TNA Bound for Glory 2025 Review

It’s TNA Bound for Glory featuring Mike Santana facing NXT’s Trick Williams, The Hardys battling Team 3D one more time, and more.

I am Kristian Thompson here to review TNA Bound For Glory from Sunday night.

The Countdown Show featured the 2025 Hall of Fame ceremony featuring Mickie James and the Beautiful People’s Angelina Love & Velvet Sky. A play-by-play recap doesn’t do justice to those worthy recipients, so I suggest watching on YouTube if you want to catch those speeches. It was wonderful to see 3 of the key players in the TNA Knockouts division get the recognition they deserve. It was then fitting that the only match on the pre-show featured women-only, as the Iinspiration retained their Knockouts Tag Team Titles in a 5-minute match over The Elegance Brand.

TNA Bound for Glory 2025 from the Tsongas Centre in Lowell, Massachusetts

The opening video package was as good as they’ve ever done; narrated by Boston Celtics radio voice Sean Grande. It focused on the main matches on the card. Tom Hannifan called 2025 the year of TNA’s renaissance. I wouldn’t go that far. They do a lot right, then either make stupid booking decisions due to WWE pressure or make PLEs that are good on paper but don’t quite hit the same heights. They played the National Anthem, but no one sang, which I felt was odd. The arena lighting seemed low, which has been a problem for TNA for a while. That was only during the opening of the show so I’m hoping it’s not an issue all night. The crowd figure was 7,794, which means it’s the largest attendance at a North American TNA show ever.

Match #1: TNA International Championship: Frankie Kazarian (c) vs Steve Maclin

Kaz won the title two weeks ago which seemed like a strange time to do a switch-up. They only added this match to the card a few days ago. Maclin jumped Kaz early. They got back into the ring and Kaz did a sunset bomb from the ring apron to the floor. That was a crazy start to the match. Kaz tossed Maclin into the steel ring steps. He talked some trash to Maclin’s mother at ringside. Maclin’s mum got in Kaz’s face and gave him the double bird. Maclin beat Kaz down at ringside. He tossed him back into the ring and nailed a Thesz press. Maclin hit a forearm in the corner. Kaz tried the Chicken Wing but ran into the Olympic Slam. Maclin hit a splash in the corner and set Kaz up in the Tree of Woe. He went for his corner spear but Kaz pulled himself up. Kaz tried a roll up with his hand on the ropes but the referee caught him. Maclin ran into a backstabber. Kaz followed up with a diving clothesline. Maclin blocked a springboard cutter and turned it into a Boston Crab submission. Kaz made the ropes and broke the hold. He recovered well with a Pele kick and the Angel’s Wings for a close 2 count. Hannifan references AJ Styles nailing that move on John Cena in Australia on Saturday night at the WWE PLE. Kaz took Maclin to the top rope. He wanted a Super Fade to Black. Maclin almost tipped over but bit at the forehead of Kaz to break free. Maclin missed the diving headbutt. Kaz brought him in from the ring apron with a slingshot cutter for 2. The crowd was loud and involved early on. Kaz tied Maclin up in the Tree of Woe. Maclin avoided the spear and hung Kaz upside down, then nailed the spear. Maclin nailed the KIA to regain the championship after 7½ minutes.

Winner AND NEW TNA International Champion: Steve Maclin

Analysis: ***1/2 A fast and furious opener that I enjoyed. I guess they did the title change a fortnight ago to give Maclin the win back on a big stage. Only a quick reign for Kaz but he might have something bigger on the horizon.

Trick Williams cut a quick backstage promo with his ‘lawyer’, to remind the fans that the wrestler with the best story doesn’t always hold the gold; it’s the man who’s best for business.

