TNA Impact Review – August 22, 2024

The Hardys took on The System in the main event of TNA Impact this week.

TNA Impact: 22.8.24 from the Florida State Fairgrounds City: Tampa, FL

The opening video recapped last week’s show where Santino Marella confronted Matt Cardona about his latest actions, The System continued to make Mike Santana’s life a misery and Nic Nemeth and Josh Alexander fought to a 30-minute draw which has led to an Ironman match at Emergence. That match was excellent and I rated it 4 stars.

Match #1: Ultimate-X Qualifier: Hammerstone vs Frankie Kazarian vs Kushida

This is a star-studded line up, amid some pretty lacklustre qualifiers so far. These three should all be in the match but for whatever reason TNA is choosing to push some lesser lights for Emergence. Hammerstone used his power early on, but Kaz and Kushida took him to the outside with a backstabber and an enziguiri. Kaz and Kushida traded nearfalls, then Kushida landed a dropkick. He took Hammerstone off the apron with a handspring kick. Kaz pulled Kushida out of the ring and chopped him around ringside. He tossed Kushida back into the ring and nailed him with right hands. Kushida fought back with kicks to Kaz’s knee. Hammerstone hit an impressive double dropkick on both men from the top rope. He collected both men again with clotheslines in the corner then an overhead suplex on Kaz and a T-Bone on Kushida with ease. Kaz tried to talk his way out of a fight, then hit Hammerstone from behind. Kaz bailed to the outside and then Kushida cornered him. Hammerstone hit him with very gentle forearms, which was AEW-esque like those stupid chops that Eddie Kingston does and always look embarrassing. Kushida tossed Hammerstone into the steel steps then Kaz launched him from the ring apron into the ring with a slingshot cutter. Kaz took too long to follow up so Kushida nailed him with a dropkick. He hit Hammerstone with a Tornado DDT then went for the cross arm breaker. Hammerstone tried to block it but Kaz hit a springboard legdrop on him. Kushida fought out of the Fade to Black, so Kaz tried it on Hammerstone but Kushida distracted him by pretending to spit the mist and instead nailed him with a Tanaka punch. Hammerstone caught Kushida before he could deliver the handspring elbow. He put Kushida into the Torture Rack but Kushida turned it into the Hoverboard Lock. Hammerstone fought out with strength and nailed the Nightmare Pendulum for the win after 6 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Hammerstone

Analysis: *** The theme of these qualifiers continue unfortunately with another short match between three awesome competitors. The action was great while it lasted and I’m glad Hammerstone is finally getting something to sink his teeth into as it feels like ages since his program with Josh Alexander. It will be interesting to see his 300-pound frame in Ultimate X.

Kaz continued the beatdown on Kushida after the match. He nailed the Fade to Black in the centre of the ring.

Analysis: I wouldn’t be against a feud between these two.

Gia Miller interviewed Eric Young ahead of his match against Hammerstone next week. Young wondered if Hammerstone would even make it to Emergence after that match. Steve Maclin interrupted and told Young he was watching. That’s creepy, Steve.

Analysis: That will be a win for Hammerstone to make up for the stupid booking of him losing on the Slammiversary pre-show

Mike Santana cut a pre-taped promo backstage. He spoke about getting into situations he probably shouldn’t and said he was there again in his fight with The System. Santana told them they better finish the job next time because he isn’t stopping until he takes down The System.

Analysis: Good intensity from Santana. He has grown on me in the last couple of weeks with his in-ring work especially.

