TNA Against All Odds 2024 Review
There were five titles on the line as TNA presented Against All Odds with Moose facing Matt Hardy in the main event.
This is one of the better cards that TNA has put together in 2024. They have put some effort into building some interesting stories and developing factions as of late, and that has translated to some decent TV after a bit of a lull.
The pre-show had 2 matches: Sami Callihan defeated Jonathan Gresham in the first match of the night. They brawled for 5 minutes on the outside of the ring before the match actually began. Gresham hid under the ring and smashed Callihan’s left arm into the steel under the ring. When they finally got back into the ring, Kushida returned after illness at the hands of Gresham, and used a towel down the throat of Gresham to remove the octopus ink. He had a vial with him to take to a laboratory I assume. Gresham turned around and Callihan nailed him with the Cactus Driver 97 for the win. The match only officially went for 3 minutes but all up with the outside brawling it was about 8 minutes (***). It was an interesting way to start the show.
The second pre-show match saw Alisha Edwards and Masha Slamovich defending their Knockouts’ Tag Team Championships against The Hex. I thought they might build this up for a number of weeks, but it was only put together after Marti beat Masha last night on Impact. Heel vs heel tag matches aren’t very interesting, however the crowd was chanting for Marti during the match, probably just because they despise Alisha. This was not a great match, especially when Alisha and Marti were in the match. They got the win with their top rope bulldog on Marti after 9 minutes (**).
TNA Against All Odds: 14.6.24 from Cicero Stadium, Chicago
There was the usual terrific opening video which mostly focused on The System’s two matches tonight involving the TNA World Championship and the TNA World Tag Team Championships. The crowd was loud and the show was sold out. The camera scanned all the way through as Mike Santana made his entrance through the crowd for the opening tag team match up.
Match #1: Mike Santana & Steve Maclin vs The Rascalz
Santana entered through the crowd and was fired up. He returned and beat Maclin, but Maclin has now enlisted his help against Wentz and Miguel. Wentz and Santana started the match off. Santana beat him last night on Impact. He nailed a shoulder block and then they exchanged arm drags. Wentz avoided Spin the Block with an athletic duck. Santana asked if Maclin wanted some action and tagged him in. Miguel tagged in for his side but ran into a back elbow. Santana tagged back in and Wentz saved Miguel from a double clothesline. Maclin clotheslined Wentz over the top rope. Miguel hit a double stomp on Santana for the first nearfall of the match. Another tag to Wentz and they hit a double back elbow on Santana for another 2 count. They exchanged chops in the corner and Wentz tagged Miguel back in. Miguel hit a single-leg dropkick on Santana for 2. He tossed Santana into the corner turnbuckle and tagged Wentz again. Wentz went for a stomp but Santana hit a double clothesline and tagged Maclin in. Maclin nailed Wentz with 2 clotheslines and hit a backbreaker on Miguel. He nailed Wentz with an Olympic Slam then another clothesline on Miguel. He went for a running dive on Wentz on the outside but got hung up in the ropes. Miguel hit a backbreaker then Wentz followed up with a running SSP for 2. Miguel raked Maclin’s eyes in the corner whilst Wentz distracted the referee. Miguel tagged back in and targeted Maclin’s left leg with a half Boston crab, whilst also trapping Maclin’s left shoulder underneath. Santana came in and gave Miguel a huge chop to the chest to break the hold. Miguel hit a kick to the face on Maclin for 2. He choked out Maclin against the ropes and tagged Wentz back in. Wentz dropkicked Maclin to the outside and tagged Miguel in again. Wentz slammed Maclin’s left arm into the steel ring post and Miguel used the post to hit a 619 against the ropes. Miguel tossed Maclin back into the ring for a 2 count. Maclin tried to send Miguel over his head with a back body drop but Miguel almost turned it into a Meteora and came crashing down. Santana came in and hit Wentz with an F5-type slam. He nailed a DDT on Miguel on top of Wentz for 2. Santana hit a rolling cutter on Wentz into a Busaiku knee from Maclin but Miguel broke up the pinfall. Miguel tossed Santana out of the ring, so Maclin clotheslined him out. Maclin went to the top rope but Wentz hit a running knee to knock him down to the apron. Miguel set Maclin up in a pedigree and Wentz went to the top for a senton for a very close 2 count. That was innovative double-team work there. Maclin fought back with chops to both opponents but they forced him into the corner and out again to a spinebuster from Miguel. They hit a double-team double stomp but Santana pulled Miguel off just before 3. Maclin put his knees up to avoid a double team assisted moonsault from Miguel. He rolled up Wentz in an inside cradle for 2. Maclin got another nearfall. Santana tagged in but stayed on the ring apron whilst The Rascalz hit a double superkick to send Maclin to the outside. Santana nailed a lariat on Miguel and a superkick on Wentz. He hit an enziguiri on Wentz in the corner. Miguel tried to use the spray paint on Santana but Maclin stopped him with a forearm. Santana set Miguel up in the Tree of Woe for Maclin to hit his diving crossbody. Santana nailed a cannonball on Wentz in the other corner. Santana destroyed Wentz with the Spin the Block for the pinfall win after 14 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: Mike Santana & Steve Maclin
Analysis: ***1/2 That was a very good opening tag team contest between four great wrestlers. It helps when Wentz and Miguel can bump in the way that they do to make anyone’s offence look excellent. I thought Santana looked a lot more impressive tonight than he had in previous showings since his return. He got the crowd fired up too. It’s going to take a while to get used to face Maclin, if that’s the route we are going.
