Impact Wrestling
Date: June 12, 2025
Location: Mullett Arena, Tempe, Arizona
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

Against All Odds has come and gone and not much happened, with the biggest story possibly being the return of the IInspiration. We’re still on the road to Slammiversary and that could go in a few different directions. For one thing, we need some new contenders to the titles, including the one mostly likely to take the title from Trick Williams. We have a little over a month to go before the pay per view and that means it is time to get ready for the show. Let’s get to it.

Here is Against All Odds if you need a recap.

Against All Odds recap.

Earlier today, Santino Marella wouldn’t let Mike Santana in the building, saying he could be back in two weeks. Marella also had security throw Robert Stone out of the building.

Opening sequence.

Here is Santino Marella to get things going. He’s happy to be done with Robert Stone but he has business to cover. First up, Moose will officially be defending the X-Division Title against Leon Slater at Slammiversary. Second, next week it’s the Champions Challenge, with the champions teaming up against an all-star team. As for tonight, it’s the 8-4-1 match, with eight Knockouts in a four on four tag. The winning team then has a four way with the winner receiving a Knockouts Title shot. The next few weeks will be inspirational, so that brings out some returning stars.

IInspiration vs. Missa Kate/Brittnie Brooks

McKay won’t shake Kate’s hand to start but will run her over with a shoulder. It’s off to Lee to take Brooks down and some double kicks to the back have her in more trouble. IInspiration does their double pose but Kate gets in a cheap shot from the apron. Brooks takes over but it’s back to Lee to clean house. A fisherman’s suplex gets two on Kate with Brooks making the save, followed by the Idolizer to finish Kate at 4:38.

Rating: C. The IInspiration has never exactly been known for their in-ring work so this was all about getting them back out there for an official match. They beat up these two without much effort and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them getting a title shot rather soon. It’s not like there are many teams to beat to get there.

The Hardys are ready to get back to the Tag Team Titles and that starts tonight by beating First Class.

We look at First Class appearing this week on NXT, setting up a six man between First Class/Trick Williams vs. Elijah/Josh Briggs/Yoshiki Inamura.

It’s time for the First Class Penthouse and it’s looking like a first class summer. AJ Francis is looking to give away some money and has a kid come on stage to do his best MONEY MONEY MONEY. And that’s not good enough for Francis, who tells the kid to get lost. Therefore it’s time to bring out the guest, Trick Williams. He likes First Class, with Francis thinking they need their own gold. Once they beat the Hardys tonight, it’s time to get a Tag Team Title shot. And that’s it.

We look at Jason Hotch coming close to beating Mustafa Ali at Against All Odds. Several minutes of the match are aired.

The System comes up to Hotch in the back and says if he takes out Leon Slater tonight, there might be a spot on the team for him. Order 4 comes in and Mustafa Ali isn’t impressed. The System moves on to Matt Cardona, telling him to find a partner for a tag match next week.

Leon Slater vs. Jason Hotch

John Skyler is here with Hotch while Slater talks about coming after the X-Division Title at Slammiversary. Slater takes him down to start but gets flipped over into the corner, setting up a slingshot backbreaker for two. The seated abdominal stretch goes on twice in a row but Slater gets up for a suplex neckbreaker. A handspring elbow gives Slater two so Hotch hits a Mustafa Ali rolling neckbreaker for the same. Back up and Slater hits a quick Blue Thunder Bomb and a jumping knee sets up the Swanton 450 for the pin on Hotch at 7:40.

Rating: B-. Slater is already locked in for the title shot at Slammiversary so now it is time to hammer home the fact that he is ready for Moose. There was no need for this to get a lot of time and while Hotch isn’t a top level opponent, he’s not going to slow Slater down. Nice stuff here and it did what it was supposed to do.

Tessa Blanchard doesn’t care what kind of a match she’s in because the end result is her winning. And she doesn’t like Gia Miller very much.

Rosemary/Dani Luna/Tessa Blanchard/Xia Brookside vs. Jody Threat/Tasha Steelz/Killer Kelly/Indi Hartwell

The winning team moves on to a four way. Steelz quickly hands it off to Threat, who has to face her former partner Luna. They trade some rollups for two each and it’s off to Steelz vs. Brookside. A hurricanrana out of the corner and a crossbody put Steelz down and Rosemary comes in. Rosemary goes after Brookside, whom she still doesn’t like, and gets into a slugout with Kelly as the two bounce back and forth.

Blanchard comes in and sends Kelly to the apron to stomp away before getting in a cheap shot on Hartwell. It’s back to Rosemary, who misses a charge into the corner, allowing the tag off to Hartwell. Everything breaks down and it’s the parade of finishers, with Hartwell hitting the Hurts Donut for the pin on Rosemary at 7:43.

Rating: C+. This was a tricky match to put together as the teams were basically drawn at random. You had some moments like Luna vs. Threat, but the majority was stuff taking place without much in the way of a backstory. The title is the big thing, but when half of the people are going to be gone in the #1 contenders match, it’s kind of hard to make the whole thing work.

Jody Threat vs. Tasha Steelz vs. Killer Kelly vs. Indi Hartwell

For a future Knockouts Title shot. Kelly and Hartwell knock the other two outside, leaving Kelly to get two off a northern lights suplex. Threat is sent into the steps and it’s Steelz coming back in to go after Hartwell. Kelly headbutts Steelz down and a faceplant gives Kelly two. Threat comes in with a high crossbody but gets clotheslined down by Hartwell. Steelz’s springboard bulldog is broken up and Hartwell hits the Hurts Donut on Steelz….but Kelly steals the pin at 5:22.

Rating: C. I’m not sure if it was due to having back to back matches or what, but this was rather disappointing. You would expect a #1 contenders match to get a bit of time but here they were, wrapping this up in just over five minutes. Kelly getting the shot makes sense given her history with Slamovich, but that doesn’t feel like a Slammiversary title match. Granted they never said when the title match will take place, but hopefully it takes place elsewhere.

Masha Slamovich is ready for Killer Kelly because this is where it would always go. She’ll put Kelly in her place.

We look at Steve Maclin retaining the International Title over Mance Warner at Against All Odds.

Maclin praises Warner for hitting him hard, but now it’s on to the Champions Challenge. He’s ready to take out Trick Williams, but if anyone wants to come at him, know what you’re doing.

Here are Mance Warner and Steph de Lander, with the latter claiming that Warner was cheated. Warner has to be held back from attacking a production assistant and takes his aggression out on Tommy Dreamer.

Sami Callihan isn’t happy that an outsider has the TNA World Title so here are Eric Young and the Northern Armory. They aren’t happy about it either and an alliance is teased, but Young decks Callihan instead.

First Class vs. Hardys

Francis tries a cheap shot to start fast but gets knocked outside, leaving Navarro and Jeff to officially get things going. Matt comes in to go after the arm and it’s Francis coming back in, only to get knocked right back out. We take a break and come back with a double suplex getting two on Navarro, followed by a catapult into a legdrop. Rehwoldt: “Egad!”

Jeff armbars Navarro but Francis grabs the hair. The distraction lets Navarro take Jeff down and it’s time for Francis to finally take over. The chinlock doesn’t last long as Jeff fights up and hits the Twisting Stunner. Another Twisting Stunner allows the tag off to Matt to pick up the pace in a hurry. A Side Effect gets two on Francis but Trick Williams runs in for the DQ at 7:32.

Rating: C+. The ending was designed to set up something else later on and that’s not a bad way to go. The Hardys are a team who can be put into a title match at the drop of a hat with no questions asked and First Class is in the biggest story they’ve ever had. Let them stay strong here, with a six man being likely.

Post match the beatdown is on but Joe Hendry and Elijah run in for the save. Cue the System and Leon Slater as well but the good guys clear the ring. Slater hits his big running flip dive onto the pile on the floor to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one all that much, as they did a few things, but a good bit of the show was spent setting up the Knockouts Title match. Other than that. Slater was all but guaranteed the title shot at Slammiversary so there wasn’t much to be done there. It’s not an awful show or even bad, but it felt like they weren’t putting a ton of content into this one. Maybe that’s due to the taping schedule, but this was only ok at best.

Results
IInspiration b. Missa Kate/Brittnie Brooks – Idolizer to Kate
Leon Slater b. Jason Hotch – Swanton 450
Jody Threat/Tasha Steelz/Killer Kelly/Indi Hartwell b. Rosemary/Dani Luna/Tessa Blanchard/Xia Brookside – Hurts Donut to Rosemary
Killer Kelly b. Jody Threat, Tasha Steelz and Indi Hartwell – Hurts Donut to Steelz
Hardys b. First Class via DQ when Trick Williams interfered

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: June 10, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Corey Graves, Vic Joseph

It’s time for a hoss fight as Oba Femi is defending the NXT Title against Jasper Troy. That alone should be a heck of a fight as both of them are capable of hitting the other very hard. Other than that, we have the beginning of the build towards Great American Bash, which is about a month away. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Jasper Troy attacked Oba Femi in the parking lot and chokeslammed him through a windshield.

North American Title: Sean Legacy vs. Ethan Page

Legacy is challenging. Page takes him down with a headlock to start and then does it again without much trouble. Back up and Legacy dropkicks the leg out, with Page bailing out to the floor. We take a break and come back with Page knocking him down again. Legacy gets to the apron for a springboard missile dropkick and a German suplex drops Page again. Shambles is blocked though, leaving Legacy to hit a reverse sitout gordbuster. They go outside where Legacy escapes an Ego’s Edge and posts Page. Back in and the springboard 450 misses though and the Twisted Grin retains the title at 10:22.

Rating: C+. Legacy isn’t breaking out as a star yet but having him rub elbows with people like Page, a former NXT Champion, is a good sign for his future. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Legacy on the full NXT roster rather soon, as he hasn’t felt like he belonged in Evolve from the start. Page continues to win, which is at least a good sign for him after his mostly fluke NXT Title reign.

Post match Ricky Saints runs in to beat Page up and send him running off.

Jacy Jayne asks Ava about the next challenger but Lainey Reid comes in to slap her in the face. Reid does it again and that’s enough for Jayne to give her a title shot tonight.

Earlier today, Lash Legend got in an argument with various women and seems set for a match later.

Shawn Spears says he trusts Izzi Dame but asks why she hit Brooks Jensen with a chair. Dame says it was due to Jensen hinting at wanting a different family. He had to go, with the rest of the team understanding. She has her eyes on someone new.

The Culling vs. Josh Briggs/Yoshiki Inamura

Vance and Inamura lock up to start with Inamura hitting a flying shoulder. Spears comes in for some chops, which just wake Inamura up that much more. It’s off to Briggs, who flips Spears over into a backbreaker. Briggs runs Spears over again but Dame’s distraction lets Vance get in a cheap shot. That doesn’t last long as Briggs hits Vance in the face and brings Inamura back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Briggs’ moonsault is countered into a Dominator to give Vance the pin at 5:14.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what else they could have gone here, as Briggs and Inamura don’t win much and the Culling needed a victory after seemingly throwing Brooks Jensen off the team. The Culling doesn’t have much going on at the moment, but maybe they could bring in someone else. Like Briggs, to get him away from this Inamura team.

Ava yells at Ricky Saints, whose neck is still so messed up that he can’t talk.

Oba Femi is banged up and the NXT Title match might be in jeopardy.

Andre Chase yells at Chase U for getting beaten up again and not following his instructions. They’re all the way in, so Chase says it’s time to go back to class.

We recap the former Mariah May’s debut last week and join her in a bath. She’s beauty, she’s grace and she’ll probably punch you in the face. She’s the Glamour and she is Blake Monroe. Eh, I’ve heard worse names. Apparently this is VERY inspired by singer Sabrina Carpenter. Ok then.

Lash Legend vs. Wren Sinclair

Kelani Jordan, who was involved in the argument that set this up, is on commentary. Legend powers her down to start and blocks a sunset flip attempt. Sinclair is fine enough to sweep the leg though and grabs Cattle Mutilation of all things. With that broken up, Legend kicks her in the head and drops a splash for two. The bearhug goes on but Sinclair fights out and avoids a charge in the corner. Sinclair tries to go up but gets pulled out of the air and slammed down with the behind the back faceplant for the pin at 4:05.

Rating: C+. These are two people who feel like they could turn into something bigger down the line, even if Sinclair is settling nicely into her role of putting everyone else over. Legend on the other hand feels like a heck of a prospect and will likely be moving up the ladder a lot sooner than later. She has that it factor and that is absolutely worth protecting.

We get a profile on Lainey Reid, who is a southerner and a former track athlete. Tonight, she’s going to show the world that Jacy Jayne is the most beatable champion in WWE.

Jasper Troy didn’t waste his title shot because he knows Oba Femi will be out there no matter what.

