TNA Sacrifice 2025 Review
A cage match, a ladder match, a street fight and two inter-promotional matches rounded out a solid night of wrestling for TNA at Sacrifice.
I’m always critical when a brand has a PPV/PLE and doesn’t put their major title on the line. I’ll forgive TNA tonight because their World Champion, Joe Hendry, is involved in a feud with The System that culminates here in TNA’s first steel cage match for 6 years. I was interested in the card, even though most of the title matches seemed pretty predictable. The non-title matches, in Steve Maclin vs Frankie Kazarian, a 6-man NXT vs TNA tag match and Mike Santana vs Mustafa Ali is as good an ‘undercard’ as you’ll get. I did not watch the pre-show which saw First Class defeat Laredo Kid & Octagon Jr. Check out my past TNA PPV Reviews here on TJRWrestling as well.
TNA Sacrifice 2025 from the El Paso County Coliseum: El Paso, TX By Kristian Thompson
The opening match started at the end of the pre-show because Sami Callihan and Mance Warner couldn’t wait for the show to start. Lei Ying Lee vs Tessa Blanchard was supposed to be the first match. Interesting way to kick off the show!
Match #1: Street Fight: Sami Callihan vs Mance Warner w/ SDL
Warner was put through a table as the show opened. I didn’t see an opening video package because they went straight to the action. Callihan used a Sacrifice poster to give Warner a paper cut, first in between the fingers and then across the neck. There were weapons everywhere. Warner hit a chokeslam through a trash can then set up a steel chair in the ring. Callihan blocked a suplex attempt then they traded right hands. Warner poked Callihan in the eyes. He ran at Callihan, who tripped him up and Warner went face-first into the chair. Callihan brought a staple gun into the ring. SDL handed Warner one. They fired staples at each other but missed. They drilled each other in the head with staples. Ouch. Callihan shot Warner in the chest and Warner got him in the arm and then one in the leg. Warner stapled Callihan again in the hand. Callihan aimed low and paused for dramatic effect before stapling little Mance. He held Warner’s tongue against the middle turnbuckle pad and stapled him there. Oh my. Callihan hit a splash on Warner to break him free of the staple. Callihan hit a DVD on top of the steel chair. Warner kicked out at 2. The fans were very loud early on. SDL handed Warner a screwdriver. Warner licked it to show he wasn’t bleeding from the staple so that’s not very good selling. Callihan blocked the screwdriver shot. He bit Warner’s hands and nailed him with a stunner for a close 2 count. Callihan was about to murder Warner with the screwdriver but SDL threw powder in his eyes. Warner hit a running knee to win the match in a very ‘anti-street fight’ finish. We saw 10 minutes of action.
Winner by pinfall: Mance Warner
Analysis: ***1/2 That was good way to fire up the crowd because wrestling crowds like violence, weapons and attempted murder it seems. I’m not sure about the logistics or the intricacies regarding how realistic the use of a staple gun is in wrestling, but there was a lot of it here. A win for Warner makes sense. Now give him the Digital Media Title and make it mean something again.
TNA then played the official opening video for Sacrifice.
