Bound For Glory 2026
Date: October 11, 2026
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the biggest night of the year and that means it’s time for a match that is pretty important in its own right. The main event will see former X-Division Champion Leon Slater getting a World Title shot via Option C. That’s more than enough and we also have the annual Call Your Shot gauntlet. Let’s get to it.

National Anthem.

The opening video mainly focuses on Nic Nemeth vs. Leon Slater while talking about stretching to reach the highest of highs.

Ricky Sosa vs. Eddie Edwards

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. Sosa kicks him in the face and hits an early dropkick, followed by a quick rollup for two. Eddie is sent outside for a ram into the steps but Alisha is up with a tornado DDT off the apron. Back in and Eddie chokes in the corner, setting up the chinlock. That’s broken up so Eddie hits a quick swinging neckbreaker for two more. Sosa gets fired up and makes a quick comeback but gets sent to the floor.

That’s fine too as Sosa snaps off a hurricanrana to bring Eddie off the apron. Back in and a springboard cutter gives Sosa two but Eddie’s tiger bomb gets the same. Eddie can’t believe the kickout but the Boston Knee Party is countered into a powerslam. Alisha tries an interruption and gets powerbombed, allowing the Boston Knee Party to give Eddie two. Sosa is fine enough to hit a quick Head Shot into the corner, followed by a second for the pin at 11:19.

Rating: B-. That’s exactly what it needed to be. Sosa has been trying to find his place around here and while this won’t be the big game changing moment of his career, it’s nice to see him getting a win to prove himself a bit. I’m curious to see what they can get out of Sosa, who has the fans interested in him and can do well enough in the ring to back up a lot of his hype. Good opener.

Post match respect is shown and Eddie leaves in peace.

We run down the card.

Leon Slater agrees that he doesn’t have the same experience as Nic Nemeth but Nemeth has also never been a generational star who wants to become the youngest TNA World Champion of all time.

X-Division Title: Fabian Aichner vs. Ryan Nemeth vs. BDE vs. Cedric Alexander vs. KC Navarro vs. Rich Swann vs. Amazing Red

For the vacant title and Red, who was inducted into the Hall Of Fame earlier tonight, was added to the match on the pre-show. No one likes Nemeth to start and the ring is quickly cleared save for Swann and Alexander. Swann is sent outside fast so Aichner is in to take over. A running Red is pulled out to the floor and BDE is back in with a springboard crossbody for two.

Swann takes out the team of Nemeth and Alexander and we’re off to Navarro vs. Red for a rather odd showdown. They strike it out until Nemeth and Alexander jump them from behind, with BDE getting caught in the wrong corner. Alexander gets the worst of the Tower Of Doom so it’s BDE’s Kliq Cutter to Nemeth.

That earns BDE and Lumbar Check, followed by a Michinoku Driver for two on Swann. Aichner reverses BDE’s suicide dive into a suplex on the floor Aichner is back up with a springboard tornado DDT to Alexander but Navarro plants him. A dive takes Nemeth out on the floor and Navarro escapes Red’s Code Red back inside. Red’s super Spanish Fly plants Navarro and now the Code Red gives Red the pin and the title at 10:39.

Rating: B. Sure why not. The title was vacant coming in so it’s not like Red beat the reigning champion. With so many people flying around, Red basically won on a fluke. He was more than holding his own in there and this is far from some kind of an embarrassment. It’s a rather surprising moment but it really doesn’t hurt anything and gave them a nostalgic title win.

Post match Frankie Kazarian, who inducted Red into the Hall Of Fame earlier, comes out to show Red some respect.

Nic Nemeth is ready for Leon Slater, who isn’t ready to be the best.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Shayna Baszler/Zoey Serrano vs. Allie/Kiera Hogan

Serrano and the debuting Baszler are challenging. Allie and Baszler (whose gear says she’s “choosing violence today”) start things off with Baszler not looking intimidated. Baszler easily wrestles her into the corner but Allie manage to avoid a stomp on the arm. Hogan comes in and gets decked from behind and it’s time to work on the leg. Serrano mocks Hogan’s tag attempt and the half crab goes on to stay on the leg a bit more.

Hogan fights out of the corner but the leg gives out again, allowing Baszler to cut her off again. A clothesline isn’t enough for Hogan to get out of trouble as Serrano runs in to knock Allie off the apron. Hogan finally sunset bombs her way to freedom and it’s Allie coming back in to clean house. A full nelson backbreaker drops Serrano, who is right back with a knee to the face for two. Baszler knees Allie down and the Kirifuda Clutch gives Baszler and Serrano the titles at 8:45.

Rating: C+. There was no reason for Allie and Hogan to hold onto the titles here so this was the right call. Allie and Hogan weren’t even a regular team or the original champions so why bother keeping the belts on them? Instead go with Baszler and Serrano, who work well together and have a history. If nothing else, it gives me a reason to mock the Pure Fusion Collective again, a joy in life that seemed to have passed me by.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet

This is basically a Royal Rumble (20 entrants, two minute interval to start then sixty seconds) with over the top eliminations until we’re down to two. Then those two have a regular singles match, with the winner getting a title shot anytime within the next year. Trey Miguel is in at #1 and Avery Styles (making his TNA in-ring debut) is in at #2 to get things going. They fight over wrist control to start and the technical off goes nowhere. Stereo missed dropkicks leave them in a standoff and they stare at each other a bit.

Bear Bronson is in at #3 and takes both of them down without much trouble. Frankie Kazarian is in at #4 and slugs away at Bronson, with Styles helping with the knockdown. Dutch is in at #5 as the rapid entrances are working for me thus far. Bronson and Dutch have the big slugout until the dancing LJ Cleary is in at #6. Cleary’s poisonrana drops Bronson and it’s Gabby Forza in at #7.

Forza spears Kazarian and goes after Bronson, who eliminates Cleary to clear out some space. Matthew Rehwoldt (billed from The Commentary Table) is in at #8 and takes so long getting ready that Heather By Elegance is in at #9 before he even gets in the ring. Rehwoldt gets in, mocks Heather’s height, and is eliminated by her in a bit that is still funny after being done so many times. Naturally Rehwoldt gets back on commentary like nothing happens as Heather slides outside and hides underneath the ring. Vincent is in at #10 and helps Dutch double team Miguel in the corner.

Harley Hudson is in at #11 and pulls Heather out, sending her face first between Bronson’s legs in the corner. AJ Francis is in at #12 and gets to clean house, with the fans rather approving. A bunch of people get together but can’t get rid of Francis as it’s Elijah in at #13. Francis counters Walk With Elijah but gets caught with a quick tornado DDT. M By Elegance is in at #14 and dives onto Elijah.

That earns Heather a Highwayman’s Farewell from Elijah, who gets in a staredown with the Righteous. With that not going anywhere, the Hometown Man is in at #15 and wins a slugout with Francis. Bronson gets rid of Dutch, who stays on the floor to save Hudson as Brian Myers is in at #16. The System gets together to clean house as it’s Mr. Elegance in at #17. We get a quick string of eliminations with Vincent, Hudson, Heather and M going out within a few seconds, almost as if they realized “dang there are a lot of people in there.”

Elayna Black is in at #18 and hurricanranas Francis into the corner. Forza tosses Bronson in quite the impressive feat and it’s Jada Stone in at #19. Well in theory at least as Ben Bishop debuts to jump her and take her spot. Bishop, who is described as standing 6’12, comes in and is hurricanranaed out by Stone just as fast. Well that was quite the moment. Myers tosses Stone and gets tossed by Man, who gets tossed by Francis, who is wearing a lot of orange. Francis gets rid of Forza and it’s the rather chatty Joe Alonzo in at #20 to complete the field.

That gives us a final field of Miguel, Styles, Francis, Elijah, Elegance, Black and Alonzo, which is quite the grouping. Alonzo runs his mouth a lot on the way to the ring and I think you know where this is going. Alonzo actually gets in some offense, including some superkicks, but Styles throws him out for the elimination. Styles Peles Elegance out and tosses Francis over the top, with Expressions popping up for the save.

Francis is back in to get rid of Black and Elijah tries to knock Francis out, only to get eliminated by Kazarian. We’re down to four and everyone not named Francis goes after Francis to limited success. Francis cuts of Styles’ springboard to get rid of him but Miguel catches Francis with a Canadian Destroyer. That’s enough for Francis to be tossed, leaving Miguel vs. Kazarian in a regular match.

They slug it out until Miguel takes over but misses a Lionsault. Kazarian’s springboard legdrop gets two but the chickenwing is broken up. Miguel’s sunset bomb is blocked so he settles for a 619 in the corner. Kazarian’s slingshot cutter gets two and they trade rollups for two each, with Kazarian stacking him up for the pin at 34:06 (and his third straight win in this thing).

Rating: C+. It wasn’t horrible, but dang this thing is long every year. You have these long stretches with people just staying in the ring and not much in the way of interest. Bishop stealing the spot from Stone kind of worked but when Stone is in there a few seconds later anyway, it didn’t mean much. The action was good enough, but this was way too long for the same result (or close enough) that we’ve seen for the last two years. Just make it a regular battle royal next time and cut the time way down already.

We recap the International Title match. Order 4 has imploded and now the former members are getting a shot against Mustafa Ali.

International Title: Mustafa Ali vs. Special Agent Zero vs. John Skyler vs. Jason Hotch

Ali is defending, Tasha Steelz and Mila Moore are here too and it’s one fall to a finish. After quite the over the top intro for Ali, we’re ready to go. Skyler and Hotch start fast with a Total Elimination to Ali, who misses a hard charge into the corner. Zero is sent outside, leaving Skyler to slingshot Hotch out to the apron. Hotch kicks him down and does the same to Ali, followed by a moonsault out to the floor.

Back in and Zero gets tornado DDTed for two with Ali making the save. Zero chokeslams Hotch onto the other two before knocking a springboarding Ali out of the air. A Downward Spiral drops Hotch and Zero is up with the big dive to the floor. Steelz tells Zero to get the table but Ali is up with a suicide dive into the barricade. Ali gets Hotch and Skyler together so a 450 can put Zero through the table. That’s the end of the alliance and the middle rope G9 plants Ali back inside.

Skyler and Hotch show some respect and slug it out until Ali is back in. That means a double Destroyer to Hotch and Ali so it’s time for the steps, and Zero, to come back inside. Hotch pops up to use the steps for a superplex to Ali (that looked good) and everyone is down. They slug it out from their knees until Zero is up with a chokebomb to Skyler. Hotch superkicks Zero and gives him the spinning torture rack bomb. Hotch’s top rope double stomp hits Zero as Ali 450s Hotch…who reverses into a crucifix for the pin and the title at 13:17.

Rating: B+. This was the match that interested me the most and I can go with the idea of Hotch getting the title back. He’s someone new who could become one of the younger stars around here and TNA could use all the help they could get there. The action was rather good and Ali can move on to something else, which I’ve been wanting to see him do for a long time now. Maybe it’ll actually happen for once.

We recap Indi Hartwell challenging Xia Brookside for the Knockouts Title. Hartwell has been close to winning the title before but kept coming up short. Santino Marella granted her the shot here, in spite of Daria Rae’s protests.

Knockouts Title: Indi Hartwell vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside is defending and Mickie James is guest referee. Hartwell backs her up against the ropes to start and we actually get a clean break. A corner clothesline and bulldog give Hartwell two so she knocks Brookside to the floor. Brookside is fine enough to send her into the post and it’s time to take the turnbuckle pad off back inside. Some running knees in the corner and a floatover Russian legsweep give Brookside two, setting up the chinlock.

Back up and more running knees miss in the corner, allowing Hartwell to fire off some corner clotheslines. The spinebuster gives Hartwell two, followed by a powerbomb for the same. Brookside rolls outside and grabs the belt to leave but Hartwell sends her back inside. The top rope elbow only hits belt so they’re back up for a slugout.

Brookside pokes her in the eye and gets yelled at by James (who has done nothing of note thus far). Brookside gives James a slap and is promptly slapped down for two. Back up and Darkside gives Brookside two but Hartwell breaks up Brookside’s MickieDT attempt and sends her into the exposed buckle. The top rope elbow and Hurts Donut give Hartwell the title at 10:28.

Rating: C+. Hartwell winning the title here in the big moment was hardly a secret as it’s been built up for a long time now. That’s kind of a shame as Brookside was starting to gel as champion and I could have gone for a much longer reign. At the same time, James didn’t add much of anything here but on the plus side, Hartwell didn’t use that horrible looking submission of hers.

Moose vs. Max Caster

Caster is answering an open challenge. Caster’s rap invokes glory holes and bombs dropping in Riyadh. Moose powers him around to start so Caster hammers away as we get a Voodoo Kin Mafia reference because of the Billy Gunn association. They head outside with Caster dropkicking him into the steps and a high crossbody gets two back inside. Moose whips him hard into some corners back inside and the chokebomb out of the corner gets two.

