NXT
Date: September 23, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s time to finalize everything for No Mercy, which is taking place this weekend. In this case we have the winner take all World Title match as NXT Champion Oba Femi faces TNA World Champion Trick Williams. That does not have the rest of the TNA roster happy and they might be getting involved as a result. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a Homecoming recap.

Myles Borne vs. Lexis King

Lights Out (meaning wacky lighting) and anything goes. Borne jumps King during his entrance and we’re starting fast. The trashcan and chair are thrown inside and Borne drops him with a few chair shots. King is back up to put Borne in the chair for a running knee, followed by a knee to the ribs. A suplex onto the chair gets two and we hit a crossarm choke on Borne. King sends him into the corner and kicks away as the dark lighting is already getting annoying.

Borne comes back with a powerslam and we take a break. We come back with King throwing in a table but Borne cuts him off with some belt whipping to the back. Borne catapults him into a chair in the corner but King is right back up and tries to Pillmanize the necks. That doesn’t work either and a spear sends King crashing through the barricade. King superkicks his way out of trouble but a DDT puts him onto the steps. Borne Again through a table gives Borne the pin at 11:48.

Rating: C+. The violence was fine and I liked seeing Borne win, or at least I thought I did as you could barely see a lot of this. The whole Lights Out deal can be added without actually darkening the arena but I guess they wanted to go a bit more literal. I’m not sure what is next for King, but it’s not exactly working well for him at the moment.

Robert Stone and Stevie Turner are in charge tonight since Ava isn’t here. Ava is on the phone but the reception cuts out before she can say if she invited some TNA wrestlers.

Ethan Page is walking through the back when Miles Borne looks at his title. TNA’s Mance Warner and Steph de Lander are behind him but Page doesn’t seem to notice.

Here is Ethan Page for a chat. First, he acknowledges AAA’s El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and invites him to No Mercy. Wagner gets up and goes to the ring, with Page saying get a referee in here. That’s exactly what happens and Wagner makes him tap to an ankle lock in about ten seconds, though the bell never rang so I don’t think it really counts. Wagner holds up the title…and unmasks as Tavion Heights in a nice moment.

Earlier today, Jordynne Grace didn’t think much of Arianna Grace being less than serious and a match was made for later.

Speed Title #1 Contenders Tournament Finals: Lainey Reid vs. Candice LeRae

A NASCAR driver is the ring announcer. LeRae kicks her down to start but misses an early Lionsault as TNA’s Angel Warriors arrive in the back. Reid knocks her out to the apron but can’t get a suplex. Instead LeRae sends her outside and hits a springboard spinning crossbody. Back in and LeRae’s Gargano Escape is countered into a rollup for two and they trade some near falls. Reid knocks her silly with a knee to the face for the pin at 2:26.

Jaida Parker doesn’t like Lash Legend and says she can hit harder, talk louder and look better. A rematch is suggested.

Lyra Valkyria meets up with Tatum Paxley again and talks about friends possibly being strange. Paxley says nothing is ever Valkyria’s fault, with Valkyria saying she’s glad that Paxley is weird, but consistently weird. Izzi Dame comes in to say Valkyria will drop Paxley again. Of note: more TNA wrestlers were walking around behind them, with Hank & Tank following.

Chase U apologizes to the banged up Andre Chase but Chase says it’s ok. He brings in some NASCAR drivers, who tease summoning Joe Hendry. Darkstate comes in and doesn’t think much of Hendry…who has taken over the body of one of the drivers. Either way, a six man tag is set up.

Jordynne Grace vs. Arianna Grace

Arianna gets in a quick cheap shot to start but Jordynne unloads with forearms in the corner. A quick knockdown lets Arianna hit a splash, only to miss an elbow drop. Jordynne sends her into the corner a few times, followed by some clotheslines. The spinebuster into a spinning torture rack bomb finishes for Jordynne at 2:50.

Post match Stacks of all people pops up to check on Arianna but here is Blake Monroe with a trashcan full of weapons. Jordynne grabs a chair and the fight is on, with security breaking it up. The bosses come out to make a weapons cage match for No Mercy.

Lainey Reid is ready to beat Sol Ruca but Fatal Influence pops in. Jacy Jayne praises Reid but says she can handle Lola Vice by herself. The rest of the team isn’t convinced.

Here is Jayne to talk about how she’s been champion for over 100 days, like it or not. She has gotten rid of the labels people have put on her, like transitional champion. Now people are expecting LOLA VICE is going to take the title from her? Sure Vice has a million Instagram followers but she’s not ready to take the title. Jayne already shocked the world and she’s the underdog again because no one believes in her.

No one is going to ruin this for her and here is Vice to interrupt. After talking about various curves she has that Jayne doesn’t, Vice talks about growing up over the last year and being ready to win the title. At No Mercy, Vice will show no mercy but Jayne mocks Vice for wanting her family to be proud. Jayne promises to retain the title, even if it means a broken nose or jaw. Vice knocks her cold with a spinning backfist (Jayne sold that like death).

Josh Briggs is tired of being told he can’t connect with people so he’s finally giving up on doing anything but hurting people. Like Je’Von Evans at No Mercy.

Darkstate vs. Joe Hendry/Chase U

Darkstate jumps them during Hendry’s entrance until Shugars and Connors start things off. Connors ducks around Lennox and hands it off to Dixon to take over. A clothesline gets two on Lennox and it’s off to Hendry to keep the hot crowd warm. Hendry’s suplex is cut off and everything breaks down with Dixon hitting a big flip dive to the floor. Hendry and company pose and we take a break.

We come back with Dixon in trouble, with James dropping him onto the buckle so Lennox can clothesline him for two. We cut to the back where TNA’s Mike Santana is arriving and everything breaks down again. That settles back down to Dixon fighting out of the corner and bringing Hendry in to clean house. A suplex cuts Lennox off and it’s back to Connors, who manages to kick down some of the villains. Griffin and Lennox are sent into each other but a knee to the face drops Connors. The toss powerbomb finishes for Shugars at 11:39.

Rating: B-. I was expecting a squash here but Chase U managed to do a good bit better than usual, which made it a nice surprise. You’re only going to get so much out of a match with one of the lowest level teams against the champs but Chase U was working hard. I’m still not sure how much of a future they have, though they were certainly trying here.

Ricky Saints has gone back to New Orleans, in a place where his childhood home was…before the storm took it away. He’s proud to be the one who made it and he had to, because he didn’t have another choice. The reality is he believed in himself because there was no one else to believe in him. He’s back in New Orleans because it represents everything he’s done to get here. Saturday isn’t just about winning the NXT Title, but also about proving that he has gotten where he wanted to go. Good stuff here, though the Lola Vice version a few weeks ago was better.

No Mercy rundown.

Je’Von Evans knows Josh Briggs is talking about him but…and we pause because Jazmyn Nyx has been attacked. Jacy Jayne and Fallon Henley don’t think much of it.

TNA World Title/NXT Title: Trick Williams vs. Oba Femi

Title for title. Femi tries an early Fall From Grace but Williams slips out and jumps over him for another standoff. More power has Williams in trouble, with one shot sending him to the floor. Williams manages to pull him onto the apron as we see various TNA wrestlers watching in the crowd.

Cue Mike Santana (set to challenge Williams at Bound For Glory, the biggest TNA event of the year, next month) to join commentary as we take a break. We come back with Williams hitting a slam…and Matt Cardona is in the crowd (that gets the fans’ attention). Femi gets fired up and hits a spinebuster, followed by a flying shoulder.

A Big Ending gives Femi two so Williams kicks him in the face for the same. Back up and Femi sends him flying but the Fall From Grace is countered into a rollup for two. The second attempt at the Fall From Grace gives Femi two as more TNA wrestlers are shown. Williams and Femi slug it out and head outside with Williams going after Santana, who slaps him back for the DQ at 11:51.

Rating: B-. They were starting to cook near the end, but NXT all but guaranteed that this was going to end with someone from TNA getting involved for the DQ to avoid a title change. It was a bit of a weird way to go, but Femi vs. Williams is the kind of a match that can be saved for a big moment later on. What we got was good, but it was basically just waiting for the interference ending.

Post the TNA wrestlers and NXT locker room run in for the big brawl. Ricky Saints grabs the NXT Title, but Oba Femi grabs it as well so the staredown can end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The ending of the main event was the weakest part of the show but the rest worked pretty well. What matters the most is the fact that they made No Mercy look a lot better. The show got some good build and I’m more interested in what they have coming up this weekend than I was coming in. Good show here and one of the better NXT’s in a while.

Results
Myles Borne b. Lexis King – Borne Again through a table
Lainey Reid b. Candice LeRae – Knee to the face
Jordynne Grace b. Arianna Grace – Spinning torture rack bomb
Darkstate b. Chase U/Joe Hendry – Toss powerbomb to Connors
Trick Williams b. Oba Femi via DQ when Mike Santana interfered

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

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NXT
Date: September 16, 2025
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

It’s a special show this week with Homecoming, meaning a bunch of stars of NXT’s past are back around. That’s the kind of thing you kind of have to do when the show is back in its old stomping grounds. We’re also getting pretty close to No Mercy and the show is likely going to get some build here. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a history of NXT at Full Sail, dating back to the HHH with long hair era. The idea was that you were seeing the future, including stars like Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, the Four Horsewomen and several others. There are all kinds of highlights included here, as NXT has been around for a very, very long time with some great moments.

We get a modernized version of the opening, set to The Roar Of The Crowd. Oh dang that’s a flashback.

Here is HHH to get things going for a special moment and yeah the fans seem to like him. He’s glad to be home and that’s good for a WELCOME HOME chant. This place is something special and for every talent who walked through that….video board (HHH: “I was going to say curtain but there isn’t one.”). He thanks everyone who has helped make this place work, including the fans at home.

The people turned this from a whisper into a roar. They are the ones who said NXT is the future and then they said the future is now. Those same people then shouted WE ARE NXT so HHH is here to say thank you…and here is a dancing Shawn Michaels to interrupt (with the fans singing his song). Michaels: “As I came walking out of that…video board is it?” He thanks HHH for the billion dollar deals and says his current NXT stars are ready to take over. HHH asks what would happen if he wanted to come back to NXT.

