Reviews

TNA Impact Review – June 26, 2025

By TJR Staff • Published Jun 27, 2025 09:37 EDT
TNA Impact June 26

Things were heating up on TNA Impact, as we crowned a new Knockouts #1 contender and the Slammiversary card started to take shape.

The opening video focused on the events of last week’s show, showing the complete breakdown of Order 4 as Mustafa Ali lost control of his group.

TNA Impact 26/6/25 from the UMBC Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by Kristian Thompson

It’s TNA’s first show in Pittsburgh in 15 years and here’s Joe Hendry to kick us off.

Let’s Hear from Joe Hendry

Hendry got a great reaction from the fans, as always. Hendry said he was excited to be in Pittsburgh and thanked the fans for his support since losing the TNA World Championship. He said that the fans have given the greatest life he could imagine. Hendry said the fans always pick him up when he’s low. He said that he gets along with the fans because they are honest with each other. Hendry said he had to be honest and acknowledge at some point that he lost to Trick Williams. He said it’s painful that he lost the World Title to someone who isn’t even a TNA wrestler. Hendry told the fans it would’ve been easy just to pack his bags and go home, but that’s not his style. He recapped his amazing 2025 with Royal Rumble and WrestleMania appearances. Hendry said the fans helped him make history and it’s time to pay them back for their loyalty. He said the people stood and watched his ascension, but he needs them more than ever for his redemption. Hendry told the Impact Zone that at Slammiversary he would bring the TNA World Championship back home.

Analysis: I’m guessing Hendry has a contractual rematch? They didn’t really address that but he is facing Williams at Slammiversary. If Hendry wins the title back, you have to wonder what the point of putting it on Williams in the first place was? WWE just saying that can take the TNA title anytime they want because they are WWE? It would’ve been the perfect opportunity for TNA to build a new top star such as Mike Santana as the #1 guy because we know Hendry won’t be around for much longer. As for the promo, it was one of Hendry’s best of the year I felt. He had the fans eating out of the palm of his hand, more than usual. He’s such a likable guy. I believe.

Killer Kelly cut a pre-taped promo ahead of her Knockouts Championship match against Masha Slamovich. She said Slamovich wasn’t ready for the monster that was about to be unleashed against her. Kelly said she would have an eye on the battle royal winner because she will know who her first opponent as champion will be.

Analysis: Is that tonight? If not, then after the battle royal there will be 2 number 1 contenders at the same time.

Match #1: Zachary Wentz w/ Trey Miguel vs Ryan Nemeth w/ Nic Nemeth

The commentators announced a 4-way Ladder match for the Tag Titles at Slammiversary: The Nemeths defending against The Rascalz, First Class and The Hardys. That’s an awesome match but I hate how they just announce it, without any excitement or promos. There’s a story there with all the teams; let Santino come out after a brawl or 8-man tag and make the match official. Wentz hit a few kicks early. He went for a handspring move but Nic tripped him up. Ryan hit a nice neckbreaker for a 2 count. He hammered away on Wentz with elbow strikes. Wentz fought out of a sleeper hold but Ryan hit him with a knee strike. Ryan missed a spear in the corner. Wentz teed off with Ryan against the ropes. He reversed a neckbreaker attempt with a back slide for 2. Wentz hit a handspring knee off the ropes. He mocked Ryan’s awful dance moves and hit a running knee then a snapmare. Wentz followed up with a running SSP for 2. He went up high but Ryan cut him off. Ryan nailed a jumping DDT for 2. Nice spike there as Wentz is a great seller. Nic handed Ryan a tag title. The referee wrestled it free. Ryan turned around into a running knee. Wentz hit the Spiral Tap for the easy win after 4 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Zac Wentz

Analysis: **1/2 It was fine for a short match between two guys who will be in the ladder match in a few weeks. Ryan has improved a lot. Just don’t speak, please.

The Nemeths feigned coming back in the ring for a fight after the match but cowered up the ramp.

Gia Miller was backstage with TNA World Champion, Trick Williams. Miller asked if Trick was ready. Trick asked Gia if he looked ready. He called Hendry Average Joe. Trick said that while Hendry had heart, Trick was ready to kick it out of him at Slammiversary. Williams alluded to interfering in the main event later on.

Analysis: Simple stuff from Williams, who is much better in this setting than with a live mic in the ring.

