NXT
Date: August 12, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

Heatwave is getting closer and this week has a guest star in the form of Joe Hendry. After walking out of a refrigerator last week (it’s a Hendry thing), he has a match set up with Charlie Dempsey. Other than that, some of the bigger guns around here are going to be dealing with Darkstate. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Ava runs into Hank & Tank in the parking lot and asks them to not interfere in the Darkstate match tonight. Hank & Tank: “We promise.”

Lash Legend vs. Nia Jax

Jax shoulders her into the corner to start but Legend does exactly the same (not to herself of course). Legend gets in quite the power display by picking Jax up for a drive into the corner. They go outside, where Jax is driven into the apron and Legend hammers away in the apron. Back in and Legend can’t quite get in a slam and they knock each other down. Legend knocks her outside again and we take a break.

We come back with Jax hitting the Samoan drop for two but missing a charge into the post. Legend’s over the back faceplant connects for a delayed two before Jax runs her over again. They go back to the floor, with Legend trying a fall away slam through the announcers’ table but crashing through it instead. Legend barely beats the count back in and Jax can’t believe what she’s seeing. A slam gets two on Jax so Legend tries a powerbomb out of the corner. That’s a bit too much though as Jax falls onto her with the Annihilator in a smart counter. Another Annihilator finishes Legend at 12:52.

Rating: B-. This was Legend trying to hang with a main roster monster and she was trying everything she could, only to eventually slip up in the end. I like the idea of Legend almost literally slipping her way to a loss in the end, but I’m also not sure she should have lost. This might have been a good place for Legend to win by countout or something like that, but at least she seemed to beat herself rather than Jax doing it for her.

Darkstate is ready to fight against four main eventers because that is their thing. The head is being cut off the snake tonight and then they’re coming for the Tag Team Titles.

Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice run into various women from Evolve and isn’t impressed, but does set up a match with Kendal Grey for tonight. Hank & Tank run in dressed in costumes but get chased off by Stevie Turner.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Joe Hendry

Wren Sinclair is here with Dempsey. They trade takedowns and armbars to start with Hendry getting the better of things. Back up and a running clothesline puts Dempsey down, only for him to come back with a backslide. Hendry shrugs that off and hits a quick Standing Ovation for the pin at 4:00.

Rating: C. This was basically an excuse for Hendry to be on the show and that’s not a bad way to go. Hendry is one of the biggest stars around NXT these days and it feels like a special moment when he shows up. The match was nothing much to see, though it doesn’t exactly bode well for Dempsey’s future as he’s on a losing streak these days.

Lola Vice and Kelani Jordan are warming up, with Vice being ready for a match at TripleMania. Jaida Parker comes in to say she’s next for the Women’s Title but the other two are both focused on their match.

Here is Josh Briggs, who doesn’t care about the fans booing him. He’s not happy with Yoshiki Inamura coming back to NXT and working on his own. Inamura is all about honor, so let’s put that honor on the line next week in a Philadelphia street fight. Cue Inamura to call him a jackass and say the honor will be in beating Briggs next week. The brawl is on, with both of them going up and Inamura chopping him onto security. Inamura hits a dive of his own to take everyone out.

We get a sitdown interview with Jordynne Grace, who is out of her neck brace. Grace says that Blake Monroe is right in that she has never been comfortable with herself. She always feels like an outsider and she let her guard down a bit with Monroe, which is her own fault. Grace isn’t happy with what she has done but she is ready to prove that she is strong in another way. At Heatwave, she is silencing the bully and proving that she is a champion. This was a good promo from Grace to show where she is and why she wants to fight.

Blake Monroe is in Ava’s office and is given a match tonight. Monroe accuses her of being biased.

We look at Jacy Jayne’s recent actions in TNA.

Fatal Influence isn’t worried about people women coming after Jayne’s title, though Jayne isn’t thrilled with Jazmyn Nyx getting them into tonight’s tag match. We see TNA’s Ash By Elegance and Masha Slamovich arriving, with Jayne not approving. Lainey Reid comes in to say good luck.

Oba Femi rallies the troops before tonight’s eight man tag. Everyone but Trick Williams is on the same page. Hank & Tank, dressed as exterminators, come in but get chased off by Mr. Stone. I’m guessing the writers watched AJ Styles in weird costumes last month.

Fatal Influence vs. Lola Vice/Kelani Jordan

Ash By Elegance (with the Personal Concierge) and Masha Slamovich are in the crowd. Jordan takes Henley down to start and it’s off to Vice, who avoids Jayne’s pump kick. Jayne kicks her down though and a backsplash gets two. Back up and Vice kicks away and everything breaks down with Fatal Influence being sent outside. Jordan is pulled out as well though and dropped with a triple shot as we take a break.

We come back with Jordan getting two off a sunset flip out of the corner. A clothesline gives Jayne the same but Jordan slips out of a backdrop and dives over for the much needed tag. Vice gets to hit back to back hip attacks in the corner and Jordan hits a springboard Fameasser for two. A double running knee gets two on Jordan with Vice making the save. Jayne and Jordan trade rollups for two each as everything breaks down again. Jazmyn Nyx tries to come in but gets sent out, leaving Vice to backfist Jayne. One Of A Kind gives Jordan the pin at 12:06.

Rating: B. This was a good example of “exactly what it needed to be” and there is nothing wrong with that. Jordan gets the pin to set her up as the next challenger to Jayne, who is already going to be dealing with the TNA women coming for the Knockouts Title. Throw in Nyx already having some issues with the team and things could be getting interesting rather quickly. Nice stuff here.

Jasper Troy says no one is protecting Ricky Saints and pain is coming.

Kendal Grey vs. Alba Fyre

Piper Niven is here with Fyre, who starts fast by striking away. Grey gets superkicked out of the air for two but she’s right back with a belly to back suplex. Chelsea Green and Ethan Page are watching in the back as Grey gets some kind of a choke. That’s broken up so Grey gets two each off a high crossbody and a suplex. Cue Page to ringside as Fyre comes back with a running knee. Fyre rakes the eyes and a Gory Bomb finishes Grey off at 4:05.

Rating: C+. Good enough here, with Fyre getting a win for a change. I’m not sure why they needed to sacrifice Grey to do it but at least Grey lost to someone on a higher level. Chelsea Green and Ethan Page have potential for some good comedy, and it’s better to have Green here where she has a fresh boss to annoy for a change.

Post match Page gets in the ring and asks if this is the best America has to offer. Cue Tavion Heights to yell at Page, with Tyra Mae Steele coming in for some German suplexes, including one to Page.

Jacy Jayne is banged up after the match but things get even worse as Ava tells her Santino Marella has put her in a triple threat match for the Knockouts Title at Heatwave against Masha Slamovich and Ash By Elegance. The Personal Concierge is very pleased, with Ava also putting Fatal Influence in a six woman tag against the Elegance Brand next week.

Chelsea Green isn’t happy with Ethan Page, who blames the “Mr. And Mrs. Olympics.” The solution is clear: a treaty between Canada and the USA!

