Ciocco’s TNA Impact Review 4.30.26

Impact Zone! It’s Thursday night, and that can only mean one thing, and that’s a brand-new edition of TNA Impact, coming to us from the taped sessions that took place in Syracuse, New York! Tonight, the TNA International Title will be on the line, and we will also walk with Elijah (both literally and figuratively speaking).

Last week on Impact, Mustafa Ali rolled out the International Title Summit, and living up to the title’s name, he ran a simulation to see which country would send someone to face him for the title. The screen landed on Australia, and Adam Brooks just happened to be there to represent The Land Down Under. Can Brooks pull off the upset and make Ali a short-lived Champion, or will Ali make his first successful defense of his newly won belt?

The feud between Elijah and The King of TNA Frankie Kazarian has been one of the best things going in TNA, and to add fuel to that fire last week, Frankie dressed up as Elijah and tried to perform his concert. The real Elijah showed up, performed a song for us, and challenged Frankie to a Walk with Elijah match for tonight. Will Frankie do the walk better than Elijah, or will Elijah do the walk that he does best?

Last week, Matt Hardy and Dutch went head-to-head with both Jeff Hardy and Vincent banned from ringside. Despite this, Vincent still managed to show up and help Dutch defeat Matt, so that leads us to the other half of the equation, as Jeff Hardy will face Vincent. Can Jeffery Nero Hardy extract revenge for his older brother, or will Vincent continue to get further into the heads of the Hardy’s?

Last week, The Elegance Brand approached Daria Rae about getting Mr. Elegance a match in Syracuse, and Rae has delivered, as Mr. Elegance has been booked to face the Hometown Man. Knowing that the HTM is from his hometown in Syracuse, that will certainly be a lot for Mr. Elegance to overcome. Will Mr. Elegance be able to pick up the win in hostile territory, or will the HTM make his hometown proud and defeat the arrogant one?

The undead realm has once again been opened up, and this time, it’s managed to bring Tessa Blanchard, Victoria Crawford, Mila Moore, and Mara Sade into the darkness that was previously occupied by the likes of Rosemary, Allie, Abyss, and Father James Mitchell. This time, they bring the tensions from darkness into the light when they meet in a six-knockouts match tonight. Can Tessa and company overcome the undead and unstable, or can Rosemary and her group continue to spook out their enemies?

We will also hear from our X-Division Champion Leon Slater tonight, as we surely will get an update on his plans moving forward in regard to his X-Title. All of this and, of course, so much more in store for us tonight!

So, how is everyone doing on this Thursday evening? I’m elated and can finally breath after the Flyers shut the door on the Penguins after going up 3-0 and allowing Pittsburgh to win games four and five. I’m not sure that we can beat Carolina, but this season has already been a rollicking success in my book. Far more than I can say for some of my other teams.

But, enough about me and enough about you, let’s get ready to brace for Impact!

Tonight’s episode of Impact comes to us from the Syracuse Sessions. Tom Hannifan and Matt Rehwoldt are on the call tonight.

Video package to open the show, as we see action from the matches and segments from last week’s episode of Impact.

Title sequence start! I’M READY FOR YOU!

The Righteous are coming! Tom and Matt shill A-Prime as we build up suspense for Jeff Hardy’s entrance. Suffice to say, it sounds like WWE 2009 all over again. It’s probably the theme song, though.

Jeff Hardy vs. Vincent

Hardy rushes Vincent before the bell and tackles him to the ground. Vincent tries to fight back, but Hardy smacks him one and hits a Snapmare into a PK. Hardy to the top, but Vincent gets the hell out of dodge. Well, for a minute, at least, as Hardy leaps from the apron with a flying clothesline. hardy returns Vincent to the ring, but Vincent with a kick to the gut and a hammer throw. Hardy has his kick caught, but he hits the spin around kick. Hardy to the top, but Vincent drops Hardy on his jewels.

Both men end up on the floor, where Vincent rams Jeff into the ring apron a couple of times before returning him to the ring. LET’S GO HARDY chants as Vincent throws Hardy down by his hair and stretches Hardy out over his knee. Hardy fights free, but Vincent grabs ahold of Jeff by the belt, so Hardy hits a jawbreaker. Punches from both men followed by a mid-ring crossbody collision.