Match #2: Tessa Blanchard w/ Victoria Crawford vs Gia Miller w/ Jody Threat

Miller can wrestle, but they haven’t acknowledged this during the build up to this match, which seems odd unless they want to write Blanchard out with an embarrassing loss. Sometimes, it doesn’t have to be that hard TNA. Miller took Blanchard down with a side headlock. That annoyed Blanchard so she kicked Miller in the side of the head. Miller rolled Blanchard up for a close 2 count. Blanchard tossed Miller into the top rope, throat-first. She stomped Miller’s head against the steel steps. Blanchard assaulted Miller with right hands then suplexed her onto the steps. Blanchard continued the beatdown in front of Gia’s family at ringside. They battled back into the ring. Crawford hit a cheap shot when the referee wasn’t looking. Blanchard hit a super kick as Miller bounced off the ropes. Crawford got involved again, right in front of the referee. Threat tossed her off the ring apron and then the referee ejected Crawford. She might be the most annoying character in all of wrestling. Blanchard tossed Miller into the announcer’s table. Security came down to take Crawford away but she wouldn’t go. Threat did a crazy senton from the top rope to the ringside area, which took out all the security and Crawford. Threat chased Crawford to the back. Back in the ring, Miller took down Blanchard with a Thesz Press. She hit a Monkey Flip and tried a crossbody out of the corner but didn’t connect very well. Miller hit a clothesline in the corner Blanchard blocked a second one with a kick. Blanchard exposed one of the turnbuckle pads and pressed Miller’s head into the steel. Miller fired up with a headbutt. She went for a powerbomb but Blanchard had a roll of coins and hit Miller over the head with them. That wasn’t enough for the pinfall win after 6 ½ minutes. What a lame ending.

Winner by pinfall: Tessa Blanchard

Analysis: **1/2 Even the great Tessa Blanchard couldn’t pull a passable match out there. Miller is an announcer granted, so there were some sloppy moments but also good intensity in the match. The finish just fell flat. We are two matches in and have had less than 15 minutes of ring-time so far.

Match #3: Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

This is a 20-person Battle Royal, however the intervals are at 2 minutes and the match changes to a singles match when we are down to the last two competitors. Mance Warner has the coveted #20 spot and Lei Ying Lee is #1. Mara Sade is #2, so two women will start off the match. Nothing much happened early on. Ryan Nemeth was #3. I hope the ladies dump him out. Ryan decided to stay out of the ring. Lee and Sade chased him back in. They double-teamed him with drop kicks. Sade and Lee stomped away on Nemeth in the corner. The next entrant was Nic Nemeth at #4. I swear that was about 30 seconds. Sade slapped Nic and hit a superkick. Lee hit Nic with plenty of strikes and a kick to the face. Ryan saved him from going over. Nic hit a double clothesline on the ladies. #5 was Cedric Alexander. He nailed a German suplex on both the Nemeths. Alexander hit flying forearms on them in opposite corners. He levelled the Nemeths with a dropkick each. Alexander tried to eliminate Ryan in the corner but Nic stopped him. #6 was Rich Swann. Alexander tried a running hurricanrana but Swann landed on his feet. Swann raked the eyes of Alexander. #7 was his tag team partner, AJ Francis. We still haven’t had any eliminations yet. Swann ran into a running knee from Alexander. Francis tossed Lee hard into the bottom turnbuckle. Sade jumped on his back so he tossed her over the top rope and then hit the Down Payment on Lee to the floor.

Mara Sade & Lei Ying Lee have been eliminated

Swann cheered on Francis but he hit the Down Payment on his partner and tossed him out.

Rich Swann has been eliminated

#8 was Travis Williams but Mackenzie Mitchell the ring announcer didn’t know his name so she just called him Saint. The Nemeths double-teamed him in the corner. Francis and Alexander battled in another corner. #9 entrant was BDE. I don’t know anything about him except that he asked to join the match on X and is now in the match. Francis almost eliminated him instantly but BDE held onto the ropes. He countered a Down Payment attempt with a cutter. BDE turned around and almost lost his head from a Nic Nemeth superkick. #10, #11 and #12 were the whole Rascalz trio. BDE and the Rascalz combined to eliminate AJ Francis with superkicks.

AJ Francis has been eliminated

#13 was Dani Luna. Mitchell called her #11 because I think The Rascalz have counted as one spot, which means we might get 22 wrestlers in the match. That’s fine with me. Williams hit a running knee on Luna. I think we are up to #12 now after that Rascalz decision, which is Eric Young. Williams went straight after Young. They battled on the apron. Williams wanted a piledriver but Young blocked it with a low blow. He destroyed Williams with a piledriver which sent him to the floor and out of the match.

