TNA iMPACT! Review - October 24, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

A.J. Francis def. Frankie Kazarian, Sami Callihan, Laredo Kid, Jake Something and Jason Hotch in a Six-Way Match to Earn the No. 20 Spot in the Call Your Shot Battle Royal at Bound for Glory

The annual Call Your Shot Gauntlet Battle Royal always features the leftovers from the roster that aren't involved in other matches, which is why this was a rather random assortment of wrestlers. This was chaos for as long as it lasted, and thankfully, it didn't last long. Francis earning the opportunity to enter last suits him well, but I don't know why Kazarian had to take the losing fall considering he'll be the special guest referee for the TNA World Championship main event on Saturday night.

Xia Brookside and Brinley Reece Crashed Ash by Elegance and Heather Reckless' Launch Party by Elegance

I understood what this was trying to do (setting up a tag team match for the Bound for Glory pre-show) and Ash has done a nice job reinventing herself in TNA, but this did absolutely nothing for me. I dig the pairing of Ash and Reckless as it gives Reckless something to do from the get-go, but is Reece really the best representation we're going to get from WWE NXT at the event other than Wendy Choo (more on that momentarily)? That's underwhelming.

Josh Alexander def. Jonathan Gresham

I liked Gresham's backstage interview beforehand where he said he's had a rough two years and that he's finally reminded himself of who he is. Yes, Gresham lost, but only after a competitive contest. This was as well-wrestled as you'd expect and was given an ample amount of time. Plus, Alexander cheated to win, so Gresham was protected in defeat. Post-match, all of The Northern Army attacked Steve Maclin. Alexander vs. Maclin was subsequently announced for Bound for Glory, so Eric Young won't be involved after all even though he has been for most of this storyline. How strange.

Wendy Choo def. TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champion Jody Threat

Well, this came out of nowhere. I know Choo and Rosemary have been aligned for the last few months across TNA and NXT, but I don't remember them saying they had their sights set on the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship. I guess that match is now official for the card following Choo's victory here. Okay, then. This was decent for what it was but hardly anything interesting.

ABC and The Hardys def. The System (JDC, Moose and TNA World Tag Team Champions Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers)

This was fun stuff and a great way to hype the Full Metal Mayhem match coming up at Bound for Glory. The action was entertaining and everyone had a chance to shine. Although the babyfaces stood tall, we got a post-match brawl with The System getting the better of the babyfaces, including Mike Santana as he'll be facing Moose at the event. JDC being the one to take the loss here was the right call.

TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth, Joe Hendry, TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace, Masha Slamovich and Santino Marella Attacked Frankie Kazarian

This was a double contract signing for the TNA World Championship and TNA Knockouts World Championship matches at Bound for Glory. The final mic work was solid but nothing out of the ordinary. Nemeth, Henry, Grace and Slamovich all being babyfaces doesn't help, but they did attack Kazarian to close the segment, so there was that. This was your average contract signing.

Overall Show

The build for Bound for Glory has felt rushed with a handful of matches having to be added at the last minute, but as a go-home show, this was good. Most of the card was touched upon and/or hyped in some form or fashion and the wrestling was perfectly fine. The two hours weren't the most thrilling, but they accomplished what they needed to and left me looking forward to the pay-per-view.

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