TNA Hard to Kill Review - January 13, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Pre-Show: Steve Maclin def. Rich Swann

It's pretty astounding that Maclin went from being one of their best built talents in recent IMPACT history to being a total afterthought (though I guess you can say the same thing about Swann, another former world champion). Hey, at least he won here, but I hope they can build him back up again. These two have always had quality chemistry, so this was the nice pre-show opener you'd expect from them.

Pre-Show: AJ Francis and DJ Whoo Kid Attacked Joe Hendry

Francis and Kid were already advertised coming into the event, but it wasn't known what they'd be doing. Francis cut a heel promo about how much money he made during his football days before being interrupted by Hendry, who played one of his clever songs on the big screen and the crowd popped big for it. With Francis standing tall over Hendry, does this mean TNA will sign Francis, or will their inevitable match just be a one-off for him?

Pre-Show: The System (Brian Myers and Eddie Edwards) def. TNA Originals

Frankie Kazarian and Eric Young made up TNA Originals, while The System is a new faction consisting of Myers, Edwards, Alisha Edwards, Moose and DeAngelo Williams. The latter is a lame name, but oh well. Apparently Williams had an IMPACT stint back in 2018, but I have no recollection of that whatsoever. TNA have always loved their heel stables, so we'll see if this sticks. They picked up their first win here, and it was fine because Young and Kazarian aren't an actual team, anyway. This was well wrestled while it lasted.

Pre-Show: Crazzy Steve def. Tommy Dreamer in a No Disqualification Match to Win the TNA Digital Media Championship

I was wondering a few months ago why Steve didn't beat Dreamer for the title when he first contended for it. Better late than never, I suppose. Thankfully, this was the only hardcore match on the whole and it was relegated to the pre-show. It was a perfectly passable garbage brawl that hid Dreamer's weaknesses. Steve hasn't held gold in TNA in almost seven years, so this was well deserved.

Gisele Shaw def. Tasha Steelz, Alisha Edwards, Jody Threat, Xia Brookside and Dani Luna in an TNA Knockouts World Championship No. 1 Contender's Ultimate X Match

The Knockouts division should be as big of a part of this new era for TNA as it has been in the past. TNA has a ton of talented ladies and this essentially served as a showcase for them. It was far from the best Ultimate X match I've ever seen, but I applaud their effort. I appreciate Shaw winning because she's lost a lot in the last year or two. Plus, it was announced Brookside has officially signed with TNA and she's a welcome addition to the division.

PCO def. Dirty Dango by Disqualification; PCO, Jake Something, and Rhino def. Dirty Dango, Oleg Prudius and Alpha Bravo

PCO vs. Dango barely got going before Bravo interfered and the referee called for the bell. Santino Marella then turned it into a six-man match tag team match also involving Rhino and Something. Honestly, I don't know what purpose this was supposed to serve other than getting these guys on the show. This was total filler, but it did act as a buffer following the Ultimate X opener. Something should be doing something more meaningful in the new year.

Decay def. MK Ultra to Win the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship

Decay hasn't been gone long enough in my opinion for this to feel like a major return, but the Courtney Rush and Jessicka Havoc stuff wasn't for me personally and never really felt like it clicked, so it was the right call to have them revert to their original personas. The title change then begs the question, what's going to be different about the Knockouts tag team division with them as champs this time? There aren't a ton of teams and there never any notable stories attached to the matches. This was decent and the crowd was happy with the title change, but I have no idea what you do with these teams from here unless they feud for a bit.

Scott D'Amore and Dorian Roldan Announced a TNA-AAA Partnership

I though this would be where the big signing revealed, but they were wise to keep people waiting. I got excited when D'Amore mentioned TNA's history of working with other companies, but AAA being their new partner was underwhelming. I can't even say "new" because TNA has been working with AAA for years, that's why we've seen guys like Black Taurus and Laredo Kid being used. It's definitely a positive, but I'm not sure it was worth making a big deal of here since it was already assumed to be a thing for most people.

TNA X-Division Champion Chris Sabin de. Kushida and AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo in a Three-Way Match (AAA Mega Championship Was Not Defended)

TNA has been known for its X-Division spot-fests since its inception and this did not disappoint. Despite the lack of story, this was quite the thrilling three-way with everyone getting a chance to shine. Sabin and Kushida getting to mix it up as opponents for a change was cool and Vikingo was a highlight reel per usual. Fingers crossed this won't be the last time we get to see Vikingo in a TNA ring.

Josh Alexander def. Alex Hammerstone

This was a match I never thought about ever happening, but I'm glad we got it. They've been waving the flag for their respective promotions for so long now that this felt like a "dream match" (and I know that phrase has been overused by fans) for anyone who has followed their work in TNA and MLW. They had a top-notch main event and hopefully anyone not familiar with Hammerstone prior to this pay-per-view left impressed with what they saw. Hammerstone losing his TNA debut was questionable, but it depends on whether he's signed full-time to TNA or not.

TNA World Tag Team Champions ABC def. The Rascalz, The Grizzled Young Veterans, and "Speedball" Mike Bailey & Laredo Kid in a Four-Way Tag Team Match

Trent Seven, who debuted for TNA at Final Resolution last month, was supposed to team with Bailey here, but apparently travel issues prevented him from attending, so Laredo was his replacement. This was all action and everyone worked well together. ABC just regained the gold at Bound for Glory and thus them retaining was the correct outcome, but I'd really like to see more from them and Grizzled Young Veterans (assuming they're sticking around and this wasn't just a one-off).

Jordynne Grace def. Trinity to Win the TNA Knockouts World Championship

This was the Call Your Shot title opportunity Grace earned back at Bound for Glory. With it being recently reported that Trinity is due back in WWE soon, it was fairly obvious she'd lose the title here, but that didn't make her nearfalls any less suspenseful. They had a damn good match. If this was it for Trinity in TNA, she went out on a high note. Ash by Elegance, formerly known as Dana Brooke in WWE, was shown watching from ringside. The new gimmick is a refreshing change of pace for her and TNA was a logical landing spot.

Moose def. Alex Shelley to Win the TNA World Championship; Nic Nemeth Debuted

This was Moose's Feast or Fired title shot. I can't say I saw Moose as a legitimate threat to the championship coming into the show considering he's been a midcard guy since dropping the belt two years ago and this had very little build due to TNA not running any shows for the last month or so, but they had an enjoyable main event, nonetheless. That's why I was surprised when Moose won. It made more sense afterward when Nemeth arrived, as it looks like that's what they'll be building to, likely in time for their next big pay-per-view (Rebellion in April). Nemeth's debut got a great reaction and I'm excited to see what he'll do in this new environment.

Overall Show

All eyes were on TNA tonight (or at least most eyes, because AEW and NJPW ran shows that aired opposite of this) and I thought it largely lived up to the hype. The wrestling delivered, we were treated to plenty of fresh faces, and it indeed felt like a "new era" for the company. Of course, whether they can maintain this momentum is the million dollar question. I have faith that they can because TNA/IMPACT has been putting out a consistently solid product for years now. They just need more people to give them a chance. All in all, Hard to Kill was a successful reboot show for TNA.

SEE MORE: TNA Reviews