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Darkstate vs. Oba Femi/Moose/Trick Williams/Je’Von Evans

It’s a brawl to start (shocking I know) and Evans hits a running shooting star on Shugars. Everything breaks down and Darkstate is set outside, where Williams is tossed onto them and we take a break. We come back with Femi and James in a fight over a suplex, with Femi getting the better of it. Femi and Griffin trade running shoulders until Griffin manages a powerslam. The chinlock goes on but Femi powers up and hits a slam. Evans comes in and hits a big dive over the top, followed by a suicide dive.

Back in and Lennox sends Evans into the corner, with Cutler blasting him with a clothesline for two. Evans slips away though and it’s Moose coming in to clean house, with the fans absolutely approving. Lennox gets planted with a shoulderbreaker and Evans hits a frog splash, with everyone else shoving them onto the pile for the save. The quadruple powerbomb is loaded up but Femi and Moose break it up and throw Evans back for a double Stunner (that was great). Moose spears Femi by mistake and Evans is left alone, with Williams standing there as Evans is powerbombed for the pin at 13:18.

Rating: B-. That was the ending that made the most sense as there was no reason for Williams to want to go help Evans. Williams has his title and that’s all he’s going to care about. Moose and Femi having another power match down the line could work well, though it feels like Evans is probably going to be the next in line. Or they’ll do a four way.

Hank & Tank run in to brawl with Darkstate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This week did a good job of making me want to see next week’s big Philadelphia show. They’ve set up enough matches to make things interesting and Heatwave will be an even bigger follow up. Rather good show this week, as they had nice stuff going on here, plus set up next week as well.

Results
Nia Jax b. Lash Legend – Annihilator
Joe Hendry b. Charlie Dempsey – Standing Ovation
Kelani Jordan/Lola Vice b. Fatal Influence – One Of A Kind to Jayne
Alba Fyre b. Kendal Grey – Gory Bomb
Darkstate b. Je’Von Evans/Moose/Oba Femi/Trick Williams – Quadruple bomb to Evans

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 7, 2025
Location: Thomas M. Ryan Center, Kingston, Rhode Island
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

Emergence is coming up sooner than later and we have a big time main event as Trick Williams will be defending the World Title against Moose. That should make for a big showdown but we’re going to need something else on the card. We should be covering some of that this week so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Trick Williams to get things going. He’s officially set to defend the title against Moose next week at Emergence and all of bubble headed Moose’s bubble headed family is going to be there. Williams wants to talk about it but cue Moose to interrupt. They go face to face and the threat of Moose’s spear sends Williams bailing.

Gia Miller is back and thankful for the help she received while she was gone. As for Tessa Blanchard, if she puts her hands on Gia one more time, Gia will “f****** kill you.” Joe Hendry comes in to say Mustafa Ali will believe in him tonight.

Steve Maclin was at a local soccer stadium.

Mike Santana meets with Sami Callihan but Eric Young and the Northern Armory interrupts. Young says he was running this place when Santana was in high school and now it needs a cleanse. Santana glares them away.

International Title: Jake Something vs. Steve Maclin

Maclin is defending and Frankie Kazarian is on commentary. Maclin hammers away to start and gets two off an early Angle Slam. They hit stereo clotheslines for the double down and then slug it out from their knees. Something is sent outside for the Scud and they fight to the apron…for a double countout at 3:47.

Rating: C+. This was a hard hitting match while it lasted but the ending feels like it is designed to set up the rematch, likely with some adjusted rules, for Emergence. I’m curious to see how that goes, as Maclin feels secure as champion but Something could pull off the upset. This likely sets that up and the path they took to get there worked well.

Post match they have to be held apart but Maclin gives him a running flip dive onto the security.

Mance Warner and Steph de Lander can’t find Santino Marella.

Cedric Alexander says he is in his prime and is ready to win the X-Division Title.

Xia Brookside/Lei Ying Lee vs. Elegance Brand

The Brand is kicked down to start and Brookside’s step up backsplash gets two on M. Lee sends M outside and we take an early break. We come back with Heather’s clothesline getting two on Lee and the Brand hit running boots in the corner. M comes in but Lee rolls over for the tag off to Brookside to clean house. A Codebreaker cuts that off but Lee is back with Thunderstruck. Lee picks M up for a VERY spinning TKO and the pin at 8:10.

Rating: C. Nice enough tag match here, with Brookside and Lee beating the non-champions edition of the Elegance Brand. That should put them close to the top of the list of contenders for a title shot, as it isn’t like there is a ton of competition to clear. I’ll take a thrown together team who works well as a unit though, as it’s better than floating around aimlessly.

Santino Marella and Arianna Grace go to Marella’s office…but something is apparently happening in there (likely Mance Warner/Steph de Lander related).

Ash By Elegance yells at the rest of the Brand for screwing up on her big night and throws all of them out.

It’s time for an emergency edition of the First Class Penthouse. There is a big problem, as KC Navarro is out of action with a torn ACL. AJ Francis doesn’t seem too worried as he brings out Navarro’s replacement: Rich Swann! Navarro is officially out, which makes sense as he was Swann’s replacement in the first place. That doesn’t work for Navarro, who goes on a RANT about how he has done everything for Francis. However, Francis says he’s been carrying Navarro for nine months and kicks the crutch away so Navarro has to limp off. Well that’s a good evil move.

Mara Sade vs. Vicious Vicki

Sade isn’t having any of Vicki’s wristlocking and knocks her straight down. A flipping splash gets two, with Sade pulling her up. Finish Her (a butterfly gutbuster) finishes Vicki at 1:52.

We look at Joe Hendry appearing on NXT and getting a match set up with Charlie Dempsey. Wren Sinclair appears to be a Hendry fan too.

In addition on NXT, Moose, Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans and Oba Femi got in a fight with Darkstate, setting up an eight man tag next week.

Knockouts Title: Ash By Elegance vs. Jacy Jayne

Ash, with the Personal Concierge (the only other person out here for either of them) is challenging. They fight over a lockup to start and go to the mat and then the corner with neither getting much control. An exchange of rollups gets two two each until Ash powers her down…and here is Masha Slamovich to jump Ash for the DQ at 1:56.

Post match Jayne jumps Slamovich and Fatal Influence runs in for the beatdown, with the Elegance Brand making the save. Xia Brookside and Lei Ying Lee, plus the IInspiration run in to get in on things as well, with Slamovich, Brookside, Lee and the IInspiration clearing the ring.

The Hardys talk about defending not just their titles, but also their legacies.

Here is Santino Marella to announce some matches for Emergence. First up, Steve Maclin is defending the International Title against Jake Something, no DQ and no countout. Next, Mike Santana vs. Sami Callihan. For the Knockouts Tag Team Titles, the Elegance Brand is defending against the IInspiration, Xia Brookside/Lei Ying Lee and Fatal Influence in a four way.

Before he gets any further though, Marella wants the Nemeths out here right now. Nic says they get a rematch for their titles, but after last week’s attack on the Hometown Man, Nic is suspended for Emergence. On the other hand though, Ryan is facing the Hometown Man one on one.