Women’s Title: Jacy Jayne vs. Lainey Reid

Jayne, with the rest of Fatal Influence, is defending. Reid gets an early rollup for two to start but Jayne kicks her down and drops a backsplash. Jayne sends her throat first across the ropes to keep Reid down and we take a break. Back with Jayne driving her into the corner but Reid gets in a kick to the chest. Reid’s middle rope…we’ll call it a clothesline….puts Jayne down again and they slap it out. Reid gets the better of things and a swinging suplex gets two. A knee to the face gets two more but Henley offers a distraction, allowing Jayne to hit the Rolling Encore (I think?) to retain at 10:26.

Rating: C. I like the idea of playing up Jayne as such a beatable champion, as she can pick up some wins to slowly start shaking off that moniker. At the same time, she beat a newcomer in Reid, who loses nothing by getting beaten by a much bigger name. Reid still hasn’t shown me much in the ring dating back to her LVL Up days, but NXT needs some replacements after so many people were moved off the show.

Post match Ava pops up on the platform and announces a mini tournament for the #1 contendership, with the title shot taking place at Evolution. Jayne looks nervous.

Josh Briggs is disappointed in the tag team loss but here is TNA’s First Class to mock them. Yoshiki Inamura says AJ Francis is annoying but here is Elijah to blame First Class for the TNA World Title not being in TNA.

Tony D’Angelo and Luca Crusifino don’t seem to trust each other before their tag match.

Charlie Dempsey wishes Myles Borne luck in the future and Borne thanks him for everything the No Quarter Catch Crew did for him. Je’Von Evans comes in to say that was a tough loss for Dempsey, who wants to face Evans as a result.

Video on Worlds Collide.

Mr. Iguana and El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

Tony D’Angelo/Luca Crusifino vs. High Ryze

Wes Lee is here with High Ryze. Crusifino chops Igwe to start so it’s off to DuPont as commentary starts asking why anyone in the D’Angelo Family would care about D’Angelo. As that random attack begins, D’Angelo comes in and gets stomped down in the corner. That doesn’t last long and D’Angelo gets up and makes the tag off to Crusifino. House is quickly cleaned on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Crusifino fighting out of a chinlock so Igwe pulls him into a front facelock instead. Crusifino manages a running Codebreaker and the diving tag brings in D’Angelo for the spinebuster. Cue Stacks for a distraction but D’Angelo cuts him off. Crusifino picks up a crowbar (which Stacks may have brought in) but D’Angelo sees him before Crusifino can do anything with it (Crusifino hadn’t even raised it yet). Igwe decks D’Angelo though and the Heartstopper is good for the pin at 9:46.

Rating: C+. WWE absolutely loves that WHAT WAS HE GOING TO DO style of booking and that’s because it often works. The good thing about what they set up here was you could see it going either way, which opens up some options. I’m curious to see what does happen and that’s more than I can say about a lot of what the D’Angelo Family was doing. That being said, commentary suddenly turning on D’Angelo is quite the red flag.

Trick Williams does not like the implication that he needed First Class’ help the beat Elijah and agrees to team with them against Elijah/Josh Briggs/Yoshiki Inamura.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

NXT Title: Oba Femi vs. Jasper Troy

Femi, who is banged up from earlier, is defending. Troy goes after the bad ribs to start and hits a backsplash but Femi manages a slam. Femi fights back until a suplex brings him right back down. They go outside where a clothesline drops Femi, who is whipped so hard into the corner that the middle rope breaks.

We take a break and come back (with the rope fixed) with Femi being dropped hard onto the apron. A splash gives Troy two but Femi makes the clothesline comeback. Femi hits a spinebuster for two but walks into a chokeslam. Jasper shrugs off being tossed and hits a Black Hole Slam for two more. They go outside where Femi sends him through the barricade, followed by the Fall From Grace for….two. Another Fall From Grace retains at 11:21.

Rating: B. Now this was more like it as you had two big guys just beating the daylights out of each other. Troy got a bit of an advantage thanks to the attack earlier in the day and that’s a smart move given how much of a favorite Femi would be here. There is something about watching Femi go into that higher mode where he just wrecks everyone in sight. That’s what we got here, though Troy was more than holding his own for at least awhile.

Overall Rating: B-. That main event bailed out an otherwise not so interesting show, which is more than a little surprising. NXT has been doing well enough lately but they were missing here a bit. Hopefully things turn around, though the TNA stuff isn’t interesting me very much at the moment. Stick with the interesting stories in the women’s division, plus Femi doing whatever he has going on, which tends to be quite good.

Results
Ethan Page b. Sean Legacy – Twisted Grin
The Culling b. Josh Briggs/Yoshiki Inamura – Dominator to Briggs
Lash Legend b. Wren Sinclair – Behind the back faceplant
Jacy Jayne b. Lainey Reid – Rolling Encore
High Ryze b. Tony D’Angelo/Luca Crusifino – Heartstopper to D’Angelo
Oba Femi b. Jasper Troy – Fall From Grace

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

Against All Odds 2025
Date: June 6, 2025
Location: Mullett Arena, Tempe, Arizona
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re back on the big shows here and in this case it means someone else is trying to bring the TNA World Title back to TNA. Trick Williams is here from NXT to defend the title against Elijah in the likely main event. Other than that, Santino Marella is trying to keep his authority against Robert Stone from NXT. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: The Elegance Brand vs. Xia Brookside/Harley Hudson/Myla Grace

Grace strikes away at M to start and it’s Hudson coming in for a double suplex. Heather gets in a cheap shot though, setting up a running backsplash to a draped Hudson. Back in and M’s facebuster gets two but Hudson manages a suplex for a breather. Brookside comes in to clean house, including that always stupid looking spot where she sends two partners into each other and hits a neckbreaker which makes someone DDT her own partner.

Grace hits a kind of double underhook spinning slam for two and everything breaks down. The Personal Concierge gets in a shot with his trident (like every amazing person should have, along with a nice top hat to go with it) on Grace, setting up Rarefied Air for the pin on Grace at 5:17.

Rating: C. And this is what this kind of a match should be. They got in, they did their thing, Brookside got to clean house after her big win last night and one of the rookies got the pin. They need to bring in some fresh blood to the division and Grace/Hudson could be just that. Maybe not anytime soon, but the two of them coming together to win the titles has some potential.

Post match the Personal Concierge praises the team but the IInspiration is back. They want the titles and that’s it.

The opening video looks at the importance of the World Title and how Elijah is going to fight to win it back.

International Title: Steve Maclin vs. Mance Warner

Warner, with Steph de Lander, is challenging. Maclin chops and forearms away to start and knocks Warner outside for the suicide dive. A running elbow drop off the apron connects as well so Maclin does it again. Steph offers a distraction though and Warner pulls him into the corner to take over. A spinebuster gives Warner two but Maclin is back with a Thesz press and Angle Slam for two.

The Crosshairs miss though and another Steph distraction lets Warner take over again. They go to the apron where Maclin grabs a Death Valley Driver but Warner pops back up with a top rope superplex for a delayed two. The ensuing slugout goes to Maclin and he gets Warner in the Crosshairs. That’s enough to set up the KIA to retain the title at 9:40.

Rating: C+. Yeah this was fine, as Maclin continues to establish the title as something worth having. Maclin is already a former World Champion so he brings some status to the title and having him beat various stars is a good way to go. This was a good choice for an opener, as the talented champion beats a tough challenger.

We run down the remaining card.

The System vs. Leon Slater/Hardys/???

It’s a mystery partner in the form of….The Home Town Man, who is clearly Cody Deaner under a mask. Well of course it is. Slater and JDC start things off with Slater bouncing around a lot and jumping over a legsweep for a standoff. Matt comes in to work on JDC’s arm and it’s off to Jeff, who the fans rather like. Man comes in and wins a slugout with Edwards before hammering away in the corner.

Everything breaks down and the System is cleared out, with the fans encouraging the Man nonsense. Moose kicks Man in the face and it’s off to Edwards, who knocks Jeff down to put him in trouble for a change. Myers grabs the front facelock for a bit before Moose simplifies things with some choking. Jeff fights up and hits a Whisper In The Wind to Myers and JDC, allowing Matt to come in and clean house.

The Side Effect into Slater’s Crossover gets two on Moose and everything breaks down. The Man gets to clean house and we get a triple Twist Of Fate inside. A regular Twist Of Fate into the Swanton looks to set up the Swanton 450 but the rest of the villains make the save. That leaves Slater to flip dive onto them before he counters Moose’s spear into a small package for the pin at 12:38.

Rating: B-. And there’s your next big step towards Slater taking the title from Moose. That’s something that has seemed to be in the cards for awhile now and it’s a good story to tell. Slater has another reason to get a title shot now and Moose is going to have a reason to be worried. That’s basic, well done storytelling and the rest of the people were just there, which is fine.

We recap Mustafa Ali vs. Jason Hotch. Ali has snapped and doesn’t mind abusing his subordinates and Hotch stood up to him, setting up this match.

Mustafa Ali vs. Jason Hotch

The rest of Order 4 is here with Ali, with John Skyler joining commentary. They fight over wrist control to start and then trade near falls, with Ali bridging out and looking smug about it. Hotch rolls him up for some near falls and an exchange of armdrags gives us another standoff. Back up and a chop off doesn’t go to either of them so Hotch sends him to the apron. A dive is countered into a German suplex onto the apron though and Hotch is in trouble.

Back in and the rolling neckbreaker gives Ali two but Hotch snaps the fingers. A tornado DDT to the floor plants Ali and a high crossbody gives Hotch two. Hotch’s Spanish Fly gets two more but Ali sends him into the ropes…where Tasha Steelz won’t hit the cheap shot. They get back up and Hotch powerbombs him for two and a clothesline drops Ali again.

Hotch hits a running double stomp for two but Ali is back with the always awesome tornado DDT. The equally awesome 450 gets…two, as Ali pulls him up. Skyler comes over as Ali goes up, but another 450 hits knees. Ali is back up with a NASTY overhead belly to belly into the corner and now the 450 can connect for the pin on Hotch at 13:44.

Rating: B-. Hotch was trying here but there was no reason to believe that he was going to win. Ali is going to be in for something big going forward and it is likely involving someone important stepping up to fight him. I’m not sure who that is, but this was another step forward as Ali continues to lose his grip on reality.

Post match Ali won’t shake Hotch’s hand and walks away on his own.

The IInspiration is glad to be back because they are here to INSPIRE.

We look at Trick Williams beating Mike Santana to retain the World Title on NXT, albeit with First Class offering an assist.

It’s time for the First Class Penthouse, with the team yelling at the fans for saying rather unpleasant things. Their appearance on NXT was very popular and the attack on Mike Santana makes sense, as he has annoyed them a few times lately. They tease bringing Santana out but say he isn’t here tonight….and of course here he is. Security proves worthless so Francis throws Navarro to Santana, who puts him through a table. Francis hits him in the back of the head with a champagne bottle though and Santana is left laying.

Knockouts Title: Lei Ying Li vs. Masha Slamovich

Slamovich is defending after saying she wanted Li to have a title shot and Indi Hartwell is on commentary. They go with the grappling to start until Li’s dropkick sends her into the corner. Slamovich fights out of that without much trouble and sends her outside for a dive off the apron.

Li is back up with an over the shoulder backbreaker and walks Slamovich up the steps before throwing her down. Back in and Slamovich tosses her to the apron for a superkick. That earns Slamovich a legsweep and a hanging DDT onto the floor for two back inside. They slug it out from their knees until Li kicks her down to take over again.

Li goes up and gets hurricanranaed right back down, allowing Slamovich to fire off the running strikes. Li suplexes her down and hits a running kick for two and they trade some near falls. Slamovich catches her on top with a Death Valley Driver and the running knee gets two. The package piledriver is countered into a rollup to give Li two, but Slamovich rolls back through into the package piledriver to retain at 12:48.

Rating: C+. Li felt like a short form challenger and that’s something you need every so often. Slamovich hand picked her and those kicks are dangerous enough to be a threat to the title. Slamovich had to work here and then retains the title, which is a fine enough way to do this kind of a match. She’ll need someone bigger, and we’ll see who that is soon enough.

Post match Killer Kelly returns for the staredown with Slamovich. Eh not a huge challenger but at least they have a history together.

We look at last month’s Border Brawl, a rather bizarre show.

Mike Santana is looking for First Class.

Frankie Kazarian vs. Joe Hendry

This is Hendry’s first match since losing the TNA World Title. Hendry tackles him down and hammers away to start before tossing Kazarian out to the floor. Back in and Kazarian charges into a fall away slam as it’s all Hendry thus far. They head to the apron, where Kazarian has to escape a Standing Ovation.

That lets him go after Hendry’s leg, which is smashed into the steps, tied up and dropped down onto onto for bad measure. Kazarian grabs a half crab for a bit before tying up the leg again. A Backstabber sets up the missed springboard spinning legdrop and Hendry fights up with the clotheslines. The fall away slam (not bad on one leg) and a slightly delayed vertical suplex have Kazarian in trouble but he manages a slingshot DDT.