Masha Slamovich had a quick chat to Gia Miller and said her title match with Killer Kelly would be a chain match. Arianna Grace walked by to say she had an exciting challenge for Masha soon. Doesn’t that just give away the result next week?

Match #2: #1 Contender Knockouts Battle Royal

The 20 listed combatants were Ash By Elegance, Alisha Edwards, Cassie Lee, Dani Luna, Harley Hudson, Indi Hartwell, Jada Stone, Jessie McKay, Jody Threat, Katie Arquette, Lei Ying Lee, Mila Moore, Myla Grace, Rosemary, Tasha Steelz, Tessa Blanchard, Victoria Crawford and Xia Brookside. There were 3 new Knockouts in the match but they get no build up, of course. It was not mentioned if the winner of this goes to Slammiversary. The Elegances and the Iinspiration had a face off. There was a big brawl and all 4 of them got dumped out. That makes recapping the match a lot easier, when 4 wrestlers go out at once. They brawled up the ramp as the referees tried to intervene. It was just chaos in the ring with pairs of women facing off all over the place. Brookside almost knocked Crawford over the top. Threat tossed Katie Arquette with Pop Shove It over the top rope. They said nothing about her whatsoever. Stone took down Steelz with a dropkick. She went to the corner but Steelz grabbed her legs and tossed her over the top. Grace and Hudson worked together against Luna. Luna ran at Grace, who gave her a back body drop over the top to eliminate her.

(Commercial break)

Hartwell tossed Moore over the top as soon as we came back to the action. Hudson was stomping away on Blanchard in the corner. Threat missed a clothesline on Lee and Lee used a hurricanrana to eliminate her over the top. There were 11 women left. Alisha and Brookside came to blows. Rosemary was choking Lee out in the corner. Grace had control of Steelz in another corner. Rosemary had Grace and Hudson ready for a double chokeslam but they blocked it and suplexed her over the top. Alisha and Tasha snuck up behind and knocked the tag team over the top. Great to see TNA pushing the younger talent! Steelz dumped Alisha out. Brookside saved Lee from Crawford for some reason. Lee hit Thunderstruck to eliminate Crawford. Steelz hit Lee with a superkick. She hit an enziguiri to knock Brookside off the apron and out. Lee dumped Steelz out but Blanchard tossed her over the top rope. We are down to Indi vs Blanchard. They should’ve just had a singles match because they’re easily the best two women in the match. Indi missed a big boot and almost went out. Blanchard hit a big elbow and hung Indi up in the ropes. Indi almost tossed Tessa out with a back body drop. They battled on the apron with kicks and forearms. Ash-by-Elegance showed up from underneath the ring and knocked them both out. She wasn’t eliminated after all. They showed a replay where Ash rolled under the rope when Heather and the Iinspiration got eliminated. The match went around 10 minutes.

Winner and #1 Contender: Ash-By-Elegance

Analysis: **1/2 It was all very predictable until the end, which I liked. I would’ve liked some of the younger talent to get longer time in the ring, as there’s no harm in that at all. Why not let someone like Harley Hudson get to the final 4? It doesn’t hurt anyone. Ash vs Slamovich will be fine.

Masha came out afterwards to confront Ash. Jacy Jayne, the NXT Women’s Champion, stared Slamovich down from the ring apron.

Analysis: That’s odd, as it’s Jayne vs Jordynne Grace for the NXT Women’s Championship at Evolution in a few weeks.

They recapped the return of Jake Something, who saved Tommy Dreamer from a Mance Warner beatdown. Something cut a quick pre-taped promo explaining his admiration for Dreamer which fueled him coming out for the save. It’s Warner vs Something next week. Something said he had his eye on the TNA International Champion. The champion, Steve Maclin, walked by and wished him luck with Warner.

Analysis: I like Something. He has great athleticism for a big man but hasn’t always got the best booking.

Match #3: Call to Arms Match: John Skyler vs Mustafa Ali w/ Tasha Steelz

Both combatants will have one hand tied to the rope. Whoever gets untied first gains the advantage. Winner is decided by pinfall or submission. Steelz gave Ali some scissors so he cut himself free instantly. He nailed Skyler with a dropkick in the corner. Skyler almost undid the knots but Ali went back to the assault in the corner. They exchanged chops and Skyler sent Ali to the ring apron. Ali pulled Skyler to the mat by his hair. Skyler avoided a double stomp and sent Ali over the top. Jason Hotch ran down and gave Skyler the scissors to help him break free. It was now a regular match. Both men tried a dropkick. Skyler missed a big boot in the corner but got a DDT in for 2. Ali sent Skyler to the apron and nailed a superkick. Skyler fought back with a slingshot spear for 2. Ali had some of the rope and was choking Skyler out. He tossed him into the ring post. The referee did nothing. Ali nailed the 450 splash to easily win the match after 4 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Mustafa Ali

Analysis: **1/2 It was good for the short amount of action we got. Ali has now beaten Hotch and Skyler and some fans are thinking ‘What’s the point of him winning in 4 minutes?’ Well, it asserts Ali as the dominant leader of his group. I don’t mind it. He shouldn’t be losing to these guys.