Mustafa Ali vs. Joe Hendry

Order 4 is with Ali. The fans are behind Hendry to start, even as Ali backs him into the corner. Hendry is back out with a wristlock and takes him down a few times to amp up the frustration. The delayed suplex gives Hendry two as commentary rapid fires through the Emergence card.

Ali is knocked outside and we take an early break. We come back with Hendry firing off some uppercuts but getting dropped with a pair of neckbreakers for two. The standing corkscrew moonsault misses for Ali though and Hendry snaps off a DDT. The fall away slam drops Ali again but it’s time to go outside, where Hendry has to take out the Great Hands. Back in and the Hands are pulled inside, only to be clotheslined right back out.

Ali’s rolling neckbreaker is countered with a cutter and the Standing Ovation connects but Tasha Steelz pulls the referee. The Great Hands hit their Samoan drop/Blockbuster combination but Ali misses a charge in the corner. A pop up powerbomb and AA give Hendry two, only for Steelz to break up another Standing Ovation. Agent Zero gets in a big boot and Ali’s 450 is good for the pin at 14:50.

Rating: B. This was about Hendry not being able to overcome the odds on his own as his bad luck continues. That’s not the brightest sign for his future, but when you’re on NXT most of the time these days, things seem to be going fairly well. The match did feel big, and Ali getting into the World Title picture is a rather promising concept.

Overall Rating: B-. I can always go for a show where things keep moving and that was the situation this week. We had good action, matches were set up for Emergence and stories were moved forward. That’s the kind of show that they needed with only a week to go before the pay per view, so this was a nice night. Emergence isn’t the biggest show, but it needed some attention, which was taken care of here.

Results
Steve Maclin vs. Jake Something went to a double countout
Xia Brookside/Lei Ying Lee b. Elegance Brand – TKO to M
Mara Sade b. Vicious Vicki – Finish Her
Ash By Elegance b. Jacy Jayne via DQ when Masha Slamovich interfered
Mustafa Ali b. Joe Hendry – 450

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: August 5, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

With less than a month to go before Heatwave, it might be time to start putting the card together. You can probably figure out some of the matches from here, but there are some blank spots that need to be filled in. We have a pair of title matches this week, plus Nia Jax is here so let’s get to it.

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

Blake Monroe vs. Kelani Jordan

Jordan starts fast and takes her down for a basement dropkick. Monroe avoids a charge to send Jordan outside, followed by her own basement dropkick back inside. A Sling Blade drops Jordan and Monroe gets to lay on the Maybelline ad on the mat. Jordan comes back with a handspring Stunner and a half crab, which sends Monroe over to the ropes. Something close to an Angle Slam gives Jordan two more but Monroe headbutts her out of the air. Cue Jordynne Grace (in a neck brace) to chase Monroe out of the arena and into a waiting car for the countout at 5:19.

Rating: C. This was a fine step to keep teasing Monroe vs. Grace, as Monroe should be scared of someone who can bench press a small foreign car and wants to destroy her. Monroe having the car ready to go was a good touch as well as she’s showing some brains to go with being evil. Jordan was far from destroyed here too so it’s not like this was some fluke win.

Andre Chase doesn’t give his students much of a chance but they’ll take any chance over none.

Tag Team Titles: Hank & Tank vs. Chase U

Hank & Tank are defending. Chase U fire off some superkicks for the early near falls and an assisted powerbomb gets two on Hank. A slingshot spear is cut off by a kick to the head though and it’s Tank coming in for the slugout. Dixon is up to send both champs outside and a big running flip dive takes them out. Back in and Dixon misses something off the top, allowing Hank to hit Baron Corbin’s Deep Six. The powerslam/neckbreaker combination gets…two as Connors makes a last second save (that might have been a bit mistimed). Hank gives Dixon a Boss Man Slam and the powerslam/neckbreaker combination retains at 3:35.

Rating: C+. The new Chase U still isn’t working but they had a better outing than I was expecting here. They were putting in some effort and this was a rather action packed match. Hank & Tank need some bigger challengers and Darkstate seem to be likely candidates and this was just a stepping stone to get there.

Post match Darkstate comes in to wreck Hank & Tank, likely setting up a Tag Team Title match.

Fatal Influence is glad to have gotten rid of some competition. TNA’s Personal Concierge (that’s his name) comes in to say Ash By Elegance (formerly known as Dana Brooke) will be taking the Knockouts Title this week. Jacy Jayne isn’t convinced and tells Lainey Reid to polish the title.

Myles Borne and Tavion Heights catch up and are rather cool with each other.

The Culling gives Tatum Paxley a pep talk.

Thea Hail is very, very excited (the coffee is helping) about facing Nia Jax.

Lexis King vs. Myles Borne

King works on a headlock to start as the fans are split. Borne escapes but gets taken down with a spinning high crossbody. Back up and Borne dropkicks him out of the air for two before sending him outside for a slingshot dive. We take a break and come back with Borne being rammed into the steps. King stomps on his ear on the steps and a knee to the ear gets two. Borne fights up with some suplexes and his own knee to the head. The Borne Again (Zig Zag) finishes King at 9:26.

Rating: C+. This was about making Borne look like he could fight from underneath and come back for the win, which is one of the most basic stories in wrestling. Fans are going to get behind Borne because he has to overcome adversity and he beat up a bully who is mocking him. That’s going to work every time and Borne continues to carve out a rather nice niche for himself.

Darkstate says they jumped Hank & Tank a few weeks ago and now they want the Tag Team Titles.

Thea Hail vs. Nia Jax

Both of them flip off the crowd and Hail grabs a chinlock to start. That’s broken up just as fast so Hail settles for two off a rollup. Jax chokes her on the ropes and dumps Hail outside as we take a break. We come back with Jax cranking on both arms and then running her over for two. The cobra clutch have Hail in more trouble and a wheelbarrow faceplant drops her again. Jax misses a charge into the corner though and Hail’s spinning DDT gets two. A springboard backsplash gives Hail two but Jax pulls her out of the corner. The Annihilator finishes for Jax at 9:36.

Rating: C. Jax is going to be a big deal during the time she’s down in NXT and that means they needed to give her a big win to start things off. She smashed through Hail here, which is the only way this should have gone. Hail might be energetic and fairly popular but she’s not someone who is going to beat a star like Jax.

Post match Jax mocks Lash Legend, who comes in for the brawl. Security breaks it up.

Ava gives Jordynne Grace a match with Blake Monroe at Heatwave.

Here is Oba Femi for a chat. He has been champion for 200 days and it’s time to find another challenger for the title. Cue Trick Williams, who says that he is the face of two brands, but Femi brings up that Williams can’t beat him. Williams says he’s a new man and ready to beat Femi, but here is Je’Von Evans to interrupt. Evans: “Trick I ain’t gonna lie…your a** goofy as h***.”

He wants the title shot, because Williams can barely defend the TNA Title. Femi says they can figure it out and likes Evans’ idea of the two of them fighting for a shot. Williams says no, because they’ll do it in two weeks in Philadelphia. Cue TNA’s Moose to remind Williams that he’s getting a title shot in ten days at TNA Emergence. He remembers facing Femi too…and here is Darkstate. This time though, the team is dispatched, with Moose throwing one of them out onto the pile.

