Tonight’s TNA Impact will feature the fallout from last Friday’s Against All Odds, headlined by a Chicago street fight between Frankie Kazarian and Ace Steel.
After defeating Joe Hendry at AAO last Friday using brass knuckles stolen from Steel, Kazarian helped eliminate Hendry from the no. 1 contender battle royal on Tuesday’s WWE NXT. Steel has had enough and the two men will do battle tonight.
Tonight will also see footage from the long-awaited first date between PCO and Steph De Lander after weeks of courtship and prompting from Xia Brookside.
After their victories at AAO, The System (TNA World Champion Moose, TNA Tag Team Champions Eddie Edwards & Brian Myers & Alisha Edwards) will kick off the show to celebrate and layout what’s next for them. It’s likely they will address the return of Jeff Hardy who came out to aid Matt Hardy after Moose’s main event victory.
The System Kick Off This Week’s Show
Starting off the show this week is a live shot of the city of Chicago, Ill. as fans chant “TNA! TNA!” inside the Impact Zone. The System theme hits and the group comes out dressed to the nines with their title belts in-hand. Dango is with the group after his surprising return at TNA Against All Odds.
The fans loudly boo as Alisha Edwards begins, “Do you wanna know something?! Quiet, I’m tryin’ to talk here!” The fans continue to give her the Dominik Mysterio treatment as she scolds them, claiming they should be thankful for getting to witness history. She calls The System the most dominant force in pro wrestling history.
Eddie Edwards is second on the mic to loud “Eddie sucks!” chants. He says his ride-or-die-bride is trying to explain is that we are witnessing history. The one and only true super-team in the world of professional wrestling. He touts their respective performances at Against All Odds, retaining all of their gold on the big stage.
Brian Myers says much of the same and introduces Johnny Dango Curtis, someone he touts for having The System’s back at Against All Odds. Dango talks about sitting at home un-booked and underappreciated. He talks about being friends with Edwards for 20 years and knowing Alisha since she was 15. He considers her a sister.
He claims to be the best in the ring and on the mic and talks about how Moose has trepidations about him. He promises he can trust him. Moose tells him to slow his role. Moose says Dango is not part of The System — yet. Moose says the truth is, The System is unbeatable. Moose is unbeatable. He boasts being unbeaten in over two years and claims there is no one in the back who can beat him.
He claims this is why outsiders are being brought in to test him, and they can’t get the job done either. He continues to talk until he is cut off by Director of Authority Santino Marella, who comes out. He talks about a plethora of top tier talent in TNA.
He says with that in mind, the Road to Slammiversary begins tonight with the first of five matches across the next several weeks, where the winners advance to TNA Slammiversary in Montreal to challenge Moose for the TNA World Championship in a six-way match.
He also mentions Dango has a match coming up with Ryan Nemeth tonight. He tells Moose his Road to Slammiversary challenger matches begins tonight, because it will be Josh Alexander vs. Eric Young in the main event. He tells Moose to watch closely.
ABC Wants One More Big Match Next Week
ABC are shown backstage and Ace Austin talks about three being a magic number. He says last week we saw a great PPV with Against All Odds, the return of Jeff Hardy and their own performances at the show. They say next week they need one more big match to take them into their third tag-team title run. The show went into its’ first commercial break after this.
Frankie Kazarian Post-NXT Digital Exclusive
When the show returns from the break, we see the TNA digital exclusive segment with Frankie Kazarian outside after his performance in the number one contender battle royal on Tuesday’s episode of WWE NXT. He blames the loss to Joe Hendry.
Spitfire defeated The Hex
The Spitfire duo of Dani Luna and Jody Threat head to the ring for the first match of the evening. The Hex team of Marti Belle and Allysin Kay come out next and the bell sounds to get this one started. Belle and Threat kick things off for their respective teams.
The commentators tout TNA’s Against All Odds garnering more TNA+ subscribers than Under Siege, No Surrender and other shows combined. The largest single-day sign-up count in TNA+ history. Meanwhile, Threat establishes the early offensive lead, prompting Belle to crawl to her corner for the tag.
Threat and Luna both hit the ring and fire up with double-team offense on Kay to keep the offensive momentum in their favor. The commentators talk about the Rancid front-man’s role in Spitfire. A cheap shot by Kay and outside interference by Belle on the apron behind the referee’s back shifts the momentum in their favor.
The duo isolate Threat in their corner of the ring and utilize frequent tags to keep a fresh woman on her at all times. After a few minutes, Luna finally gets the hot tag. She comes in with a ton of energy and even hits a dive out to the floor, eliciting a loud “TNA! TNA!” chant from the fans in the Impact Zone.