Both men get to their feet, Hardy fires up with a clothesline, back elbow, inverted atomic drop, double leg drop to the dick, low kick, and elbow drop. All of that gets him a two. Hardy looking Twist of Fate, but Jeff’s lower back gives out. Vincent looking Tornado DDT, but Hardy blocks it and hits the Twist of Fate! The cover, but Vincent kicks out at two. Hardy with the Side Russian leg sweep and a stack of Vincent’s legs, but he still kicks out at two.

Vincent begs off, but Hardy rushes Vincent to the corner. Vincent is able to counter with a roll-up for a two. Hardy hooks Vincent and hits a front face suplex. Vincent rolls away, as Hardy heads to the corner. Whatever he was looking to do, Vincent didn’t let him do it, as he lands shots to the lower back and a side suplex for a two.

Vincent heads to the top now, but the lights go out, AND BROKEN MATT HARDY IS HERE! This excites Vincent! Matt threatens to DELETE him, the lights go out again, and Vincent is now on the mat, and Jeff is on the top rope! Swanton Bomb, and Jeff wins it!
WINNER: Jeff Hardy
TIME: 7:50
THOUGHTS: The match felt like it was moving in super slow motion, until Broken Matt Hardy showed up to throw off Vincent. Not bad, but not great.
RATING: ***

Post-match, Dutch is here to collect Vincent, who looks shocked and babbles to Dutch, who wags his tongue.

Gia Miller has the King of TNA Frankie Kazarian in the back! Gia goes over the rules of the match and wants to know how Frankie is approaching this match. Frankie says the same way that he has been for over 20 years. Just like when he was in the first Ultimate X-Division match, the first ever Asylum match, he’s won them and tonight, we will be walking with the King!

Hannifan runs over the remainder of the show’s matches for tonight. Mustafa Ali will defend his International Title against Adam Brooks next!

Commercial break, as we revisit Sting and Mick Foley inside the Lockdown cage.

Tom promotes Mackenzie Mitchell’s book as we return from break.

Shill for TNAMerch.com incoming!

It’s time to take this around the world!

TNA International Title Match: Mustafa Ali (C) W/Order 4 and his Security Goons vs. Adam Brooks

The bell rings, and Ali takes a headlock straight away. Shoulder tackle, leapfrog, a second leapfrog, and a snap Rana from Ali. He pats Brooks on the head, so Brooks tries to charge Ali, but Ali escapes and hits a running single leg dropkick. Brooks turns the tables with a big boot.

Brooks ducks Ali and hits another boot. Ali off the ropes, but Brooks with a back body drop. Ali ducks Brooks, who slides out of the ring, but Adam with punches to Ali. In and out by Ali around the ring post, so Brooks tries it, only to find out that Ali is much better at it, as he hits a DDT. Ali returns Brooks to the ring, rolls into the ring, and hits a rolling neck breaker, but Brooks kicks out at two.

Ali with a headlock, but Brooks gets to his feet. Reversals ensue, but Ali scores with a DDT. Ali mocks Brooks and paint brushes him with his boot. Ali looking powerbomb, but Brooks escapes and hits an enziguri. Bell Clap from Ali, but Brooks smacks Ali when he comes down from the top rope. Ali to the floor, as Brooks hits a Tope Suicida!

Ali returns to the ring, and he catches Brooks with a thrust kick. Ali to the top, but Brooks traps Ali and hits the Cheeky Nandos! Powerbomb from Brooks followed by Ushi-Guroshi! The cover, but Ali kicks out at two. Brooks has Ali in his sights, but Ali slides out of the ring, and Brooks crashes into the corner. Ali taunts Carlos Silva, who is at ring side, and heads back to the ring, where he hits a 450 Splash to retain the title.
WINNER: Mustafa Ali (Still Champion)
TIME: 5:55
THOUGHTS: Well, Ali wasn’t messing around here. Brooks looked okay, but Ali was the star of the match, as usual.
RATING: ***1/4

Post-match, Silva presents Ali with his title, and he parades around ring side with it.

Eric Young with a promo. He says that EC3 hasn’t changed, but EY feels like he has changed. He’s become more pure, more violent, more intense. It looks like you are sticking around for a while, so let’s settle this on AMC next week. Ethan Carter versus Eric Young, and we will see who the better man really is.

The Six-knockouts tag match is up next!

Commercial break, as we explore Team 3D and BEER…MONEY inside the cage.

