floor but makes the mistake of following, where Zero hits a powerbomb into the post.

Back in and they trade forearms until Moose knocks him into the corner for a top rope superplex. Moose nips up…and Zero does the same, only to get clotheslined to the apron. The spear through the table crushes Zero and they both have to beat the count. Back in and Zero wins a slugout, setting up a swinging Downward Spiral for two. Moose fist pumps his way back up and hits a release Rock Bottom into a backsplash.

Zero is able to send him outside though, only for Moose to catch his dive. That means a powerbomb onto the steps so cue the Good Hands, with Moose having to save Edwards. The pump kick sends Skyler to the floor but Edwards crashes down too and hurts her ankle. Moose carries her off and gets kicked in the face by Zero, making her drop Edwards in a crash. The chokebomb sends Moose onto the apron and a chokebomb gives Zero the pin at 10:47.

Rating: B. This was about two big strong men hitting each other until one of them made the mistake of showing some humanity and it cost him. Zero is starting to look more and more like a monster and beating one of the most decorated stars in TNA history is only going to help him. I could go for seeing what they have with Zero, as he’s doing rather well around here thus far.

We recap the Elegance Brand vs. ODB/Mickie James/Taryn Terrell. Basically Ash By Elegance has been running her mouth about various legends so the legends are here to go after her. The biggest issue here: Ash being called a MARK. It’s just going to be in a weapons based match to hide some limitations.

Elegance Brand vs. ODB/Mickie James/Taryn Terrell

Hardcore Country rules. James brings out the Mark Bucket, much to Ash’s annoyance. This doesn’t sit well with Ash, who rants a lot as the Brand’s shirts all say I AM NOT A MARK. It’s a brawl to start with the Brand’s anti-mark signs being destroyed. That lets all six throw in weapons and the legends all hit Thesz presses.

The Brand goes after…I think a celebrity in the first row so they get buckets put on their heads for a ramming together. Back in and Terrell suplexes Heather onto a pile of lollipops for two because that’s a thing here. The suckers are thrown into the crowd and the legends hit a bunch of baseball slides. James and Terrell are knocked down on the floor, leaving ODB to get beaten up with kendo sticks.

Back up and Ash is sent into a wheelbarrow full of hay and Terrell beats on her with a big lollipop. Mr. Elegance is sent face first into a cooler of pickle juice (because Mr. Elegance’s loins are pickle-esque) as I try to figure out what in the world I’m watching. The Personal Concierge is put in a pickle suit and Terrell hits a big dive onto the floor. Back in and Mr. Elegance clotheslines ODB, who uses a pair of tongs to grab him low. Ash is up with a DDT to ODB and a triple cover gives the Brand the pin at 10:55.

Rating: D-. What in the world was this? Hay, pickles, a pickle costume, tongs and whatever Mr. Elegance is supposed to be, all in one. I get the idea of having the goofy villains tick off the legends and then cheat to beat them, but this was a bunch of comedy stuff going on for way too long and nothing resembling a match for the most part. They had what could have been a somewhat serious story here but instead went all over the place and it was pretty much a disaster.

Post match the winners celebrate by imitating ODB’s signature taunt but Tommy Dreamer and Carlos Silva interrupt. The reason? ODB is going into the Hall Of Fame. AND THEY PICK THE MOMENT AFTER SHE LOST IN A PICKLE MATCH TO TELL HER! ODB thanks the fans and she’ll see us at Bound For Glory, maybe even with the food truck.

Elayna Black wants the Knockouts Title.

AJ Francis vs. Nic Nemeth

Francis took Nemeth out at Sacrifice and Nemeth, the hometown star, is back for revenge. As a bonus, Nemeth has former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar in his corner. Francis actually hits a superkick for two at the bell but misses a splash in the corner, allowing Nemeth to hammer away. The running DDT is blocked though and Nemeth crashes down to the floor.

A right hand knocks Nemeth out of the air for six and Francis hits a running knee in the corner. Nemeth elbows hits way up but collapses on a fireman’s carry attempt. Back up and Nemeth hits the running DDT, followed by the ten elbows. Now the fireman’s carry works, with Nemeth hitting an AA for two more. The superkick is countered with a spear to give Francis two but the chokeslam is countered into a Fameasser (that looked good) to give Nemeth the same.

