TNA Bound For Glory 2024 Review

All the major titles were on the line on another big night for TNA Wrestling as Nic Nemeth faced Joe Hendry and Full Metal Mayhem was in the main event.

The show at the Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit, Michigan with Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt on commentary. Check out my TNA Impact reviews and past TNA PPV reviews here.

Countdown to Bound for Glory

Match #1 Ash-by-Elegance & Heather Reckless w/ George Iceman vs Xia Brookside & Brinley Reece

The newly ‘made-over’ Reckless made her way to the ring in different gear than usual, showing that she’s on the same page as Ash. Reece and Reckless started the match off. Reece drove Reckless into the corner and hit a scoop slam. She tagged in Brookside and they hit a double team move for a 2 count. Brookside hit a Monkey Flip out of the corner and then trapped Reckless in a submission, before turning it into a Russian Legsweep for another nearfall. She tagged in Reece and they hit a double suplex on Reckless. That sent her to the other side of the ring, which allowed Ash to tag in. Reece tossed her around with arm drags. She hit an Exploder suplex, that sent Ash out of the ring. Ash and Heather argued a bit and Ash nailed Reece with a forearm, then went back into the ring to tag in Reckless. Ash tripped Reece as she ran off the ropes. She held Reece across the ring apron, which allowed Reckless to hit a double stomp. The crowd chanted mean things at Ash. Reckless rolled Reece back into the ring for 2. Ash tagged in again and Reckless hit a dropkick for Ash to get another nearfall. Ash ripped at the mouth of Xia, but she rolled Ash up for 2. Ash hit a big clothesline and mocked the fans. She tagged Reckless back in and she went straight to the sleeper hold. Reece fought out of it and took Ash off the ring with an elbow. Reckless and Reece ran into each other with duelling clotheslines. Both ladies made the tag to their partners. Ash and Brookside faced off with forearms. Brookside got the advantage and hit a hurricanrana from the middle rope. She hit a few clotheslines and a running head scissors. Xia hit Broken Wings four times in the corner and got a very close 2 count. She tagged in Reece and nailed Ash with a big code breaker-type move that allowed Reece to get a 2 count. Ash tagged in Reckless again, who went for a crossbody from the top rope. Reece caught her and launched her onto her shoulders for the TKO. Iceman put Reckless’ foot on the rope just before the referee counted the 3. Reece went up top but Iceman got up on the ring apron to distract her. Brookside pulled him off the ring apron. Iceman pulled off his jacket and faced up to Xia. He backed away like a coward and Xia choked him out with his jacket. Back in the ring, Reckless hit a springboard Spanish Fly and Ash nailed the Rarefied Air for the win after 9:30.

Winners by pinfall: Ash and Heather-by-Elegance

Analysis: *** That was fine as a simple tag match to open the pre-show. I thought all the women played their part really well. The main thing to notice was that the crowd was right into Xia and cheering for her, which is a good sign for her but also that Ash is doing her job as a heel well, too. The result didn’t really matter that much but I didn’t pick it.

There was a video hyping the main event of Joe Hendry vs Nic Nemeth.

There were videos of past TNA wrestlers complimenting the first Hall of Famer of the night, Bob Ryder. He was inducted by Eric Young. I won’t recap that because play-by-play on a speech doesn’t do it justice. Look it up if you’re keen on listening to the speech.

Detroit’s own, Rhino, was then inducted into the Hall of Fame. He will probably be in the Gauntlet match later on in the pre-show. It’s still impressive that he is wrestling regularly and in good condition at almost 50 years of age. He still also has one of the best finishers in the business and I love commentators screaming ‘GORE’ at the top of their lungs. No one did it better than Paul Heyman. He was almost frothing at the mouth when he would yell it out in WWE. There were lots of TNA alumni congratulating Rhino (damn, Kurt Angle looked old). Tommy Dreamer returned to induct Rhino. Again, I won’t recap it as words don’t really convey speeches’ importance properly.

Match #2: Call Your Shot Gauntlet match

There are 20 wrestlers in this match. Another wrestler comes out every 2 minutes. The winner gets a title shot at any time. The first two were Frankie Kazarian and Zachary Wentz. Kaz is still my pick. Jake Something was #3. He took down both men with avalanches. Something joked Wentz out in the corner. Kaz was leaving Something alone. They tried to eliminate Wentz in the corner but out came his tag partner, Trey Miguel, at #4. Kaz bumped like a champ for Miguel. The Rascalz double-teamed Something with kicks and a foot stomp. #5 in the match was Hammerstone, Something’s tag partner. The big man faced off with the Rascalz. He hit a pump kick on Wentz then an overhead German suplex on Miguel. Hammerstone picked up Kaz and went to press slam him over the top but Kaz raked his eyes. Something didn’t like that and clotheslined Kaz down. Rohit Raju came in to waste pick #6. At least if there’s going to be a surprise, make it someone interesting. Raju isn’t. He went to work on Wentz in the corner. The intervals were definitely not at 2-minutes at this point; barely 60 seconds I would guess but that’s okay. Speed it up. Laredo Kid was #7. He went up top but Hammerstone was waiting on the ring apron and tossed him out as the first elimination. The former X-Division Champion barely lasted 60 seconds.

Laredo Kid has been eliminated

Hammerstone picked up Miguel and press slammed him over the top into Kid.

