TNA Slammiversary Review - July 20, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Pre-Show: Tasha Steelz def. Xia Brookside, Gisele Shaw and Faby Apache in a Four-Way Match

This must have been a last-minute addition to the pre-show because I don't remember it being announced, but it did manage to get more female representation on the card. Despite nothing being on the line, it was well-worked four way. I wasn't a fan of the outcome, though. I know Shaw wasn't pinned, but she just came back and is building momentum. Why give the win to Steelz, who isn't involved in anything at the moment and has been spinning her wheels for a while?

Pre-Show: KUSHIDA def. Rich Swann

Kushida was originally scheduled to face Jonathan Gresham, but travel issues prevented Gresham from making it, so Swann was his replacement opponent. Kushida debuted a new look, much like Gresham did when he returned a few months ago. It's definitely a different approach, but not nearly as goofy as what Gresham is doing at the moment. This was a nice little match and win for Kushida.

Pre-Show: TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champions Masha Slamovich and Alisha Edwards def. Spitfire

Slamovich and Edwards joining forces a few months felt like an easy way to get more gold in The System, but to their credit, they've gelled really well as partners so far. In fact, this exceeded expectations. They had a quality contest and worked a good pace. I didn't really care who won because the belts largely mean nothing at this point, but Slamovich and Edwards getting a slightly longer run is fine by me.

Pre-Show: Eric Young def. Hammerstone

Being a TNA original from Canada, it made sense to get Young on the card in some capacity, even if it was for a random match with Hammerstone. It's been a few months since we last saw Hammerstone if I remember correctly and this was a cold reintroduction for him. He and Young had a basic bout that ended abruptly, not to mention that he lost. Hammerstone's TNA run has definitely been a disappointment so far.

Matt Hardy def. JDC

This stemmed from JDC attacking Jeff Hardy on Thursday's iMPACT! and being responsible for Reby Hardy being taken out backstage. Matt Hardy has been feuding with The System since he returned to TNA in April, but his feud with JDC felt rushed because all of that happened two days ago. Getting this out of the way early was smart because the crowd was hot for Hardy. It was a quick and basic bout with Hardy getting his revenge.

ABC def. The System (Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers) to Win the TNA World Tag Team Championship

It was ABC who The System defeated to become TNA World Tag Team Champions earlier this year, and if it wasn't going to be The Hardys (Jeff Hardy can't compete in Canada due to his past legal troubles), ABC getting the belts back was the next logical move. Both of these teams are terrific, so as expected, they had a very enjoyable outing. Maybe we get The Hardys vs. ABC at Bound for Glory if The Hardys are around until then?

Mike Santana def. Jake Something

There were some random additions to the pre-show, but that was understandable because it was just the pre-show. This was equally random and should've gotten at least some build on iMPACT! coming into this event if it was going to happen on the main card. It was essentially a showcase for two guys who have potential and should be doing more of note at the moment. They made the most of their time and had a solid match.

The Rascalz (Wes Lee, Zachary Wentz and Trey Miguel) def. No Quarter Catch Crew (Charlie Dempsey, Myles Borne and Tavion Heights)

It was awesome enough that we got a Rascalz reunion on WWE NXT this past week, but it was even more awesome that they reunited where it all started in TNA. They had three skilled opponents in No Quarter Catch Crew, so it was a great match. They went all out and the crowd ate up everything The Rascalz did. I hope this isn't the end of their reunion run, but if it is, I'm happy that we got it in both WWE and TNA.

PCO de. A.J. Francis in a Montreal Street Fight to Win the TNA Digital Media Championship and International Heavyweight Wrestling Championship

The Montreal Street Fight stipulation was added earlier in the day and it definitely benefited from it. There was plenty of shenanigans, but it was consistently entertaining and both guys put forth a hell of an effort. I'll never understand why PCO still takes the crazy bumps that he does at his age, but it was certainly cool that he got his moment in his hometown of Montreal. The stuff with the International Heavyweight Wrestling Championship did nothing for me personally, but the commentators did an effective job of telling viewers of why it was important to PCO.

TNA Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace def. Ash by Elegance

Needless to say, this was probably the best match of Ash's career, including her lengthy stint in WWE. To be fair, she hasn't many high-profile matches, but she had an impressive performance and it was better than I thought it would be. Ash has been obsessed with Grace and the TNA Knockouts World Championship since debuting back at Hard to Kill in January, so I assumed it was likely she'd win. Thankfully, that was not the case and Grace's reign continues.

"Speedball" Mike Bailey def. Mustafa Ali to Win the TNA X-Division Championship

Ali has played his role perfectly since coming into the company and Bailey was an excellent foil for him here being the Canadian hero. Ali attempted to pull out all the stops to steal the win yet Bailey successfully overcame every obstacle, including Ali trying to get longtime TNA referee Earl Hebner to screw over Bailey a la the Montreal Screwjob. There have been a thousand different versions of the Montreal Screwjob in the last 27 years, including in TNA, but I thought that was clever.

Nic Nemeth def. Frankie Kazarian, Josh Alexander, Joe Hendry, Moose and Steve Maclin in a Six-Way Elimination Match to Win the TNA World Championship

Adding the elimination stipulation was a smart call as it made the match more suspenseful and dragged out the drama. Maclin getting eliminated first was predictable and he didn't have a chance to do much before that, but Hendry eliminating Moose before getting eliminated by Alexander was well done. If Hendry's going to be a top-level babyface going forward as he should be, then turning Alexander heel was the way to go. You'd think it'd come down to Alexander and Nemeth in that case, but Nemeth got rid of Alexander and I don't think anyone actually thought Kazarian would win. Despite that, this delivered as the main event and the title change closed out the night on a high note.

Overall Show

Four championships changed hands and now every champion except for the TNA Knockouts World Tag Team Champions is a babyface. The System needed to get their comeuppance eventually and Slammiversary was a fitting place for it to happen. I can see some people being bothered that Hendry didn't capture the TNA World Championship, but if the idea is for him to chase it going into Bound for Glory, I have no issue with them not wanting to rush it. The Montreal crowd was hot throughout the night and it was a strong show on the whole.

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