Kay hits a wicked back suplex on Luna. Belle follows up and tries for the cover, but Luna kicks out. The duo goes for Hex Marks The Spot, but Luna saw it coming and avoided it. Luna takes over and hoists Belle up in the torture rack position. She feeds her to Luna, who plants her into the mat for the pinfall victory.
The Hardy Family In TNA Against All Odds Digital Exclusive
In a post-Against All Odds digital exclusive, Matt Hardy is shown after footage of his spear to his wife Reby Hardy through a table. He talks about The System going too far. Reby says she’s gonna be the one to teach “rich b*tch” Alisha a lesson. Matt brings up his brother, Jeff Hardy, who is with them, being on the scene now and how they are taking over. Over. Over!! We head to another commercial break.
KUSHIDA On ‘The Sound Check’ With Alan Angels
We return to KUSHIDA sitting backstage. He is approached by “The Front Man” Alan Angels for ‘The Sound Check.’ He tells KUSHIDA he’s his guest for his show. He says he has so many questions for him, but first, he wants to show a quick recap of everything going on with him.
We see Jonathan Gresham taking him out with his voodoo sickness and then KUSHIDA returning and swabbing some ink from Gresham’s mouth at Against All Odds. We also see him testing it in Tokyo, Japan in some beatdown kitchen. It has been put into a vile that he apparently has.
Angels asks if he cares to explain. KUSHIDA says Gresham made everyone sick and he’s looking for the cure. Angels asks if he’s qualified. Angels accuses him of trying to monetize the situation. He says no one believes him. KUSHIDA tries to walk away, but Angels stops him. KUSHIDA tells him they can fight next week.
Frankie Kazarian defeated Ace Steel in a Chicago Street Fight
Back inside the Impact Zone in Cicero Stadium, the theme for Frankie Kazarian hits to bring him out for the scheduled Chicago Street Fight. Footage from Against All Odds is shown to explain how this match was set up. We also see a clip from Tuesday’s NXT of Joe Hendry and Frankie Kazarian’s interaction in the battle royal.
Chicago’s own Ace Steel makes his way out in street clothes with a chair in-hand. Split-screen footage is shown of Steel and a young CM Punk in TNA many moons ago. As soon as Steel hits the ring, he goes after Kaz and works him over in the corner. He brings him down to the mat and kicks him in the spine.
Steel clotheslines Kazarian out to the floor and grabs a trash can, which he launches into his face from the ring before heading out after him. He brings him back into the ring with the trash can and suplexes him on it. Kaz recovers and begins to take over. He whips Steel into the corner, who flies over the ropes and takes an ugly bounce down to the floor.
Frankie Kazarian vs. Steve Maclin and Joe Hendry vs. Jake Something are announced as future Road To Slammiversary Qualifying matches on the show. Kazarian chokes Steel with the cameraman’s cord. He throws chairs, street signs and a kendo stick into the ring and heads back in after Steel. Kazarian goes for a chair shot but bounces it off the ropes into his own dome.
Steel takes over and beats Kazarian down with the kendo stick until Kazarian fights back into the lead. He puts Steel’s arm through the chair and tries a leg drop off the ropes to snap it, but Steel escapes. Steel hits a nasty neck-breaker onto an unfolded chair on Kazarian.
Kazarian recovers and moments later hits Fade To Black on Steel on a pile of chairs for the win. After the match, Kaz puts Steel in the chicken wing, which brings out Joe Hendry to make the save. The post-match scene wraps up moments later.
Mustafa Ali Wants To Find Culprit Who Leaked Video
Backstage, an angry Mustafa Ali is with Campaign Singh. He demands Singh put together a mission to find out who the culprit was who leaked the footage of his sit-down interview, which was shown at Against All Odds. Ali then declares he will address the people next week. Singh tells Ali he’s a genius. Ali says he knows.
PCO & Steph De Lander’s Big Date
We shoot to two lines of people applauding as we see PCO turn the corner in the background. He begins walking in the middle of the people clapping, but he starts attacking them and they all scurry and flee. PCO and Steph De Lander’s date is next. We head to another commercial break.
When we return, Steph De Lander comes to the ring, which has a table and tablecloth, chairs, candles and the works for the big date. PCO comes out next. De Lander holds the ropes for him. She pulls his chair out or him. He walks around, presumably to do the same, but instead picks the chair up and gets ready to hit her with it until she explains to him that that’s a no-no.
De Lander tries talking to him, but he just mumbles. He drinks a vase full of black gunk and offers her some. She tries it but says it’s too strong. She wants to “take a photo for the gram.” He unveils a plate of black spaghetti. He goes to eat with his hands until De Lander shows him how to use a fork.