Travis Williams has been eliminated

#13 entrant is Jake Something. He hit a flurry of shoulder blocks and a double clothesline on Reed and Miguel. Something squashed Wentz with an avalanche. Luna and Something hit powerbombs on Miguel and Reed. BDE went for a springboard move but Young knocked him to the floor with a right hand.

BDE has been eliminated

#14 was Rosemary. So far there have been no interesting entrants. Rosemary had barely made the ring and #15 entered, in the Hometown Man. SIGH. What a waste. Young tossed Alexander and Miguel out, while this idiot was coming down to the ring.

Cedric Alexander and Trey Miguel have been eliminated

The HTM squared up to Something. Something held him against the ropes and Rosemary sprayed her mist. Deaner ducked and the mist got Something in the eyes. Deaner tossed Rosemary into Something and he fell to the floor.

Jake Something has been eliminated

Zack Clayton from the new FBI was entrant #16. We haven’t seen him or Guido for a long time. Luna eliminated Rosemary and then Deaner tossed Luna straight out.

Dani Luna and Rosemary have been eliminated

#17 was Jody Threat. She ran around ringside like a crazed woman and then Kazarian came out of nowhere and almost beheaded her with a clothesline. Santino Marella came down to ringside to check on her. Kaz got in his face and shoved him. Kaz entered the ring and took Threat’s spot. Marella took off his badge and entered the match at #18. He turned around and nailed Kaz with the Cobra. I think Kaz slipped through the middle rope and avoided an elimination. He got into the ring and was clotheslined straight out by Nic Nemeth.

Santino Marella has been eliminated

Matt Cardona was #19. He got a decent pop, probably the biggest of the night so far which surprised me. Cardona hit Radio Silence on Clayton and eliminated him.

Zack Clayton has been eliminated

Cardona brought Guido into the ring and tossed him out for fun. Mance Warner was #20. He came out with some zombies. It was odd. Reed and Wentz were eliminated as this was going on.

Myron Reed and Zachary Wentz have been eliminated.

We were down to 7: Warner, both Nemeths, Kaz, Deaner, Cardona and Young. SDL handed Warner a steel chair. Warner brought it into the ring. He nailed Deaner and Young, then both Nemeths. Warner smashed Deaner over the back with the chair. Cardona battled him into the corner. Young almost eliminated Deaner but he used his strength to pull himself back in. He tossed Young over but Young held on with one hand. They battled on the apron. Young went low again and sent Deaner to the floor. Cardona clotheslined Young over the top.

Deaner and Eric Young have been eliminated

Cardona sent Warner over the top. He didn’t last long despite all the hype and the #20 spot.

Mance Warner has been eliminated

The Nemeths double-teamed Cardona. Ryan held Cardona, but he ducked and Nic cleaned his clock with a superkick that sent Ryan crashing to the floor.

Ryan Nemeth has been eliminated

At this point, there should’ve been some commentary about the match becoming a singles match, because Kaz not being eliminated was supposed to be hidden. Warner came back onto the apron and pulled Cardona to the floor to eliminate him.

Matt Cardona has been eliminated

Kaz slid back into the ring and we now have a singles match for the title shot.

Match #4: Frankie Kazarian vs Nic Nemeth

Kaz tackled Nemeth into the corner but he took out the referee. He rolled Nemeth up but the referee couldn’t count. Kaz turned around and Nemeth nailed him with a superkick. A new referee ran to the ring and almost counted 3. Nemeth couldn’t believe it. Kaz flew back into the ring with a slingshot DDT. Kaz took Nemeth to the top rope and nailed a superplex. Kaz made the cover, but Nemeth turned it into a pin, too, and both referees counted the 3 count. Oh no, not one of these stupid booking decisions. The referees looked to Santino and a replay for some counsel. Marella announced that they both won and the crowd booed heavily. Dumpster fire.