Santana and Maclin shook hands after the match.
Broken Matt Hardy cut a quick backstage promo telling the world he would become TNA World Champion once again. As always, delete was a key phrase. For some reason the match was now a Broken Rules match, which means anything goes.
Analysis: That gives Hardy an out when The System interfere a ton of times and cost him the title. Then I think Jeff will return and save him.
Match #2: Rich Swann w/ AJ Francis vs PCO
The fans were chanting some very un-PG things at AJ Francis as he cut a heel promo on Chicago before the match. PCO used his size to pummel Swann around the ring early on. He hit a big boot for a 2 count. AJ grabbed PCO’s leg to distract him so Swann hit a superkick to no effect. PCO went for a dive but Swann moved out of the way. Swann hit a 450 from the apron to the floor, so effortlessly. He rolled PCO into the ring and went for another 450 but PCO moved. Swann tried some right hands to no avail. PCO popped out of the corner with a clothesline and a DDT. PCO propped Swann against the bottom rope and hit a legdrop across his neck. AJ was screaming that it was illegal so he put Swann’s foot on the bottom rope to avoid the 3 count. PCO had had enough so he confronted AJ on the ring apron but AJ swept his legs from under him, sending PCO crashing onto the ring apron. Swann went back to the top rope but took too long gloating so PCO hit him with the lung blower. AJ got up on the ring apron but PCO swatted him off with a right hand. He nailed a dive on AJ on the outside in his crazy fashion. PCO went to the top rope and hit the PCO Sault to finish off Swann after 6 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: PCO
Analysis: **1/2 That was fine for a short match. The crowd was all over Francis so it’s good to see him getting genuine heat. They love PCO no matter what and he doesn’t need long matches to get the crowd going.
Steph De Lander went down to the ring to address the whole love letter situation. The crowd wanted her to say ‘Yes’ to PCO. She was dragging it out to get the crowd involved. SDL said she had made PCO wait long enough for a response. She said she would go on a date with PCO. The crowd was happy for PCO. The commentators were really hamming it up.
Analysis: The best thing about this is the potential for some funny date vignettes. PCO might take her somewhere interesting!