Arianna Grace checks on Stacks but Lash Legend and Nia Jax pop in for a fight.

Wren Sinclair is happy that she’ll get to spend quality time with Charlie Dempsey, who isn’t happy. Sinclair does the Joe Hendry clap and Hendry pops out of a refrigerator. Hendry gives Dempsey a shirt but Dempsey throws it away. Dempsey says that Hendry is always viral, which comes from virus. Sinclair: “He’s not a doctor. He just watches a lot of Grey’s Anatomy.” A match is made for next week and Sinclair gets a photo with Hendry.

Yoshiki Inamura vs. Stacks

Non-title. Stacks jumps him from behind to start and the bell rings with Stacks grabbing a neck crank. A sliding forearm takes Inamura down again but he slams Stacks off the top. Inamura goes nuts with chops and sends Stacks outside, where Arianna Grace comes in to yell. Grace’s slap to Inamura earns her an ejection but the argument allows Josh Briggs to sneak in and boot Inamura, allowing Stacks to get the pin at 3:18.

Rating: C+. It was energetic while it lasted and they managed to set up two things at once here. First of all, Briggs vs. Inamura can probably be penciled in for Heatwave, which should be a good grudge match. In addition, Stacks and Grace seem to be a thing now, which is at least something new for both of them. Not a bad use of such a short amount of time.

Here is Ethan Page for a chat. He’s proud of retaining the title over Santino Marella and his stupid sock last week. We hear about some other great Canadians, but Page is at the top of the list. He starts to sing O Canada but here is Tavion Heights to interrupt. No one wants to hear what sounds like a goose dying, but he knows what it’s like to represent his country. Now that he’s out of the No Quarter Catch Crew, it’s time to crawl out on his own.

Page says Heights needs to learn his place…and here are Chelsea Green and the Secret Hervice to interrupt. Green loves her fellow Canadian, saying Page once fought a moose and the moose apologized. She’s not worried about a filthy American hitting her, so Heights hits Page instead and promises to find a woman who will hit Green.

Lola Vice consoles Kelani Jordan, saying a win is a win. Fatal Influence comes in to mock them, with Jazmyn Nyx saying she has gotten a tag match set for next week.

Nia Jax and Lash Legend’s brawl interrupts Zaria and Sol Ruca. Ava comes in to make a match between them for next week. What a coincidence that this is the same thing that Sheamus and Rusev did this week on Raw.

Je’Von Evans, Moose, Oba Femi and Trick Williams are in Ava’s office. They want to fight each other but she gives them an eight man tag against Darkstate next week. Hank & Tank come in and get a title defense against Darkstate at Heatwave.

Ricky Saints says he has worked to get here but he has a target on him due to people being jealous of him. People like Ethan Page and Jasper Troy are coming for him and now he wants to be NXT Champion. In two weeks, he’ll beat Troy on the way there.

Women’s North American Title: Tatum Paxley vs. Sol Ruca

Paxley, with the Culling, is challenging and Zaria is here with Ruca. Paxley hits a running shoulder in the corner to start and grabs something like a reverse surfboard. Ruca switches into the regular version as the fans are doing the Wave. Shawn Spears gets up on the apron for a distraction so Ruca dives onto the team. We take a break and come back with Paxley firing off some headbutts, followed by a neck stretch. Ruca fights up and grabs a neckbreaker into a running knee to the head.

Paxley’s enziguri lets her hit something like a Whisper In The Wind for two of her own. Ruca sunset bombs her out of the corner but misses a charge into the post. The Psycho Trap gets two and they go up, with Ruca slipping off. The delay lets Paxley grab a super swinging neckbreaker as Nia Jax and Lash Legend are STILL brawling down the ramp. In the melee, Ruca grabs the Sol Snatcher to retain at 11:41.

Rating: C+. Paxley got to show off her stuff here and it went fairly well, though the ending left a bit to be desired. That’s quite the weak way to set up a distraction finish, even if it came off the Sol Snatcher. Odds are Paxley will be less welcome with the Culling after this, and that might be setting up a match with Izzi Dame. Not much of a match event, but I’ve seen worse.

Overall Rating: C+. The big thing task with this show was setting up things for Heatwave and we have some matches covered. That’s a good way to go, with the wrestling and cameos being mostly secondary. It’s not a show that you really need to see, but it’s a show that needed to happen with the next big event coming up pretty soon. Fairly skippable show this week.

Results
Kelani Jordan b. Blake Monroe via countout
Hank & Tank b. Chase U – Powerslam/neckbreaker combination to Dixon
Myles Borne b. Lexis King – Borne Again
Nia Jax b. Thea Hail – Annihilator
Stacks b. Yoshiki Inamura – Big boot
Sol Ruca b. Tatum Paxley – Sol Snatcher

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

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

Post match Alexander and Slater have a staredown.

Masha Slamovich is ready to get the Knockouts Title back.

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

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

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

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

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

Rascalz vs. Nemeths

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

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

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

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

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

Knockouts Title: Jacy Jayne vs. Masha Slamovich

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here’s what’s coming next week.

The System vs. Trick Williams/AJ Francis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NXT
Date: July 22, 2025
Location: 713 Music Hall, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

We’re on the road for a change this time with a show in Booker T.’s hometown. There is a good chance that he’ll get a chance to do something, as we only have about a month to go before we get to Heatwave. Coming off this weekend, Trick Williams is still the TNA World Champion and Jacy Jayne is now the TNA Knockouts Champion. Let’s get to it.

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

There’s no Booker T. to start but here he is from backstage to introduce the show and give us a preview of what we’ll be seeing tonight.

Hank & Tank/Sol Ruca/Zaria vs. Culling

The brawl starts both in and out of the ring and we settle down to Vance hammering on Hank. Spears comes in for a neckbreaker but gets sent into the corner and it’s off to Zaria. A gorilla press has Paxley bailing to the corner and everything breaks down. Vance gets crushed by all four opponents and we take a break.

We come back with Vance missing a top rope headbutt and Tank clotheslining Spears. Ruca and Paxley both come in with the former cleaning house. Everything breaks down and Dame and Ruca both hit big dives to the floor. Zaria F5’s Spears and spears Paxley but Darkstate pops up. The distraction seemingly lets Paxley knock Zaria cold with the doll for the pin at 10:55.

Rating: C+. They had a lot going on here, including what has felt like Darkstate coming for the Tag Team Titles for a good while now. Paxley cheating to beat Zaria is fine and it would make sense for one of them to get a title shot against Ruca sooner or later. Other than that, Hank & Tank continue to be flying under the radar with the titles, though that might not last much longer.

We look at Jacy Jayne winning the TNA Knockouts Title at Slammiversary.

Jordynne Grace was barred from entering the building.

Here is Fatal Influence for a chat. Jacy Jayne brags about being women’s wrestling today and says no one believed in her but look at her now. Everyone wants to find their place in history but look who is the double champion. Cue Lash Legend to interrupt, saying it is time for her to lash out. She wants one of those titles but here is Jaida Parker to interrupt. Jayne tells the two of them to figure this out for themselves but then jumps Legend to start the brawl. Fatal Influence is quickly cleared out and Parker argues with Legend even more.