Francis is back up and puts him on top, where Nemeth grabs a super Danger Zone…for two. Dang that should have been the pin. Francis grabs a chair but the referee takes it away, only for Francis to hit the referee. Kosar gets in the ring for the standoff but KC Navarro (Francis’ former partner) interrupts for a distraction. That means a chair shot from Kosar to set up the Danger Zone to give Nemeth the pin at 14:30.

Rating: B-. I’ve seen far worse than this, with Nemeth doing well as the hometown star and Kosar being there for the football pop. Nemeth knows how to wrestle this style rather well, while Francis has gotten a lot better in recent months. He’s still not exactly good, but he knows how to wrestle like a big man. I liked this more than I was expecting, though I’ve always liked Nemeth better as a good guy.

We recap Lei Ying Lee challenging Arianna Grace for the Knockouts Title. Grace is the undeserving champion and Lee wants the title back. Pretty simple indeed.

Knockouts Title: Lei Ying Lee vs. Arianna Grace

Grace is defending and Xia Brookside and Stacks are the seconds. Lee dropkicks her down to start and hammers away in the corner so Grace bails outside. Stacks’ distraction lets Grace take over, with a swinging neckbreaker getting two back inside. Brookside calls Stacks out on the cheating and he’s quickly ejected, leaving Grace all alone.

An exploder suplex gives Lee two and a Blockbuster connects for the same, meaning it’s time for the Warrior’s Way. Grace rakes the eyes to break that up but Lee tries it again, this time planting Grace down. The cover…is broken up though as Brookside puts the foot on the rope. Brookside pulls Lee outside and lays her out, allowing Grace to hit a running knee for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C+. This was about the turn and really, that has been an obvious twist for weeks. That’s not a bad thing though, as Lee and Brookside were only an ok team in the first place. It also lets Grace escape with the title again, which should set up a big title change down the line. This didn’t feel like the biggest match but they went in the right direction with the result.

Here is Eric Young for a chat. He’s tired of being here but he’s heard that EC3 is here and wants him out here for an explanation of why he isn’t a nepo baby. Cue EC3 (first time in nine years) to clothesline Young outside and challenge him for Impact. Do they really want to bring up that era of the company’s history?

Slammiversary is coming to Boston.

We recap Mustafa Ali challenging Trey Miguel for the International Title. Ali wants the title and had his goons attack Miguel’s friend Jada Stone. Now Miguel is out to defend her honor and the title.

International Title: Trey Miguel vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali, with Order 4 and in something like robot gear, is challenging. They slug it out and run the ropes to start until Ali grabs a hurricanrana. Back up and Ali’s chops just tick Miguel off so he knocks Ali outside. That means a running step up flip dive, followed by a twisting Destroyer for two back inside. That’s enough to draw the Great Hands to the apron, with Miguel being sent into a cutter from Tasha Steelz.

Ali’s rolling cutter gets two but so does a small package from Miguel. They go outside and Ali loads up the steps, only to take too long and get caught with the running Meteora from the apron onto said steps. Back in and Miguel grabs a German suplex, only to get caught with a DDT. Miguel gives him a spinning DDT for two and a basement dropkick but Ali tries the rolling neckbreaker.

That’s countered with a Stomp for two so Miguel goes up top, only to get caught with a super Spanish Fly. Ali tries the 450 but dives into a cutter to send him outside. Miguel’s suicide tornado DDT sets up the top rope Meteora for two back inside but Steelz offers a distractions. The Great Hands use the helmets from their entrance to knock Miguel silly and the 450 makes Ali champion at 12:36.

Rating: B. Some of those dives were excellent as these two are able to turn up the dial with the best of them. It’s great to see Ali get some more gold, which is vastly overdue and hopefully moves him closer to the main event scene. Granted that feels like something that should have happened a long time ago, but at least it’s a step. I’m curious to see what happens to Miguel, who is far too talented to just get lost in the shuffle.

Lei Ying Lee is rather emotional over Xia Brookside’s betrayal.

It’s back to the Undead Realm for the Abyss/James Mitchell reunion. Rosemary leaves them alone but we cut to Tessa Blanchard wandering around. Back to Mitchell, who apologizes to Abyss for everything. Abyss thanks him for being there for all those years and we hear about some of the times they were unstoppable together. Mitchell talks about wanting to be a mad scientist when he grew up and thanks Abyss for making it possible. They love each other and Abyss disappears. To Be Continued.

