TNA Impact Review – October 10, 2024

Bound for Glory opponents Nic Nemeth & Joe Hendry teamed up in the main event, as TNA continued to build a strong card for its biggest show of the year.

TNA Impact 10/10/24 from Skyway Studios, Nashville: TN

The opening video focused on Joe Hendry’s victory over Frankie Kazarian on TNA Impact two weeks ago to become the #1 Contender for the TNA World Championship. Last week’s show was a ‘Best of Bound for Glory’ special due to the forced cancellation of the tapings after the ongoing weather situations on the American east coast. My thoughts and prayers are with anyone involved or who has loved ones in those areas. For me in Australia, the force of a hurricane is something I probably won’t ever have to deal with because of where I live, so seeing those pictures and videos are quite surreal. We have floods and bushfires here but storm-wise, some cyclones up in the north. Thankfully, although they can be damaging, they’re generally not as destructive as what is occurring right now in the USA.

Match #1: Rosemary, Wendy Choo & Tasha Steelz w/ Alisha Edwards vs Masha Slamovich, Sol Ruca & Jordynne Grace

TNA love partnering face opponents together so much that they’re doing it twice tonight. I really detest face vs face feuds, which TNA did to death in 2022. They had a year off last year so I guess it’s time to warm up the feuds again. The fact is that there’s no one else for Grace to face and the match with Slamovich, fresh as a ‘good guy’, is the biggest match we can have now. The crowd was very, very loud during the entrances here. Choo and Grace started the match off. Grace connected with a back elbow in the corner, into the World’s Strongest Slam. Grace nailed a Vader Bomb for 2. Rosemary distracted Grace, which allowed Choo to back her into the corner and make the tag. Grace blocked a double team, then rolled under Choo to tag in Ruca. Ruca tossed Choo to the outside and rolled up Rosemary for 2. She hit a facebuster on Rosemary and then surf-boarded on her back, which was unique. Ruca hit a superkick then Alisha distracted her, which allowed Rosemary to toss Ruca through the ropes and to the floor. Steelz tossed Ruca back into the ring. Rosemary hit a crossbody with Ruca against the bottom rope. She choked Ruca with the Upside Down, then distracted the referee so Choo hit a cheap kick to the head of Ruca. Steelz tagged in and stomped on Ruca in the corner. She nailed a running uppercut in the corner and a nice Sliced Bread for 2. Steelz tried a modified Camel Clutch but Ruca made it to her feet. Steelz overpowered her into the corner and tagged in Choo. Choo used her legs to wrench the neck of Ruca and got a 2 count. She tagged in Rosemary and they tried a double suplex but Ruca turned it into a double neckbreaker. Rosemary blocked her before she could make a tag. Ruca blocked a corner attack and hit the amazing Sol Snatcher on Rosemary. She tagged in Slamovich and Rosemary made it to Steelz. Slamovich hit a big boot in the corner and a spinning heel kick. The crowd were right behind Masha. Steelz blocked a powerbomb attempt and went for a bulldog off the middle rope. Slamovich tossed her to the mat and hit a sit-out powerbomb but Choo broke up the pinfall. Slamovich nailed her with a spinning kick and the Snow Plow. Steelz thumbed her in the eye and she backed into the corner to tag Grace. Grace blocked a cutter attempt and hit the Grace Driver just like that for the pinfall win. The match lasted 8 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Jordynne Grace, Masha Slamovich & Sol Ruca

Analysis: **1/2 It was okay with a weak and seemingly rushed finish, that only made sense after the match where Masha looked annoyed that Grace had finished the match off when she could’ve taken out Steelz herself.

Gia Miller was looking for an interview with Sinner and Saint and Josh Alexander. Alexander faces Eric Young later on. Miller said she knows that Josh will have Judas Icarus and Travis Williams by his side. Alexander said Young and Steve Maclin should’ve just stayed out of his business. He said Young hasn’t done anything since he was TNA Champion 10 years ago. Alexander said that this team is the future and called themselves The Northern Armory.

Analysis: Alexander seems to be putting in a lot more effort with his promos lately. I like the name of this faction.