Ricky Saints gives Je’Von Evans some advice for later tonight.

Myles Borne gives Wren Sinclair a pep talk before her match tonight. Lexis King is seen in the background kicking…something.

Jasper Troy vs. Ricky Saints

Saints slugs away in the corner to start and even chops Troy into another corner. A clothesline gets Troy out of trouble though and he hits a running powerslam for two. Saints is tossed outside in a heap and we take a break. We come back with Troy pulling him into a bearhug but Saints bites his way out.

Troy is knocked outside for a suicide dive and Saints avoids a charge to send him into the post. Back in and Saints hits a tornado DDT for two and they crash right back out to the floor. The fight heads up the ramp this time and Troy sends him through said ramp. Troy gives him a backsplash and Saints is counted out at 10:45.

Rating: C+. It was a creative finish and I can go with having something like that over the same thing time after time. Troy needed a win after losing too often and this is good enough. Odds are Saints is going to want to come after him again and that could make for a good story against the monster.

Trick Williams is ready to deal with being called out and doesn’t like Je’Von Evans’ comments.

Commentary pays tribute to Ozzy Osbourne.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. He brags about retaining his TNA World Title at Slammiversary over the weekend. Then he was disrespected by some LFG stars, who called in the Undertaker. Now it’s true that Undertaker is a star, but he never held down two brands. Williams calls out Undertaker for being turned soft by LFG so here is Undertaker (in full on Kid Rock mode).

After the big entrance, Undertaker says we have a dead man walking with the title and the bling and….is this real cowhide leather? Undertaker: “Asking for a friend.” Williams has everything except the respect. Undertaker has been watching Williams and this version doesn’t have the same traits that he had as NXT Champion.

With this attitude, it’s a matter of when Williams loses that title and that’s when the walls start crumbling down. He tries to teach his LFG team about attitude but Williams doesn’t want to hear it. No one on that team or in WWE is a superstar like him so Undertaker offers to make him famous. Williams comes out swinging and is promptly chokeslammed. This was the regular “Undertaker is better than the modern stars and you better know it”.

Fatal Influence isn’t sure what to do about Jaida Parker and Lash Legend but Michelle McCool comes in to straighten it out. No one is sure which way it is to Ava’s office though.

Wren Sinclair vs. Blake Monroe

Sinclair is looking nervous as Monroe sends her into the corner to start striking away. A takedown gives Sinclair some near falls but Monroe dropkicks her down for the same. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by a double arm DDT to finish Sinclair at 2:57. Pretty much a squash.

Post match Monroe grabs the mic but here is Jordynne Grace through the crowd. Grace beats up security but Monroe uses the distraction to hit a DDT onto a chair. Geez security around here isn’t very good.

Here is Ethan Page for his North American Title celebration. He has been around this country and seen every location, but if his parents had raised him differently, he might have been like these people. This title will no longer represent North America, because it should be all about Canada.

Page throws the title down and unveils a new version of the title, with a Canadian themed strap. He insults America and praises Canada before asking us for the Canadian national anthem. Page sings it himself, out of fear of an American butchering the song. Cue TNA boss Santino Marella, who talks about being Italian in the spirit of Rocky Balboa, but he was born and raised in Canada. That’s why next week, he’s getting a title shot. The threat of the Cobra sends Page running. At least it’s just one week rather than a build for some big match.

Trick Williams and Oba Femi have a staredown, with Jacy Jayne going between them.

Yoshiki Inamura comes up to Je’Von Evans to ask for advice. Inamura isn’t sure if he should have listened to Josh Briggs, but Evans says he’s not a bad friend. The thing is Inamura has his own code and you can love someone and not like them. Inamura seems to get it.

Charlie Dempsey tells Myles Borne to go away but Bully Ray comes in to say Borne should stay. After hugging Wren Sinclair and praising her for her efforts, Ray says he’s going to get a match made between Tavion Heights and Dempsey. If Heights wins, he’s out of the team. With Ray gone, Lexis King comes in to say Borne isn’t deaf and is just trying to get sympathy. Borne says he wishes King was mute.

Roman Reigns has challenged Bronson Reed/Bron Breakker to a tag match at Summerslam.

NXT Title: Josh Briggs vs. Yoshiki Inamura vs. Oba Femi

Femi is defending. Femi and Inamura knock Briggs out to the floor to start and grapple against the ropes. Briggs is back in with a side slam but Inamura powerslams Femi for…no count as Briggs steps on the referee’s hand. It’s claimed as a mistake but Inamura isn’t happy as we take a break.

We come back with something like a Doomsday crossbody allowing Inamura to get two each. Briggs elbows Inamura down but he’s right back up to run Briggs over. Back up and Inamura powerbombs Femi for two, with Briggs making the save. Inamura hits his top rope splash on Femi but Briggs makes a save with a moonsault. Briggs wins a slugout with Inamura and drops him with a clothesline. Femi is right there with the Fall From Grace to finish Briggs and retain at 9:34.

Rating: B-. They were in a weird place here as Femi is in the middle of this feud with Briggs and Inamura. That doesn’t leave Femi with much to do at the moment but at least he got to win over some more powerhouses. This didn’t feel like much of a main event, with even the title not being enough to really carry it that high.

Je’Von Evans is still looking for what to do next. Undertaker comes in to say go after the biggest dog in the yard as they look at Femi celebrating to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Wrestling aside, this wasn’t the most inspiring show. Between the LFG stars showing up and acting like big shots again, we’re coming up on a Santino Marella title match and Wren Sinclair got crushed. It wasn’t a show that felt overly important and nothing on here stood out in a positive way. Hopefully that’s just a one off issue, and thankfully NXT has shown that is likely going to be the case.

Results
Culling b. Hank & Tank/Sol Ruca/Zaria – Pin to Zaria
Jasper Troy b. Ricky Saints via countout
Blake Monroe b. Wren Sinclair – Double arm DDT
Oba Femi b. Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura – Fall From Grace to Briggs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kickoff Show: Eric Young vs. Home Town Man

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

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

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

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

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

And now, the show proper.

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

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

Mustafa Ali vs. Cedric Alexander

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

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

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

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

We run down the card.

Joe Hendry is ready to get the World Title back.

The System/Matt Cardona vs. Darkstate

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

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

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

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

Tessa Blanchard vs. Indi Hartwell

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eric Young yells at the Northern Armory.

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

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

X-Division Title: Leon Slater vs. Moose

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

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

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

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

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

The Home Town Man is in the crowd.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Moose vs. Sami Callihan

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

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

The System vs. Order 4

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

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

Tessa Blanchard vs. Dani Luna

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Home Town Man vs. Judas Icarus

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

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

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

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

Steve Maclin wants competition for his International Title.

Matt Cardona vs. Jake Paydirt

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

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

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

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

Slammiversary rundown.

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

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

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

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

Everyone glares at each other.