Trey Miguel has been eliminated

Sami Callihan was entrant #8. Somehow, Hammerstone got eliminated but the camera was on Callihan.

Hammerstone has been eliminated

Callihan hit Kaz with a stunner and then the Cactus Driver on Raju. Callihan went for Kaz but Raju raked his eyes. He did not sell the Cactus Driver at all. John Skyler wasted another slot at #9. No one on the planet would give him a chance at winning this. Kaz almost slipped off and got eliminated. Raju jumped off the top and Something smashed him with a forearm in mid-air. Skyler choked out Wentz in the corner. The next entrant at #10 was Bhupinder Gujjar. Half the field was now in, with no interesting surprises so far. He nailed a spinebuster on Skyler. Trent Seven was entrant #11. He has been out for 3 months. Seven hit a DDT on Skyler. He chopped Raju in the corner. Callihan almost eliminated Gujjar. KC Navarro was #12. He tried befriending Callihan but that didn’t work and he ate a pop-up powerbomb. Callihan chopped him down hard. #13 was Rhino to a big ovation. He eliminated Raju, Gujjar and Skyler within 10 seconds of entering. Good; send those jobbers out!

Rohit Raju has been eliminated

Bhupinder Gujjar has been eliminated

John Skyler has been eliminated

The field had thinned out a bit now. Rhino clotheslined Callihan off the ring apron to eliminate him.

Sami Callihan has been eliminated

Tasha Steelz was an interesting choice at #14. I hope she gets a Gore. She hit a cutter on KC. The fans were chanting for the Gore but Rhino was being a gentleman. Steelz went for a cutter but Rhino caught her and put her down on the mat. Lei Ying Lee was #15. I guess now Steelz has an opponent on par with her for a bit. Lee hit a running head scissors on her. She hit a big kick in the corner and eliminated Steelz.

Tash Steelz has been eliminated

#16 was Jason Hotch. He hit a big double stomp on Seven. Navarro hit the 305 kick on him. He posed too much and Wentz dropkicked him off the apron.

KC Navarro has been eliminated

There still hasn’t been a Gore yet. #17 was Leon Slater. He’s so fun to watch. He nailed a running kick on Kaz. Slater nailed a Blue Thunder Bomb on Hotch. Kaz crotched him in the corner. Lee faced off with Kaz. He shoved her out of the way, so she nailed him with a bunch of strikes. Lee hit the Thunder Struck kick. She ran the ropes and Kaz took her head off with a clothesline. The fans didn’t like that. Kaz tossed her out.

Lei Ying Lee has been eliminated

Jonathan Gresham was #18. Kaz and Wentz had been in the match for 20 minutes at this point. Wentz hit the Bronco Buster on Hotch in the corner that went for about 60 seconds. JDC was #19. Not one surprise in the whole match. Disappointing. JDC didn’t enter the ring initially. Slater hit the Swanton 450 on Something, then JDC snuck in from behind to eliminate him.

Leon Slater has been eliminated

Seven nailed JDC with the Seven Star Lariat. AJ Francis was the final entrant, which we knew due to his victory on Thursday night. The fans really don’t like AJ. He plays such a good heel character. AJ took down everyone that moved near him. Gresham tried chopping the big man down. They botched AJ tossing him over so they improvised and AJ kicked Gresham off the apron.

Jonathan Gresham has been eliminated

Francis nailed Seven with the Down Payment over the top rope to eliminate him.

Trent Seven has been eliminated

Something quickly tossed Hotch out.

Jason Hotch has been eliminated

There were 6 guys left. Something and Wentz battled on the apron. Wentz hit a rising knee. He showed great power by picking him up and nailed a Death Valley Driver on the ring apron to eliminate Something.

Jake Something has been eliminated

Francis ran at Wentz, but Wentz tried to eliminate him with a hurricanrana. Something grabbed hold of Wentz from ringside and pulled him to the floor to eliminate him.

Zachary Wentz has been eliminated

The final four were: AJ Francis, Kaz, Rhino and JDC. Not a super inspiring list, folks. Rhino hit a Gore on Kaz right out of the corner. Finally! Rhino took down JDC and AJ with a clothesline. Rhino launched JDC over the top rope and onto the floor.

JDC has been eliminated

Rhino turned around to a huge spear by Francis. Francis put Rhino on his shoulders and tried to eliminate him. Rhino wriggled free and clotheslined him out!

AJ Francis has been eliminated

It’s down to Kaz and Rhino. The match now turns into a first-fall to a finish match. Rhino speared Kaz in the corner. He tossed him around with an overhead suplex. Kaz grabbed onto the referee and pulled him out of the way. He nailed a low blow on Rhino and covered him to win the match.

Winner by pinfall: Frankie Kazarian

Overall Analysis: ** I didn’t like that at all. There were no surprises or even interesting selections to fill the field. The final match between Rhino and Kaz barely lasted a minute and had an awful finish. The winner was so obvious and they didn’t even try to hide it. This was disappointing overall.