We’re off to the chinlock for a bit with Caster fighting up, setting off an exchange of shots to the face. Moose is knocked outside for a running elbow off the apron. Back in and Caster misses a charge out to the floor, where he backdrops a charging Moose onto the steps. Hold on though as Caster doesn’t want a countout so Moose sends him into the post back inside. A top rope superplex and a release Rock Bottom have Caster in trouble but he gets in a hurricanrana. Caster hits an AA but the Mic Drop elbow hits raised knees. Moose spears him for the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C. Huh? Caster is your big name showing up for the most important show of the year and Moose just beats him clean? The match was fine, the rap wasn’t great and the result is….that? I’m not saying you put Caster over clean here but why should I care about him after that kind of a result? Moose shrugged off everything Caster threw at him and then just won. This really did not work.

Frankie Kazarian, with Avery Styles, says he’s going to cash the trophy in for the Tag Team Titles, with Styles of course.

We recap Syx vs. the Hardys. There was a string of mystery attacks and the Syx (Joseph Sawyer/Samuel Shaw) were revealed as the attackers. Now the Hardys, who were attacked as well, are in for a falls count anywhere match.

Syx vs. Hardys

Falls Count Anywhere. The Hardys jump them to start fast and Poetry In Motion into the Side Effect gets two on Shaw. Jeff throws in some chairs and opens them up, with Syx being sent onto them. It’s time to brawl into the crowd and then out into the concourse, with Matt grabbing a Hardy foam finger to beat on Syx.

Matt and Shaw brawl back into the arena and a DDT plants Shaw on the floor. Jeff loads up some tables underneath a balcony (oh dear) and, sporting a pair of foam fingers, Swantons Shaw through the tables for two as Sawyer makes the save. That leaves Sawyer alone in the ring with the Hardys hitting a Plot Twist for two.

Sawyer is taken up to the stage and of course let’s grab some ladders. Shaw is back up and the Hardys grab stereo Twists Of Fate to take over again. Syx is laid on the tables but Erick Redbeard (Rowan) debuts to take the Hardys out. A suplex/powerbomb combination drops Jeff inside and Sawyer powerbombs Shaw onto him (that didn’t look good) for the pin at 12:42.

Rating: B-. It wasn’t bad, but my goodness I’m over seeing the Hardys in these hardcore matches. The good thing is that Syx already feels like a bigger deal than the Righteous and there’s always going to be a place for someone like Redbeard. Odds are Uncle Howdy is going to be here next and I’ve heard worse ideas. Good enough here, with Redbeard looking like the star.

Sidenote: are all of the other wrestlers that Syx took out (and there were a bunch of them) ever going to come for revenge? Or are they all just letting it slide?

Santino Marella says the Hardys are in charge of Impact this week. Oh that could be something and not necessarily in a good way.

We recap the World Title match, with Nic Nemeth defending against Leon Slater, who traded the X-Division Title for the shot. Nemeth is a legend and Slater is a young star who wants to be the youngest champion in the title’s history.

TNA World Title: Nic Nemeth vs. Leon Slater

Slater is challenging and after the Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. The grappling doesn’t go very far to start so Slater takes him into the corner for the right hands. Nemeth goes to the eyes to cut that off but a running clothesline puts him on the floor. The big running flip dive over the corner is loaded up but Nemeth moves away, leaving Slater to hit a regular dive instead.

A running forearm off the steps drops Nemeth again but he’s right back with a Fameasser for two back inside. Nemeth starts in on the knee and we’re off to the chinlock. That’s broken up and Slater dropkicks him into the corner, followed by a running spinwheel kick. The high crossbody gives Slater two but Nemeth is right back with the sleeper. After doing something that looks a lot like tapping, Slater slams his way to freedom and goes up.

Nemeth cuts that off too but gets crotched on top, setting up a spinning torture rack slam. Slater tries what appears to be a powerbomb but it’s reversed into a pinfall reversal sequence. The big DDT gives Nemeth two and they fight over a suplex until Nemeth is dropped out to the floor. Slater is knocked down on the floor as well and has to dive back inside to beat the count.

Nemeth’s superkick gets two and a top rope elbow connects, only for Slater to reverse into a crucifix for two more. A Skull Crushing Finale gives Nemeth another near fall and they’re both down. Slater wins an exchange of superkicks and the Swanton 450 gets a rather near fall. Another one hits raised knees to give Nemeth two and the Danger Zone gets the same. Back up and Slater sends him to the floor for the big running flip dive and a top rope splash (three fourths of the way across the ring) connects back inside. Another Swanton 450 makes Slater champion at 18:21.

Rating: B. It was a good, back and forth match with the young star getting the chance to shine. That’s a great thing to see, but it really didn’t feel like a big moment. Slater winning is cool and it definitely shakes things up a bit while getting away from the idea of the former Dolph Ziggler being World Champion in 2026. It’s the right move, but only so interesting for the most part.

Slater celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was kind of a weird show as it had good enough action, a bunch of title changes, including the big World Title change, and a few debuts, but it still didn’t feel that special. It’s like this was just doing a checklist of things you see on a major show but it only got so far. The gauntlet match really just pulled the life out of the show as it went on so long, which is a running problem with the thing. Overall it’s a good enough show and definitely feels like it could be the start of something better, but it only felt so special on the way there.

Results
Ricky Sosa b. Eddie Edwards – Head Shot
Amazing Red b. Fabian Aichner, Ryan Nemeth, BDE, Cedric Alexander, KC Navarro and Rich Swann – Code Red to Navarro
Shayna Baszler/Zoey Serrano b. Allie/Kiera Hogan – Kirifuda Clutch to Allie
Frankie Kazarian won the Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match last eliminating Trey Miguel
Jason Hotch b. John Skyler, Special Agent Zero and Mustafa Ali – Crucifix to Ali
Indi Hartwell b. Xia Brookside – Hurts Donut
Moose b. Max Caster – Spear
Syx b. Hardys – Powerbomb to Shaw onto Jeff
Leon Slater b. Nic Nemeth – Swanton 450

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It’s hard to believe but we’ve back to the biggest show of the year around here. That should be a good thing though the show only feels so important. Hopefully they have something to expand beyond the hype, though that isn’t exactly the company’s strong suit. The good thing is that the action should work out, which is indeed the company’s strong suit a lot of the time. Let’s get to it.

Moose vs. Max Caster

So this is the result of Moose’s open challenge as Caster seems to have officially jumped over to TNA. Granted I’m not sure if it’s a permanent move, but Caster is someone who could do well around here. If nothing else, he already has some star power and the rapping entrance could work on anyone. It pretty much has to be better than whatever Elias is doing anyway.

I’ll actually go with Caster winning here, likely with an assist from AJ Francis, who has been having issues with Moose in recent weeks. Francis and Caster seem like they could get together to do something good and it has to be better than whatever the other guy Francis has with him all the time can do. Anyway, Caster wins here and hopefully sticks around, as I’ve been missing him in AEW.

Knockouts Tag Team Title: Allie/Kiera Hogan(c) vs. Zoey Serrano/Shayna Baszler

This is a new one as Baszler appeared on the phone earlier this week and agreed to be Serrano’s partner. That makes sense as the two of them teamed together well enough in WWE and it’s not like there are a bunch of teams around here to challenge for the titles. That’s in addition to Allie and Hogan not even being the original champions after Rosemary’s latest…whatever it is this time.

I’ll go with the title change here, as it makes more sense to have the new team get the gold. If nothing else, it’s not like Allie and Hogan really need to be champions anyway, as they’re barely even a regular team. Go with some people who should have some better chemistry, which is something the division can use. Whenever Rosemary gets back, she and Allie can go for the belts again, but for now we need them to change hands.

Hardys vs. Syx

Ok it’s Syx. I keep getting the spelling wrong but it’s easier to think of them as just slightly less than Sean Waltman. Or does that make them the British pop band Five? Anyway, this is falls count anywhere as the Hardys have shifted from one weird cult team to another weird team with violent tendencies. They certainly have a type and now it seems like we’ll be in for a violent match.

Give me the Syx to win here, as there is no reason to think they should lose just after debuting. They’re the fresh act around here and need the win, which is what I’m thinking we’ll be seeing. Hopefully the company has learned from how things went with the Righteous, but you never can tell. Either way, it can be violent and entertaining, but the Hardys need to, and should, lose.

X-Division Title: Fabian Aichner vs. KC Navarro vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Rich Swann vs. Ryan Nemeth vs. BDE

This is for the vacant title and while I’d usually do an elimination deal and figure out who would be the best option, that’s really not the case here. Other than BDE, I could see any of them winning here, which makes things a lot more interesting. In this case you could see a few different options and I’m really not sure where to go. That’s a nice feeling, but not the easiest for predictions.

I think I’ll actually take Navarro, who has been built up for a long time but needs that big win. Getting the X-Division Title would be a good way to go and that would make for quite the upset. Aichner might make more sense and odds are it’s someone else entirely, but I’ll take Navarro to win here as the big underdog. Well not the biggest but bit enough to win here.

Ricky Sosa vs. Eddie Edwards

Sosa is in an interesting spot as he’s been around for a few months but hasn’t really gotten over the hump. That needs to change as he feels like he could be something bigger around here, as the company certainly needs the boost. In theory, the idea of putting him in there with Edwards will help him get that far, as it’s hardly some stretch of an idea. So will they go that way?

Yeah I think they will, as there’s pretty much no reason to have Edwards win here. Sosa is someone who has felt like a big prospect and it would be great to see him get a chance. Beating Edwards won’t turn him into the biggest star in the company, but it will give him some credibility and he can move on to something else. That’s what we should be seeing here as Sosa wins.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet

If Tommy Dreamer is in this thing, I’m going to…well probably complain about it in the review and keep watching. This isn’t a match that I tend to like most of the time, mainly because it’s for their version of the Money In The Bank contract. I’m assuming we know most of the people involved here and hopefully it doesn’t involve two winners like they did last year, which just made my head hurt.

Out of the names confirmed here, I think I’ll actually go with AJ Francis to win. He’s someone who could do something fun with the briefcase as the rather annoying villain and it’s not like many of the other options stand out. Oh yeah and Avery Styles is making his debut here. I would make a chair joke here but given the ticket sales, they probably don’t want that many chairs around.

Knockouts Title: Xia Brookside(c) vs. Indi Hartwell

This has been built up for a long time now and most of that has been about Hartwell finally getting her big moment to win the title on the most important stage. At the same time, that’s kind of depressing as Brookside has been getting better and better during her time as champion. I’m sure Daria Rae will be involved here somehow, because of course she is, but I’m not sure that’s enough.

Yeah it probably will be, as there is no reason to believe that Hartwell is going to lose here. She’s been built up as a big fan favorite and that has all of the makings of a title win. While I’d rather see Brookside get to keep going with the belt, it doesn’t seem likely to happen here. All roads seem to lead to Hartwell vs. Rae, for some reason, but Hartwell has to win first to make that happen (for the title at least) so we’ll assume that’s what happens here.

International Title: Mustafa Ali(c) vs. Jason Hotch vs. John Skyler vs. Special Agent Zero

I actually have no idea where this is going and I love that feeling. This is the match that has me the most confused, as it could go any of the four ways. Ali winning makes all the sense in in the world, but Zero winning feels like a possibility too. I’m not sure I can imagine either of the Great Hands actually winning the title (again in Skyler’s case) so that narrows things down a bit. I think.

As much as I’d like to see Zero win, I’ll go with what feels like the more realistic answer and say Ali wins. I’m not sure where that leaves him, but hopefully it points him more towards the main event scene. Then again I’ve been saying that for what feels like ever now and it hasn’t happened yet. For now though, Ali wins, even though that might be the least interesting of the four options.

TNA World Title: Nic Nemeth(c) vs. Leon Slater

Now, I don’t think there’s any secret to the story they’re telling here. The idea is that Slater is the young star who is getting the chance to take over the top spot in the company from the established veteran. It feels like a passing of the torch moment, but at the same time it really just does not feel like it has that much heat. That’s a really bad feeling going into this spot, but how important has this match really felt? I’m not sure if that’s enough to change the title, though that seems to be where we’re going.

I think I’ve talked myself out of it and I’ll take Nemeth retaining. It’s not interesting and it’s not something I want to see, but I don’t think Slater is quite ready yet. Having Slater win is certainly a possibility and it wouldn’t shock me if he did it, but this is hardly Josh Alexander or Mike Santana’s coronations as champion. Nemeth retains here, in a prediction that is already feeling wrong.

Overall Thoughts

As much talent as TNA has, they are not great at getting the hype going. Nothing on this show really feels that hot and that is a problem they’ve had for years now. The catch though is they have certainly figured out a way to make the shows work anyway, which will probably be the case here. This show has the importance baked in and if they can make the stuff they have work, it should be a good night. Just don’t have the gauntlet match go on forever, which has killed several Bound For Glorys past.