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

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

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

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

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

NXT
Date: July 15, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We’re officially done with the Great American Bash and the big story coming out of the show is…well not much really. There were no title changes and the main event was little more than a preview for the title match at Evolution. That isn’t much to go on, but we are about five weeks away from Heatwave so let’s get to it.

Here is the Great American Bash if you need a recap.

Great American Bash recap.

We also look at Blake Monroe turning on Jordynne Grace to cost her the Women’s Title at Evolution.

Here is Fatal Influence, with Jacy Jayne (and her banged up voice after an elbow to the throat) not being happy with what the rest of the team did at the Great American Bash. It’s all ok though because she got to shock the world again at the Great American Bash. Shocking people is what Jayne does best and that is what she is going to do again at TNA Slammiversary this weekend.

Cue TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich to say she’ll win the title on Sunday, but Jayne says she’s walking out with both titles. Cue Sol Ruca and Zaria, with Ruca saying she’s already got two titles. Zaria says Ruca was the MVP of the weekend with her three matches (granted she only won one of them) and the brawl is on. Just make the six woman tag already.

Video on Tony D’Angelo’s rise up the ranks of NXT.

Joe Hendry/Mike Santana/Trick Williams vs. Darkstate

Santana dives onto Darkstate on the floor to start fast and the brawl is on outside. They get inside with Santana hammering on Shugars. Williams gets in a side kick but Griffin comes in off a blind tag. Griffin decks Williams as he mocks Hendry and we take a break. We come back with Lennox wrestling Santana down but Santana avoids a charge in the corner.

Santana kicks Shugars away and it’s off to Hendry to clean house. The fall away slam sends Shugars flying and everything breaks down. Darkstate is sent to the floor but Williams wants to run things, earning a double shot to the face from Santana and Hendry. The two of them hit dives onto Darkstate…and here is the System (top heel stable in TNA) to brawl with Darkstate for the DQ at 9:04.

Rating: C+. This was about the big surprise run-in at the end and it worked well enough. That’s also a smart way out of things as Hendry and Santana weren’t going to be able to beat Darkstate on their own. NXT has done a pretty nice job of making Darkstate feel like a threat and they kept that going here.

Arianna Grace suggests she should have been in the battle royal at Evolution. Karmen Petrovic says she should have been in as well but Kali Armstrong (Evolve Women’s Champion) doesn’t want to hear it. The match is set for tonight.

Video on Stacks, who went from the underboss to being Tag Team Champions with Tony D’Angelo before eventually turning on the team

Evolve Women’s Title: Kali Armstrong vs. Karmen Petrovic

Armstrong (a powerhouse) is defending and throws Petrovic down without much trouble. Petrovic tries to kick away but Armstrong slugs her in the face. Cue Jordynne Grace to pull Armstrong to the floor and drop her with a right hand for the DQ at 1:13.

Post match Grace beats up Petrovic (because it isn’t about Armstrong) and demands that Blake Monroe get out here right now. Instead she gets Stevie Turner and Robert Stone to explain that Monroe isn’t here. We get a video from Monroe, who hates everything about Grace. Which of them would you rather be? Grace is invited to Monroe’s singles debut next week. Grace beats the two of them up and yells at Ava and security on the way out.

Team Undertaker (from LFG) is excited for Undertaker to be here next week. Trick Williams comes in and doesn’t want to hear it, even getting in one of their faces. Undertaker calls one of them.

Jasper Troy comes in to see Ava, who isn’t happy with him attacking Ricky Saints. Troy isn’t impressed but Ava makes Troy vs. Saints next week.

Video on Luca Crusifino, the mind behind the D’Angelo Family, who now seems to be on his own.

We look at the Evolution battle royal, won by Stephanie Vaquer, with Lash Legend making a strong showing.

Legend brags about her success and wants a title shot. Jaida Parker comes in

Stacks vs. Luca Crusifino vs. Tony D’Angelo

Stacks and Crusifino grab D’Angelo’s arms to start but he breaks it up and hammers away. Crusifino gets up to tackle D’Angelo down and hits a baseball slide to take both of them down on the floor. A springboard right hand sends Crusifino back out to the floor though and we take a break. We come back with Stacks in control and hitting a pair of running Cannonballs in the corner.

Stacks sends D’Angelo into Crusifino but D’Angelo fights up and they go outside. D’Angelo ducks a crowbar shot from Stacks, who misses a top rope knee as well. A double German suplex sends Stacks and Crusifino down and a Tower Of Doom makes it even worse. Crusifino gets up and hits a brainbuster onto the knee for two on D’Angelo. Stacks sends D’Angelo outside and grabs the crowbar, only for D’Angelo to spear him through a wooden wall. A spinebuster puts Crusifino through the announcers’ table and another one to Stacks gives D’Angelo the pin at 13:35.

Rating: B. This was the way the match needed to go, as D’Angelo is the biggest star of the three but hasn’t done much in recent weeks. The ending saw him get up and ram through both of them, which is a great way to get D’Angelo back on track. Good, hard hitting match here and it worked well.

Tavion Heights complains to Wren Sinclair about losing to Charlie Dempsey last week when Dempsey comes in. They’ll argue about this later, because Sinclair has a match next week. The guys can be in her corner if they want to be.

We look back at Yoshiki Inamura not accepting Josh Briggs’ interference at the Great American Bash, resulting in him his shot at Oba Femi and the NXT Title.

Here is Briggs, who lost an opportunity at the Great American Bash. Why did Inamura get a title shot so soon? Inamura has only been here less than a year and got a high profile title match but Briggs has been here four years and has never gotten a shot. The reality is that Inamura is too nice and if you have a shot, you take it. Cue Oba Femi to interrupt, saying that Briggs ruined the match.

Briggs says that Femi was taken to his limit and Inamura let him up for air. Cue Inamura to say that Briggs does not speak for him, with Femi saying that Inamura has earned a rematch. Inamura cuts Briggs off, saying he is his own man and he will win his way, with honor. Briggs issues the challenge for a triple threat match for the title next week. Game, and fight, on.

Ethan Page brags about his win and how great it is for North America. The big celebration is next week in Houston.

Ricky Saints is sore but ready for Jasper Troy next week.

Undertaker doesn’t like Trick Williams being rude to his LFG team and wants Williams to stay out of his yard.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

The Culling isn’t mad at Tatum Paxley, who is touched by the forgiveness. She has an idea for Sol Ruca.

Fatal Influence vs. Masha Slamovich/Sol Ruca/Zaria

Zaria powers Henley around to start and it’s off to Ruca to work on the arm. Slamovich comes in and gets hit in the throat, which is quickly shrugged off. It’s off to Jayne, who gets rolled up for a fast two but elbows Slamovich in the face for two of her own. Everything breaks down and Jayne gets double teamed, including the double elbow. We cut to Lexis King in the crowd, with Ava yelling at him.

Ruca surfs on Jayne’s back and slams Nyx down onto her for a bonus. Back up and Jayne gets in a cheap shot though and Nyx gets in a superkick to send Slamovich outside. We take a break and come back with Ruca fighting out of a chinlock. A jawbreaker allows the tag off to Zaria to clean house in a hurry. Fatal Influence gets together to strike away at Zaria and get her in the wrong corner for a change.