===

TNA Bound for Glory Main Card from the Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit, Michigan

Match #1: X-Division Championship: Mike Bailey (c) vs El Hijo del Vikingo

For some reason my feed didn’t have the entrances or the first few minutes of the match. Vikingo was favouring his knee so I assumed Bailey had targeted that early on. He hit a springboard missile dropkick that sent Bailey to the outside. They both missed baseball slides. Vikingo blocked a forearm so Vikingo used the guard rail to hit a hurricanrana on the floor. Crazy. Bailey avoided a baseball slide and hit a springboard corkscrew moonsault on the floor. Wow. These guys are going at 100 miles an hour early on. Back in the ring, Vikingo avoided Ultima Weapon. Bailey hit the Green Tea Plunge for 2. Vikingo avoided a knee attack and nailed a spinning kick. He targeted the left arm with a triangle hold. Bailey stretched out his leg to reach the rope. He avoided a double knee strike in the corner and hit a Dragon Screw in the corner. Bailey nailed a Fisherman’s Falcon Arrow in the corner. He went up top and hit a beautiful Shooting Star Press for 2. Vikingo hit a whirlwind kick that knocked the wind out of Bailey. Both men got to their feet at the count of 8. They struck each other with hard chops to the chest. Bailey feigned a chop and kicked Vikingo in the hamstrings. Vikingo boxed Bailey’s ears but Bailey nailed a knee and then a double knee with Vikingo on the mat. Bailey nailed the Tornado Kick and then Ultima Weapon but Vikingo kicked out because the referee took an eternity to go from 2 to 3. Not sure what happened with the communication there. Bailey went for the Flamingo Driver but Vikingo turned it into a Canadian Destroyer. Vikingo hit a double knee in the corner. Bailey rolled out of the ring so Vikingo nailed a ridiculous corkscrew moonsault. He went back to the top rope but Bailey caught him with a kick that took Vikingo to the ring apron. Bailey tried a double knee stomp on the ring apron but Vikingo moved. Vikingo then hit a Canadian Destroyer on the ring apron! That genuinely made me gasp. What a move! Vikingo wanted the 630 Senton but Bailey slowly sat up. Vikingo pulled Bailey to the top rope with him. Bailey countered with some headbutts. He held him up and hit Meteor Rain off the top rope for the win after 12 minutes.

Winner by pinfall AND STILL TNA X-Division Champion: Mike Bailey

Analysis: ***3/4 I thought that was the perfect choice for the opening match. It featured two exciting wrestlers who try crazy stuff to entertain the fans. We all know Vikingo does ridiculous and risky stuff, but Bailey hit some really cool moves to match Vikingo. I wish it went a few more minutes, then we could’ve really had a classic match.

The commentators welcomed us to the show and went through the card. I do that every week so I’m not going to do it again now.

Match #2: TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championships: Spitfire (c) vs Wendy Choo & Rosemary

Choo and Threat started the match. Threat made a quick tag to Luna who hit a scoop slam, then slammed Threat on top of Choo and gained a nearfall. Choo pulled her hair and backed her into the corner so that Rosemary could tag in. Rosemary whipped Luna into the corner. She missed a clothesline so Luna suplexed her. Luna hit a diving clothesline. She deadlifted Rosemary into a suplex for a 2 count. Threat made a blind tag and hit a crossbody splash on Rosemary for 2. She nailed a clothesline in the corner. Threat whipped Rosemary across the ring but Choo used her pillow to soften the blow. Can’t say I’ve seen that in my 23 years of watching wrestling. Threat pulled the pillow off Choo. She German suplexed it out of the ring. Again, there’s another first. Rosemary clotheslined Threat off the distraction. She pulled Threat back to the heel corner and tagged Choo. Choo hit her neck wrench on the mat for 2 on Threat. She whipped Threat into the corner again and hit a handspring elbow. Choo hit a running kick in the corner and then Rosemary choked Threat out with the Upside Down using the ropes. Rosemary beat Threat down with forearm strikes. She put Threat into the Tree of Woe. Choo tagged in and nailed a dropkick, then Rosemary hit a baseball slide. Choo scored another nearfall. She tried a sitting crossface on Threat. Threat broke free and nailed some forearms. She bounced out of the corner with a big clothesline. Luna and Rosemary tagged in. Luna got the best of Rosemary with two clotheslines and a scoop slam. Rosemary broke out of a powerbomb attempt but Luna hit a dropkick. She nailed a big boot on Choo to knock her off the apron. Luna hit a missile dropkick on Rosemary from the middle rope. Rosemary tried a jacknife cover for a 2 count. Luna hit a powerbomb for 2. Rosemary rolled out of the ring so Luna hit a suicide dive. Choo tripped up Threat and pulled her to the outside. She nailed a throat strike on an inrushing Luna. Rosemary and Choo hit a double DDT on Luna on the floor. Threat went up to the top and hit a diving senton on both the heels. Threat tossed both Rosemary and Luna back into the ring. Choo pulled Threat off the apron just as Luna was about to make the tag. Rosemary nailed Luna with a big spear. The referee was just about to count the 3 but Rosemary pulled Luna up and called for the finisher. How stupid. She tagged in Choo and they put Luna on the top rope. They wanted a double superplex but Luna fought out and turned it into her own double powerbomb. Luna made the tag to Threat. Threat fought both opponents in the centre of the ring. She clotheslined Choo down to the mat. Threat set up Rosemary for her double knees in the middle rope but Choo cut her off with a codebreaker-style move. Choo held Threat but Rosemary missed and struck her partner. Threat set them both up in the middle rope and hit her double knees. She German suplexed them both at the same time. Threat and Luna hit the Pressure Drop double team finisher on Choo to retain the titles after 11 minutes.