Match #3: TNA World Tag Team Championships: The System (c) vs The Nemeth Brothers
There was an extensive video package to show the set up for this match. I would prefer to see Nic in the World Title picture but these two have added some much-needed depth to the tag division and I enjoyed their win over ABC last night. I actually like how they have separate entrances to give Ryan a bit of his own personality. Ryan and Brian Myers started the match off. He hit a splash in the corner and tagged Nic in. They hit a double team move for a 2 count. Nic went for a neckbreaker but Myers bailed and he tagged in Eddie Edwards. Nic hit a dropkick on both heels. Alisha held his leg as he tuned up for a superkick. Dirty Dango randomly came down to the ring and pointed out the interference to the referee so Alisha got sent to the back. I guess now that Dango has lost Oleg Prudius, he is back to being a face. Edwards tagged Myers in and they double teamed Nic in the corner. Myers hit a running knee and choked Nic out against the middle rope. Edwards nailed a cheap shot and Myers hit a back suplex for 2. Edwards tagged back in. He whipped Nic into the ropes and nailed a clothesline for another 2 count. Myers made another quick tag and grounded Nic with a snapmare into a headlock. Dirty Dango was still at ringside for some reason. Nic rolled through and tagged Ryan in. Ryan hit a jumping clothesline off the ropes. He took down Eddie off the apron. Ryan nailed a neckbreaker on Myers for a 2 count. Myers nailed a kick to the ribs and tagged in Edwards. Edwards went straight to Nic and knocked him off the apron. Myers speared Ryan but Nic broke the pinfall up. Edwards chopped away at Ryan in the corner. He nailed a headbutt and another chop, then tagged in Myers again. Myers clubbed Ryan on the back and neck with forearms. Ryan fought back with right hands but Myers tripped him up and nailed an elbow drop to the neck for another nearfall. Myers attempted a crossface on Ryan against the mat. Ryan got to his knees and rolled Myers up but Myers had stretched to Eddie for a blind tag. Edwards came in with a stiff kick to Ryan’s head. The crowd was chanting some unsavoury things towards Edwards. This crowd has no filter tonight. Edwards took Ryan around the ring and tagged Myers in again. They chopped him in the corner and Myers hit a snapmare. Myers tried a sleeper but Ryan got to his feet. Myers took him down to the mat with a knee drop for another 2 count. The crowds abused Edwards for his hair cut. Myers taunted the crowd, so Ryan dropped him with a backstabber and tagged in Nic. Moose came down to the ring. Myers got the tag but Nic dropped him with a neckbreaker. Nic nailed an elbow drop on Edwards for 2. Edwards tried to counter the Fame Asser but Nic hit a hurricanrana and then went back to a successful Fame Asser for 2. Moose looked worried at ringside. Myers came in to interfere so Nic tossed him to the ring apron. Edwards hit a kick on Nic in the corner and the Backpack Stunner. Myers nailed the top rope elbow drop. Edwards rolled into the cover but Nic kicked out at 2. Ryan held Edwards’ foot in the corner so Nic nailed Myers with a superkick. He beckoned Ryan back into the ring so they tossed Myers into the ring post. Nic nailed a superkick on Edwards. He tagged Ryan in and he nailed his jumping Flatliner. Nic hit the Danger Zone on Edwards. Ryan covered Edwards but Moose pulled the referee out of the ring right before 3. Moose tried to blame Dango. Nic flew from the top rope and wiped out Moose on the floor. Dango turned on Ryan and tossed him into the steel ring post. He threw Ryan back into the ring and Edwards finished him off with the Boston Knee Party for the win after 15 minutes.
Winners by pinfall AND STILL TNA World Tag Team Champions: The System
Analysis: ***1/2 That was another very good tag team match with a surprising ending. I thought when Dango hung around after getting Alisha kicked out, he might cause some shenanigans and he ended up saving The System. The match had the crowd really involved and I think it was better having Nic isolated for not as long as last night’s tag team match up. He was much more involved tonight.
Edwards and Dango hugged after the match. Dango wanted a high five from Moose but he wasn’t obliging.
Gia Miller interviewed ABC backstage. They face Josh Alexander and Eric Young later on for no reason whatsoever, with no story. Ace Austin addressed the tension between his team mate and himself. He said it’s time to swing the momentum back their way.
Analysis: If they didn’t have a guaranteed Tag Title rematch then I would say someone is turning tonight but I think it’s still too early.