Match #2: Tessa Blanchard vs Lei Ying Lee
Blanchard had her theme song sung but you couldn’t hear much over the booing. I think she even feigned doing a spinarooni to annoy the Texans. Her hair made her look like Sonya Deville. Lee got a nice reaction, which shows the crowd is alive tonight. Blanchard was cocky early on. She feigned a strike in the corner, then slapped Lee as she covered up. Lee fired back with some chops and a German suplex. Blanchard retreated to the corner. Lee followed up with a multitude of right hands then an overhead belly-to-belly for 2. Blanchard pleaded with Lee for a time out but tossed her out of the ring when Lee hesitated. Blanchard tossed Lee into the middle rope, throat-first. She rammed Lee into the steel ring post then taunted the fans. Blanchard took Lee back into the ring and scored a 2 count. She knocked Lee down with a hard right hand and took some more time to pose. Tessa threw Lee back outside the ring to try for a count out win. She taunted the fans some more. I think she’s enjoying this heel run. Blanchard was back on the attack with another hard right hand. Lee bounced off the ropes and rolled Blanchard up for 2. She ran into a dropkick and Tessa scored another 2 count. Lee ducked a clothesline but ran into a superkick. She rallied with some kicks of her own, knocking Blanchard to the mat. Lee nailed a release Fisherman’s suplex. Tessa was pressed up against the bottom rope so Lee connected with a dropkick. She hit a nice airplane spin into a neckbreaker for a 2 count. They brawled on the ring apron and Blanchard knocked Lee down. She flew back into the ring with a twisting senton for a 2 count. Blanchard went for a big kick but Lee caught her in a submission. Blanchard was close to the ropes so she broke the count. She avoided a strike in the corner but Lee pummelled her with kicks. Lee hit an incredible twisting superplex from the top rope and scored a very close nearfall. That was impressive how safely she did that move. Terrific false finish there. Lee put Blanchard up on her shoulders but Tessa raked her eyes. She nailed a cutter. Blanchard went up top and scored with Magnum for the win after 12 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Tessa Blanchard
Analysis: ***3/4 That was a terrific Knockouts match and easily the best match I’ve seen from Lee, no matter if it was in WWE/NXT or TNA. She has cleaned up her offensive arsenal and it all looked very crisp. It’s not a surprise that such a match comes against Blanchard, who is the best woman in TNA by a fair way. Another couple of minutes and I would’ve gone into the 4-star category.
Gia Miller caught up with the face team involved in the cage match. Jeff Hardy was there too. He said he was the master of the ladder match and would become the new X-Division Champion. Nic Nemeth was fired up to be back in TNA after his suspension. He was excited to be locked in a cage with The System tonight. Elijah said his team was walking into a war tonight and fired his team up. Leon Slater was ready for things to get crazy inside the cage. He said he was ready to prove he belonged with these legends. Matt said The System and The Colons were going to be deleted. He did his hand gesture so hard that it almost knocked Miller’s microphone out of her hand. Joe Hendry said there would be no escape for their opponents. Ryan Nemeth walked in late and insulted Miller.
Analysis: Very generic stuff there. I feel something fishy happening!
They showed highlights from The Hardys Meet and Greet from earlier today.
Match #3: Lucha Rules Tag Team Match: Ace Austin & The Rascalz vs NXT’s Wes Lee, Tyson Dupont & Tyriek Igwe
Lucha Rules means you don’t have to tag in. If you roll out of the ring, the next wrestler can come in and becomes the legal man. The heel team members were in and out to start the match. Austin took down Lee with a dropkick. Lee knocked Austin off the ring apron with a back elbow. They fought on the floor which meant we could have new legal men in the ring. It was a little confusing but they had the camera work on point. Dupont and Miguel took each other over the top rope so they were then out of the match. Igwe and Wentz were legal. Wentz hit a twisting senton for a 2 count. The face wrestlers tried suicide dives on the outside but the big heel men caught Wentz and Miguel. Lee tossed Austin into the steel steps. He threw Austin back into the ring and told Igwe to go after him. Dupont made a tag and hit a huge upper cut. Igwe tagged in and Dupont hit a Full Nelson Bomb but Austin kicked out. Lee was legal next and hit a dropkick. He missed a running SSP. Austin rolled out of the ring. Lee super kicked both Rascalz. Austin came back in and Lee hit an enziguiri. Igwe tagged in and almost kicked Austin’s head off. That was rough. Igwe scored a 2 count then went straight to the Abdominal Stretch. Austin powered out momentarily but Igwe whipped him into the heel corner. Dupont tagged in but Austin fought him off. Austin took the big men down with a double dropkick. Lee slithered in and held Austin back so he couldn’t make the tag. Austin kicked him off and tagged in Miguel. Miguel and Wentz went to work with double team moves on Lee. Miguel nailed a spinebuster and then they hit their double-team stomp from the top for a very close nearfall. Igwe dragged Wentz from the ring. Lee hit an upper cut on Miguel in the corner. Igwe tagged in. He held Miguel down and Lee hit a double stomp from the top but barely connected. Dupont and Igwe hit a double chokeslam on Miguel but somehow he kicked out. Miguel battled out of the corner with a Meteora on Igwe. Dupont nailed him with a pop-up powerslam. He ran right into a running knee from Wentz. Lee hit a running Meteora on Wentz. Lee and Austin fought on the apron. Austin suplexed him over the top rope to the floor but Lee landed on his feet. Austin and Wentz super kicked Lee on the apron. Miguel slid through with a Tornado DDT on the floor. The faces had Lee surrounded inside the ring. Austin nailed him with The Fold. Austin and Miguel took out the big men with dives to the outside. Wentz hit his crazy twisting splash from the top rope to finish off Lee after 10 minutes.