Match #2: Alisha Edwards w/ Masha Slamovich vs Rosemary

One of the only good things about Alisha wrestling, and there aren’t many, is that she isn’t on the microphone which is even worse. And she’s up against Rosemary which might bring her down even more. I am not looking forward to this. Alisha tried to talk her way out of it but Rosemary took her down early. She choked Alisha out using the ropes. Masha distracted Rosemary and Alisha took advantage with a decent cutter using the middle rope. She kicked Rosemary in the back then used her knees to slam Rosemary’s head into the mat multiple times. Rosemary fought back but Alisha tossed her into the middle turnbuckle and hit a crossbody in the corner and then a hip attack which looked painful. Good camera work there. Alisha got a 2 count. She stalled for a bit so Rosemary sent her into the ropes and hit a spear for 2. Rosemary hit a splash in the corner and an X-Factor. Slamovich grabbed Rosemary’s leg in the corner so Alisha hit a Flatliner. Spitfire came down to the ring to even the odds so Rosemary hit her DDT/jawbreaker finisher for the win after 4 ½ minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Rosemary

Analysis: ** It was probably better than I expected, but at least they kept it short. The crowd was into Rosemary and she’s getting a little bit of a run on. They should push better wrestlers though like Tasha Steelz and Xia Brookside.

After the match, Rosemary brought her bag of goodies into the ring and placed a black rose on Alisha. Thrilling.

George Iceman was somewhere backstage with Ash-by-Elegance. He informed her that Jordynne Grace had challenged her to a match. Ash said it would be on her terms.

Match #3: Xia Brookside, Rhino & PCO vs Steph de Lander, Matt Cardona & ?

This is a stupid match. Why would SDL agree to a match against her husband and why is Santino allowing this mercenary Cardona to run the show? Dumb. Cardona came out before the match and said that he wasn’t medically cleared so he’s got Kon and Madman Fulton to fill his team. That’s not the way to bring him back after being away for a long time. PCO went straight for Cardona as the bell rang. Fulton tried to cut him off but PCO took him down with a clothesline. Kon was waiting behind Cardona and nailed PCO with a clothesline on the floor. Rhino and Kon brawled at ringside and Fulton tossed PCO back into the ring for the match to begin. PCO took down Kon with a clothesline and Brookside tagged herself in. She faced up to Kon which just looked comical. SDL didn’t want to fight her so she told Brookside to tag out. Kon pushed Brookside to the mat. She tried to look angry but it was more a constipated face. She bit Kon’s hand and jumped on his back but he just barged her into the corner to squash her. Kon tried to murder her in the corner with a splash but SDL pulled her out of the way. Fulton tagged in but Brookside hit an enziguiri and tagged in Rhino. He turned Fulton inside-out with a clothesline then tossed him over the top rope. Back in the ring, Fulton choked Rhino out using the ropes then Cardona continued it with the referee distracted. Fulton hit a diving headbutt for a 2 count. Kon tagged back in and went back to choking Rhino using the ropes. Cardona took another cheap shot at Rhino. Fulton was legal again and hit a kick to the mid-section of Rhino for another 2 count. He targeted the back of Rhino with knee strikes. Fulton took PCO off the ring apron with a cheap shot and tried one on Brookside. He turned around and Rhino took him down with a shoulder tackle. PCO tagged in and hammered Fulton with right hands and a clothesline. He took Kon off the ring apron and then nailed him with a diving senton. PCO hit a DDT on Fulton back in the ring then a diving elbow from the apron to Kon on the floor. PCO was incensed. Fulton went to the top but Brookside held his leg to prevent him diving on PCO. Brookside hit the Brooksy Bomb on Fulton. He got to his feet and Rhino Gored him out of his boots. PCO put Fulton away with the PCO Sault for the win after 9 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: PCO, Rhino & Xia Brookside

Analysis: *** That was all very odd. It did make for an entertaining match though and Fulton bumped his socks off. I think Cardona’s team should’ve got the win to keep pushing the angle of him outsmarting PCO but that doesn’t bother me too much. The fact that this was longer than the opening triple threat is not a good thing.

There was a vignette for Nic Nemeth and Josh Alexander’s Ironman match. Bring it on.

Jordynne Grace cut another pre-taped promo on Ash-by-Elegance. She said she can’t be stopped by surprises- just look at her track record during these Open Challenges. Grace said that whatever stipulation she picks, she will come out on top.

Analysis: I think that match is on for next week. Hopefully it’s as good as the Slammiversary encounter.