Winner by pinfall AND STILL TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions: Spitfire

Analysis: ***1/4 That was a solid tag team match up that didn’t get the crowd involvement that it probably deserved. The crowd wasn’t reacting much even though it was very good for the quality that this division has seen this year. I think the right team won, although it has been nice to see a different set of challengers in Choo and Rosemary.

Gia Miller interviewed Kaz who was reading a refereeing book. She asked if he was feeling prepared for the main event. Kaz said he’s always prepared and that by the end of the night he will raise the hand of the real TNA World Champion.

Analysis: He’s making it so obvious that he’s going to cash in later on. Or is that what we are supposed to think? I hope not.

Match #3: Josh Alexander vs Steve Maclin

Maclin was TNA World Champion 18 months ago. That feels like a lifetime ago, as he has really done nothing of note since. They brawled on the entrance ramp to start the match. Alexander whipped Maclin hard into the steel ring post. He trapped Maclin’s legs around the steel post with the Figure 4 Leg lock. Finally, they both were in the ring for the match to officially begin. Alexander rush Maclin with an attack in the corner. He stomped away on Maclin. Maclin reversed an Irish Whip and hit a clothesline. He struck with forearms into the corner and a back elbow for a 1 count. Maclin nailed a backbreaker for 2. He hit a knee drop with Alexander down on the mat. Maclin missed a diving headbutt so Alexander hit a hard backbreaker from a powerbomb position. That can’t tickle. Alexander got a 2 count. The fans chanted ‘Walking Wiener’ at Josh. He hit a few running knees to Maclin’s ribs. Alexander hit 5 German suplexes in a row. He went for a 6^th but Maclin went behind and nailed 10 of his own. The crowd was starting to come alive. They’ve been quiet for this match, as they were for almost all of the last women’s match. Maclin got the best of a face-off in the middle of the ring. He tied Alexander up in the Tree of Woe. Alexander did well to avoid an attack and make it to the ring apron. He nailed a power slam on Maclin on the ring apron. Alexander hit his crossbody against the bottom rope. He sent Maclin back into the ring and scored a nearfall. Maclin resisted the C4 Spike. Alexander tried to wear him down but ran into the Olympic Slam. Maclin put Alexander on the top turnbuckle and nailed the superplex. He immediately popped up into a DVD for a close 2 count. Alexander blocked the KIA. He picked up Maclin and span him into the referee. Alexander nailed a big low blow kick. He got some zip ties from ringside and put them on Maclin. The referee started to stir and noticed the zip ties but didn’t help Maclin out of them. What an idiot. Maclin got to his feet and knocked Alexander down whilst still in the zip ties. He charged at Alexander in the corner, sending him out of the ring. Maclin hit a very safe suicide dive through the ropes. The referee tried freeing Maclin, but Alexander ran in so Maclin nailed the Busaiku Knee. He hit a second knee but Alexander just got the shoulder up. Maclin still resisted the referee’s help. Alexander clocked him with a forearm. He nailed a safe Tombstone for 2. It was more like a shoulder breaker. Maclin broke out of the C4 Spike attempt. Alexander hit a German suplex but Maclin popped up like a mad man. Maclin hit a headbutt. Alexander trapped him on the mat with the ankle lock. Maclin couldn’t reach out for the ropes because his arms were tied. Alexander wrenched down on the ankle lock even more. Maclin passed out so Alexander was the winner after 15 minutes of official ring time.

Winner by knockout: Josh Alexander

Analysis: ***1/2 I enjoyed that. Usually, I don’t like those kinds of shenanigans at the end but it made Maclin look like a fighting babyface wrestler who has a personality, which he can be lacking at times. Alexander went the cheap route again to get a victory. Maclin showed toughness by not getting the referee to cut the zip ties, but his pride eventually led to his downfall.

The commentators ran through the BFG card. I’ll cover that at the bottom of this review.

Match #4: Monster’s Ball for the TNA Digital Media Championship: PCO (c) vs Matt Cardona

This story has been going on for a while without feeling like it has dragged on too long, so kudos to all involved because it really shouldn’t have been as popular on the weekly shows as the fans have made it. Cardona was wearing a Ghostbusters costume and wrestling with a mouthguard. Cardona tossed PCO outside early on. He hit a dropkick through the middle ropes and tossed PCO into the steel ring post. Cardona whipped PCO into the steel steps next. He smacked PCO with the steps. PCO fought back with a right hand. He grabbed a trash can from underneath the ring and hit Cardona over the back a few times. PCO went for a powerbomb but Cardona back body dropped him onto the steel steps. That did not sound pretty. Cardona pulled a door out from underneath the ring. The fans chanted “Door, door, door!” Very funny. He set it up into the corner. Cardona charged at PCO who tossed him into the door, which was obliterated. PCO clotheslined Cardona out of the ring. He went for one of his crazy dives but Cardona drilled him with a trash can before he could land the move. Kudos to PCO for not landing flush on his head. Cardona bashed PCO over the back with the trash can. He found another door under the ring. Cardona brought it into the ring with some steel chairs. He set up the door on top of the chairs, like a table. Cardona opened some chairs and placed them under the door, so that whoever went through the door would have a really rough landing. PCO made it back into the ring and nailed some right hands on Cardona in the corner, but Cardona put him through the makeshift table and onto the turned up chairs with a powerbomb. Cardona went for a cover but PCO just kicked out before the 3. Cardona pulled a bag of tacks out. He stuffed a heap into PCO’s mouth and nailed the Reboot in the corner. Cardona poured out the rest of the tacks on the mat. He rubbed PCO’s head on the mat. Cardona started stabbing PCO with tacks all over his face. PCO started to hulk up. He ran right into Radio Silence and almost got the 3. PCO had tacks all through his head. Cardona grabbed a third door from under the ring and brought it into the ring. He held it up and PCO ran right through him. PCO smashed the door over Cardona’s back and broke it. He went for a cover but Cardona kicked out. PCO was next to go under the ring. He had a black bag of fun, too. PCO untied the bag and had more thumb tacks. I thought it might have been something different. Cardona nailed a low blow. He got a barbed wire baseball bat out. For some reason it was green. Cardona nailed PCO with 2 shots to the ribs. PCO blocked the bat from hitting his face. He nailed Cardona with a chokeslam on the thumb tack pile. PCO hit the PCO-Sault on the tacks to win the match after 13:30.