Match #4: Frankie Kazarian vs Joe Hendry
The crowd sung Hendry’s song loud and proud as he made his entrance. He is the man of the moment in TNA and I’m glad he snuck a spot on the show. Hendry cut a promo before the match began. No Ace Steel with Hendry. He put Kaz over as a legend of TNA. Hendry asked if Kaz knew which famous actor he resembled. Hendry said he looked like Antonio Banderas and wondered if, like Antonio, Kaz was just hanging on too long. He called Kaz the dad from Spy Kids. Hendry said everyone believed in Joe Hendry. They had a shoving match to kick things off. Hannifan put over Hendry’s catch-phrases popping up on NXT and Raw from this week. Kaz chopped Hendry against the ropes. Hendry countered a Chicken Wing attempt into a snapmare. He tried a suplex but Kaz almost fought out of it, so Hendry pressed him up a bit and delivered the suplex anyway. Kaz escaped to the ring apron and baited Hendry in, nailing him with a leg drop against the middle ropes. He hit Hendry with a clothesline and stomped on his face. Kaz got in Hendry’s face so Hendry nailed him with a few upper cuts. Kaz popped out of a scoop slam attempt and hit one of his own. He nailed the springboard legdrop for 2. The crowd started singing Hendry’s theme song. He fought out of a submission to nail a suplex. Kaz avoided a corner clothesline and went for a diving crossbody. Hendry caught him and turned it into a Fallaway Slam. Kaz avoided the Standing Ovation. Hendry backed Kaz against the turnbuckle to break the Crossface Chicken Wing. Kaz avoided a swinging neckbreaker and rolled Hendry into a small package for 2. Kaz took Hendry down with a hard clothesline. Hendry countered the Fade to Black into a powerbomb attempt. Kaz fought out with a backstabber. He ran the ropes but Hendry hit a pop-up powerbomb. Kaz rolled to the ring apron. Hendry ducked a right hand and suplexed him into the ring. I think Kaz countered it into a reverse DDT and that was enough for the win after 8 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Frankie Kazarian
Analysis: **3/4 That was one of the worst endings of all time, until you watch the replay back and see Kaz putting the brass knuckles on whilst Hendry gets him up for the suplex and nails him in the face on the way down. Ok, that’s actually clever and I had to delete a whole paragraph of diatribe on the match ending.
After the match, Kaz locked Hendry in the Crossface Chicken Wing submission. Ace Steel ran down to ringside to stop Kaz. He told Kaz to back down. Kaz tried a cheap shot from behind. Ace nailed him with a right hand that sent Kaz out of the ring.
Analysis: I guess this feud will continue. Poor Joe.
Match #5: TNA X-Division Championship: Mustafa Ali (c) vs Trent Seven
I thought the last match was a lock for the result so I am making no comment on how obvious it should be that Ali retains here. Ali is from Chicago so he got a big reception. They were chanting his name after the pre-match introductions. Seven took a microphone and told the fans that they needed to see something. He said that after Ali’s interview with Tom Hannifan last night, the cameras kept rolling. They showed the video and Ali was going crazy at his Secret Service. The sound on my feed was not clear at this point but I believe he was trashing the city of Chicago. The audio was fine when they returned to the ring and I think the fans were chanting “What did he say?” so maybe they didn’t hear it either. Ali was furious and charged at Seven as the bell rang. Seven dodged and Ali went crashing into the bottom turnbuckle. He hit the Seven Star Lariat on Ali but Ali kicked out at 2. Ali rolled out of the ring to get some distance from Seven. He sent Seven into the ring apron and tossed him back into the ring. Ali intimidated Hannifan at the commentary booth. Seven returned and starting chopping Ali against the guard rail to protect Hannifan. He slid back into the ring but Ali nailed him with a kick to the side of the head. Seven chopped Ali down to the mat and nailed a DDT. Ali used the middle rope to nail his own DDT that Seven to the outside. He dived through the ropes but Seven caught him and hit a Dragon suplex on the floor. Seven threw Ali back into the ring and went for his twisting senton but Ali moved out of the way. Ali nailed a running dropkick in the corner. He whipped Seven to the opposite corner but Seven reversed it and hit a corner clothesline. Ali fought back with another dropkick in the corner. He tried a third but Seven caught him in mid-air with a one-armed powerbomb for a 2 count. Ali countered a Birming Hammer attempt but Seven clobbered him with a clothesline. Ali recovered with a rolling neckbreaker for 2. He went to work with right hands with Ali down on the mat. Seven fought out of a submission attempt with a scoop slam. The fans still chanted for Ali. They exchanged strikes in the centre of the ring. Ali avoided a corner attack but Seven stiffed him with a forearm. Seven went to the top but Ali jarred the knee of Seven on the mat. Seven caught Ali as he went for a rolling neckbreaker and turned it into an overhead Full Nelson suplex and then followed up with a Tiger Bomb for 2. Ali slipped off the shoulders of Seven and shoved him into the referee. Ali nailed a low blow and the Seven Star Lariat for a close 2 count. Ali slowly made his way to the top so Seven met him with a chop. Seven climbed up and it looked like he was going for a cutter off the top but Ali broke free and hit a superkick from the mat. Ali went for a superplex but Seven turned it into a huge slam of his own for 2. The fans chanted “This is awesome” and they were right, this was the match of the night at this point. Ali raked the eyes as Seven went for the Birming Hammer. Ali wrenched Seven’s knee against the ring apron. He tossed Seven’s towel at him as he laid on the apron. Ali climbed to the top rope but again Seven cut him off. They brawled precariously until Seven nailed him with a headbutt and both men went crashing onto different sides of the ring apron. The referee almost counted Seven out but as he slid back into the ring Ali nailed a 450 splash right on his spine! Ali rolled to a cover but Seven kicked out just before the 3. I thought that was it. Ali was frustrated and went to retrieve his championship. He took it into the ring and the referee stopped him from using it. The referee put the title down and Seven nailed Ali with a low blow! Seven connected with the Birming Hammer but it still wasn’t enough to put Ali away! Seven sat frustrated, pondering what to do next. Ali held onto the ring apron but Seven chopped him hard on the back to make him release his grip. He put Ali onto the top rope and chopped him again. He tried for a Birming Hammer from the top but Ali raked his eyes again, out of view of the referee. Ali sent Seven crashing down to the mat on his injured left leg. Ali nailed the 450 splash right on the leg. He applied the Sharpshooter and Seven was forced to tap out. The match went for 16 minutes.
