Reviews

TNA Impact Review – October 31, 2024

By Kristian Thompson • Published 1st November 2024
TNA Wrestling October 31

Nic Nemeth and Joe Hendry took on The System in this week’s TNA Impact main event along with all the fallout from Bound For Glory.

This week’s Impact saw the fallout from the Bound for Glory PPV. I thought it was a pretty good show but it lacked the surprises and excitement of a big PPV from TNA.

There was also terrible news out of the tapings the night after, where Chris Bey suffered a serious neck injury which drew a lot of support and donations online to a GoFundMe for him. He had successful surgery but it might be a long road back. El Hijo del Vikingo also suffered a knee injury at that taping, but he’s only listed as being a month out. I’m not sure if TNA will cover these injuries on the show tonight or next week, but Bey’s injury is especially worrying. Best wishes to Chris in making a full recovery.

This week’s show opened with a recap from Saturday’s PPV. Nic Nemeth successfully defended his TNA Championship thanks to interference from John Layfield, Masha Slamovich captured the TNA Knockouts Championship and The Hardys won Full Metal Mayhem to once again become TNA Tag Team Champions. It was a Halloween Edition so there’s bound to be some shenanigans.

TNA Impact 31/10/24 from the Wayne State Fieldhouse: Detroit, Michigan.

Joe Hendry Address the Impact Zone (or does he?)

Hendry’s music hit and out comes…Frankie Kazarian with full Hendry attire. He even did the hand-waving at the crowd. He looked pretty good with the wig and beard. Kaz was really hamming it up with the fans. He did the Hendry spin and called for a mic. Kaz kept pointing at members in the crowd like Hendry does. He did an awful Scottish accent and mocked Hendry’s catchphrases. Kaz said, “We believe…in losing”. He said he (Hendry) failed the fans and failed in his quest to become TNA Champion. The fans were booing loudly. Kaz mocked Hendry’s stomp and clap. Tom Hannifan was disgusted on commentary. Kaz continued to run down Hendry on the microphone and said his name again so the real Hendry made his entrance. Hendry was not impressed and chased Kaz out of the ring. Kaz continued to mock Hendry at ringside, while the Scotsman took a microphone. Hendry said although Kaz thought this whole shtick would upset Joe, but he said that after 47 years in the business, Kaz is finally entertaining people. Kaz didn’t like that but the fans did. Hendry said that if Kaz had done something like this earlier on in his career, he wouldn’t have had to wait such a long time to be in the title mix. Hendry said that at Bound for Glory, Kaz took away his moment and denied the people. He said that nothing will stop Hendry’s movement. Hendry said he knew that Kaz, Layfield and even Nic Nemeth were all in on the Bound for Glory screw job. Here comes Nemeth now and he doesn’t look impressed by these allegations. The commentators keep playing Nemeth as not being aware that this went down but you know at some point he will turn on Hendry. Nemeth said he went back and watched the match. At the time, he didn’t see Layfield take out Hendry. Nemeth said Hendry took him to the limit and deserves a rematch. He said that Santino Marella granted the rematch but not tonight. Nemeth said the system was flawed. Oh no, here comes Alisha Edwards. Cue the headphones. Alisha was with her husband, JDC and Tasha Steelz. She asked the crowd if they wanted to know something. Probably if she would go away. Edwards said The System wasn’t flawed; they run TNA. Nemeth wondered where the rest of The System was and where their titles were. He said The System run nothing and then challenged them to a tag team match. They backed out of the ring. Kaz came in and wanted to make it a 6-man tag and then did the Hendry wave to the crowd. He turned around into a superkick from Nemeth and took the Standing Ovation from Hendry.

Analysis: That was a very entertaining way to open the show. Kaz was excellent as Hendry and seemed to be loving it. I didn’t need more of The System but it sets up the tag main event. It’s just a matter of time for poor Joe Hendry to get turned on by Nemeth. You can just sense it! I think that, even though I’m disappointed by Hendry not winning, they are still running the story in an intriguing way going forward. I look forward to the rematch.

Alisha Edwards was still in the ring after the commercial break. She said she wasn’t finished talking. Edwards trashed the new TNA Knockouts Champion, Masha Slamovich. Slamovich made her way to the ring. She mocked Alisha’s horrendous voice. Masha said everyone in the crowd was sick of her. She wanted a fight and didn’t care if it was against Alisha or Steelz. Steelz and Slamvoich went toe-to-toe. Alisha attacked her from behind. The heels beat down on the champ but Jordynne Grace ran down for the save. She chased Steelz and Alisha out of the ring. Santino Marella came out and made the tag match for next week.

Analysis: That won’t be a win for the heels.