The ankle lock is countered and Hendry grabs an Angle Slam for two. Hendry can’t hit the Standing Ovation but Kazarian can’t hit Fade To Black, instead settling for the chickenwing. That’s good for two arm drops before Hendry fights up. They go into the corner, where Kazarian grabs a rollup with his feet on the ropes for the win at 12:44.

Rating: B. This feels like a story where Hendry is losing almost everything he has so he can be built back up later. Or his time in TNA is coming to an end and he’s going to WWE so he’s putting people over on his way out. For now at least, Kazarian gets a rare big win, even if it isn’t likely to get him very far.

Post match Kazarian brags about his win until the limping Hendry chases him off.

Robert Stone hires Matt Cardona to be the referee for his match against Santino Marella.

Tag Team Titles: Rascalz vs. Nemeths

The Nemeths are defending. Ryan wrestles Wentz down to start and hands it off to Nic for some double elbows (back/jumping varieties). Wentz gets back up and hands it off to Miguel for a Dream Sequence and two of their own as the pace quickens a bit. It’s back to Ryan to work on Wentz’s arm but due to it being Ryan, this doesn’t go well and Wentz hits a middle rope crossbody.

Wentz is knocked outside for a cheap shot from Nic and it’s the big jumping elbow back inside. The front facelock goes on so Wentz goes over to Miguel, who is pulled off the apron by Ryan (hey he did something right). Back up and Wentz manages a spinning kick to the face, which is enough for the tag off to Miguel. Everything breaks down and the Rascalz hit stereo dives.

Back in and a top rope Meteora sets up a Swanton for two on Ryan. A Blockbuster/double DDT combination (which didn’t look like cooperation whatsoever) leaves everyone down. Ryan’s running DDT gets two on Miguel but Wentz is back in for the save. The middle rope Meteora is loaded up but Nic breaks it up. The Danger Zone into the jumping Downward Spiral finishes Miguel at 12:41.

Rating: B-. The Rascalz might not have felt like a major threat to take the titles but they were a perfectly acceptable set of challengers. They’re an established team who can give the Nemeths problems and that’s an acceptable spot for a match like this one. I’m wondering who will be going for the titles next, but hopefully it isn’t the recently free Good Brothers.

Eric Young breaks in backstage but is cut off by Sami Callihan. They argue over how annoying it is that an outsider is the World Champion but security gets rid of Young (who isn’t allowed here after attacking a fan on Impact).

We recap Robert Stone vs. Santino Marella. Stone is from NXT and doesn’t like how Marella has been running things. Therefore, it’s time for a showdown, winner has authority.

Santino Marella vs. Robert Stone

Matt Cardona is guest referee, Stone has Tessa Blanchard/Victoria Crawford with him and Marella has Arianna Grace with him. Cardona does a weapons check…and actually finds some brass knuckles on Stone. The bell rings and Stone drops straight to the floor. Back in and Marella wrestles him down without much trouble so Stone bails out to the floor again.

They go out into the crowd, where Marella crotches him onto the barricade but Blanchard gets in a cheap shot at ringside. Cardona yells a bit as Stone sends Marella into the buckle a few times, setting up the chinlock. That’s broken up with a belly to back suplex, but Blanchard steals the Cobra. The chase is on, leaving Stone to grab a rollup with feet on the ropes. Cardona catches him and won’t count, setting up an argument with Stone.

Cardona shoves him into a rollup for two so Stone gets his badge, which Cardona blocks as well. The distraction lets Crawford hit an ax kick for two and Marella gets fired up. The women offer another distraction though and Stone hits him low for two. Grace offers a distraction of her own and Marella hits a superkick…but he doesn’t have a Cobra. Grace has one of her own though and Stone is done at 9:44.

Rating: C-. As usual, there is a big disconnect between Marella trying to be serious and still doing his goofy stuff. He’s supposed to be this shooter or grappling expert but he couldn’t do his finisher because he didn’t have a sock on his hand? It’s trying to do two things at once and it hurt what we had here, which was only so good in the first place.

Post match Marella thanks the fans for their support and promises to do his best job.

We recap Elijah challenging Trick Williams for the World Title. Williams beat Joe Hendry for the title and now everyone is panicking over an outsider being champion. Elijah is the next one to come after the belt.

TNA World Title: Elijah vs. Trick Williams

Williams is defending and they lock up to start. A wristlock doesn’t get Williams very far as Elijah headlocks him over. Back up and Williams hits him in the face a few times but gets sent to the floor. Elijah’s running knee on the apron connects, followed by the Old School knee for two. The Trick Kick (exactly what you think it is) gives Williams two of his own and he grabs a cravate.

That’s broken up so Williams takes a turnbuckle pad off (the referee doesn’t seem to mind). Elijah fights up and hits a suplex neckbreaker, followed by a rolling cutter for two. A Book End gives Williams two and they strike it out, until Elijah hits a Dalton Castle Bang A Rang for two of his own.

Elijah gets sent outside where he grabs a hanging swing neckbreaker. Back in and the top rope elbow gets two so here is AJ Francis to ringside. That’s a bit too nerve racking for Elijah so he takes Francis out with a dive and grabs the guitar. Believe it or not, the referee doesn’t like that and takes it away, allowing Williams to hit him with a belt shot for two. The Trick Shot misses so Williams sends him into the exposed buckle, setting up the Trick Shot to retain at 16:15.

Rating: C+. As has been the case with a bunch of matches on this show, there was only so much of a reason to believe that the title was changing hands here. Elijah felt like a fill in challenger and that’s all he was supposed to be. There isn’t much else to be said about this one, which was kind of the problem coming into this match: it never felt like Elijah was a threat to the title but it was hardly bad.

Overall Rating: B-. This show didn’t have the highest expectations coming in and it wound up being a completely watchable event. It’s nothing that you need to see but if you watched it, you would not have had a bad time. The bigger issue is that it felt like a show that we had to get through to get to the big night with Slammiversary. I’ll take an acceptable show with little going on as these things have felt far less important than this before.

Results
Steve Maclin b. Mance Warner – KIA
Hardys/Leon Slater/Home Town Man b. The System – Small package to Moose
Mustafa Ali b. Jason Hotch – 450 splash
Masha Slamovich b. Lei Ying Li – Package piledriver
Frankie Kazarian b. Joe Hendry – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Nemeths b. Rascalz – Jumping Downward Spiral to Miguel
Santino Marella b. Robert Stone – Cobra
Trick Williams b. Elijah – Trick Shot

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: June 3, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph, Corey Graves

We’re coming up on Worlds collide and some of the show will feature NXT stars. That’s going to get some attention tonight, but at the same time, we have the TNA World Title on the line as Trick Williams defends against TNA’s Mike Santana. That should be a big one so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap looks at last week’s title changes and this week’s TNA World Title match being set up. The shock over Jacy Jayne winning the women’s Title is still great.

Here are Laredo Kid, Je’Von Evans and Ethan Page for a chat. Page makes it clear that Rey Fenix isn’t here tonight due to travel issues so he should be in the ring tapdancing on the memory of Ricky Saints. Now though, someone named Sean Legacy is getting a title shot but Evans and Kid both want the title. Page goes to leave but here is Legacy to cut him off. Legacy would love to face either Evans or Kid, but next week he could become a double champion. Cue the Vanity Project to say Jackson Drake is winning the Evolve Title and they have Page’s back. The brawl is on with the good guys hitting stereo dives.

El Hijo del Vikingo is here.

Chase U vs. Darkstate

Darkstate charges in to start the beating early and Connors is thrown inside for the beating. Lennox comes in and plants Connors with a backbreaker into a Boston crab. That’s broken up and it’s off to Dixon to grab a suplex. It’s already back to Connors, who sends Griffin outside for a breather. Everything breaks down and Chase U fires off some superkicks. Griffin casually suplexes both of them at once though and it’s the toss sitout powerbomb for the pin on Dixon at 3:30.

Rating: C. It wasn’t quite a squash but this one wasn’t in doubt. I’m not sure where Chase U goes after all of this as they aren’t being treated as anything serious. Hopefully they get the chance to boost the team up soon, because this hasn’t been much so far. On the other hand, Darkstate continues to feel important, which is more than I was expecting from them at this point.

Ava tells Sean Legacy, Laredo Kid and Je’Von Evans to find a partner to face Ethan Page and the Vanity Project. They don’t know anyone, but Dragon Lee comes in to say he’ll do it.

Trick Williams is ready to beat Mike Santana.

Earlier this week, Tyra Mae Steele was nervous about making her NXT debut. Arianna Grace comes in to say no one likes someone who talks too much. Steele thinks she has found her first opponent.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Myles Borne

Rounds match (as in Heritage Cup rules) and if Borne wins, he is free from the No Quarter Catch Crew. Round one begins with Dempsey working on the arm and not getting anywhere, meaning it’s an early standoff. Borne goes back to the arm but gets pulled down into a headscissors with an armbar. That’s broken up so they fight over near falls until Borne stacks him up for the pin at 2:54.

We take a break and come back with some grappling taking us to a stalemate to end round two. Borne gives a clean break but Dempsey knees him in the ribs for a cheap shot. After a stern warning from the referee, round three begins with Borne firing off uppercuts in the corner. That’s shrugged off and a Regalplex gives Dempsey the pin to tie it up at 25 seconds of the round and 7:43 total.

Round four begins with Dempsey going after the banged up ribs, including an octopus hold. That’s broken up and Borne fights back, including an Angle Slam for two. Another Regalplex is blocked and they trade near falls until Borne hits his dropkick for the winning pin at 2:47 of the round and 11:06 total.

Rating: C+. That’s how it should have gone, as you couldn’t have Borne lose again after the rather awesome performance at Battleground. Borne has completely outgrown the No Quarter Catch Crew so having him overcome some cheating to win at Dempsey’s own game is a great way to get him out of the team. Nice match here, with the absolute right result.

Izzi Dame attacks Brooks Jensen with a chair because he’s officially out of the Culling.

Tyra Mae Steele vs. Arianna Grace

Steele is a former Olympic gold medal winning wrestler and the winner of the first season of LFG. Steele wastes no time in wrestling her to the mat, followed by a northern lights suplex. Grace stomps away in the corner but Steele isn’t having that and makes the comeback. A bridging German suplex gives Steele the pin at 2:24. If you want to make her look like a star, this was a good way to go about it.

We look back at Jacy Jayne winning the Women’s Title last week. Jayne’s line of “you all may be shocked, but I’m not” is pretty awesome.

Mike Santana gives a fired up speech about being ready to fight to save TNA from Trick Williams. He knows how great Williams is, but tonight he’ll be three seconds better.

Here is Fatal Influence for Jacy Jayne’s big celebration. Jayne tells the fans to stay off the bandwagon now that she’s wont he title. The looks on everyone’s faces when she won the title last week made her happy and she was never shocked at all. She has put in the work for years and gotten better. The reality is that she and Fallon Henley have been friends for years and they decided to fake the fight to give her a better chance of winning the title.

Cue Lainey Reid to interrupt, saying Jayne is the most beatable champion of all time. Lola Vice thinks she should get the title as well and here is Jordynne Grace to throw her name in the hat as well. Jaida Parker and Kelani Jordan join the parade, followed by Lash Legend and Thea Hail so the big fight can be on. Then the lights go out….and Mariah May is here. She wants the Women’s Title, though no name is officially given. This was a good way to set up the new reality in the division, with the May debut being the great surprise at the end.

Evolve Prime Minister Stevie Turner and Evolve Women’s Champion Kali Armstrong wants someone to step up.

Ethan Page and the Vanity Project are ready for the eight man tag.

Ethan Page/Vanity Project vs. Sean Legacy/Laredo Kid/Je’Von Evans/Dragon Lee

Kid takes Drake up against the ropes to start and chops away before handing it off to Lee for a running elbow. Stereo basement superkicks get two on Drake and a high crossbody gives Lee the same. Smokes comes in and it’s off to Evans to work on his arm. Legacy gets taken into the wrong corner though and the villains get to take over.

A dropkick starts the comeback though and Legacy hits a suicide dive to take out Swipe Right. Evans and Lee hit dives of their own but Page cuts off Kid’s dive. We take a break and come back with Evans in trouble as Drake stomps on his hands. A legsweep into a standing shooting star press gets two and Drake slaps on a chinlock.

That’s broken up so Page comes in, only to have the Twisted Grin broken up. Evans fires off a superkick and gets Lee back in so house can be cleaned. Everything breaks down and Page’s powerslam gets two with Lee and Kid making the save. Kid and Evans hit a dive each, leaving Legacy to slug it out with Page. Baylor and Lee go to the top, with Lee knocking him down and hitting Operation Dragon for the pin at 13:30.

Rating: B-. For a match designed to set up the four way at Worlds Collide and get Legacy over as a possible threat, I’ve seen far worse. I’m not sure if Lee getting the pin makes sense as he isn’t involved in the match, but maybe they didn’t want to risk giving someone an advantage going into the title match. Nothing out of the ordinary here, but it went well enough.

