TNA Thursday Night iMPACT! Review - January 29, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Alisha Edwards Refused to Join The System

This was The System's grand explanation for exiling Moose and betraying JDC. I don't believe we heard from Bear Bronson, so he felt like an afterthought here. It was a solid segment to establish this new version of the group. Alisha said her contract is coming up and she isn't willing to join them, so we'll see if that's legitimate or if it turns out to be a ruse (didn't they do something similar when Eddie was in Honor No More?).

Nic Nemeth def. B.D.E.

B.D.E. has been impressive since debuting in TNA and Nemeth was the perfect opponent for him here. Nemeth sold his offense exceptionally well, making it feel like B.D.E. was on the verge of picking up the upset win on a few occasions. Since Nemeth is still in possession of the Call Your Shot Trophy, it made sense for him to win, but B.D.E. lost absolutely nothing in defeat.

Ryan Nemeth Attacked Mara Sade

For as little as I've cared about this feud, it was logical to do this segment in front of the crowd considering Sade is apparently from the area. Nemeth once again got the better of her, so this is clearly leading to her giving him his comeuppance. The only issue with that is that their last match was pretty poor and I don't have faith that the rematch will be much better, but perhaps they'll surprise me.

TNA International Champion Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo def. The Home Town Man (Non-Title)

I'm actually amazed Home Town Man has managed to maintain his popularity for this long. He's a fun undercard gimmick that can win matches that don't matter and lose to stars higher up on the card. Lorenzo is one of those people, even though there isn't anything remotely interesting or special about him. This match just sort of served as a backdrop for whatever they're doing with Arianna Grace and Santino Marella.

Elijah def. Jason Hotch

Elijah and Mustafa Ali are still feuding, so Elijah knocked off another member of Order 4 here before he gets his rematch with Ali. Hotch is indeed a "good hand," so I'm glad he wasn't straight-up squashed by Elijah and instead scored some offense. Ali ultimately losing to Elijah seems like a step backward for him assuming that's where this is leading, but it's nothing Ali can't bounce back from.

Elayna Black def. Ruthie Jay

This was Black's first match in TNA since being signed, and it was exactly what it needed to be with her going over decisively and quickly. She wasn't really known for having blow-away matches during her time in NXT, but she will absolutely stand out from a character standpoint. We have yet to see who she'll feud with first, but we probably won't have to wait long to find out.

Rich Swann def. A.J. Francis in a No Holds Barred Match

The match these two had at Genesis exceeded my expectations, so I was happy their rematch was slotted in the main event of this show. They made the most of the stipulation and had the crowd with them the entire time. Francis always plays his role well and Swann reminded fans what he's capable of. I'm skeptical that this win for Swann will be capitalized on, but at least it was an entertaining main event.

Overall Show

The contents of each Feast or Fired case were also revealed: Eddie Edwards got the TNA World Championship shot, Trey Miguel got the TNA International Championship shot, Eric Young got a TNA X-Division Championship shot, and Steve Maclin got fired. I'm not sure if Maclin's firing is legitimate or not, but I could believe it since his contract expired recently and the extension he signed may have been brief. Nonetheless, this was another enjoyable edition of iMPACT!. There was basic storyline development and average action. This and last were were more in line with what TNA was producing on AXS TV, not whatever that trash was they did for the AMC premiere.

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