Shill for Slammiversary, Sunday, June 28th in Boston, Mass!

Diamonds are forever!

Tessa Blanchard, Victoria Crawford, and Mila Moore vs. Mara Sade, Rosemary, and Allie

The bell rings, and Rosemary and Crawford will start this off. Rosemary scares Victoria so much that she drops Allie and Mara from the apron. Rosemary with a hammer throw to Crawford and a running clothesline. T-Bone Suplex from Rosemary. Crawford stumbles to the corner, where Allie bites her! The heels end up on the floor, and Sade hits the top rope and nails all of them with a crossbody!

Rosemary returns Crawford to the ring, who lounges for a tag, but Rosemary pins her for a two. Rosemary with a shoulder tackle, and Crawford tags in Moore. Sade gets the tag, and Mara with some gymnastics and a dropkick to Moore. Mila to her feet, but Sade with a baseball slide. She leaps to the apron, but Moore trips her up on the apron. Moore stomps on Sade and returns her to the ring. Two quick covers, two kickouts by Sade. Moore stomps on her and tags Crawford back in. Sade kicks Moore away and hits a corner charge to Crawford.

Rosemary is back, and she hits one charge, but the second one misses. Crawford with a Northern Lights Bridge for a two. Blanchard is in the match for the first time. She clubs Rosemary in the back and taunts Allie and Mara. Tessa gets a two off the pin, so she hits a snapmare into a dropkick to the back of Rosemary for another two. The heels work quick tags and isolate Rosemary in their part of town. Blanchard chokes Rosemary with her boot and then distracts the ref, allowing Moore and Crawford to choke out Rosemary. Abrupt cut to break was abrupt.

Quick break was quick, as we return to see Rosemary still in peril. Moore trips up Rosemary, but Rosemary kicks Moore away and Allie is in the match! She takes out both Moore and Crawford and hits a DVD to Blanchard, who kicks out at two. Allie screams and heads to the top, as does Rosemary. Double tarantulas to Crawford and Blanchard! Moore gets the tag, but Sade wipes her out with a crossbody. Allie with the Codebreaker to Moore, and she wins it for her team!
WINNERS: Rosemary, Allie, and Mara Sade
TIME: 8:15
THOUGHTS: That was pretty fun. Low-key, I’m happy to see Allie back in the ring again, and Rosemary and her history was always fun to explore.
RATING: ***1/2

The Bio Flex injury report is here!

Mike Santana and Rich Swann are both feeling the effects of their match last week. They are both cleared, but they are getting the night off

Trey Miguel remains sidelined with a knee laceration. We will know more when an update is available

Both Elijah and Frankie have been evaluated and are good to go for the main event tonight

Matt runs down the rest of the card, leading to a break this time, for real.

Santino Marella is here LIVE (Via Satellite) from Mississauga, Ontario, and he has good news! As of five minutes ago, he is no longer suspended! There was a star witness who stepped up, and he thanks them for that. So, he is in the clear, and he is back in business. There will be no more funny business now. Leon Slater and Moose against the System? That’s not even Steven, so Moose and Slater will face Eddie Eddie and Cedric Alexander. And Nic Nemeth and KC Navarro will get a tag team title shot against The System! And next week, Lei Ying Lee will face Ariana Grace for the Knockouts Title, and Xia Brookside’s broad side is banned from ringside! And as for that star witness, here she is, Indi Hartwell!

Hartwell is here in the arena with a mic! She’s back! Can you believe that Santino and she were unjustly suspended? I know, I know, but the board listened to them, and not Daria Rae. She knows Lei Ying Lee is getting her title shot next week, but title or no title, she isn’t done with Ariana Grace.

Mike Santana is in the back. Last week, Rich Swann and him showed what it meant to represent the three letters of TNA. Nic Nemeth is here. He tells Santana to settle down, because he has a tag team title shot next week, but once he is tag team champion, he will call his shot for Mike’s World Title. And Nic will have everything while Santana will have, well, nothing!

Mr. Elegance and the Hometown Man are up next after the break!

Promo for Lockdown, taking place August 23rd, from Chicago, Ill!

Daria Rae is talking to someone on a laptop in the back. She gets clarification about Santino and Indi’s suspensions and all of the matches that he made. Indi Hartwell is here, and she wants to make nice with Daria. Rae says she knows that the star witness was Indi (I mean, no shit, Santino just said that) and she better watch her back.