Oba Femi and Jasper Troy have a tense showdown, where their contract is signed for a future match.

Zaria and Sol Ruca run into Tatum Paxley, who says she didn’t want to go out there earlier. Izzi Dame comes in and suggests that Paxley purge the people who aren’t her real friends.

Tony D’Angelo talks to Luca Crusifino, who has gotten them a match with High Ryze to show that they can trust each other. D’Angelo says that Crusifino didn’t get the Family’s permission, but Crusifino says they really aren’t a family anymore.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

TNA World Title: Trick Williams vs. Mike Santana

Santana is challenging and the winner of this defends against Elijah this Friday at Against All Odds. Williams backs him into the corner to start as the fans are all behind Santana here. A rather intimidating smile sets up Santana driving him into the corner but Williams gets in a shot to the face.

Williams’ running neckbreaker gets two but Santana glares his way up. Another knockdown sends Williams outside where Santana hits a big dive. We take a break and come back with Santana knocking him into the corner for the right hands. Williams scores with the Trick Kick for two before grabbing the cravate. Back up and the chops just fire Santana up, with an exchange of kicks to the head rocking both of them.

Santana hits a Death Valley Driver for a double down and the Rolling Buck Fifty (cutter) gives Santana two. The big Cannonball gets two and a 450 connects for the same, with Williams putting a finger on the ropes. Williams bails to the floor and breaks Elijah’s guitar…and here is First Class (AJ Francis, who is formerly known as Top Dolla, and KC Navarro) from TNA to take Santana out. The Trick Shot retains the title at 12:26.

Rating: B-. The ending was a nice move and while Santana winning the title will be a great moment, it doesn’t need to happen yet. I still expect Joe Hendry to get the title back at Slammiversary for the big moment, but for now, Williams beating someone in a good first defense is a smart way to go. Santana will be fine and can go after First Class to give him some heat back.

Overall Rating: B. This show felt like the week where NXT restocked the shelves, especially in that women’s segment. The door has been revolving at a crazy pace as of late so this is something that they were going to have to do sooner or later. I like how it went, as there are some new faces around here who could make a big impact in a hurry. Good show here, but more of a needed one than anything else.

Results
Darkstate b. Chase U – Toss sitout powerbomb to Dixon
Myles Borne b. Charlie Dempsey 2-1
Tyra Mae Steele b. Arianna Grace – Bridging German suplex
Sean Legacy/Laredo Kid/Je’Von Evans/Dragon Lee b. Ethan Page/Vanity Project – Operation Dragon to Baylor
Trick Williams b. Mike Santana – Trick Shot

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 29, 2025
Location: CAA Centre, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re done with Under Siege and there wasn’t much to talk about on the show. However, there was also an NXT show over the weekend, where NXT’s Trick Williams won the TNA World Title. That’s going to set the stage for Against All Odds, which is already taking place next weekend. Let’s get to it.

Here is Under Siege if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Trick Williams winning the NXT Title at Battleground. Commentary welcomes us to the show and you would think someone died.

Opening sequence.

Rascalz vs. First Class vs. Aztec Warriors vs. The System

For the Tag Team Title shot at Against All Odds and Laredo Kid is on his own after the System attacked Octagon Jr. earlier today. The System bails to the floor to start so Miguel and Kid flip around to a standoff. We hit the rapid fire tags until Kid clears the ring. Alisha Edwards offers a distraction but gets ejected for her efforts. The Rascalz take everyone else out with a bunch of dives and we take a break.

Back with Myers grabbing a chinlock on Kid before Francis comes in with a hard clothesline. First Class starts taking turns on Kid, with Francis adding a running knee in the corner. Navarro accidentally tags Kid, meaning he has to face Francis. That doesn’t present a problem, as Navarro drops down and gets covered, with everyone else running in for the save. Why they did that rather than shaking hands and having Navarro suddenly give up isn’t clear.

Wentz comes back in to clean house until Francis has to make a save. Everything breaks down and Miguel hits a running flip dive onto the System. Kid is up to dive onto just about everyone else but Francis plants him with a chokeslam off the top. Miguel Meteoras Francis though, allowing him to steal the pin on Kid at 12:44.

Rating: B-. This was a match that had to happen as they only had so much time to get challengers ready for Against All Odds. The move makes as much sense as anything else as the Rascalz are an established team and won a fast paced match to get the title shot. As usual, it’s a good choice for an opener and it went well.

The Nemeths are ready for the Rascalz.

During the break, First Class had an argument and Mike Santana jumped AJ Francis.

We meet new signees Myla Grace and Harley Hudson, who are ready to prove themselves and have some attitude. They had a match on Xplosion and the fans seemed to like it so it’s time to keep fighting. The Personal Concierge pops in to ask where Santino Marella is, with Xia Brookside (watching the interview) and the newcomers laughing at him. I’ve seen worse ways to introduce someone.

Raj Singh vs. Mustafa Ali

The rest of Order 4 is here with Ali, who jumps him in the corner to start fast. Back up and a running dropkick puts Singh down again, followed by a neckbreaker to make it worse. Singh gets in a clothesline and hammers away but the Great Hands offer a distraction. Ali drops the 450 for the pin at 2:49. Hopefully that’s it for Singh, as he and Ali don’t need to do this long term.

Post match Ali yells at the rest of Order 4 until the Great Hands lay out Singh again.

Arianna Grace is worried about the mixed tag match but Santino Marella says it’ll be great for them to team together. And Jimmy Korderas is going to be the guest referee!

Ash By Elegance vs. Lei Ying Li

Ash wastes no time in bailing to the floor at the threat of a spinning kick. Back in and a running knee and a running dropkick have Ash in more trouble but she gets smart by kicking at the leg. An arm/leg crank doesn’t last long for Ash as Li is up to strike away in the corner. A running knee gives Li two and she yells a lot, setting up a spinning torture rack neckbreaker for the pin on Ash at 5:57.

Rating: C. This was a way to give Li a quick win and that’s all it needed to be. She might be in line for a title shot sooner than later, perhaps as soon as Against All Odds, so giving her a fast win makes sense. Li is mainly there to do her kicks, but she does them rather convincingly most of the time.

Post match Masha Slamovich comes in and says she’ll see Li at Against All Odds.

We look at Trick Williams winning the World Title, plus the fallout.

We look at Mike Santana winning his NXT debut and then challenging Trick Williams for an NXT Title shot next week.

Williams doesn’t like Brampton so he’s not there. Instead, he’ll beat Santana to keep the title.

Mance Warner vs. Bryce Hansen

Steph de Lander is here with Warner, who jumps Hansen in the corner to start. We pause for a crawl over to de Lander for a kiss before a clothesline drops Hansen again. A running knee and an implant DDT give Warner the pin at 2:40. Warner looked good here, and he did it without barbed wire.

Post match de Lander says Warner wants the International Title.

We look at Xia Brookside snapping and attacking Rosemary at Under Siege.

Rosemary is happy that Brookside has finally seen the dark. She wants Brookside to fill her soul with darkness.

Santino Marella/Arianna Grace vs. Robert Stone/Tessa Blanchard

Well hold on as Blanchard is injured so Victoria Crawford is taking her place. We have some special rules too: the match cannot go over ten minutes, Alisha Edwards will be the guest enforcer referee, and the Cobra is BANNED.

Santino Marella/Arianna Grace vs. Robert Stone/Victoria Crawford

Jimmy Korderas is guest referee. Stone runs away from Rivera to start and it’s quickly off to Grace. Blanchard trips her down and gets ejected, meaning Crawford gets the chance to come in instead. Crawford gets in a knockdown and grabs a chinlock. Stone teases coming in so Marella chases him off, meaning it’s time for a front facelock instead.

That’s broken up and it’s off to Marella as everything breaks down. Grace comes back in with a high crossbody but Stone pulls Korderas out. Said Korderas is sent into Marella, who is sent into the barricade. Crawford ax kicks Grace, allowing Stone to get the pin, as counted by Alisha Edwards, at 6:32.

Rating: C. The match was kind of a mess with so much going on, but that is probably a lot better than having them work a straight match. At the same time, this is still one of the worst stories going today as the battling bosses is only so good on its best day. When you have it with these guys, it’s leaving quite a bit to be desired.

We look at members of the local government helping Eric Young pin Moose at Under Siege.

Young, with the Northern Armory, wants the X-Division Title. Moose comes in and will talk to Santino Marella about it.

Heather By Elegance, with the Personal Concierge, introduces M By Elegance (Maggie Lee) after her makeover. Cue Myla Grace and Harley Hudson to interrupt, saying they want to earn some respect. Then they throw champagne on Lee, who panics and leaves with By Elegance.

Against All Odds rundown, with Elijah getting a World Title shot.

International Title: Matt Cardona vs. Steve Maclin

Maclin is defending and gets a pep talk from Tommy Dreamer in the back. Maclin starts fast and hammers away in the corner to knock Cardona outside. An elbow off the apron connects and a backdrop puts Cardona on the ramp as we take a break. Back with Cardona hitting a neckbreaker and then a neckbreaker for two. The neck crank goes on to keep Maclin in trouble, at least until the comeback is triggered.

Maclin fights up and we get a double knockdown, followed by the clothesline comeback. Cardona gets in a knockdown of his own for two and goes up, where he is superplexed back down. Back up and some running boots in the corner rock Maclin, who is right back with a running knee. The Jar Headbutt gets two, as does Cardona’s Unprettier. Radio Silence gets two more but Maclin ties him in the Tree of Woe for the running shoulder. KIA retains the title at 15:51.

Rating: B-. They got going a bit near the end here, which is a good addition to a match which seemed designed to give Maclin a nice win. Cardona is a name with some value and it worked with a one off match. Good stuff for a main event here, though we’ll get to Maclin’s next real challenger soon enough.

Mike Santana is ready to win the World Title.

Overall Rating: B-. This was an interesting show, as they barely touched Under Siege (makes sense), instead focusing on building Against All Odds. That’s what they had to do given the short turnaround time and we already have some title matches set up. If nothing else, the show is already looking better than Under Siege, though that’s only covering so much ground in the first place.

Results
Rascalz b. First Class, Aztec Warriors and The System – Top rope chokeslam to Kid
Mustafa Ali b. Raj Singh – 450
Lei Ying Li b. Ash By Elegance – Torture rack neckbreaker
Mance Warner b. Bryce Hansen – Implant DDT
Robert Stone/Victoria Crawford b. Santino Marella/Arianna Grace – Ax kick to Grace
Steve Maclin b. Matt Cardona – KIA

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: May 27, 2025
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Corey Graves, Booker T.

We’re done with Battleground and that means it is time to start the rather long road to the Great American Bash. Assuming they don’t have a June special, that’s a long way off to get ready for something but it could be a nice positive. The big story coming out of Battleground is Trick Williams winning the TNA World Title. As for tonight, Ethan Page is challenging for the North American Title so let’s get to it.

Here is Battleground if you need a recap.

We open with a long Battleground recap.

North American Title: Ricky Saints vs. Ethan Page

Page is challenging and the brawl is on before the bell, with security having to hold them back. We’re not waiting though as the match officially gets going, with Saints grabbing a headlock on the mat. Page reverses into one of his own but it’s too early for the Ego’s Edge. Instead Saints slips out to the apron and plants Saints down as the fight heads to the floor. Security comes in to break it up again so here is Ava to say….something as we take a break.

Back with Page and Saints beating up the security, with the fans approving. Security tries to get them broken up again but Page uses the distraction to hit a Twisted Grin onto an open chair. Saints is down on the floor and the Ego’s Edge connects for two back inside. They slug it out and Saints counters a powerslam into a tornado DDT. Saints fires off some clotheslines but Page hits an even bigger one to cut him off. A neck snap across the top rope sets up the Twisted Grin to give Page the pin and the title at 12:52.

Rating: B-. This was a wild brawl to start but then it turned into a regular match, which went well too. Saints is likely moving on to something bigger, with the title being a good way to start his NXT run. Page getting the title is a nice way to boost him up again, and adding a former NXT Champion to the title lineage is a smart idea.

Fatal Influence continues to snipe at each other, even though Jacy Jayne is facing Stephanie Vaquer tonight.

Video on TNA’s Mike Santana, who is making his NXT in-ring debut tonight.

Josh Briggs and Yoshiki Inamura are glad to be back together and want the Tag Team Titles.

Mike Santana vs. Tavion Heights

The No Quarter Catch Crew is here with Heights. Santana grabs a headlock to start before a dropkick sends him into the corner. A springboard spinning crossbody drops heights, who is back up with something like a hiptoss. That’s fine with Santana, who sends him outside for the big running flip dive.

We take a break and come back with Heights hitting some running clotheslines up against the ropes. A gutwrench suplex gives Heights two and we hit the chinlock. Santana is back up with a clothesline and enziguri into a rolling cutter for two. The fans certainly approve but are a bit more silenced with Heights hitting a Death Valley Driver. Santana is back up with a fireman’s carry faceplant into Spin The Block (discus lariat) for the pin at 10:22.

