Impact Wrestling
Date: February 5, 2026
Location: Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

Things got more interesting last week as we had the results of the Feast Or Fired briefcases. That means it’s time to have some fresh title matches coming up, though it’s not clear when those will actually happen. Other than that, we should be in for the build towards next week’s No Surrender. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Trey Miguel vs. Adam Brooks

Arianna Grace is on commentary. They fight over arm control to start, with Miguel snapping the arm over the top rope. Miguel even goes outside to blow Grace a kiss but charges into Brooks’ kick to the head back inside. A running forearm gives Brooks two and he chokes on the ropes. Miguel is right back with a German suplex into a hurricanrana but Brooks cuts him off on top. Brooks kicks him in the face a few times, followed by the sitout powerbomb for two. Miguel grabs a poisonrana into the Lightning Spiral for the fast pin at 7:34.

Rating: C+. Brooks got to show off a bit here and it made for a nice opener here. There wasn’t much in the way of drama about the result, but at least Brooks wasn’t treated as a total loser here. Miguel is on his way to an International Title match and that means he gets built up, which is basically what he did here.

Post match Stacks runs in and belts Miguel in the face.

Lei Ying Lee, Xia Brookside and Indi Hartwell are ready to take out the Elegance Brand tonight.

Righteous vs. Tommy Two Scoops/TW3

Two Scoops is either the worst name I’ve ever heard or the most amazing. Maybe both. Vincent knocks both of them down to start and it’s off to Dutch for a legdrop on TW3. Orange Sunshine (an assisted cutter) finishes for Vincent at 2:25.

Post match the Righteous say they want to team with the Hardys instead of fight against them.

The Hardys aren’t sure about this but the System comes in to beat them down.

Frankie Kazarian shakes hands with Daria Rae before coming out to the stage. Kazarian can’t stand Mike Santana walking around with his title but Kazarian blames a hand injury. Rae understands his issues though and there is not a man in this city who can take him out. Cue Elijah, who walks past Kazarian and goes to the ring for his scheduled match.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Elijah/Jada Stone vs. Order 4

Stone and Steelz (there’s a tag name in there somewhere) start things off with Stone snapping off some early armdrags. Steelz bails outside and there’s the big dive from Stone as we take a break. We come back with Elijah giving Ali a sitout powerbomb, allowing the tag back to Stone. A split legged moonsault gets two on Steelz but Agent Zero World’s Strongest Slams Elijah onto the apron.

That leaves Ali to shove Stone, who forearms him in the face instead. A tornado DDT plants Ali and a second one sends him crashing out to the floor. Stone’s moonsault drops Order 4 on the floor but Ali drops her with a clothesline. Back in and Stone grabs a Stunner, with Steelz having to make a save. Stone gets back up and heads to the top, but Agent Zero distracts the referee. Ali hits a Stone with a Highwayman’s Farewell to give Steelz the pin at 11:25.

Rating: B-. Geez what a performance from Stone, who got to run absolutely wild there for a little while. It made for a great run with both Steelz and Ali getting taken out a few times. That can only last for so long though and it made sense for the villains to use the numbers game to take over. Fun match.

Arianna Grace appeals to Santino Marella and wants a title match, just to show what she can do. Marella agrees, which can’t be a good idea.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Daria Rae announces the card for No Surrender:

• Stacks defending the International Title against Trey Miguel (in the Feast Or Fired cash in)
• The Hardys/Righteous vs. Order 4
• Mike Santana/Leon Slater vs. Nic Nemeth/Eddie Edwards

That’s certainly a No Surrender card. Santino Marella comes in to say that Arianna Grace will get her Knockouts Title shot, but Rae is more annoyed that Marella has allowed Steve Maclin to be here. Maclin is upset because of what this place has meant to him. He’s glad that he’s leaving with his head held high. Mike Santana stops him, saying Maclin always believed in him. They shake hands…and Maclin jumps him. Security breaks it up and throws Maclin out. I heartily approve of Santana vs. Maclin.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Tessa Blanchard vs. Rachel Ley

Blanchard throws her down to start and works on the arm, followed by some choking on the rope. Blanchard doesn’t seem overly worried here and hammers away on the mat. Ley gets a boot up in the corner but misses a moonsault. The Buzzsaw finishes for Blanchard at 3:28.