Winners by pinfall: The Rascalz & Ace Austin
Analysis: ***1/2 That was really fun as expected, but a bit hard to cover at times because the action was so frenetic. I think the selling could’ve been better as we just seemed to move from spot to spot at times.
Gia Miller asked Steve Maclin for his final thoughts on Frankie Kazarian. Maclin said he wasn’t up for taking short cuts. He said he was taking Kaz out tonight.
Match #4: Frankie Kazarian vs Steve Maclin
Eric Young joined the commentary booth under the guise of watching Maclin’s back. Kaz was in control early on. He hit a suplex for a 2 count. Kaz choked Maclin against the middle rope. Maclin hit a Thesz Press then took out Kaz in the corner for a nearfall. Kaz fought back with a neckbreaker. Maclin fought free of the Chicken Wing submission. He went for the KIA but Kaz wrestled him to the ground. Kaz locked in an armbar but Maclin broke free with kicks to the face. He sent Kaz to the outside and hit a dive through the ropes. Maclin went up top but Kaz cut him off quickly. Kaz went for the Fade to Black but Maclin slipped out the back and rolled him up for 2. Kaz avoided the Busaiku Knee and went for the Chicken Wing again. Maclin slipped out and hit the running knee for 2. He locked in the arm bar but Kaz rolled him over for 2. Kaz locked in the Chicken Wing with Maclin down on the mat. Maclin rolled over and got Kaz on his back. Maclin fell through the ropes but Kaz held onto the move! The referee broke the submission up because you can’t win that way on the outside of the ring. Kaz took out some brass knuckles. Young confronted him and took them off Kaz’s hand. Kaz turned around to go back into the ring so Young nailed him in the back of the head with the knuckles. The referee and Maclin never saw it. Young shoved Kaz back into the ring and Maclin finished him off with the KIA after 9 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Steve Maclin
Analysis: *** It was just okay. It was more about pushing the story of Young playing mind games with Maclin. The crowd was the most quiet they have been all night here.
Match #5: Handicap Match for the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championships: Spitfire (c) vs Ash & Heather-by-Elegance and George Iceman
I will just do a quick summary of this match just to save us all time. Spitfire have the joint-longest tag title reign in company history. That speaks volumes of the putrid state of this division. This match was worth skipping just after seeing Iceman’s ring attire. The best part of this match was the fans chanting “Put a shirt on” to him. The commentators spent most of the match talking about how bad his ring attire was and how out of shape he was, which is a bit rough. The end came when Spitfire hit the Pressure Drop on Iceman. Heather hit a DDT on the floor on Luna. The referee watched the Heather do a double stomp from the top whilst Ash held her down. That was enough to win the tag titles after 10 minutes.
Winners by pinfall AND NEW TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions: The Elegances (and George Iceman?)