Michaels says that would be a very, very big problem….and here’s William Regal to interrupt. After saying there is one way of doing this (and calling out a fan for saying the line before he can, with Regal saying to edit that out), Regal says this means WARGAMES. Cue Charlotte and Alexa Bliss to interrupt, with Charlotte saying it doesn’t matter who is in charge because the women have always run NXT. Charlotte talks about some great women of NXT’s past. And Carmella. Anyway, they have a title match for tonight and if you have a problem with the women, they have two words for you. Very fun opening segment.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: The Culling vs. Alexa Bliss/Charlotte

Bliss and Charlotte are defending. Paxley and Bliss start things off with a doll showdown until Paxley takes her down by the head. They trade poses before Paxley has to escape a quick Sister Abigail DDT attempt. Charlotte (thankfully she’s healed up) comes in but Dame slaps her handshake away. A jawbreaker staggers Charlotte but everything breaks down with the champs hitting stereo running faceplants.

We take a break and come back with a facebuster putting Charlotte in trouble again. She chops away but Dame is right there to cut her off. Stereo big boots leave them both down though and Charlotte gets over for the tag off to Bliss. A running Blockbuster gets two on Paxley and a choke shove puts her down again. Shawn Spears offers a distraction though and Twisted Bliss hits raised knees. Paxley’s rollup with feet on the ropes gets two and the Psycho Trap connects, with Charlotte having to make a save. That means Bliss can hit the Sister Abigail DDT for the pin at 11:21.

Rating: B-. It was interesting to see someone who could match Charlotte in size but this was just about having a pair of former NXT stars making a special return. There was no way the Culling was getting the titles here, but it was nice to have the reunion with the NXT fans. Nice match too, as the pairings made good sense.

Zaria and Sol Ruca argue in the back over their lack of success as a team. Lainey Reid and Candice LeRae come in to argue about which of the two of them will be getting a shot at Ruca’s Speed Title…but Shayna Baszler comes in to tell Ruca and Zaria to fix this. And that’s that.

Carmelo Hayes/Trick Williams vs. DIY

Gargano and Hayes miss rolling kicks to the head to start and the fans are VERY into this. Ciampa (with his face painted) comes in to knee Williams to the floor and Gargano adds a big dive as we take a break. We come back with Ciampa giving Williams a reverse DDT, allowing the tag off to Gargano for the house cleaning. Gargano and Hayes go to the ramp until Gargano sends him back inside for the slingshot spear.

Back in and Williams runs through Ciampa and loads up the Trick Shot but Hayes tags himself in. Hayes hits a spinning faceplant and Williams teases going after him but hits a diving clothesline on Gargano (who seemed to be his target). A springboard Doomsday Device gets two on Ciampa, who is right back with Project Ciampa for two on Hayes.

Williams grabs the title but Ciampa grabs the Fairy Tale Ending. Hayes breaks up Meet In The Middle but gets caught in the Shatter Machine. Meet In The Middle connects with Williams making the save…and the Miz runs in for a Skull Crushing Finale to Gargano on the floor. Back in and Nothing But Net gives Hayes the pin at 10:39.

Rating: B. This was a match that felt big coming in and then it wound up being able to live up to most of the hype. Later in the match was was thinking Miz shouldn’t be happy with his partner doing this kind of thing on his own so points for having the stories come together. It’s also nice to see the newer generation of NXT stars getting a win, as you don’t want a show like this to be dominated by the old guard.

Sami Zayn is glad to be back here and likes what he sees in Je’Von Evans. Josh Briggs interrupts to say Evans is nothing but here is Evans to brawl with Briggs. With that broken up, Zayn tells Evans that the sky is the limit for them and they have to fight.

North American Title: Ethan Page vs. Tyler Breeze

Page is defending and drops Breeze with a running shoulder to start. That lets Page do Breeze’s pose on the ropes so Breeze hits a dropkick and poses himself. Back up and Page hits a heck of a right hand as we take a break. We come back with Breeze fighting out of the Twisted Grin and hitting a running forearm. Page is right back with an Ego’s Edge for two but Breeze wraps his leg around the post and grabs a Hartbreaker.

Back in and a half crab sends Page to the ropes, followed by the Supermodel Kick for two. The Unprettier is broken up so Page goes to the corner, where Breeze pulls him into a Cheeky Nandos Kick. Breeze goes up again but Page cuts him off and hits a hanging Twisted Grin for the pin to retain at 10:33.

Rating: C+. It’s nice to see Breeze come back, as having him put into this kind of a spot is a great flashback, even if it seems like a one off. That’s a nice way to bring someone back and have them put a current champion over. The fans were still in for what Breeze was doing and he didn’t look like he had lost a step.

Post match AAA’s El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. shows up for a staredown with Page.

Tavion Heights is annoyed but Damian Priest comes in to give him a pep talk. He sees a lot of himself in Heights, who is very appreciative. Priest says he’s here for advice too, which Heights seems to want.

It’s time for the Grayson Waller Effect, with Ricky Saints and Oba Femi already in the ring. Waller mocks both of them to start but Femi brushes it off. Femi says Saints can carry as many bags as he likes but he won’t be carrying the NXT Title. Saints asks who Femi is without the title, because all he sees is a pampered athlete. Years ago, Saints gave everything in a tryout to get an automated email saying no, so he’s coming back to get the title, but here is Trick Williams to interrupt.

Femi has something that belongs to him, and he means the title. Waller thinks he’s going to get a winner takes all match set for next week with Femi and Williams, with the winner facing Saints. Waller says TNA wrestlers won’t like it but no one cared about the company until he said the letters. Femi cuts him off and says he’s ready to win both of them.

Wren Sinclair has some ideas to help the No Quarter Catch Crew but Charlie Dempsey says the solution is….he goes to Japan for a month. Bobby Roode pops in to do his pose but Joe Hendry’s name is mentioned and Roode says it was great to see the TNA World Title at Wrestlemania.

Here is Lexis King for a chat. He doesn’t think much of Myles Borne so next week they’re facing off in a Lights Out match…and here is Finn Balor to interrupt. Cue Borne to jump King from behind and the Coup de Grace leaves King laying. Balor was going to be over like almost no other here so there was zero reason to try to make the fans boo him.

Darkstate is here when Montez Ford (on his own) interrupts. Ford mentions the team having targets on their backs and they aren’t happy as he leaves. Kind of an odd segment.

Bianca Belair is here.

Fatal Influence vs. Lyra Valkyria/Rhea Ripley/Stephanie Vaquer

Valkyria is substituting for an injured Tiffany Stratton. Fatal Influence jumps them before the bell to start fast, with Vaquer being sent into the wrong corner. A backsplash gives Nyx two but Vaquer dropkicks her way out of the corner. Valkyria comes in to clean house and for some reason Nyx goes after Ripley. That earns her a superkick from Vaquer as we get some reactions from various TNA wrestlers, who aren’t happy with the lack of respect NXT has been showing TNA. That sounds invasionish as Ripley tosses Nyx onto the other two as we take a break.

We come back with Nyx cranking on Valkyria’s neck, followed by a kick to the chest for two. A double flapjack into a double Natural Selection has Valkyria in more trouble and Ripley is knocked off the apron. Jayne’s running knee gets two on Valkyria and we get more TNA reactions to the title match. Valkyria fights up and brings Vaquer in to wreck the villains. The SVB is broken up and a catapult sends Vaquer into a Nyx Kick for two.

Vaquer fights out again and brings in Ripley so destruction can ensue. Everything breaks down and Valkyria dropkicks Nyx through the ropes. That leaves Vaquer and Ripley to point at Booker and then do stereo Devil’s Kisses (Vic Joseph fans Booker down in a hilarious bonus). Jayne tries to leave but Lola Vice cuts her off and sends her back inside for Riptide and the pin at 10:27.

Rating: B. This was the kind of fun main event that it should have been, as Fatal Influence had as much chance of winning as I did of being Miss Nevada 1972. The double Devil’s Kiss bit was great and the fans loved it, with Booker making it that much better. I had a great time with this and it was exactly the kind of non-serious match match, even with Vice getting involved, that it should have been.

Vice and the winners celebrate together.

Trick Williams and Oba Femi have their staredown, but William Regal thinks the TNA stars are going to cause trouble next week. Williams and Femi don’t seem to mind.

Overall Rating: A-. Excellent show, as they did a very nice job of not making the modern NXT stars look weak. You had the NXT legends show up and help boost up some of the current roster while giving them some wins here and there. This was treated as a big celebration of the history of NXT while also boosting things up. The TNA stuff is an intriguing bonus, so this couldn’t have been much better.

Results
Alexa Bliss/Charlotte b. The Culling – Sister Abigail DDT to Paxley
Trick Williams/Carmelo Hayes b. DIY – Nothing But Net to Gargano
Ethan Page b. Tyler Breeze – Hanging Twisted Grin
Lyra Valkyria/Rhea Ripley/Stephanie Vaquer b. Fatal Influence – Riptide to Jayne

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: 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

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

We are closing in on both Homecoming and No Mercy, with Oba Femi set to defend the NXT Title against Ricky Saints. The big story for this week though is about the Tag Team Titles, with Hank & Tank getting their rematch against Darkstate. The big question might be about who shows up as a surprise before Homecoming though so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Je’Von Evans to call out Josh Briggs for a brawl. Ava comes out to make the match and let’s go.

Je’Von Evans vs. Josh Briggs

Evans hits a frog splash for an early two but Briggs is back up to hammer away in the corner. Briggs’ crossbody gets two as the fans are making their dislike of Briggs rather known. Evans fights out of a chinlock and strikes away before low bridging Briggs to the floor. That earns Evans a face first drop onto the apron but Evans flips out of a powerbomb and lands on the apron. A big dive sends Briggs crashing over the announcers’ table and we take a break.

We come back with Briggs having lost his vest and Evans hammering away in the corner. Briggs sends him throat first into the top rope before demanding respect. That’s enough to trigger the comeback but Briggs pulls him out of the air. A flipping Stunner rocks Briggs and a big kick gets two. Briggs lariats him down but Evans flips into a kick to the head. A flipping Coast To Coast hits Briggs, who grabs a chair but has it taken away. Evans goes up and gets punched out of the air to give Briggs the pin at 12:43.

Rating: B-. This was about the big brawl, though the ending came out of nowhere. Evans fighting against these monsters is showing a lot of heart and I could go for seeing him get the big win down the line. For now though, Briggs really needed the win to establish himself as someone who matters, as that has been missing for a long time.