Rating: C-. This was a total squash and shows you just how good Blanchard is in the ring. She has a lot of issues but talent has never been one of them, as she can do just about anything out there. It’s a shame she has so much baggage with her, as she could be one of the biggest stars in the world otherwise.

Ryan Nemeth and Mara Sade are at a football stadium, where Sade does a Mr. Perfect impression by throwing herself a long pass. Then they throw darts, where Nemeth gets stabbed, and then they play basketball, where Sade superkicks him.

Eric Young offers BDE a change to join him but BDE isn’t interested. More on this next week.

Elegance Brand vs. Angel Warriors/Indi Hartwell

The Brand is in Breaking Bad gear for a change. Ash and Lee start things off but of course Ash brings in M to get kicked down instead. A headscissors takes Brookside down, which is quickly broken up. Everything breaks down and the Brand is knocked outside. Heather comes back inside and gets dropkicked into the corner to keep her in trouble. A cheap shot from the floor cuts Brookside off though and M adds a backsplash for two.

Ash comes in to stomp away in the corner and it’s back to Heather for a chinlock. That doesn’t last long either as Lee gets the tag to clean house. Mr. Elegance throws a shirt in to distract her though and Ash grabs her own chinlock. This one is reversed for a double clothesline, allowing Hartwell and M to come back in. Brookside hits a big dive to the floor to take everyone down and the Personal Concierge glitter bombs Mr. Elegance by mistake. Back in and Brookside rolls Heather up for the pin at 12:22.

Rating: B-. Nice match here, with the important thing being that Ash is able to get back in the ring. It’s good to have someone back to full health and she brings some star power to the roster. You can see the Angel Warriors getting the title shot from here, which fits perfectly as it means we could have another double champion, as that’s such an original idea.

Post match the Brand jumps the winners.

Here is a ticked off Mike Santana for a chat. He talks about sitting in this ring and talking about what it means to be champion. The title made one of his former best friends turn on him earlier tonight…and here is the System to jump Santana. Cue the Hardys for the save, with Moose returning to join in and clean house to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t their strongest show, but I do rather like the idea of Santana vs. Maclin. The two of them have some interesting chemistry together and it could make for a heck of a showdown. Other than that, you have the briefcases getting us to the next batch of title matches, with Santana having quite a few people lining up to come after the title. Not a great show this week, though at least it set up some stuff for the future.

Results
Trey Miguel b. Adam Brooks – Lightning Spiral
Righteous b. Tommy Two Scoops/TW3 – Orange Sunshine to TW3
Order 4 b. Elijah/Jada Stone – Highwayman’s Farewell to Stone
Tessa Blanchard b. Rachel Ley – Buzzsaw
Angel Warriors/Indi Hartwell b. Elegance Brand – Rollup to Heather

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: January 29, 2026
Location: Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s a big night as we have the unveiling of the Feast Or Fired briefcases. Therefore, three people are going to get title matches and a fourth is going to be fired. That can make for quite the dramatic moment and now we get to see who winds up getting what. In addition, Rich Swann and AJ Francis are facing off in a No DQ match. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is the new System for a chat. Brian Myers says it had to be done and Eddie Edwards says he’s going to break it all down for you. Moose used to be the most dominant star in all of wrestling but he is just selfish. All he cared about was himself rather than the team. Then you have JDC, who walked away from the team. This brings out Alisha Edwards, who gets in Eddie’s face and says he kept this from her. Her contract is coming up and maybe she doesn’t want to be part of the System. She walks away and Eddie isn’t happy.

BDE is ready to prove that he belongs here tonight.

Nic Nemeth, BDE

Nic Nemeth vs. BDE

Nemeth offers a handshake to start and then kicks him in the ribs to take over. A front facelock doesn’t work as well for Nemeth as BDE knocks him outside with a clothesline. The dive connects but the springboard elbow back inside doesn’t. We take a break and come back with BDE still in trouble with Nemeth sending him into the corner for some cocky forearming.

BDE manages to reverse a whip into the corner but a running knee is dropped with a clothesline. Back up and the running knee does connect for BDE and a frog splash gets two. BDE tries a springboard elbow but dives into the Danger Zone (that was nice) to give Nemeth the pin at 11:37.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t an all time classic or anything but it was a nice way to let BDE look good in the process. BDE can’t do much in the way of regular wrestling and is basically just a moves guy, but he’s likable enough and isn’t taking up any kind of major spot. Let him do what he can and have a veteran like Nemeth in there to walk him through the match. It worked well enough and I liked this.