Rating: B-. Santana is one of those stars who has one of the most important things you can have in wrestling: that fire in his eyes. There is something you get when you look at him and it makes Santana feel like that much of a bigger deal. It would not surprise me at all to see him be the TNA World Champion at some point this year and coming over to WWE one day down the line. This was a heck of a debut for him and it’s a good sign for his future.

The High Ryze is ready to take over.

Andre Chase tells his students to take risks so they ask Ava for a match. She gives them a match with Darkstate next week, which isn’t what Chase means.

Tony D’Angelo yells at Luca Crusifino about what he did/didn’t do at Battleground. Crusifino says Stacks let him go and he was scared of what would happen if he reached out. D’Angelo says he doesn’t know if he can trust Crusifino, who insists D’Angelo can.

Here is Trick Williams for a chat. He brags about being the first NXT star to be the TNA World Champion but doesn’t want to hear those cheers. These people here are the same people who were cheering for the Average Joe. He’s on his way to TNA to defend the title, which has been held by names such as Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, Drew McIntyre and more. Now he’s turning his back on the fans because they turned their backs on him.

Cue Mike Santana to interrupt, which Williams calls a mistake. Santana isn’t having that because TNA is on a roll and Williams isn’t ruining that. Santana calls Williams a pretend rapper and champion who has never dealt with someone like him. A fight is teased but cue TNA boss Santino Marella to make the title match for next week. Williams isn’t interested in shaking hands so Santana clears the ring and holds up the belt.

Ava tells Stephanie Vaquer that she’ll be in a tag match at Worlds Collide and needs a partner. Lola Vice comes in to say she’ll do it.

Jaida Parker vs. Tatum Paxley

Paxley drives her into the corner to start and manages a butterfly suplex for a knockdown. Parker’s Backstabber out of the corner gives her a breather and the Tear Drop connects. A double arm crank goes on but Paxley is right back up with a rollup. An enziguri has Parker in more trouble and a running flipping Fameasser drops her again. Parker is knocked to the floor, where she grabs one of Paxley’s dolls and throws it inside. The distraction allows Parker to hit the Hypnotique for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C. This felt like another step in Paxley’s decline, though I’m not sure how far that is going to go. At the same time, it is nice to see Parker getting another win as she continues to look strong. What matters the most is that she is turning into a bigger star and could wind up being a player in the title picture sooner than later.

Post match Thea Hail runs in to chase Parker off.

Video on Jasper Troy.

Jasper Troy vs. Dante Chen

Troy powers him into the corner to start and tries a slam. Chen slips out but gets sent flying with a backdrop. A drop onto the top rope has Chen in more trouble and Troy hits a backbreaker. That seems to wake Chen up a bit though and he grabs a tornado DDT. Troy runs him over again though and hits a Boss Man Slam for the win at 3:39.

Rating: C+. And that is why Chen has a job. He’s out there to make someone like Troy look good and it worked well enough. Troy is already getting into things with Oba Femi so he needed a win like this to get him a nice in-ring start. Odds are he’ll be in for a bigger match next time, but at least he did well to start.

Post match Oba Femi pops up on the platform, saying that Troy’s five minutes of fame are over because he has the Ruler’s attention.

Charlie Dempsey mocks Myles Borne and Tavion Heights for their losses, saying it’s time for the team to regroup. Borne doesn’t want to take a step back and agrees to face Dempsey for his freedom from the team. We’ll make it a rounds match.

Here is Ethan Page to celebrate his title win but Je’Von Evans interrupts. Evans talks about their history together and now he is getting a title shot at Worlds Collide. Cue AAA’s Laredo Kid, who wants the title as well. That’s not all though, because here is Rey Fenix to be the other challenger in a four way match at Worlds Collide.

In her office, Ava announces that Sean Legacy gets a title shot against the winner.

Tatum Paxley freaks out over her loss but runs into Sol Ruca and Zaria. They’re here if Paxley needs someone to talk to but the Culling is shown watching behind them.

Women’s Title: Stephanie Vaquer vs. Jacy Jayne

Jayne, with Fatal Influence, is challenging. Vaquer charges in and the brawl starts fast, with Jayne getting rolled up for an early two. The Devil’s Kiss is broken up and Jayne gets two off a suplex. Back up and Vaquer sends her into various buckles but here are Chik Tormenta and Dalys for a distraction. Lola Vice runs in to cut them off and Vaquer hits a 619 into a springboard missile dropkick.

We take a break and come back with Jayne hitting a running kick to the face for two. Frustration is setting in so Jayne hits a Sling Blade backbreaker. Vaquer fights up and it’s a double swinging faceplant for a double down. Back up and Jayne knocks her into the corner for a knee to the face. Jayne knees her in the face as well for two of her own but Vaquer grabs a dragon screw legwhip.

They head to the floor where Jayne is sent into the steps but Henley offers a distraction back inside. That’s fine with Vaquer, who rams them together and then dives onto both of them. Back in and the Devil’s Kiss connects but Henley gets in a cheap shot from around the post. Jayne’s discus forearm connects for the pin and the title at 13:02.

Rating: C+. Well. That happened. This feels like a way to move Vaquer up to the main roster really, really fast and that’s not a bad move. She had a quick run on the main roster and looked more than comfortable. Jayne winning something is quite the move for her and opens up the doors for a lot of potential challengers. This was quite the shock, but what matters here is Vaquer seems likely on the way to the main roster, where she belongs.

The ring announcer is so stunned that he has to be told to make the announcement.

Overall Rating: B-. That is quite the change of path forward after Battleground, as we have another TNA star getting a World Title shot, the LFG winner going after the NXT Champion, a shocking upset main event and a title change in the opener. You do not get that kind of change around here very often and dang I’m curious to see where it goes next.

Results
Ethan Page b. Ricky Saints – Twisted Grin
Mike Santana b. Tavion Heights – Spin The Block
Jaida Parker b. Tatum Paxley – Hypnotique
Jasper Troy b. Dante Chen – Boss Man Slam
Jacy Jayne b. Stephanie Vaquer – Discus forearm

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

Battleground 2025
Date: May 25, 2025
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Booker T., Corey Graves

It’s another big show and we have quite the interesting card this time. Not only is Myles Borne getting an NXT Title shot against Oba Femi, but the TNA World Title is on the line as Joe Hendry defends against Trick Williams. That’s quite a doubleheader and now we get to see what else they have set up. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the show’s major matches as battle lines have been drawn.

Women’s North American Title: Sol Ruca vs. Kelani Jordan

Ruca is defending and has Zaria in her corner. Feeling out process to start with neither of them getting anywhere until Ruca takes her down. Ruca surfs on her back before tripping Jordan into an STF. That’s broken up so Ruca hits a suplex into a standing moonsault. They trade rollups for two each until Jordan plants her down in the corner. Something like a powerbomb looks to set up a half crab but Ruca kicks away.

Jordan kicks at the leg and gets the half crab, which is reversed into a rollup to escape. They both climb up and it’s Ruca with a super X Factor to plant her down for a double breather. Back up and Jordan sends her to the floor, setting up the Asai moonsault. Jordan glares at Zaria and they head back inside, where Ruca blocks a super hurricanrana. A Backstabber (with feet instead of knees) sends Jordan to the floor and a big handspring flip dive drops her again.

Back in and Jordan knocks her down for a change, setting up a frog splash for two. They both head up top again and Jordan tries a super poisonrana, with Ruca flipping out and landing on her feet. A spear gives Ruca two so she goes up, where Jordan gives her a super Spanish Fly for two. Back up and Zaria pulls Ruca away from One Of A Kind, which is enough for an ejection. Jordan baseball slides Ruca down and breaks up the Sol Snatcher but Ruca goes up anyway. A top rope Sol Snatcher retains the title at 12:58.

Rating: B-. That Sol Snatcher is something else and WWE seems to know what they have with the thing. It’s making Ruca feel like a bigger star every time she puts someone away with it and this time it came at the end of a good match. Jordan is starting to find herself more, while Zaria continues to feel irrelevant. Odds are this is setting up Ruca vs. Zaria, and that’s feeling like a downgrade for Ruca at this point.

We recap the Culling attacking Josh Briggs, with Hank And Tank making the save.

Shawn Spears gives the Culling a pep talk before the six man tag. The team can rely on him to face a formidable challenge.

AAA’s Dalys and Chik Tormenta are here.

TNA’s Mike Santana is coming for the TNA World Title so he needs to see who walks out tonight. For those of you who don’t know who he is, he’s a proud man from the Bronx and he wants the winner of tonight’s title match. The No Quarter Catch Crew come in and say they don’t like these outsiders. Tavion Heights wants a match on Tuesday and Santana is game. As this is going on, two women (I believe Fallon Henley and Jacy Jayne) can be seen arguing in the back.

The Culling vs. Hank And Tank/Josh Briggs

Izzi Dame is here with the Culling and Vance gets caught in the wrong corner to start. Some dives take Vance out on the floor but Hank gets sent hard into the post. The villains take turns beating on Hank, with Spears stomping away. Hank gets in a right hand for a breather and kicks Vance away, allowing the tag off to Tank to clean house.

Vance gets in a headbutt, only for Briggs to come in with a top rope moonsault for two. A double stomp Dominator hits Hank and the referee has to stop the count due to a late save. Spears grabs Briggs’ hand and Dame gets in a big boot so Jensen can roll him up for two. Briggs hits a heck of a lariat and hands it back to Hank for the powerslam/neckbreaker combination and the pin at 9:28.

Rating: C. This felt like a way to get the Tag Team Champions on the show and they probably should have a better way to go than that. I’ll take it over a forced title defense, but this was easily the weakest built match on the show. The tag division isn’t overly strong at the moment and I’m not sure who is going to be next to come after the belts, save for maybe Darkstate.

Post match the Culling jumps the winners again but Yoshiki Inamaru returns for the save. Great. Now he can be uninteresting all over again.

Ethan Page is ready to win the North American Title on Tuesday by finally finishing Ricky Saints. Ava comes in to say the winner will defend the title at Worlds Collide on June 7.

We recap Stacks vs. Tony D’Angelo. They were the leaders of the D’Angelo Family and grew up together. Stacks started making some moves that D’Angelo didn’t like and put a stop to them, which led to Stacks turning on the team. Now it’s time for revenge and to find out the real force of the team.

Stacks vs. Tony D’Angelo

D’Angelo takes him straight down to start and hammers away but Stacks hits a kick to the ribs. Some heavy forearms to the back of the head rock D’Angelo and they head outside. Stacks gets rammed into the apron and tries to go over the barricade, earning himself a ram into the post. A little too much trash talk lets Stacks knock him into the steps though and a running dropkick makes it worse.

Back in and Stacks stays on D’Angelo’s ribs with a seated abdominal stretch as Booker goes on a weird rant about how it’s “Channing Stacks Lorenzo” rather than “Stacks”. Cement Shoes gives Stacks two but D’Angelo fires off some more uppercuts to the body. Stacks goes back to the ribs but misses another Cement Shoes. A delayed German suplex drops Stacks and D’Angelo hits a powerbomb before raining down right hands.

Hold on though as D’Angelo stops and looks around before they both stand up. Stacks tells D’Angelo that he’s weak and drives him ribs first into the post. A cannonball only hits post though and D’Angelo hits Forget About It for two. D’Angelo’s ribs give out again and Stacks drapes him over the ropes for a top rope double stomp.

Stacks goes to get his crowbar but D’Angelo has taken it away. A spear cuts Stacks down and D’Angelo hammers away with forearms. Stacks begs forgiveness but gets spinebustered for his efforts. Cue Luca Crusifino to stare at D’Angelo, allowing Stacks to kick D’Angelo low. A running knee to the back of the head finishes for Stacks at 15:17.

Rating: B. That’s the right way to go as it leaves the door open for something else while Stacks losing here would have been a death sentence. The Crusifino deal is something else on its own, as he didn’t actually attack anyone and just stood there. That’s likely going to be explained soon, as this story feels like it has a long way to go.

Post match D’Angelo gets up and Crusifino (who did not get physical) offers a hug but gets shoved away.

We recap Jordynne Grace challenging Stephanie Vaquer for the Women’s Title. Vaquer is the new star and Grace beat Giulia to get a title shot. This is a major showdown and that’s what it should be.

Women’s Title: Jordynne Grace vs. Stephanie Vaquer

Vaquer is defending. We get a handshake to start and Grace picks her up without much trouble. Grace works on an armbar but Grace is back up with a headscissors into a rollup for two. They go outside and Grace is sent over the announcers’ table, leaving commentary to mock Booker for being such a huge Vaquer fan. Back in and the Boston crab sends Vaquer over to the ropes so Grace slams her down. The Vader Bomb misses though and Vaquer gets in the Devil’s Kiss.

