TNA iMPACT! Review - August 22, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Hammerstone def. Kushida and Frankie Kazarian in a Three-Way Match to Qualify for the TNA X-Division Championship Ultimate X Match at Emergence

I wasn't sure what kind of chemistry these three would have, but this ended up being a pretty fun three-way. Then again, I should've expected that given the level of talent involved. Hammerstone obviously isn't your average X-Division wrestler, but he'll bring a different dynamic to that Ultimate X match for sure. Post-match, Kushida attacked Kushida, so those two might be feuding coming out of this.

Rosemary def. TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champion Alisha Edwards

It looked like Rosemary was headed for another match with Jordynne Grace for the TNA Knockouts World Championship, but now I'm not so sure. A three-way with Ash by Elegance would've made sense, so why is Rosemary getting involved with the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champions instead? At the very least, this was perfectly fine and it gave Rosemary a win.

TNA Digital Media Champion and International Heavyweight Wrestling Champion PCO, Rhino and Xia Brookside def. Madman Fulton, Kon and Steph De Lander

Matt Cardona was supposed to team with De Lander and a partner of his choosing, but he declared beforehand that he was giving the two open spots to Kon and the returning Fulton. That should've automatically given away the outcome given that they're two giant jobbers, but this worked well with the story they were trying to tell. The babyfaces had to fight from underneath and it made for an enjoyable outing.

Laredo Kid def. Jai Vidal and Bhupinder Gujjar in a Three-Way Match to Qualify for the TNA X-Division Championship Ultimate Match at Emergence

While this was the weakest of all the Ultimate X qualifiers we've gotten, there wasn't anything technically wrong with it. I just didn't have a strong desire to see any of them advance. Kid is the most relevant of the three as a former TNA Digital Media Champion (where the hell has Gujjar been?!) and he's a nice addition to Ultimate X, but he has zero chance of winning. At least this was all action and they made the most of their time.

Jonathan Gresham def. NXT Heritage Cup Champion Charlie Dempsey (Non-Title)

I'm glad we're getting more of Dempsey in TNA despite No Quarter Catch Crew losing to The Rascalz in TNA. He's been all over the place this past year and is gaining awesome experience and exposure in the process. Gresham was the perfect opponent for him and they put on a wrestling clinic like I hoped they would. The finish came out nowhere, but I'm not complaining because of how it was executed. Fingers crossed there's more matches to come between them.

The Hardys def. JDC and Moose

I didn't love the match The Hardys had with The System prior to Slammiversary, but this was much better. They came off as more motivated and worked with a sense of urgency. This was an entertaining main event and The Hardys winning was the right call. Mike Santana and Joe Hendry made the save for The Hardys afterward, and it was announced shortly thereafter that the bayfaces will battle The System and JDC in an eight-man tag team match at Emergence.

Overall Show

iMPACT! continues to have a strong flow heading into Emergence. I don't know what's going on in the Knockouts division, but the top storylines have my interest and they're building toward the event effectively. None of the matches stood out in a major way, but there was some quality wrestling and storyline progression throughout. This was a thumbs-up episode capped off by a hot brawl.

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