Winners: Nic Nemeth and Frankie Kazarian

Analysis: ** Overall, I’m giving it 2/5. There was one surprise in the match, Zack Clayton, who was not interesting at all. The singles match was solid until the awful ending. Kaz just held the trophy and now he has it again? Can’t they write anything else for him? Did he not cash in last year’s title shot? Call me confused. Now we have co-winners, so I guess two guys who have a title shot lurking in the background could be interesting.

Match #5: TNA Knockouts Championship: NXT’s Kelani Jordan (c) vs Indi Hartwell

Hartwell is undefeated in TNA. The match was even early on. Jordan tried a roll up and then a diving crossbody for 2. Hartwell stacked Jordan up for 2. Jordan tried a backslide for another nearfall. Hartwell hit the first real offense of the match with a scoop slam. Jordan hit a nice springboard arm drag with a cover, for 2. She nailed a twisting leg drop in the corner for 2. Hartwell took her to the mat with a submission. She wrenched at Jordan’s neck, whilst she trapped her in a backstabber. Hartwell was losing her grip so she threw Jordan face-first into the mat. Jordan recovered with a clothesline off the ropes. She hit a jawbreaker for 2 and held onto Indi’s leg in a half crab. Jordan leant into Hartwell’s neck with her knee to increase the pain. She pulled Hartwell back closer to the centre of the ring. Hartwell rolled onto her back and kicked Jordan to the outside. Jordan went to the top rope and hit a crossbody. Hartwell held on and tried a slam but Jordan rolled through with an inside cradle for a 2 count. She hit a powerbomb on the second attempt, for a 2 count. Jordan recovered quickly with a Pele kick. She went back to the top rope and hit a Frog Splash for 2. Jordan tried two more covers but Hartwell powered out. Hartwell went to the outside for a breather. She stopped Jordan in her tracks and hit a big boot to the outside. Hartwell tossed Jordan back into the ring. She went to the top rope and hit an elbow drop to Jordan’s back for a close 2 count. They exchanged roll ups and Hartwell caught Jordan with Hurts Don’t It (worst finisher name ever) but Jordan got a foot on the rope to save her title. Hartwell went back to the top rope. Jordan followed her and wanted the Spanish Fly. Hartwell sent her to the mat. She missed an elbow drop and Jordan took her down with a spinning kick. Jordan pulled Hartwell to the corner and hit the split-legged moonsault to retain her title and end Hartwell’s undefeated reign. The match went 13 minutes.

Winner AND STILL TNA Knockouts Champion: Kelani Jordan

Analysis: *** They worked hard, but because there was no build to the match and no heel character, it didn’t have much heat to it. I would’ve thought Indi winning was the biggest lock of the night and it’s disappointing that she lost. A TNA wrestler should hold that title.

Kaz and Nic Nemeth argued about their trophy backstage. Ryan said ‘they’ would make history together, whilst Kaz suggested he might cash in later in the night.