Let’s Hear from Nic Nemeth

Nic Nemeth got a nice reaction from the crowd as always. He said he felt good because he loves being the TNA Champion. Nemeth said he was looking forward to facing Joe Hendry at Bound for Glory. Saying his name prompted Hendry’s music and he came down in his dress clothes. Hendry said this was an 11-year journey to get to this point. He said he beat Josh Alexander, he beat Frankie Kazarian and now he gets to face Nemeth, who is the man. I just noticed that Hendry had his own personalised microphone. Nemeth said a lot of people believe in Joe Hendry. He said Hendry has done things the right way and he respects him. Hendry wanted to know if John Layfield was going to interfere in their main event match. Nemeth said not to worry about Layfield, only about him. He said he doesn’t plan on losing his title anytime soon. Here comes First Class with the interruption. AJ Francis said he was confused because First Class are the main event of Bound for Glory. We all know that that’s absurd because they’re not even on the card. He trashed Tennessee and got into the ring with KC Navarro. Francis said that he made Joe Hendry famous. He said that before AJ came to TNA, Joe was stuck on the pre-show and now he’s in the main event. Hendry reminded the crowd of his AJ Francis songs. I like the one about his botched dive from SmackDown a few years back. Nemeth told Francis that he had enough of him and that if only he could find a tag team partner, then he could shut him up. Obviously, he was alluding to Hendry so Santino Marella came out and made the tag team main event for later on.

Analysis: That was all very nice and respectful until the Layfield comments which piqued my interest. I still think there’s a chance Nemeth goes full heel at BFG and Layfield saves him. Hendry winning is just too obvious…isn’t it?

Ash-by-Elegance and George Iceman were losing their minds as they started a makeover on Heather Reckless. They bounced ideas off each other. It was so over the top.

Match #2: Josh Alexander w/ Judas Icarus & Travis Williams vs Eric Young

I’m liking this new faction, although they could dress Icarus and Williams better, rather than just looking like regular Joes with white shirts and black pants. They went to the back before Young made his entrance. If anyone can decipher the muttering during Young’s theme music, you have better hearing than me. No Maclin with Young tonight. Alexander dominated early with chops in the corner and his running crossbody that sent Young to the outside. This was a PPV main event 2 years ago and yet I just have absolutely no interest in Young anymore. He has not progressed in any fashion since returning to TNA. Back in the ring, Alexander manipulated the fingers of Young by snapping them. He slammed his knee down hard on Young’s left hand on the mat. Alexander nailed a running big boot for a 2 count. He slapped on a side headlock with Young down on the mat. Young got to his feet and used Alexander’s momentum to whip him against the ropes. He broke free with a clothesline and a powerslam for 2. Alexander snapped into suplex mode and nailed 2 Germans. Young blocked a third with an elbow strike. He hit the Death Valley Driver for 2. It was a delayed one which looked good as Alexander tried to fight out of it. Young hit a scoop slam and went up top for his elbow drop. Icarus and Williams ran to ringside and distracted Young. Alexander cut Young off and wanted a superplex. Young punched him off and then hit his elbow drop for 2. He hit a German suplex. Young set up for the piledriver but Icarus ran into the ring. The referee dealt with him so Williams snuck in and hit a running kick on Young. Alexander used that momentum to turn it into a pin for the win after almost 11 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Josh Alexander

Analysis: *** I was just warming into the match and then it ended in a predictable way with the heels cheating. Alexander should be winning in dominant fashion, not needing to cheat in a cowardly manner.

Young was pissed off and attacked Alexander after the match. The numbers game took over and it was a 3-on-1 beatdown on Young. Williams and Icarus nailed a double-team running knee into a pedigree. That was cool.

The camera cut to Steve Maclin who was knocked out backstage. It was obvious that it was Icarus and Williams. Williams got a steel chair from underneath the ring. Williams and Icarus pinned Young to the mat. Alexander locked the chair against Young’s knee and hit a diving knee drop, smashing Young’s knee in the chair.

Analysis: The beatdown was needed after winning in such a cheap way. I guess we are getting a 6-man tag at BFG with Maclin and Young needing a partner.

Jordynne Grace was backstage looking for Masha Slamovich. She walked into a creepy room which had lots of Knockouts’ photos with their faces all crossed out, which is what heel Slamovich used to do to psych out her opponents. The camera zoomed into Grace’s photo which was untouched.

Analysis: They are adding a story to this match thankfully and should play off their 2022 feud where Slamovich couldn’t get the title win after multiple attempts to beat Jordynne.