Back up and Grace hits a spinebuster into a sitout package powerbomb for two as they’re both getting tired. Vaquer hits a DDT for two but Grace takes her into the corner for a superplex into a Jackhammer for two more. Back up and the SVB and Juggernaut Driver are both countered, setting up a fight over a tombstone.

With that not working, they go outside and Vaquer powers her through the barricade for a big crash. Back in and the SVB connects…for two, leaving Vaquer stunned. Another SVB is broken up and Vaquer takes out the leg with a dragon screw legwhip out of the corner. Vaquer goes up and hits a Spiral Tap to retain at 16:09.

Rating: B. Another good one here, as Vaquer felt like she defeated Grace for good here. Busting out the Spiral Tap felt like a big way to go and it was Vaquer needing to go big to beat a top opponent. I’m not sure who is next for both of them, but this was a big time title match and that’s what it was supposed to be.

Here is Ricky Saints for a chat. He is ready to face Ethan Page because he doesn’t get what people see in Page. The thing is Page is like the guy at the party but no one knows why he is there. The reality is Saints can put the title on the line because he knew Page’s greed would get in his way. If he has to start this week’s show to beat Page up, so be it. As for Worlds Collide, Saints is ready to go to Mexico if he has to…and here is Page to try and jump him from behind. Saints cuts that off and security breaks it up, with Saints diving onto all of them to get at Page.

We recap Myles Borne challenging Oba Femi for the NXT Title in the form of Borne having a sitdown interview in an empty arena. Borne wasn’t sure if he was ready when he came here but now he’s doing as well as he ever has before. He was ready at the battle royal and he’ll be ready to come after the title.

It’s true that he was given a 15% chance of living when he was born but now he wants people to know about his disability so that kids who are struggling can know that nothing can hold them back. He’s been fighting the odds since birth and he’ll be fighting the odds against Femi, who has everything over him. The only thing Borne has over him is heart. Sweet goodness this guy is likable.

NXT Title: Oba Femi vs. Myles Borne

Borne is challenging. Femi backs him into the corner to start and sends Borne flying, though Borne does stick the landing. A nice dropkick staggers Femi but he’s back up with a suplex for one to take over. Some forearms to the back have Borne in more trouble and a big one puts him down. An Irish Curse plants Borne again and Femi slams him head first into the mat.

Back up and another great dropkick puts Femi down again for a needed breather. A big clothesline rocks Borne but he grabs a sleeper to put Femi in some trouble for a change. Borne can’t suplex him and Femi gets in a kick to the ribs, setting up a reverse chinlock. That’s broken up and Borne manages to send him outside for a heck of a flip dive. Back in and a powerslam out of the corner gives Borne two as the fans are getting into this.

A double stomp into a standing moonsault…is countered into a chokeslam for two as Femi is looking a bit shaken. Borne is back up with a DDT before countering the Fall From Grace with a hurricanrana. Back up and Femi rocks him with a forearm to the face, only to get caught with a German suplex. A frog splash gives Borne two and he hits another dropkick but walks into a pop up uppercut. The Fall From Grace…gets two and the fans are right back into this. Borne rolls him up out of the corner for two but gets turned inside out with a clothesline. Back to back Falls From Grace retain the title at 16:51.

Rating: A-. I had a grand total of no expectations coming into this and they MORE than pulled me into the whole thing. While I wasn’t completely buying that Borne was going to win, they had me feeling the Rocky style story here of someone who had no business hanging in there with the monster champion. I loved this and it’s one of the best things I’ve seen NXT do in a long time.

Post match, respect is shown.

We cut to the back where Jacy Jayne and Fallon Henley are STILL arguing (for an hour now). At the same time, Stephanie Vaquer is arguing with the two women from AAA. Jayne comes in to slap Vaquer and they have to be held back.

We recap Trick Williams challenging Joe Hendry for the TNA Title.

TNA World Title: Joe Hendry vs. Trick Williams

Hendry is defending and we get the Big Match Intros. Hendry wants to fight so they start the brawling, with Hendry grabbing a headlock. Back up and Williams hits a fall away slam for two, followed by a Rock Bottom for the same. They trade rollups for two each until Williams drops him again. Williams tries a Spinarooni (yes we look at Booker) but he walks into a Rock Bottom for two.

A side kick drops Hendry but he muscles Williams into a fireman’s carry slam for two more. Williams is back up and they go to the floor, where Hendry is whipped into the steps. Back in and Hendry fights up again, this time with a fall away slam. Hendry hits the pose but the Standing Ovation is blocked. Williams misses a kick and gets Standing Ovationed for two with a foot on the ropes making the save.

Back up and Williams kicks him down and they head outside, with a Rock Bottom through a table planting Hendry. Back in and a Trick Shot gives Williams two and frustration is setting in. Williams grabs the belt and gets it taken away, only to walk into a Standing Ovation attempt. That’s broken up with a rake to the eyes, allowing Williams to flapjack Hendry down onto the belt. Another Trick Shot drops Hendry for the pin and the title at 15:04.

Rating: B. This is what the crossover story has been needing, as otherwise it’s just been midcarders trading wins. Hendry gets cheated out of the title and there is a reason to see a rematch, possibly with Hendry winning the title back at Slammiversary to avenge his company. Williams has been needing a win of his own too and it came at the end of another solid match.

Overall Rating: A-. That six man is the only thing close to bad on the show and it’s absolutely nothing terrible. Other than that, it was one good match after another with Femi vs. Borne tearing the house down. This was a good looking show coming in and they knocked it out of the park with a great night. NXT has been needing a show like this for a bit and dang it was worth the watch. Awesome stuff here.

Results
Sol Ruca b. Kelani Jordan – Super Sol Snatcher
Josh Briggs/Hank And Tank b. The Culling – Powerslam/neckbreaker combination to Jensen
Stacks b. Tony D’Angelo – Running knee
Stephanie Vaquer b. Jordynne Grace – Spiral Tap
Oba Femi b. Myles Borne – Fall From Grace
Trick Williams b. Joe Hendry – Trick Shot

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

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Under Siege 2025
Date: May 23, 2025
Location: CAA Centre, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s another special and this card is lacking a bit to put it mildly. There isn’t much on the card as the big TNA match of the weekend is taking place on Sunday at the NXT Battleground event. This show will also see the some odd title matches and Cody Deaner’s future decided. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Rosemary vs. Xia Brookside

Rosemary has been trying to push Brookside to the evil side and jumps her in the corner to start. A stomp to the apron cuts Rosemary off and she rolls outside to yell at commentary. That’s enough of a distraction for Brookside to hit a dive off the top but Rosemary posts her to take over. Back in and a t-bone suplex gives Rosemary a delayed two and it’s time to choke on the ropes a bit.

The Upside Down is countered into a Samoan drop though and Brookside makes the clothesline comeback. Three straight Broken Wings hit Rosemary, who is right back with a spear for the double down. As Above So Below is broken up so Rosemary hits a second spear. Therefore, it’s time for a staple gun. The referee takes that away so Rosemary whips out a belt but Brookside hits a DDT. Brookside grabs the belt and whips Rosemary for the DQ at 8:39.

Rating: C. This was a storyline advancing match more than anything else, with Brookside finally being pushed over to violence. Hopefully the two of them don’t wind up teaming together or something, but it is nice to see Brookside getting a chance to do something new. That has been missing for a good while now and maybe this is where she moves upward after a long wait.

Post match Brookside goes nuts, even whipping the security for trying to break it up. The fans certainly seem to approve and even want more, which they receive.

The opening video looks at the show’s main matches, including stars such as Cody Deaner, the absent Jeff Hardy and NXT’s Trick Williams.

Mike Santana vs. AJ Francis

Hold on though as Francis comes out on a crutch and says he has a severe case of turf toe. After mocking the Toronto Maple Leafs, Francis announces that KC Navarro will be taking his place.

Mike Santana vs. KC Navarro

Santana is fine with this and pulls Navarro in before planting him down for an early two. Three Amigos get two more and we hit the required Eddie Dance. Some hard chops have Navarro in trouble so Francis offers a cheap shot. Navarro gets in a spinning headscissors but Santana is right back with some running shots in the corner.

The rolling Buck Fifty gets two but Spin The Block is blocked. Navarro kicks him down and gets two off a splash but Santana gives him a buckle bomb. The Cannonball gets two so Navarro collapses before Spin The Block can launch. Santana isn’t having this and hits Spin The Block for the pin at 9:49.

Rating: C+. I don’t think it’s the biggest secret that Santana is going to be in the World Title scene sooner rather than later. It’s what he has been talking about and even teased a few times now and going after the X-Division Title would feel out of place. Therefore, giving him a pretty simple win like this to start the show is a good way to prop him up a bit, which is what you need in his spot.

Post match respect is teased but Francis gets in to take out Santana. Navarro eventually helps.

We run down the rest of the card.

Some Brampton government officials, and a mascot, are here. One of them is more popular than others.

We recap Cody Deaner vs. Eddie Edwards. Deaner has not won a match in over a year and his contract is not going to be renewed. Therefore, he’s fighting for his job.

Eric Young gives Deaner a pep talk.

Cody Deaner vs. Eddie Edwards

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. They argue to start and Deaner fires off some right hands. A Steve Austin elbow gets two but Eddie fights up. Alisha gets caught cheating but is only warned rather than being ejected. Eddie takes him down into an early chinlock so Deaner fights up and hits a clothesline. A dive cuts Eddie off but he’s right back with a Blue Thunder Bomb onto the apron.

Back in and Deaner shrugs off some chops and grabs a bulldog. Deaner goes up and gets kicked in the head, setting up a superplex into a tiger bomb for two. They go back outside where Deaner hits Sliced Bread off the steps, followed by a high crossbody back inside. Deaner loads up the DDT but Alisha offers a distraction to the referee and a ring to Eddie. The big shot to the head gets two so Alisha hits Deaner low. The Boston Knee Party gives Eddie the pin at 10:34.

Rating: C+. I get what they’re going for here with Deaner losing his job and everything….but it’s Cody Deaner. When the point of the story is that you haven’t won anything in over a year and you weren’t that important on your best day, it’s kind of hard to care about something like this. The story made sense, but it didn’t work given who it was about and that’s a big problem.

Post match here is the System to mock Deaner, saying no one cares about him and now he’s out of a job. Cue the Northern Armory, who don’t like this anti-Canadian rhetoric. Six man time.

The System vs. Northern Armory

The aforementioned mascot is in the Armory’s corner. Icarus and JDC lock up to start with Icarus taking him into the corner to kick away. Williams comes in for two off a clothesline and it’s off to Myers, who gets sleepered. Moose gets the tag and wants/receives Young for what is not quite an epic showdown.

Moose’s German suplex is blocked and Icarus comes in to strike away as the fans sing a song about Canada. A shot to Icarus takes him down and the villains (well the non-Canadian villains that is) take over on Icarus, with Myers grabbing a chinlock. It works so well that Myers does it again, setting up a Downward Spiral to plant Icarus. That’s broken up and Young gets the tag to clean house.

A high crossbody gets two on Moose and it’s a double powerbomb out of the corner to put him down again. Young’s top rope elbow connects but the piledriver is broken up. JDC gets sent outside and Young hits a Death Valley Driver on Moose. Alisha grabs a kendo stick and BEATS UP THE MASCOT but the councilmen take it away. Young piledrives Moose for the pin at 12:08.

Rating: B-. While I do not want to see Young and company as full time good guys, I can live with it as a way to add some local flavor to a show like this. That’s all this was supposed to be, though Young pinning Moose very well could get him an X-Division Title shot. It still feels like Leon Slater’s title to win, but odds are Young would be a short term deal if they go that way. Nice match too, with the Armory getting to showcase themselves a bit.

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

Street fight and if Spitfire (challenging) doesn’t win, they have to split up. Spitfire jumps them to start and load up a table but Heather is back with some hairspray. By Elegance get in a shot with a feathery stop sign but Spitfire sets some chairs on the stage. They go back to ringside where By Elegance takes over again, though it’s too early for Rarefied Air. Luna sends Heather face first into an open chair but Ash is in for the save.

Luna counters Ash’s handspring with a release German suplex but Heather is back up with a dropkick to send a chair into Threat’s face. A powerbomb onto some chairs gets two on Ash so the Personal Concierge throws glitter into Threat’s eyes. Since it’s just glitter, Threat is back up with a slam onto the floor but Ash cuts off Pop Shove It. Cue Maggie Lee to help Ash put Luna through a table and a trashcan shot cuts Threat off. Rarefied Air retains the titles at 12:11.

Rating: C+. They were going with the themed street fight here and it worked about as well as could be expected. Spitfire might not be the most interesting team, but at least they are a team who has accomplished something and that puts this above the Cody Deaner story. Odds are Rosemary and Xia Brookside are next for the titles, as it isn’t like there is a division waiting to come after them.

We look at Xia Brookside snapping on Rosemary on the Kickoff Show.