Post match Ryan Nemeth comes out to celebrate with Nic before getting in the ring. He calls out Mara Sade, who he says has been assaulting him. Sade says Ryan got away with one at Genesis so he offers to let her give him a kiss. The ensuing superkick is blocked and a clothesline puts Sade down hard.

The Elegance Brand gives Ash By Elegance presents because she is officially medically cleared. Lei Ying Lee comes in to say she’s ready to defend anytime and here are Indi Hartwell and Xia Brookside to set up a six woman tag. Mr. Elegance seems to hit on Hartwell, who takes the champagne and says it’s not her kind of party before than leaving.

Stacks vs. Home Town Man

Non-title and Arianna Grace is here with Stacks, who holds up Man’s stolen mask. That means the brawl is on fast and Man stomps away in the corner, with the fans rather approving. They go outside with Stacks mocking a fan with the mask, which Man takes away and gives to said fan in a nice moment.

Back in and a corkscrew uppercut gives Stacks two and he grabs something like a half crab. That’s kicked away with Stacks crashing to the floor, allowing Man to hit a People’s Elbow. A crossbody gets two but Grace’s distraction….doesn’t really work. Instead Stacks goes to the eyes and grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes for the pin at 5:51.

Rating: C. Well, this match did in fact confirm that Stacks is in fact a wrestler and he is in fact just kind of there. That’s been my thoughts on Stacks for a long time now as there is nothing to him that really stands out. Yes he’s with Grace and that helps a bit, but there isn’t anything about Stacks alone to make him feel interesting or stand out. That’s not good and while there are worse options, I really don’t see it with him.

Post break Stacks says Grace didn’t help him and Santino Marella shows up. Grace seems to threaten both of them with making a mistake of her own.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Jason Hotch vs. Elijah

The rest of Order 4 is here with Hotch. Elijah takes him down by the arm to start and Hotch bails out to the floor. Back in and Elijah works on the arm, including Old School for two. Tasha Steelz has to offer a distraction and Hotch gets in a cheap shot to take over. Some stomping has Elijah down in the corner but he’s right back with a backdrop.

Hotch has to rake the eyes to get out of a fireman’s carry and another distraction lets him hit a Codebreaker onto the arm. The knees to the arm set up some cranking, with Elijah flipping out pretty quickly. A suplex neckbreaker gives Elijah two but Hotch is back with a superkick. The torture rack bomb gets two on Elijah, who is right back to knee Hotch out of the air. The Highwayman’s Farewell finishes Hotch at 7:58.

Rating: C+. Normally I would say that Hotch was a good hand but TNA has already beaten me to that one. This is a good way to keep the Elijah vs. Order 4/Mustafa Ali feud going, though it does make you wonder why that feud is continuing. Ali needs to move on to something bigger but maybe we’ll see it one more time and then they’ll move on for good.

Post match Order 4 jumps Elijah, with Ali grabbing the guitar. That’s enough for Elijah to fight back and use the guitar to clear the ring.

Post break Jada Stone is rather excited to be here but Order 4 comes in to yell at her. Tasha Steelz even slaps her down, with Elijah popping in to help her up like a gentleman.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Elayna Black vs. Ruthie Jay

Daria Rae is on commentary. Black jumps her to start and grabs a gutwrench suplex. The chinlock goes on but Jay is up for a running shoulder in the corner. Black isn’t having that though and grabs a swinging double underhook neckbreaker for the pin at 2:46. Pretty much a squash, as it should have been.

The Hardys are happy with how things have been going but the Righteous come in to talk about their Genesis match. They also seem to tease an alliance between the teams. Didn’t they do that before?

It’s time for the Feast Or Fired reveals. Trey Miguel is up first and gets…an International Title shot. Next is Eddie Edwards, who gets a World Title shot. That leaves Steve Maclin and Eric Young, with Maclin being fired and Young getting an X-Division Title shot.

Post break, Eddie Edwards and the System come up to threaten Mike Santana with a cash in. Santana glares back.

Commentary is depressed by Steve Maclin being fired.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Rich Swann, AJ Francis, First Class

AJ Francis vs. Rich Swann

Anything goes so Swann brings out a trashcan full of weapons (must be a Raven fan). Swann hits him with a baseball bat to start but Francis won’t let him bring in a table. The table is set up on the floor anyway but Francis kicks him down again. They head to the state where Swann slips out of attempts at a chokeslam and a Styles Clash. Instead Francis goes with a Pedigree and we take a break.