Analysis: *1/2 That was rough and silly. You can’t expect a great match when there’s a non-wrestler in there. Having a man in the women’s tag title match is a bit of an insult. Thankfully Meta-4 showed up afterwards to confront the Elegances. They become the #1 tag team on the show just by being there. That’s one title change I would be happy for NXT to win.
Clearly, Ash is happy about the title win.
Saying my prayers..
Kicked my hubby outta bed to sleep w/ this beauty!
Dreamed of this for so long!
Sweet dreams 💤 @ThisIsTNApic.twitter.com/vvDwIES14b— Ash By Elegance (@Ashamae_Sebera) March 15, 2025
Match #6: Mustafa Ali w/ Tasha Steelz & The Great Hands vs Mike Santana
Now, here’s a story in TNA that is red hot at the moment. What a great feud this has been. Santana got a special entrance with a low rider. The fans chanted for “Eddie” in respect to Eddie Guerrero. Santana had the crowd back after a lacklustre last 30 minutes of the show. Ali avoided contact early on. Santana finally got him by the hair and nailed a Death Valley Driver after Ali bounced off the ring ropes. He hit 2 of the 3 Amigos but Ali avoided the 3rd by using an inside cradle for a 2 count. Santana went back to the 3 Amigos and hit them all successfully. The crowd was really fired up now. Santana hit a nice flying dive to the outside to take Ali out. He hit a dropkick but then Ali sent him into the steel post. Ali removed one of the turnbuckle pads. He did a 450 to the floor and took out Santana’s right arm that he uses for his Spin the Block finisher. That was well-explained by the commentators. The Great Hands tossed Santana back into the ring. Ali tried a pin with his feet on the ropes but the referee saw the cheating. Ali chopped Santana in the corner. He hit a kick from the apron and his rolling neckbreaker for 2. Ali sent Santana to the outside. He went for a dive through the ropes and Santana caught him with a cutter in mid-air! Both men made it back into the ring in before the count of 10. Santana hit a single-leg dropkick in the corner. Ali avoided the Spin the Block and hit a German suplex. He hit another one with a bridge for 2. Santana avoided the 450 but Ali nailed the Tornado DDT for 2. The pace was really picking up now. Ali went back to the top rope but hit the mat face-first with the 450. Santana ran into a superkick but he fired up. Ali kicked him from the corner. He rolled back into the ring looking for a neckbreaker again but Santana hit a cutter. Santana went up and nailed the Frog Splash. Ali bridged out of the pin and into a back suplex. Santana called for the STB. John Skyler got up on the apron but Santana knocked him down. Jason Hotch ran in and caught STB. Ali rolled up Santana for a 2 count. He jumped from the middle rope and Santana caught him with a sit-out powerbomb. Steelz got up on the apron next and slapped Santana. Ali used the distraction to roll up Santana and held the bottom rope to steal the win after 13 minutes.
Winner by pinfall: Mustafa Ali
Analysis: ***3/4 I was really enjoying that match but they messed up the ending badly, with the referee not hitting the mat for the 3 and it looked like Santana kicked out anyway. That was a shame as it was such a great match up until that point.
.@Santana_Proud intercepts @MustafaAli_X with a cutter OUTTA NOWHERE!
Watch #TNASacrifice on TNA+: https://t.co/1GrcYv6zfOpic.twitter.com/xvAclAm7qP
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) March 15, 2025
Ali took a fan’s beer from ringside and put it into the ring to tempt Santana. It was Santana’s first pinfall loss in TNA since August.