Match #1 The Rascalz vs First Class

I couldn’t believe it when Hannifan said it had been 4 months since The Rascalz had teamed up in TNA. The Rascalz did some double team work early on KC Navarro. Zachary Wentz hit a knee strike in the corner and followed it up with a running punt then a running SSP for 2. Wentz dropkicked Navarro out of the ring. He ran the ropes but AJ Francis sat on the middle rope to allow Wentz to fall out of the ring. Navarro hit a senton to the outside to take out Wentz. Francis tagged in and beat down Wentz with clubbing blows to the back. He took Miguel off the apron and then squashed Wentz in the corner. Francis did his running knee in the corner and tagged in Navarro, who scored a 2 count. Navarro backed Wentz into the corner and tagged Francis. Wentz ran into a big boot and AJ scored another nearfall. Francis locked Wentz in a sleeper. Wentz got to his feet and tried to fight out of it with elbow strikes. Francis pulled him to the mat by his hair, right in front of the referee. He went for a running senton but Wentz moved and made the tag to Miguel. KC tagged back in. Miguel hit a running meteora. Francis ran into a kick. They double-teamed the big man with kicks. Wentz hit a Swanton Bomb but Navarro broke up the pin. Wentz cross-bodied Navarro over the top rope and to the floor. Miguel went up high but Navarro knocked him down. Francis nailed a massive Down Payment off the top turnbuckle to win the match after 7 ½ minutes.

Winners by pinfall: First Class

Analysis: *** That was a solid tag team match that needed a few more minutes. They’re probably my two favourite tag teams currently in TNA. First Class getting the win might put them on the path to a title feud against The Hardys, which would be fun.

Match #2: Josh Alexander & The Good Hands vs Steve Maclin, Eric Young and Jonathan Gresham

I’m not sure why Alexander’s regular stablemates aren’t tagging with him. I’d much prefer them over these jobbers. Tom Hannifan put a message on the screen regarding Chris Bey’s GoFundMe. It was obviously previously recorded as he had a serious voice.

(Commercial break)

John Skyler had Gresham trapped in the corner as we returned to the action. Jason Hotch tagged in and hit a neckbreaker then tagged Skyler straight back in. Skyler hit a slam and got a nearfall. Gresham fought back with forearms. He targeted the left shoulder of Skyler with a dropkick and made the tag to Young. Skyler got to Alexander in the corner for a tag. Young hit a nice dropkick off the ropes on Skyler. He went for a DVD but Alexander came in and chop-blocked him. Young back body-dropped Alexander and tagged in Maclin. Gresham took Skyler off the apron and Alexander was faced with Maclin alone. Maclin hit a back body drop and a clothesline. Alexander left the ring and started walking away. I think he made the tag to Skyler. Skyler tried a roll up on Maclin and got a 2 count. Maclin hit a Buseiko Knee on Hotch, who tried interfering. He trapped Skyler in the Tree of Woe and hit his diving spear in the corner. Young intercepted Hotch with a neckbreaker. Maclin with the KIA on Skyler for the easy win after 5 minutes of TV time.

Winners by pinfall: Steve Maclin, Eric Young and Jonathan Gresham

Analysis: **1/4 The commercial at the start meant we only saw 5 minutes of action. After Alexander walked away, it was obvious what was going to happen. Alexander vs Maclin will continue, which is fine.

They aired highlights of Mike Bailey vs El Hijo del Vikingo from Bound for Glory. It was a great match but too short to call it Match of the Year like some TNA fans online are claiming. I think they had to fill time here because one of the matches that was supposed to be on this show involved either Bey or Vikingo’s injury.

There were highlights from the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match and they showed AJ Francis eliminating Trent Seven and then Mike Bailey giving him a pep talk afterward. The System interrupted them and Moose wanted to erase the footage from Bound for Glory because they lost both their matches. Bailey said he saw Moose lost to Santana. Moose eyed off Bailey’s X-Division Championship. He said he could just take it if he wanted to. Bailey told Moose to take his shot whenever he wanted.

Analysis: I like that because they’ve mostly been lining Bailey up against the lighter opponents who do lots of flips, so having him against Moose would be a different dynamic and a fresh matchup. He needs to be involved in more high-profile matches.

Match #3: Ash-by-Elegance w/ George Iceman & Heather Reckless vs Dani Luna w/ Jody Threat

At Bound for Glory, Ash and Heather won their pre-show tag team match, whilst Spitfire successfully retained their Tag Team Championships against Wendy Choo and Rosemary. Ash was dressed like a witch. Ash couldn’t take Luna down with a shoulder tackle so Luna gave her one and Ash went crashing to the mat. She nailed an Exploder suplex and then a diving clothesline. Heather tried to get in the ring but Luna chased her off. She tried to pull Ash out of the ring for safety, but Luna pulled them both in. Ash nailed a cheap shot to get separation. She sent Luna into the steel ring steps. Back in the ring, Ash tried a sleeper hold but Luna broke free. She hit a few clotheslines and a single-leg dropkick. Luna nailed the Blue Thunder Bomb for 2. She hit 2 snap German suplexes and the fans called for more. Luna tried to suplex Ash from the ring apron back into the ring. Heather hit her in the back with the broom. Luna sold it like a chair shot and Ash hit Rarified Air for the win after 6 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Ash-by-Elegance

Analysis: ** I thought it was pretty average with too much interference, but it’s an easy way to start a tag team feud and everybody knows we need more women’s tag teams in TNA. The crowd was into it, so that’s positive. They will cheer anyone loudly that shuts Ash and George up.