Match #6: Hardcore War: Order 4 vs The System

Order 4 have the advantage. It’s Jason Hotch vs Eddie Edwards to start the match, then there will be another wrestler added every 2 minutes. Edwards hit a suicide dive to start the match. Hotch used his pace to hit a running dropkick. He tried a dive to the outside but Edwards stopped him with a trash can shot to the head. John Skyler entered next to make it 2 on 1 for Order 4. They hit Edwards with The Favour on top of a steel chair. JDC entered next to level the match up. He hit a wicked spiked DDT Hotch. JDC hit a low blow shot on Skyler, using an NFL helmet. He hit a dive from the top to the outside to take out both Great Hands. JDC got a cheese grater from under the ring and used it on Skyler’s forehead. Skyler was already bleeding before that, for some reason. I didn’t see him get hit with any weapons to the head. Tasha Steelz was next in and hit a low blow on JDC with a baseball bat. She nailed another shot to the ribs. Skyler was a bloody mess. Hotch hit Edwards with a superkick. Steelz hit a springboard legdrop on Edwards, with a chair over his face. Alisha Edwards was out next with a kendo stick. She took down Steelz and Hotch. Skyler grabbed her by the hair so she clocked him, too. Alisha hit Steelz over the back with the stick again. Edwards got a stapler and stapled Skyler’s head. They went low on Hotch with the stapler. Alisha stapled Steelz in the backside. Agent Zero was up next to give Order 4 back the advantage. Zero took down Edwards with a powerslam. He clotheslined JDC and hit him with a press slam. Zero whipped Edwards into the steps at ringside. He tossed the steps into Edwards’ head. Zero and Hotch took shots at JDC in the ring. Brian Myers was next but there were three Order 4 members in the ring. He tossed a trash can in to distract them and got a few trash can lid shots in but the numbers were too great. Zero hit the choke bomb onto the trash can on Myers. They tossed Myers to the floor. Alisha was all alone with Order 4. Mustafa Ali was the last member of his team to join the match. He had a sledgehammer. Edwards tried to save his wife but he got stomped with a steel chair on the back. The Great Hands nailed JDC with a dropkick against the bottom turnbuckle, with a chair against his face. Moose entered the match and now the match can officially be decided. Moose hit a back body drop on Hotch in the entrance way. Skyler caught him as he crashed to the floor. Moose hit a powerbomb on Ali on the apron. He revealed a steel chain under his singlet. Moose faced off with Zero in the ring. He tossed the chain away and threw hands with Zero. Moose nailed a headbutt but ran into a forearm. Zero picked up the chair but Moose beat him to the punch with a dropkick. Zero back body dropped Moose to the floor. Moose was beset upon by all of Order 4. Zero hit a very safe dive over the top to take out Moose and also the rest of his team. Alisha and Steelz were alone in the ring. Alisha tipped out a bag of tacks. Steelz had a barbed-wire kendo stick. She missed a shot and the stick got stuck to the turnbuckle. Alisha grabbed it and hit Steelz, sending her to the floor. Zero came up behind her and caught a kendo stick shot. He snapped the stick over his knee. Zero hit a choke bomb on Alisha ON THE THUMB TACKS. Wow. Spot of the night so far. Eddie checked on her but Zero clubbed him from behind. JDC and Myers went to work on Zero with kendo stick shots. Zero fought them off with headbutts. Moose came in with a spear on Zero and he landed on some of the tacks. Moose put the chain on and hit another spear. The Great Hands tried to come back in but Myers and JDC took them out with kendo sticks. They hit stereo crossbodies to the outside. Edwards again tried to check on Alisha but Ali nailed him with a steel chair to the spine. Ali poured another bag of tacks all over Alisha. He went to the top rope for a 450 Splash. Thankfully, Alisha moved out of the way and Ali crashed and burned into the pile of tacks. There was a close up on Alisha’s back, with about 20 tacks stuck to her. Edwards went back into the ring and wrapped barbed-wire around his knee. He took Ali’s head off with the Boston Knee Party to win the match after 20 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: The System

Analysis: ***3/4 That was violent and very well done. It’s hard to book a match with 10 wrestlers and not have some sloppy moments but I thought it was all planned out well, with some big moments but nothing over-the-top. Obviously, Alisha getting slammed onto the tacks was the biggest spot and kudos to her because that looked really painful. She’s not a good wrestler at all but you can hide those weaknesses in these types of matches. It wasn’t a match where great wrestling was going to shine, so the likes of Moose and Ali were handicapped a bit there. The finish made sense as Edwards and The System got revenge and pinning Ali feels like a big deal. Well done to all 10 participants.