Winner by submission AND STILL TNA X-Division Champion: Mustafa Ali
Analysis: **** Excellent match that will earn Seven a fair bit of respect as he hung with Ali and looked great out there. Ali is so good at making his opponent shine and his offense is so crisp that even him winning with a submission he never uses is believable. That was the best match I’ve seen Seven in since his NXT UK days and one of TNA’s best matches of 2024. Great stuff.
Frankie Kazarian was gloating about his win over Joe Hendry backstage. He said he was in line for a title shot and started ranting about Ace Steel. Santino Marella told him to calm down. Marella put Kaz against Steel in a street fight on Thursday.
Analysis: I didn’t expect that but good to see some follow up straight away.
Match #6: ABC vs Josh Alexander & Eric Young
There is no build to this other than we need to have Josh Alexander on the show and we can’t be bothered writing a story for him. Alexander and Bey started the match off. They had a bit of a stalemate so Young tagged in. Bey knocked him down with a shoulder block but Young hit a dropkick. They both tagged out. Alexander used his legs to flip Austin over, so Bey tagged back in. Alexander missed a corner attack so Bey used the middle rope to hit a springboard hurricanrana. He hit a double stomp to the back of Alexander. Alexander levelled Bey with a knee to the mid-section and tagged Young back. Bey hit an arm drag and tagged Austin back in. Young smashed him with a right hand but Austin recovered and targeted the knee with a kick. Bey tagged in and they hit Young with a double dropkick for a 2 count. Bey rammed Young against the corner turnbuckle and hit a snapmare for a 2 count. He tagged Austin back in and trapped Young in a leg scissors. Young rolled and stacked Austin up for a 2 count. Bey was back in and they hit a double team upper cut on Young in the corner. Bey hit a running splash but Alexander broke up the pinfall. Young sent Bey hard into the top turnbuckle with an Irish Whip. Young made the diving tag to Alexander. He missed a corner splash but caught Bey in mid-air and nailed him with a German suplex. Alexander dragged Bey back to his corner and beat him down. For some reason Alexander and Bey started grabbing each other in the groin as the referee was distracted by Ace Austin. That was very odd. Young tagged in and hit a neckbreaker for a 2 count. He tagged in Alexander and Bey made it to Austin. They exchanged forearms and Austin hit a Russian Legsweep, then a legdrop. Young came in but Austin sent him crashing down with a bulldog from the top. Alexander went for his running crossbody but Austin moved out of the way. Austin went for his cartwheeling routine but Alexander caught him and applied the ankle lock on the ring apron. Bey flew over the top of Austin to take out Alexander. Young went flying through the middle rope to take both of his opponents down. Austin sent Young into the steel ring post. Alexander and Austin battled it out back in the ring. Alexander chopped Austin hard into the corner. He rammed Austin neck-first into the top turnbuckle and then carried him to the top, looking for a DVD from the top. Austin nailed a knee to stop Alexander and then a head scissors from the top. Alexander caught the Tornado Kick attempt and locked in the ankle lock. Austin rolled through but Alexander hit the German suplex. Bey was able to make the blind tag and they hit a back suplex/ frog splash combo for 2. That was nice. Both members of the ABC were still in the ring. Austin tried a sleeper hold on the back of Alexander. He somehow managed to suplex Bey with Austin still on his back. Wow. Young tagged in and hit a big clothesline on Austin. He nailed the Death Valley Driver for 2. Young wanted the piledriver but Austin sent him into a kick from Bey. Young powered up both guys on his shoulders but they slipped off the back and hit a double kick. Young kicked out at 2. Bey tagged in and they set up for a double team Brainbuster but Austin inadvertently kicked Bey in the back. Alexander tagged himself back in and hit a rolling forearm on Bey. Austin hit a spinning kick on Alexander. He ran the ropes but Young took him own with a powerslam. Bey went for a head scissors on Alexander but he turned it into a nasty backbreaker. Young tagged in and they hit a rolling senton into an elbow drop from the top from Young but Austin broke up the pin. Alexander sent Austin to the outside. Bey ducked and Young punched Alexander right in the face. Young went for a piledriver on Bey but Austin floated over the top of him with the Fold for the win after 18 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: ABC
