TNA Genesis Review - January 17, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Pre-Show: TNA International Champion Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo def. KJ Orso, Eric Young and B.D.E. in a Four-Way Match

As the commentators pointed out, Orso is the former Fuego Del Sol. He underwent a total character change a few years ago, and from what I understand, it's worked out well for him. He'd be a welcome addition to a depleted TNA roster based on what I saw from him here. This was a rather random four-way, but it was decent for what it was. Lorenzo losing the title without getting pinned would have been the wrong call, so I'm glad he retained.

Pre-Show: Tessa Blanchard and Mila Moore def. Vicious Vicki Venuto and Indi Hartwell

Blanchard and Moore were bullying Venuto in the back before Hartwell stepped up and asked her to team with her against Blanchard and Moore. It was a fairly basic bout, but it was perfectly fine for what it was. I thought Venuto had a solid showing, but I'd need to see more from her to get a better grasp of what she's capable of. Meanwhile, Blanchard has racked up a ton of losses in recent months and has lost a lot of the momentum she once had.

A.J. Francis def. Rich Swann

The build to this match has been simple and I was looking forward to seeing what kind of chemistry they'd have as opponents, but this really exceeded my expectations. Maybe it shouldn't have, but they went above and beyond in delivering a great opener that the crowd was super into. It has to be among the best matches I've seen Francis have. Francis winning also keeps the feud alive.

Mustafa Ali def. Elijah

I can't say Elijah's matches usually blow me away, but when he's in there with the right opponent, he can certainly hold his own. Ali is obviously excellent, so I figured they'd have at least a quality contest and they did. Elijah being outnumbered by Order 4 was a logical story to tell, and much like with Francis vs. Swann, Ali's victory leaves the door open for a rematch if this is going to continue.

Eddie Edwards def. JDC

This was JDC's retirement match. It's cool that he got to go out on his own terms against someone he has known in the business for many years. This was the well-wrestled affair you'd expect from them. This went slightly long and the melodrama down the stretch was a bit much, especially with all of the kickouts, but I understood what they were going for and it was a nice sendoff for JDC.

Ryan Nemeth def. Mara Sade

While I'm not often a fan of the intergender stuff, I didn't have a major issue with it in this case because Nemeth is a lower-level wrestler and isn't meant to be taken seriously. As for Sade, she's been on the rise in the Knockouts division over the last several months and has made noticeable improvements. Unfortunately, this was a mess and never clicked for me. Nemeth cheated to win, but Sade has to give him his comeuppance by beating him eventually.

TNA Knockouts World Champion Lei Ying Lee def. Zaria

For a match that came together at the last minute due to unforeseen circumstances with Dani Luna not being able to appear, this was a very good match with strong work from both women. I didn't buy into the possibility of Zaria taking the title when we've already had two other NXT stars hold it since the summer, but I wouldn't have put it past TNA and NXT to do that. Based on The Elegance Brand's presence toward the end, I suspect Sol Ruca and Zaria will become number one contender's to the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship on Tuesday's NXT.

TNA World Tag Team Champions The Hardys def. The Righteous

The Righteous' character work is better than their in-ring work, but that's not to say their matches are boring or anything like that. I would've preferred to see them pick up the win here and take the titles, but maybe they still will. This followed the same formula most of The Hardys' matches do, but they're so over that it hardly matters. I liked the match and hope the rivalry isn't over yet.

Joe Hendry def. Cedric Alexander and Moose in a Three-Way Match

This was supposed to be a three-way for the TNA X-Division Championship before visa issues prevented Slater from traveling to the event (hence why he was on Friday's SmackDown in England), so Hendry was named as his replacement. Moose's injury was played up so much here that you'd think it would have factored into the finish somehow, specifically with him getting pinned. Instead, Hendry went over, despite no longer being under contract to the company. Uhm, okay. The match itself was enjoyable, though.

TNA World Champion Mike Santana def. Frankie Kazarian in a Texas Death Match (Nic Nemeth Served as Special Guest Referee)

This was definitely an improvement over their iMPACT! main event on Thursday. Of course, the stipulation had a lot to do with that. They worked hard and took their fight around the arena. Nemeth didn't really add anything as the special guest ref other than tease he might cash in his Call Your Shot title shot afterward before he could laid out by Santana. Santana is the correct choice for TNA to build around (until his contract is up and he decides to leave, that is), but who do they have waiting in the wings for him aside from Nemeth? That's the question I'm not optimistic they have an answer to.

Overall Show

The hype for this pay-per-view was nearly nonexistent with the card having to be reshuffled due to some visa issues and all eyes being on the AMC premiere on Thursday night. Needless to say, this was way better than the AMC premiere of iMPACT!. While not one of TNA's most memorable outings on pay-per-view in recent memory, it ended up being an adequate event with a well-rounded card. I could've done without Nemeth vs. Sade, but everything else was worthwhile.

SEE MORE: TNA Reviews