Match #7: TNA Knockouts World Championship: Masha Slamovich (c) vs NXT’s Cora Jade
Slamovich’s entrance attire makes her look like she belongs in The Matrix. Jade attacked Slamovich during the ring introductions. Slamovich didn’t appreciate that and hit some snapmares and kicks to the back for a 2 count. Jade avoided a dive from Slamovich on the outside and took some time-out at ringside. Slamovich chased her around the ring. They got back inside and Jade held the ring apron. Jade tossed Slamovich into the middle turnbuckle and got a 2 count. She hit a springboard double stomp from the middle rope to Masha’s back for a 2 count. Jade continued the assault on the champion’s back. She choked her out using the middle rope and hit a running elbow to the back for 2. Slamovich hit a dropkick from the middle rope. The camera panned to a random pool of blood in the corner of the ring. I’m not sure what that was about. Slamovich hit a big boot in the corner than a spinning heel kick for 2. The crowd was starting to come alive as Slamovich set up for Requiem. Jade kicked her left shoulder to break free. She hit a knee lift on Masha with her tied up in the middle rope. Jade nailed a Destroyer on the ring apron, which was completely random at that stage of the match. That was a really nasty landing on the neck for Slamovich. Jade was telling the referee to count but maybe she doesn’t know she can’t win the title like that. She realised this and tossed Slamovich back in. Jade nailed Jaded but Slamovich put her foot on the bottom rope just before the 3 count. Jade screamed in frustration. She went for Jaded again. Slamovich blocked it and tried a jacknife cover for 2. Jade hit her with a kick to the shoulder and a forearm. Slamovich fought back with chops to the chest. They exchanged chops and strikes. Jade avoided a big kick and hit a knee strike. She ran the ropes and Slamovich hit a spinning kick then Requiem for the win after 10 minutes.
Winner by pinfall AND STILL TNA Knockouts World Champion: Masha Slamovich
Analysis: **3/4 This felt a little flat. They had a good story going in but the fans weren’t really into it and they didn’t have great chemistry in the ring. I expected better.
There were highlights of The Hardys successful defense of their TNA Tag Titles on NXT this week.
Match #8: Ladder Match for the X-Division Championship: Moose (c) vs Jeff Hardy
Both men grabbed ladders as the match began. They were red and yellow like the TNA logo, which was cool. Moose dropped his ladder at ringside whilst Jeff set his up inside the ring. They brawled on the ring apron and Jeff hit a diving clothesline on Moose to the floor. Moose wanted a suplex on the floor. Jeff blocked it but Moose hit a Pump Kick. Jeff reversed a suplex into one of his own. Moose hit a back suplex on Jeff on the ring apron. He set up a ladder on top of a chair, so it was leaning against the ring. Moose took too long so Jeff hit his low blow leg drop and a dropkick. Jeff got a painted ladder out and nailed Moose in the ribs. He set it up on top of Moose and went for a legdrop on top of him but there wasn’t really enough time to get some air so he gave himself a bit of a low blow. Jeff took another ladder into the ring and set up two of them. He started climbing the largest one but Moose cut him off with steel chair shots to the back. Moose powerbombed Jeff off the ladder. Moose wedged the smaller ladder in the corner. He nailed Jeff with another chair shot to the spine and then powerbombed him on top of the ladder so hard that one of the rungs broke. Moose brought out a table to the delight of the crowd. Jeff rallied and sent him back outside with a clothesline and a crossbody over the top rope. The table was set up in the corner. Jeff started to climb the ladder. He had a hand on the title. Moose climbed on the other ladder. He was struggling to stay stable because part of it was broken. Jeff nailed the Twist of Fate off the ladder. I think they should get rid of that ladder now! Jeff went to the top but Moose cut him off with chops. Moose tossed the big ladder to the outside but he wasn’t paying attention and it hit the camera man. He tossed the smaller ladder over the top rope, too. Moose went back to chopping Jeff in the corner. He nailed a superplex. Jeff no-sold it and hit a Twist of Fate then Moose hit a spear. What an AEW-like sequence. They brawled in the middle of the ring. Moose ran at Jeff who back-body dropped him over the top rope and onto the ladder! That’s a rough bump there. Jeff set a table up at ringside. He threw a chair at Moose. Jeff set Moose up on the table and nailed the Swanton from the top rope. He only really nailed him with his legs but the table disintegrated. The fans were chanting loudly for Jeff. He went back into the ring and climbed the ladder but Alisha struck him a few times with a kendo stick. She pulled him off the ladder but Jeff nailed her with the Twist of Fate. He turned around and Moose speared him through the table in the corner. Moose began his ascent to the top of the ladder. He pulled down the title to retain and win his first-ever ladder match. The match went 17 minutes.
