TNA Impact Review – October 24, 2024
Nic Nemeth and Joe Hendry signed the contract for their TNA World Championship match on the final Impact before Bound for Glory!
TNA Impact 24/10/24 from Skyway Studios, Nashville: TN
The opening video focused on Steve Maclin’s attack at the hands of The Northern Armory, as well as Frankie Kazarian revealing himself as the Special Guest Referee for Bound for Glory’s main event. I’m not sure how he has the power to make that decision so hopefully they explain that tonight. Check out my past TNA Impact reviews here.
The fans were loud with “TNA!” chants as we get straight into the action in Nashville
Match #1: 6-Way Match for the #20 Spot in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet: Frankie Kazarian vs Jake Something vs Sami Callihan vs Jason Hotch vs Laredo Kid vs AJ Francis
I’m disappointed that this match is only on the pre-show. It’s a feature of the show the BFG PPV. Sami Callihan was the only one who got an entrance. There was no explanation of his return which I find strange. I’ll do my best to cover all the action here. Kid cleared the ring early with some athletic moves. Something ran through him with shoulder blocks. AJ Francis took Something down from behind. He nailed a big boot on Kaz then caught Kid who came flying off the top rope and hit a scoop slam. Francis feigned doing a dive over the ropes and flipped off the fans. Callihan came in with a clothesline. He took KC Navarro off the apron, but ran into a forearm from Hotch. Hotch hit a big dive on a pile of wrestlers over the top rope. Something took down Callihan with an Avalanche. He flew over the top and took down 3 guys. Callihan riled up the fans and tossed Kid onto the pile of humanity, over the top rope. He turned around into a big boot from AJ. AJ wanted the Down Payment on Something, who fought out. Callihan, Something and Hotch tried to take out Francis and hit a triple powerbomb. Kaz snuck in for a cover for 2. Kid hit a dropkick on him, then a flying forearm on Sami in the corner. He took down Something with a tornado DDT. Hotch hit a nice rolling DDT on Something. Sami took too long setting up the Cactus Driver so Hotch had time for an enziguiri. Kaz brought Hotch back into the ring with a slingshot DDT for 2. Hotch hit a nice jumping stomp on Kid then Something squashed them both. Callihan avoided a splash in the corner and hit a Stunner on Something. He went for the Cactus Driver but Kaz tried a Chicken Wing from behind. Sami slipped out and nailed the Cactus Driver on Kaz. Francis snuck in and tossed Callihan off, then pinned Kaz for the win. The match only lasted 7 minutes.
Winner by pinfall AJ Francis
Analysis: *** That was good fun for a short match. I’m puzzled why they would make Kaz take the loss, considering he’s kind of in the main event picture but I guess you have to have someone take it. I don’t think AJ Francis is World Title material but having a heel at number 20 will make the fans think he’s a chance, I suppose.
AJ and KC celebrated after the match. The fans were not happy about his win.
Gia Miller was backstage with Jonathan Gresham, ahead of his match with Josh Alexander. Gia towered over Gresham. He explained that over the last two years his bad days have outnumbered his good ones. Gresham has snapped out of it and remembered that he’s the best technical wrestler in the world. He said his comeback starts with a win over Alexander tonight. I don’t believe you, Jon!
There was a vignette with Mike Santana talking about growing up in New York and how tough it was.
Launch Party-by-Elegance
This was the unveiling of the makeover of Heather Reckless. George Iceman and Ash were at ringside with a candlelit table that had champagne. Heather had a black dress like Ash, with a pearl necklace. She was supposed to look like Ash, which sort of works but she’s about a foot shorter. The fans chanted derogatory things at Heather. Iceman allowed Heather to look in the mirror. They opened some champagne to celebrate. Xia Brookside interrupted the party. Brookside was over-the-top with her praise for Heather and Ash. Then she changed and told her how fake they both were. Xia reminded them of how they treated Brinley Reece last week. Reece showed up at ringside with a baseball slide to both heels. They almost fell into the champagne. Xia and Reece gave Ash and Heather a champagne bath using the big bowls at ringside. The heels acted ridiculously over-the-top to end it.