The charming awkwardness continues until First Class’s theme hits to interrupt them. AJ Francis calls them love at first fright. He wants to toast them to eternal undead love. He splashes the drink in PCO’s face and Rich Swann super kicks him. Francis shoves De Lander down and hits PCO with a death valley driver.
Swann uses zip-ties to lock PCO to the middle rope in the corner, before putting the boots to him. De Lander slaps AJ Francis across the face so hard his hat flies off. Francis grabs her by the throat and with PCO forced to watch, Francis chokeslams De Lander through the table they were having their date at. We head to another commercial break.
Ash By Elegance defeated Heather Reckless
When we return from the break, Heather Reckless is shown in the ring awaiting the arrival of her opposition. Ash By Elegance’s personal concierge comes out and does his introduction for her before she comes to the ring for our next match of the evening.
Ash By Elegance dominates from the onset and enjoys the upper-hand for the majority of the match. Reckless eventually gets in some offense, but then Ash’s concierge gets involved at ringside, giving Ash the assist as she follows up with Rarified Air for the win.
After the match, she continues to attack Reckless and then taunts and mocks Jordynne Grace by posing like her. She goes to hit the Juggernaut Driver, but Grace runs out and makes the save. Ash’s concierge tries to attack from behind, but she backs him into a corner. Ash hits Grace with the title and lays her out. We head to another commercial break.
JDC defeated Ryan Nemeth
When we return from the break, Johnny Dango Curtis, now being called JDC, makes his way to the ring for the next match of the evening. Ryan Nemeth makes his way out and the two get things started, with JDC taking the early offensive lead.
After some back-and-forth action, we see JDC hit his top-rope leg drop for the pinfall victory. After the match, Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers of The System come out to celebrate with him. They end up blatantly attacking Ryan until Nic Nemeth runs out to make the save. We head to another commercial break.
Josh Alexander defeated Eric Young in a Road To Slammiversary Qualifying Match
It’s main event time. A special elaborate video package airs to promote the showdown between Eric Young and Josh Alexander. After teaming up at Against All Odds, the two do battle tonight with the winner earning one of five spots in the six-way TNA World Championship showdown against Moose at TNA Slammiversary.
“The World Class Maniac” Eric Young heads to the ring as split-screen footage of their loss to ABC at Against All Odds is shown. “The Walking Weapon” Josh Alexander comes out next and the bell sounds to start off the final match of the post-Against All Odds episode of the show.
The two shake hands and soak up the crowd atmosphere, as dueling “Walking Weapon” and “Eric Young” chants break out. The commentators mention today being the birthday of the late Don West. “Tonight, this one is for Don,” says Tom Hannifan on commentary as Alexander works over the arm of Young.
Young comes off the ropes with a big back elbow that shifts the offensive momentum into his favor as we head into a mid-match commercial break. Alexander hit a big back suplex during the break that allowed him to take over. He puts Young in a Sharpshooter.
After several moments, Young counters, picks the ankle of Alexander and transitions into a Sharpshooter of his own. Alexander escapes. When the show returns from the break, Young has Alexander in a rear chin-lock in the middle of the ring. Young hits a big death valley driver for a close two-count.
The two fight on the apron. Alexander knocks Young to his butt, hits the ropes and hits a body press onto Young’s back that sends them both through the middle and bottom rope and out to the floor. Alexander goes for a top-rope moonsault but Young moves. Young climbs to the top-rope.
Alexander leaps up after him. Young knocks him down and hits a flying elbow smash for another close two-count. Young looks for a piledriver on Alexander, but Alexander floats over his back, snatches up his leg and applies an ankle lock. Young manages to turn it around, escape and hit a Young Blood neck-breaker.
He follows up with a piledriver and goes for the cover, but Alexander gets his foot on the bottom rope to keep this one alive. Fans chant “This Is Awesome!” as the two head to the top-rope together. Young looks for a piledriver off the top, but Alexander avoids it and snatches up another ankle lock.
Young kicks his way free and rolls Alexander up for a count of two. Young pops up and hits a discus clothesline. Alexander blasts Young with a back elbow and forearm shiver. He gets double-underhooks and hits a C4 Spike for the pinfall victory.
With the win, Josh Alexander secures one of the spots in the six-way title tilt against Moose at TNA Slammiversary. After the match, Alexander waits for Young to get up. The fans chant “Hug it out!” and they do. That’s how this week’s show went off the air. Thanks for joining us and follow me on Twitter/X.
Next week:
* Xia Brookside vs. Masha Slamovich
* ABC vs. The Rascalz vs. Cody Deaner & Jake Something
* Steve Maclin vs. Sami Callihan
* Rich Swann vs. Nic Nemeth