 Pre-Show: JDC def. Leon SlaterThis had no heat at all considering it was a last-minute addition to the pre-show, but I appreciate that Slater has been getting so much exposure as of late. He's an awesome athlete, and for all the talk about him being only 20-years-old, I hope he is eventually the one to dethrone Moose for the TNA X-Division Championship so he can break Amazing Red's record as the youngest champ in TNA history. Slater once again got to shine here before eating defeat. Pre-Show: Frankie Kazarian def. Jonathan GreshamKazarian attacked Gresham during last week's tag team main event on iMPACT!, so this match made sense. I assumed TNA was of the mindset that Kazarian can lose an unlimited amount of matches while in possession of his guaranteed TNA World Championship opportunity, so the fact he beat Gresham surprised me. This was well wrestled in the time they were allotted. TNA X-Division Champion Moose def. KushidaMoose is going to have a great run as X-Division champ if he keeps having matches of this caliber. I don't have any fond memories of Abyss with the title over a decade ago because I believe he dominated the division, but that shouldn't be the case with Moose. Kushida scored plenty of offense and looked credible in defeat. These two had strong chemistry together. The Rascalz def. Jake Something and Sami Callihan & TNA Digital Media Champion and International Wrestling Heavyweight Champion PCO in a Three-Way Tag Team MatchHammerstone was supposed to team with Something but was unable to appear, so Something went at it alone without a partner. That's why it was logical for him to take the loss here since he was outnumbered. Nonetheless, this was fun stuff from all involved. It would've been nice if there was a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship on the line to give it some stakes. Ace Austin def. Trent SevenI liked what Austin told Seven on Thursday's iMPACT! about how he'd kill to have his tag team partner Chis Bey back and how he was disgusted that Seven turned on his tag partner Mike Bailey. That's in addition to Seven pinning Austin in that six-man tag team match at Turning Point two weeks ago. They had a good match with Austin fighting from underneath throughout and eventually scoring the win. Hopefully the heat Seven got from betraying Bailey actually amounts to something soon. Jordynne Grace vs. Rosemary Ended in a No ContestThe last singles match Grace and Rosemary had a few months ago was cut short by a non-finish, so I was looking forward to seeing what they'd be able to do here. As it turned out, this also ended in interference, so that was disappointing. Tessa Blanchard returning would've been a bigger shocker had the news not leaked online earlier in the day, but yeah, that's certainly... a choice. Yes, she's talented, but it speaks volumes that no major wrestling promotion took a chance on her after she left TNA on less-than-stellar terms four years ago. She still has a sketchy reputation to my knowledge, but I don't know how much TNA really gains from bringing her back. Joe Hendry def. Josh Alexander, Steve Maclin and Mike Santana in a TNA World Championship No. 1 Contender's Four-Way MatchPutting four top stars against each other in a number one contender's match is never a bad formula. Hendry was my pick to win, but the outcome wasn't all that predictable. This was well structured and wisely paced. The final stretch or so in particular was very entertaining. Hendry has to win the TNA World title at Genesis or he may as well start packing his bags for WWE NXT (which wouldn't necessarily be the worst thing, of course). TNA Knockouts World Champion Masha Slamovich def. Tasha Steelz in a Falls Count Anywhere MatchThe Falls Count Anywhere stipulation (along with Alisha Edwards were barred from ringside) instantly made this match more interesting. They made the most of the stipulation by taking their fight outside of the ring and brawling on the ramp and on the stage. I still didn't think Steelz would take the title, but kudos to her on a standout showing. I fear Slamovich's days as champion might be numbered now that Blanchard is back in the mix. TNA World Tag Team Champions The Hardys def. The System (Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers) in a Tables Tag Team MatchI love The Hardys, I truly do, but this was an absolute mess. Putting them in a Full Metal Mayhem match at Bound for Glory was crazy enough (their bodies shouldn't be taking that sort of beating at this stage of their respective careers), but making this a Tables match was not needed. Matt was put through a table early on, but then he helped Jeff put Myers and then Edwards through tables, anyway, so that was a waste. The crowd was much more into this than I was, personally. TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth def. A.J. FrancisI was skeptical of Francis wrestling in the main event for TNA's top title, but I have to give Francis credit: He put forth a hell of an effort and had the performance of his life in there with Nemeth. Of course, sharing the ring with someone as skilled as Nemeth is never going to hurt, but Francis more than held up his end. Nemeth retaining was a foregone conclusion, but as a one-off B-show main event, this delivered. On a side note, I couldn't have been the only one hoping AJ Styles (who was reportedly in the building for the show) was going to make the save for Nemeth afterward and not Hendry, right? Overall ShowAll in all, 2024 has been a big year for TNA. The rebrand gained them a lot of positive attention, and then Scott D'Amore's abrupt departure gained them a lot of negative attention. The working relationship with WWE/NXT has been a treat, but now Blanchard is back and a lot of people are going to be unhappy (and understandably so). I just don't get what value she brings to the product at this point. The rest of the show was solid on the whole. No championships changed hands, but there was plenty of quality wrestling as well as the setup for next month's Genesis main event.
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