That’s broken up and it’s off to Slamovich for a rolling kick to the face. A double flapjack into a double flipping faceplant drops Slamovich again. Everything breaks down again but here is the Culling, with Zaria and Ruca taking out Paxley and Dame. Hank & Tank come in to brawl with the rest of the team and they all brawl to the back. That leaves Slamovich three on one…but she kicks Jayne in the head and Snowplows her for the pin at 12:25.

Rating: B-. So in theory, the title match on Sunday should be a total layup right? Slamovich just beat all three members of Fatal Influence on her own, including pinning Jayne clean. That’s quite the big accomplishment, though at the end of the day I’m expecting Jayne to win at Slammiversary. Either way, good enough stuff here with three matches (or likely matches) being advanced at once.

Slamovich hands Jayne her title, which Jayne snatches away.

We run down next week’s show.

Overall Rating: B. In two hours, they managed to follow up on the Great American Bash/Evolution and set up next week’s show at the same time. That’s a heck of a use of a show and the wrestling was good enough. I liked this one a lot and the show flew by, which is always a nice bonus as well. Solid work this week, as it feels well structured and planned out.

Results
Darkstate b. Joe Hendry/Mike Santana/Trick Williams via DQ when the System interfered
Kali Armstrong b. Karmen Petrovic via DQ when Jordynne Grace interfered
Tony D’Angelo b. Luca Crusifino and Stacks – Spinebuster to Stacks
Masha Slamovich/Sol Ruca/Zaria b. Fatal Influence – Snowplow 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

Great American Bash 2025
Date: July 12, 2025
Location: Center Stage, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

It’s another big show and we have an interesting lineup here, with three title matches and some grudge matches to fill out the card. The (likely) main event will see Yoshiki Inamura challenging Oba Femi for the NXT Title. Other than that, Ricky Saints is challenging Ethan Page for the North American Title in a falls count anywhere match. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks back at the history of the Great American Bash, including some footage of the first Bash from 40 years ago. Tonight, the tradition continues and we look at the card.

Maybe it’s the camera angle but the ring looks a bit smaller than usual.

Jasper Troy vs. Je’Von Evans

Troy has been bullying Evans, who is coming in with bad ribs. Evans hits him in the face to start and is quickly knocked down, with Troy sending him to the apron. A jump over the post gets Evans out of trouble and he comes back with a dropkick. They crash out to the floor and Evans is sent into various hard objects to make the ribs much worse. Back in and Troy grinds away but Evans gets in a few right hands.

That just earns him a slam on the ribs, only for Troy to miss an elbow. For some reason Evans tries a German suplex, which doesn’t work in the slightest. Instead Troy backbreakers and then tosses him down for a big crash. A seated abdominal stretch goes on but Evans gets up and hits him in the face. Evans kicks him in the face and tries a springboard but the ribs give out.

Troy misses a Vader Bomb and Evans unloads on Troy in the corner, even managing to get him to his knees. Some kicks to the face rock Troy and Evans slips out of a chokeslam. The German suplex doesn’t work again, with commentary again wondering why Evans went there. The springboard high crossbody does work this time, only for Troy to block a springboard cutter.

Evans’ running flip kick to the head gets two and he sends Troy to the floor for the big no hands dive. Back in and Evans seems to slip a bit on a springboard but he’s fine enough to finally get the German suplex. A frog splash gets two on Troy and you can hear the crowd being surprised. Troy is back up with the chokeslam but Evans reverses the Black Hole Slam into a rollup for the pin at 13:40.

Rating: B-. This was slow to start but once Evans started fighting back and swinging away, it got really good in a hurry. There is something about watching a smaller guy fight back against a bully that works every time and it was certainly working here. Good opener here, as they told a solid story and Evans gets a really big win. They might not want to job Troy any more for a bit though, as a monster who loses a lot isn’t a great visual.

Jaida Parker is ready for the battle royal at Evolution.

Stacks is ready to end the D’Angelo Family for good on Tuesday. He wants to make the Heritage Cup the #1 title in NXT so he’s been trying to come after some stars, like Koko B. Ware, Logan Paul’s dad, the Situation from Jersey Shore, the A-Train or Logan Paul….’s dad. Apparently only A-Train accepted the challenge so Stacks goes to face him at the Performance Center. Apparently A-Train was hacked and it wasn’t him. A-Train tells him to keep his head on a swivel…because someone has stolen the cup. Hokey smoke that actually went somewhere.

Zaria and Sol Ruca are ready to win this weekend. Darkstate hacks the video for a bit but doesn’t say anything.

Women’s North American Title: Izzi Dame vs. Sol Ruca

Ruca is defending and has Zaria in her corner, while Tatum Paxley is here with Dame. Paxley slaps Zaria at the bell and they go to the floor, allowing Dame to hit a quick Sky High. The referee is on the floor with the other two though, meaning Dame only gets a VERY delayed two. Ruca is back up with a dropkick to send Dame outside, setting up the running hurricanrana off the apron.

Back in and Ruca hammers away in the corner but Dame is back with a gutbuster to take over. A backbreaker keeps Ruca down and a clothesline gives Dame two. The chinlock is broken up but Dame absolutely blasts her with a big boot for two more. Ruca hits a clothesline and a quick Backstabber to send Dame outside. A step up middle rope step up moonsault drops Dame again, followed by a springboard Buckshot Lariat (which didn’t look great) for two.

Dame knocks her off the top though and hits a middle rope Codebreaker for two. They both go up top again, with Ruca grabbing a super X Factor. A belly to back faceplant gives Dame two but Ruca catches her with a superkick. Ruca flips out of a belly to back superplex though and hits a spear for two more. Dame is sent outside for a meeting with Paxley, who gets speared in half by Zaria (that looked GREAT). Back in and the Sol Snatcher retains the title at 11:45.

Rating: B. These two were beating the fire out of each other and it made for a heck of a match. I wasn’t expecting them to go this hard but it wound up being a lot better than I was expecting. The Sol Snatcher is still an awesome looking finisher and Zaria’s spear to to Paxley was a heck of a bonus.

We look at Lola Vice at a AAA show.

Blake Monroe is doing her makeup while Jordynne Grace warms up.

We recap Ricky Saints challenging Ethan Page for the North American Title. Page took the title from Saints, who wants both the belt and revenge. Saints won a gauntlet match to earn the rematch and the right to pick the stipulation, which will be falls count anywhere and anything goes.

North American Title: Ethan Page vs. Ricky Saints

Page is defending in what is basically a hardcore match. Saints slugs away during the entrances and hits a spear to send Page bailing out to the floor. Back up and Page tosses him over the barricade so they can fight into the crowd. Something like Old School along the barricade has Page in more trouble and they go back stage. Page drive shim into a pillar and grabs a Boston crab to stay on the back.

That’s broken up and Ego’s Edge into the pillar is escaped, allowing Saints to put him through a WWE Shop table. They head back into the arena with Page sending him into the steps and throwing a chair inside. Another chair shot misses though and Page hits him in the back with a fire extinguisher. A piece of the barricade is brought inside but Page slams him off the top.