Analysis: ***1/2 Another very good tag team match, that just focused on wrestling rather than needing much of a story. ABC were able to overcome another mishap and Austin redeemed himself to help Bey pick up the win. ABC winning was probably the right call and I’m glad they aren’t splitting quite yet.
Match #7: TNA Knockouts’ Championship: Open Challenge
Jordynne Grace was obviously out first, fresh off losing to Roxanne Perez at NXT. That made a lot of people angry but if anyone though a WWE title was leaving their arena then they’re nuts. That was Grace’s first loss in a year. Grace stood and waited for her opponent, which was Tatum Paxley from NXT who has been obsessed with Grace’s championship ever since she stepped into NXT a fortnight ago. That was the obvious call. There wasn’t much of a reaction for Paxley, in fact, I don’t think anyone really knew who she was until the ring announcer said her name. Or maybe they just weren’t excited about her being in TNA. Before the match started, George Iceman came out and insulted the fans. He announced that he and Ash weren’t going to sue Grace for punching her at NXT on Sunday. Iceman said that Ash could be safe watching the action from the stage.
Analysis: Start the damn match already.
Grace over powered Paxley early. She hit a shoulder block and Paxley played some mind games with Grace. Grace chopped her down hard and hit a clothesline. She sent Paxley over her head with a suplex and pounded away on her on the mat. Grace applied the Camel Clutch, complete with Rehwoldt quoting the Iron Sheik. Paxley bit Grace to break the hold and rolled under the ring. Paxley pulled Grace into the steel beams underneath the ring. That’s twice tonight someone has used that as a weapon and before that I can’t recall the last time I’ve seen anyone do that. Paxley wanted a suplex on the floor but Grace wouldn’t allow it. Paxley rammed Grace into the steel ring post and tossed her back into the ring for only a 1 count. Grace avoided Paxley’s finisher and tried a backslide for a 1 count. Grace rolled through but into a single-leg Boston Crab. Grace powered out with a kick to the face. She blocked a corner attack and held onto the ropes whilst Paxley went for a neckbreaker. Paxley tried a roll up but Grace caught her and lifted her up for the World’s Strongest Slam. She hit Grace Under Pressure (Vader Bomb) for 2. Paxley blocked the Juggernaut Driver. Grace sent her into the turnbuckle and hit a back elbow. She lifted Paxley onto the top turnbuckle. Paxley hit a headbutt to fight Grace off. Grace came back with an upper cut and the Muscle Buster for 2. They traded pin attempts and Grace slapped the taste out of Paxley’s mouth. Paxley avoided a corner splash. Grace sent her to the ring apron. They fought on the top turnbuckle. Grace chopped Paxley hard on the back so Tatum returned the favour. She hit a nasty-looking swinging neckbreaker from the top. Paxley covered for a 2 count. That was a nice move. Paxley pulled at the ears of Grace that received stitches last week. She tried a strait jacket submission but Grace blunted her with forearms. They exchanged right hands on the mat. Grace overpowered Paxley with a flurry of rights. Paxley tried to lock in the guillotine submission. Grace was grounded on the mat but slowly got to her feet and carried Paxley into the Jackhammer for 2. Fantastic strength there. I think that move’s good enough for a finisher. Grace started clubbing Paxley’s front and back with forearms. Paxley nailed an enziguiri for 2. She tried a backslide but got a back fist and rolling Death Valley Driver. Grace stared down Ash as she put away Paxley with the Juggernaut Driver after 11 minutes.