Winner AND STILL TNA X-DIVISION CHAMPION: Moose
Analysis: ***3/4 A very good ladder match where both men took big (but safe) bumps and the crowd was loud throughout. Jeff didn’t do anything too crazy which was a (good) surprise. Moose retaining with help is not unsurprising.
SWANTON BOMB THROUGH A TABLE! @JEFFHARDYBRAND
Watch #TNASacrifice on TNA+: https://t.co/1GrcYv6zfOpic.twitter.com/t19C4PmMH5
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) March 15, 2025
Santana was angry backstage and wanted a rematch with Mustafa Ali so Santino Marella granted it this Thursday on Impact, with Ali’s crew banned from ringside.
Analysis: That seems like an obvious way to give Santana his win back. Give them 20 minutes in the main event, please.
Match #9: Steel Cage War: The System & The Colons vs Joe Hendry, Elijah, Matt Hardy, Nic Nemeth & Leon Slater
This is the third cage match I’ve watched this week. Two competitors start off. After 2 minutes of action, a new competitor enters the cage every minute until all 10 are inside the cage. The only way to win is by pinfall or submission. Eddie Edwards was first off for his team. Elijah was the first entrant from his team and he entered on a horse! Elijah played a song whilst Edwards was waiting in the ring. What an odd way to start a very serious match. Elijah entered the cage with Edwards. He cut him off with right hands and chops in the corner. Elijah hurled Eddie over his head with a back body drop. He followed up with a jumping clothesline then targeted the left shoulder with Old School. Edwards gained the advantage with a thumb to the eye. He choked out Elijah in the corner then chopped him against the ropes. Elijah tossed Edwards into the cage. Brian Myers entered next. He took down Elijah with a spear off the middle rope. Edwards hit a clothesline in the corner and an enziguiri. He nailed the Backpack Stunner and Myers hit the elbow drop before Nic Nemeth joined the action to a big ovation. Nemeth ducked a clothesline and hit Myers with a superkick. He hit a splash on both heels in the corner, then a double team DDT/neckbreaker. Nemeth checked on Elijah. Orlando Colon was the next entrant. He hit two German suplexes and a regular suplex. Orlando hit a neckbreaker on Elijah. Myers and Edwards double-teamed Nemeth with stomps. Leon Slater was the next entrant for his team. He’s a chance to do something crazy in this match. He hit Edwards with a hurricanrana from the top rope on entry. Slater went to work on Myers with stomps in the corner. Eddie Colon was the 4th member for his team. He swept Slater’s legs out from under him then sent him into the steel cage with a slingshot. Eddie hit a dropkick on Elijah from the top. Myers sent Elijah into the cage. Matt Hardy was entrant #8. He hit a Side Effect on Edwards. Matt used his delete head smashes on the turnbuckles on Eddie. He hit the Plot Twist with Slater on Orlando. JDC was the final entrant for his team. He came out with a steel chair in hand. JDC powerbombed Slater into the steel cage. The cage doesn’t look terribly stable when you crash into it. JDC chopped Slater down to the mat. Joe Hendry was the final entrant in the match. The finish can occur from now on. Myers was holding the door shut. Hendry bashed Myers’ head against the door. He caught one of the Colons (I can’t tell them apart through the cage) with a Fallaway Slam. JDC got one too. Hendry hit a clothesline on Edwards in the corner. He gave him the Fallaway Slam off the top rope. Myers gave him a big low blow (take note John Cena!) from behind. JDC and Myers beat Hendry down. They hit a double superkick on Joe. The Colons hit the Shatter Machine on Hendry for 2. There’s hardly any room for a pinfall in this cage. Nemeth fired up with right hands on Myers and JDC, but Edwards caught him with the Blue Thunder Bomb for 2. Ryan Nemeth ran down to the ring to cheer Nic on. Don’t give him a microphone. Edwards whipped Slater into the corner but he jumped onto the top rope. Edwards crotched him on the top turnbuckle then he and JDC looked to superplex Slater off the top. They sat him on top of the cate that did not look stable at all. Slater sent Edwards and JDC into each other and then they fell onto the top rope. Slater hit a Swanton 450 off the top of the cage onto everyone in the middle of the ring. The referee was talking to Ryan and Slater had the match won. Slater nailed a Colon with a huge kick but the other one broke up the pin. Nemeth nailed one of them with the Danger Zone. Hendry hit the Standing Ovation on Myers. He tossed Edwards into the corner. Elijah used the chair to hit a running knee on Edwards. Elijah hit a back suplex on top of the chair on JDC. Matt nailed him with the Twist of Fate. He wrapped the chair around JDC’s neck and hit the Twist of Fate to win the match after 17:30.