We come back with Francis sitting in a chair with his foot on Swann’s back. Swann fights up and sends him face first into the chair but an Air Raid Crash onto the chair gives Francis two. Back up and Swann is able to drop Francis face first onto the steps, followed by a handspring cutter for two more. Swann sets up another table on the floor and throws in a bunch of chairs, though he couldn’t keep Francis down for three.

Back in and a Pounce gives Francis two but Swann grabs a hurricanrana through the tables on the floor. The Phoenix splash hits Francis for two more and it’s time for the baseball bat again. Francis uses the delay to grab a chain and knock Swann silly with a right hand for two. Swann is put inside a trashcan and obliterated with a chair….for two. Francis tries to take him up top but gets hurricanranaed down onto the pile of chairs. That lets Swann unload with the chair, followed by a frog splash to pin Francis at 16:20.

Rating: B. This was a weapons filled and at times somewhat goofy brawl but it did feel like the big definitive ending for their feud. That’s what it needed to be as Swann needs to move on to something else. Swann is someone who could be a bigger deal around here so getting this kind of a win is a good sign for his future. Francis can go away for a few weeks and come back with one of those condescending promos of his and he’ll be fine.

Frankie Kazarian wants to talk to Daria Rae to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show felt like it was designed to get things ready for the next big stretch, with Feast Or Fired giving us three upcoming title matches. Hopefully Maclin leaving is just a head fake as TNA really doesn’t need to lose someone that good. Swann winning is a good thing to see and he won a big main event, though we’ll have to see where he goes. The Daria Rae stuff feels like it’s going to be the next big us vs. them story and…yeah that’s only so appealing after we just got done with the NXT invasion stuff. Just let Mike Santana be the focus maybe? The World Champion? Maybe?

Results
Nic Nemeth b. BDE – Danger Zone
Stacks b. Home Town Man – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Elijah b. Jason Hotch – Highwayman’s Farewell
Elayna Black b. Ruthie Jay – Swinging double underhook neckbreaker
Rich Swann b. AJ Francis – Frog splash

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: January 22, 2026
Location: Tingley Coliseum, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re back on AMC with another live show after last week’s less than well received debut and the ensuing Genesis pay per view. That means it is time to start getting ready for…whatever the next show is going to be. This week’s event features the return of Feast Or Fired, plus finding out the newest member of the System. Let’s get to it.

Here is Genesis if you need a recap.

Genesis recap.

Opening sequence.

Company President Carlos Silva is happy with the AMC debut. End of thoughts from Silva.

Cedric Alexander vs. Moose

Alisha Edwards is here with Moose, who has a banged up back. They shake hands to start and Moose chops him into the corner. A dropkick cuts Alexander off and sends him to the apron and they slug it out until Alexander plants him hard. Alexander hits a big suicide dive but gets sent hard into the steps as commentary runs down the show.

Moose loses a fight over a suplex and his back is banged up even more. A frog splash gives Alexander two so he kicks Moose in the bad back for a smart move. The springboard Downward Spiral gets two but Moose gets more fired up and kicks him in the face. For some reason Moose hits a backsplash but he’s fine enough to nip up.

The chokebomb out of the corner gets two on Alexander, who counters the spear into a Michinoku Driver for two of his own. They chop it out until Alexander grabs a Spanish Fly. Moose headbutts him out of the air to block a springboard before loading up a powerbomb. That’s fine with Alexander, who reverses into a hurricanrana for the pin at 9:59.

Rating: B-. I can certainly go for Alexander getting a bigger push, which is to say a push of almost any kind. This is the biggest win of his TNA career and it very well should boost him up before his X-Division Title shot. Moose sold the back well for the most part, though the last few minutes felt like a pretty standard Moose match, which isn’t a great sign.

Here is Mike Santana for a chat. He sits down in a chair and plays a message from his late father, saying Santana earned his way here, he deserves to be here, and he belongs here. The fans tell Santana that he deserves it and Santana talks about coming back here about two years ago. Every time he tries to do something, he remembers his father’s words. Santana talks about fighting back every time, even when he lost the World Title just thirty days after he won it.