Winner by pinfall AND STILL TNA Knockouts’ Champion: Jordynne Grace
Analysis: ***1/2 I don’t think the outcome was ever in doubt, but Paxley put up a good fight and they had an entertaining match. It’s time for Grace to sink her teeth into a rivalry and stop the random title defenses against wrestlers stopping by for one week.
Ash ran down for the post-match beatdown. She nailed Grace in the knee with her knuckles. Grace avoided a second shot and hit a spinebuster. She tossed Ash from the ring and Ash was screaming in pain. Grace took the knuckles and tossed them at Iceman. She tipped the champagne all over Ash and then drank the rest. Ash was throwing a tantrum as Grace walked up the ramp, smiling.
Analysis: I guess the time for Ash vs Grace is Slammiversary. I have no faith in them giving the title to Ash as they already bungled her undefeated streak, but I have no idea where she goes if she loses to Jordynne.
Match #8: TNA World Championship: Broken Rules Match: Moose w/ The System vs Broken Matt Hardy
The Nemeths showed up at ringside and battled Myers and Edwards to the back to make it a fair fight. Hardy sent Moose inside-out with a clothesline. The crowd had duelling ‘Delete’/ ‘Moose’ chants. Hardy went for the Twist of Fate but Moose blocked it and Hardy still hit a DDT. He nailed a Side Effect on the ring apron. Ouch. Hardy hit the Twist of Fate on the floor with Moose spiking himself on his head. Terrific selling by the big man. Hardy lifted Moose back into the ring but Moose rolled to the floor on the opposite side. For some reason there were weapons underneath the timekeeper’s table so Moose belted Hardy over the head with a trash can lid. Moose battered Hardy with steel chair shots to the back. He brought a ladder out from underneath the ring. Hardy was hobbling around ringside so Moose smashed him on the back with the chair again twice. Moose brought him back into the ring. He set up for a powerbomb but Hardy went low. Hardy hit Moose over the back with a steel chair three times. Moose bailed to the outside and through the ringside barricade. They started brawling in the crowd but the camera was not really following them. Also there were people with their iPhones in the way. The fans were chanting “We can’t see”. They’re on fire tonight. Moose went for a powerbomb but Hardy sent him flying with a back body drop. Hardy walked up the stairs and chanted ‘Delete’ with the fans. How hard would it be to have a camera man follow them into the crowd? There was 3 minutes of being unable to see hardly anything. They finally came back to the ringside area. Hardy choked Moose out against the ring post. He tossed Moose back into the ring and hit a suplex. Hardy hit an elbow drop from the middle rope for a 2 count. The fans called for the Twist of Fate. Moose was quickest to react with a Uranage for a 2 count. He retrieved a table from under the ring and brought it in. Moose set up Hardy for the spear but Hardy moved. Moose tossed a chair into Hardy’s face. He made Alisha bring more chairs into the ring. Moose pummelled Hardy with a trash can lid. He stacked up a pile of chairs and put Hardy on the top rope. Moose nailed a superplex onto the chairs! He rolled into a cover but Hardy just got his shoulder up before 3. Moose put Hardy into the corner and went to work with right hands. Hardy slipped free and powerbombed him into the chairs! He covered and Moose kicked out at 2. Hardy went underneath the ring and got a box. The commentators wondered what was in it. Moose cut Hardy off with a trash can lid shot before he could open it. Moose opened the box and it was an NFL helmet. He put it on and charged at Hardy but Hardy back body dropped him over the top rope and onto the ladder set up on the outside. That was a nasty crash for Moose. There was a woman cackling at ringside which was highly annoying for the last 5 minutes but she really took it to the next level after that spot. Hardy set up the ladder on the floor. He also got another table and another ladder. Hardy placed the table in between the two ladders. Moose still had his helmet on so Hardy smashed him with a Chicago Bears helmet. Hardy belted Moose multiple times over the head with the helmet. He placed Moose on the table and scaled to the top of one of the ladders. Hardy sent Moose crashing through the table with a leg drop from atop the ladder. They took a while to recover from that. Hardy eventually rolled Moose back into the ring. He took a chair and wedged it between the neck of Moose and hit the Twist of Fate using the chair! Hardy rolled into the cover with Moose completely out of it but Alisha broke up the pin with kendo stick shots to the back of Hardy. Matt’s wife, Rebecca, went into the ring and took down Alisha with a spear. They brawled in the ring until Alisha hit a very tame kendo stick shot. Rebecca ducked the next shot and nailed the Twist of Fate. She told Matt to finish Moose off. Moose was in front of the table in the corner and Rebecca was comically standing right next to him so of course Hardy speared her through the table instead of Moose. That was so silly. Kudos to her for taking that bump, though. Matt turned around right into a spear from Moose and that was enough for the pinfall win after 25 minutes.