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Impact Wrestling
Date: October 8, 2026
Location: Boeing Center At Tech Port, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s the last show before Bound For Glory and that means we’re getting the last push to the biggest night of the year. In addition to the usual stuff, we also have the Tag Team Titles being defended, with the Nemeths putting the titles on the line against the Hardys. That should make for a big main event so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here are the Hardys, with Matt holding a pipe. They’re ready to win the Tag Team Titles tonight and take them on to Bound For Glory to face the Syks. The challenge is on for the Syks right now but here are the Nemeths to interrupt instead. They promise to keep the titles tonight but Matt disagrees, and Leon Slater is winning the World Title too. This brings out Slater, who agrees with Matt. Nic brings up the no contact clause but Slater says he’ll be watching tonight and thinks the Hardys are going to do some deleting.

Allie and Zoey Serrano get into it backstage and are quickly held apart.

Moose issues an open challenge for Bound For Glory.

Allie/Kiera Hogan vs. Ki Vibez/Alex Gracia

Non-title. Hogan and Vibez fight over wrist control with Vibez sending her into the ropes for a running hip attack. Gracia comes in and gets elbowed in the corner so it’s back to Vibez, who takes over for a bit. That’s broken up with a jawbreaker and it’s Hogan coming back in for the running hip attack in the corner. Vibez hits Gracia by mistake and it’s Face The Music to pin Gracia at 3:12.

Rating: C. Not much to this one, though the jobbers got in some offense for a change. That made things a bit more interesting and it was nice to see the champs continuing to gel together well enough. If Rosemary is gone for the long term, it’s smart to let them have this kind of chance, as it can go a long way.

Post match Allie and Hogan send out the challenge to Zoey Serrano to find a partner for Bound For Glory.

Frankie Kazarian preps Avery Styles for the Call Your Shot Gauntlet.

Bear Bronson/Frankie Kazarian/Elijah/Trey Miguel vs. AJ Francis/Hometown Man/Brian Myers/Joe Alonzo

Random teams and whomever gets the pin is the #20 entrant in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet, while the person who take the fall is in at #1. Kazarian and Man start things off but Myers wants in, which is a rather smart idea for a change. Myers shoulders him down and Kazarian is back up with a chop…to Bronson for the tag. That doesn’t work for Bronson, who does the same chop to Miguel, earning himself a running hurricanrana.

Everything breaks down and the brawl goes to the floor with Elijah and Man hitting a dive each as we take a break. We come back with Elijah fighting out of Francis’ bearhug. The rope walk Destroyer is broken up though and it’s Elijah getting caught in the wrong corner again. Elijah knocks Alonzo down without much trouble though and it’s Kazarian coming in with the springboard spinning legdrop.

Alonzo and Avery Styles get into it on the floor, leaving Kazarian to give Alonzo a slingshot cutter for two. Everything breaks down and Styles actually gives Alonzo a Spiral Tap for two, with Francis having to make the save. Miguel comes in to strike away at Francis, including a DDT. We get the parade of knockdowns with Francis spearing Miguel but Alonzo tags himself in and steals the pin at 12:42.

Rating: B. Good stuff here and Alonzo getting the spot is interesting, as he’s done well enough in his limited time thus far. If there’s something to him, let him see what he can do and find out what might be there. Miguel as the #1 entrant in the match should go well too as he can do well enough in that kind of spot. Everyone else is just kind of there, but that’s the point of a match like this.

The Righteous offer Harley Hudson their help in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet but she’s good.

We look at ODB winning the Knockouts Title way back in the day before her Hall Of Fame induction this weekend.

Mustafa Ali has the final Order 4 meeting, saying this is everyone’s last chance to say something. Jason Hotch is ready to hurt Mustafa Ali once and for all. John Skyler is sick of Ali, who he really doesn’t like. Tasha Steelz is ready for Special Agent Zero to wreck all of them. Ali promises to win and this was a clever enough way to go for the push towards the four way.

Knockouts TV Title: Elayna Black vs. M By Elegance

Elegance is defending on her own and backs her into the corner. Black avoids a big boot though and sends Elegance outside, where it’s time for an early breather. Back up and Black misses a Stomp, jamming her knee in the process. Elegance is fine enough to suplex her on the floor and knocks Black down for two more back inside. A northern lights suplex gives Elegance two and gets in a knee to the back. The apron boot gives Elegance two but Black backdrops her out to the floor for a breather.

Black makes the clothesline comeback and a stomp to the back gets two. The Blackout is blocked with a ram into the corner and a Samoan driver gives Elegance two more. Black grabs a gutwrench suplex of all things for two and it’s time to chase each other around on the floor. Back in and Black sweeps the leg for two and now the Blackout connects, leaving them both down. Black finally gets over for the cover and time expires at 10:00.

Rating: C+. The ending was a nice surprise there as I had forgotten about the time limit and they didn’t tease it at all so Black looks like she would have won with five more seconds. Odds are we’ll see a rematch between them and that’s only so good, as Black is still only so good in the ring. There’s just something off about her and if it doesn’t get better, I’m not sure how far her career is going around here.

Ricky Sosa says this weekend is going to be the biggest match of his career and he’s ready for Eddie Edwards.

We look at Amazing Red winning the X-Division Title back in the day before his Hall Of Fame induction.

Eddie Edwards gets rather fired up about Ricky Sosa’s comments and says Sosa will need every bullet in the gun to take him out.

Fabian Aichner vs. KC Navarro

Cedric Alexander is on commentary. They show respect to start and Aichner backs him into the corner for a pat on the head. Navarro is able to send him into the ropes but misses the 305. A missed charge sends Aichner to the floor, where he cuts off a dive to suplex Navarro onto the apron. Back in and Aichner grabs a waistlock, followed by a wheelbarrow suplex for two. Navarro gets up for a kick to the head and a frog splash connects for two more. Aichner muscles him up for a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker though and a sitout Last Ride finishes Navarro off at 5:04.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here but Aichner looked mostly dominant in his win. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him getting a bigger spot, including winning the title. At the same time, Navarro continues to feel like he’s the big underdog and him pulling off a bit upset wouldn’t be shocking.

Zoey Serrano calls someone to be her partner and the woman is in…and it’s Shayna Baszler.

We look at Konnan as the leader of LAX as he’s going into the Hall Of Fame this weekend as well.

Indi Hartwell talks about coming so close to winning the Knockouts Title last year at Bound For Glory but failed. Xia Brookside calls this an embarrassment and she’ll fail again this weekend. Hartwell promises to win, as does Brookside.

Bound For Glory rundown.

Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Nemeths

The Nemeths are defending and Leon Slater is on commentary. Matt elbows Ryan down to start and it’s off to Jeff for a basement dropkick. Nic comes in to save his brother but he gets sent into the wrong corner so Matt can take over. It’s already back to Ryan, who gets catapulted throat first into the bottom rope. Ryan gets the rams into various buckles and Nic comes in for the same as we take a break.

We come back with Matt fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a Side Effect to drop Ryan again. Jeff gets the tag to clean house, including a middle rope double clothesline for two. Poetry In Motion hits Nic, with Ryan making the save. Matt gets posted and it’s the Danger Zone to drop Jeff for two. Matt is back up with a Twist Of Fate each but the Syk’s flickering lights distract Jeff, meaning the Swanton is countered into a rollup to give Nic the pin at 13:18.

Rating: B-. This was more a matter of when would the Syk’s get involved rather than if and that’s…well it’s mostly ok at least, as you could go with them not caring about the titles. The violence should be fine enough on Sunday and while I would have liked Nic to not have two titles going into the main event of Bound For Glory, it’s probably better that he doesn’t lose. This was a big main event, but the interference was pretty telegraphed.

Post match Slater and Nic have a staredown and the lights go out, with Slater being knocked down. Nic denies doing it and the Syk are here to stand tall and end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show did a good job of getting Bound For Glory ready and that’s exactly what it was supposed to do. The card is all but set and now we’ll get to see what they are going to have at the biggest show of the year. TNA has had a lot of issues over the years but they have kept Bound For Glory strong, so hopefully that string continues this weekend. Good job here, which is a nice first step.

Results
Allie/Kiera Hogan b. Ki Vibez/Alex Gracia – Face The Music to Gracia
AJ Francis/Hometown Man/Brian Myers/Joe Alonzo b. Bear Bronson/Frankie Kazarian/Trey Miguel/Elijah – Spear to Trey Miguel
Elayna Black vs. M By Elegance went to a time limit draw
Fabian Aichner b. KC Navarro – Sitout Last Ride

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

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

NXT
Date: October 6, 2026
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Booker T., Vic Joseph

We’re less than a month away from Halloween Havoc and it’s time to start getting ready for the show. That means finding a new #1 contender, which still could be Mason Rook after he didn’t get his scheduled shot last week. We also have the Dusty Classic continuing, which should be some fun action. Let’s get to it.

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

We get a new opening sequence, with a new theme song.

Video on the battle royal for a future Women’s Title shot.

Birthright promises to win their matches tonight.

Zilla Fatu wants revenge on Birthright.

Zilla Fatu vs. Lexis King

The rest of Birthright is here with King, with Fatu jumping him to start fast. They get inside for the bell and Fatu blocks a drop toehold to throw him in the corner. Some headbutts connect in the corner so Birthright pulls King to the floor, with Fatu taking everyone out. Arianna Grace offers a distraction though, allowing King to get in a low blow as we take a break. We come back with King getting two off a Blockbuster and the chinlock goes on. Fatu gets up and hits a Samoan drop, followed by a running headbutt. Birthright interferes again so King gets in a superkick…which just annoys Fatu. The Triple Z finishes King at 9:18.

Rating: C+. Zilla is continuing to feel like a star and the fans are certainly seeming to be behind him. At the same time, that is only going to go so far if he’s stuck with Birthright. They aren’t the biggest stars and even the whole team don’t feel like they combine to become a threat to him. Hopefully he wraps this up soon and moves on to someone bigger, which shouldn’t be that hard.

Post match Birthright jumps Fatu, with Charlie Dempsey chairing him down. Fatu’s hand gets crushed in the steps to leave him laying.

Kelani Jordan doesn’t like the #1 contenders battle royal. Chantel Monroe and Layla Diggs both come in to say they’ll be winning.

Dion Lennox talks about how people connect with Cruz Montana but the truth is Montana took the easy path. Lennox is completely natural and he has made the right decisions every day, which is the real difficult path. Yeah he wanted to just party with his friends but he kept working to get to his goal. Montana beat his addiction, but Montana will never beat him.

Montana runs into Lizzy Rain and gives her a pep talk before the battle royal. TNA Knockouts Champion Xia Brookside comes in to say that Montana has changed. Montana looks at Brookside, who has gone from good to evil in the last few months and says “I’ve changed?” I’m not sure how to handle a wrestler with a memory.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Hank & Tank vs. Shido Ash/Viktor Zanov

Ash and Zanov are judo fighters from Evolve. Ash grabs a guillotine choke on Hank to start and sends him down into the corner. Zanov comes in to power Tank into the corner, with Hank being sent next to him and we take a break. We come back with a powerslam getting two on Hank as everything breaks down.

Tank comes in off a diving tag and gets to clean house, with Ash being thrown over the announcers’ table. Back in and Hank hits a Swanton on Zanov but Ash breaks up…whatever Hank & Tank had planned. That earns Ash a trip to the floor and a dive, followed by the double standing splash to Zanov. The powerslam/running neckbreaker combination finishes Zanov at 8:47.

Rating: B-. They did a good job of making me wonder who was winning here, as Ash and Zanov felt like a pair of monsters who were a threat to the bigger team. Having Hank & Tank cowering in the corner with no idea what to do against them was a great visual. At the same time, it’s probably a bit much to have the new guys beat the former champions so this went as it should have.

Birthright has attacked Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux in the back to take them out of the Dusty Classic.

Here is Grayson Waller for a chat. Waller: “And still!” Waller talks about how much he’s changed and now it’s about titles instead of fights and clicks. Last week he beat EK Prosper, who crushed it in his first title match. Prosper is welcome for the Grayson Waller rub and now he wants a new challenger. This brings out Myles Borne, who says he deserves to be a champion and is ready now that he doesn’t have to carry Tavion Heights.

Waller says it’s nice to have someone paying attention to him but Tony D’Angelo interrupts. D’Angelo says Borne is picking a bad time to have some guts and cuts Borne off for responding. Waller repeats what D’Angelo said to him a few weeks ago by having the two of them fight for a title shot. Borne decks D’Angelo, seemingly with a loaded fist. Borne is feeling like he belongs here and he certainly has the resume to be in the title picture.

William Regal comes up to EK Prosper in the back and praises him for his efforts last week in a rather nice pep talk. Prosper leaves and Robert Stone comes in to suggest Birthright get in the Dusty Classic, with Stone reluctantly agreeing.

Shiloh Hill vs. Naraku

They fight over a lockup to start and Hill grabs some slams to take over early on. A flying shoulder drops Naraku again but he’s right back with a belly to back suplex. Naraku knocks him outside so Hill fights back and they head inside again. A double clothesline leaves both of them down and we take a break.

