TNA Genesis Review - January 19, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Pre-Show: Jake Something def. Ashante "Thee" Adonis

Adonis will go down in history as the first NXT wrestler to compete in a TNA ring since WWE officially announced their partnership with TNA, for whatever that's worth. This was weird because Adonis has been a babyface in NXT as of late (he just smooched Karmen Petrovic last Tuesday night) and Something has been a heel in his team with Hammerstone, but I had no issue with the roles being reversed as the crowd was behind Something. This was a pretty basic bout, but it was what it needed to be.

Pre-Show: Frankie Kazarian def. Leon Slater

Slater is fresh off a win over Trent Seven on Thursday's iMPACT!, and while I would've liked to see him score a second straight win here, Kazarian probably be losing on the pre-show if he's still in possession of the guaranteed TNA World Championship shot at any time of his choosing. The two of them worked well together and had a quality contest. The next step with Slater should be for him to be featured on iMPACT! more consistently.

TNA X-Division Champion Moose def. Ace Austin

There was a rumor going around at one point that Moose was ditching the TNA X-Division Championship entirely in favor of a new title after what he said on iMPACT! a few weeks ago, but thankfully, he just meant a new design for the belt. He's been shining in this new role, so I had no issue with him retaining the title. The story with Austin can be told over a longer span of time. They had an enjoyable opener with Austin being made to look credible in defeat.

Steve Maclin and Eric Young def. The System (Brian Myers and Eddie Edwards)

Maclin and Young saved Austin from a System beatdown after Moose beat Austin, but this was already announced ahead of the event, so it's not as if it was an impromptu bout. This was a good match, but it felt like an excuse to get these guys on the card since it could've easily happened on any ordinary edition of iMPACT!. Maclin and Young should their sights next on the TNA World Tag Team Championship.

TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champions Spitfire def. Ash and Heather by Elegance

I honestly haven't cared about almost anything involving the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship in years, largely because the stories surrounding them haven't been overly interesting. To the credit of these four women, though, this was a very nice match and they put forth a commendable effort. I don't know what's left for Spitfire to do as champs, so I was surprised that they retained the titles.

Tessa Blanchard def. Jordynne Grace

Blanchard received strong heat from this crowd, but I wouldn't exactly call the "You're a racist" chants encouraging. You'd think she be a bit more accountable for her actions, but there's been no sign of that yet since she returned to TNA. I haven't seen her wrestle at all since she left TNA five years ago, but she can clearly still go. This was an excellent match and Grace had a hell of a showing as well. This being Grace's TNA swan song was hardly a secret, but at least she went out on a high note.

Mike Santana def. Josh Alexander in an "I Quit" Match

The best part of this "I Quit" match was that the referee wasn't constantly asking either guy if they wanted to quit. We tend to see that a lot in "I Quit" matches in WWE, so that was refreshing. It actually made me forget that was the stipulation during the first half. This was great stuff and I loved how Santana had to dig down deep to put Alexander away. Alexander praised Santana in a post-match promo before quitting the company, which is seemingly legitimate with his contract about to expire.

TNA World Tag Team Champions The Hardys def. The Rascalz

This definitely deserved the billing of "dream match" with The Hardys and The Rascalz being two of TNA's top teams ever. The babyface vs. babyface dynamic hardly mattered as the crowd was into all of the action and it was a fun match. Not only was Nathan Frazer and Axiom showing up at ringside was a cool moment, it was subsequently announced that they'll defend the NXT Tag Team Championship against The Rascalz on Thursday's live edition of iMPACT!.

TNA Knockouts World Champion Masha Slamovich def. Rosemary in a Clockwork Orange House of Fun Match

TNA has held a handful of Clockwork Orange House of Fun matches over the years (they're a Raven specialty) and they're basically glorified No Disqualification matches. They made the stipulation matter with some sweet spots that popped an otherwise tame crowd. However, I don't blame them as there was no reason to believe Rosemary had a legitimate shot of taking the title. Cora Jade's post-match appearance was expected after the tease with her and Slamovich on Tuesday's NXT.

Joe Hendry def. Nic Nemeth to Win the TNA World Championship

What I didn't like about their original encounter at Bound for Glory was the overreliance on the nonsense with Ryan Nemeth, Frankie Kazarian and John Layfield. Although all three of them got involved again here, it felt like their roles were significantly curtailed, so that was appreciated. The crowd was hot to start, quieted down in the middle and came back alive down the stretch, especially for the nearfalls. The drama was well done and Hendry finally capturing the championship was the right call. Surely he's entering the men's Royal Rumble match in two weeks with that title, right?

Overall Show

Genesis had some last-minute buzz thanks to WWE and TNA finalizing their working agreement a few days ago. That led to fans expecting some surprises, which we got in the form of Fraxiom and Jade showing up. Even beyond that, the show itself was terrific with above-average wrestling and newsworthy moments. The crowd looked and sounded awesome throughout the night and they've generated some excitement for Thursday's live edition of iMPACT!. Grace and Alexander are obviously on their way out (and apparently PCO is also done with the promotion), so the question is whether TNA can maintain their momentum with the roster they have and bring in some fresh (or familiar) faces to fill any voids they possibly leave behind.

SEE MORE: TNA Reviews