The commentators ran through the BFG card. I’ll cover that at the bottom of this review.

Match #4: Lei Ying Lee vs Maggie Moore

Good luck, Maggie. They exchanged wristlocks early on. Moore sent Lee into the corner with strikes. Lee turned the tables and nailed some forearms. She missed a corner splash and Moore hit a pump kick. Lee slipped out of a suplex attempt. She hit a kick to the mid-section. Moore whipped her into the corner but she used the middle rope to spring into a crossbody. Lee hit her Thunderstruck kick for the win after 3 minutes.

Winner: Lei Ying Lee

Analysis: *1/2 An easy win for Lee in the end but I thought Moore actually looked better in defeat and showed some promise.

After the match, Savannah Evans returned and beat down Lee.

Analysis: There’s another name for the KOs division. Evans has good potential but she’s been put as an enforcer or tag partner too often. Let’s see how she goes out on her own.

Mike Santana cut a pre-taped promo on moving on from The System and looking towards the TNA World Championship.

Frankie Kazarian joined the commentary table for the main event.

Match #5: The System w/ Alisha vs Joe Hendry & Nic Nemeth

Hendry and Eddie Edwards started the match off. Edwards raked the eyes to get the advantage but Hendry came back with a shoulder block. Hendry hit his stalling suplex to the delight of the crowd. Edwards kicked out at 1.

(Commercial break)

Nemeth was in control of JDC as we returned to the action. Nemeth did his 10-elbow drop routine. He knocked Edwards off the ring apron and scored a 2 count on JDC. Nemeth tuned up for the superkick but Alisha grabbed his leg. JDC tossed Nemeth to the floor and distracted the referee so Edwards and Alisha could take cheap shots. JDC sent Nemeth back into the ring and tagged in Edwards again. Edwards hit some knee drops and got a nearfall. He chopped away at Nemeth in the corner, then whipped him to the opposite side for a clothesline. Edwards covered for 2. JDC tagged in and hit a suplex for another nearfall. Nemeth tried crawling through JDC’s legs to take in Hendry. JDC grounded him to the mat with a sleeper hold. Nemeth got to a seated position, then back to his feet. He tried to fight out of it with elbow strikes but JDC pulled him to the mat by his hair. JDC tried a twisting moonsault but Nemeth moved out of the way. JDC tagged in Edwards who tried to stop him from making it to Hendry, but Nemeth kicked him off and got the tag. Hendry hit everyone that moved. He nailed a running cutter on JDC and a Fallaway slam on Edwards. Maybe Layfield doesn’t like Hendry because he does that move. Hendry called for the Standing Ovation but JDC cut him down. Hendry hit a double clothesline. He made the tag to Nemeth. Nemeth sent JDC out of the ring. He nailed the Fame Asser on Edwards but JDC snuck back in and broke the pin up. Hendry sent JDC out of the ring. He went for a clothesline on Edwards, but he ducked and Hendry nailed Nemeth. JDC dragged Hendry out of the ring. Edwards hit the Boston Knee Party on Nemeth and pinned the TNA World Champion! The match had about 8:30 of TV time.

Winners by pinfall: The System

Analysis: *** This is a good example of why you don’t always have to have 20-minute tag team main events. This achieved exactly the same thing in under 10 minutes of TV time and didn’t feel like a chore to sit through. There was also some good story-telling here with Hendry costing Nemeth by accident and Nemeth being pinned for the first time in 6 months. Edwards can now claim a World Title shot after pinning the champion.

Hendry tried to apologise after the match but Nemeth was too frustrated to listen to him. They continued to argue on the entrance ramp and Nemeth shoved past Hendry. Hendry looked annoyed as Impact went off the air.

Final Rating: 6/10

It wasn’t a great night of wrestling but they did well to put together a decent show after what happened with Bey at the tapings. 6/10 is probably generous but it felt like an easy watch and they set up a few new feuds in Bailey vs Moose as well as Ash & Heather vs Spitfire. There was tension between Nemeth and Hendry, and now Eddie Edwards thrusts himself into the spotlight after pinning Nemeth. There are still 2.5 months until the next big show in Genesis, so I’m not expecting anything major to happen for a while but it was good to see the ball rolling on the first show after BFG.

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!

This was a video posted by TNA after what happened in the main event.