Post match replays show that Briggs had wrapped a chain around his hand. Ah that makes sense.

Ava puts Oba Femi and Ricky Saints on the Grayson Waller Effect next week. Trick Williams comes in to allude to something with Eva and says he hasn’t forgotten Femi. Saints wouldn’t understand the championship business.

Here is DIY, who are celebrating ten years since their debut as a team in NXT. They may be on Smackdown now, but NXT will always be their home. Ciampa knew that his last match in NXT wasn’t really his last match in NXT. He brings up Trick Williams, who of course comes out to interrupt. Last week they got the better of him because it was 2-1 so now it’s time for his NXT crew to even things up.

Cue Carmelo Hayes, who looks at Williams and talks about how Williams has said a lot of things that are true and a lot that are false. DIY built this house and Hayes did the repairs on the house, but Williams needs to learn that rent is due. The next time he gets in the ring, he needs to take his high heels off, sit down and listen while the OG’s talk.

Williams says he wears his heels where he wants to but Ciampa asks which one is the little brother. Hayes wisely points out that Ciampa and Gargano are hardly the ones to talk about friend stabbing each other in the back. That’s shrugged off and the tag match is set up for Homecoming.

Women’s Speed Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Lainey Reid vs. Faby Apache

Apache dropkicks her down to start and sends her to the floor for a dive. Back in and Reid gets in a kick to the head as we’re already a minute in. Something like an Edge O Matic drops Reid but a double underhook is broken up with two minutes gone. A dragon suplex gives Apache two but Natalya (in the crowd) offers a distraction, allowing Reid to hit a running knee for the pin at 2:38.

Zaria and Sol Ruca are ready for the #1 contenders match tonight when Hank & Tank come in. Stereo pep talks ensue.

Blake Jordan is in a bathtub and talks about how Jordynne Grace has ruined everything. The Glamour can bleed and come back so now Grace has awakened her.

Tag Team Titles: Darkstate vs. Hank & Tank

Darkstate is defending. Griffin gets crushed to start and the powerslam/neckbreaker combination connects, with Lennox having to make a save less than a minute in. The big double brawl is on and Hank & Tank clear the ring, setting up the double dives. We take a break and come back with Lennox giving Tank a spinebuster for two.

A double spinebuster gets the same, followed by Griffin hitting a powerslam. Tank finally fights out of trouble and it’s off to Hank to clean house. A spinning Downward Spiral gets two on Griffin but the rest of Darkstate gets involved. James says Joe Hendry’s name so Hendry appears, only for Lennox to grab a rollup pin to retain at 10:50.

Rating: B-. This was the match we needed to get out of the way so Darkstate can move on to fresh challengers. Despite Hank & Tank holding the titles for over four months, they didn’t feel like the most serious champions. Darkstate already beat them so now it’s time to move on to someone new, which should be covered here.

Video on the Flag Match, which is basically a game of capture the flag. Tavion Heights and Ethan Page are ready.

Ethan Page seems to recruit Ridge Holland’s help.

Lexis King thinks Myles Borne is blind but Borne comes in, turns off the light, and jumps him with a chair.

Tavion Heights vs. Ethan Page

Non-title. There are flags in the corner and you have to retrieve/wave your country’s flag. Heights powers him into the corner to start and they go outside. Some stomping has Page down but he’s able to catch Heights on top. Ego’s Edge is broken up but Page cuts him off on top again.

They crash down to the mat for a double breather until Page kicks him in the head. Heights gives him a crossbody and they both go for the flags until Page makes a save. That means Heights crashes onto the ropes and out to the floor so Page goes up. Heights crotches him down and hits the belly to belly though, which is enough to get the flag for the win at 6:48.

Rating: C. This was little more than a way to give Heights the win over Page, which should set him up for a title match in the near future. That would be a good thing to add to No Mercy, which very well may be where we’re going. The wrestling wasn’t the point here, so it was nice to keep things moving as there was only so much for them to do.

Post match Heights gets the Canadian flag and drapes it over Page. Then Tyler Breeze of all people shows up for a selfie with the downed Page.

Lola Vice talks about growing up shy and going to see her dad at his tae kwan do school. Everyone in her family is a black belt and has college degrees. She’s ready to win near her hometown. After their videos, she’s going to have to.

Fatal Influence is ready for the triple threat so they can hold all of the titles.

Big preview of Homecoming, including Tyler Breeze getting a North American Title shot.

Zaria/Sol Ruca vs. Fatal Influence vs. Culling

For a future Women’s Tag Team Title shot and under elimination rules. Paxley, Nyx and Zaria start things off, with the former two kicking Zaria down. They trade rollups for two each but Zaria is back in to clean house. Dame comes in but gets hurricanranaed by Henley, leaving us with Dame vs. Zaria. The slugout goes to Zaria but they crossbody each other for the double down. Henley is back in to forearm Dame and Nyx drops her for two more. Ruca comes in with a springboard missile dropkick, setting up her surf spot.

Henley cuts Ruca off though and dives onto Nico Vance, leaving Zaria to dive onto Shawn Spears. Ruca’s twisting moonsault drops the Culling and Ruca poses with Zaria on the barricade as we take a break. We come back with the fans doing the Wave and Nyx breaking up Ruca’s springboard. Zaria gets sent into the steps and Nyx fisherman’s suplexes Ruca for two.

Dame pulls Nyx off the ropes though and it’s a powerbomb/Blockbuster combination to plant her down. Zaria comes back in to clean house, including a nasty Alley Oop to Paxley. Ruca and Zaria are back up with double spears but the Sol Snatcher takes Zaria out by mistake. Nyx steals the pin for the elimination at 12:39. Jayne gets in a right hand to Paxley for two and a catapult sends her into a Nyx kick for two more. Dame and Nyx brawl to the floor, where Henley kicks Dame in the head. Back in and Paxley misses a 450 but Dame hits a powerbomb to pin Henley at 15:02.

Rating: C+. This got some time and the elimination rules made it a bit more interesting. I wasn’t feeling all of it by the end though as it did start to drag, but at least they had a surprise ending. Zaria and Ruca aren’t having the best luck, though I wasn’t expecting the Culling to win here. It’s nice to see someone other than Fatal Influence win here, and it came in a good enough match.

Post match Jayne yells at the rest of the team. We cut to the back where a bunch of cars arrive.

Post break, Jayne keeps up her diatribe, saying the loss is NOT on her and she does not need anything from the fans. She says she’s the greatest Women’s Champion of all time but here is Stephanie Vaquer to interrupt. Vaquer lists off her own success but Jayne points out that there are three of them and one of her.

Cue Tiffany Stratton to talk about what she’s done and how long she has been Smackdown Women’s Champion. Jayne says they’re like the seniors who come back to high school. Stratton doesn’t know if Mami is going to be happy with being called a senior to here is Rhea Ripley. She doesn’t buy what Jayne is saying and the challenge is on for a six woman tag next week. Yeah that’s a big way.

We run down the Homecoming card to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a weird show, as it was about getting us to Homecoming next week while also having some guest stars this week. It made for a good enough show, with the big trio coming in at the end working well. Next week is really starting to feel bigger than No Mercy, though hopefully it winds up evening out a bit. Either way, nice enough preview for next week’s show, which should be a huge one.

Results
Josh Briggs b. Je’Von Evans – Punch with a chain
Lainey Reid b. Faby Apache – Running knee
Darkstate b. Hank & Tank – Rollup to Tank
Tavion Heights b. Ethan Page – Heights pulled down the flag
Culling b. Zaria/Sol Ruca and Fatal Influence – Powerbomb to Henley

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

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NXT
Date: September 2, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T.

We’re inching closer to No Mercy and that means it’s time to have a bunch of people get together to go after Darkstate. That could go in a few different ways, but the bigger issue seems to be Ricky Saints coming after Oba Femi and the NXT Title. Hopefully the rest of the card starts to come together so let’s get to it.

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

Lash Legend vs. Jaida Parker

Parker drives her into the corner for some shoulders to the ribs to start. Legend is back up with a slam and splash for two before rattling Parker’s head between the ropes. A rollup into an armbar gets Parker out of trouble and we go split screen to see Je’Von Evans arriving. The Tear Drop is broken up and we take an early break.

We come back with Legend missing another splash and Parker dropping her with a running shoulder. A running Blockbuster gives Parker two and now the Tear Drop can connect. Legend tries to bail to the floor, where she kicks Parker down. Parker gets dropped onto the announcers’ table with the Lash Extension and another one finishes Parker back inside at 11:35.

Rating: C+. This was about two rather strong women beating on each other until the finish, with Legend getting to move forward towards the title picture. Either of them would have made sense, but Legend has been doing some rather great work recently and deserves the chance. Parker needs to get there at some point too though, as she’s rather entertaining as well.

Post match Parker jumps Legend and Hipnotiques her through the barricade. So this isn’t done.

Arianna Grace meets Blake Monroe and believe it or not, they hit it off. Jordynne Grace storms in and Monroe runs, with Kali Armstrong not being pleased with Grace’s intrusion.

Here is Je’Von Evans for a chat. He knows everyone is expecting him to be all positive but he believed he was going to win the NXT Title at Heatwave. Evans feels like he let himself down because he felt like he had it in the bag…but a motorcycle arrives in the back. The gong sounds….and it’s Josh Briggs.

Was Evans expecting someone else? Undertaker wasn’t going to show up with some words of wisdom to save him. Evans is everything that Briggs hates about NXT because Evans should have demanded a rematch from Oba Femi but here he is instead. Evans doesn’t want to hear this but Briggs isn’t done. Briggs says Evans is good, though he’s never beating Femi. A big boot drops Evans and Briggs chokeslams him through an open chair.

Video on TNA’s Xia Brookside, who is here for the Speed Title tournament. Candice LeRae isn’t impressed.

Hank & Tank try to fire up Ricky Saints and Oba Femi for the eight man tag tonight but Saints and Femi aren’t overly interested. Saints tells Femi to be locked in tonight but Femi tells him to worry about himself.