Match #7: TNA X-Division Championship: Leon Slater (c) vs NXT’s Je’Von Evans

The two most-exciting members of their rosters face-off here. It was fast-paced from the outset but they had some feeling-out moments to work into the match. Evans hit a hip toss and Slater fought back with an inside cradle for 2. Evans sent Slater to the outside and hit a suicide dive. They went back into the ring and Evans tried a springboard move but Slater sent him to the floor. Slater hit a crossbody over the top rope. He followed up with another one back in the ring for a 2 count. Slater connected with chops in opposite corners of the ring. He tried a cover but Evans kicked out at 1. Evans hit a springboard hurricanrana and then a crossbody over the top rope. He tossed Slater back into the ring and hit a springboard clothesline, that sent Slater inside-out, for a 2 count. The crowd was loving the action so far. Evans chopped Slater hard into the corner. He followed up with another one, despite Slater trying to escape. Evans whipped Slater hard into the opposite corner. He followed up with a cover and scored another nearfall. Slater blocked a suplex attempt but Evans overpowered him and still hit the move. Slater missed an enziguiri but connected with the mule kick. He hit a springboard back elbow. Slater gathered some momentum and hit a single-leg dropkick for 2. He tried a back suplex but Evans slipped out the back to the ring apron. Slater brought him back in with a slingshot cutter for 2. Evans eyed-off the announce table. He wanted to superplex Slater to the outside. They battled on the apron. Evans hit a big boot that rocked Slater. Slater suplexed Evans back into the ring but he stayed on his feet. Evans hit a slingshot DDT that spiked Slater on his head. He hit a cutter from the top rope onto the apron and they both crashed to the floor. That was a nasty landing. Back in the ring, Evans hit a big splash from the top rope to the back of Slater. Evans went to another corner and hit a frog splash with huge air on Slater. He made the cover but Slater kicked out right before 3. Evans went to run the ropes but Slater grabbed his leg. Evans got to his feet and hit a big chop. Slater recovered and nailed a huge jumping kick to the back of the neck of Je’Von. Slater ran at Evans who caught him with a hurricanrana with a roll up for 2. Evans hit a big kick to the face of Slater. He tried a springboard cutter but Slater turned it into a neckbreaker. The pace was so fast that I was struggling to keep up. Both men were on their knees and nailed a few chops. Slater got up and hit another chop. He followed it up with another. Slater was fired up and told Evans to get to his feet. He told Evans to give him his best shot. Evans feigned a chop and nailed a cutter. He hit the OG cutter from the middle rope but Slater kicked out at the last second. Evans couldn’t believe it. Evans slowly climbed to the top rope. Slater met him with an enziguiri. They battled on the top rope but then both crashed to the floor on opposite sides of the turnbuckle. Slater jumped up on the guard rail but Evans pushed him off into the crowd. Evans went flying into the crowd with a clothesline. The referee started the count and Slater flew over the rail to take out Evans. Then the bell rang and apparantely the 20-time limit was up. This is a division of NO LIMITS? The crowd was appalled. Santino Marella showed up and said time was tight on a PPV but tonight they can have 5 more minutes. Evans hit an insane running knee as the bell reset. He tried the OG cutter again but Slater rolled him up for 2. Slater hit Utopia but Evans rolled to the outside. Slater hit his ridiculous dive over the corner turnbuckle. He climbed to the top rope but Evans cut him off with a Spanish Fly. Evans crawled to the cover but the lights went out just before the referee could count. It was NXT’s DarkState. They ran into the ring and assaulted Evans and Slater. They hit the 4-man powerbomb on both X-Division wrestlers. The match was thrown out after 22 minutes. Ugh.

Match Result: No Contest

Analysis: **** They were on their way to a 5-star match, but I can’t go higher than 4 stars after that ending. Who is booking this rubbish? That’s 3 terrible match endings now on the biggest show of the year. That was a crazy match. They were 22-minutes and watching it live, you wouldn’t be surprised if they could’ve gone another 22 minutes at that pace. The pace was outstanding. Everything seems so effortless for these guys. But you don’t book a finish like that on a PPV. Shouldn’t DarkState attack the tag team that they just lost the titles to? In the next match? It’s lazy. Pure laziness.

The video packages and introductions for the next match took 15 minutes.

Match #8: Tables Match for the TNA and NXT Tag Team Championships: The Hardys (c) vs Team 3D

