TNA iMPACT! Review - August 21, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Mike Santana Fended Off TNA World Champion Trick Williams

It was clear based on how NXT ended on Tuesday night that Santana would be next in line to challenge Williams for the NXT Championship. I was wondering how they were going to stretch out that story until Bound for Glory in October, but Williams said in this segment that he doesn't have to defend his title for another 50 days. It's a lame explanation, but I appreciate the explanation, nonetheless. Williams vs. Santana wasn't officially announced for Bound for Glory, but that appears to be the direction they're going in.

Jody Threat def. Indi Hartwell, Dani Luna, Rosemary, Xia Brookside and Killer Kelly in a TNA Knockouts World Championship No. 1 Contender's Gauntlet Match

I don't think I've ever seen a Gauntlet match end in a disqualification before, or at least the final fall. The execution was a lot better than it sounds, however, as Luna viciously attacked Hartwell, Threat and even security after she lost to Hartwell, but because she hit Threat with the chair first, Threat was technically awarded the win. I could see this turning into a three-way with Jacy Jane defending against both Threat and Hartwell, but we're already getting a three-way for the title at Heatwave this Sunday, and I'd rather they save Hartwell's shot for Bound for Glory. In that case, I hope they get Jane vs. Threat out of the way soon and don't save it for Victory Road next month. With all of that being said, this was a good Gauntlet match and Luna's long-awaited heel turn was well done.

Frankie Kazarian def. Jake Something

This stemmed from a backstage segment these two had at Emergence. They were also at odds even before the event. I thought Something might quickly dispose of Kazarian here, but I actually have no issue with Kazarian cheating to win (thus protecting Something in defeat) to extend the feud and set up a rematch. What we got from them was fine and told a simple story, but it didn't last very long.

TNA Knockouts World Champion and NXT Women's Champion Jacy Jane, TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champion Ash by Elegance and Masha Slamovich Confronted Each Other

I can only get so excited for this three-way for the TNA Knockouts World Championship at Heatwave knowing that Jane and Ash are involved and that there's virtually no chance Jane loses the title, but to their credit, they did what they could to hype up the match with their war of words here. Jane is easily the best talker of the three and did a decent job, while the other two were passable at best.

Order 4 (John Skyler, Jason Hotch and Mustafa Ali) def. The System (Brian Myers and Moose) and Matt Cardona

I'm all for Ali wrestling more main events and getting closer to TNA World Championship, though I don't know where he fits into that scene anytime soon. I still don't get why he had to lose to Cardona at Emergence, but at least he avenged that loss here with Order 4 beating him and The System. It was a quality contest and Order 4's post-match beatdown on The System effectively put more heat on them.

Overall Show

This was an entertaining post-Emergence edition of iMPACT!. The Knockouts Gauntlet ate up a ton of time and the rest of the show was solid. Thankfully, there's plenty of time until Victory Road followed by Bound for Glory, so the builds to those events (specifically the latter) shouldn't be as rushed. Ideally, TNA should use this as an opportunity to make whatever matches they're planning for Bound for Glory feel as special as possible.

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