Analysis: That was a lot less painful than I thought. Adding to the Knockouts division is only a good thing for me, whoever it is that shows up from NXT or anywhere.
Match #2: Josh Alexander w/ The Northern Armory vs Jonathan Gresham
The action spilled to the outside early. Alexander took Gresham into the post and they went to a commercial within 30 seconds.
(Commercial break)
Alexander was in control in the ring. Gresham fought back with a chop but Alexander took him down with a forearm. Gresham hit an enziguiri then a few dropkicks to the knee. Alexander missed a corner attack and Gresham hit another kick. The crowd was enjoying face Gresham. Alexander blocked a German suplex but Gresham sent him to the outside with a springboard arm drag, then followed up with a suicide dive. He nailed another one and then a third. Gresham finally took him off his feet with a 4th dive. He feigned a 5th dive and hit a moonsault. This is a much more entertaining version of Gresham. He nailed a cutter on Williams on the floor. The referee began to count Alexander out but he made it back in before 10. Gresham tried a springboard dive but he botched it and landed awkwardly on his knee. He tried to recover by turning it into a roll up for 2. Gresham avoided a C4 Spike and rolled up Alexander again for 2. He tried an enziguiri but Alexander ducked and tried to lock in the ankle lock. Gresham broke free and sent Alexander into the middle turnbuckle. His headgear came loose so he tossed it to the referee. Alexander pulled a foreign object out of his trunks and nailed Gresham in the head with it, followed by the C4 Spike for the win after 10 minutes of TV time.
Winner by pinfall: Josh Alexander
Analysis: ***1/4 I enjoyed that a lot more than most Gresham matches. There was a lot more flowing offense and it was fast-paced. Even the botch didn’t really ruin the momentum because they followed it up with a roll up straight afterward. Alexander getting the cheap win is not unexpected.
Alexander, Williams and Icarus beat up Gresham after the bell. Steve Maclin came in with a steel chair. They tackled him into the corner and overpowered him. Alexander took the chair and nailed Maclin with multiple shots. They handcuffed him to the ring ropes. Some face wrestlers ran down for the save at last.
Analysis: Maclin really hasn’t had an offense in this feud so I could see him winning on Saturday but that would mean Alexander loses 3 PPV matches in a row. I’m not sure at this point.
The Santana vignette continued.
Match #3: Wendy Choo w/ Rosemary vs Jody Threat
Dani Luna was not with Threat. Rosemary provided a distraction at ringside as the action spilled to the floor. Back in the ring, Choo hit a splash in the corner for 2. Choo wearing pyjamas still at this point doesn’t really give off creepy vibes. Or maybe it does in a pathological kind-of way. Maybe that’s the point. Threat tried a move in the corner but Choo hit a hurricanrana for 2. Choo tried a sleeper hold with Threat in a seated position on the mat. Threat fought to her feet and dumped Choo off. She nailed a running crossbody. Threat fired up with a series of forearms. She screamed a lot and hit a pump kick. Threat nailed her double knees against the middle rope and a German suplex. She hit a big diving clothesline for 2. Choo tried a sneaky backslide for 2. Threat bounced up to the top rope and hit a cannonball. She set up for Pop Shove It but Rosemary threw Choo’s pillow into the ring as a distraction (I can’t say I’ve written that line before). Rosemary got onto the ring apron so Threat took her down. Choo hit her Khallas-style finisher for the win after 7 ½ minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Wendy Choo
Analysis: *** Another solid match on a night of good wrestling for TNA so far. Choo can go; there’s no doubting that. I have felt that Threat has always been on the cusp of being really good in TNA, but they just haven’t pulled the trigger. A good outing by both ladies here.