The Personal Concierge is here to rizz up Mr. Elegance ahead of his match.

Mr. Elegance vs. The Hometown Man

HTM is out in a Syracuse Orange basketball jersey. Missed a chance to wear a Donovan McNabb football jersey lol.

The bell rings, and Mr. Elegance says hold on! He needs to be elegant! HTM grabs his arm and wrenches on it. Elegance to the mask, but HTM with arm drags. Elegance again goes back to the mask, and he kicks HTM in the corner. Elegance with a leapfrog and he poses and turns right into a Hometown dropkick! Stomps in the corner, as the HTM gets his hometown fans behind him! Elegance to the floor, HTM gives chase, and Elegance catches him with a dropkick in the ring. HTM turns the tables and, by extension, turns Elegance around in an Airplane Spin into a TKO!

Elegance crawls to the ropes, where HTM mounts him and punches him in front of the Elegance girls. HTM misses from the top, and Elegance with a spinebuster! Running shoulder tackle from the Elegant one, and another running shoulder tackle to follow. He grounds HTM with shoot style knees and he rubs the masked face of HTM into the mat. Elegance grabs HTM and chokes him with his leg against the ropes while the Elegance girls mock HTM. Maggie shoves the jersey in his face, in front of the ref, and he doesn’t throw her out lol.

HTM gets fired up, BROTHER! Big punches with the jersey wrapped around his hand, clothesline and a scoop slam, HOME…TOWN…ELBOW DROP! HTM to the top rope and he connects on the crossbody, but Elegance kicks out at two. Ash gets on the apron and she dances for us. She pulls out lipstick and wants to kiss HTM, and if I am him, I go for it. Instead, HTM puts a mask on his hand and makes Ash kiss that instead! Ash is freaked out, and Elegance hits the Test Drive into an Elegant Pin for the win.
WINNER: Mr. Elegance
TIME: 6:00
THOUGHTS: I can’t even be mad at this, this was 100% pure, unadulterated cheese.
RATING: ***

Mara Sade and Allie are in the back, and they are hyped up about their win, and Allie is so happy to be back in the ring. Rosemary is here, and she says they still have work to do, and she wants to know how Mara enjoyed the Undead Realm. Sade says she won’t lie; she loved it! Sade and Allie start dancing, and Rosemary says absolutely not. When they leave, Rosemary starts to dance, but Allie and Mara are back to tease her about it lol.

We will hear from Leon Slater after the break!

Tom shills Lockdown, returning for the first time in ten years, this August to Chicago, Ill!

Lei Ying Lee is in a bar somewhere. Gia Miller is here, and she says she requested this time. Lee says she doesn’t want this title shot anymore, and she wants to go back to China. Tommy Dreamer is here, and he says she was put in this position by Santino. He says she represents not only China, but everyone who involved in TNA. You will go out there and make us proud because I believe in you, Gia believes in you, and all you have to do is believe in you. Lee thanks Tommy and Gia, and says yes, she’s going to win.

The Boy from Bradford (Credit MarkyD123) is here to talk to us! Leon grabs a mic. WHAT WHAT, Syracuse? Yeah, you sound like you’re doing good, and he can’t lie, because he is too. Moment by moment, he gets closer to making history and putting his name in the record books. Because May 15th, mark it on your calendar, because Leon Slater becomes the longest reigning X-Division Champion of all time! But unfortunately, he has to talk about someone who can’t keep his name out of his mouth, and that’s Cedric Alexander. He calls himself Prime Alexander, but he hasn’t been in his prime for ten years, when Leon was in Elementary School. LMAO! He says Cedric has complained about how he should have been disqualified at Rebellion, but Cedric, son, if it’s another shot you want, then Leon will give it to you. Leon has worked too hard to get here, and he has beaten a rat like you once, he has no problem beating the rat out of you a third time!

Cedric has heard enough! Leon, you are a child, and you are a fake champion, just like those fake teeth you have. It’s not that he wants a title shot, he deserves another shot. For some god-awful reason, you will be recognized as the longest reigning X-Division Champion on May 15th, but you won’t make it that far. Because Santino and Daria keep wanting to one-up each other, so in two weeks in Sacramento, he will put an end his title reign. Heck, they have a tag team match next week, and you might not make it out of that. You might not make it out tonight, because bad things can happen at any time.

