By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
TNA Impact (Episode 1,092)
Taped June 20, 2025, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at UPMC Events Center
Simulcast June 26, 2025, on AXS TV, YouTube, and TNA+
Highlights from last week’s TNA Impact aired…
Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt were on commentary. McKenzie Mitchell was the ring announcer. Gia Miller was the backstage interviewer…
Say his name and he appears! I believe in Joe Hendry! Clap Clap! Joe Hendry made his entrance to start the show. Hannifan recapped Trick Williams defending his title against Josh Briggs on Tuesday’s NXT and how Hendry is the number one contender in TNA to the TNA Championship. Hendry soaked in “we believe” chants. Hendry thanked the crowd first for giving him the greatest life one could have. He said that he has challenges in life and he appreciates that the fans have his back.
Joe said he has to be honest with everyone, and it’s true that he lost the TNA World Championship to Trick Williams, someone who doesn’t work for TNA. He said it would be easy to walk home to avoid pain, but he’s coming back to work for the fans. Joe said the title doesn’t just belong to Joe, but it belongs to TNA and the TNA fans. Joe talked about how TNA took him to the top where he got to win the championship, be TNA champion at the WWE Royal Rumble, and face Randy Orton at WrestleMania.
Joe said he’s going to ask the crowd for something because they were here for his ascension and now he needs them for his redemption. Joe said he’ll bring the TNA Championship back to TNA at Slammiversary…
John’s Thoughts: The NXTNA sync was off. TNA did it right here by having Hannifan record updated commentary where on Tuesday Vic Joseph already spoiled the show based off the weird live livestream they did of the TV taping. Things will be better next week. This was a good rah-rah TNA promo from Joe Hendry and he gets the crowd behind him as usual. Where I’m a bit bothered is there is a bit of truncated “been there, done that” with Joe Hendry in 2025 going for the TNA title. This was easy to write and supposed to be Mike Santana’s time. Joe Hendry had a amazing story last year that included him winning the TNA title from Nic Nemeth and stealing the show on WWE TV. TNA wants to fill up an arena, sell tickets, and tell a compelling story, and there were two easy things: One, Book the Hardys. And Two, Book Mike Santana to overcome Trick and First Class to become the TNA World Champion at his home town. I hope there’s a bait and switch.
A Killer Kelly promo aired where she was recollecting on her MK Ultra tag team with Masha Slamovich. She said they were liked a link chain. Masha said she watched Masha become TNA Knockouts Champion, but Masha forgot what made Masha that monster. Kelly said she’s going to remind Masha who the real monster is when she takes the title from Masha. Kelly also hyped up the battle royal later on to find out the next number one contender…[c]
Entrances for the next match took place…
1. “The Hollywood Hunk” Ryan Nemeth (w/Nic Nemeth) vs. Zachary Wentz (w/Trey Miguel). Wentz hit Ryan with a dropkick and corkscrew crossbody for a nearfall. Nic tripped up Wentz during a handstand to allow Ryan to dump Wentz to ringside. Ryan worked on Wentz with methodical offense. Wentz got a backslide for a nearfall. Wentz teased a bronco buster, but gave Ryan a knee to the face.
Wentz got a two count after a standing Shooting Star for a nearfall. Ryan came back with an Alabama Slam for a nearfall. The referee took the title belt from Ryan when he tried to use it. Wentz took down Ryan and hit Ryan with a Final Flash (Spiral Tap) for the win.
Zachary Wentz defeated Ryan Nemeth via pinfall in 4:23.
The Nemeth’s teased brawling with The Rascalz, but then backtracked…
John’s Thoughts: Your usual formula set up for the next tag team contenders. I assume we’ll get Nic Nemeth beating Trey Miguel in the near future (Because Nic has the plot armor of the two brothers).
Tom Hannifan recapped Trick Williams defending his title on NXT. Hannifan hyped Trick vs. Wes Lee for next week’s NXT…
Gia Miller interviewed Trick Williams interviewed Trick Williams about defending his TNA title against Joe Hendry at Slammiversary. Trick hyped up how he’s going to beat Joe at Slammiversary. Trick then changed the subject to hyping AJ Francis against Mike Santana…
Lei Ying Lee made her entrance…[c]
Gia Miller interviewed Masha Slamovich about defending her title against Killer Kelly next week while also having the next title contender lined up with the upcoming battle royal. Masha said she thrives under pressure and she just keeps knocking down all the contenders that pop up. Masha said that next week’s title defense will be a chain match.