We come back Hill getting two off a top rope clothesline but Naraku grabs a faceplant. The crossface has Hill in more trouble until he makes a rope so Naraku gives him a fireman’s carry powerbomb for two. Hill knocks him down again and hammers away but he has to block the mist. Said mist hits the referee instead and that’s a DQ to give Hill the win at 10:57.

Rating: B-. Normally the ending would have been annoying but the mist has been the point of their feud so it makes perfect sense for the whole thing. Hill continues to show off his odd charisma and it makes for a fun star to watch. On the other hand you have Naraku, who feels dangerous enough but he’s still trying to find his place around here.

Post match they brawl to the back.

We go back to Kendal Grey’s therapy, who wants to be in the battle royal tonight but she only has herself to blame for her injuries. She’s always this hard on herself and the people don’t see her obsessing with the mistakes. So she won’t let herself make mistakes, but that makes for a hard life as she’s her own biggest opponent. She needs to change that and she’s starting to like these therapy sessions. The therapist says they should be done for now though, as she’s done all she needs to do.

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round: Birthright vs. Tokyo Bad Boys

This is a different Birthright lineup (Charlie Dempsey/Lexis King) than the one already eliminated. The Boys (Kento/Takuma) are from AAA and it’s Kento trading arm cranking with Dempsey to start. A headscissors is broken up, as is Dempsey’s surfboard so it’s off to Takuma. King tags himself in and gets taken down with a running hurricanrana, with Takuma hitting a great looking springboard moonsault to the floor.

A double springboard is broken up though and King gets to take over on Kento back inside. That doesn’t last long either though as it’s Takuma in for an Eat Defeat. Dempsey catches Takuma on top though and it’s a butterfly superplex, followed by a toss into the post. The reverse fisherman’s suplex finishes Takuma at 4:36.

Rating: C+. This was a bit of a weird way to go but there wasn’t much of a reason for the Bad Boys to win. They’re unknowns around here and the whole point was Birthright stealing the tournament spot. If that means more of Regal doing something on the show then I approve, though Birthright continues to not be the most thrilling team in the ring.

Post match Birthright jumps on commentary to brag about their win.

Myles Borne is ready to take out Tony D’Angelo and move on to the title match at Halloween Havoc.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Battle Royal

Izzi Dame, Indi Hartwell, Xia Brookside, Layla Diggs, Chantel Monroe, Nikkita Lyons, M By Elegance, Heather By Elegance, La Catalina, Lizzy Rain, Kali Armstrong, Arianna Grace, Zaria, Skylar Raye, Ivy Nile, Kiana James, Thea Hail, Lady Shani, Reina Volcan, Adelicious

Non-title and for a Women’s Title shot. Diggs is thrown out almost immediately and Zaria actually eliminates Dame, who tries to get back in and has to be carried to the back. Volcan sends Raye and Adelicious into each other and everyone brawls near or on the ropes. Adelicious and Raye wind up on the apron, with Volcan knocking both of them out. We take a break and come back with the brawling continuing. Grace tries to join the Elegance Brand and gets tossed, but Hail knocks out both Elegances.

We’re down to 12 (thanks graphic) and Rain is sent to the apron but saves herself. Volcan shoves a bunch of people away but doesn’t bother to eliminate any of them. Rain and Nile fight on the apron with Rain managing to knock her out. That’s not all though as Rain is smart enough to have everyone get rid of Volcan for the important elimination. Volcan isn’t happy though and pulls Shani out underneath the ropes (not eliminated) for a powerslam on the floor.

We take another break and come back with Hartwell and Zaria having a big staredown. That’s broken up and Zaria gets to wreck various people. This includes Izzi Dame again, as she charges back in and is tossed right back over the top. Zaria yells down at Dame and gets eliminated by Armstrong. Dame and Zaria brawl off and Hartwell eliminates Brookside, who pulls Hartwell out from the floor and they have a brawl of their own. Hail and James brawl on the apron, with Hail being knocked out.

So we’re down to Catalina, James, Rain and Armstrong (and Shani on the floor, which feels rather suspicious, though that might just be the mask). Rain kicks Catalina in the face by mistake and gets spinebustered by Armstrong. Catalina is back up for the rapid fire running hip attacks in the corner.

Armstrong isn’t having that though and tosses her out, followed by a powerslam to Rain. James is still on the apron and gets knocked out, leaving us with Rain and Armstrong in the ring. Rain clotheslines Armstrong to the apron and they both have to hang on, only to get back to their feet. They kick it out on the apron, with Armstrong knocking her out…but Shani is in to toss Armstrong for the win at 21:48.

Rating: B-. It’s a battle royal, so you kind of know what to expect. Shani being on the floor for so long was a bit of a giveaway but at least commentary acknowledged that she was still in so it wasn’t treated as a surprise. I’m not sure what they’re doing with Shani as a challenger, but it’s not like anyone but Kendal Grey would have made much sense here anyway.

Post match Kelani Jordan is on the platform to look down at Shani….who unmasks as Wren Sinclair. She had been suspended but apparently is #1 contender anyway. Again, points for acknowledging it and you can easily write that off with Robert Stone allowing her back for the match. Points for a nice moment, even though the fans knew who it was way before the unmasking.

Overall Rating: B-. Well, they started the build to Halloween Havoc in a hurry here and it worked out pretty nicely. We have the Women’s Title match set with a fresh challenger and the NXT Title match will be set next week. The Dusty Classic was good enough to carry the rest of the show, though we’re still waiting to see what kind of creepy Halloween stuff the show will have. For now though, it’s a good first step and that’s a rather necessary thing to have.

Results
Zilla Fatu b. Lexis King – Triple Z
Hank & Tank b. Shido Ash/Viktor Zanov – Powerslam/running neckbreaker combination to Zanov
Shiloh Hill b. Naraku via DQ when Naraku misted the referee
Birthright b. Tokyo Bad Boys – Reverse fisherman’s suplex to Takuma
Lady Shani won a battle royal last eliminating Kali Armstrong

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 1, 2026
Location: Boeing Center At Tech Port, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re only a few weeks away from Bound For Glory and last week saw the reveal of the Syk as the recent mystery attackers. That should open up a big showdown with the Hardys at Bound For Glory, but we have some other things to cover. That includes more on Nic Nemeth vs. Leon Slater so let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Pac.

X-Division Title Qualifying Match: BDE vs. Mr. Elegance

BDE starts fast with a springboard crossbody and an armdrag sends Elegance outside. Back in and BDE misses a springboard to let Elegance take over, including a cravate. Some rolling suplexes give Elegance two but the wind up DDT is blocked. BDE can’t get his Kliq Cutter but he can get a sunset flip to pin Elegance at 4:30.

Rating: C. The match was what you would expect but BDE getting a win does actually feel like a nice moment. He’s never going to be a big star but they’ve put something into the idea that he’s worked so hard to get here and he finally beat someone. It’s not like Elegance is going to lose anything by being beaten here anyway as he’s just a goofy villain so nice job here.

John Skyler and Jason Hotch have to team together tonight and Hotch is a bit condescending about Mila Moore. Skyler talks about how he had nothing and finally found someone but Hotch can’t be happy for him. Tonight, he hopes Skyler will be in his corner.

The Hometown Man meets the Dude Wipes mascot but AJ Francis comes in to steal the wipes that the mascot gave to the Man.

Zoey Serrano vs. Indi Hartwell

Xia Brookside is on commentary. The brawl starts on the floor with both of them being rammed into the apron. They get inside with Hartwell in control and the bell rings. Serrano is up with a superkick and half nelson suplex to put Hartwell down. Some big crossface shots have Hartwell in more trouble but she spinebusters Serrano out of the air. They head outside again, with Hartwell being sent into the steps. That’s not enough for Serrano, who kicks a security guard in the face and then hits Hartwell with a chair for the DQ at 3:04.

Rating: C. This was more of an angle than a match but I do like the ending, as you don’t want either of them taking a pin right now. Serrano is doing something different by being the unhinged woman who attacks random people while Hartwell is on her way to the title match at Bound For Glory. It was kept rather short, which granted might not be a bad idea.

Post match Serrano unloads on Hartwell with the chair and Brookside belts Hartwell in the head to stand as tall as she can.

Order 4 vs. Great Hands

Tasha Steelz and Mila Moore are here too. Ali dropkicks Skyler off the apron to start and flips over Hotch in the corner. A missed charge puts Ali on the floor though and Hotch takes him out with a moonsault. That just earns him a gorilla press drop onto the apron from Zero though and Ali DDTs him onto the floor.

Skyler is up with a pair of spears to Ali and the Hands are back up, only to get clotheslined outside by Zero. The big no hands dive takes them out again and a spinebuster gets two on Hotch back inside. The swinging Downward Spiral plants Hotch for two more and Zero knocks Skyler off the apron.

Ali’s chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s a sitout powerbomb to put him down. That’s enough for the tag back to Skyler and the Hands get together to take Zero down. The double superplex is broken up though and it’s a double powerbomb to drop the Hands again. Back up and Hotch knocks Zero to the floor, leaving Ali to miss a 450. The slingshot spear gives Skyler two but Ali is right back with a Sharpshooter for the tap at 11:41.

Rating: B. It’s nice to see the Great Hands back together, as they’re rather talented when they get to work together. At the same time, it should be interesting to see where this goes. I was surprised to see the Hands lose here, though it wouldn’t make the most sense to have Ali lose in a tag match and Zero losing getting pinned again wouldn’t be a great idea either.

Post match Ali won’t let go so Skyler makes the save. Ali makes Zero take Hotch out again and then yells at Zero….so Steelz tells Zero to take Ali out. That’s exactly what Zero does, followed by a chokebomb to Moore.

Post break the four of them get in a big brawl but Santino Marella comes in to make a four way International Title match for Bound For Glory.

AJ Francis vs. Moose

Francis, with Expressions, splashes him to start fast and avoids a charge in the corner to put Moose down. They’re quickly on the floor with Francis sending him into the steps but it’s too early for the Down Payment back inside. Moose kicks him in the face but Francis is right back with a suplex into the chinlock. That’s broken up as well so Moose goes up, where he is quickly crotched.

Moose manages to shove him off the top and hit a high crossbody, setting up a top rope superplex to send Francis crashing back down for two. The spear is broken up by an Expressions distraction and Francis’ spear gets two. The villains load up the table, which is then covered with Dude Wipes, so the Dude Wipes mascot gets inside (oh boy). Expressions gets kicked through the table so Moose goes after the mascot, meaning Moose can get in the spear for the pin at 7:50.

Rating: C. The focus of this match was an inflated box of wipes in underwear. I’m well aware that the company got a nice check for this but that doesn’t make for good television. As for the match itself, it was a fine power fight between two big guys, but it was kind of hard to get the focus on that with everything else going on.

Rosemary and Kiera Hogan go to meet Rosemary, who isn’t sure if this is real and says she can’t go back. Rosemary rams herself into a chain link fence and warns them of SNAKES IN THE GRASS before wandering off.

Joe Alonzo vs. Leon Slater

Before the match, Alonzo says his own name a lot and says Slater isn’t going to win the title. He references Nic Nemeth (on commentary) from 2006 and says that Slater isn’t going to take away his spot while promising to take away Slater’s Bound For Glory spot. The bell rings and Slater better beat him in about 30 seconds. A leg lariat and the Swanton 450 finish Alonzo at 21 seconds. There we go!

Post match Nemeth steals Slater’s jacket…so Slater steals Nemeth’s titles. Keeping Slater looking smart is an important idea and they’re doing well.

We look at Frankie Kazarian training Avery Styles.

Elayna Black comes in to see the Elegance Brand and promises to take the Knockouts TV Title. Black mocks the Elegance Brand, with M saying she doesn’t need them. That’s enough for Black to get her to agree to not have the Brand next week. The Personal Concierge points out that might be a bad idea.

Ricky Sosa vs. Cedric Alexander

Sosa backs him up against the ropes for a clean break to start and then grabs a quick northern lights suplex. Alexander is knocked to the floor for a big no hands dive as we take a break. We come back with Alexander hitting a basement dropkick and sending Sosa outside. The chinlock goes on back inside, which is broken up just as fast.

Sosa flips over him out of the corner and…I think DDTs him out of the air for two. Alexander is right back with a suplex but springboards into a Blue Thunder Bomb. Cue the System for a distraction, which is cut off just as fast. Alisha Edwards offers a distraction though and here is Eddie Edwards to kick Sosa low. The Lumbar Check finishes Sosa at 9:57.

Rating: B-. They’re doing a nice job of setting Sosa up for his big win over Eddie at Bound For Glory and that should make for a good moment. Sosa hasn’t quite broken through as a star around here yet but the fans like him. Let him have the moment on the big stage and see where he can go. Eddie is as smart of a choice to make him look good in the ring so the pieces are in the right place from here.

Here is the Syx for their first big speech. Shaw says “we’re here” and says now you know who the attackers have been, but why? This is a rotten place and sometimes a place is so rotten that it has to be cut apart. Sawyer says it doesn’t matter who you are around here because you’re on the chopping block. The Hardys have survived everything over the years and that just means the Syx get to try it again. Now we get to see how hard it is to kill them.