Women’s Speed Title #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Xia Brookside vs. Candice LeRae

Three minute time limit. Brookside snaps off a headscissors to start and hits a running dropkick. The running knees in the corner set up a Russian legsweep for two as we’re already a third of the way done. LeRae knocks her over the top and out to the floor, only to miss a Lionsault back inside. We’ve got a minute left as LeRae hits a tornado DDT into the Lionsault for the pin at 2:37. I really didn’t need to see this as a regular feature on TV, as it makes me wonder why people take their time in regular matches if they can get wins this quickly. See also most gauntlet matches.

Josh Briggs bullies the locker room but Chase U stands up to him. They’re ready to teach him a lesson, with Andre Chase getting to do it, even if he didn’t seem thrilled.

Fatal Influence comes in to see Ava, with a few women’s tag teams already there. Ava makes a triple threat match for next week with the winners getting a Women’s Tag Team Title shot.

Darkstate isn’t happy with how they have been treated, including how it went on LFG and NXT. They’re not waiting when they have the talent. Good, fired up promo here and it explained the team a lot better.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. He’s the greatest TNA star of all time and the hottest NXT superstar to ever live. The fans don’t care about him though and he can’t blame them, because when he moves up to Raw and Smackdown, he’s never coming back here. The people the fans love don’t care about them…and here is DIY to quite the reception.

They heard that Homecoming is in two weeks but they wanted to show up early, because it is the ten year anniversary of their NXT debuts. So Williams is supposed to be the best NXT star ever? Well he is a two time NXT Champion….but so is Tommaso Ciampa. They talk about their own success in NXT, though Gargano says his partner got a bit grumpy at the end of shows.

Gargano talks about the people who have walked that aisle, like a demon, a hugger, the undisputed and the glorious, who were pretty great in their own right. Ciampa says two guys bled black and gold and defined an era but Williams says they were great. The problem is Williams is just that much better. The fans chant for Carmelo Hayes and Williams shoves Ciampa, earning himself Meet In The Middle. This was a cool moment and DIY felt like returning legends.

Ava says if Je’Von Evans doesn’t interfere tonight, he can face Josh Briggs next week.

Video on Evolve Women’s Champion Kali Armstrong.

Tavion Heights gives Ethan Page the Canadian flag back and says he’s cool with Canada, but not one specific Canadian. The result is a flag match next week.

Kali Armstrong vs. Jordynne Grace

Non-title. Armstrong stomps away in the corner to start and hits a running shoulder to the ribs. Grace strikes away to come back before grabbing the camel clutch. That’s shrugged off and Armstrong sends her into the corner as we take an early break. We come back with Grace sending her into the corner again (they really like that move). The Grace Driver is blocked and Armstrong hits a powerslam for two. The Kali Connection (running shoulder) is blocked as well and the Grace Driver finishes at 7:50.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure how smart it is to put Armstrong out there for a loss, but also against another powerhouse. The idea is that Armstrong is incredibly strong, but that only works so well when she’s in there against someone like Grace. The match wasn’t bad and it’s far from a stretch to have Grace win, though I’m still not wild on a champion losing clean.

Post match Blake Monroe comes out for the brawl and security has to break it up. Monroe is busted open and seems shaken up by the whole thing.

Video on Lola Vice, who is back at her childhood home in Miami. Family means a lot to her and she’s glad to be back for a rare visit. Her family is rather proud of her. To be continued. These vignettes always work.

Andre Chase vs. Josh Briggs

Briggs runs him over to start but Chase is back with a kick to the floor. That earns Chase a drop onto the apron though and we take a break. We come back with Chase getting two but having to fight out of a superplex attempt. A Boss Man Slam sets up a suplex but Chase is back with a Stundog Millionaire. The high crossbody gives Chase two but Briggs chokeslams and hits a big boot for the pin at 7:21.

Rating: C+. I get the idea of pushing the new monster, but dang it’s sad to see Chase fall this far. He was the hottest thing in NXT for awhile and they just stopped everything they had with him. Now he’s doing nothing but jobbing and trying to relieve the past. Hopefully they find something else for him, because this is rather sad.

Post match Briggs beats up Chase U.

Trick Williams will see DIY next week.

Ricky Saints/Oba Femi/Hank & Tank vs. Darkstate

Shugars hammers on Hank in the corner to start and it’s off to Lennox for a running clothesline. Tank comes in and elbows James in the corner before handing it off to Saints for the arm cranking. Old School seems to annoy Femi, who comes in to stay on James’ arm. Femi teases tagging Saints but then does Saints’ pose to a rather big reaction. Everything breaks down and James is left alone, meaning it’s a four way crushing as we take a break.

We come back with Hank getting beaten down and Griffin grabs the chinlock. Back up and Tank saves Hank from a whip into the corner, allowing Tank to get the needed tag. Saints adds a springboard tornado DDT as everything breaks down. Femi tosses Shugars to Saints for a powerbomb but Saints and Femi get in a fight of their own. They fight to the back, leaving Darkstate to load up the triple bomb. Tank makes the save but James grabs Hank by the throat. Hank summons Joe Hendry, whose distraction lets Hank & Tank hit the powerslam/running shoulder combination to pin James at 11:52.

Rating: B-. The ending was a bit dumb with Darkstate looking pretty weak, as they couldn’t win despite having a 4-2 and then 4-3 advantage. I guess they had to get to Hank & Tank’s rematch though, because we just haven’t seen enough of the team. Femi and Saints brawling off is fine, as their match should be quite the showcase when we get there.

Saints and Femi have to be separated in the back to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show started setting up No Mercy in a bigger way and I’m curious to see what else we’re getting. You can probably guess most of what is going to happen but this was a nice step forward towards the show. DIY’s special appearance was a great bonus and it has me wondering who else is going to show up for Homecoming. Good show here, with some stuff being set up for the next big night.

Results
Lash Legend b. Jaida Parker – Lash Extension
Candice LeRae b. Xia Brookside – Lionsault
Jordynne Grace b. Kali Armstrong – Grace Driver
Josh Briggs b. Andre Chase – Big boot
Hank & Tanks/Oba Femi/Ricky Saints b. Darkstate – Powerslam/running shoulder combination to James

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 28, 2025
Location: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

The road to Bound For Glory continues but we still have a side trip at Victory Road. That show is starting to come together and now we get to see some more of the card coming together. It could take some time to get everything ready, though there have been at least a few seeds already planted. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Mike Santana/Steve Maclin vs. AJ Francis/Trick Williams

Maclin facebusters and clotheslines Williams to start before it’s off to Santana. That makes Williams think twice and everything breaks down fast. Santana hits a big flip dive to the floor and we take an early break. We come back with Maclin striking away at Francis, including an Angle Slam.

Williams offers a distraction though and Francis gets in a slam off the top to take over. Williams hammers away before Francis grabs a chinlock. Maclin is back up with a dropkick though and Santana comes in to clean house. The Death Valley Driver gets two as everything breaks down. Williams knocks Francis to the floor by mistake though and the Trick Shot is reversed into a rollup to give Santana the pin at 12:20.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match that can go a long way to setting up the title match, likely at Bound For Glory. Santana getting to save the title from the evil invader is a fine way to go, and we very well could be in for a great moment if that’s where it goes. Maclin and Francis were just kind of there, but at least they kept things moving.

Post match Williams shoves Santana, who beats him up again.

Leon Slater and Cedric Alexander are ready to go after the Tag Team Titles tonight.

We look back at Eric Young threatening Myron Reed with the cleanse.

Eric Young vs. Myron Reed

Zachary Wentz is here too. Reed knocks him down to start and grabs a slingshot Stunner to send Young outside. A suicide dive connects and Reed hammers away back inside. Young manages a Death Valley Driver but a Stundog Millionaire gets Reed out of trouble. A slam puts Reed back down but Young misses a moonsault. Reed’s slingshot legdrop knocks Young out of the ropes but he’s right back with a powerslam. Young threatens the referee so Wentz gets on the apron, which allows Young to get in a low blow. The piledriver finishes Reed at 5:56.

Rating: C+. There are not enough words to describe how little I want to see Eric Young’s latest “I’m here to fix everything about TNA and get rid of the bad people” deal. I’m not sure why that’s something they keep going back to but it seems like we’re getting it again. Heck it wouldn’t stun me if Sami Callihan is some big surprise for Young’s upcoming team.

We look at Dani Luna snapping last week.

Luna talks about being done coming in second and it’s time to be different.

Ash By Elegance is very proud of winning the Knockouts Title at NXT Heatwave and wants a massive celebration. Next week.

Fatal Influence vs. IInspiration

McKay takes Nyx down to start and the IInspiration score with stereo kicks. It’s already off to Henley for a knee to Lee and a double flapjack gets two. Lee gets out of a Muta Lock and it’s back to McKay as everything breaks down in a hurry. Henley is tossed outside and the Idolizer finishes for McKay at 6:23.

Rating: C. Fatal Influence has gotten something out of these matches as it’s smart to have the NXT stars getting more reps in different places. It wouldn’t stun me to see them getting a quick run with the Knockouts Tag Team Titles, as they fit the requirements well enough. On the other hand you have the IInspiration, who have just been kind of there since returning, though they’re still decent enough in their roles.

Trick Williams calls in help to deal with Mike Santana.

Here is Ryan Nemeth to say that his BIG BROTHER will be back next week. Alisha Edwards and Eddie Edwards interrupt, with Alisha saying Eddie is here to shut him up.

Eddie Edwards vs. Ryan Nemeth

Edwards punches away in the corner to start and an overhead belly to belly sends Nemeth outside. Alisha gets in a slap of her own but Nemeth manages to hammer away on the way back inside. Nemeth takes him down and drops some elbows but Edwards is back up. A missed charge hits the post though and Nemeth grabs a chinlock. That’s broken up but the Backpack Stunner is blocked. Edwards settles for a tiger bomb and the Boston Knee Party finishes at 5:40.

Rating: C. I can go for Nemeth as an annoying putz who loses in spots like this and keeps running his mouth because he thinks his brother can get him out of trouble. He’s also good for someone like Edwards to beat, as Edwards is well suited for what he’s doing. He and Alisha work well together on screen too, which shouldn’t be the biggest shock.

Indi Hartwell is upset at last week’s attack at the hands of Dani Luna. Santino Marella pops in to say that due to the attack, Hartwell is getting a #1 contenders match with Jody Threat next week but Luna comes in to say she should be in for that as well. Works for Hartwell, and the match seems to be set.

We get some stills of Joe Hendry beating the Miz at WWE’s European house show.