NXT TNA Laison Ariana Grace showed up acting bubbly. She said she was excited because she has something really fun lined up for Masha, but she can’t tell her yet. Masha said she’s looking forward to it. Grace ran off acting giggly…
The rest of the women were already in the ring…
John’s Thoughts: What? I don’t get my Harley Cameron IInspiration entrance theme? Damn you TNA! (I semi kid, but that’s one of my favorite themes in pro wrestling).
2. Women’s Battle Royal. Ash, M, and Heather by Elegance were mocking the IInspiration. Jessie McKay and Cassie Lee jumped the Elegance Brand. The IInspiration and Elegance Brand all eliminated each other with McKenzie Mitchell making the official announcement. The usual walking and punching ensued. A random woman with the last name Arquette was eliminated.
Hannifan noted that the lady eliminated is in fact related to Scream actor David Arquette. Another random woman was eliminated. Myla Grace eliminated Dani Luna.[c]
Several more eliminations happened. Myla Grace and Holly Hudson eliminated Rosemary, but were then eliminated by Alisha Edwards and Tasha Steelz. Tasha eliminated Alisha after Alisha tried to ask if you wanna know something. Lei Ying eliminated Victoria Crawford with a high kick. Xia, Tasha, and Lei Ying Lee were eliminated in succession.
Indi Hartwell and Tessa Blanchard were the final two in the ring. Tessa ducked a boot which caused Indi to have to Skin the Cat. Tessa Skinned the Cat going for a Sunset Flip. Both women traded forearms on the apron. Ash by Elegance suddenly emerged from under the ring. Ash shoved Indi and Tessa off the apron to pick up the surprise win.
Ash by Elegance won the Knockouts Battle Royal to earn a future Knockouts Title Shot in 11:27 of on-air time.
Hannifan called for the Picture-in-picture replay, which showed that Ash rolled under the bottom rope during the assumed elimination. Masha Slamovich was walking down the ramp to confront Ash, but stopped when NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne made her entrance…
John’s Thoughts: I hated a few things but liked a few things from this match. In terms of the hate part, this was the dreaded filler battle royal where it’s a bunch of walking and punching and a bunch of random local wrestlers that nobody knows. The only filler wrestler that left an impression was the one Hannifan said was related to David Arquette. They could have trimmed down the filler wrestlers and try to tell some stories. What I did like was the magic trick finish. It was a bit wonky with McKenzie announcing the Elegance Brand as eliminated when it was just Heather and M. What I did like about the finish was I didn’t see it (even though I can miss things when I’m recapping on my laptop). Let Ash win the goofy filler battle royal, and I liked the surprise of it all because she was flirting in the tag division. It would have been lame to have Indi or Tessa get the shot in the filler battle royal.
A replay aired of Jake Something returning to TNA last week. Jake Something then cut a promo where he praised Tommy Dreamer for looking out for Something’s body and mind. Jake then hyped up how he’s going to take down Mance Warner next week. Steve Maclin passed by Something to tease a future encounter….
The sponsored TNA injury report aired. Mike Santana is medically cleared from the bottle shot a few weeks ago. KC Navarro is not medically cleared due to the dislocated knee. Elijah is out due to a torn triceps when he wrestled on NXT…
John’s Thoughts: The Elijah injury injury is legit. I think it happened during Elijah’s modified Old School spot (because he couldn’t execute it well). Here’s hoping for the best in his recover. I wonder what they had planned for him at Slammiversary as he would have been the perfect opponent for Joe Hendry instead of having Joe Hendry get the main title shot out of nowhere.
Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt checked in on commentary and announced that Elijah has had successful surgery. They then hyped upcoming segments…
Entrances for the Call to Arms match aired. A rules graphic aired. The rules are that you start the match with one hand tied, but are able to untie it for an advantage. The winner is also decided by pinfall or submission (so No DQ with the weird hand thing?)…
So I thought it was tied behind the back, but instead it’s tied to the ring ropes…
3. Mustafa Ali (w/Secret Service, Tasha Steelz, Jason Hotch) vs. John Skyler. Ali had scissors on him and cut the rope immediately after the bell. Ali hit Skyler with a jump kick while he was tied up. Ali beat up Skyler while Skyler struggled to un tie the rope. Skyler managed to get shots in and dodges. Hotch handed Skyler the scissors to free Skyler.
Skyler hit Ali witn a DDT for a nearfall. Skyler got another nearfall after a Slingshot Spear. Ali choked Skyler with the rope and then hit him with the 450 for the win.
Mustafa Ali defeated John Skyler via pinfall in 3:35.
Ali picked up a chair at ringside, but put it down when Hotch got in his face. Ali shoved Hotch into the ringpost and tossed him in the ring. Tasha got in the way when Ali was about to hit Hotch with a chair. Ali teased hitting Tasha, but stopped when the debuting Cedric Alexander made his entrance. Hannifan called Cedric a ghost of Ali’s past. Cedric talked down Ali and Ali walked off. Cedric, Tasha, Hotch, and Skyler then all stood together while Ali left by himself…
John’s Thoughts: This should have been on last week’s TNA anniversary show because it felt very LOLTNA. The scissors, the wonky rules, “why isn’t the ref”. I get a chuckle out of it and it isn’t in EVERY match anymore in TNA, so that’s ok. I thought it was going to be a bit more logical like when Steve Maclin worked that really good one armed match against Josh Alexander a few months ago. I am excited for the post-match stuff though as Mustafa Ali and Cedric Alexander should be able to put on AMAZING matches. Back when Paul Levesque took over 205 Live, Ali and Alexander were the two wrestlers carrying that show with wonderful matches. They can get in the ring together and it’s automatic that it’s going to be good.
A replay aired of The System beating down Matt Cardona and Home Town Man last week…
The System were about to cut a promo, but they were confronted by Matt Cardona. Eddie Edwards pointed out how Matt Cardona keeps lingering around TNA despite not being a TNA wrestler. Eddie said he’s going to ask Santino for a match against Cardona next week…
Hannifna hyped upcoming segments…[c]
Entrances for the next match took place…
4. “The Hardy Boyz” Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy vs. “The Northern Armory” Judas Icarus and Travis Williams (w/Eric Young). The Hardys used quick tags to get tandem offense on Williams. Young dragged Matt to ringside and gave him a cheap shot. Williams hit Matt with a diving knee. Williams distracted the ref to allow Eric Young to get more cheap shots in. THe referee turned around and caught EY to eject him.
Security and referees chased Young to the back. Icarus blocked a Twist of Fate and held Jeff for a dropkick by willims. The Hardys regained control after dumping Williams to ringside. The Hardys hit Icarus with a Plot Twist. Jeff hit Icarus with the Swanton Bomb for the win.
The Hardy Boyz defeated The Northern Armory via pinfall in 4:15.
Hannifan announced The Nemeths vs. The Hardys vs. The Rascalz vs. First Class in a tag match for the tag team titles at Slammiversary…
Jeff took the mic after the match. Jeff called out his favorite wrestler, Leon Slater. Matt said he wants to call Leon “Leon Slater Hardy”. Matt said Leon has put in work and is about to break a record at Slammiversary by becoming the youngest X Division Champion in history. Leon soaked in cheers. Leon said he knows he’s going to show up and show out at Slammiversary.
He said he will become champion. He said he’s not only doing it for him, but his mom, sister, and the fans. He said he also wants to make Matt and Jeff proud. Slater mocked Moose’s voice when Moose says he’s going to be the best X Division Champion of all time. Slater said Moose has to prepare for the hardest match of his entire life. Slater said Moose has a match next so he’ll join commentary to have a first row seat to see the person he’ll beat at Slammiversary…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Good segment with the Hardys and Slater. The fanboy character doesn’t work all the time, but it works if the young wrestler is genuine. Leon Slater and Je’von Evans pull off that character well because they sound genuine (Slater vs. Evans is an actual dream match I’d like to see. It’s like a young Ryu vs. young Ken. Bound for Glory?).