Winner by pinfall AND STILL TNA Digital Media Champion: PCO

Analysis: ***1/2

That was very entertaining. I’m a sucker for PCO, still. We have all seen hundreds of no-disqualifications I’m sure, so the challenge in 2024 is to try to present some small kind of innovations and they tried some things with the tacks, and the door as a weapon so you have to give them that. PCO getting his revenge was the right call. You could argue that he’s as popular as any of the face champions in TNA, based on crowd reactions during his matches.

Match #5: Mike Santana vs Moose w/ JDC

Santana came out through the crowd. He sent Moose into the guard rails with a hard whip. Santana hit a big boot against the rail. He tossed Moose back into the ring. Moose went for a clothesline but Santana moved and Moose went crashing to the outside. Santana went for a dive but Moose dodged it and Santana took out JDC. Moose hit a pump kick and a powerbomb on the ring apron. He rolled into the ring to break the count. JDC rammed Santana into the steel steps then tossed him back into the ring. Moose scored a 2 count. He whipped Santana hard into the corner. Santana avoided a powerbomb. He went for a cannonball in the corner but Moose caught him and turned it into a powerbomb. Nice spot there. Santana broke free from a sleeper hold. He nailed some strikes but Moose hit a Uranage. Santana urged Moose to come at him. He hit Moose with a flurry of offense. Moose avoided Spin the Block but Santana spiked him with a cutter for a close 2 count. Santana went to the top rope but Moose rolled out of the ring. Santana changed direction and took JDC and Moose out with a spinning dive to the outside. He tried for a cannonball on the outside but Moose caught him. Moose went for a powerbomb but Santana turned it into a hurricanrana. He hit a moonsault from the middle rope to the floor. Back in the ring, Santana nailed the Outlined in Chalk and a single-leg dropkick for 2. Santana wanted Spin the Block but Moose blocked it. Santana caught him and hit a DVD against the bottom turnbuckle. Santana hit a 450 for a close 2 count. Santana has brought it, offensively, tonight. JDC created a distraction so Moose stopped Santana on the top turnbuckle. Moose wanted Sky High from the top but didn’t really connect and hopefully Santana is okay. Moose from that height can be a concern. The crowd was very quiet now. Moose wanted a powerbomb on the ring apron. Santana dropped to his knees to avoid it. They traded kicks. Santana said some non-PG phrases. Moose avoided a DVD and crushed Santana with a powerbomb on the apron. That was nasty. Santana rolled back into the ring at the count of 9. JDC got the steel chain and brought it into the ring. The referee was right there. JDC missed with a right hand and almost ran into Moose. Santana nailed him with Spin the Block. Moose hit the spear on Santana but he kicked out. Moose wanted another spear. Santana turned it into a roll up for 2. Moose ran off the ropes into the Spin the Block and Santana won the match after 14 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Mike Santana

Analysis: ***1/2 That was a fitting blow-off to the feud. Santana had to win that match. I thought his offense throughout the match was excellent. He made it feel like a big-time fight by bringing out moves like the 450. The match had good intensity throughout and the lurking JDC in the background kept you thinking that he might cost Santana but in the end Santana fought through the numbers game and got the job done.

Match #6: TNA Knockouts World Championship: Jordynne Grace (c) vs Masha Slamovich

