TNA Victory Road Review - September 26, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Pre-Show: Zachary Wentz def. Cedric Alexander and Trey Miguel in a Three-Way Match

You'd think a future shot at the TNA X-Division Championship would've been on the line here, but we found out at the end of the event why that wasn't the case. Nonetheless, this was the fast-paced sprint you'd expect from these three. I figured Alexander would go over, so Wentz pinning him for the victory surprised me. That Alexander heel turn has to be imminent.

Pre-Show: A.J. Francis Attacked TNA World Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy on First Class Penthouse

I have to assume it was just Francis hosting First Class Penthouse and that it was just Matt appearing on it because Rich Swann and Jeff Hardy aren't allowed into the country due to their past legal troubles. This was actually one of the better installments of First Class Penthouse all year with Francis getting great heat from this crowd and standing tall in the end to set up a bout between them for later in the night.

The System (JDC, Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers) def. Order 4 (The Great Hands and Special Agent Zero)

This match was made official by Santino Marella on the pre-show when The System were in the ring addressing Order 4. We already know we're getting Hardcore War with The System and Order 4 at Bound for Glory, so this seemed to exist to serve as a small preview of it, get these guys on the card and further the feud. It was quick and inoffensive, so I had no issue with it.

Ash by Elegance Relinquished the TNA Knockouts World Championship; Kelani Jordan and Lei Ying Lee Were the Last Remaining Competitors in a Battle Royal to Advance to the Vacant TNA Knockouts World Championship Match

First of all, I hope everything is okay with Ash. I may not have been the biggest proponent of her being the one to take the title from Jacy Jane, but it's bummer her reign as to be cut short. Not only that, but she heavily implied her in-ring days might be over permanently, so all the best to her. TNA obviously had to change plans quickly and the impromptu Battle Royal with the last two remaining competitors facing each other in a one-on-one match later in the show was what they came up with. This was an extremely flat Battle Royal, but it's hard to hate on it considering the circumstances.

The Home Town Man and Matt Cardona def. The Nemeths

I'm sorry but this was not a match worthy of the main card. I understand TNA wants to get guys like Cardona and Nic Nemeth on the show, but this felt like a waste of time even though it was logical given The Nemeths have made enemies out of Cardona and Home Town Man recently. This was a basic bout, but I don't understand what this was supposed to accomplish with the heels attacking the babyfaces afterward.

Mike Santana def. Ridge Holland

Holland randomly returned to television not too long ago to attack Santana. I forgot he was even still on the NXT roster. They rushed into this match by announcing it at the last minute, so Holland didn't feel like a threat whatsoever. It was an average outing, but at least Santana won ahead of his TNA World Championship clash with Trick Williams at Bound for Glory. Speaking of Williams, he attacked Santana afterward.

Mustafa Ali def. Moose to Earn the Hardcore War Advantage for Order 4 at Bound for Glory

I'm sure it's happened before, but I can't think of a single time where the babyface team has ever gotten the advantage for a Lethal Lockdown or Hardcore War match in TNA. The heels having the advantage is always the way to go and I'm glad they didn't deviate from that formula here. This was a good match with some strong nearfalls and Tasha Steelz's interference being what cost Moose the win.

Joe Hendry def. Eric Young

This feud has been paint-by-numbers stuff, but at least they blew it off on one of the monthly events and not on television. There would have been nothing wrong with doing the latter, but it gave Hendry an excuse to make the Victory Road card. This was serviceable albeit nothing out of the ordinary. Hendry winning decisively means both guys should be able to move on, but I suspect we get some sort of a stipulation match at Bound for Glory because I don't know what else Hendry does there otherwise.

TNA World Tag Team Champion Matt Hardy def. A.J. Francis in a Tables Match

I would have rather this been saved for Thursday's iMPACT!, but as I alluded to earlier, it was probably a situation where officials wanted Hardy to compete on the card, even if it wasn't crucial in my opinion. They had a decent match and the crowd was hot for Hardy. The Hardys will have a Tables matchup with Team 3D at Bound for Glory, so this a warm-up of sorts for Hardy.

Kelani Jordan def. Lei Ying Lee to Win the Vacant TNA Knockouts World Championship (Indi Hartwell Served as Special Guest Referee)

Ash was supposed to defend her title on this show against Masha Slamovich before Slamovich was pulled because of domestic abuse allegations and Ash had to relinquish the title for a different reason, so this had very little going for it. Both women are talented, but they simply didn't click her and Hartwell didn't serve much of a purpose as the referee (she was supposed to ref Ash vs. Slamovich and they just kept her in the role for the replacement match). The noticeable botch at ringside didn't help, either. Congrats to Jordan, but the belt is back on an NXT wrestler after only a month. It's a mess of a situation, but not one TNA planned for.

Frankie Kazarian def. Steve Maclin to Win the TNA International Championship

It's unfortunate because this was a well-worked match yet it sounded like the crowd sat on their hands for a majority of it. Both guys are pros and I appreciate how the International title has been used since its inception earlier this year, but apparently the crowd didn't care all that much. Kazarian getting his moment was cool, but Judas Mesias being back in TNA is intriguing (I personally loved his time as Mil Muertes in Lucha Underground).

TNA X-Division Champion Leon Slater def. Myron Reed

Although this wasn't main event material from a storyline standpoint (Reed became number one contender a few weeks ago and that's about it), they made the correct choice by having it close the show seeing as how it was the best bout on the entire show. Reed didn't have a shot of winning, mind you, but this was still a very entertaining outing. Post-match, it was revealed that NXT's Je'Von Evans will challenge Slater for the title at Bound for Glory, which should be a spectacle.

Overall Show

Man, this show had way too many matches. It was an eventful evening with Ash's announcement, two new champions being crowned and a major match announcement for Bound for Glory, but the crowd died early on and never really recovered. To a degree, I don't blame them because most of these matchups could've happened on iMPACT!. It didn't make for an exciting show, but there was some quality wrestling and I get that Bound for Glory is what they're building toward in two weeks.

SEE MORE: TNA Reviews