Eric Young says the cleanse is coming…and has attacked Joe Hendry. Oh sweet goodness just get on to his lame World Title feud (if Santana wins, Young is going to get a pay per view title shot) so we can move on to anything else on the show.

Mara Sade vs. Tasha Steelz

Order 4 is here with Steelz. Sade grabs a fireman’s carry and drops her to start but Order 4 grabs Sade’s foot for a distraction. Steelz gets in a choke and then a reverse chinlock, which is broken up rather quickly. A middle rope dropkick puts Steelz down but Order 4 offers another distraction, allowing Steelz to hit a middle rope Russian legsweep. Sade shrugs that off and hits Finish Her (or tries to at least as it didn’t look great), only to go after Order 4. Rather than covering, Sade goes after Order 4, which lets Steelz hit a cutter for the pin at 5:48.

Rating: D. To say this was rough would be an understatement, as I’m not sure what they were trying near the end but it really didn’t work. It doesn’t help that they had Order 4 getting involved three times in a match that didn’t even last six minutes. Really weak stuff here, which is surprising as both have done far better before.

Post match Order 4 goes after Sade, with Agent Zero blasting her with a clothesline. The Hardys run in for the save.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Cedric Alexander/Leon Slater

The Hardys are defending. Jeff forearms Alexander to start but gets taken into the corner for the tag to Slater. We get a quick show of respect before Slater kicks Jeff in the face. It’s off to Matt for the double elbow and we take an early break. We come back with Jeff jawbreaking Slater and bringing Matt in to slug away on Alexander. Matt sends Alexander into the buckle and then does the same to Slater.

The Plot Twist into a splash gets two on Alexander with Slater making the save. The Swanton 450 misses so the Hardys try a Plot Twist on Slater, who reverses into a cutter on Matt. Slater leg lariats Jeff but the Swanton 450 misses. A Downward Spiral hits Jeff but Matt is back in with the Twist of Fate, setting up the Swanton to retain at 10:36.

Rating: B-. Good enough main event here, even if it was the champions defending against a team without much history working together. The Hardys are gearing up for the match against Team 3D, though there is no guarantee that will be for the titles. For now though, it’s nice to see the Hardys getting another win, as they’re still more than good enough to hang in the ring.

Here is Trick Williams, with his lawyer, to discuss being attacked by Mike Santana. Williams calls this a crime scene and he isn’t defending his title for 50 days. Cue Santino Marella to say Williams will defend his title at Bound For Glory. The lawyer tries to yell at Marella and gets Cobraed to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t their strongest show, but it did have some good parts. They’re clearly setting the stage for Bound For Glory, though we’re going to have to get through some other parts on the way there. Now just get the rest of that stuff ready and the show should work out well. I mean, assuming you launch this Eric Young stuff into the sun once and for all.

Results
Mike Santana/Steve Maclin b. AJ Francis/Trick Williams – Rollup to Williams
Eric Young b. Myron Reed – Piledriver
IInspiration b. Fatal Influence – Idolizer to Henley
Eddie Edwards b. Ryan Nemeth – Boston Knee Party
Tasha Steelz b. Mara Sade – Cutter
Hardys b. Cedric Alexander/Leon Slater – Swanton to Alexander

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: August 21, 2025
Location: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Emergence and the big story coming out of the show is Trick Williams defeating Moose to retain the World Title. That means NXT is still in control of two major TNA titles as we get closer to Bound For Glory. That show is going to start getting set up sooner than later so let’s get to it.

Here is Emergence if you need a recap.

We open with a long Emergence recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. Williams brags about his success and says he is carrying two brands at the same time…and Mike Santana interrupts. Santana asks how many people are tired of hearing Williams run his mouth. He gives Williams credit for his success, but promises to spin the block and win the World Title.

Williams turns down the challenge (assuming there was one) but here is Santino Marella to make the match…but Williams apparently has a contract saying he doesn’t have to defend the title for fifty days. Williams insults Santana’s family so Santana chases him off. Simple way to stretch things out to Bound For Glory.

Mustafa Ali, with Order 4, is tired of being pushed around by the System so it’s time to fight back.

Post break, Trick Williams is in the back with AJ Francis. Santino Marella comes in and says that Williams might not have to defend the title, but he can be in a tag match against Mike Santana and a surprise partner.

We look at Je’Von Evans beating Trick Williams on NXT, plus Fatal Influence beating the Elegance Brand.

Knockouts Gauntlet Match

For a future Knockouts Title shot. Xia Brookside is in at #1 and Killer Kelly is in at #2. They crawl around at each other to play the mind games and Brookside grabs a headlock. That’s broken up so Kelly gets a headscissors, which earns her a kick out of the corner. An elbow to the back gets two on Kelly but she’s back with knees to the neck. A running forearm to the neck sets up a chinlock but Brookside Stunners her way to freedom. Brookside can’t get a super sunset flip so she settles for the Brooksie Bomb for the pin 5:52.

Dani Luna is in at #3 and, after a break, Brookside starts working on the arm. That’s broken up and Luna gets two off a northern lights suplex. The sliding clothesline takes Brookside down again but she sends Luna into the corner. The Broken Wings misses though and Luna kicks her down, setting up the Lunar Landing for the pin at 11:38.

Rosemary is in at #4 and, again after a break, she knocks Luna outside. Back in and Rosemary bites the fingers, followed by a sliding forearm for two. Luna knocks her down again though and hits a quick Lunar Landing for the pin at 15:02. Indi Hartwell is in at #5 and after the customary break, she strikes away and grabs an armbar.

Hartwell cranks on the arms and they trade rollups until Hartwell gets the pin at 19:03. Luna wrecks Hartwell after the fall though and leaves her laying, so here is Jody Threat in at #6 to break it up. Threat calms Luna down…and gets decked for the DQ to give Threat the title shot at 22:55.

Rating: C+. The Knockouts division is in a weird place at the moment as it doesn’t really feel like there is any fire to the whole thing. Indi Hartwell is ok enough, but the former Spitfire members fighting each other isn’t much of a top story. I’m guessing someone gets to step up at Bound For Glory and take the title back from Jacy Jayne’s evil NXT clutches, but who is the big hero? Slamovich?

Post match Luna destroys Hartwell with a chair until security breaks it up.

The IInspiration want the Knockouts Tag Team Titles. Fatal Influence come in to mock them and declare themselves the better team, leading to bickering.

Jody Threat says she doesn’t want the title shot this way but Dani Luna comes in and they argue as well.

Here is Ryan Nemeth to say his BIG BROTHER will be back in two weeks.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Jake Something

Something starts fast and backdrops him down, followed by a knock out to the floor. Kazarian gets dropped onto the apron and a powerslam gives Something two back inside. A clothesline gets Kazarian out of trouble and the springboard spinning legdrop gets two. Back up and Something plants him down for two and a sitout powerbomb connects for the same. Kazarian seems to have managed to get the turnbuckle pad off and Something misses a charge into the exposed buckle, setting up the Fade To Black for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C+. It’s pretty clear that Kazarian is coming for (and likely winning) the International Title so putting him over the previous #1 contender is a fine way of getting him closer. Kazarian really needs to win something as he has mainly been living off of that one battle royal win last year and that title shot has already gone. Giving him something else, like the International Title, would fix the problem.

Mara Sade is painting when the Hardys come in. She says they inspired her to paint at Slammiversary and of course Jeff Hardy is interested so they’re off to see some art.

Cedric Alexander sits down next to Leon Slater and admits Slater was the better man at Emergence. For now though, he’s gotten the two of them a tag match next week against the Hardys.

Steve Maclin will be Mike Santana’s partner. Works for Santino Marella.

Here is Jacy Jayne for a chat. She brags about her success and doesn’t think anyone can come close to her level. This is her company and she’s walking out of NXT Heatwave with both belts. Cue Ash By Elegance to interrupt and she is LIVID, ranting about how Sunday should be about the two of them, not Masha “Slamab****.”. Cue Slamovich, who calls them Brittney Spears and Evil Katy Perry, so she’s winning the title on Sunday. And that’s that.

Order 4 mocks Mara Sade’s painting when the Hardys and Sade come in. The villains say it’s hideous but Sade says she’s going to get a match with Tasha Steelz. Matt Hardy calls Steelz something censored and Order 4 leaves, with Jeff revealing that it’s a paining of the Hardys logo. The Knockouts division needs some fresh blood so why not give Sade something to do?

Eric Young comes up to Myron Reed and tells him to pick a side, because he’ll be gone when Trey Miguel is back. Zachary Wentz comes in and apparently will face Young soon. Young says a cleanse is coming. Sweet goodness can we cleanse this place from Young and his big ideas?

Matt Cardona/The System vs. Order 4

Myers and Skyler lock up to start with Myers stomping away in the corner. Cardona comes in with a Russian legsweep before it’s right back to Myers, who is driven into the corner. Everything breaks down and Moose powerbombs Hotch onto the other villains on the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Cardona fighting out of trouble to hand it back to Moose for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and the middle rope chokebomb gets two on Ali. Cardona adds a top rope elbow but the Great Hands make the save. Ali is back up with the dives but gets dropped by Moose. A triple superkick cuts Moose off and he gets sent into the steps. Cue Tasha Steelz to go after Alisha Edwards, which draws out Eddie Edwards, but Agent Zero cuts him off. Back in and a low blow cuts Myers off, setting up the Favor for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: B-. I like the idea of Order 4 getting the big push as the top heel stable, as the System’s face turn is going well enough. They need competition though and Order 4 is about as good as it gets. The villains playing the numbers advantage makes good sense and we could be in for a heck of a hoss fight when Moose faces Agent Zero.

Post match the big beatdown is on with Ali loading up a chair but JDC runs in with a chair of his own for the save. Agent Zero lays JDC out though and Moose is held back to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The problem here is we have a long way to go before Bound For Glory but the build to the show is already on. You can see where a lot of this is going (and that’s fine) but it’s going to be a long road to the show. This show was something like looking at the picture on a puzzle box, as you know what the end goal is going to be, but the building process is just getting started.

