TNA iMPACT! Review - January 30, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

First Class Interrupted Nic Nemeth and Ryan Nemeth

This was Nic's first in-ring promo since losing the TNA World Championship at Genesis, but he didn't have a chance to say much before he was interrupted by his brother. Props to Ryan for being incredibly obnoxious, I'll give him that. It's channel-changing material for me, but I suppose that's the point. First Class coming out was whatever, but it did set up the main event tag team match for later in the night.

Cora Jade def. Hyan

Jade is clearly in line to challenge Masha Slamovich for the TNA Knockouts World Championship soon, so this was a fine first squash for her in TNA to get her closer to that opportunity. The match was exactly what it needed to be. Xia Brookside was beaten down by Jade afterward, so it appears she'll be Jade's next opponent before she takes on Slamovich.

Brian Myers def. Leon Slater

Slater managed to beat Trent Seven a few weeks ago, but otherwise, he hasn't had a whole lot of luck against Franke Kazarian and The System. I know Slater was outnumbered by The System here and thus Slater was supposed to be protected in defeat, but he needs to start winning soon. Would Myers really have been harmed by a loss? This was a nice match, though.

Mance Warner and TNA Digital Media Champion Steph De Lander Attacked Sami Callihan

This started in the back and spilled over into the ring. It was a fairly basic angle with the heels getting the better of the babyface and standing tall to end the segment. I honestly don't care about this feud, but this was a simple way to further it and Callihan is established enough in TNA that he's an easy opponent for Warner to eventually beat for an immediate credibility boost.

Mustafa Ali def. Laredo Kid

Kid was the perfect person for Ali to face in his first bout back. Kid can easily absorb the loss but can also always be counted on for a quality contest. There was zero doubt that Ali was winning here, but he and Kid had a fun sprint in the time they were allotted. There was another tease for Ali vs. Mike Santana in a post-match backstage segment, so I'm looking forward to that match.

The Northern Armory vs. Josh Alexander and Eric Young Ended in a No Contest

Young being so quick to forgive Alexander and being willing to team with him was weird to begin with, so now it makes more sense. Young attacked Alexander immediately upon tagging in, so it looks like Young will be replacing Alexander as the new leader of Northern Armory. Thus, this was more of an angle than a match, but it was well done. I guess that means Young's days of teaming with Steve Maclin are already over.

Wes Lee def. Ace Austin

Lee is one of the NXT North American Champions in recent years and Austin is one of the best TNA X-Division Champions in recent years, so this was a cool clash. Lee is the bigger star of the two, so it was logical for him to go over, but he did need help from Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe to do so. This was an enjoyable outing that sets up Austin and The Rascalz vs. Lee, Dupont and Igwe for an upcoming edition of iMPACT!.

Ryan and Nic Nemeth def. First Class

I'm sure Nic has been loving teaming with his brother, but these two teaming up is not worthy of the main event spot to me. This belonged earlier in the episode, especially since this was standard fare and featured nothing out of the ordinary aside from Ryan stealing the win from Nic. All signs point to Nic facing Ryan soon and that's a match I have no desire to see whatsoever.

Overall Show

Joe Hendry was relegated to a quick backstage segment where he announced that he'll be holding a concert next week. This show suffered from a lack of star power, but Jade and Lee being in action was notable at least along with Young's heel turn. I'd say this was a middle-of-the-road show and a definite downgrade from last week, but there was still some stuff I liked.

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