Ali went for a steel chair. Hotch blocked him but Ali tossed him into the ring post. Ali went to beat down the Great Hands at the same time but Steelz got in the way. Ali went to hit Steelz with the chair but Cedric Alexander ran down for the save. This must be who Steelz has been calling. Alexander went into the ring to talk sense into Ali. Ali tossed the chair away. He tried to pull Steelz out of the ring but Alexander held on to her. Alexander stood in front of Steelz to protect her. The Great Hands got up off the mat. Ali backed down.

Analysis: Nice debut there from Alexander, who had plenty of time in WWE but not a great deal of storylines or TV time. He’s certainly very talented.

There were highlights of Matt Cardona and The Hometown Man beating The System last week. The System were backstage and Cardona walked by angry. Eddie Edwards asked why he was always around. I laughed. He challenged Cardona to a match soon. Brian Myers was torn again.

Analysis: Apart from Moose, The System really aren’t doing anything at present. They couldn’t even get into the 4-way tag match at Slammiversary.

Match #4: The Hardys vs The Northern Armory w/ Eric Young

Williams and Jeff started the match off. Jeff took him down with an arm ringer and tagged in Matt. They hit a double-team elbow and a double-team hip toss on Icarus when he tried to interfere. The Hardys double-teamed Williams in the corner but Icarus broke up the pin. Icarus kneed Matt in the back as he ran the ropes. Young pulled Matt out of the ring and nailed a right hand. Williams hit a running knee off the apron to Matt for 2. The referee just looked on at all the interfering. Icarus tagged in and clotheslined Matt for a 1 count. Icarus knocked Matt out of the ring with some right hands then tagged in Williams. Young bounced Matt’s head off the ring apron. Williams hung Matt up on the top rope and sent him to the floor. Young went to toss Matt into the ring post but the referee finally saw him and called security to escort him out of the building. Jeff made the tag and hit a back body drop on Icarus. He hit his low blow leg drop and an elbow drop for a 2 count. Williams tried to interfere but hit Icarus instead. Icarus hit a dropkick on Jeff for 2. He took too long to follow up so Jeff hit the Twist of Fate into the double-team Plot Twist. Jeff hit the Swanton for the win after 4½ minutes.

Winners by pinfall: The Hardys

Analysis: ** I know The Hardys are in the big PLE match so they’re an obvious winner here but that’s the 3rd match tonight that’s been under 5 minutes. Not very captivating in-ring action tonight.

Jeff Hardy called Leon Slater to join them after the match. Matt put Slater over as someone who has scraped and clawed to get a title shot at Moose. He said Slater had the chance to become the youngest X-Division Champion ever. Slater thanked The Hardys for their kind words. He is ready to take the mantle as youngest X Champ of all time. Slater said more importantly he was going to do it for his family and the fans. He said he was going to have a front row seat for Moose’s upcoming match.

Analysis: Good for Slater to get some promo time. He is hard to understand at times with his accent but being endorsed by The Hardys will do wonders for him.

Match #5: Handicap Non-Title Match: Moose vs Jake Painter & Shane Sabre

Moose beat two jobbers after requesting that the match be changed to a triple threat match before it began. It didn’t even last two mins.

Winner by pinfall: Moose

Analysis: SQUASH

Just an easy win to show Moose’s dominance and put some doubt in Slater’s mind about the job ahead.

Moose tried some cheap shots after the match but Slater ran into the ring to confront him. Moose backed down after they talked a bit of trash to each other.

Next week:

* TNA Knockouts Championship: Chain Match: Masha Slamovich (c) vs Killer Kelly
* Trey Miguel vs Nic Nemeth
* The Iinspiration vs Victoria Crawford & Tessa Blanchard
* Jake Something vs Mance Warner
* Matt Cardona vs Eddie Edwards

Analysis: Looks like a better wrestling show than tonight!