Results
Jody Threat won a Knockouts Gauntlet match last eliminating Indi Hartwell
Frankie Kazarian b. Jake Something – Fade To Black
Order 4 b. Matt Cardona/The System – Favor to Myers

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

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NXT
Date: August 19, 2025
Location: The Met Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Booker T., Corey Graves, Vic Joseph

We’re on the road here and that should make for an interesting situation. We’re actually not in the old ECW Arena, which might make things a bit easier as the fans there can be, shall we saw, totally insane. It’s also the go home show for Heatwave, which still has a few spots to fill in on the way. Let’s get to it.

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

We start with a brawl in the back with Josh Briggs jumping Yoshiki Inamura, which is the straight of the street fight.

Josh Briggs vs. Yoshiki Inamura

They go into the arena for the opening bell, where a suplex on the floor has Inamura in more trouble. Briggs throws in some chairs and wedges one of them in the corner before kicking Inamura in the face. Inamura knocks him down for a breather though and it’s time for a Phillies bat. Briggs cuts that off with a chair to the knee and steps on the bat as we take a break.

We come back with Briggs superplexing Inamura onto a piece of barricade, which is bridged over some steps. The audience has to be muted for a bit and they’re also not happy with Briggs for taping Inamura’s arms to the ropes. Some HARD kendo stick shots to the back have Inamura’s back banged up. Inamura rips the tape off (that looked cool) and breaks the kendo stick in half before chopping away to put Briggs down in the corner.

The trashcan is put over Briggs’ head for more strikes and Inamura plants him onto the trashcan. Naturally it’s table time and the top rope splash through said table gives Inamura two. Another table (a SLIM JIM table) is set up and Inamura tries to get another, which is rammed into his ribs. A lariat with a chain drops Inamura and Briggs moonsaults him through the table for the win at 15:52.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it’s nice to see Briggs getting a big win. That has been missing for a long time and hopefully it’s the start of something bigger. The street fight makes sense in a city which is known for its hardcore and they did rather well while they had the chance.

Ava and Santino Marella talked to Masha Slamovich, with Slamovich agreeing to be the guest referee for the women’s tag match. The bosses are in.

Trick Williams loves himself and he’s ready to beat Je’Von Williams and then become a three time NXT Champion this weekend.

Ricky Saints vs. Jasper Troy

Saints runs into Josh Briggs as he’s leaving and we get a quick staredown. Saints hits a dropkick to start and hammers away before grabbing a choke. Troy breaks out of that pretty easily but misses a charge, only to knock Saints outside as we take a break. We come back with Saints kicking away at the leg but getting dropped with a single shot. A Samoan drop gives Saints a breather and he avoids a charge to send Troy hard into the post. They head outside with Saints being sent into the steps but Troy’s backsplash hits the steps as well. Back in and a springboard tornado DDT finishes for Saints at 9:15.

Rating: B-. They didn’t have the time to make this work as well, but Saints gets to slay a monster for a big win. That’s about as much as he needs, especially with Briggs likely being the next opponent. Troy can go on to threaten someone else as he’s still new and young enough that he’s far from being wasted. If nothing else there is always the classic bodyguard route, which could work well.

Hank & Tank are in Ava’s office and want to know which members of Darkstate they’ll be facing but the Elegance Brand comes in. The Personal Concierge complains about Masha Slamovich being guest referee. Cue Slamovich to shake Ava’s hand because she’ll be referee tonight.

Here is Jordynne Grace for a chat. She worked a long time to get here and she never expected to make a friend in Blake Monroe. The thing is, she’s watched wrestling for a very long time and she knows how these things end. The adjustment to coming to WWE is really hard and now someone is trying to force her to face her issues. She doesn’t want revenge on Monroe, but she wants Monroe to see herself for what she really is.

Cue Monroe with security, saying that she wants Grace to see the truth. Monroe has drawn up a contract, saying that if Grace touches her before Heatwave, the match is off. Grace says this is where Monroe is wrong, because Monroe was ringside at Evolution while Grace was in the ring. That must have been a crushing moment because Monroe is a jealous snake. That’s what sets Monroe off, calling Grace a jealous impersonator. Monroe hides behind security so Grace beats the guards up. Grace grabs Monroe’s wrist and promises to show her what ugly really is at Heatwave. Nice stuff here, with Grace making her point clear.

Fatal Influence is warming up when Lainey Reid comes in to wish them luck. Sol Ruca and Zaria come in and say that Jacy Jayne is losing soon. Reid says at least Jayne defends both of her titles. Ruca says she has the need for speed. Zaria: “No.” Ruca: “Yes.” Zaria: “No.”

Je’Von Evans is ready to beat Trick Williams to get on to his NXT Title shot at Oba Femi.

Fatal Influence vs. The Elegance Brand

Masha Slamovich is guest referee. M and Henley lock up to start with Henley grabbing a quick rollup for two. Nyx comes in to put M down for two more but she’s back up with a running knee lift. It’s off to Ash, who gets rolled up for a quick near fall. Jayne comes in and misses a spinning forearm to Ash can roll her up for two more (they’re not exactly doing anything high level here). The Personal Concierge trips Henley though and gets ejected as we take a break.

We come back with Henley getting sent into the wrong corner, where M gets in a running boot to the head. Ash misses her moonsault though and the tag brings in Jayne to clean house. A middle rope backsplash gets two on M and a double flipping faceplant puts her down again. M is back up with a superkick and Ash’s top rope double stomp connects for two as everything breaks down. Ash hits her Rarefied Air Swanton for a very delayed two as Slamovich was trying to keep control. Jayne’s discus forearm finishes Ash at 10:49.

Rating: C+. Slamovich was barely a factor here as I forgot she was the referee until the ending. The match itself was a bit weird as it was heels vs. heels and that’s only going to get so far. Jayne getting the win is kind of surprising too as it’s weird to see the champion standing tall going into the title match this weekend.

Post match the Brand and Slamovich get in an argument as Fatal Influence approves.

Kendal Grey and Charlie Dempsey are in the back with Dempsey trying to offer her armbar advice. Wren Sinclair comes in to remind Dempsey of Grey’s college wrestling background when the Culling comes in. They decide there is no saving Dempsey and Sinclair and leave.

Here are Chelsea Green and Ethan Page, with the Secret Hervice, for their peace treaty with the Americans. The Canadians get rid of the table (they know how it is in Philadelphia) before the Americans (Tavion Heights/Tyra Mae Steele) come out as well. Page says they’re here to share their opinions and settle their issues. He praises Heights but says Heights sees opportunity when looking at Page.

In their world, there is only gold, but Heights talks about all the times he has been close to being out and how blessed he has been by the athletic gods. Green accuses the Americans of being rude when they are in the ring with superior athletes. Steele says they speak their mind in Philadelphia and she thinks Green needs to shut her mouth. Steele brags about her gold medal and says it represents the best. She can take anyone down anytime and Heights is ready to fight too. Cue Ava to make the mixed tag, with the Olympians grabbing double ankle locks to send the Canadians limping.

Lexis King interrupts Myles Borne and apologizes for what he has been saying lately. It’s impressive that someone could wrestle so well despite being deaf and blind. Borne: “I’m not blind.” King: “You are now!” And he sprays something in Borne’s eyes.

Kelani Jordan and Lola Vice are in the back and talk about working out when Lash Legend interrupt. Legend isn’t impressed with them and says she’s the biggest threat to the Women’s Title rather than anyone, including Jordan and Jaida Parker.

Darkstate interrupts Ava and brag about their success…but mention Joe Hendry, who pops out of a closet. He wants to know which members of the team will be wrestling on Sunday but is told he’ll find out when everyone else does. Threats are made, including one saying Hendry doesn’t want them behind him. Ava and Hendry find that strange.

Heatwave rundown.

Je’Von Evans vs. Trick Williams

For the NXT Title shot on Sunday (with Oba Femi watching from a balcony) and Williams’ TNA World Title isn’t on the line. Williams decks him with a spinning boot to the face to start but Evans reverses a Rock Bottom. Evans wants him to bring it and snaps off a hurricanrana into a dropkick. Back up and Williams knocks him into the corner, followed by a running clothesline.

Williams’ suplex and neckbreaker have Evans in trouble and the cravate goes on. Evans avoids a charge in the corner and hits a springboard clothesline, allowing him to send Williams outside. Back in and Evans’ springboard is broken up, with Williams LAUNCHING HIM off the ropes and over the announcers’ table for an incredible crash. Commentary is stunned (with a great shot of Booker) and Femi even stands up as we take a break.

We come back with Evans fighting out of a front facelock but getting slammed off the top. Williams tells him to bring it so Evans slugs away, with a right hand sending him to the floor. The big dive takes Williams down and a frog splash gets two back inside. Williams is back up with a right hand but misses a knee, allowing Evans to roll him up for two. Back up and the spinning kick to the face drops Evans but Williams gets distracted by Mike Santana, who is in Femi’s spot. The distraction lets Evans hit the top rope cutter for the pin at 14:51.

Rating: B-. Good stuff here, with Evans getting the title shot which could result in him winning the title. If nothing else, there is a good chance that he could get a TNA World Title shot as well, which wouldn’t be the worst idea. Williams gets to move on to keep defending the title, which is likely going to be in trouble at Bound For Glory. Either way, nice main event here, which did what was needed.

Overall Rating: B+. The wrestling here was rather good and the peace agreement segment worked well enough. The big thing here though is I’m more interested in seeing Heatwave than I was coming in, which means they’re doing something right. As is usually the case with the better NXT shows, it felt like there were boxes being checked off with every segment and it worked well here. Rather strong show going into the pay per view.

Results
Josh Briggs b. Yoshiki Inamura – Moonsault through a table
Ricky Saints b. Jasper Troy – Springboard tornado DDT
Fatal Influence b. The Elegance Brand – Discus forearm to Ash
Je’Von Evans b. Trick Williams – Top rope cutter

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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Emergence 2025
Date: August 15, 2025
Location: Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s another big show and in this case we’ve got someone else trying to bring the World Title back to the company. The main event is Trick Williams defending the World Title against Moose, which should make for a good power match. Other than that, we have the Tag Team Titles on the line as the Hardys defend against the Rascalz. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Indi Hartwell vs. Rosemary

And we’re not in a good place to start as we get a graphic saying “lost signal”. We do see the opening bell and Hartwell hammers away, only to get bitten in the head. The feed keeps glitching and we come back to see Rosemary holding the Upside Down. Rosemary crushes her in the corner and we’re lost signaled again until Rosemary can hit a DDT. Hartwell makes the comeback but the signal goes away again, coming back Hartwell dropping a top rope elbow. Rosemary fights up and tries the mist but cue Dani Luna to cut it off. The Hurts Donut gives Hartwell the pin at 5:34.