Page slams him onto the tops of a pair of open chairs, followed by a suplex into the barricade for two. The chairs are set up again but Saints blocks a superplex, setting up a powerbomb to send Page through the tables for two. They go back stage again, with Saints using a pipe to dropkick him down.

Some flip flop shots to the back have Page in trouble but Saints bumps into Jasper Troy, who Black Hole Slams him onto an anvil case. They’re quickly back to ringside, where Page is backdropped onto the ramp. Saints uses the referee (yep) for a tornado DDT onto the stage for two. Roshambo is blocked though and Ego’s Edge off the stage through some tables (that looked AMAZING) retains the title at 14:50.

Rating: B-. Outstanding looking ending aside, this was your usual weapons based brawl, which was only going to be so interesting. They do get some points for doing some innovative stuff, but it feels like I’ve seen so many of these things before. Not bad at all, though I’m surprised Saints lost here. Maybe he’s going to the main roster, though he might have to deal with Jasper Troy first.

Luca Crusifino is ready for the biggest match of his life.

It’s time for the contract signing for the TNA World Title match at Slammiversary between Mike Santana, Trick Williams and Joe Hendry. Santana talks about how he doesn’t take moments like these lightly. He is ready to show what it means, which is what Williams used to do. Now though, Williams is all sizzle but no steak. Santana respects Hendry but he’s ready to throw hands with him to get the title.

Santana signs, allowing Hendry to talk about how he wants to bring TNA to new heights as only he can. Hendry says Williams will be behind enemy lines next week and Hendry is taking the title back. With Hendry signing as well, Williams says he wants some respect on his name.

Williams says this isn’t about making people believe or making promises to Santana’s daughter (Santana doesn’t like that). He’s ready to keep the title and signs as well but Hendry cuts him off from leaving. Hendry and Santana agree that they don’t like Williams so they put him through the table. Cue Darkstate to lay out Hendry and Santana as the random attacks continue.

Kelani Jordan wants to win the Evolution battle royal.

Tony D’Angelo recaps the history of his Family, which he’s ready to end on Tuesday. Stacks is going to come in a bit light though, because D’Angelo has the Heritage Cup…which he throws off a bridge.

Josh Briggs gives Yoshiki Inamura a pep talk.

NXT Title: Yoshiki Inamura vs. Oba Femi

Inamura, with Josh Briggs, is challenging. They trade shoulders to start with Inamura getting the better of things and knocking Femi outside. A running shoulder off the apron drops Femi again but he knocks Inamura down to take over. Back in and Femi starts in on the ribs, with a gutbuster getting two. Inamura fights back and manages to win a battle of the suplexes.

A German suplex brings Femi down again but the top rope splash misses. The referee gets bumped in the corner so Briggs hits Femi with the title. Inamura didn’t seem to notice as he backdrops Femi and goes up, but then realizes what happened. He doesn’t want it that way and climbs down, setting up a running headbutt to Femi.

The top rope splash connects but there’s no referee. Briggs tries to send in a chain but Inamura won’t use it, allowing Femi to grab a chokeslam for two. Inamura fights back and hits a lifting powerbomb but Briggs gets on the apron. Femi sends them into each other and hits the Fall From Grace to retain at 13:16.

Rating: B+. They followed a simple formula here, with two big bruisers beating the fire out of each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. The Briggs stuff feels like it is leading to a split with Inamura and that’s about all Briggs has to do. This was pretty much Inamura’s best match in NXT to date and one of Femi’s best so we’ll call this a big success.

Lash Legend is ready to win the Evolution battle royal.

Trick Williams comes in to see Ava, who isn’t happy with what happened with Darkstate. Why did Williams leave when Darkstate showed up? Williams has no idea, but Ava puts him in a six man tag with Joe Hendry and Mike Santana against Darkstate. Williams: “Aw h*** nah!”

Yoshiki Inamura comes up to Oba Femi in the back and apologizes for what Josh Briggs did. It’s ok with Femi, who says Inamura deserves a rematch but Briggs storms in and yells at Femi. Shoving ensues, with Briggs saying he’ll fix this on Tuesday.

We recap Jordynne Grace and Blake Monroe vs. Fatal Influence. Jacy Jayne is the shocking champion and Grace wants to take the title. Monroe debuted a few weeks ago and was jumped by Fatal Influence, setting up the tag match with Monroe and Grace as the oddball team.

Fatal Influence vs. Jordynne Grace/Blake Monroe

Grace kicks away at Henley to start and powers her over with a suplex. Monroe comes in to drop Jayne before catapulting Grace onto Henley (after fixing Grace’s hair of course). Back up and Monroe is taken into the wrong corner, which doesn’t last long as she’s right back to Grace. The chase is on outside, where Jayne cuts Grace off with a big boot.

Back in and Grace gets double teamed in the corner, followed by Jayne’s basement superkick knocking her silly again. A Death Valley Driver out of the corner plants Henley though and the tag brings Monroe back in to clean house. Monroe can’t hit a powerbomb on the apron but she can headbutt Henley back inside. Grace tags herself in and powerbombs Henley, with Monroe decking Jayne during the two count.

Henley is sent to the ramp as Grace skins the cat, only for Henley to give her a big spear. Jazmyn Nyx offers a distraction but here is TNA Knockouts Champion Masha Slamovich to cut her off. A double shot to the face drops Monroe, with Grace diving in for the save. Back up and they all slug it out until Grace and Henley go outside. Jayne superkicks Monroe and rolls her up for two but Grace elbows Jayne into a double arm DDT to give Monroe the pin at 16:31.

Rating: B-. Kind of a weird choice for a main event here, but in theory this was promoting Evolution more than anything else. Monroe looked fine out there in her in-ring debut, with anything she does in the ring as a bonus compared to her incredible charisma. Grace is ready for the title match, though it would seem to have been the perfect place for her to pin the champion. Points for not being entirely predictable though.

Overall Rating: B+. Another pretty awesome show here with no bad matches and few rather good ones throughout. It didn’t feel like a must see show but it’s one where you’ll have a nice time if you watched. If nothing else, it was over at about two and a half hours so it isn’t even a long sit. Throw in some building towards next week and it was a rather nice Saturday afternoon.

Results
Je’Von Evans b. Jasper Troy – Rollup
Sol Ruca b. Izzi Dame – Sol Snatcher
Ethan Page b. Ricky Saints – Ego’s Edge off the stage
Oba Femi b. Yoshiki Inamura – Fall From Grace
Blake Monroe/Jordynne Grace b. Fatal Influence – Double arm DDT 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: July 10, 2025
Location: UMPC Events Center, Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

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

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Elegance Brand vs. Harley Hudson/Myla Grace

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

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

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

Cedric Alexander/Great Hands vs. Secret Service

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

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

Lei Ying Lee/Masha Slamovich vs. Fatal Influence

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Victoria Crawford vs. Indi Hartwell

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

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

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

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

First Class/Nemeths vs. Hardys/Rascalz

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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