Cue the Hardys, who say they’re still standing because they’re unkillable and will not die. If the Syx want to find out how hard they are to kill, let’s do it at Bound For Glory, anything goes and falls count anywhere. The Hardys are ready to go right now but Syx bail to end the show. You knew the match was coming so just announcing it quickly is the way to go. At the same time, are we really having the former Wyatts pick up the Eric Young sickness deal?

Overall Rating: B-. This was the kind of show that the company needed for Bound For Glory, as we’re getting closer to the show and they were running out of time to build everything up. That’s what they did here, with most of the matches getting at least some time. They still have one more week to finalize everything and it should be interesting to see how they put everything together. This is the most important time of the year and I’m curious to see how they make it work. This week’s show did some good stuff and that’s a positive step forward.

Results
BDE b. Mr. Elegance – Sunset flip
Indi Hartwell b. Zoey Serrano when Serrano used a chair
Order 4 b. Great Hands – Sharpshooter to Skyler
Moose b. AJ Francis – Spear
Leon Slater b. Joe Alonzo – Swanton 450
Cedric Alexander b. Ricky Sosa – Lumbar Check

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 24, 2026
Location: Boeing Center At Tech Port, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

It’s a fresh set of tapings and that means that Jeff Hardy could be back after his recent attack. The interesting twist from last week was the reveal that there have been multiple attackers, which could make for an even bigger reveal. Granted we’re not sure when that will be but it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if we did. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Leon Slater to get things going. Slater is a bit shaken up because last week he had to….share the ring with RYAN NEMETH. He knows he can beat Nic Nemeth and wants to do the World Title match right now. Cue Nic, who laughs off the idea of being scared of Slater. Nic promises that the Nemeths are going to be in charge for a long time and here is Ryan behind him.

Nic mocks Slater for not having a father around to teach him lessons, with Slater saying he knows Ryan is behind him. The brawl is on and here is Santino Marella to say this can’t happen until Bound For Glory, so if there is any contact, the title, or the title shot, is gone. Slater looked good and smart here, which is what he needs to do.

Matt Hardy knows there are at least two attackers and Jeff Hardy is back. Matt wants to know who they are and they’ll be in the ring to meet them face to face in an hour.

Indi Hartwell comes up to Daria Rae and says she’s not scared of Rae. That earns her a slap, as filmed by Santino Marella, who is sending it to the board. Well that sounds entrapment-esque.

X-Division Title Qualifying Match: Ryan Nemeth vs. KJ Orso

Orso kicks at the arm to start and gets two off a suplex. Another go at the arm earns Orso a pull out to the floor and the chinlock goes on back inside. Back up and Nemeth sends him hard into the corner for two and we’re back to the chinlock. Orso fights up and goes for the arm again but settles for a springboard moonsault.

A basement superkick sets up the Orso Driver (kind of a hammerlock fisherman’s driver) for two but Nemeth is back with a jumping DDT for the same. Orso pulls him into the KJ (cobra) Clutch, which is broken up rather quickly. Nemeth sends Orso shoulder first into the post and hits the Hollywood Ending for the pin at 6:42.

Rating: C+. I’ve seen far worse than Orso, who is a big deal in GCW and far better known as a loudmouthed villain than being a pretty run of the mill X-Division guy. That being said, Orso looked pretty nice in there and as you’ve probably seen, TNA could use all the help they can get. There are weaker options than Orso, who did a nice job in his first match, especially against the limited Nemeth.

Rosemary is in a straitjacket and is being talked to by…..I’m assuming Rosemary but it might have been Courtney Rush. Either way, the non-confined one wants to start at the beginning.

Mustafa Ali yells at Order 4 for coming back to defend the title in a triple threat. He blames Mila Moore, with John Skyler standing up for her. Ali storms off and Moore is thankful.

Hernandez is here. Dang there’s a name that could have been a bigger deal.

Righteous vs. BDE/Rich Swann

This is a Dot Combat match, which basically means hardcore. It’s a brawl to start and Vincent’s sliding Downward Spiral gets an early two. Swann is back in to help take over and BDE…attaches a controller to the back of his trunks to make Swann beat on Dutch with a chair. Cute idea, but maybe not the right place for it (and I wouldn’t have even known what it was without commentary explaining the joke). Dutch beats BDE up the ramp and gives him a brainbuster onto the knee as we take a break.

We come back with Swann and Vincent standing on open chairs in the ring, with Vincent getting in a faceplant onto another chair for two. Dutch is back in to wedge a chair in the corner and naturally misses a charge into the chair. Some superkicks and a double cutter take Dutch down and of course it’s time for a table. Vincent is back up and gets cuttered by BDE, whose slingshot dive is pulled out of the air. Swann takes the bullet through the table though, leaving BDE to cutter Vincent (again) and hit a frog splash for two as Dutch makes the save. Back in and a quick Orange Sunshine gives Vincent the pin on BDE at 12:33.

Rating: B-. This was about what you would have expected and while it’s pretty low stakes, at least the Righteous got to win a feud. That’s been missing since their debut as they spent the better part of ever losing to the Hardys. BDE is going to win something eventually, though it would be nice if he could lay off the cutters for a bit. Throw something new in there.

Post match a chair is wrapped around BDE’s neck and Vincent uses another chair to smash it.

Frankie Kazarian has put Avery Styles sin the Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match for his debut match. Styles is happy, even with Kazarian in the match too.

Santino Marella has shown the Daria Rae footage to the Board and Rae is suspended. As a result, Indi Hartwell gets a Knockouts Title shot at Bound For Glory. This brings in Xia Brookside (who was apparently standing about four inches away) to protest, which gets her nowhere.

Here are the Hardys to find out who attacked them. The video screen starts flickering and the attackers jump the Hardys in the darkness. The lights come up and it’s….Samuel Shaw (Dexter Lumis and formerly of TNA) and Joseph Sawyer (Joe Gacy) who are now apparently called Syx. Hannifan: “They’re here.” Subtle.

Eddie Edwards vs. Elijah

Alisha Edwards is here with Eddie. Elijah takes him down with an early chinlock before getting in a running knee. Walk With Elijah is cut off by an Alisha distraction though and Eddie pulls him down. Some chops have Elijah in trouble but he counters the tiger driver into an Alabama Slam. A corkscrew faceplant sets up Walk With Elijah for two and the jumping knee gets two. Cue the rest of the System for a distraction so Ricky Sosa comes in to even things out a bit. That’s enough for the Highwayman’s Farewell to give Elijah the pin at 6:37.

Rating: C+. I was surprised at the result here as you wouldn’t expect Eddie to lose going into Bound For Glory. It gives Eddie another reason to be mad at Sosa though and now we get to see where it goes. Elijah is pretty likely going into the Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match so the win here wasn’t exactly necessary. Either way, not bad.

Moose is interrupted by AJ Francis, who says he’s the real franchise around here. The challenge is made and accepted.

Gabby Forza vs. Elayna Black vs. Jada Stone vs. Harley Hudson

For a future Knockouts TV Title shot. Forza clears the ring to start but Black catches her with a running boot in the corner. Stone misses a charge and gets caught with a basement dropkick, leaving Hudson and Forza to hit stereo fall away slams. Forza loads up a superplex to Stone, with the other two coming up to make it a triple. Cue the Elegance Brand to watch as Stone is up with the Spark Stunner to Forza. Black grabs the Blackout to pin Stone at 5:02.

Rating: C+. They only had so much time here and it wasn’t clear who was getting the shot. Stone has gotten a heck of a push in the last few months but Black has seemed like a bigger project. Her face turn has been a much needed upgrade for her and I could go for her winning the title to finally do SOMETHING around here. Forza…well she’s so odd that I can easily go for having her around more often. Hudson is feeling more like a regular here and that’s a good thing too.

Mila Moore thanks John Skyler for his help again. Skyler says she deserves better but Mustafa Ali comes in to yell at them. Moore quits the team…and Skyler quits too. Well at least Moore says he does as she drags him away with her.

Zoey Serrano is on the phone (presumably with Daria Rae) and promises that Indi Hartwell won’t make it to Bound For Glory.

International Title: Trey Miguel vs. Jason Hotch vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali, with Tasha Steelz, is defending. Hotch jumps on Ali to hammer away to start with Miguel breaking it up and following Ali to the floor. That means a double stomping has Ali in more trouble, with Hotch giving him a tornado DDT on the floor. The challengers start brawling on the floor and of course Ali is there with a running flip dive as we take a break.

We come back with Hotch running the corner for a double Spanish Fly and everyone is down. Hotch is back up first and tries a tornado DDT on Ali…who lands on Miguel, allowing Hotch to give Miguel a Destroyer. Ali pops up with a piledriver for two on Hotch but stops to sing Happy Birthday (as Hotch’s daughter turns three today).

Miguel is back up with a top rope Meteora for two on Ali so Hotch gives them a double rolling DDT. A brainbuster/DDT combination drops Miguel and Ali again and Miguel is sent outside. Ali has Steelz bring in the title but uses it to pull her in the way of Hotch’s top rope double stomp. A belt shot to Miguel retains the title at 13:54.

Rating: B. Some of the spots in here were nuts and Hotch continues to feel like he belongs at this level. At the same time, Ali continues to feel like he should be in the main event scene and just isn’t because of whatever reason. Maybe he comes after a newly crowned Leon Slater later in the winter, as it’s not like there’s much of a reason for him to stay out of the title picture.

Post match Ali picks up Steelz to carry her to the back…and then drops her to pose with the title. That’s amazing.

The Hardys swear vengeance on Syx to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The best thing about TNA right now is they have a focus. Bound For Glory is coming and they are using their time to make the show feel as important as possible. That’s been lacking for a little while now and what they’re doing is starting to work. Hopefully they can keep it going for the next few weeks, as they could use a good top show of the year. This was a nice edition to build towards that show and I’m more interested in what’s coming at Bound For Glory than I was coming in, which makes this a success.

Results
Ryan Nemeth b. KJ Orso – Hollywood Ending
Righteous b. BDE/Rich Swann – Orange Sunshine to BDE
Elijah b. Eddie Edwards – Highwayman’s Farewell
Elayna Black b. Gabby Forza, Harley Hudson and Jada Stone – Blackout to Stone
Mustafa Ali b. Trey Miguel and Jason Hotch – Belt shot to Miguel

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 10, 2026
Location: CAA Center, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We have just over a month to go before Bound For Glory but the bigger story around here seems to be a mystery attacker. Someone has been taking out wrestlers left and right and some accusations have set up Nic Nemeth vs. Matt Hardy in a No DQ match. That should serve as a main event, though I’m not sure how good the service will be. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Elayna Black vs. Heather By Elegance

The Elegance Brand is here with Heather. Black starts fast with some knees to put Heather on the floor but she switches places to hit Black with a crossbody from the apron. Back in and Heather cranks on the arm before posing a bit. A Samoan drop gives Heather two but Black is back up with a running knee in the corner. The Blackout finishes Heather at 5:23.

Rating: C. Well, at least Black got a clean win over a name. That’s something she’s been lacking for a long time now and this could be a nice step forward for her. It’s not like the division doesn’t need some fresh blood so maybe this can help. If nothing else, Heather losing and getting frustrated is always worth a look.

Ryan Nemeth says he was attacked last week by the mystery attacker but Nic Nemeth was there to help him out.

Jason Hotch runs into Daria Rae, who puts him in a match with Special Agent Zero. Oh and Mila Moore can be guest referee.

Here is Frankie Kazarian, with Avery Styles, for the King’s Speech. Tonight is a coronation as Kazarian is officially the new face of the franchise after beating Moose. He is the only King Of TNA and has a crown, but here is Moose to interrupt. Moose says Kazarian got lucky to win at Lockdown because it was Moose’s spear that let Kazarian escape. That’s why Moose wants to face him again, one fall, pinfall or submission. Kazarian says no, so Moose says Kazarian has to win to prove himself to the locker room. The match is on, but Moose has to put his career on the line. Deal. Well that escalated quickly.

Gabby Forza is rather fired up for her Knockouts Title shot.

X-Division Title Qualifying Match: Rohit Raju vs. Fabian Aichner

KC Navarro is on commentary. Aichner powers him down to start and we hit the early headlock. Raju goes to the eye and knocks him outside for a ram into the steps, followed by a double stomp for two back inside. Aichner wastes no time in fighting back and getting two off a middle rope moonsault. Back up and Raju knocks him right back down, followed by a tornado DDT out of the corner for two. That’s shrugged off and Hasta La Vista (the sitout Last Ride) finishes for Aichner at 5:40.

Rating: C+. I like the finisher, as there is always something to that big of a powerbomb, though this was as much of a formality as you can get. Raju has never been much to see around here and he was little more than a flashback on this show. Aichner has been presented as a newcomer worth watching for a bit now and he needed this kind of a win to get into a big match at Bound For Glory.

Zoey Serrano talks about growing up a wrestling fan and how getting into the business changed her life forever. She’s going to stay true to herself, which is being the best wrestler in the world. I’ve heard a lot worse.