Brookside said this is what Rosemary wanted and whatever happens next is on her, b****.

We look at Mustafa Ali beating Ace Austin and reinjuring Austin’s already bad leg.

Order 4 vs. Rascalz/Indi Hartwell/???

Order 4 is Mustafa Ali and his cabinet under their official name for the first time. The mystery partner is…Raj Singh (Ali’s former associate). This is his hometown, though the fans didn’t seem to know that coming in. Singh doesn’t like the way Ali has been acting and the fight is on to start fast. The Rascalz take over on the Hands to start and hit some dives to put them on the floor.

Back in and Steelz takes over on Hartwell in the corner as we settle down. Hartwell throws her throat first onto the top rope and it’s off to Singh for something like What’s Up on Skyler. Hotch gets kicked down as well but a hanging DDT to the floor drops Singh hard. A double rolling neckbreaker and a standing moonsault gets two on Singh back inside but he’s over to Hartwell anyway.

Everything breaks down and we get the parade of knockdowns and the men get together to fight over a triple suplex. Hartwell and Steelz climb onto their backs and slug it out until Hartwell cutters her onto the pile to break it up. The Rascalz kick the Hands to the floor and hit Hot Fire Flame before breaking up Ali’s cheating rollup on Singh. Ali baseball slides Hartwell and the Favor drops Singh. Ali’s 450 finishes Singh off at 9:57.

Rating: C+. The match was fast paced and entertaining, but you’re only going to get so far with Singh as the mystery partner. It felt like a “who is that again?” reaction when he came out and that is not a good sign. I get that Ace Austin was the logical way to go but they needed someone better than Singh for a replacement.

Post match Ali stays on Singh so the cabinet tries to stop him, with Ali shoving Steelz down.

Santino Marella gives Arianna Grace (acknowledged as his daughter) a pep talk and Grace is ready to fight.

Steve Maclin, recovering from a skull fracture (geez) will be ready to face Matt Cardona.

Jimmy Korderas is here.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Arianna Grace

Santino Marella is here….but Robert Stone comes out to say Santino has to leave because he doesn’t have a manager’s license. Commentary isn’t sure how Stone has that authority as Blanchard takes her down without much trouble. Blanchard chokes away in the corner and hammers her down on the floor.

Grace seems to avoid a charge into the ropes (even commentary wasn’t sure what happened) but Blanchard hits a slingshot splash. A belly to back suplex puts Blanchard down and the comeback is actually on. Grace’s big boot gets two but Blanchard cuts her off with a cutter. Grace catches her on top with a superplex for two and stomps away in the corner. Blanchard knocks her off the top but slips on a Magnum attempt. Instead it’s the buzzsaw DDT and now Magnum can put Grace away at 8:07.

Rating: B-. Given the situation they were in, this was about as good as it was going to get. The story was that Grace was in way over her head and it wouldn’t have made sense to try anything else. Blanchard toyed with her before finishing her off and that’s how the match should have gone. Grace is from the bigger company but Blanchard is a way bigger star and talent no matter how you look at it.

Post match Marella comes out to check on Grace but Stone tells them to get out because the show must go on.

Knockouts Title: Victoria Crawford vs. Masha Slamovich

Slamovich is defending and Stone is here with Crawford. A clothesline drops Crawford fast so Stone offers an early distraction. Crawford gets in a shot of her own and a northern lights suplex on the floor has Slamovich in trouble. Back in and Crawford slowly hammers away but Slamovich fights up, cutting off some notable BORING chants. A package piledriver gives Crawford two so Stone gives her the belt. The referee gets bumped and the belt shot connects, only for Slamovich to come back with the Snow Plow. Slamovich avoids the ax kick and hits Requiem to retain at 6:57.

Rating: C. What else were you expecting here? Crawford is supposed to be the newcomer in over her head and Slamovich ran through her despite the shenanigans. That being said, I have no idea what the appeal of Marella vs. Stone is supposed to be, because it’s not connecting. Slamovich deserves something better than being part of this and hopefully the better stuff gets the focus again sooner rather than later.

Post match Slamovich grabs the mic and says Lei Ying Lee should be the next challenger. Cue Lee but Stone comes out to say Lee has to earn the shot on Impact.

We look at Joe Hendry and Trick Williams’ musical exchange on NXT.

We get a tribute to Sabu, which is nice to see given his history in the promotion.

Tag Team Titles: Matt Hardy/Leon Slater vs. Nic Nemeth/Ryan Nemeth

The Nemeths are defending and this is the Hardys’ official rematch, even though Jeff isn’t allowed in Canada. Matt and Nic start things off with the former grinding away on a headlock. Nic suplexes his way to freedom but Matt grabs it again to keep control. Slater comes in with a headlock of his own (apparently learning quickly) before the champions are sent outside.

Back in and Matt hits the middle rope elbow to start on Ryan’s arm. Slater elbows him down for two but a cheap shot sends Slater outside. Back in and Nic grabs a chinlock with a bodyscissors, followed by a Jeff Hardy legdrop between the legs for two. Slater fights up but Ryan pulls Matt off the apron for a nice save. A handspring elbow cuts Ryan off though and it’s back to Matt to pick up the pace.

The Nemeths get the rams into the buckles and a Side Effect each but the Twist Of Fate is blocked. Nic hits the Fameasser for two and an assisted neckbreaker gets two. Nic’s Twist Of Fate gets two on Matt but Slater is back in for a Plot Twist to give Matt two of his own. Poetry In Motion to the floor (dang) sets up the Twist Of Fate and the Swanton 450 gets two, with Ryan making the save. Ryan and Slater fight on the floor and Nic hits the Danger Zone to pin Matt and retain at 16:04.

Rating: B. They were in a tight spot here and they did what they could with the whole thing. No one was buying Matt and Slater as a threat to win the titles when it was made clear that Slater was merely filling in for Jeff. You’re only going to get so far with that, but thankfully Matt took the pin, leaving Slater to look good in defeat. He’s likely going after the X-Division Title around Slammiversary and he’s earned that spot.

Santino Marella gives Arianna Grace a pep talk and wants to face Robert Stone. Grace suggests a mixed tag and that seems to be the idea. As this feud continues.

We recap the main event. Trick Williams has attacked Joe Hendry, setting up their title match on Sunday at Battleground. Tonight though, Frankie Kazarian and Elijah are involved to make it a tag match. The fact that I couldn’t think of the main event until this recap isn’t a great sign.

Joe Hendry/Elijah vs. Trick Williams/Frankie Kazarian

Elijah and Kazarian get things going with Elijah taking over rather easily. Hendry comes in and wants Williams but has to stick with Kazarian instead. It’s back to Elijah and now Williams is willing to come in. Some big chops in the corner have Williams in trouble but he tries a powerslam out of the corner. That’s broken up and it’s off to Hendry, setting up some quick tags (with nothing in between) until Elijah takes the villains down on the floor.

Hendry hits a dive onto both of them and it’s time for Kazarian and Williams to argue. Hendry and Elijah break that up on the ramp and they fight into the crowd. Back in and Elijah hits Old School while Hendry holds Kazarian up with a rather delayed vertical suplex. Williams kicks Elijah down to take over for the first time though and even knocks Hendry off the apron.

Kazarian’s front facelock has Elijah in more trouble as we hear about Hendry’s success in WWE. Elijah fights up and hands it back to Hendry for the well received comeback. An Angle Slam gives Hendry two on Williams and he rolls through Williams’ high crossbody for a fall away slam. Kazarian is back in but can’t get the chickenwing, instead getting caught with an AA for two.

Elijah knees Williams, who hits a quick Trick Shot for two as Hendry makes the save. Kazarian grabs the guitar but walks into the Highwayman’s Farewell, with Williams making the save. Williams’ distraction means the referee doesn’t see Elijah small packaging Kazarian so it’s a rather delayed two. The Trick Shot hits Kazarian by mistake and Hendry grabs the Standing Ovation to pin Kazarian at 19:24.

Rating: B-. Oh man they were in a weird spot here and there was only so much that could be done as a result. This was a big preview for Battleground and nothing more, which left me a bit surprised as the result. Unless they just didn’t want an NXT star winning in the end, Hendry looking dominant is kind of a screwy way to go. Good match, but it didn’t feel important or main event worthy.

Hendry and Williams stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show is a weird case, as there was only so much that can be done when the show feels this unimportant. There is pretty much nothing on here which felt like top level stuff and it showed coming into the event. The good action made it a completely watchable show, but at the same time, it feels like an event that you do not need to see whatsoever. That happens occasionally to to be fair, this wasn’t a full priced pay per view. Pretty skippable card here, which didn’t feel like a big surprise.

Results
Rosemary b. Xia Brookside via DQ when Brookside used a belt
Mike Santana b. KC Navarro – Spin The Block
Eddie Edwards b. Cody Deaner – Boston Knee Party
Northern Armory b. The System – Piledriver to Moose
Ash By Elegance/Heather By Elegance b. Spitfire – Rarefied Air to Threat
Order 4 b. Rascalz/Indi Hartwell/Raj Singh – 450 to Singh
Tessa Blanchard b. Arianna Grace – Magnum
Masha Slamovich b. Victoria Crawford – Requiem
Nic Nemeth/Ryan Nemeth b. Matt Hardy/Leon Slater – Danger Zone to Hardy
Joe Hendry/Elijah b. Frankie Kazarian/Trick Williams – Standing Ovation to Kazarian

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 22, 2025
Location: Bren Events Center, Irvine, California
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

It’s the last show before Under Siege and that could be the start of a rather eventful weekend. While TNA has its own show this weekend, its World Title is going to be on the line at Sunday’s NXT Battleground event. This is the go home show to set everything in stone and that can be a tricky way to go. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Mustafa Ali vs. Ace Austin

Ali, with a very banged up arm, has his cabinet with him. They start fast with Ali taking him down to little avail so he tries for the leg, earning himself a kick to the face from Austin. A tilt-a-whirl slam gives Austin two and he kicks Ali outside but Austin’s bad knee starts acting up. Ali is smart enough to go after that knee by pulling him out of the corner and then wrapping it around the post.

Back up and Ali ties him in the Tree of Woe, only to miss a baseball slide into the post for the painful landing. Austin misses something off the top though and gets Sharpshootered, sending him over to the ropes. Ali’s hard clothesline gets two but the 450 misses. Austin suplexes him into the corner so Ali pulls Tasha Steelz in front of him. That’s enough of a distraction for Ali to take the knee out again, setting up a kneebar for the tap at 6:59.

Rating: C+. This is a match that could have been better with more time, but they did some good stuff while they could. Ali going insane after his loss to Mike Santana is an interesting story, though I’m not sure where it’s going. Austin is someone who always felt like he could be a big deal but that doesn’t seem to likely be happening.

The System is ready to win at Under Siege and tonight.

Rosemary thinks she knows how to push Xia Brookside over the edge and has attacked Lei Ying Lee.

Northern Armory vs. Aztec Warriors

Eric Young is here with the Armory. Laredo and Williams spin around each other to no avail to start so Laredo takes him down to increase the frustration. Octagon comes in to headscissor Icarus into the corner, followed by a double faceplant and superkick. Williams offers a distraction though and Icarus goes after the eyes to take over. Young and Williams argue with the crowd though, allowing Octagon to come back in with some springboards. Reality sets back in for Williams but Octagon dives onto both of them. Back in and Laredo plants Icarus, setting up the moonsault for the pin at 5:56.

Rating: C. Not much to this one as neither team is exactly on fire at the moment. The Warriors are about as forgettable of a team as you have on the roster at this point and the Armory are even lower level lackeys than the Great Hands. That doesn’t make for a thrilling match and while the action was fine, it didn’t feel important at all.

Xia Brookside is ready to fight Rosemary at Under Siege.

Eddie Edwards vs. Jake Painter

Alisha Edwards is here and Cody Deaner is on commentary. Eddie jumps him to start and hammers away before throwing Painter outside. A Blue Thunder Bomb on the apron lets Eddie get in Deaner’s face but Painter grabs a small package for two. Painter hits a Backstabber for two more but he dives into a knee to the ribs. The Boston Knee Party finishes at 3:36.

Rating: C. I’ve said this since the beginning and it’s still true: it’s really hard to care about a story involving Cody Deaner’s future because there isn’t much of a reason to want to see him around. Even if he beats a star like Edwards on a fluke, I don’t want to see him around any longer. The match was there to show how dangerous Edwards is, even though we already know that, because Deaner can’t win a match before Under Siege. Hence the problem with the whole thing.

Video on Mance Warner and Steph de Lander. They like violence.