They had a video package for the main event which is a rarity these days.

Match #6: Street Fight: AJ Francis w/ KC Navarro vs Mike Santana

They were straight into a brawl as soon as the bell rang. Santana clotheslined Francis over the top rope then hit a basement dropkick into the guard rail. He went under the ring for some weaponry and found a table (not the Slim Jim table). Santana gave Francis a big boot into the crowd. He followed Francis into the Impact Zone. Thankfully, they turned on some lights. Francis hit Santana over the back with a trash can. Santana whipped Francis into the steel barricade. He took too long posing with the fans so Francis picked him up and dropped him on his face on the barricade. They came back to ringside and Francis tossed Santana into the ring post. Francis got a steel chair from underneath the ring. He went back for a trash can lid and bashed Santana over the back. Francis hit a scoop slam on the floor. Hannifan called it a power slam though so he’s about as good as Michael Cole at calling moves. Back in the ring, Francis set up a chair and berated Santana. Santana sat up and drilled Francis with a forearm. Francis recovered and slammed Santana on the chair for the first two count of the match. He hit the Tennessee Whiskey knee strike with Santana stuck under a trash can. Francis missed a corner attack and flopped to the outside. Santana did a running dive over the top to take him out. He drove Francis into the ring steps. Santana got a second table out from underneath the ring. He hit a moonsault from the ring apron to Francis on the floor. Santana tossed Francis into the ring and hit the rolling cutter for 2. He set two chairs up in the ring facing each other. Santana hit a DVD onto the chairs! Francis kicked out just before 3. He tossed Santana to the ring apron and hit a clothesline. They were on the ring apron now. Santana fought off of Francis’ shoulders. He got Francis up and launched him through the tables with an Attitude Adjustment! The tables were a mess. Trick Williams came down to the ring but was quickly followed by Joe Hendry! They brawled on the entrance ramp and all the way to the back. Santana tossed Francis back into the ring. He measured him for the Frog Splash and nailed it but Francis kicked out! Francis avoided Spin the Block and hit a spear. He tried for the Down Payment but Santana got up onto his shoulders. Santana tried to wriggle free but Francis turned it into a Styles Clash! Francis made the cover but Santana kicked out just before 3. Francis called for the champagne bottle. He went for Spin the Block and missed. Santana nailed him between the eyes with the bottle and hit Spin the Block to finish Francis off after 16 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Mike Santana

Analysis: ***3/4 That was a highly entertaining street fight that had a personal feel to it. It worked as the stipulation fit the feud perfectly. Francis took some big bumps for a large guy and, in doing so, made Santana’s victory look even better. Easily match of the night.

Santana got a mic after the match. He said he has sweated and clawed his way to where he is today. Santana thanked the fans for their support. He said he should be in the World Title picture at Slammiversary in a triple threat. Santana urged Santino Marella to do the right thing, after First Class screwed him out of the title on an NXT show a few weeks ago.

Analysis: It could be a triple threat match or they could add AJ Francis in there to watch Trick’s back and make it a 4-way. Either way, as I said in my opening comments, having Hendry just win the title back doesn’t do much for TNA or Trick’s title reign.

Final Rating: 5.5/10

Despite a great main event, it was an average show this week with 4 matches under five minutes in length. I like the storyline progression in most of the divisions as we build to Slammiversary. Mustafa Ali continues to be the best all-around talent in TNA, and adding Cedric Alexander as a rival will be fun. Santana being added to the Slammiversary main event would be cool. I thought he would be challenging Williams and not Hendry, anyway. Leon Slater continues to develop as a rising star and he’s going to have a career moment and match at the PLE.

The Knockouts have gone from having hardly any challengers for Masha Slamovich, to 20 women in a battle royal and two #1 contenders. It’s like they’ve gone from having no one and Creative not knowing what to do, to now having lots of talent and Creative still not knowing what to do. Tessa Blanchard is easily the best woman on the roster and should be in the KOs title match, but it looks like they’re going for Indi vs Tessa which would be a great, first big match for Indi in TNA.

The next TNA PLE is Slammiversary on Sunday, July 20th. Here’s the card so far:

* TNA World Championship: Trick Williams (c) vs Joe Hendry
* TNA X-Division Championship: Moose (c) vs Leon Slater
* TNA World Tag Team Championships: Ladder Match: The Nemeths (c) vs The Hardys vs First Class vs The Rascalz

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!