The reason for wearing earplugs at a wrestling show, Alisha Edwards, cut a pre-taped promo with The System. They all said short lines about winning at Bound for Glory. Moose said what happens to Santana if he fails at BFG; where does he go from there after all his tough talk. Moose said he becomes the face of the franchise again at the PPV.
Analysis: That’s probably a bit of a stretch, Moose, as I’m not sure that everyone sees this as one of the top matches at BFG. They’ve certainly given it enough build but, as I’ve said before, them already having a throwaway match was silly.
The commentators ran through the BFG card. I’ll cover that at the bottom of this review.
Match #4: 8-Man Tag Team Match: The System w/ Alisha vs The Hardys & ABC
I like it when they put two feuds/matches together to create a bigger multi-man match. Moose and Chris Bey started the match. Moose had the power advantage but missed a clothesline in the corner. Bey dropkicked him and tagged in Ace Austin. JDC tried to interfere and got tossed over the top. Edwards and Myers ran in and the action was chaotic early. There were multiple Poetries-in-Motion in the corner. Jeff hit a splash on Edwards and Myers on the floor, then Bey did. Austin took out Moose and JDC on the opposite side.
(Commercial break)
The System were back in control as we returned to the action. Moose catapulted Jeff into the bottom ring rope then tagged in Edwards. Edwards tried a sleeper but Jeff recovered quickly and hit a jawbreaker then made the tag to Matt. Matt took down a newly-tagged in Myers with clotheslines. He did his Delete head smashes on the corner turnbuckles then went to the opposite side on Edwards. Matt hit the Side Effect on Myers for 2. He tagged in Bey and they hit a combination Legsweep/splash for 2. Alisha held the ropes whilst Bey ran and he spilled to the floor. The System beat him down on the floor as we went to another break.
(Commercial break)
Bey kicked out of a cover as we returned to the action. Myers tried a front facelock but Bey got to his feet. He took down Bey with a rising knee, then hit a cheap shot on his friends on the apron. Myers turned around into a cutter and Austin tagged in, along with JDC. Austin hit a Russian Legsweep and a legdrop. Edwards ran in but Austin avoided his offense. He hit a springboard dropkick on JDC and Edwards. Austin nailed a spinning kick on JDC but Moose broke the pinfall up. Matt ran in with the Twist of Fate on Moose. Myers nailed him with the Roster Cut. Edwards and Myers tried to double team Jeff but got a Whisper in the Wind. Jeff avoided a Falcon Arrow from JDC and hit a Twist of Fate. He took out Moose with a springboard splash over the top. Austin and Bey nailed the Art of Finesse/ Fold combination for the win after 9 minutes of TV time.
Winners by pinfall: The Hardys and The ABC
Analysis: ***1/4 That was fun and nice that they showed us some action in between commercial breaks. JDC was always taking the pin if The System lost. I think The Hardys win the titles in a big moment on Saturday.
The System attacked the faces straight after the match. Mike Santana jumped over the guard rail with a steel chain to make the save. He took out JDC, Myers and Edwards. Santana faced off with Moose in the ring but Alisha hit him with a kendo stick from behind. He turned around and Moose nailed him in the back. Moose choked Santana out with the chain in the corner. Myers and Edwards hit Bey with a powerbomb on a steel chair. They tossed Bey from the ring. Jeff was taken out with the Backpack Stunner into the elbow drop using a steel chair from Myers.
Analysis: Santana got no reaction for making the save. That’s even after all the vignettes and build-up of him throughout the night. Most crowds are into him, but this one wasn’t. That big beatdown makes me even more sure that he finally wins and so do The Hardys. Then can we please move on from Moose vs Santana?