Moose got a televised entrance. His local opponents were “already in the ring”. Moose said he needed a warm up and requested that this match be a 3 way in the spirit of the X Division…
John’s Thoughts: Happy that TNA is giving work to local competitors. We don’t see that in WWE these days with them having a deep developmental system.
5. TNA X Division Champion Moose vs. Shane Sabre vs Jake Painter in a non-title match. Moose took down Shane wiht a boot and slammed Jake to the mat. Moose put both opponents in opposite corners and hit them with chops. The two opponents tried to team up, but ate clotheslines. Moose hit Jake with a Power Bomb and then Power Bombed Shane on Jake. Moose hit Jake with a spear for the win.
Moose defeated Jake Painter and Shane Sabre via pinfall in 2:03.
Slater got in Moose’s face when Moose attacked one of his opponents after the bell. Moose headed to the back…[c]
An AJ Francis vs. Mike Santana hype video aired…
AJ Francis and KC Navarro made their entrance first. Mike Santana made his entrance through the crowd. Hannifan noted that Santana was suspended because of shoving a medic when AJ smashed a bottle on his head…
John’s Thoughts: The venue actually looks pretty good and well attended. Mike Santana’s entrance has the good side effect of showing off good crowds and venues.
6. Mike Santana vs. AJ Francis (w/KC Navarro) in a Street Fight. Both men traded hands to start. Santana dumped AJ to ringside and hit him with a wrecking ball kick. Santana opened up a table. Mike hit AJ with a Yakuza Kick to dump him over the barricade. Santana and AJ brawled into the crowd. Rehwoldt joked that this match might spill over into Corey Graves’s living room (I like the jabs both NXT and TNA teams are throwing at each other).
Santana threw a trash can at AJ. Santana brought AJ back to ringside. AJ caught Santana out of the air and lawn darted him into the ringpost. Hannifan noted that AJ was wearing Seahawks colors because he’s a former Seahawk. AJ worked on Santana with methodical offense and chair shots. Mike tried to come back, but AJ body slammed him on a chair for a nearfall.
AJ put a trash can on the head of Santana and hit him with the Flop Dolla Tennessee Whiskey. Santana rallied back with chops. Santana then chucked a trash can at Francis. Santana caught AJ with a Flip Drive and tossed him into the steel steps. Santana then set up two tables next to each other. Santana reversed a chokeslam into a Asai Moonsault. Santana hit AJ with the Rolling Buck 50 for a nearfall.
Santana then gave AJ a Death Valley Driver through chairs. AJ gave Santana a clothesline on the apron next to the tables. Santana reversed AJ and gave him a Death Valley Driver through the tables. KC Navarro was shocked. Trick Williams ran out to check on AJ. Joe Hendry ran out. Trick and Joe brawled to the back. Santana gave AJ a Frog Splash. AJ kicked out at two.
AJ gave Santana a Spear. Francis teased a Chokeslam, but instead went into a Styles Clash for a good nearfall. Francis went for Spin the Block, but Santana did a judo roll under it. Santana picked up a wine bottle in the corner and smash it over AJ’s head. Santana hit AJ with Spin the Block for the win.
Mike Santana defeated AJ Francis via pinfall in 14:46.
After the match, Santana took a mic and talked about how he’s bled every single day because of everyone. He said they don’t call him the Standard of TNA for nothing. Santana said you can’t mention the TNA title without him. Santana said that Santino owes him one and he needs to book Trick vs. Santana vs. Hendry for Slammiversary at New York…
John’s Thoughts: Well, they kinda got things back to right with Santana presumably getting back the world title shot at Slammiversary. As for the Street Fight, it was better than expected. AJ Francis has definitely gotten better in the ring compared to his WWE days. He really looked strong in defeat, kicking out of some of Santana’s big stuff (key is follow-up). Only thing they could have used a bit of was a bit of blood to sell the bottle shot (but they are toning down violence these days.
Even though they are righting things with booking towards a triple threat for the TNA title, they weakened things in the first place by shoehorning Joe Hendry into the World Title match when they could have used Joe in a program against someone else. Joe appears on NXT every week, and they could have found a NXT heel like Shawn Spears or Ridge Holland to try to build something with. A good show this week, but I feel like there could have been a more logical build to the Slammiversary main event.
Be the first to comment