The crowd was firmly behind the Hardys. Both participants from the same team have to be put through a table to win the match. It’s been 11 years since these two teams fought in TNA. Unfortunately, that shows on D’Von. Team 3D were in their camo gear which I always liked. They tossed Jeff to the outside early and hit a 3D on Matt right out of the gate. Jeff came back into the action. He went for Whisper in the Wind but both Dudleyz moved out of the way. They nailed the Wassup headbutt on Jeff. Bully called for the tables. D’Von brought two tables in. The Dudleyz set one up and nailed Jeff with the 3D through the table. If they can put Matt through a table, they’ll win. One Final Table was a weird tagline for the match then? Sounds better than Multiple Final Tables though I guess? D’Von set up a table on the outside. Matt hit a Twist of Fate on him on the floor. He placed D’Von on top of the table at ringside. Matt went for a running elbow but D’Von moved and Matt went crashing through the lumber. Jeff came back to action with a running dropkick that sent Bully Ray into the announce table. He hit a running clothesline off the apron. D’Von bounced Jeff’s head off the tag titles that were on the entrance way. There was a ladder set up strategically on the ramp. Matt had a chair in the ring as Bully set up a table in the corner. Bully knocked it loose. He pummelled Matt with right hands. He whipped Matt across the ropes but Matt stopped himself from crashing through the table. Bully ran at Matt, who dodged and Bully crashed through the table. That’s not an offensive move so it doesn’t count as a fall. D’Von put Jeff on a table on the entrance way. He started climbing to the top of the ladder. Matt stopped him and took him down from the ladder. The Hardys double-teamed D’Von with right hands. They put D’Von on top of two tables. Matt nailed D’Von repeatedly with chair shots to the ribs. Jeff went to the top of the ladder and nailed the Swanton Bomb on D’Von through both the tables! That’s 1-1. The Hardys surrounded Bully in the ring. They nailed him with chair shots and dropkicks. Jeff missed a chair shot and hit Matt. Bully tried a powerbomb on Jeff but Matt moved the table to avoid losing their titles. Matt hit 2 Twist of Fates on Bully. Jeff nailed the Swanton Bomb with maximum impact. Bully slowly got to his feet. The Hardys had steel chairs. They threw them to the ground. Bully looked defeated. The Hardys hit a double-team slam threw the table to win the match after 15 minutes.

Winners AND STILL TNA & NXT Tag Team Champions: The Hardys

Analysis: ***1/2 It was a fun match with lots of throwback and the right call being made as The Hardys retained. They’re both still in great shape and are regulars on TNA TV so there was no need for them to lose here. The ending was supposed to be emotional I think, because the commentators stopped talking but it was odd seeing Bully just stand there and take the move without fighting back. I suppose he was admitting that The Hardys are the better team. It was no classic match, but the weapons certainly assisted in making it entertaining.

The crowd showed their appreciation after the match and Team 3D hobbled to the back, arm in arm.

Match #9: TNA World Championship: NXT’s Trick Williams (c) vs Mike Santana

This match has been built up really well, especially over the last month, and feels like a worthy main event. I’m not sure I would’ve said that about 6 weeks ago. Santana’s easy to like, Trick is easy to dislike, and they’ve told a good story about Santana trying to bring the gold back home to TNA. Trick was doing his own introduction and Santana had had enough so he smashed him in the face. Santana chopped Williams around the ringside area, even though the match hadn’t officially begun yet. Santana whipped Williams into the crowd. Williams tried a shot with a trash can but Santana blocked it. He nailed Williams with the trash can. They battled into the seating rows. Santana hit Williams with the trash can again. They went back to ringside and Santana hit a back suplex on the apron. Williams took advantage of the match not starting and nailed Santana with a shot with the TNA Championship. He rolled Santana into the ring and the referee checked to see if Santana was ready to go. The bell rang to officially begin the match and Williams nailed the Trick Kick for 2. Williams hit a Falcon Arrow for 2. He connected with a flapjack. Williams talked trash to the crowd. He hit a neckbreaker for 2. Williams sent Santana to the floor. He took him down by the legs and sent Santana face-first into the steel ring post. Williams rolled back into the ring to reset the referee’s 10 count. Santana was bleeding from the forehead. Williams nailed a chop to the chest and a scoop slam on the floor. He got the steel steps but missed a shot on Santana. Santana used the steps to propel himself into a Superman punch. He ran at Williams who gave him a back body drop onto the steps. Santana was able to get back into the ring at the count of 8. He ran into a big leg lariat for another 2 count. Santana fought back with a DVD into the bottom turnbuckle for 2. He put Williams on the top rope but Williams was able to hit a Blockbuster for a 2 count. Williams sent Santana into the corner with a chop. He repeated the dose in the opposite corner. Williams took too long following up. He ran into Santana’s rolling neckbreaker. Santana connected with Outlined in Chalk and a cannonball in the corner for another nearfall. Santana went back to the top but Trick tossed him off and onto the ring apron. Williams sent Santana into the steel post at ringside. He beat Santana down in front of Santana’s daughter. Santana’s daughter slapped Williams! Santana flew through the air and took out Trick at ringside. Back in the ring, Santana hit a sit-out powerbomb for 2. Santana hit an Attitude Adjustment. He went to the top rope and hit a 450 Splash! Williams kicked out just before 3. Williams’ lawyer distracted Santana, so Williams rolled him up for 2. Williams blocked a Spin the Block attempt by hitting a Uranage. He hit another one. Williams went to the top but Santana stopped him with a running kick. It looked like Santana was going for a Spanish Fly but I think they pulled it off as a Uranage for Williams for another 2 count. Williams got the TNA Championship from ringside. He swung and missed, so Santana tried an inside cradle for a 2 count. Williams ducked Spin the Block but Santana hit a Pump Kick. He ran into a Trick Kick but Santana bounced straight back with Spin the Block for the closest of 2 counts. Santana was that exhausted that Williams fell on him and almost got the 3 count. The lawyer was berating the referee so Santana brought him into the ring and destroyed him with Spin the Block. Santana turned around into the Trick Shot but Santana kicked out again! The crowd was very loud now and cheering both guys on. Williams went for the Trick Shot again and missed. Williams blocked Spin the Block with Uranage attempt. Santana countered that with an arm drag. He hit a flying clothesline. Santana hit Spin the Block to win the Championship after 16 minutes (of official in-ring time).