Double Contract Signing for Bound for Glory
Santino Marella was in the ring with both the TNA World Championship and the TNA Knockouts World Championship. He introduced Masha Slamovich and Joe Hendry first, then Jordynne Grace and Nic Nemeth. Having 4 face wrestlers in the two main matches at a PPV feels off to me. Slamovich took the microphone first. I am still getting used to her in full English mode. She said 3 years ago she signed her first TNA contract so this has all come full circle for her. Slamovich said tonight she signs this contract and finally becomes Knockouts Champion on Saturday. She signed the contract. Grace said, believe it or not, she’s proud and happy for Masha. Grace said that they both know how this plays out and she’s sorry that she has to beat her again in order for her to understand that nothing has changed in the 3 years that Masha has been here. Marella checked out the signatures and gave them the all clear. Hendry took the microphone next. He said some people have called him an overnight sensation but he’s on a legendary journey to get to this moment. Hendry gave reference to a promo where he was a lawyer for Nemeth on a WWE segment. He said no one knew his name back then, but now everyone knows and believes in Joe Hendry. Hendry said at Bound for Glory the fans believe it’s time for a new face of TNA. He signed the contract next. Nemeth looked like Tyler Breeze with his hair slicked back. He said that Hendry tells a sweet story but Hendry has to forget about all that because when he steps into the ring with Nemeth at BFG, he’s in the ring with the best. That’s all he said and signed the contract.
Marella was happy that there was no violence and went to wish everyone goodnight but here comes Frankie Kazarian. Kaz will be the #1 entrant in the Gauntlet match because he got pinned earlier tonight. He told everyone to shut up because the real star of the show was here. Kaz called everyone in the ring overrated. He explained how he became the referee for Nemeth vs Hendry. Kaz said he completed his training at the ‘Earl Hebner Academy of Refereeing’ (I laughed) and got his license. Then he went over Marella’s head and went to the Anthem executives who agreed with Kaz. Kaz told Masha and Grace that they should be thankful he’s not refereeing their match because he would steal their thunder too. The fans wanted everyone to take Kaz out. He told Marella to hold his sunglasses and called him a stooge. Kaz said that Marella isn’t the law at BFG; he is. He addressed Hendry and Nemeth next. Kaz told them not to worry because he is going to be a fair official. He said that at the end of the night, the right man would walk out TNA Champion. Hendry and Nemeth sent Kaz into the table. Grace held him down and Hendry pointed to Marella to give him a shot. Kaz spat in Santino’s face so he took out the Cobra and nailed Kaz in the throat. The four wrestlers powerbombed Kaz through the table to end the show and had a face-off with their respective opponents.
Analysis: That was okay but they made the referee position get more spotlight than the actual matches. Kaz’s line of ‘the right man will walk out TNA Champion’ is certainly intriguing. It sounds like he could be referring to himself which I think is possible as he could win the Gauntlet and then cash in. I’m not sure who wins out of Grace and Slamovich, without knowing the exact details of Grace and her contract or if she’s off to WWE. The time for a title change could certainly be now and I would be okay with that.
Final Rating: 7.25/10
That was one of the better weekly TNA shows we have had in the last few months. Nothing on the show dragged. The 4 matches were all solid (over ***) and the build to BFG for the main matches was pretty good. There was no X-Division or Digital Media Championship build but, let’s be honest, there never was going to be with Vikingo vs Bailey. I feel bad for Zachary Wentz who has been a star over the last few months. He could’ve been thrown in it for a triple-threat but instead, we get an outsider for his name alone. It will be a great match but there’s no chance of him winning so my excitement certainly drops due to that. I am looking forward to the show tomorrow night and will be back to review that on Sunday.
The next TNA PPV is Bound for Glory on Saturday, October 26th. Here’s the final card with my predictions in bold:
* 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 X-Division Championship: Mike Bailey (c) vs El Hijo del Vikingo
* TNA Digital Media Championship: Monster’s Ball Match: PCO (c) vs Matt Cardona
* TNA Knockouts’ Tag Team Championships: Spitfire (c) vs Wendy Choo & Rosemary
* Moose vs Mike Santana
* Josh Alexander vs Steve Maclin
Pre show:
* Call Your Shot Gauntlet match: My predicted winner is Frankie Kazarian
* Xia Brookside & Brinley Reece vs Ash & Heather-by-Elegance
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!