First Class vs. Sami Callihan/Mike Santana

O’Shea Jackson Jr. is on commentary. Francis runs Santana over to start but gets enziguried for some staggering. Navarro comes in and gets chopped down, followed by Callihan hitting a pop up powerbomb. Callihan tosses Navarro over the top, with Francis having to catch him. Back in and Navarro gets beaten down again, allowing the tag off to Santana. A Death Valley Driver plants Navarro and Francis gets clotheslined to the floor. Francis cuts off the Cactus Driver 97 though and a quick Blessing In Disguise gives Navarro the pin at 6:22.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure what is going on with Santana but it very well may be just waiting around and having him fill in time before he moves into the main event scene. Odds are he beats Francis at Under Siege and then we get to see where things go from here. For now though, Callihan taking the fall is fine as it’s not like he has anything better to do.

We look at Trick Williams and Joe Hendry performing music live on NXT, leading to a brawl.

Gia Miller is hosting a debate between Santino Marella (with Arianna Grace) and Robert Stone (with Victoria Crawford). Marella talks about how he came here just over two years ago and no one in his family has ever had political power before. Then Stone showed up and started messing with his business, which should not be happening. Stone says Marella has not made this a better place and Marella doesn’t belong in wrestling.

When Stone takes over, he’s going to fire the losers and make a lot of money. Marella calls him stupid and says he does what the people want. Cue Tessa Blanchard to go after Grace but Masha Slamovich runs in for the save. Blanchard is powerbomb onto (not through) the table (THUD) with Grace helping, followed by a running Death Valley Driver onto (again not through) the table in the corner for a nasty crash. This is a simple story, but why is Stone possibly able to take over in the first place?

Matt Cardona reveals that Steve Maclin isn’t medically cleared for Under Siege so he should be named champion. Santino Marella comes in to say Maclin will be cleared for next week so the title match is on for then instead. I’ll take that over a last second change the night of the show.

Spitfire is ready to put their careers on the line at Under Siege. It worked before so it’ll work again.

Spitfire vs. Vipress/Mazzerati

Luna takes Mazzerati down by the arm to start and hands it off to Threat for a running corner clothesline. Mazzerati is able to send them into each other though and Vipress comes in for a running kick to the chest. It’s back to Mazzerati for a cravate but Threat fights up and hands it back to Luna. Everything breaks down and a quick Pressure Drop finishes Vipress at 5:13.

Rating: C. This weekend is going to be the second time that Under Siege’s future as a team is on the line and I have the same “well, ok” response. Spitfire has yet to be an interesting team and while they have been successful, I have pretty much no reason to care about them. Having their future as a team built up doesn’t make me want to see them win more, as this match has been done more than enough times already.

Matt Hardy explains team chemistry to Leon Slater and thinks they could gel well together.

Under Siege rundown.

Elijah/Joe Hendry vs. The System

NXT’s Trick Williams is on commentary. Elijah headlocks Myers to start and grinds away a bit before dropping Myers with a running clothesline. Moose comes in to take over on a test of strength with Hendry and the villains take over for a bit. Hendry muscles Moose up for a suplex and it’s back to Elijah for an Old School tornado DDT. Moose drops Elijah though and we’re already in the chinlock as we take a break.

Back with Elijah still in trouble but Moose chops the post by mistake. Elijah kicks his way to freedom but the tag is cut off again. JDC gets in some choking from the floor and Myers grabs another quickly broken chinlock. The release Rock Bottom gives Moose two and it’s back to Myers, who gets caught with a jumping knee. That’s enough for the tag back to Hendry so house can be quickly cleaned. Hendry and Moose knock each other down so it’s back to Elijah for the Highwayman’s Farewell and the pin on Myers at 14:24.

Rating: C. They are in such a tough spot with this Hendry vs. Williams deal, as they have to get through the Under Siege tag match, which doesn’t feel important, because it’s just a big preview of Sunday’s title match. That leaves a bunch of standing around waiting and this match did not feel important in the slightest as a result. It wasn’t the wrestlers’ fault, but just the entire situation is a mess.

Post match Frankie Kazarian runs in to jump the winners but Elijah comes back with a guitar shot. Trick Williams is not pleased to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show was stuck in a weird place and it showed badly. There is only so much you can do with the situation they’re in, as Under Siege could not feel much less important. That makes for a very weak go home show, even if the wrestlers were obviously trying. Not much to see this week, and hopefully they can find a way to make Under Siege feel more important.

Results
Mustafa Ali b. Ace Austin – Kneebar
Aztec Warriors b. Northern Armory – Moonsault to Icarus
Eddie Edwards b. Cody Deaner – Boston Knee Party
First Class b. Sami Callihan/Mike Santana – Blessing In Disguise to Callihan
Spitfire b. Vipress/Mazzerati – Pressure Drop to Vipress
Elijah/Joe Hendry b. The System – Highwayman’s Farewell to Myers

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

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Impact Wrestling
Date: May 15, 2025
Location: Bren Events Center, Irvine, California
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

We’re just over a week away from Under Siege and the cards has mostly come together. The company has quite a few things going on at the moment, including World Champion Joe Hendry defending the title against NXT’s Trick Williams later this month at NXT Battleground. That should make for a good match on that show, but they both need something to do at Under Siege. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Sabu.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Tessa Blanchard/Victoria Crawford vs. Masha Slamovich/Nikkita Lyons

Lyons misses a kick to Blanchard to start but is able to send her into the corner for some hip drops. Slamovich comes in and hair mares Crawford a few times, followed by a kick to the chest for two. It’s back to Blanchard to knock Slamovich down and hand it back to Crawford. Slamovich fights up but Blanchard is right there to pull Lyons off the apron. Blanchard slides Crawford a chair but Slamovich takes it away and nails Crawford for the DQ at 4:14.

Rating: C. This was a weird one as Crawford isn’t bad but feels WAY over her head compared to Blanchard and Slamovich. Lyons isn’t much better, as she seems to be there for whatever star power she allegedly has. Other than that, this was more about Crawford and company getting under Slamovich’s skin, but I’m still not buying Crawford as having a chance at Under Siege.

Post match Slamovich takes out Blanchard as well but Santino Marella comes out to restart the match…but Robert Stone says no and the winners are Blanchard and Crawford. As in the TNA wrestlers rather than the team with an NXT wrestler, because this storyline doesn’t need to exist.

Cody Deaner is nervous about getting to wrestle in such a big match so close to his hometown. His family means the world to them and they will get to be there. His lack of a singles win in over a year is brought up but apparently he does a lot of things backstage and helps with the younger wrestlers. A loss can’t happen. Sweet goodness it’s CODY DEANER. TNA has treated him like nothing for the better part of ever now but suddenly I’m suppose to feel bad that he might be leaving?

Great Hands vs. Rascalz

Skyler gets punched in the face to start and sent to the floor, followed by some rapid fire kicks back inside. Hotch low bridges Miguel to the floor though and Skyler gets to take over. Miguel comes back with a pretty awesome Sling Blade backbreaker and everything breaks down. The Rascalz hit a string of running elbows in the corner but cue Mustafa Ali for a distraction. The Favor finishes Miguel at 4:18.

Rating: C. Another acceptable enough match here with Ali’s continued issues causing troubles for various people. The Great Hands aren’t exactly a top level team either but they’re good enough as lackeys. The match again didn’t have much time, and that’s not doing it many favors.

Post match Ali runs in to hammer on Miguel but Ace Austin runs in for the save.

During the break, the Great Hands jumped Austin, who is scheduled for a four way match.

Matt Cardona vs. Elijah vs. Ace Austin vs. Mance Warner

For a future International Title shot, Steph de Lander is here with Warner and Austin has a bad leg. Austin sends Cardona outside and takes Warner down but hurts his leg again trying a nip up. Back in and Cardona gets backdropped out to the floor and we take a break. We come back with Warner going after Austin’s leg and sending Cardona shoulder first into the post. Warner’s superplex to Austin is turned into a Tower Of Doom and Elijah knees Cardona out of the air.

Cardona grabs a chair but Warner takes it away and uses it for a springboard DDT. Elijah gives Warner the Highwayman’s Farewell onto the open chair but Cardona breaks it up. Austin is back in and can’t hit his springboard kick due to the leg, allowing Cardona to grab a rollup for two. The Fold attempt doesn’t work either and Cardona hits Radio Silence to pin Austin at 11:11.

Rating: B-. Austin’s leg was the story here and it went fairly well, as that is going to give him a reason to want some revenge on Mustafa Ali. Cardona is a good next challenger for the title, as he’s an established name and offers something fresh. The other two were just kind of there, but that’s often going to happen in a four way match.

Tessa Blanchard yells at Ariana Grace, who argues back. That earns Grace one heck of a slap.

It’s time for the First Class Penthouse with First Class bragging about their celebrity connections and mock the city. They bring out their guest O’Shea Jackson Jr., who didn’t like the Los Angeles insult. Jackson says AJ Francis looks like Uncle Phil so Francis threatens to treat him like Jazz. Cue Mike Santana to chase First Class off.

Indi Hartwell vs. Kelsey Heather

Heather doesn’t want anything to do with a handshake and grabs a headlock instead. As commentary runs down Hartwell’s career resume, she fights out and drives Heather into the corner, followed by a big boot. A spinning full nelson faceplant finishes for Hartwell at 2:29.

Post break Hartwell is talking about her win but Mustafa Ali’s Cabinet takes over the camera to talk about how unfair things have been to Ali. Hartwell isn’t happy but the Cabinet doesn’t care.

Rosemary vs. Xia Brookside

Rosemary bails to the floor to start and gives Brookside a mischievous look before snapping Brookside’s throat across the rope. Back in and Rosemary chokes on the rope, only to offer Brookside some brass knuckles. That doesn’t make Brookside go evil so Rosemary grabs a quickly broken crossface. Brookside fights up and hits the Broken Wings for two before she picks up the knuckles. A headbutt drops Rosemary again and she wants Brookside to use the knuckles. When that doesn’t work, Rosemary loads up the mist, only for Brookside to hit her in the throat. Brookside snaps a bit and the referee is shoved for the DQ at 5:30.

Rating: C+. Another storyline advancing match here as Brookside continues to show aggression, even if it comes after she is being pushed by Rosemary. In theory this is what Rosemary wants, but I really don’t need another “and now this person is evil” story. I’m sure we’ll get more of this, and I’m a bit curious about where it is going to go.

Post match the brawl stays on and Lei Ying Lee runs in to break it up, with Rosemary bailing.

We look at Trick Williams and Joe Hendry’s contract signing on NXT.

Ariana Grace asks Santino Marella to make a match with Tessa Blanchard at Under Siege. Robert Stone comes in to say it’s a great idea.

Here is Frankie Kazarian for a chat. He hates this town and complains about things going badly at Rebellion. Kazarian hates Joe Hendry and her fans, but there is one person who gets what he means. That would be his tag partner at Under Siege, Trick Williams. Cue Williams, who says they don’t like each other but they’re here to be respected. Williams mentions Hendry so here he is. Cue Elijah to help Hendry clear the ring. Cue Santino Marella to say let’s do the match tonight but Robert Stone runs out to say we’re not doing this here, as this story needed to be done multiple times in the same show.

We look at Sabu vs. Rob Van Dam from Hardcore Justice 2010.

Jeff Hardy vs. Nic Nemeth

Matt Hardy and Ryan Nemeth are here too. Jeff hits a quick dropkick to start but walks into the running DDT. That’s fine with Jeff, who sends him to the floor for a big dive. We take a break and come back with Jeff sending him into the corner and dropping a splash for two. A neckbreaker gets Nic out of trouble and he starts in on Jeff’s knee. The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by the Shot to the Heart for two. The chinlock goes on again and we take a break.

Back with Jeff avoiding a charge into the post and hitting the basement dropkick. Jeff hits the Whisper In The Wind for two but misses a charge of his own. Nic hits the Fameasser for two but Jeff is back with the Twisting Stunner. The Swanton is blocked though and Nic hits a superkick for two. The Danger Zone is blocked as well and it’s a Twist Of Fate into the Swanton to give Jeff the pin at 10:59.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of match where you know it’s going to work just based on who is involved. That’s not a bad thing at all and they made it work well. Having Jeff beat one of the champions when he won’t be involved at Under Siege is kind of a strange choice though, as you would normally want the Nemeths to be presented in a stronger way.

Post match Ryan jumps the Hardys but Leon Slater (Matt’s partner at Under Siege) makes the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a nice push towards Under Siege, but my goodness the Stone vs. Marella stuff is killing the show. I have no idea why I’m supposed to like Marella in the first place when Stone is being proven right about everything he does. At the same time, I have no interest in seeing a battle of the bosses, especially from these two. The rest of the show was the usual building towards the pay per view, but dang that one big story is hurting things.

Results
Tessa Blanchard/Victoria Crawford b. Masha Slamovich/Nikkita Lyons via DQ when Slamovich used a chair
Great Hands b. Rascalz – Favor to Miguel
Matt Cardona b. Ace Austin, Elijah and Mance Warner – Radio Silence to Austin
Indi Hartwell b. Kelsey Heather – Spinning full nelson faceplant
Rosemary b. Xia Brookside via DQ when Brookside shoved the referee
Jeff Hardy b. Nic Nemeth – Swanton

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

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