Match #4: Ultimate-X Qualifier: Jai Vidal vs Bhupinder Gujjar vs Laredo Kid

We haven’t seen Vidal and Gujjar for a long time but the commentators don’t really make any comments on that. I thought Gujjar had some potential but just needed some time on the mic. They took Vidal out of the match early. Kid hit a head scissors on Gujjar that sent him under the bottom rope. This will be a fast-paced match. Vidal dragged Kid out of the ring and sent him into the ring apron. Gujjar confronted him and hit a nice dropkick then a running head scissors. He went for a springboard but Kid kicked him from the apron. Vidal tried a roll up on Kid for 2. Vidal chopped Kid in the corner and then sent him to the opposite corner to repeat the dose. He went for one too many as Kid connected with chops of his own. Vidal feigned a kick in the corner but hit a slap instead. He sent Kid over the top rope and countered Gujjar’s ripcord knee with an enziguiri. Vidal tried to use Gujjar as a springboard to launch onto Kid on the outside but botched it horribly and tumbled over the top rope. That was bad and hopefully he’s okay. Gujjar took out both men on the floor which is a far more effective splash from the top rope. He posed for the fans and Kid dropkicked him off the apron then hit a moonsault on his opponents to the outside. Kid measured Vidal in the corner and hit a running upper cut then a suplex. He hit a corkscrew moonsault from the middle rope and a second one but Gujjar broke up the pin. Gujjar got a lot of momentum off the ropes and hit a nice running crossbody. He hit a pop-up uppercut for 2. Vidal broke up the pin by slapping Gujjar. He tried to steal the pin but Gujjar wasn’t having it. Vidal raked Gujjar’s eyes. Gujjar sent him to the apron but Vidal hung his legs up in the ropes. Vidal nailed a double stomp but ran into a Michinoku Driver from Laredo Kid. Kid nailed a nice 450 for the pin on Vidal after 7 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Laredo Kid

Analysis: **3/4 There were some good moments there and some sloppy moments but it was a fun match. Kid winning was definitely the right move but it was good to see Gujjar back in there and looking good.

Rich Swann was backstage and complaining to the referee about losing his qualifier last week. Mike Bailey and Trent Seven came by. Bailey offered Swann a championship match next week. Swann couldn’t believe it and the match is on.

Analysis: I know these are taped but surely they can have this captioned ‘last week’? You can’t tell me Swann came to the show after his match last week, took off his shirt and complained to the referee seven days later. At least try, TNA!

Match #5: Non-Title match: NXT’s Charlie Dempsey vs Jonathan Gresham

I think this will be the end of Gresham in TNA as he has just signed as a wrestler and coach for Memphis Wrestling. They didn’t do his skills justice over the two runs he had in TNA. Plus, the consistency in his storylines were just lazy. This should be very technical. They exchanged arm holds early on. Dempsey grounded Gresham with his knee against the mat. Gresham hit a side headlock takeover but Dempsey bounced up quickly. The audience applauded their efforts so far. Dempsey used an arm drag and tried to put Gresham’s shoulders to the mat and got a 1 count, then a 2 count. He went back to the left arm but Gresham used a leg lock to block it. There was one dude yelling “Boring” really loudly for a bit. Gresham trapped Dempsey’s left arm behind his back and wrenched at his right arm. He trapped both arms with his leg and snapped down on the hold. Ouch. Dempsey utilised a leg lock and a cravat at the same time. Gresham rolled through but was still in the submission. Dempsey got him to the mat for a 2 count. Dempsey hit a snapmare but Dempsey slipped free and they exchanged Hammer Locks. Dempsey tried to dump Gresham over his head but Gresham rolled through for a 2 count. He hit an upper cut but Gresham fought back with a shoulder block. They were the first strikes after 5 minutes of the match. Gresham sat down on Dempsey for a pin but Dempsey bridged out impressively after two. They repeated the spot and then Dempsey nailed a Monkey Flip. They exchanged Monkey Flips and then both men bridged out. Their hands remained clasped the whole time of that sequence. Gresham hyper-extended the knee of Dempsey. Dempsey grabbed him on the mat and had a leg lock on the right knee of Gresham. He reached over and put the left leg in an ankle lock. Gresham rolled over and pressed Dempsey’s shoulders to the mat for multiple 2 counts. Gresham wrenched down hard on the wrist of Dempsey and managed to finally pin him for the win after 9 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Jonathan Gresham

Analysis: ***1/4 There was a lot to cover and I wouldn’t have got all of the technical manoeuvres correct because there were a lot of counters within the match. That match will probably divide a lot of people; some would’ve loved it and some would’ve been yelling “Boring” like that man in the crowd. I appreciated the effort of both men.