Now he’s back where he belongs and he praises Frankie Kazarian after the wars they’ve had. He knows his back is against the wall against these people but that’s the way he likes it, because he’s earned his way here, he deserves to be here and he belongs here. This guy knows how to get fans behind him and he did it again here with a good promo.

Mustafa Ali, with Order 4, talks about the Hardys thinking they’re goats but they’re really sheep. Tonight, he will be Jeff Hardy’s shepherd.

We look at Zaria and Sol Ruca earning a Knockouts Tag Team Title shot earlier this week on NXT.

Indi Hartwell vs. M By Elegance

The rest of the Elegance Brand is here too. Hartwell backs her into the corner to start before grabbing a headlock. They run the ropes a bit until Hartwell uppercuts her into the corner. A running big boot misses though and M stomps on Hartwell’s foot, with the Personal Concierge smashing the foot with a shoe (as payback for Hartwell stepping on M’s foot). We take a break and come back with Hartwell grabbing a spinebuster, starting up the clothesline comeback. The Hurts Donut is broken up but Hartwell rolls her up for the pin at 9:05.

Rating: C. That was a bit of an oddly timed break at the end as there wasn’t much when we come back, though maybe AMC is still learning how to lay these things out. That being said, it was your usual Hartwell match, as she’s just not that great in the ring. The fans love her though and that’s more than enough of a reason to have her in a featured spot.

Post match the Brand jumps Hartwell but Ash By Elegance tries to cool things off. Violence is teased so cue the Angel Warriors…and Ash jumps Lei Ying Lee, suggesting that she might be able to do some physical stuff. That’s good to see after how bad things sounded.

Post break, Ash tells the Brand that she is back. If that means she’s healthy, that’s great.

Feast Or Fired

Mance Warner, Rich Swann, Hometown Man, Ryan Nemeth, AJ Francis, Eric Young, John Skyler, Jason Hotch, Eddie Edwards, Brian Myers, Steve Maclin, Trey Miguel

There are four briefcases (one at each corner), three of which contain title (World, X-Division, International) shots. The fourth contains a pink slip. Whomever gets a case has to get to the ground with it to officially win it, with the reveals next week. Miguel is a surprise, as his “break” from wrestling lasted…a week?

The ring is quickly cleared out so Swann and Miguel can have a hug. Francis cuts Miguel off from his climb and gets double powerbombed down for his efforts. Young is back in to clear the ring until Miguel…really doesn’t do well with a poisonrana attempt. Miguel hits a big dive and Man goes up top to dive off as well rather than going for a case. Man goes back up and tries for the case but Young steals his mask and the case, which he officially wins.

Hotch and Skyler go after a briefcase but Maclin takes it away and escapes so we’re down to two. Warner loads up chairs rather than going after a case, allowing Edwards to Blue Thunder Bomb him onto the chairs. Francis chokeslams Swann onto the apron but Miguel kicks Francis down. That’s enough for Miguel to get a briefcase, leaving Myers to clear the field so Edwards can get the last case. Francis is waiting on him though…so Edwards throws the case at him and hits a dropkick, allowing Edwards to get the case back and wrap it up at 8:21.

Rating: C+. This is a really weird one to rate as you have four winners but the rest don’t really lose. The big drama comes next week as we find out who gets what, but they went with a pretty standard group of winners. If nothing else, it gives me the hope that Young will be gone and that would improve a lot of things.

Mike Santana runs into Nic Nemeth and warns him to watch his step. Nemeth teases Calling His Shot and brings up Santana’s daughter, which is enough to trigger the brawl.

Post break, BDE and some of his friends are in the back playing video games. Nic Nemeth comes in to yell them for just playing games because this is real life. BDE isn’t happy and offers to face him next week. Nemeth says it’s on.

Here is Elayna Black for a chat. She’s the only one you need to talk about and she’s the only one who matters. Her first match is next week and this is the Era Of Elayna. This sounded like someone on Tough Enough making up a character on the spot.

Arianna Grace apologizes to Santino Marella, who doesn’t seem impressed. She says Stacks was wrong and begs his forgiveness. They hug, which I’m sure will go fine for both of them.

Mustafa Ali vs. Jeff Hardy

Order 4 and Matt Hardy are here too. They lock up to start with Jeff shoving him down out of the corner. Jeff takes him down for a quick ride and a right hand puts Ali on the floor. Back in and Ali gets punched to the floor again, meaning it’s time for a breather. Ali gets back in again and knocks Jeff into the corner, followed by a shot out to the floor. Agent Zero takes Matt out and we take a break.