Special Agent Zero vs. Jason Hotch

Mila Moore is guest referee and Order 4 is at ringside. Zero jumps him to start fast and sends him flying off a hiptoss. Another whip sends Hotch hard into the corner and a big legdrop gives Zero two. A jumping enziguri gives Hotch…well nothing as Moore is taking her time on the counting. Zero’s clothesline gets a rather speedy two so Hotch yells at Moore, earning himself a headbutt to put him down again.

Hotch manages to reverse a suplex into a swinging DDT and a frog splash gets nothing again, as Moore checks her nails. This time Tasha Steelz gets in the ring for the brawl with Moore, whose shirt is ripped off. Steelz designates herself referee and counts the fastest pin in history off a rollup to give Hotch the pin at 6:34.

Rating: C+. It’s a story that has been done for years in wrestling and they didn’t exactly reinvent the wheel here. I do like that Hotch got another win and isn’t having his singles run dropped. He’s an intriguing talent and if they can build something out of him, why not see what they can put together.

Leon Slater comes up to Matt Hardy and wishes him luck on the main event. Slater runs into Jason Hotch and pleasantries are exchanged.

Knockouts Title: Gabby Forza vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside is defending but doesn’t have a gnome cap or Legion Of Doom shoulder pads, meaning advantage: Forza. The fans get behind Forza, who gets caught with a rather aggressive headlock. Some forearms knock Forza into the corner and the running hip attack keeps her down. The Broken Wings connect but Forza pulls her into the corner for a crash.

Some clotheslines, both standing and running, connect for Forza in the corner and an Oklahoma Stampede gets two. A Vader Bomb connects as well, with Brookside getting her foot on the rope. That’s enough for Brookside to leave but Indi Hartwell cuts her off. Cue Daria Rae to yell at Hartwell, allowing Brookside to get in a belt shot to retain at 5:40.

Rating: C. The matches aren’t exactly getting time tonight and that was hardly the most thrilling ending. Forza has charisma for days, but she might want to tone down a bit of the comedy stuff. The idea is funny, but if that becomes the focus of what she’s doing, it won’t wind up working very long.

Kiera Hogan, with Allie, is ready to win the Knockouts TV Title next week.

Here is Elijah for some music. His song this week is about the System, who comes out to interrupt and warn him to stay out of their way. The System has a list of people they don’t like, starting with Ricky Sosa. Elijah would be glad to be on that list so here is Sosa to chase the System off. The tag match is set for next week.

Matt Hardy is visited by Willow, who apparently is just in Matt’s mind.

Leon Slater has been attacked.

Vincent vs. Rich Swann

Dutch is here with Vincent and Swann charges right in to start swinging away fast. Vincent fights back and takes over, with a backbreaker leaving Swann in trouble. Swann’s comeback is cut off as he gets knocked into the corner but comes out swinging. A dive to the floor hits Dutch and Swann goes back inside, where the referee gets bumped. Swann is knocked down as well and here is BDE, all in white like the Righteous. BDE picks Swann up and then cutters Vincent, allowing Swann to hit the Phoenix splash for the win at 5:18.

Rating: C+. Well at least they didn’t waste time on this “will he/won’t he” thing with BDE, who is still only so valuable in the first place. The Righteous continues to have issues with finding any kind of success and I’m rather fine with that. After seeing them against the Hardys for so long, I could go for a bit of a break from them, though thankfully this is at least a fresh story.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

TNA World Title: Matt Hardy vs. Nic Nemeth

Nemeth is defending and there are no disqualifications. They waste no time in fighting out to the floor and Nemeth has to put a table back underneath the ring. That doesn’t work for Matt, who leans it against the ring and suplexes Nemeth through it as we take a break. We come back with Nemeth getting two off a superplex and sending Hardy into a chair in the corner.

Hardy avoids being sent through a table in the corner and gets in a clothesline to put both of them down. The multiple rams into the buckles have Nemeth in more trouble and Hardy whips him through the table (with the first attempt not breaking anything). The Twist Of Fate connects but Ryan Nemeth pulls the referee at two. Hardy elbows Nemeth through the table at ringside but walks into a low blow for two back inside. Hardy’s low blow and small package get two so Nemeth hits him with a wrench to retain at 13:17.

Rating: B-. This was a weird one as it was a fine enough hardcore match/street fight and the idea of Hardy being outnumbered and ultimately losing as a result. The problem is Hardy was moving in slow motion at times and the match doesn’t exactly feel like must see TV. They had the match you would have expected, but dang it felt like quite the TNA main event.

Overall Rating: C+. Outside of the main event, this was a bunch of pretty quick matches, though they did a good job of moving stories forward. The mystery attacker feels like it could be a big reveal, though I’m almost worried about how it might be. Otherwise, I do like some of the new names that they’re bringing along and it could make for a nice future. The pieces are there but they have to get the execution to work, which is always the hard part.

Results
Elayna Black b. Heather By Elegance – Blackout
Fabian Aichner b. Rohit Raju – Hasta La Vista
Jason Hotch b. Special Agent Zero – Rollup with a fast count
Xia Brookside b. Gabby Forza – Belt shot
Rich Swann b. Vincent – Phoenix splash
Nic Nemeth b. Matt Hardy – Wrench to the head

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 3, 2026
Location: CAA Center, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re still on the long road to Bound For Glory and the card is already starting to come together. The World Title match is set, with Leon Slater challenging Nic Nemeth via Option C, though it means we’ll be needing to crown a new X-Division Champion. That process starts tonight so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Matt Hardy to get things going. The Hardys are known as the Goats and the TNA Tag Team Titles mean the world to them. They’re already planning to get the titles back but Jeff is in the hospital. So who would have done that to him? Of course it’s the Nemeths, who know that the Hardys have a rematch for the titles. Cue the Nemeths, with Nic denying taking Jeff out. Matt slugs away anyway and security can only do so much to break it up.

Trey Miguel is ready to face Jason Hotch for a future shot at the International Title. They’re friends, but that won’t matter tonight.

Elayna Black is interrupted by the Elegance Brand, with M mocking her. Black isn’t impressed and seems to have a match with Heather set for later.

Here is Impressions to introduce AJ Francis.

AJ Francis vs. Brent Oakley

Oakley, with his amazing mustache, jumps at Francis to start and actually avoids a charge in the corner. Then he gets caught with the TFL to give Francis the pin at 49 seconds.

Post match Francis says he is the best AJ ever in TNA and wants to face Avery Styles in his first match. Instead here is Santino Marella, who, after the applause, introduces Styles, who agrees to face Francis next week. This brings out Frankie Kazarian to call the whole thing off, because that’s not a good way for Styles to debut. Hopefully AJ Styles makes an appearance at some point, though I can get why he wouldn’t as well.

Daria Rae gives Zoey Serrano and Xia Brookside a quick pep talk.

Harley Hudson/Indi Hartwell vs. Zoey Serrano/Xia Brookside

Daria Rae is on commentary. Brookside immediately tags out (gah) so Hartwell clotheslines Serrano in the corner instead. The villains are knocked outside, where Serrano shoves a fan and we take a break. We come back with Brookside grabbing a crossarm choke on Hudson, who starts to fight up.

Serrano comes in for the save and knocks Brookside down by mistake, allowing Hartwell to come back in. House is quickly cleaned and a boot to the head gets two on Serrano. Everything breaks down and they all get knocked to the mat. Serrano knees Hartwell in the face but gets yelled at by Brookside, with Hartwell fighting back. Hartwell grabs a weird armbar to make Brookside tap at 10:05.

Rating: C+. This was all about giving Serrano her first match and having Hartwell get her win over Brookside. Hartwell getting a big time match against either Brookside or Rae at Bound For Glory seems all but guaranteed at this point, as Hartwell feels like the fan favorite. At least the hold is better than the Hurts Donut.

Ryan Nemeth has been attacked as well.

X-Division Title Qualifying Match: KC Navarro vs. Joe Alonzo

Leon Slater is on commentary and Alonzo is the newest signing to the company. Alonzo knows that Slater would rather hand the title over than have Alonzo (who likes to talk in the third person) take it from him. Alonzo takes Navarro down for a pat on the head to start before missing a charge out to the floor. Back in and Navarro kicks him in the head in the corner but gets sent over the corner for a big crash.

Alonzo throws him back inside for a slam and some yelling at the crowd, followed by the double arm crank. Back up and they hit stereo crossbodies to leave them both down, with Navarro getting up for a tornado DDT. That’s enough to send Alonzo to the apron, where he snaps Navarro’s throat across the top. A springboard ax handle (that’s a new one) gives Alonzo two but Navarro catches him with the 305. After escaping the Blessing In Disguise, Alonzo gets rolled up for two, followed by the Blessing In Disguise to give Navarro the pin at 7:41.

Rating: B-. Navarro seems to be on the rise in TNA and it wouldn’t stun me to see him win the X-Division Title. There are far worse ideas and it would be nice to see some fresh blood in the title picture. Alonzo made a nice enough impression here, as he has some personality and had a decent match, so we’ll have to see where he goes from here.

Fabian Aichner wants to be X-Division Champion.

Women’s Tag Team Title: Kiera Hogan/Allie vs. Vipress/Shazza McKenzie

Hogan/Allie are defending in an open challenge. McKenzie backs Allie into the corner to start but they switch places, with Allie hitting a basement clothesline. Hogan comes in for a step up Fameasser but Vipress gets the tag to take over. The Cannonball in the corner hits Hogan and it’s back to McKenzie for a seated abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and it’s back to Allie for the Upside Down. A quick Codebreaker into Face The Music to Vipress retains the titles at 4:29.

Rating: C. This was a basic title match and seemed to be more about getting the new champions reps. That’s about all they can do, as they were thrown together out of nowhere. They can wait a bit before they have a serious title defense, so this is about as good as it gets for the short term.

Indi Hartwell talks to Daria Rae about getting a Knockouts Title shot but Rae gives it to Gabby Forza instead.

Ricky Sosa isn’t happy with the System beating him at Lockdown but here is the System to mock him. Elijah comes up to say leave him alone, and that’s what the System does. Yeah I’d leave before he could sing too.

Dutch vs. BDE

Vincent and Rich Swann are here too. The bell rings and Vincent offers to let BDE get his first win by having Dutch lay down. Instead BDE drops an elbow, which brings Dutch up to pull a crossbody out of the air. BDE is sent crashing into the corner but comes back with a superkick. Another springboard is pulled out of the air for Death Walks and the pin at 3:55.

Rating: C-. A good chunk of that was spent on Vincent trying to get BDE to accept the easy pin. That’s an interesting story and the Righteous needs something to do other than chasing the Hardys for months on end. At least they even explained why they would want a loser like BDE on the team, as he has the influence that the Righteous wants.

Post match Vincent lays Swann out and the Righteous kidnap BDE.

John Skyler seems to hit on Mila Moore and is promptly shut down.

Trey Miguel vs. Jason Hotch

For an International Title shot. They stare each other down and then fight over a lockup until Miguel takes over on the arm. Hotch is up with a wristlock, which is broken up rather quickly. The test of strength doesn’t go very far so they trade armdrags and missed dropkicks into a standoff.

We take a break and come back with Hotch in trouble and getting caught with a sliding kick to the face. Hotch escapes a Last Chancery and pops up with a slingshot suplex. Miguel kicks him in the back and gets two off a Lionsault but Hotch hits some clotheslines. A rolling neckbreaker (ala Mustafa Ali) gives Hotch two and he catches Miguel with a kick in the corner.

Miguel stomps him on the back but gets caught with a standing double stomp for two more. They trade poisonranas and Hotch’s torture rack bomb gets a rather near fall (I bought that one). Back up and they trade shots to the head until they’re both down. They untape their hands and slug it out, at least until Special Agent Zero comes in to clothesline them both for the double DQ at 18:45.

Rating: B. GAH I was into this one until the end, as I wanted to see who was going to pull this off. The triple threat title match should be fun, though I do look forward to Ali being shocked at both of them getting a title shot. It’s slightly better than Hotch losing and (probably) falling back down to the midcard, but dang I could have gone for more of this as they were having an awesome match.

Matt Hardy and Nic Nemeth argue some more but Santino Marella comes in to make a No DQ World Title match for next week.

Overall Rating: C+. The main event was pretty awesome but the rest of the show was focused on a bunch of midcard stuff. The Matt Hardy vs. Nic Nemeth stuff is only so interesting as it’s just filler until we get to Bound For Glory. That didn’t leave much to focus on here, though what we got was still good enough. They need something big to bridge the gap to Bound For Glory though as that show is a good ways off. Nice enough show here, but they’ll need to step some things up.

