TNA Impact Review – June 6, 2024

The Knockouts Title held by Jordynne Grace was on the line again as TNA celebrated the 20th anniversary of Impact!

This is TNA Wrestling: 6.6.24 from MegaCorp Pavilion, Newport, Kentucky

The opening video recap focused on last week’s events which saw Joe Hendry beat Eddie Edwards, before Moose beat Matt Hardy to a pulp backstage ahead of Against All Odds.

Match #1: Jake Something vs Kon

It’s a hoss fight to kick off tonight’s show. Tom Hannifan built it as a first-time match but it’s really not that monumental. As expected there was a stalemate until they started throwing right hands. Something clotheslined Kon over the top, but Kon landed on his feet and ran back into the ring. Something tossed him from the ring and removed his shirt, then threw it into Something’s face. This allowed him to toss Something against the steel ring post. Back in the ring, Kon went for the face of Something until the referee counted to 4 for the break. He tried for a clothesline but Something wouldn’t go down. Kon tried a second and third clothesline but Something responded with shots of his own. They traded short-arm lariats and Something nailed a corner clothesline, then took Kon of his feet with another clothesline. Kon countered a powerbomb attempt but missed an elbow drop. Something nailed a huge right hand for the first nearfall of the match. Something broke out of a chokeslam attempt but Kon grabbed Something’s hair and went for the neck wrench. Something broke the grip of Kon with a headbutt. Kon slipped out of an Into the Void attempt and rolled through. He ran at Something who did nail Into the Void this time and won the match after 5 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Jake Something

Analysis: *** That was short but I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It was even and Something showed how he could win with that move out of nowhere. This was a good show of strength throughout.

Kon decked Something from behind as he was celebrating. He nailed a chokeslam and went for the neck wrench but Eric Young ran down for the save. Young sent Kon to the outside with a clothesline. Young cut a quick promo putting over the 20 years of Impact. Kon did nothing to retaliate as Young spoke, which was odd.

Analysis: It’s the return of the feud that wouldn’t end. Not what we need.

There were highlights of Moose destroying Matt Hardy to end last week’s show.

Gia Miller interviewed Frankie Kazarian ahead of his match with Nic Nemeth in the main event. Kaz started to talk when he was interrupted by Alisha Edwards, who ironically mocked her speaking voice. Brian Myers tried to recruit Kaz, to manipulate him to take out Nemeth. Kaz said he would take out Nemeth, if Moose gives him at the title. Moose said it was a deal.

Analysis: I love how slimy The System are. Kaz in the main event as a heel is good for TNA TV.

They showed highlights of PCO’s bizarre actions towards Steph De Lander lately. SDL was interviewed by Gia Miller backstage. She asked about the love letter. SDL was a bit unsure about it all. Xia Brookside came in and vouched for PCO. SDL said she would take a week to think about it all. Riveting.

Analysis: They should just let Xia wrestle and not drag her into this rubbish.

Gisele Shaw is back! It sounded like Jade Chung’s announcement was pre-recorded. I wonder if anyone else noticed that?

Match #2: Gisele Shaw vs Shazza McKenzie

Shazza is Australian (like me) and mostly wrestles on the indies. What kind of name is Shazza? Well, in Australia it would be a ‘bogan’ nickname for Sharon. Her real name is Chantelle though. Shaw is back from a 3-month break. She had a few vignettes with Gail Kim, who tried to bring her back to a division that needs wrestlers but Shaw has such little credibility that she won’t be the one taking the title from Jordynne Grace. Shaw got a good reaction. McKenzie pulled her down by the hair to start the match off. Shaw hit a running hurricanrana and then two running uppercuts in the corner, then another one off the ropes. She nailed a side kick and McKenzie rolled to the ring apron to avoid a running knee. McKenzie hit a kick to the head and a bulldog through the ropes for a 1 count. McKenzie nailed some right hands with Shaw down on the mat. She taunted the crowd a bit and repeatedly kicked Shaw in the head. McKenzie ran the ropes but Shaw hit a big clothesline and then a running elbow. She nailed another clothesline and a hard superkick to the back of the head for 2. McKenzie went for a Death Valley Driver but Shaw slipped off her shoulders. Shaw nailed a springboard cutter and then the running knee to the head for the win after 3 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Gisele Shaw

Analysis: ** An easy enough win for Shaw, but McKenzie did get some offense in. It will be interesting to see how they book Shaw in this run. I didn’t think she could get any more tanned, but apparently I was wrong. Not a fan of her new theme music either.