Rating: C. The signal issues messed with the match a bit but there is only so much that can be done about that. Hartwell beating Rosemary is another big step for her and it would not surprise me to see Hartwell getting a title shot either at Victory Road or even Bound For Glory. I’m not sure where this leaves Rosemary, but the fact that she returned and then lost so soon is really not a good sign.

Kickoff Show: Home Town Man vs. Ryan Nemeth

Before the match, Nemeth insults the city so Man comes out with some local radio hosts. He’s ready to fight like his childhood hero, Cal Ripken Jr., and hammers away to start, including some running knees in the corner. Nemeth is back with a dropkick though and we get in the hip swiveling. The feed keeps cutting up as Nemeth pulls him out of the corner and grabs a chinlock. Man fight sup with a swinging slam and the airplane spin into a TKO gets two. Nemeth’s DDT (ala Nic) gets two but he pulls Man out of the corner and gets rolled up for the pin at 5:48.

Rating: C. This was exactly what you would have expected it to be, as Nemeth isn’t going to win anything important on his own and the Home Town Man is as easy of a reaction as you’re going to get. It’s a case of “don’t overthink things” and they did it as well as could be expected. Nice enough addition here, as Nemeth losing is always worth a look.

And now, the show proper.

The opening video is a basic look at the show’s bigger matches. Not exactly riveting stuff there but it doesn’t need to be.

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Cedric Alexander

Slater is defending. Some grappling goes nowhere so Slater goes after the leg, sending Alexander straight to the rope. Slater kicks him in the face and they head out to the apron, where Alexander snaps off an STO to take over. Slater gets dropped on the apron and a Michinoku Driver gives Alexander two. Alexander kicks him down for two more and a German suplex cuts off Slater’s comeback attempt.

A hard whip into the corner gets two and Alexander is looking frustrated. Some right hands in the corner start to fire Slater up and he comes out with a clothesline. Slater starts going after the leg again and a high crossbody gets two. Alexander is right back with a kick to the head and brainbuster.

They go up top and Alexander’s superplex is reversed into a swinging superplex. Alexander raises the knees to block the Swanton 450 though and they trade rollups for two each. Slater sends him outside for the big flip dive over the corner but Alexander is right back with a Spanish Fly. Alexander tries a rollup but gets reversed into a Styles Clash (nice touch from Slammiversary). The Swanton 450 retains the title at 14:29.

Rating: B. Yeah of course this was good, as Alexander is a more than competent hand and Slater has figured out a style that works for him. That dive over the corner and the Swanton 450 always look great and it was made even better by having him out there against a seasoned veteran. TNA might have something special with Slater and they seem to know it, which is a great sign. Also, the feed issues seem to have been solved so that’s a nice bonus.

Respect is shown post match.

We run down the rest of the card.

Trick Williams and First Class are ready to win their matches tonight.

Matt Cardona vs. Mustafa Ali

Order 4 is here with Ali. Feeling out process to start with neither getting very far. Cardona’s clothesline into a flapjack drops Ali but he slips out of a suplex attempt. Instead Cardona sends him outside and takes out Order 4 before posting Ali. Back in and the middle rope dropkick connects but Tasha Steelz offers a distraction, allowing Ali to grab a hanging DDT to the floor.

The chinlock goes on back inside until Cardona suplexes his way to freedom. Ali hits his rolling neckbreaker for two but Cardona hits a faceplant. A DDT gives Cardona two but Radio Silence is countered into a sitout powerbomb for two. Cardona fights up again and drops Ali, which draws in Order 4. They’re cut off as well but Ali hits a Helluva Kick into a 450 but Cardona reverses into a crucifix for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure about this one, as Ali had all of his help and still got pinned clean. Yeah Cardona is a big name, but that doesn’t mean he should be beating someone at Ali’s level under these circumstances. I keep waiting for Ali to break through to the next stage but with results like this, it might be a bit before it happens.

Post match Agent 0 comes in to lay Cardona out but the System makes the save.

First Class vs. The System

Myers elbows Swann down to start and works on the arm. A dropkick puts Swann down and Edwards comes in for the chops in the corner. Swann is tossed over the top but gets caught by Francis. Myers has to go outside and save Alisha Edwards, allowing Swann to post him. Back in and Francis’ big boot gets two and Swann’s moonsault gets the same.

Myers manages to knock Francis down though and Edwards comes in to…actually get splashed in the corner almost immediately. Edwards comes out with a Blue Thunder Bomb to Swann but Francis cuts him off with a headbutt. Edwards manages a quick suplex though and the System Overload is loaded up. Hold on though as cue Order 4 for the brawl, with Edwards hitting a suicide dive. Agent 0 chokebombs him onto the apron though and Francis’ chokeslam is good for the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C+. See, this is more what I was expecting from Cardona vs. Ali. The villains won here because they played the numbers game, with the System not being able to overcome it. Either way, I could go for the System vs. Order 4, though it would be nice if either side was winning a bit more to set that up.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Mike Santana. Callihan has been falling apart as of late and isn’t sure if he has it anymore. Santana, who gets along with Callihan, wants the old version of him back for their match.

Mike Santana vs. Sami Callihan

If Callihan loses, he’s retiring and Joe Hendry comes out for commentary as a bonus. Callihan says he’s done if he loses, but what if we make it a street fight? Santana is in and we’re ready to go. They both try their finishers to start but settle for a double clothesline. Callihan Stunners him to the floor and follows, with Santana popping back up for an Asai moonsault.

A backdrop on the ramp cuts Santana off and it’s time for the weapons to be brought in. This includes a poster to cut Santana’s finger and mouth but Santana is fine enough to dropkick him out of the air. Callihan is back up with a staple gun to the chest and a Cactus Driver 97 gets two. Another one gets the same but Santana sends him into a chair in the corner. The Cannonball connects to give Santana two and the rolling Buck Fifty gets one. Spin The Block gives Santana the pin at 11:15 (with Callihan seemingly screwing up the kickout).

Rating: C. The street fight aspect only added so much here as Callihan’s career seems to come to an end. At the end of the day, that only means so much around here as Callihan hasn’t meant much in a good while. Having Santana be the one to retire him is enough of a boost for Santana, but the match wasn’t exactly worth seeing.

Post match Callihan leaves his boots in the ring and walks off. He heads to the back for some applause but Eric Young yells at him. Joe Hendry gets in his face and tensions are high.

We look at Home Town Man beating Ryan Nemeth on the Kickoff Show.

Ryan says HIS BIG BROTHER is coming back and they’ll get their rematch for the Tag Team Titles.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Elegance Brand vs. Fatal Influence vs. Xia Brookside/Lei Ying Lee vs. IInspiration

The Brand is defending but before the match, Lee is presented with a new contract. There are all kinds of people at ringside too so this has quite the mess potential. McKay and Henley start things off but M tags herself in, only to get double teamed by the IInspiration. Nyx and Heather come in, with Heather getting caught in a double flapjack as the rapid tags continue. The IInspiration beat up Henley but McKay gets put in a bow and arrow for a top rope double stomp from Heather.

Brookside and Lee come in to beat up M until the Brand double teams her instead (this is as all over the place as it sounds as people are switching places every few moments). Nyx gets caught in Lee’s spinning faceplant and the seconds get in a big brawl in the ring. That’s good for a mass ejection before Brookside and Lee hit dives to the floor. The Tower Of Doom is broken up so it’s a superplex to leave everyone down. A string of knockdowns sets up a belt shot to McKay so M can retain the titles at 11:25.

Rating: B-. This was getting good at the end but there were so many people doing so many things at once that it was more of a big mess for the most part. The champs retaining is fine, even if it means them going over almost the entire division at once. I’m not sure who is going to take the titles from them, but it isn’t like there is a ton of competition in the first place.

We look at Indi Hartwell beating Rosemary on the Kickoff Show.

Hartwell wants the Knockouts Title and thanks Dani Luna for helping her, but she has this.

We recap Jake Something challenging Steve Maclin for the International Title. They’ve been brawling so it’s time for (basically) a street fight.

International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Jake Something

Something is challenging, there are no countouts or disqualifications, and Frankie Kazarian is on commentary. Maclin has his special face paint on so he…grabs a headlock to start. They go outside in a hurry to slug it out, with Maclin sending him into the steps. Back in and Maclin hits a running knee into Jar headbutt for two. A double clothesline leaves both of them down and they slug it out.

Something gets clever by stepping on Maclin’s foot so he can’t move and then hitting him in the face. An Angle Slam knocks Something outside but he knocks the Scud out of the air. Into The Void connects on the floor and Something powerbombs him onto the steps. They go up the aisle and Maclin sends him off the stage for a big dive. Back in and Maclin ties him in the Tree Of Woe but Something manages to choke him while upside down. That’s clever but broken up rather quickly, with Maclin hitting the three shoulders. KIA retains the title at 12:22.

Rating: B. This was the match I was looking forward to the most on the card and they didn’t quite get over the hump from good to something even better. It was a hard hitting fight and Maclin got something of the win, though Something losing yet another high profile match isn’t a good sign. Either way, Maclin vs. Kazarian seems likely, probably with Kazarian taking the title at Bound For Glory.

Post match Maclin praises Something but gets in an argument with Kazarian, telling him “any time”.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Rascalz

The Hardys are defending. Matt and Wentz fight over wrist control to start with Matt running him over with a shoulder. Some dropkicks put Matt down though and it’s off to Jeff vs. Reed. Another dropkick connects with Jeff so Matt makes a blind tag, giving us a four way standoff. We settle down to Matt doing his ten rams into the turnbuckles but Wentz kicks the Hardys into each other. It’s back to Reed for a kick to the head and a slingshot Fameasser for two on Matt, followed by the chinlock.

Matt isn’t having that and comes up with a Side Effect, allowing Jeff to come back in. Jeff’s top rope superplex hits Reed but Wentz drops a frog splash, only for Matt to hit a top rope elbow and leave everyone down. The Hardys are back up but Poetry In Motion is cut off. A slingshot Codebreaker/top rope double stomp to the back combination gets two on Jeff, who blocks the diving cutter to the floor. The Twist Of Fate on the floor drops Reed and the Swanton retains the titles at 11:54.