Winner AND NEW TNA World Champion: Mike Santana

Analysis: ***3/4 It was a very good main event that lived up to the build and rivalry they had built. I enjoyed some of the counters to the big ones that were on display. The perseverance from Santana finally paid off and he captured the championship. I was quite critical of Trick (and NXT in general) holding the TNA Championship but his work over the last 2 months especially was first-rate.

Just as Santana had started to celebrate, the music of Nic Nemeth hit as he lurked around with his Gauntlet Trophy. Then the lights went out and Elijah appeared! Elijah destroyed Nemeth with a guitar shot to the head. Elijah tipped his hat to Santana. Kaz appeared in the ring, wanting to cash his title shot in. Apparently, he needs the trophy. Santana decapitated him with Spin the Block. Santana stood tall and celebrated with his daughter and his championship as Bound for Glory went off the air.

Analysis: That was fun. I really hoped that they weren’t going to screw Santana out of the big moment and glad they didn’t. Was it necessary to have 2 winners of the Gauntlet? Of course not. But, this might build Santana up as an even bigger face because now he has 2 heel challengers at all times lurking around with a guaranteed title shot. Sadly, I did notice that a lot of fans had left either before the end of the match or right after the bell. I guess it was a 4 hour show in the end on a Sunday night, but it was a pretty cool moment for TNA to have Santana finally consolidate himself as the man in TNA. Nice to see Elijah back too- he was building a nice little TNA career before that nasty injury.

Final Rating: 7/10

Final Thoughts:

Like a lot of the big TNA shows over the last 3 years, you couldn’t help but be underwhelmed by what they delivered tonight. They make a lot of good decisions but on the big stage, seem to fall flat when it matters most. Key examples of this tonight, remembering that this is only my opinion, were: having 2 Gauntlet winners, one of which won last year; having Jordan retain the Knockouts Championship when they’ve built Indi up as the biggest name outside of Blanchard in the division, and ruining the ending of a potential 5-star match by having a rogue group interfere in the X-Division title match. Does that ruin the whole show? No, but it certainly sours it and makes you think how much better it could’ve been. What worked was the Hardcore War, Maclin and Kaz opening the show and Santana and Trick putting on a really good main event. The tables match was a fun throwback but now I look forward to TNA putting forward proper challengers for The Hardys.

Any feedback or comments are welcome. My email address is [email protected] in case anybody wants to get in touch with me and my Twitter/X handle is @thomok6 as well. Thanks for reading!