We recap the Hardys vs. the System. Well not really as there isn’t much to recap but we do talk about it, as the System won a title shot and….now they have it!

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. The System

The banged up Hardys are challenging but elbow Myers down to start. Matt sends him face first into all three buckles, followed by the Side Effect for an early two. Myers rolls outside though and Bronson gets in a cheap shot to take over. Bronson drops an elbow back inside before sitting on Matt’s chest for two. Matt loses his shirt to reveal some taped up ribs, only to counter a spear into the Twist Of Fate.

The tag brings in Jeff to start the comeback but a Boss Man Slam cuts him down. That means Myers’ top rope elbow gets two as everything breaks down. Matt and Myers clothesline each other on the floor and Jeff actually wins a slugout with Bronson. Spinal Destination goes on and Matt is back in for the Plot Twist. The Twist Of Fate sets up the Swanton but Myers pulls Jeff’s bad arm onto the top rope. Matt is sent outside and a superkick/fire thunder driver combination finishes Jeff to give us new champions at 10:24.

Rating: B-. Another good enough match here as the Hardys FINALLY lose the titles. That’s been overdue for a long time but it’s nice to see a fresh team get the belts. At some point you need new blood in the division and this version of the System is new enough. If nothing else, Bronson has looked good in his brief time in TNA so it’s nice to see him getting a title like this.

Moose and Alisha Edwards argue about his loss.

TNA World Title: Eddie Edwards vs. Mike Santana

Edwards, challenging and with the System, is sang/screamed to the ring. The lockup doesn’t go anywhere to start and an exchange of armdrags goes nowhere. The Boston Knee Party misses so Santana hits an elbow to send Edwards outside. Back in and a running shoulder puts him on the floor again but Edwards comes back in with some chops. A clothesline and the tiger bomb give Edwards two and it’s time for both of them to go outside this time.

Santana is fine enough to grab a belly to back drop onto the apron, but Spin The Block hits the post. Edwards starts in on the bad arm, which is sent crashing into the post. An arm crank goes on but Santana is up for a clothesline, only to bang up the arm again. Another knockdown sets up a frog splash to give Santana two so they head out to the apron. Edwards grabs a fisherman’s buster to send Santana outside and it’s time to peel back the mats. Another tiger bomb is loaded up but Santana reverses into a Death Valley Driver. Edwards comes up holding the knee so they get back inside for an exchange of clotheslines

Cue Alisha Edwards on crutches….with Moose following. Moose points to the screen, where we see their argument from earlier, plus some bonus footage of Alisha revealing that she’s faking her injury and is still great with Eddie. Cue the rest of the System to go after Moose but Santana hits a big flip dive. The Boston Knee Party hits Santana for two so Moose gets in for a spear to Eddie for two more. Another Boston Knee Party connects but Santana snaps off Spin The Block to retain at 19:17.

Rating: B-. As much as I love Moose being smart enough to see the most obvious turn in the world coming, there was something missing to keep this match from getting great. That something isn’t exactly a surprise either, as there wasn’t much of a reason for them to be fighting. As usual, there’s something so weak about a guaranteed title match ala the Feast Or Fired stipulation and that was the case (Get it?) again here. It’s not a terrible or even bad match, but it didn’t have a ton of fire because there was no real personal issue between them. Good angle with the Moose stuff, but it didn’t get them over the hump.

Post match Santana nods in appreciation to Moose and celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this for the most part, but WOW that six woman tag was another kind of a disaster. The good thing is that’s the only real negative on the show, as most of the matches were more than strong enough. It didn’t have some big must see match, but it did feel like a big time event with multiple title changes. I’m happy enough with the show, as it’s a step up after the mess that was Sacrifice.

Results
Ryan Nemeth b. BDE – Jumping Downward Spiral
Leon Slater b. Cedric Alexander – Swanton 450
Frankie Kazarian b. Elijah – Low blow
Agent Zero b. Moose – Chokebomb
Elegance Brand b. ODB/Mickie James/Taryn Terrell – DDT to ODB
Nic Nemeth b. AJ Francis – Danger Zone
Arianna Grace b. Lei Ying Lee – Running knee to the back of the head
Mustafa Ali b. Trey Miguel – 450
The System b. Hardys – Superkick/fire thunder driver to Jeff
Mike Santana b. Eddie Edwards – Spin The Block

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