Dempsey took a cheap shot at Gresham after the bell. They exchanged forearms. Gresham sent Gresham out of the ring with a right hand. He celebrated on the turnbuckle.

They showed The Hardys warming up backstage. It has not been a good show so far. Hopefully they can end the show on a good note.

There were highlights from NXT where Joe Hendry became the NXT Championship #1 Contender and Zachary Wentz returned to confront Wes Lee after his betrayal a few weeks ago.

Analysis: Will they pull the trigger on Joe Hendry as NXT Champion? My prediction is no. Josh Alexander will cost Hendry and this will lead to a few reunions between he and Ethan Page, as well as starting a Hendry vs Alexander singles program which Hendry will win and then go on to become TNA Champion at Bound for Glory.

Next week:

* X-Division Championship: Mike Bailey (c) vs Rich Swann
* TNA Knockouts’ Championship: Jordynne Grace (c) vs Ash-by-Elegance
* Eddie Edwards vs Mike Santana
* Joe Hendry vs Brian Myers
* ABC vs Cody Deaner & Jake Something
* Hammerstone vs Eric Young
* Josh Alexander and Nic Nemeth face-off

Analysis: Compare that card to tonight. Wow. It looks like one of those shows where they’re going to have all 7-8 minute matches and stack their card too much, where they should make it 3 or 4 15-minute matches.

Match #6: The Hardys vs Moose & JDC

This is only The Hardys second tag match since coming back together in TNA this year. Jeff brought a steel chair into the ring and chased JDC around the ring with it. Moose took his head off with a clothesline. They officially started the match with Moose whipping Jeff hard into the turnbuckle. Moose missed a splash so Jeff hit a snapmare and a dropkick. Jeff nailed a jawbreaker and tagged in Matt. They hit the Poetry in Motion which is a little bit slower in 2024. Matt covered Moose for a 2 count. Moose and Matt exchanged right hands. Moose fought out of a Side Effect attempt then nailed Jeff with a cheap shot. He tagged in JDC who covered Matt for 2. JDC catapulted Matt into the middle rope and tagged Moose back in. Matt fought back with forearms but Moose took him down with a running forearm shot. He measured Matt for a powerbomb but Matt countered with a side Russian Legsweep. He made the tag to Jeff who nailed a Twist of Fate on Moose, who sold it like The Rock selling a stunner in the early 2000s. Jeff wanted the Swanton but JDC distracted him. Moose no-sold the Twist of Fate and took Jeff off the top rope then tagged in JDC who whipped Jeff hard into the turnbuckle. JDC hit a few upper cuts then pummelled Jeff with right hands in the corner. Moose tagged back in and chopped away at Jeff in the corner. He hit a cheap shot on Matt on the ring apron. Moose grabbed Jeff by the leg but he used his spinning kick to break free. Matt tagged in and blocked Moose with an elbow shot then a neckbreaker. He took Moose to town with his Delete turnbuckle shots in the corner. Matt hit the elbow drop from the second rope for 2. The crowd chanted for the Twist of Fate. Moose countered and JDC pulled down the top rope so Matt went flying over it. JDC stomped away on Matt on the floor. Moose hit Jeff with a cheap shot. He hit the world’s worst punches on Matt. Man, I hate those fake shots. JDC tagged back in and hit realistic punches on Matt. Matt tried to fight out of the corner but the numbers were against him. JDC hit a snapmare and grounded Matt to the floor with a sleeper. Matt got to his feet and almost made the tag but JDC battled him back to the heel corner. Moose tagged in and mocked the Delete chant. JDC choked Matt against the ropes, with the referee dealing with Jeff. Matt hit a suplex on Moose and made the tag to Jeff. Moose got to JDC. Jeff took down JDC with a clothesline and then his almost low-blow legdrop for a 2 count. He hit a Russian Legsweep and his own Dudleyz Wassup with a bridge for 2. JDC sent Jeff into the corner but he countered with Whisper in the Wind for 2. Jeff still has his moves, albeit just not at the pace we are all accustomed to. They collided in the middle of the ring, with both men looking for a clothesline. Moose and Matt tagged back in. Matt hit the Side Effect for a close 2 count. JDC and Jeff ran in. Moose nailed Jeff with a pump kick. Matt and Moose exchanged right hands. Moose took over with his power game. He did his ridiculously athletic leap to the top rope but turned around into a perfect Twist of Fate. He covered Moose but JDC broke it up with a perfectly-timed leg drop from the top rope. Jeff took him down with a kick to the outside. Moose crawled to the corner and tagged in JDC. JDC sent Matt into the corner and went to the top rope. Matt slowed him down and nailed the Twist of Fate from the middle rope. He tagged in Jeff who hit the Swanton for the win after 14 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: The Hardys