Hopefully this gets the first 4-star rating of the night. It’s been a solid show but nothing amazing so far. Without causing controversy, I’m surprised they announce Masha from Russia. Grace has won the most matches in TNA this year. That’s impressive seeing as champion she only really needs to wrestle once a month but of course she doesn’t do the bare minimum. I don’t mind who wins here, so I hope we just get a great match. Slamovich got the best of the openings, with an arm drag. The fans were probably slightly louder in their Jordynne chants but there was certainly lots of support for the challenger. Grace nailed a shoulder tackle then a tilt awhirl slam. Slamovich tripped Grace up against the middle rope. She tried a clothesline but Grace was too strong. Slamovich hit a spinning kick that sent Grace to the outside. She connected with a spinning dive to the outside. They fought on the apron and Grace kicked Slamovich’s leg against the rope. She nailed a top rope double stomp on the ring apron. That was awesome. Grace kicked Slamovich to the floor. She picked Slamovich up and smashed her legs against the steel ring post multiple times. Grace hit a rolling DVD on the floor then rolled back into the ring to reset the referee’s count. Grace scored the first nearfall back in the ring. She went back to the knee assault. Slamovich blocked the Juggernaut Driver. She turned it into a roll up for 2. Slamovich avoided another slam and hit a spinning heel kick. She was slow to cover due to her knee but still scored a 2 count. Grace blocked a suplex attempt. Slamovich hit a DDT and turned it into a Guillotine. Grace used her strength to stand up and turn it into a Jackhammer for 2. That was impressive. Slamovich blocked the Juggernaut Driver again. Grace backed her into the corner but missed the Vader Bomb. She blocked a Canadian Destroyer from Slamovich. Grace struck Slamovich with right hands in the corner. Slamovich ran at her and hit a hurricanrana. She hit the Snow Plow for a close 2 count but couldn’t hook the leg. Slamovich clubbed Grace over the back. Grace started to fight back but ran into a back elbow. She blocked a running knee attempt. Slamovich hit a springboard crossbody for 2. Grace avoided a corner attack. She couldn’t avoid the knee in the corner. Slamovich hit a spinning heel kick for 2. Grace blocked the Snow Plow. She hit a Tombstone German suplex. That was cool. Grace nailed Kryptonite Crunch for 2. Hi, Jerry Lynn. She went for another DVD but Slamovich grabbed the top rope and pulled herself to the ring apron. She tried suplexing Grace over the top rope but tripped Jordynne’s leg up in the ropes with a hard landing. They traded forearms between the ropes. Slamovich hit a headbutt and went to the top. Grace tried Shades of Samoa but Slamovich popped off her shoulders and nailed a knee strike. She hit the Burning Hammer for a very close nearfall. Grace barely got the shoulder up there. Both women were fatiguing now. Slamovich hit some forearms and a big kick. She went for another kick but Grace held her leg and turned it into a modified Exploder suplex. Grace hit the Juggernaut Driver but Slamovich kicked out! That’s the first time in TNA this year that someone has kicked out of that. Grace immediately went for a leg lock. Slamovich almost made the ropes but Grace pulled her back. Grace turned it into the Stretch Muffler. Slamovich was able to reach the ropes and break the hold. The match was really heating up now. Grace set Slamovich up on the top rope. Slamovich tried to fight out of it with headbutts. She nailed a superplex from the top but it was more like a Brainbuster. Slamovich hit a spike piledriver for the win after 18 minutes.

Winner by pinfall AND NEW TNA Knockouts Champion: Masha Slamovich

Analysis: **** The final 5 minutes were excellent. There were a lot of parallels to their matches from 2 years ago which the commentators did a good job of reminding us of throughout the match. I was initially critical of going for the knee angle, especially during a face vs face match, but having Masha fight through the pain and still get the pinfall win makes for a good story. She needed the win so much more than Grace who, now without the championship, is free to sail off into the WWE-filled sunset. She’s the best in the world right now and I look forward to her doing her thing in front of many more eyes.

Match #7: TNA World Championship: Nic Nemeth (c) vs Joe Hendry w/ Special Guest Referee: Frankie Kazarian

So it looks like we aren’t pulling the trigger on Joe Hendry, yet again. I hope I’m wrong, but is Hendry winning the title less of a moment than the Hardys potentially winning the tag titles? This feels like the main event and it’s a shame it’s not getting that big-match treatment. Ace Steel gave Hendry a pep-talk before the match. There was an extended intro video for Hendry and then he came out with a chainsaw in a throwback to Eminem, who didn’t take up his invite unfortunately. The crowd was going crazy for him during his entrance and then even more during the big-match introductions. Nemeth got plenty of boos. Maybe because he’s from Cleveland. Is that a NBA rivalry thing? I’m Australian. Kaz called for the start of the match and here we go. Hendry kipped up out of a leg scissors attempt. The crowd was singing Hendry’s theme as they did some early counter wrestling. Hendry tried a roll up for a 1 count. Nemeth nailed a dropkick as the first offense of the match. Hendry had Nemeth up in the stalling suplex and took Nemeth all the way around the ring to see which side of the crowd made the loudest noise. Nemeth avoided the Fallaway slam and hit a neckbreaker. He nailed his 10 elbow drop routine and scored a 2 count. Nemeth had a front facelock but Hendry turned it into a suplex. Hendry hit a clothesline and a Fallaway slam. He kipped up to the delight of the crowd. Nemeth avoided the Standing Ovation and jumped on Hendry’s back with a sleeper. Hendry was down to a knee and Kaz asked him if he wanted to quit. Hendry shook Nemeth off with a snapmare. Nemeth ran into a pop-up powerbomb! Hendry went for the ankle lock after his success against Josh Alexander. Nemeth needed a while but he eventually got to the ropes. He pulled himself up to the top rope but Hendry cut him off with a running upper cut. Hendry wanted a superplex but Nemeth nailed a headbutt. Hendry shook it off and hit the Fallaway slam from the top. Both men were down so Kaz went to the ringside area to grab his trophy and cash in. Hendry took it off him and told him to do his job. He went back into the ring and Nemeth hit the Fame Asser. Kaz did a super-fast count but Hendry still kicked out. Nemeth told him to call the match fairly. He went for the Danger Zone but Nemeth held onto the ropes. Hendry hit a clothesline. He went for a powerbomb but Nemeth turned it into a DDT. Kaz counted properly again but Hendry kicked out at 2. Nemeth went up top again. He went for a crossbody but Hendry rolled through and powered up. Hendry nailed the Attitude Adjustment (Hannifan even called it that) for 2. I know Nemeth is a lighter opponent but Hendry’s strength so far has been impressive in this match. We know it’s a hallmark of his but he’s really showing it off tonight. Hendry nailed a pump kick that sent Nemeth to the ring apron. He got some separation with a headbutt but Nemeth connected with a superkick. Hendry fought back with a cutter on the apron. Kaz started the count out of Hendry. He looked towards his trophy and went for the cash in. Kaz called for a TNA referee to come out and officiate. John Layfield showed up and went into the ring. He turned Kaz around and destroyed him with the Clothesline from Hell (I don’t’ want to be arrogant but I called this exactly). Layfield clotheslined Hendry at ringside, too. I thought that was a chance of happening. Ryan Nemeth went to ringside and Layfield clobbered him, too. The commentators didn’t think Nic saw any of this. Nemeth nailed the Danger Zone on Hendry. Another referee ran down to count the fall but Hendry kicked out! Terrific nearfall there. Nemeth set up for the superkick. Hendry caught him and went for the Standing Ovation. Nemeth slipped out the back and nailed the superkick. He hit the Danger Zone to retain the title after 16 minutes.