Winners by pinfall: Joe Hendry, Elijah, Matt Hardy, Nic Nemeth & Leon Slater
Analysis: ***1/4 That was a very safe cage match with the sole purpose of having the good guys beat the bad guys which pleases the fans. There was nothing brutal or special about it; it was all about The System finally getting some of their own medicine. I would’ve preferred the ladder match as the main event but after what happens next then it was the right choice to end the show.
The face team celebrated the ring. Matt and Nic Nemeth were about to leave when Ryan locked the cage. Nic hit the Danger Zone on Matt. The crowd was stunned. Ryan beat down Matt with right hands. The other members of Matt’s team tried to get in but Nic chased them off with the steel chair. Nic hit the Fame Asser on Matt on the steel chair. The fans chanted for Jeff who was probably getting checked out by the medicos. The Nemeths tossed Matt into the steel cage. Matt was busted open. Nic hit a headbutt on Matt’s open wound. Ryan threw Matt into the cage again. Elijah almost made it to the top of the cage but Ryan chased him off with the chair. Sacrifice went off the air with Nic tearing at the wound of Hardy and continuing the beat down.
Analysis: Excellent heel turn there. I was expecting this a few months ago at Genesis, with the help of JBL, however they put Hendry over so that wouldn’t have made sense. Now Nic attacks Matt because he has been disrespecting Ryan, who has been a completely goofball but obviously Nic is loyal to him. This will write The Nemeths into the tag team title picture and lead to some singles matches between Nic and The Hardys so there are many ways it can go. Nic is better as a heel for me, but he’s been a great face in TNA. This was really well done.
WHAT DID @NicTNemeth JUST DO?! @ryrynemnem@MATTHARDYBRAND
Watch #TNASacrifice on TNA+: https://t.co/1GrcYv61qgpic.twitter.com/fUUvmq870d
— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) March 15, 2025
Final Rating: 7/10
I found Sacrifice to be a mixed bag. It was a show of very good wrestling, but nothing that stood out as must-see in the end which is unfortunately what you usually get with these events between the big shows. They had 7 out of 9 matches go between 8.5 and 13 minutes. That’s not enough time usually to build a classic match. The last two matches had longer but even then they were only 17 minutes each. It’s a continuous problem in TNA. I thought the ladder match was a lot of fun and Blanchard/Lee and Ali/Santana were the best of the no-stipulation matches. I didn’t like the ending of Ali vs Santana, which soured it a bit as they were having a terrific match until that point. It could perhaps be part of the story, as Santana got a rematch immediately after for this week’s Impact show. Both women’s title matches fell flat for me, with the Tag Title match a waste of time and just silly. Hopefully Jakara Jackson and Lash Legend can take them off The Elegances in the near future. The cage match was very safe and ended with the Nic Nemeth heel turn which was excellent. I look forward to that story over the next few months. That’s going to mean more Ryan mic time, isn’t it?
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!