Rating: B-. I actually wasn’t sure how this was going to go as the Hardys have the Dudleys waiting on them at Bound For Glory. That doesn’t necessarily have to be for the titles so the belts felt like they were in jeopardy here. The match itself worked as the Hardys were playing the veteran roles here and didn’t try to keep up with the much faster, younger team. That’s all they can do these days as it’s more about being cunning and smart, which can still make for some fine matches.

It’s time for First Class Penthouse. They both put over Maryland (Swann’s hometown and where Francis went to college) but their real success was when they left. Cue the Baltimore Ravens mascot but the System comes out to back him up. Alisha Edwards does her catchphrase until Francis cuts her off. That’s good for a slap and Francis ends the show.

We recap Moose challenging Trick Williams for the World Title. Williams is the invader and Moose is trying to bring it back. Simple, but logical.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. Trick Williams

Williams is defending and seems to have some Harlem Heath inspired gear while Moose is the hometown star. They shove each other around to start and Moose isn’t having any of Williams’ chops. The fight heads outside, where Williams reverses a powerbomb into a hurricanrana. Williams sends him into the steps and chops away in front of Moose’s family.

Back in and Moose hits a quick crossbody, only to be sent crashing into the corner. The front facelock keeps Moose down but he’s back up with some hard chops. Williams mocks Moose’s fist pump deal and gets planted with a release Rock Bottom. The backsplash and pop up powerbomb give Moose two each but Williams is back with an AA for two of his own.

Moose catches him on top with a superplex but Williams pops up with a regular suplex. The spear connects, with Williams wisely heading outside. Moose loads up another spear, which is countered with a backdrop through the announcers’ table. Back in and the referee gets bumped so another spear gives Moose no count. Williams is back up with a Trick Shot for two so he hits two more for the retaining pin at 16:48.

Rating: B-. This was running uphill as there was a grand total of no reason to believe that Moose was taking the title. Williams is all but destined to lose the title at the biggest show of the year to give TNA their big win in the battle with NXT so Moose was just the next victim here. They had a nice power match and didn’t go too long, but yeah this was never in doubt.

President Carlos Silva has to present Williams the title. Some Hollywood Hogan guitaring takes us out.

Overall Rating: B. For a show with very little in the way of drama or wondering who was going to win most of the bigger matches, I had a nice time with this one. It’s a show where very little of note happened, but it clears some of the way before we get to Bound For Glory (with only Victory Road in the way). Good show here, and now we get to move on to the really big stuff.

Results
Indi Hartwell b. Rosemary – Hurts Donut
Home Town Man b. Ryan Nemeth – Rollup
Leon Slater b. Cedric Alexander – Swanton 450
Matt Cardona b. Mustafa Ali – Crucifix
First Class b. The System – Chokeslam to Edwards
Mike Santana b. Sami Callihan – Spin The Block
Elegance Brand b. Fatal Influence, IInspiration and Lei Ying Lee/Xia Brookside – Belt shot to McKay
Steve Maclin b. Jake Something – KIA
Hardys b. Rascalz – Swanton to Reed
Trick Williams b. Moose – Trick Shot

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: August 14, 2025
Location: Thomas M. Ryan Center, Kingston, Rhode Island
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the night before Emergence so this week is likely going to be about setting things up for the pay per view. The big story coming out of this week’s NXT saw Trick Williams turn his back on his partners, including #1 contender Moose, allowing Darkstate to win an eight man tag. That is likely going to require some revenge so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Moose has been attacked in the back and the System hits the ring. They call out Trick Williams and First Class so it’s six man tag time.

First Class/Trick Williams vs. The System

The brawl is on in the aisle with the System getting the better of things. We settle down to Edwards crushing Swann in the corner and handing it off to JDC. Swann gets taken down but he kicks JDC out to the floor to take over for the first time. Francis’ chinlock doesn’t last long so it’s Williams coming in for a flapjack. Another chinlock goes on, followed by a bearhug from Francis. JDC suplexes his way out of trouble though and it’s off to Myers for an implant DDT to Swann. Everything breaks down and Swann gets a rollup with feet on the ropes to pin Myers at 6:12.

Rating: C+. That’s what this needed to be, with the System still finding their footing as good guys and Swann getting to steal a win to reestablish himself. Swann is a former World Champion but he’s been gone for so long that some people might have forgotten that he can hang at this level. Myers and JDC exist to lose for the System so this was hardly some big upset either.

We run down the rest of the card.

Myla Grace/Harley Hudson vs. Dani Luna/Indi Hartwell

Hudson can’t take Luna over with a headlock to start but Luna can easily power her down. A choke doesn’t work for Hudson either so she sends Luna into the corner for some running knees to the face. Luna powers them away again though and it’s off to Hartwell to clean house. The Hurts Donut finishes Grace at 3:40.

Rating: C-. Not much to this one, though Grace and Hudson are at least getting a chance to establish themselves as something. They still have a long way to go, but they have a bit of an identity as the rookies. Eventually they’ll need to win something, but we’re a long way off before they’re anything close to a failure.

Respect is shown post match but Rosemary pops out of the crowd to mist Hartwell.

We look at Order 4 costing Joe Hendry a match against Mustafa Ali last week.

John Skyler vs. Matt Cardona

Order 4 is here with Skyler. Cardona takes him into the corner to start but a distraction from the floor lets Skyler drop Cardona outside. Back in and the chinlock doesn’t last long but Tasha Steelz blocks the Reboot. Instead Cardona hits Radio Silence for the win at 2:19.

Post match Order 4 jumps Cardona and Mustafa Ali comes out to send Agent Zero out for the big beatdown.

Jody Threat and Dani Luna check on Indi Hartwell but get in an argument.

Matt Cardona is looking for Mustafa Ali and seems ready to face him at Emergence.

We look at a three way being set up for the Knockouts Title, with Jacy Jayne defending against Masha Slamovich and Ash By Elegance.

Here is Santino Marella for a Knockouts tag team summit. This brings out the Elegance Brand, Lei Ying Lee/Xia Brookside, IInspiration and Fatal Influence, with the Brand bragging about their abilities. Brookside promises a beating for everyone and Fatal Influence promises to show NXT’s superiority. Tension is teased and the brawl breaks out in a hurry, with dives taking out security. Pretty basic stuff here.

Rosemary isn’t happy with Indi Hartwell strolling in here so she made Hartwell as blind as Hartwell seems to be.

Steph de Lander and Mance Warner are annoyed at being suspended for having some personal time in Santino Marella’s locker room last week. Nothing is keeping him out of TNA.

Eric Young vs. Mike Santana

The Northern Armory is here with Young. Santana gets jumped from behind to start and gets sent outside. The Armory gets in some cheap shots so Young can hammer away in the corner, followed by a hard whip for two. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Santana fights back and hits an enziguri, followed by the rolling Buck Fifty for two of his own. Young shoves him off the top though and hits a top rope elbow for two. Young misses a clothesline off the top though and Spin The Block finishes for Santana at 5:31.

Rating: B-. Short and to the point match here, which is the best way to go as Santana can get a win over a name. They didn’t need to let this go long as Santana got everything he needed out of it by overcoming the odds to win. Now just get Santana where he belongs on the pay back to the World Title.

Post match the Armory jumps Santana but Sami Callihan makes the save.

We look at the TNA action on NXT, including Joe Hendry getting a win and Trick Williams costing his partners the eight man tag against Darkstate.

Here is Frankie Kazarian for the King’s Speech. Kazarian brings out Jake Something and Steve Maclin (facing each other at Emergence) as his guests and this isn’t likely to go well. They go face to face but Kazarian keeps telling them to keep from fighting, which has Maclin telling him to shut up. Maclin goes after Kazarian but walks into Into The Void. I’m not sure if he will, but I could go for Something winning the title.

Emergence rundown.

Sami Callihan says he’s done if he doesn’t win at Emergence. Eddie Edwards comes in to say he wants the real Callihan to come out one more time.

Rascalz/Cedric Alexander vs. Leon Slater/Hardys

Alexander wrestles Slater down to start before Reed comes in for a Fameasser in the ropes. Slater kicks him in the head though and brings Matt in to take over on Reed’s arm. Jeff gets in a few shots of his own, allowing Slater to hit a clothesline for two. The ten rams into the corner have Reed in more trouble but he gets over to Wentz. Slater gets taken down again, with Wentz firing off some elbows to the chest for two. Jeff comes in for a quick Poetry In Motion and grabs a chinlock on Wentz as we take a break.

We come back with Matt getting taken into the corner so Wentz can grab a front facelock. That’s switched into a regular chinlock but Matt fights out without much trouble. A superplex drops Wentz and Jeff comes back in to take over on Alexander. Whisper In The Wind (though not a clean one) gets two and it’s Slater coming back in to plant Reed. We hit the parade of knockdowns and the good guys grab a string of Twist of Fates (or Twisting Stunner from Jeff because he’s weird).

It’s too early for the Swanton so instead Alexander gets splashed by Jeff. Slater’s crossover splash gets two with the Rascalz making the save. The Rascalz hit dives on the floor and Salter nails a big dive over the corner. Back in and Alexander avoids the Swanton 450 and grabs the Lumbar Check for the pin at 17:28.

Rating: B. I can always go for the “take two matches and put them into a six man” style and they did well with it here. Alexander is a good first challenger for Slater as he’s going to be completely fine in the ring and help make Slater look good. At the same time, the Hardys are getting ready for their big match against Team 3D, meaning the titles might actually be in jeopardy as they have bigger things going on.

The double staredown ends the show.

Overall Rating: B-. While Emergence only feels so important between Slammiversary and Bound For Glory, this show did a good job of building it up. Oddly save for the World Title match, which was mainly touched on earlier in the week on NXT, the card got a solid boost here. Emergence could be a good show, and this week had a lot to do with making that work.

Results
First Class/Trick Williams b. The System – Rollup with feet on the ropes to Myers
Dani Luna/Indi Hartwell b. Myla Grace/Harley Hudson – Hurts Donut to Grace
Matt Cardona b. John Skyler – Radio Silence
Mike Santana b. Eric Young – Spin The Block
Cedric Alexander/Rascalz b. Hardys/Leon Slater – Lumbar Check to Slater

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