Results
AJ Francis b. Brent Oakley – TFL
Indi Hartwell/Harley Hudson b. Zoey Serrano/Xia Brookside – Armbar to Brookside
KC Navarro b. Joe Alonzo – Blessing In Disguise
Kiera Hogan/Allie b. Shazza McKenzie/Vipress – Face The Music to Vipress
Dutch b. BDE – Death Walks
Trey Miguel vs. Jason Hotch went to a double DQ when Special Agent Zero interfered

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: August 27, 2026
Location: CAA Center, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

We’re done with Lockdown and it’s going to be nice to see a match not inside of a cage. There were some title changes at the show, but the biggest story came at the end as new X-Division Champion Leon Slater announced that he was invoking Option C to challenge Nic Nemeth for the World Title at Bound For Glory. There’s your big story for the coming weeks so let’s get to it.

Here is Lockdown if you need a recap.

Lockdown recap.

Opening sequence.

Leon Slater has officially vacated the X-Division Title and will be challenging Nic Nemeth for the World Title at Bound For Glory.

Here are the new Tag Team Champions, the Nemeths, for a chat. They are very happy to be so successful and the most successful family in TNA history. The only person to be a World and Tag Team Champion at the same time is Kurt Angle and he’s BALD. Nic move on to Slater and he wants the fans to know they should always bet on yourself…unless it’s against him.

Cue Slater, who says he made his announcement at Lockdown so Nic could look him in the face. Nic has two titles and he was nice enough to get his brother one too, but those titles are looking rather nice to Slater. In the last few weeks, Slater has found a partner in Ricky Sosa and they’re undefeated together. The Nemeths say Daria Rae will never allow this but here is Santino Marella to allow this. It’s on for tonight.

Order 4, minus the hospitalized Mustafa Ali, is ready for a tag match against Jason Hotch/Trey Miguel tonight and John Skyler is the de facto leader of the team.

Bear Bronson vs. Elijah

The System is here with Bronson. Elijah starts fast with Walk With Elijah but takes too long running around the apron and gets distracted by Brian Myers. The distraction lets Bronson get in a cheap shot to take over, setting up the swinging Boss Man Slam for two. Elijah’s superkicks are countered into a chokebomb for two but Elijah is back up with an Alabama Slam. The Highwayman’s Farewell finishes Bronson off at 4:45.

Rating: C. This was quick and to the point with Elijah getting some momentum back after his loss at Lockdown. I’m not sure what Elijah is supposed to do next but at least he won a match here. Bronson is still a middle of the pack heel but he has a certain ferocity to him that makes him stand out a bit.

Post match the System runs in for the beatdown.

Video on Nic Nemeth vs. Leon Slater.

Elayna Black is sad about her loss at Lockdown but she was proud of the performance she put on in front of her friends and family. Maybe it was karma for her though because she wasn’t the best person to everyone. She’s here for those kids and she’s 25 years old with a long future in front of her.

Order 4 vs. Trey Miguel/Jason Hotch

Miguel flips over Skyler in the corner and grabs his arm, allowing the banged up Hotch to come in. Zero comes in as well and is sent outside for a quick dive as we take a break. We come back with Hotch not being able to get away from Zero, who grabs a bearhug on the bad ribs. Skyler comes back in and gives up the tag to Miguel so house can be cleaned. Hotch tries his rolling neckbreaker but stops before he takes Skyler out by mistake. That means Zero boots Skyler by mistake and gets sent outside. A top rope Meteora finishes Skyler at 9:05.

Rating: C+. I’m glad to see Miguel and Hotch getting another chance to win here as that wasn’t so obvious after Lockdown. If nothing else, Miguel feels like he could be moved up into an important singles spot if need be (like say against Mustafa Ali). Hotch is already playing with the house’s money as a singles star and having him getting to continue is a good sign.

Post match Mustafa Ali appears on the video screen from his hospital bed. He has fractured ribs and a punctured lung, but that’s not as painful as someone insulting his wife and daughter. Ali offers a truce to have Hotch rejoin Order 4 and end all of this. Hotch seems to be considering it.

The Righteous interrupt BDE and Rich Swann, saying they know that Brandon (BDE) wants his first win. He can face Dutch one on one.

Avery Styles can’t believe that he’s signed here and can’t wait to start his story. Moose comes in to say be careful who you associate with, including Frankie Kazarian. This brings in Kazarian, who tells Moose to stay out of this thing.

Video on M By Elegance vs. Jada Stone for the first ever Knockouts TV Title.

Knockouts TV Title: Jada Stone vs. M By Elegance

For the inaugural title and the Elegance Brand is here too. M backs her into the corner to start and gets rolled up a few times for her efforts. Stone’s missile dropkick and standing moonsault connect for two but M cuts off a dive. That means Stone is dropped back onto the apron and a Samoan driver gives M two more. The chinlock doesn’t last long so M fires off a fall away slam. A dropkick cuts off Stone’s comeback attempt but she avoids a moonsault.

Stone strikes away and gets in a 619 before rolling into a double stomp for two more. M catches her on top though and a spinning toss has Stone down again. Back up and Stone hits a running elbow, only to moonsault onto raised knees. M lists her up for a hard powerbomb but Stone gets up top for a super Spanish Fly. The moonsault connects this time, with M rolling over to get her foot on the rope. The Spark Stunner is loaded up but M reverses into a kneeling Tombstone for the pin and the title at 11:03.

Rating: B-. That’s a bit of a surprising result but it was nice to see two fresh names getting a chance to she what they can do. M was showing off the power game here and it made for a big breakthrough singles win. I liked this well enough, and it was nice for it to have a clean result instead of the Elegance Brand interfering. Nice job here.

Jeff Hardy has been attacked and is leaving in an ambulance, with Matt Hardy joining him. Why am I getting flashbacks to Killer Kross a few years ago?

Here is a ticked off Indi Hartwell for a chat. Daria Rae has said she’s not worthy of a title shot and that isn’t sitting well with her. This is her whole life and no one is standing in her way anymore, but here is Rae to interrupt. Rae said that almost got to her but then she remembered how mediocre Hartwell really is. They tease a fight, with Rae saying she would kick Hartwell all the way back to Kangaroo Land. Hartwell isn’t impressed but here is Zoey Serrano (Stark) to jump Hartwell from behind.

Post break Harley Hudson checks on Indi Hartwell, who says she’s not leaving. Hudson offers to have Hartwell’s back, which Hartwell appreciates, but here is Xia Brookside to interrupt. She mocks Hartwell for never getting a title match, as per Daria Rae’s rule. Santino Marella comes in to suggest he could make the match but Rae is here to say no chance. Rae mentions how unpopular Hartwell is with the board and the title match is never happening. Instead, we do get a tag match with Zoey Serrano teaming with Brookside.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tag Team Titles: Ricky Sosa/Leon Slater vs. Nemeths

The Nemeths are defending. Nic and Slater start things off and Nic actually circles the ring a bit before tagging in Ryan sans contact. Slater is fine to pound on Ryan in the corner and a backsplash gives Sosa two. Sosa slams Miz down but gets taken into the wrong corner. That doesn’t last long as Sosa gets away to bring Slater back in for the spinning torture rack bomb to Ryan.

Nic is sent outside as well and we take a break. We come back with Ryan neckbreakering Slater for two. Slater is right back up to make the comeback and it’s already off to Sosa. Everything breaks down and Sosa’s Lionsault gets two on Nic. A spinning suplex gets the same but Nic plants him with a DDT.

The superkick is cut off though and Slater is back in with the Swanton 450, with Ryan making the save. Sosa gets in a springboard cutter and Slater hits the big dive onto Ryan. A superkick gives Nic two and Sosa counters the Fameasser into a powerbomb for the same. Sosa loads up his running shot but runs into the Danger Zone to retain the titles at 15:40.

Rating: B+. This got awesome by the end and that was cool to see, as it was a pretty thrown together title match. The good thing is that Slater and Nic got in some nice interactions and we could be in for a heck of a title match at Bound For Glory. Ryan being little more than a nuisance is a perfect choice for him and he should be around as long as Nic is doing anything. Heck of a main event here.

Overall Rating: B. They were in a bit of a weird spot here as you had to reset a bunch of things and start getting ready for Bound For Glory, which is still a long way off. Slater vs. Nemeth is more than a fine main event, but I’m not sure what else we’ll be getting at the show. I liked the title match too, as they made it feel like a big deal, which isn’t the easiest thing to do given the situation they were in. It’s a good show with the main event stealing the night, and next week they can really start getting us ready for the pay per view.

Results
Elijah b. Bear Bronson – Highwayman’s Farewell
Trey Miguel/Jason Hotch b. Order 4 – Top rope Meteora to Skyler
M By Elegance b. Jada Stone – Kneeling Tombstone
Nemeths b. Ricky Sosa/Leon Slater – Danger Zone to Sosa

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

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Lockdown 2026
Date: August 23, 2026
Location: Credit Union 1 Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tom Hannifan, Matthew Rehwoldt

So this is back and…yeah I still don’t get it. The idea here is that every match is going to be inside a cage, albeit with various rules. The main event is some choice between the Hardys vs. the Nemeths for the Tag Team Titles and Lethal Lockdown, neither of which exactly screams top level match. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Righteous vs. BDE/Rich Swann

Not in a cage and Vincent stares at BDE (on the apron) before jumping Swann to start. Some double teaming has Vincent in trouble and BDE stays in to kick away at the chest. Dutch comes in to drop BDE on his face, allowing Vincent’s sliding Downward Spiral to get two. We’re already off to the chinlock, with BDE fighting up and earning himself a clothesline.

Dutch drops Swann in a smart move and Vincent cuts off another tag attempt, only to kick BDE over to Swann in quite the slip. Swann kicks away and gets two off the frog splash but Vincent is back with a Downward Spiral. BDE breaks it up and Swann’s middle rope cutter gets two, but Dutch sends him outside. Back in and Orange Sunshine finishes BDE at 7:54.

Rating: C+. For a match featuring what was supposed to be a new start for the Righteous, it was pretty much exactly what it’s always been from them. In other words, not very much to see here, with the Righteous only breaking something of a sweat against a team who didn’t pose a real threat. Then again, that’s kind of BDE’s whole thing.

Pre-Show: Trey Miguel vs. Special Agent Zero

Again not in a cage and Miguel is in Spider-Man inspired gear, though he’s no Arachnaman. Miguel rolls away to start and a hurricanrana out of the corner sends Zero outside. Back in and Zero cuts him off with a clothesline and a big right hand puts him down again. A swinging Downward Spiral gives Zero two but Miguel knocks him to the floor. That means the step up flip dive can connect and some kicks do the same to Zero back inside. Zero drops him throat first across the top and loads up a fireman’s carry, only to get cradled to give Miguel the pin at 5:11.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here but they told a quick story with the power vs. speed. I’m rather surprised that Zero lost so soon as you don’t want that to happen to a monster, though it helps that it was mainly a fluke rollup. At the same time, Miguel’s return push continuing is good to see, as he has the status to turn into a bigger deal around here.

National Anthem, minus any singing.

The opening video, set to a song by Chris Bey, looks at the bigger matches on the card.

Remember: every match is inside a cage.

AJ Francis vs. Elijah

These two have been feuding for a bit and this is the rubber match. Francis runs him over to start fast but it’s too early for the Down Payment. Elijah is right back with Old School (not as impressive when he can grab the cage) and a Stunner but Francis avoids a charge into the cage. Francis whips him into the cage again so Elijah has to climb the corner to escape another Down Payment attempt.

That leaves them both on top, with Elijah getting in a powerbomb. The top rope elbow gives Elijah two so he goes all the way to the top of the cage, which seems rather dimwitted. Francis is there to cut off a Walk With Elijah on top of the cage, where they both sit down and slug it out. Elijah gets the better of things and superplexes him down for two and a huge crash.

Cue Francis’ goon Expressions in a wheelchair and the distraction lets Francis hit the Cash Out for two more. For some reason Francis goes for the door (even though you can’t win by escape), allowing Elijah to give him an F5. Now it’s Elijah going for the door, with Expressions slamming it on his head. The TFL gives Francis two as Expressions is back on his feet. A Canadian Destroyer cuts Francis off but Expressions dives in for the save. Elijah gives him a Highwayman’s Farewell, allowing Francis to hit a (nice) moonsault. The Down Payment finishes Elijah at 13:24.

Rating: C. The action was ok and the superplex looked good, but Elijah came off like an utter moron here. I get the idea of getting caught up in the moment but this was so many different levels of dumb. Elijah had to do so many idiotic things so Expressions could get involved for the distraction and it didn’t feel natural in the slightest. Just have Expressions interfere and let Elijah look a bit brighter and it’s far better.

Post match the Home Town Man comes in with a guitar for Elijah, who goes to the middle rope (somehow without Francis noticing) for El Kabong, because this feud might be continuing.

Allie can’t find Rosemary but she has a replacement partner. To be announced.

Knockouts Tag Team Titles: Elegance Brand vs. Allie/???

The Brand (dressed as police officers for some reason) is challenging, with the rest of the Brand with them. Allie does have a partner and it’s…..the returning Kiera Hogan. Allie fires off right hands to M to start and gives her a running knee lift. Hogan and Heather come in (with Hogan being the taller of the two at 4’11) with Hogan grabbing a neckbreaker for a quick near fall. Allie comes back in but gets distracted by Mr. Elegance, allowing the Brand to take over.

