TNA Sacrifice Review - March 14, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Pre-Show: First Class def. The Aztec Warriors

Aztec Warriors consisted of Laredo Kid and Octagon Jr. I don't know if they were already a team or if this is a new pairing, but they worked well together here. This was a fairly basic pre-match, but it was serviceable while it lasted and gave First Class a win. I'm surprised this wasn't advertised or built up in advance, unless it was and I just completely missed it.

Mance Warner def. Sami Callihan in a Street Fight

I liked how this technically started on the pre-show and bled into the main card. They had a GCW-style brawl, and while that isn't my cup of tea personally, the crowd sure seemed to enjoy it and at least they made the most of the stipulation. The finish felt abrupt, but Warner winning was the right call. I've never really understood his appeal, but TNA is doing what they can to get him over.

Tessa Blanchard def. Lei Ying Lee

This had to be the best bout I've ever seen Lee have. That's not to knock the work she did in WWE, but I can't remember a single one of her matches there being above average. I know she's controversial, but Blanchard is indeed excellent in the ring, so that made a big difference. This was really good stuff despite the predictable outcome. Blanchard is simply biding her time until she returns to TNA Knockouts World Championship contention.

The Rascalz and Ace Austin def. Wes Lee, Tyriek Igwe and Tyson Dupont

This was a fun match with a nice pace. The Rascalz and Austin have shown that they have great chemistry as partners and the heels played their roles well. Zachary Wentz pinning Lee for the win was fitting considering the feud they had last fall. This felt like the finale to Lee and his crew's time in TNA, but I wouldn't mind seeing them stick around for a little longer since I don't know what else they do in NXT at the moment.

Steve Maclin def. Frankie Kazarian

I figured we'd get Maclin vs. Eric Young on this show, but they're telling the story that they're not total enemies yet, so I'm glad they're holding off on it until possibly Rebellion. Thus, this match didn't mean much and could've happened on any ordinary edition of iMPACT!, but it was solid for what it was and didn't overstay its welcome. I would've cut this from the card to give the main event more time (or end the event early).

Ash and Heather by Elegance and The Personal Concierge def. Spitfire in a 3-on-2 Handicap Match; Ash and Heather by Elegance Win the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Championship

I think the idea was that by adding The Personal Concierge, viewers might think that Spitfire had a better chance of retaining because they could easily pin him, but doing this match at all made it more obvious we were getting a title change because this was at least the third matchup they've had in recent months. It was decent, but their last encounter was more enjoyable. We finally have new champs, but what other teams are left in the division for them to defend against?

Mustafa Ali def. Mike Santana

This was the show-stealer of the night for me. I've been digging their feud and they had an awesome match here that the crowd was super into. They received an ample amount of time and told a strong story. The finish may have felt cheap, but it was necessary to further the feud between the two and keep Santana in "chase mode" so to speak. It's been stressed on commentary that Santana hasn't been beaten one-on-one in months, making this moment all the more meaningful for Ali.

TNA Knockouts World Champion Masha Slamovich def. Cora Jade

I was worried that Jade wouldn't be cleared to compete after the injury scare she had on NXT last week. Thankfully, she seems to be fine. Slamovich is significantly better than Jade in the ring, but Jade held her own and they had a decent match. Slamovich wasn't going to lose her title here, so there wasn't a ton of drama with the nearfalls, but Slamovich gets a bit of a credibility boost from beating a bigger name from NXT.

TNA X-Division Champion Moose def. TNA World Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy in a Ladder Match

I'm still stunned that Hardy is wrestling in Ladder matches at this stage of his career. I get it, it's what he's known for, but there's no need for him to be brutalizing his body when he's already limited with what he can do. Nonetheless, this was a hell of a war that lived up to the stipulation. It also gave Moose a rebound win after losing to Oba Femi on Tuesday's NXT Roadblock special.

Aztec Warriors Crashed First Class Penthouse

I have to assume this existed so they could set up the cage for the main event, which is why it felt like it dragged on forever. As I've said before, it makes sense for an act like First Class to have their own talk show of sorts, but this was the third installment and none of them have been overly interesting so far. This also confirmed that their feud with Aztec Warriors isn't over, so expect a rematch on iMPACT! one of these days.

TNA World Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy, TNA World Champion Joe Hendry, Elijah, Nic Nemeth and Leon Slater def. The System (JDC, Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers) and The Colons in a Tag Team Steel Cage Match

This was basically a Lethal Lockdown match without the weapons. You could tell they were short on time because the interval of entrants felt rushed and didn't leave the match with much substance. There were some highlights during the final few minutes, but on the whole, this fell flat for me. The Nemeth brothers brutally attacking Matt Hardy to close the show actually overshadowed everything that came before it.

Overall Show

TNA typically delivers with its pay-per-views and special events, but this was more of a middle-of-the-road show in my opinion. It wasn't a waste of time by any means, but there were too many matches on the card for a three-hour event. Some of them could've been saved for iMPACT! to give the bigger bouts more time. The action was entertaining overall, so Sacrifice was still a success all things considered.

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