Rosemary had a vignette threatening vengeance. Yawn.

Match #3: Mustafa Ali & Campaign Singh vs Speedball Mountain

I’m really happy with the amount of dates that TNA have signed Ali up for. He is on the show most weeks, which I didn’t think would eventuate. He’s my favourite wrestler in TNA at present and has a great character. Seven challenges Ali at Against All Odds. Ali tagged out straight away because he didn’t want to face Seven. Bailey tagged himself in and they nailed a double hip toss on Singh for a 1 count. They exchanged strikes and Bailey hit a dropkick, which sent Singh into the corner so Ali could tag in. Ali caught a kick and took Bailey down to the mat. Singh tagged in and they hit a double elbow takedown for 2. He smashed Bailey with an uppercut and stomped on him in the corner. Singh tagged Ali in again and Ali went to work with right hands on Bailey in the corner. Bailey fought Singh off in the corner and whipped Ali into his corner, but Ali hit a dropkick on Seven to take him off the apron. Singh and Ali nailed a double-team neckbreaker on Bailey.

(Commercial break)

Seven and Singh were legal as we returned to the action. Seven hit a DDT but Ali broke up the pin. He bailed as soon as Seven confronted him. Seven hit a suplex on Singh for 2. Ali tried a sneak attack so Seven set him up for the Birming Hammer but Singh pulled him off. Singh hit a jumping DDT and tagged Ali in who got a 2 count. Ali kicked Seven down on the mat. Ali hit a kick but Seven was unfazed and nailed a headbutt. He covered Ali but Singh pulled him out of the ring. Bailey hit a running dive on Singh to the outside. Ali nailed Seven with a 619 from the outside using the ropes. He went to the top rope but Seven met him with a chop. Seven tried for a superplex but Ali chopped him to the mat and hit a version of the Buckshot Lariat from the top but the commentators didn’t really put it over. Seven avoided the 450 and destroyed Ali with the Seven Star Lariat. Amazing selling by Ali, who flipped in mid-air. Ali and Seven made tags. Bailey hit a dropkick on the incoming Singh. Bailey missed a kick and Singh nailed an elbow to the face. He tried a suplex but Bailey took him down with a kick and a thrust kick for a close 2 count. Bailey tagged Seven back in. Seven held Singh whilst Bailey set him up for a kick but Ali dragged Bailey out of the ring by his legs. Bailey took Ali down with a kick. The Secret Service surrounded Bailey and Ali used one of them to launch himself at Bailey for a Tornado DDT. Ali went for a springboard cutter on Seven in the ring but Seven chopped him in mid-air sending him to the floor. Singh tried a roll up with the tights for a 2 count. Seven nailed him with a Lariat and the Birming Hammer whilst Ali backed down and resisted breaking up the pin. Speedball Mountain won the match after 11 minutes of TV time.

Winners by pinfall: Speedball Mountain

Analysis: *** That was a fun tag team match that was all about Ali making Seven look like a legitimate threat. His facial expressions and cowardice were just on point. I’m okay with Seven challenging Ali, as long as the Slammiversary match is Ali vs Bailey in Canada. That would be excellent. Campaign Singh, who is not very good in the ring and was actually very slow in some spots here, was just there to take the pin. He’s playing his role but he’s a lesser light than others that have surrounded Ali during this run.

George Iceman played up the return of Ash-by-Elegance after ‘minor surgery’. He is ridiculous but I don’t mind it. They were seated at ringside for the next match.