Winner AND STILL TNA World Champion: Moose
Analysis: **** I thought that was a highly entertaining main event. I thought about taking it down a peg because of the silliness of the ending but they worked a really smart match and the crowd was excellent throughout and engaged. I think making it a no-dq match made sense in the rivalry and, whilst they didn’t go over the top with the weapons, the spots they did do were effective and timely. I thought Matt might kick out of the spear at the end but they had been through a grueling 25-minute match so it took it out of him. The ending, whilst a bit comical, did fit Moose’s character who wins by any means necessary even tossing a woman in front of him to avoid a spear.
After the match, Edwards and Myers came back to the ring to celebrate with Moose. All of the System members held up their championships. They surrounded Matt and Rebecca. Edwards shoved Rebecca down. Matt laid over her to protect her. The Nemeths ran down but they got assaulted to. Joe Hendry ran down for the save. He brawled with Moose but Myers took him down and he and Edwards beat Moose in the corner. All looked lost for the good guys until….Jeff Hardy’s music hit! Jeff soaked in the adulation of the fans and brought his own chair into the ring. Moose destroyed Myers and Edwards with chair shots. He nailed Moose with a Twist of Fate. Matt hit Moose with a Twist of Fate too. Jeff went to the top and hit the Swanton on Moose! Hannifan was losing his mind and the show went off the air with the Hardys hugging it out and Ryan Nemeth literally marking out in the corner at seeing Jeff on the show.
Analysis: What an awesome way to end a terrific night of TNA Wrestling. We knew Jeff’s contract was up and then he was rumoured to return to TNA this weekend so I was intrigued. I actually felt sad for the Hardys in AEW. That’s not me bashing AEW as I tune in every single week and appreciate the wrestling. They were just not going anywhere. Matt made a bit of a fist of it, first with his Broken gimmick during the pandemic and then his Big Money Matt efforts, but in the end they just had nothing interesting to do. Back in TNA they can stand out again. Listen to that ovation for Jeff. That’s as loud as a TNA crowd has been in a long time. This crowd was great all night. Except for you, shrieking woman. Shame!
Final Rating: 7.5/10
I really enjoyed tonight’s Against All Odds. For the past two years, these monthly shows that aren’t PPVs have followed the same general pattern of pretty decent wrestling without anything ground-breaking as we transition to the bigger PLEs. Tonight was packed with very good matches and two that I rated in the 4-star category for very-different reasons. I think the Ali/Seven match just shadowed Moose/Hardy for its style of wrestling that I preferred. I also bought into Seven as a challenger because of how good Ali is. The main event was really fun with a great ending that popped the fans after the disappointment of Broken Matt coming up short against Moose. I hope and pray that Jeff Hardy is well and can perform if he wants to, when wants to. If that’s the case, it will be good for him and TNA.
The rest of the show was very solid. Tatum Paxley answered the open challenge of Jordynne Grace like 99.9% of the IWC predicted. They had a decent match that also continued the build to Grace vs Ash at Slammiversary (you’d assume). The System defeated the Nemeths in a great tag team encounter. Joe Hendry losing was probably the only downer of the night. I understand making him a sympathetic babyface, but with all of his social media engagement over the last few months, he could be dragging casual fans into tonight’s show only to see him lose and possibly fall off the Hendry bandwagon. Push him and push him to the moon! Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the show and would recommend any or all of those matches I mentioned.
The next TNA PLE is Slammiversary from Montreal on July 20th.
Any feedback or comments are welcome. My email address is kristian.l.thompson@gmail.com in case anybody wants to get in touch with me and my Twitter/X handle is @thomok6 as well. Thanks for reading!