Mike Santana Addresses Moose

Santana came through the crowd. He got right to the point and said he was sick of all the talking and wanted to do this face-to-face, which is why he went into the System’s locker room 2 weeks ago. Santana said it was his purpose to make The System’s life hell after they screwed him out of the TNA World Title so many times. He wanted Moose to come to the ring. Moose obliged. He had security, who all had The System shirts on. That looked ridiculous. Santana said he could smell Moose’s fear. He dared Moose to step through the security and prove that he is the face of TNA, like he claims. Moose said since Santana left, he became TNA Champion 3 times. He called himself a box office attraction and Santana isn’t worth coming to the ring for. He trashed Santana for his past and then the rest of The System attacked him from behind. Chris Bey and Ace Austin ran in for the save. The System’s security ran in and then The Hardys music hit and the crowd went nuts. Matt and Jeff ran in and cleared the security. The face tag teams stood strong. Santino Marella said enough was enough. He booked Moose vs Mike Santana for Bound for Glory. Marella said the ABC vs “The Hard Boys” would take place right now, with the winner (possibly) getting a shot at The System at the PPV.

Analysis: I think Moose is better at promos when he is just addressing the crowd or delivering a solo promo. When he has to retort someone, it sounds so contrived and his dialogue is really lame. His delivery is really monotone, too. At least they finally made the match official, however, I would be more excited for it if they hadn’t already had a match on a random Impact episode a few months back.

Match #3: The Hardy Boys vs ABC

Bey and Matt started the match. Bey hit a dropkick and the crowd booed. He tagged in Austin and Matt tagged Jeff in. Jeff hit some neck breakers with Austin in a seated position. He backed him into the corner and hit a dropkick for 2. Jeff tagged in Matt and they hit Poetry in Motion. Matt nailed a clothesline for 2. He tagged Jeff back in against quickly. Jeff tried a sleeper but Austin quickly got to his feet. Austin countered a scoop slam attempt and made it to Bey for the tag. Bey nailed some strikes to rock Jeff. He hit a clothesline, then lined up Jeff in the corner for a running upper cut. Bey hit a nice missile dropkick for 2. He held Jeff by the legs, but Jeff was able to counter and get some separation for the tag to Matt. Austin hit a blind tag and dropkicked Matt for 2. Bey tagged in. The ABC hit a double hip toss for 2. Matt and Bey both went for a shoulder tackle but collided head-first. Jeff and Austin tagged in. Jeff hit some back elbows and his atomic drop. He nailed a dropkick and then an elbow drop for 2. Jeff tried to stack up Austin with his double legdrop and almost got the 3 count. Bey snuck in but The Hardys nailed the Plot Twist (Jeff hit a Twist of Fate into the neckbreaker by Matt) on him. Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers ran in and attacked all 4 men, causing a no-contest. The match lasted 8 minutes before the interference.

No result

Analysis: *** It was heading towards a decent match but it was pretty predictable that there was going to be a screwy finish where there was no real winner. Simply booked but well done. The Hardys can do no wrong in front of the TNA fans.

Santino Marella came out and said he had had enough of The System. He announced a Triple Threat Full Metal Mayhem match for Bound for Glory.

Analysis: Awesome. That is going to be insane. Match of the night is a possibility right there.

Match #4: #1 Contender’s Match for the X-Division Championship: Leon Slater vs Laredo Kid vs Jason Hotch w/ John Skyler

No disrespect to these 3 but it feels like the X-Division has dropped a lot in star power over the last few months. The winner will get a title shot next week against Mike Bailey. He was on commentary and his voice is almost as grating as Alisha Edwards. That man makes drying paint come alive. The match was fast-paced from the outset. Kid hit an awkward-looking facebuster on Hotch. They then spent too long focused on the commentators and almost missed a crazy Laredo Kid dive from the top rope to the outside. Kid hit a Frog Splash on Slater back in the ring for a 2 count. He hit a palm strike but Hotch ran in and hit a cool double stomp to his opponents, with one foot on each of their chests. Hotch covered Kid for a 2 count. Slater nailed a spinning kick on Hotch, then an athletic handspring elbow. He went to the top and nailed a crazy Swanton 450 for the win after 3 ½ minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Leon Slater

Analysis: ** That was obviously a very quick match but they packed lots of action in. I feel like the fans could really get behind Slater if they give him a good push. He has a great moveset and is fun to watch.

Jordynne Grace Wants to Speak

Grace wanted to speak to Masha Slamovich face-to-face. Slamovich now speaks in perfect English, which I never knew until about 2 weeks ago. Slamovich was acting kind of heelish by talking down to Grace. She accepted Grace’s challenge for Bound for Glory. Slamovich said that Grace would finally learn to live in her shadow after she beats her. She gave her a marked photo.