Analysis: ***1/2 That was a lot of fun. All of the signature Hardys stuff is still there, it’s just not at the full-throttle pace it was 10 years ago. The crowd still absolutely love them. There was no need for Moose and JDC to win. This show badly needed something to send the fans home happy.

Moose took down the Hardys from behind as they were celebrating. Santana’s music hit and he ran down to ringside. He nailed Moose with Spin the Block. Santana stomped away on Moose. Brian Myers and Eddie Edwards ran down to stop him. They stomped away on The Hardys in the corner until Joe Hendry ran down for the save. He clotheslined Edwards on the floor. Hendry went for a Standing Ovation on Myers but Moose prevented it. Santana took down Moose so Hendry pummelled away on Myers in the corner. Hendry’s music was still going as the brawl continued at ringside. Hendry tossed Myers over the top rope. He continued to beat him around the ring. Moose and Santana brawled on. The Hardys battled Edwards and JDC. The heels retreated up the ramp as Hendry and friends regained their composure in the ring.

Analysis: That was a very good closing segment. We might get an 8 or 6-man tag match at Emergence by the looks. I still think perhaps Santana will get another singles shot at Moose but I don’t mind if it’s a multi-man match instead. They have combined the feuds nicely and everyone who has a problem with The System is teaming up. Hendry has been a lot more serious in this feud, whilst still goofy and super over during his NXT appearances.

Update: TNA announced an 8-man tag for Emergence after the show.

Final Rating: 6.25/10

Looking at my match ratings, it actually doesn’t look like a bad show but I was not enjoying it very much at all until the main event and closing segment. There were some questionable booking and storyline decisions. Sometimes, TNA treats fans like they’re stupid. The Rich Swann segment and SDL teaming against her husband booking are examples of this. The wrestling on this show was a mixed bag. I enjoyed the opening triple threat match but you have 3 of TNA’s best stars in a 6-minute match. That’s poor. Dempsey vs Gresham was a technical showcase. If you like that kind of thing, you would’ve enjoyed that. The main event of The Hardys over JDC and Moose was just good fun. I enjoyed the brawling to end the show and, for once, a multi-man tag team match on these throwaway monthly shows actually feels important.

The next TNA monthly special is Emergence on Friday, August 30 in Louisville, Kentucky. Here’s the card so far:

* 60-Minute Ironman Match for the TNA World Championship: Nic Nemeth (c) vs Josh Alexander
* Ultimate-X for the X-Division Championship: Mike Bailey (c) vs Riley Osborne vs Jason Hotch vs Hammerstone vs Laredo Kid vs Zachary Wentz
* The System vs The Hardys, Mike Santana & Joe Hendry
* Jordynne Grace & Spitfire vs Ash-by-Elegance & The Militia
* Matt Cardona vs PCO
* Steve Maclin vs Eric Young

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!