We come back with the fight taking place on the apron until Jeff hits a Twist Of Fate onto the steps (turned on their side next to the apron). They both dive back in to beat the count with Jeff getting the better of things, including the basement dropkick. Another Twist Of Fate is blocked but Ali is sent face first into the buckle.

Tasha Steelz’s interference doesn’t work as Jeff hits a double Twisting Stunner for two so Ali grabs a title belt. Matt cuts that off and gets into it with Agent Zero, leaving Jeff to hit the Twist Of Fate. The Swanton misses though and Ali’s 450 gets two. Cue Elijah for a distraction, meaning it’s the Twist into the Swanton to finish Ali at 15:30.

Rating: B. So the Elijah vs. Ali feud continues, which hardly does Ali any favors. Ali is someone who seems like he could be put into the main event scene but he’s still dealing with Elijah, who doesn’t feel that big. Losing to Jeff is fine, though I have no idea who is supposed to take the titles from the Hardys. They feel almost unbeatable and that’s not the best situation to give the rest of your division.

The Righteous suggest it isn’t over with the Hardys. Is there really no better option?

Here is the System, with JDC, to announce JDC’s replacement in the team. He has handpicked his replacement and it’s…Bear Bronson. Bear Bronson? Ok then. The team seems happy with it…but Eddie Edwards and Bronson jump Moose and JDC. Cedric Alexander runs in for the save…and he hits Moose with a chair.

Eddie says they’re replacing TWO members of the System because Moose is out. Alisha Edwards is distraught as the beating continues to end the show. The turn makes sense, as the System works better as villains and Moose losing isn’t something they should tolerate. If nothing else, it means Alexander gets something to do and I’ll take that.

Overall Rating: B-. FAR better show this week, which was at least partially due to it feeling like a regular show instead of being the big premiere. They had some good action here, plus the big twist(s) at the end, which is a needed change. Next week should be interesting with some important matches and the briefcase reveals. Not a classic show here, but it felt like a return to form, which was needed after last week’s less than successful offering.

Results
Cedric Alexander b. Moose – Hurricanrana
Indi Hartwell b. M By Elegance – Rollup
Eric Young, Steve Maclin, Trey Miguel and Eddie Edwards won Feast Or Fired
Jeff Hardy b. Mustafa Ali – Swanton Bomb

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Angel Warriors vs. Elegance Brand

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Mustafa Ali vs. Home Town Man

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: TNA Wrestling

Trey Miguel vs. Myron Reed vs. Zachary Wentz

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

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

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

Post match everything is cool.

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

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

TNA World Title: Frankie Kazarian vs. Bear Bronson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Home Town Man vs. Brooks Jensen

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dani Luna vs. Xia Brookside

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

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

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

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

Robert Stone vs. Mike Santana

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

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

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

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

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

Mustafa Ali vs. Trey Miguel

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

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

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

Final Resolution rundown.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

From September 2025 in Minneapolis.

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

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

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

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

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

Ryan Nemeth vs. Krampus

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

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

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

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

From July 2025.

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Final Resolution rundown.

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

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

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

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

Hannifan wraps us up.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The System vs. Order 4

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

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

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

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

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

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

Knockouts Battle Royal

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nemeths vs. Home Town Man/Matt Cardona

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

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

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

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

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

Mike Santana vs. Ridge Holland

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

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

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

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

Matt Hardy is banged up but cleared.

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

Moose vs. Mustafa Ali

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

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

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

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

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

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

Joe Hendry vs. Eric Young

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

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

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

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

Hendry gets quite the nice ovation as he leaves.

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

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

AJ Francis vs. Matt Hardy

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

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

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

We recap the Knockouts Title situation.

Knockouts Title: Kelani Jordan vs. Lei Ying Lee

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

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

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

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

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

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

International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Frankie Kazarian

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

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

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

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

Video on Bound For Glory.

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

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

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Myron Reed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We open with a September 11th graphic.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Moose vs. AJ Francis

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

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

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

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

The System is ready to take out the Nemeths.

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

Joe Hendry vs. Eric Young

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

Joe Hendry vs. Travis Williams

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Heather By Elegance vs. Jessie McKay

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

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

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

Cassie Lee vs. M By Elegance

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

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

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

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

We recap the recent TNA issues on NXT.