Winner AND STILL TNA World Champion: Nic Nemeth

Analysis: ***3/4 That match will divide opinions, I feel. Even I’m not that confident in my rating, because of my personal feelings at the result. However, it had me buying into the nearfalls and there were a few twists towards the end there which made it exciting. Nemeth is a great champion, there’s no doubting that. I just thought tonight was surely Hendry’s time. I did think Layfield would come out and after he confronted Kaz it would go two ways: attack Hendry and Nemeth wins or he walks off and Hendry wins clean. Nemeth can play dumb here and say he didn’t see anything (completely plausible) but then they could’ve had it planned all along. I think all of this added to the match. We know Hendry is no Shawn Michaels in the ring, but he tells stories and gets the crowd involved. They are invested in him and were invested in this whole match. So my rating is high because I felt that they did the best they could with a pretty hard situation in a face vs face title match. There were several really good nearfalls in the match and when Hendry kicked out of the Danger Zone with the replacement referee I think the whole crowd thought he would go on to win. It wasn’t the case and that might be it for Joe and the title. Or could we get Hendry vs heel Nemeth at Hard to Kill? There’s a story to play out further so maybe with this result TNA think they can draw an even lengthier play with Hendry and finally crown him champion in 2025. Depends on where his contract is at I guess.

Match #8: Full Metal Mayhem for the TNA World Tag Team Championships: The System (c) vs The Hardys vs The ABC