M’s dropkick to the back and suplex get two each and we’re off to the chinlock. Heather gets in a chinlock of her own, which doesn’t last long as Allie gets up and brings in Hogan to clean house. Everything breaks down (which feels weird in a cage match) and the Personal Concierge whips out some handcuffs. As she’s the size of a pipe cleaner, Heather slips through the cage bars and cuffs Allie to the cage…and Hogan easily fisherman’s neckbreakers M to retain at 7:32.

Rating: C+. The ending made me think of the scene in Raiders Of The Lost Ark where one of the villains does a big display with a sword and Jones just casually shoots him. Hogan looking to be in trouble and then just mowing M down like she was nothing was rather hilarious, even if I doubt that was the idea. If Rosemary is going to be gone for a bit, Hogan is a fine enough choice for the replacement and adds another name to the roster at the same time. That’s as efficient as you’re going to get.

Hogan seems to be the official replacement champion.

Commentary shouts out Rebel, which is great to see. Well in a way.

We recap Moose vs. Frankie Kazarian. They’ve both been in TNA for years but have never had a match, so that’s being remedied.

Moose vs. Frankie Kazarian

Escape only and Moose sits on a throne while a string (I believe) quartet plays him to the ring. Naturally Kazarian yells at the musicians and lays on the throne like a true villain should. Naturally Kazarian goes for the climb to start and is cut off just as fast. Moose’s powerbomb is escaped so he sends Kazarian into the cage and then has the referee lock the door.

Some right hands in the corner have Kazarian in more trouble and the spear makes it worse. Moose hits it again but Kazarian flips him off and sends a charging Moose into the cage. Kazarian mocks the Moose pose (it’s so easy to do) and grabs Angel’s Wings to plant Moose again. The trash talk takes too long though and Moose starts bobbing his head and pumping his fist (as moose are known to do).

Moose plants him down and hits the backsplash, only for Kazarian to Backstab him off of the ropes. Back up and Moose can’t hit a powerbomb so they trade right hands and clotheslines. Moose’s toss powerbomb sends Kazarian into the cage for quite the crash and they’re both down.

Kazarian’s climb is cut off again and they both go up, with Moose busting out a super Spanish Fly of all things. The door is opened but Kazarian cuts off the escape (er, Xscape) attempt and they’re down again. With the door open behind him, Kazarian gets caught in the cage, where Moose makes an incredibly dumb decision to go for a spear, which sends Kazarian through the door for the win at 14:14.

Rating: B. Stupid ending aside, that was a huge spot with the Spanish Fly and it was certainly a fresh match. At the same time, I do kind of like the idea of mixing up the stipulations here, as it helps keep things fresh. Odds are this isn’t finished after Kazarian won that way, though it does bring up the issue of starting with the cage match.

We recap Xia Brookside defending the Knockouts Title against Elayna Black. Brookside is the newly evil champion and Black is the hometown star getting a title shot despite not exactly doing much of note.

Knockouts Title: Elayna Black vs. Xia Brookside

Brookside is challenging. They yell at each other a lot and Brookside mocks the Chicago crowd, earning a quick takedown. Black gives her a basement dropkick and running hurricanrana but misses a knee against the cage. Brookside finds a belt from somewhere and whips away as Black is already busted open.

The point of the belt is stabbed into the cut and a few of the fans aren’t impressed. Some fingernail stabbing feels a lot more painful and Brookside starts in on the arm. That’s broken up and Black misses a running elbow in the cage. The Broken Wings hit Black as well but she strikes away and catches her on top.

That means a belly to back superplex and the comeback is on, with Black getting in a Stomp. The Blackout is countered into Brookside’s Darkside for two so Black grabs the Blackout for the same. Back up and Brookside throws some powder into Black’s eyes and gets a rollup to retain at 12:55.

Rating: C+. Well on one hand, the heel run continues tonight and so do the less than thrilling finishes. On the other hand, thank goodness they didn’t do something ridiculous like give Black the title here. Brookside is doing well as champion and Black just has not clicked, so changing things over wouldn’t have been a good idea, hometown crowd or not.

We recap the International Title match. Jason Hotch broke away from Order 4 and stunned Mustafa Ali to win the title, sending Ali over the edge. Now it’s time for Ali to try and get the title back, naturally inside of a cage.

International Title: Mustafa Ali vs. Jason Hotch

Ali, with Order 4, is challenging and he’s the hometown heel. Hotch’s family is in the front row as he starts fast with a could of superkicks. Ali gets in a superkick of his own but gets caught on top with a belly to back superplex. A discus clothesline takes Ali down again and Hotch takes him up top for a piledriver onto the turnbuckle (sweet goodness). Ali is back up with a DDT for two and Special Agent Zero opens the door.

Tasha Steelz shuts it right back though, earning some yelling from Mila Moore. Steelz knocks her down but the cage door is kicked into Steelz’ head to drop her as well. Hotch goes out to check on Steelz and John Skyler takes her to the back, with Ali getting in a dive onto Hotch from behind. They brawl around ringside and Hotch goes up the cage for a high crossbody to knock Ali through a table (that thing exploded).

Hotch starts spitting up blood so the medics take him out, leaving Ali to steal a stuffed animal from Hotch’s daughter. Ali teases LIGHTING IT ON FIRE but Hotch charges in to give him a spear. Hotch is too banged up though and Ali ties him in the cage for a whipping with a belt. Ali takes him to the corner but Hotch kicks Ali back and hits a double stomp off of the cage to a standing Ali, who somehow doesn’t pop open. Instead Ali knocks him down and hits a 450 to Hotch (still holding the stuffed animal) to get the title back at 14:17.

Rating: B. As fun as it has been to see Hotch playing way above his league in recent weeks, they had to put the title back on Ali. He very well might be the best heel in the company at the moment and it would be a big hit to him if he lost to Hotch again here. Hotch has already gotten all kinds of a career boost out of the title win so this is hardly some devastating setback.

Post match Skyler comes back in to check on Hotch while Ali and company leave. And yes, the daughter gets her stuffed animal back.

Here is Avery Styles (AJ’s son) for a chat. He’s officially signed with TNA but here is Frankie Kazarian to interrupt. Kazarian talks about the history he has with AJ Styles and warns Avery about the snakes in the locker room. Avery can always trust him. I would make a chair joke but I wouldn’t want to contribute to continuing the most overblown story of the year.

We recap Leon Slater challenging Cedric Alexander for the X-Division Title. Slater lost the title to Alexander and wants it back, but Alexander wants Slater’s history as champion on the line. Because that’s a thing you can do now.

X-Division Title: Cedric Alexander vs. Leon Slater

Slater is challenging in a Last Man Standing match in a cage, because THAT’S a thing now too. Before they come to the ring, we get a look at what it means if Slater loses and my goodness this is dumb. They immediately slug it out to start until Slater gives him a Helluva Kick in the corner. A super hurricanrana brings Alexander back out and he gets caught with a running spinwheel kick.

Slater goes up the cage for a diving back elbow to put Alexander down for nowhere near ten. Alexander catches him on the ropes though and it’s a lawn dart to send Slater into the cage. That’s enough to draw some more blood so Alexander kicks him in the face, at least until Slater is back with a toss Blue Thunder Bomb. Slater chops away in the corner but gets caught with a super Michinoku Driver.

That’s not enough to keep Slater down and somehow wakes him up for a Destroyer and some rams into the cage. Alexander is busted open as well and Slater hammers away before going up. That’s cut off and it’s a swinging superplex to leave both of them laying (as they both took it about the same). Back up and Slater hits three straight Lumbar Checks to make it personal, followed by a Swanton 450 to get the title back at 13:15.

Rating: B. Given that the other option was trying to mess with the laws of time and space, this was the way to go. I’m still not sure how the erasing the title reign would have made sense and it’s nice to see TNA reaching the point where I don’t have to see them explain it. Slater getting the title back is a bit of a problem though, as he was such a dominant champion that he needs to move into the main event scene.

Daria Rae yells at someone on the phone but finds Santino Marella checking on Elijah, who has been attacked as well.

The System vs. Ricky Sosa/Fabian Aichner/KC Navarro/Jada Stone

Lethal Lockdown, meaning WarGames, with two minute intervals. Bear Bronson and Aichner start things off with Aichner hammering away but having to block a ram into the cage. They trade suplexes and clotheslines until a double clothesline gives us a double down. Aichner is back up with a moonsault and the time expires, so Brian Myers comes in (as the System won control on Impact) to give the System the advantage. The double teaming quickly has Aichner in trouble and a double suplex makes it worse.

Aichner is sent hard into the corner and it’s Navarro in to even things up. Navarro cleans house and Aichner is up to help send the two of them into the cage. Eddie Edwards is in to give the System control again but Navarro gets smart by diving through the door to take him out on the floor. Navarro gets back inside as it’s still even for a bit but the System takes over.

The bleeding Bronson knocks Aichner down and hammers away and Edwards is back in as Sosa is here to even it up again. House is quickly cleaned again, with Sosa hammering away in the corner. Alisha Edwards is in to complete the System and a lot of stomping takes place. Stone is in as well so Alisha goes out to meet her, with Stone climbing the cage to moonsault onto everyone else.

Now the weapons are lowered and they all get up for the staredown, continuing the tradition of basically resetting the match and rendering everything they’ve done to this point useless. The good guys grab weapons and start working them over until Navarro splashes Eddie for two. Stone gets to beat on everyone with a kendo stick and of course it’s time for the back of thumbtacks.

A superplex drops Alisha onto the tacks and Stone is banged up as well. Aichner gives Eddie a Coast To Coast but Bronson is up to take out Aichner and Navarro. Naturally Bronson is sent into a barbed wire board and Sosa gives Myers a Blue Thunder Bomb into the tacks. A running elbow with barbed wire hits Myers for two as Alisha makes the save. Eddie is back up with a package piledriver onto an open chair to pin Sosa at 17:42.

Rating: C+. These things only worked so well before and that was the case again here. The match is basically cut in two with a bunch of quick segments to get everyone in and then all of the weapons. It doesn’t help that we’ve seen the weapons so many times over the years, with the tacks in particular making me roll my eyes. This is the definition of a match that sounds fun on paper but really doesn’t work in execution.

Tag Team Titles: Nemeths vs. Hardys

The Hardys are defending and this is a Texas Tornado match, which sounds rather dumb in a cage. We get a table thrown in fast and Nic is sent into the cage, followed by a slightly modified Poetry In Motion. They all climb on the ropes but get rammed into the cage to bring them back down. Danger Zone gives Nic two on Jeff but Nic splashes Ryan by mistake.

The Twisting Stunner hits Nic, who bounces back with a superkick and everyone is down. Back up and a Side Effect into a middle rope splash gets two on Nic, as does a Plot Twist to Ryan. Nic is laid on the table but Ryan gets in a jumping DDT for two on Jeff. Matt Side Effects Nic and it’s a Twist Of Fate to Ryan, but Jeff takes too long going to the top of the cage. Nic and Jeff both get crotched so it’s another Twist Of Fate to Ryan, who lays down on the table. Matt’s legdrop off the cage connects…and it’s a quick Danger Zone to give Nic the pin and the titles at 11:58.

Rating: B-. They were feeling pretty rushed for time here, which makes sense as the show was getting close to the three hour mark. I do like the Nemeths getting the titles back, as it means a break from the Hardys. The division really needs that at this point, though hopefully it sticks for a bit this time. They did what they could here in the time they had, but it was only so good.

Post match the Nemeths celebrate but here is Leon Slater, who is exercising Option C at Bound For Glory. Yeah that makes sense, as it’s the best thing he can really do now.

Overall Rating: C+. The problem here is the same as it always is at Lockdown: the cage gets a bit annoying after a bit as we’ve seen it done so many times. It doesn’t help that some of the matches simply don’t belong in a cage (Knockouts Tag Team Titles, the main event and Brookside vs. Black fit that description) and it came off as more something they had to do rather than needing to do.

The show is fine, but it really would have been better served as a regular PPV rather than the all cages thing. I do like Slater’s announcement at the end, as if nothing else it gave the fans something else to cheer for on a show that was rather dominated by the villains winning. That’s quite the choice and not exactly exciting, but I guess that’s what Bound For Glory is for.

Results
Righteous b. BDE/Rich Swann – Orange Sunshine to BDE
Trey Miguel b. Special Agent Zero – Victory roll
AJ Francis b. Elijah – Down Payment
Allie/Kiera Hogan b. Elegance Brand – Fisherman’s neckbreaker to M
Frankie Kazarian b. Moose – Kazarian escaped the cage
Xia Brookside b. Elayna Black – Rollup
Mustafa Ali b. Jason Hotch – 450
Leon Slater b. Cedric Alexander – Swanton 450
The System b. Jada Stone/Fabian Aichner/KC Navarro/Ricky Sosa – Package piledriver onto a chair to Sosa
Nemeths b. Hardys – Danger Zone to Matt

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

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