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

Nemeths vs. System

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

Ryan Nemeth vs. Zachary Wentz

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

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

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

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

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

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

Battle Royal

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mustafa Ali vs. John Skyler

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hardys vs. Northern Armory

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

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

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

Moose vs. Shane Sabre vs. Jake Painter

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

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

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

Mike Santana vs. AJ Francis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 8, 2025
Location: Bren Events Center, Irvine, California
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re getting closer to Under Siege and that means we should be in for a card being set up sooner rather than later. One of the bigger matches is likely going to involve NXT’s Trick Williams, who has been going after TNA World Champion Joe Hendry. Other than that, there are a lot of holes to fill in so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Trick Williams, the #1 contender to the TNA World Title at NXT Battleground on May 25, to get things going. After bragging about his attractiveness, Williams brings up taking out Joe Hendry last week. He isn’t bothered by the booing and yells at a fan, before saying that Hendry wants to be liked while Williams wants to be respected. Williams is ready to take everything from Hendry, who comes to the ring for the brawl. Security breaks it up so Hendry beats up a guard to blow off some steam (that’s a bit out of character for him).

Robert Stone complains to Victoria Crawford about tonight’s card, because Santino Marella is bad at his job.

Rosemary vs. Lei Ying Lee

Xia Brookside is on commentary. Lee starts fast with a running crossbody for two but Rosemary takes her down and hammers away. A fall away slam gives Rosemary two and she bites the hand to cut off some chops. The Upside Down makes it worse for Lee, with Brookside thinking Rosemary is doing this to prove a point. Lee fights back and hammers away in the corner (Brookside approves) so Rosemary tries some brass knuckles. Brookside takes them away though and Thunderstruck gives Lee the pin at 4:29.

Rating: C+. They only had so much time here and Brookside continuing to stay on the good side, much to Rosemary’s chagrin, continues to set up their eventual showdown. That opens up a nice possibility, as Brookside has been needing something interesting for a long time now. It would be nice to see that go somewhere, and Lee is getting a bit of a rub of her own on the way.

Trick Williams and Mike Santana cross paths backstage. After a staredown, Santana moves on to Sami Callihan and a guy in a goblin mask. Santana appreciated the barbed wire massacre a few weeks ago, which gets a handshake from Callihan. First Class comes in and says they’re here to talk to Callihan. They want him in First Class but he leaves with the goblin instead. Santana doesn’t seem impressed.

By Elegance gives Maggie Lee a makeover. Full results coming later I’m assuming.

Great Hands vs. Aztec Warriors

Before the match, the Great Hands say Mustafa Ali has changed since Rebellion. They’re sorry for what happens next. Kid and Hotch run the ropes to start until Kid slaps him in the back of the head. Octagon comes in for a spinning high crossbody and a rather springboardy wristdrag.

Skyler gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and a neckbreaker gets two on Octagon. That doesn’t last long as Octagon rolls over and gets the tag off to Kid to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down and the Warriors hit some dives to the floor. Back in and a driver puts Hotch down, setting up a handstand springboard moonsault to give Octagon the pin at 4:16.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here, with the Warriors being the local lucha team. That is something which is going to work no matter what and that was the case here. At the same time, the Great Hands are a team who can make anyone look good, which suits their name rather well. I can’t imagine the Warriors get to go very far, but at least they’re doing something in the short term.

Post match Mustafa Ali runs in to jump the Warriors but the Rascalz make the save.

Trey Miguel vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali forearms away to start and rolls over into a powerbomb to plant Miguel. An uppercut drops Miguel again but he sends Ali to the floor. The baseball slide is countered into a hanging DDT onto the floor though and they head back inside. A standing corkscrew moonsault gives Ali two and a bridging suplex gets the same. The rolling neckbreaker is cut off with a cutter though and Miguel gets to strike away.

The top rope Meteora gives Miguel two but Ali knocks him outside. That lets the seconds get in a brawl, with Wentz hitting a moonsault onto the Great Hands. Ali posts Wentz to take him out but the distraction lets Miguel come back with a diving tornado DDT. Tasha Steelz offers a distraction though and the Great Hands cut Miguel off. Ali’s swinging Downward Spiral is good for the pin at 7:19.