The only way to win is by retrieving the championships from above the ring. I’m a fan of all types of wrestling but I find it interesting that the Tag Titles are being defended in the main event of a PPV here and I couldn’t tell you the last time the Tag Titles were defended on a WWE PPV. With this match going on last, I think you might be able to guess the winners here. This is going to be very chaotic so I’ll do my best to keep up with the action. The Hardys and the ABC took out The System early on. Bey did a big dive to the floor. Ace Austin brought a bunch of chairs to ringside. The ladders and chairs were all sorts of different colours and designs. Brian Myers tried to escape over the barricade but Jeff Hardy threw a chair at him. The Hardys and The System fought in the crowd. The ABC followed the party. Matt nailed Eddie Edwards with multiple shots with a steel chair. He held Edwards whilst Jeff nailed shots to the ribs with a different chair. Bey held Myers on a table while Austin dove off the rail with a huge splash. Matt and Jeff brought Edwards back to ringside. Matt bounced Edwards’ head off the steel steps whilst Jeff set up a table. Jeff nailed Edwards with another chair shot. He set him up on the table. Matt climbed the ladder and hit a perfect leg drop through the table. Jeff set up a ladder in the ring. He was stopped by Bey. They traded right hands in the centre of the ring. Bey hit some knee strikes. Jeff hit a Twist of Fate into a neckbreaker from Matt, which they call the Plot Twist. The Hardys climbed the ladder but Austin pushed the ladder down and the Hardys went crashing into the top rope. Bey and Austin hit their version of Poetry in Motion. They used a steel chair to hit a double stomp with air. Bey hit an enziguiri in the corner after Austin had trapped Matt with a ladder. Austin set Matt up on a ladder in the middle rope and Bey hit a double stomp. Jeff ran through them both with a ladder in hand. Hannifan said Jeff had hand-painted all the ladders and chairs so that’s cool. I wish I had that much free time, Jeff. Bey and Austin hit a double suplex on Jeff on top of the ladder. They signalled towards the titles. Bey had a construction ladder that was unclipped. Bey held the ladder while Austin started to ascent. Jeff stopped them in their tracks and luckily Austin’s blow was softened by the top rope. Matt set up a regulation ladder underneath the titles. Jeff set up the construction ladder between it, so it looked like a bridge. Bey and Austin made it back into the ring. Matt took care of Austin with his Delete head bounces off the turnbuckle. Bey made a play for the titles but Matt stopped him. He wanted a superplex off the ladder. Matt blocked a cutter attempt. Jeff climbed the ladder bridge and had a steel chair. So did Austin. Jeff nailed Bey in the back and Austin hit Matt. Bey and Matt crashed to the mat from the ladder. Austin and Jeff knocked each other’s chairs out of their hands. They both reached for the championships and traded strikes. Austin nailed a headbutt that sent Jeff crashing back onto the ladder. He then bounced back onto the ladder, too. Edwards and Myers returned to the ring with chair shots. Myers took down the ladder bridge. They tossed both ladders over the top rope and on top of Bey. Edwards went to town on Austin with a chair. Myers brought more chairs into the ring and set up some tables around the ring. Myers and Edwards hit stereo Side Effects on the Hardys through the tables off the ring apron. Myers and Austin were in the ring. Edwards ran in with a chair shot. Myers followed up with a spear. They set up for a conchairto. Bey ran in for the save. He got some payback with chair shots to both heels. They nailed the Art of Finesse and then the Fold on top of the chair on Myers. Edwards hit the Blue Thunder Bomb on Bey. Austin and Edwards climbed a ladder. They were a bit away from the titles. Edwards reached for the championships but Bey came out of nowhere and hit a springboard Art of Finesse taking Edwards off the ladder. Austin used the ladder like a pogo stick to move closer to the titles. Edwards got back up and completely no sold that last offense. Myers and Bey fought on the ladder. Bey knocked him off with headbutts. He held onto the titles in mid-air. Edwards held him and swung him towards Myers and they recreated the spear off the ladder spot from WrestleMania 17. That was awesome. Edwards and Matt faced off. Matt stuck Edwards’ head in the chair and nailed the Twist of Fate. Crazy. Myers came in with the Roster Cut on Matt. Jeff snuck in with the Twist of Fate on Myers. He rolled to the ring so Jeff followed him and hit another Twist of Fate. Jeff got another ladder from underneath the ring. This looked to be a big one. Jeff slid down the ladder into a dropkick on Myers. Jeff set up the ladder at ringside. It was near two ladders so you know he’s going ot do something insane. He bashed Myers with the chair. Jeff climbed to the top and destroyed Myers with a Swanton Bomb but they only went through one of the tables. Jeff’s legs landing awkwardly on the second table. Does he need to do that at his age? Matt started to climb the ladder but Austin nailed him in the back with a chair shot. Alisha Edwards slid into the ring and pushed the ladder which sent Austin tumbling to the outside. She took off her neck brace to show that she’d be faking her injury. Matt went in and hit the Twist of Fate on Alisha. She took it perfectly. He got towards the top of the ladder but Edwards caught him with kendo stick shots to the back. Edwards started the climb but Jeff got into the ring. Matt was there too and they both threw chairs at Edwards. The Hardys grabbed Eddie and powerbombed him over the top rope through two tables! Edwards was hidden under the rubble. The crowd was going nuts as The Hardys climbed the ladders and won the match after 27:30.

Winners AND NEW TNA World Tag Team Champions: The Hardys

Analysis: ****1/4 That was a lot of fun. Much of the match was just spot to spot, but every now and then that’s okay. Even though The Hardys are ageing, these types of matches are good for them as there’s multiple opponents and they can take their time setting up the spots. Jeff still doing Swantons from that height is scary to watch and that Edwards powerbomb through the tables looked rough, but most of the spots looked pretty safe and rehearsed so there was nothing extreme or incredible that took it to that classic match level. It was very entertaining and gave the fans a great moment to end a pretty decent night for TNA.

The Hardys took their new championships into the crowd to celebrate with the fans. After the show ended (this might not have been on TV), they came back into the ring and thanked all of the fans in the crowd and those who have watched TNA for over 20 years. Matt said they have won the titles for the people and that they are still great. He said they don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. Jeff thanked the fans for believing in TNA and in him. Their music played and they continued to celebrate.

Final Rating: 7.5/10

I’ve already written 8,000 words so I won’t give too many final thoughts. It was a solid night for TNA but didn’t reach the heights that I expected. That’s not a criticism, I just feel that they have the potential to provide fantastic matches on these PPVs but we generally don’t quite get past the ‘very good’ level. That could be down to timing (only one match went over 20 minutes); I’m not sure. Lots of people will be annoyed about Joe Hendry. I’m not sure how many times I can write about long-term booking or being patient. Tonight was the night for him. Maybe another loss means he’s signed on and so they can build a story around him and Nemeth and Layfield? Or maybe they won’t put the title on him because he is WWE-bound. That could be why Grace lost, too, although I think if they had Masha lose then a) they have nowhere for her to go and b) who would Grace wrestle next? There’s literally no one for her. I rated the Full Metal Mayhem match the best on the card. I probably enjoyed the last 5 minutes of both World Title matches the most, however, overall the main event was the better match of the night. And we got a feel-good Hardy moment to close the show. What was missing was the surprises and 5-star matches. I think I have rated 2 matches in my whole 2.5 years of reviewing as 5-stars. I really enjoy watching and reviewing TNA, however, I think I need to adjust my expectations because, more often than not, I finish these reviews feeling slightly underwhelmed and thinking about what could have been. It felt like another one of those nights for TNA.

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!