Match #4: TNA Knockouts’ Championship: Jordynne Grace (c) vs Allysin Kay

Kay is a 2-time Knockouts’ Champion (as Sienna) in 2016 and 2017 when I wasn’t really watching TNA. Hannifan promoted Grace vs Roxanne Perez at NXT Battleground this weekend. I wonder if they did the commentary for this at a later point, as this was taped before Grace appeared on NXT (perhaps not the second showing?). He mentioned that this run as champion has seen Grace defend her title more than her previous two reigns, which puts her over as a fighting champion. Realistically, they don’t have a proper feud for her so they keep bringing in random people for her to beat up. Grace was aggressive from the beginning and pummelled Kay in the corner. She nailed a clothesline and hit a snapmare for a 1 count. Kay hit a cheap shot to send her to the outside. Marti Belle stomped away on Grace when the referee wasn’t looking. She tossed Grace back into the ring and Kay went for a pinfall but Grace grabbed the rope to break the count. Kay chopped Grace in the corner a number of times. Grace tried to fight back with shots to the ribs but Kay tossed her from the ring. Belle went back to cheap shots and threw Grace back in again. Kay went for a powerbomb but Grace dropped her over her back. She hit a back elbow but Kay kicked her feet out from under her. Grace used the ropes to catapult herself to her feet and she hit a spear through the ropes for a 2 count. They exchanged a flurry of forearms in the centre of the ring. Belle held Grace’s leg as she ran the ropes, then Kay hit a Saito suplex for 2. Grace avoided a corner attack and put Kay on the top rope. She nailed the Muscle Buster for a close 2 count. Belle got up on the ring apron so Grace pulled her into the ring and destroyed her with a spinebuster. Kay got a surprise inside cradle for a 2 count. Grace went for a powerbomb but Kay reversed it into a version of a piledriver for a close 2 count. Grace reversed a powerbomb and rolled Kay through for a 2 count. Grace tried to deadlift Kay into a powerbomb but couldn’t quite manage it so she nailed her with a few blows to the back before delivering it. Kay landed high on the neck which didn’t look fun. Grace nailed the Juggernaut Driver for the win after 6 minutes.

Winner by pinfall AND STILL TNA Knockouts’ Champion: Jordynne Grace

Analysis: ***1/4 I thought that was very good for only 6 minutes. It felt like longer. Kay was given plenty of offence, even though she stood no chance of winning. Grace continues her momentum as we head towards NXT Battleground.

It was announced that Grace would defend her title at Against All Odds in an open challenge.

Analysis: I expect someone from NXT, such as Tatum Paxley, to answer that challenge.

There was a video recap of Tasha Steelz beating Jody Threat last week. There was some tension between her and Dani Luna. Lars Fredriksen was giving them a pep talk. He said that Luna would face Steelz next week to make up for Threat’s loss.

Analysis: TNA is even stupider than we all think if they break up the only other team in the Knockout’s Tag division. Just don’t.

DMTV with Sami Callihan

The last episode of this wasn’t very good. Callihan as a whole really doesn’t enthuse me in 2024. The camera was wobbling everywhere as he shot it from a selfie point-of-view. He addressed Jonathan Gresham and tried to figure out if he was more octopus or man. Callihan challenged Gresham for a match at Against All Odds.

Analysis: That makes sense after Gresham’s recent win over Callihan. They should get a lengthier match being on a monthly show.

Match #5: TNA Digital Media Championship: Laredo Kid vs AJ Francis w/ Rich Swann

Kid hit a missile dropkick from the top early to send Francis out of the ring. He tried for a suicide dive but AJ caught him in mid-air and slammed him hard on the ring apron. Back in the ring, Francis choked Kid against the middle rope. He hit a running knee in the corner. Francis stalled for too long so Kid hit a springboard kick and a forearm in the corner. He tried a splash but Francis caught him. Kid turned it into a DDT. He kicked Swann off the apron and hit a neckbreaker on AJ from the top rope. Kid wiped out Swann with a senton to the outside that looked great. Francis went for a powerbomb but Kid blocked it with a hurricanrana attempt. AJ was too strong and nailed the Down Payment to win the title after 5 minutes.

Winner by pinfall AND NEW TNA Digital Media Champion: AJ Francis

Analysis: **1/2 That was more about a dominant win for Francis than having a classic match. Their styles didn’t mesh well but that probably wasn’t the point. Good for Francis, in his first title win post-WWE. I’m really not sure what the point of Laredo Kid’s short reign was. Maybe a reward for almost dying from his injuries a few years ago. The title should still be on Crazzy Steve as he was killing it and I’m not sure where he’s gone.

There was a promo video for Grace vs Perez for this Sunday.

Analysis: That should close NXT’s PLE this Sunday. Good for those ladies.