Rating: B. As usual, TNA knows how to use its talented wrestlers to put something good together. That’s what we got here, as Ali is one of the best talents on the roster and Miguel can hang with anyone. I could have gone with a bit less in the way of shenanigans, but it’s rather easy to watch these two in the ring together.

We look at Mustafa Ali successfully defending the X-Division Title against Ace Austin at Under Siege 2024. A little over half of the match, which ran 16 minutes in full, is shown.

Steve Maclin is ready to face Eric Young in a dog collar match for the International Title. It’s time to finish this.

Indi Hartwell talks about everything she has done to get here, including how much she loved TNA Wrestling. She doesn’t want to be a Knockout, because she wants to be THE Knockout. Not a bad line. I can go with giving Hartwell a try, as she never really got one on the main WWE roster.

Here are the Hardys for a chat. They lost the Tag Team Titles to the Nemeths and it makes them feel like they let the fans down. That doesn’t work for them, but now it’s time to fight, scratch and claw their way back to the titles. They are on the Hardy Soul Train and it’s time to DELETE the new champs’ title reign.

Cue the Nemeths to say they are going to make this fast because they have a plane to catch. They think the Hardys are legends but sometimes legends fall. The rematch can take place at Under Siege and they can make it a ladder match…but never mind because Jeff can’t go to Canada. This brings out Santino Marella to make Jeff vs. Nic next week and Matt/a partner of his choice vs. the Nemeths for the titles at Under Siege. If nothing else, I’ll take this over another Jeff beatdown just before the Canadian excursion.

We look at Nic and Jeff in a hardcore match years ago on Raw. Next week is their first regular singles match.

Victoria Crawford vs. Brittnie Brooks

Robert Stone is on commentary. Crawford knocks her into the corner to start and hits her always good bridging northern lights suplex for two. A headscissors out of the corner sets up the ax kick to give Crawford the pin at 1:27. Keeping this short might have been a good idea.

Post match Masha Slamovich comes out to brawl with Crawford but Tessa Blanchard comes in to drop Slamovich. Santino Marella comes out to make a tag match for next week but Stone is going to pick Slamovich’s partner: Nikkita Lyons from NXT. Uh, yay.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Arianna Grace tries to calm things down between Robert Stone and Santino Marella. Tessa Blanchard comes in to yell at her about the proper way to build on your family’s legacy.

International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Eric Young

Young, with the Northern Armory, is challenging in a dog collar match and Matt Cardona is on commentary. They pull each other closer with the chain and Young gets the better of a brawl. Maclin is already busted open and Young chokes away in the corner as Elijah is watching backstage. The blood is GUSHING and the Armory rubs it on their white shirts as Young chokes with the chain on the post. Young hammers away and throws Maclin back inside, where Maclin cuts them all off with a dive.

Back up and Young uses the chain to pull him throat first into the post and we take a break. We come back with Young choking away on the incredibly bloody Maclin as Ace Austin is now watching with Elijah. Maclin fights up with the clothesline comeback and whips Young with the chain. An Angle Slam gives Maclin two and a running knee drops Young again. Mance Warner and Steph de Lander are watching from the stage as the fight heads outside.

Maclin has to fight off the Armory again though and Young pulls him off the apron for a crash. Back in and Maclin catches Young on top and beats up the Armory. The distraction lets Young (either also bleeding or covered in Maclin’s blood) hit a piledriver for two but Maclin uses the chain to pull him off the top. KIA retains the title at 14:26.

Rating: B-. Your taste in blood may vary here, but it was more about violence than insanity like the Barbed Wire Massacre a few weeks back. Hopefully this lets Maclin move on to someone else, because there are a lot of possible challengers out there. Maclin looked good in surviving here, even with all of the blood, which was excessive even by TNA standards.

Maclin celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. For a show that had a lot going on and a lot to set up, almost everything was working here. The action was good, with the main event looking and feeling very important. Other than that, you had some things set up for Under Siege, which could use the boost given how much has been blown off recently. Solid show here, which is something TNA has been needing.

Results
Lei Ying Lee b. Rosemary – Thunderstruck
Aztec Warriors b. Great Hands – Handstand springboard moonsault to Hotch
Mustafa Ali b. Trey Miguel – Swinging Downward Spiral
Victoria Crawford b. Brittnie Brooks – Ax kick
Steve Maclin b. Eric Young – KIA

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

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