Analysis: That was it? That wasn’t very interesting or intense. The timing on the second half of the show is a bit off.

First Class were already in the ring for the main event, which perfectly backs up my last sentence about the timing of the show.

Match #5: Nic Nemeth & Joe Hendry vs First Class

Hendry went to cut a promo before the match and Navarro nailed him with a kick. Nemeth ran down to help Hendry clothesline Francis over the top. The crowd was as loud as they had been all night. That’s a good sign for the BFG main event match up. Francis and Navarro took a breather on the outside to regroup. The match officially started with Navarro and Nemeth. Nemeth tried a back body drop but KC landed on his feet. He taunted the fans and turned around into a dropkick. Francis tried to distract Nemeth, but Nemeth punched him off the apron. This allowed Navarro to attack him from behind and get the upper hand. He tagged in Francis who stood on Nemeth in the corner. Francis tossed Nemeth to the outside. He talked trash to Hendry in the corner. Nemeth was really selling the little offence that Francis had hit him with. He made it back into the ring before the 10 count. Francis nailed a headbutt. He tried an arm bar in the centre of the ring. Francis had a beck wrench locked in at the same time. Nemeth got to his feet but AJ pulled him down by his hair. He nailed a running senton for 2. Francis mocked Hendry’s spin around routine. That was funny. He whipped Nemeth hard into the corner. Nemeth fought back with right hands. AJ held onto his left arm as Nemeth tried for a tag. He whipped Nemeth into the corner so hard that it knocked Navarro from the apron. Nemeth nailed a DDT on AJ and tagged Hendry in. Francis tagged in Navarro, too. Hendry hit a Fallaway slam and then kipped up. He went for a Samoan Drop but Francis was too heavy. Nemeth ran in for a superkick. Hendry hoisted up Francis onto his shoulders for the fireman carry takeover. That was very John Cena-like. Hendry wanted the Standing Ovation. Francis swatted him away. Hendry nailed the Danger Zone on Francis. Nemeth tagged himself in and nailed a superkick on Francis. Francis bounced into the ropes so Navarro made the blind tag. Nemeth hit another superkick on Francis that sent him out of the ring. Navarro hit a dropkick from the top to Nemeth. He hit the 305 kick and went for a cutter but Nemeth hit a big superkick. Nemeth nailed the Standing Ovation on Navarro then the Fame Asser for the win after 7 ½ minutes.

Winners by pinfall: Joe Hendry & Nic Nemeth

Analysis: **1/2 That would be one of the shortest main events on TNA TV this year and it was an easy win for the face team. AJ Francis continues to look great, even though he loses most of his matches. He’s really easy to like as a big man who can talk, annoy the fans and has good athleticism. I like how Nemeth and Hendry used each other’s moves. It just adds a layer that a face vs face feud needs.

Final Rating: 6/10

TNA used this week’s episode to officially make 3 more matches for Bound for Glory, which was important after not having a show last week. It wasn’t a great week for wrestling, but a good one for storyline progression and building up matches and reasons for those matches. I rated Josh Alexander vs Eric Young as the best match, but even that was very basic with a cheap finish. In terms of Bound for Glory, I think the triple threat route is great for the tag division. They’re all on about the same level and a straight tag match wouldn’t feel right. I really think they’ll pull the trigger on The Hardys winning, especially on such a big show. There was good storyline progression in Grace/Slamovich’s feud, but the face-to-face promos fell flat and I think the second hour of the show was really rushed and this affected them. Even though it’s not live, you still have to work on a 2-hour TV time limit. I also enjoyed the work of the new Northern Armory faction, even if it means they have to keep feuding with Eric Young. Getting more young talent on TNA is only a good thing. I think Bound for Glory could be a great show, even though face vs face feuds annoy me. Have I mentioned that yet tonight?

The next TNA PPV is Bound for Glory on October 26th. Here’s the card so far:

* TNA World Championship: Nic Nemeth (c) vs Joe Hendry
* TNA Knockouts’ Championship: Jordynne Grace (c) vs Masha Slamovich
* Full Metal Mayhem for the TNA World Tag Team Championships: The System (c) vs The Hardys vs ABC
* TNA Digital Media Championship: Monster’s Ball Match: PCO (c) vs Matt Cardona
* Bound for Glory Gauntlet match
* Moose vs Mike Santana
* El Hijo del Vikingo will wrestle

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!