Match #6: Frankie Kazarian vs Nic Nemeth

This is a PLE-worthy match but I am happy to see it on free-TV because who knows how long Nemeth’s deal with TNA is. Nemeth hit an arm drag with a roll up for an early 1 count. Kaz used the ropes to break free of an attempted arm bar from Nemeth. He chopped Nemeth and nailed a running elbow. Kaz hit a scoop slam for a 2 count. Kaz ran the ropes but Nemeth cut him off with a dropkick. His version is such a thing of beauty. Nemeth ran at Kaz in the corner, but Kaz tossed him over the top rope to the floor. Kaz stomped Nemeth around the ringside area. He abused some fans and tossed Nemeth back inside the ring. Kaz nailed a slingshot legdrop for 2. He kept Nemeth grounded with a sleeper. Nemeth got to a knee and used body shots to break the hold. Kaz reversed an Irish Whip and nailed a running Russian Legsweep for 2.

(Commercial break)

Kaz had Nemeth in an attempted Crossface Chicken Wing but Nemeth flipped him off with a snapmare. Kaz charged at Nemeth, who moved and scored with a jumping DDT for 2. Nemeth pummelled Kaz with right hands in the corner. He nailed a neckbreaker and then his 10 elbow drops but Kaz caught him after 4 in the Chicken Wing. He took Nemeth down to the mat close to the ropes. Nemeth stretched out his arm and just made the ropes before fading to the hold. The referee broke the hold but Kaz kept striking Nemeth with right hands against the ropes. Nemeth reversed a Fade to Black attempt with a roll through but Kaz tried a pin with a bridge for 2. Nemeth tried a backslide for 2. He nailed a super kick and fell into the cover for a 2 count. Kaz avoided the Danger Zone and hit a Guillotine legdrop against the ropes. Nemeth was struggling on the ring apron so Kaz brought him back inside with a slingshot cutter for 2. Kaz was frustrated at this point. He tried a Chicken Wing again but Nemeth backed him into the corner with elbow strikes. Kaz tried a sunset flip pin for 2. They exchanged right hands and Nemeth quickly nailed the Danger Zone out of nowhere for the win after 12 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Nic Nemeth

Analysis: ***1/2 That was a really good main event with a very sudden ending but we figured out afterwards why they needed extra time after the match. These two matched up really evenly and the counter wrestling was excellent. I would’ve preferred another 10 minutes but I complain about that every week.

After the match, Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers ran in for the beatdown to soften Nemeth up before their Tag Title match at Against All Odds. Ryan Nemeth ran in to confront them. Nic got to his feet and went to work on Edwards. Moose ran down and hit both Nemeths with his TNA World Championship. The crowd was chanting for Matt Hardy. Moose nailed a spear on Ryan who sold it well. He nailed one on Nic too. Joe Hendry ran down (a little late) and tossed Moose out of the ring. He nailed a Fallaway slam on both Edwards and Myers. Moose came back in but Alisha nailed Hendry with a kendo stick shot. Hendry sold it as if he had been hit with a lead pipe and Moose nailed another spear. Myers nailed Hendry with the Implant DDT. Edwards destroyed him with the Boston Knee Party. Alisha hit him in the back again and Moose nailed a second spear to Hendry. The System stood tall again as Impact was about to go off the air. With 30 seconds left, Hardy cut a promo telling The System that they can’t delete him. Hardy invited The System to the Hardy Compound.

Analysis: This was just an annihilation. I get being dominant, but surely there’s some payoff for the faces coming soon. I see Hendry facing Moose at Slammiversary. I don’t think Hardy will win. There will be some fun shenanigans next week at the Compound. I always enjoyed those skits.

Final Rating: 7/10

I felt that this was a solid episode of Impact. There wasn’t any nostalgia despite it being the 20th-anniversary show, apart from a quick Eric Young promo, but that was fine because the wrestling all night was really good. Something vs Kon was a surprisingly good big-man opener. I found the Singh/Ali vs Speedball Mountain tag match to be fun and kudos to Ali for making Seven seem like a believable challenger. The main event between Kaz and Nic Nemeth was great and again The System ended the show in a commanding fashion. They feel very much in the mold of Evolution, in terms of the overwhelmingly dominant fashion in which they are booked. The build to Against All Odds has been much better than the last few big shows. They still have a few matches to add, though.

The next TNA monthly special is Against All Odds on June 14th. Here’s the card so far:

* TNA World Championship: Moose (c) vs Matt Hardy
* TNA Knockouts’ Championship: Jordynne Grace (c) issues an open challenge
* TNA Tag Team Championships: The System (c) vs Nic & Ryan Nemeth
* TNA X-Division Championship: Mustafa Ali (c) vs Trent Seven
* Sami Callihan vs Jonathan Gresham

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!