That’s the cue for The System to jump Slater from behind! Moose is here, though, and he picks off everyone who comes at him. He fights with Bear Bronson, Leon hits Myers with an enziguri, and Moose powerbombs Myers onto the rest of the System. He’s going to SPEAR Alisha, but Eddie pulls her out of harm’s way!

Elijah and Frankie are walking! The main event is coming up next after the break!

Tom shills Slammiversary, coming to Agganis Arena on Sunday, June 28th!

Ryan Nemeth says he feels left out. KC Navarro had his big return during his brother’s match, and now, they get a tag team title match. Why doesn’t he get the shot with his brother. He tells us that he won the 8th grade spelling bee, but his parents weren’t there for him. Well, thanks for listening.

We see AJ Francis sitting next to Nemeth. First of all, don’t touch me. Second of all, how did you get here? Nemeth says he can’t lie, he kind of got lost. Francis says third thing, you and your brother cost me last year, so save me the family drama. Ryan says that it was awesome when they did it to AJ, but not now. Francis says keep his family drama away from me but make sure that you live KC to me. Nemeth complains about Francis slapping his leg too hard lol.

We get a quick fill of the matches for next week, before Tom runs down the rules for the main event. In short, both men are attached via a guitar strap, the match starts in the back, and it must end in the ring. Frankie is here first, and he wants to know where this coward is. We see the doors automatically open, and Elijah walks in! They get in each other’s face and get separated so the strap can be attached to both men’s wrists.

Walk with Elijah Strap Match: Elijah vs. Frankie Kazarian

The referee confirms both men are ready to walk and he rings the bell. Frankie takes off his jacket, dropping his strap in the process. The ref admonishes him and puts the strap back on, and Elijah launches an assault. BTW, apparently, we are getting music during the whole match. But I don’t see New Jack.

Clever spot where Frankie puts hand sanitizer in his hands and rubs the eyes of Elijah. Frankie takes Elijah to the Doctor’s room, and he rams his arm in the door a couple of times. We keep walking, and Elijah drops Frankie nut sack first on top of a box. Elijah attempts to murder Kazarian with a ladder, but the King moves. Elijah puts Frankie on a lift, and he pushes it, until the lift and Frankie tumble over the ladder.

Elijah throws Frankie into the garage door a couple of times. The referee tells the guys let’s walk, so Elijah picks up Frankie and carries him from the back. Elijah says it’s time to walk, and we see Elijah carry Frankie out from the back and to the ramp, where he dumps Kazarian. Tom reminds us that the match cannot end until one man has touched all four corners. Kazarian tries to run from Elijah, but it’s futile, as Elijah pulls him back in.

Back body drop in the ring by Elijah, as he starts to touch the corners. ONE! TWO! No, Kazarian is up and he smacks Elijah one. Frankie’s turn to touch corners. ONE! TWO! No, Elijah pancakes Frankie in the corner, and he throws Kazarian to the floor. Frankie grabs a red guitar from under the ring, but he can’t use it, as both men continue to fight. No more music now, by the way, but the audio sounds like it’s inside the Holland Tunnel.

Back in the ring, and Frankie generously runs into the boot of Elijah. Kazarian gets thrown into the middle turnbuckle, and he rolls to the floor. Seeing that he is attached to Kazarian, Elijah follows him out and slams him off the ring steps not once, but twice, and it sure was nice! Elijah looks under two sides of the ring, but like Bono, he still hasn’t found what he is looking for.

Frankie goes to the eyes of Elijah, and Frankie tries to escape into the crowd. It becomes a tug-of-war, and Elijah drags Kazarian back and into the barricade. Elijah with slaps, and they end up back in the ring, where Elijah hits a flying clothesline. Elijah twists the arm of Frankie, and he goes walking on the top rope and into a Sunset Flip Bomb. Nice Aerosmith reference from Tom as Elijah goes buckles hunting. ONE! TWO! THREE! No, as Kazarian whips Elijah with the strap.

Kazarian throws Elijah out of the ring, but unfortunately for him, he gets drug out of the ring too. Lessons learned lead to better life! Elijah wraps the strap around the ring post, and he whips Frankie with it. Kazarian finally frees himself, and he hits a double axe to Elijah from the ring steps. Kazarian continues to whip Elijah with the strap while they are on the apron.

Both men compete in a tug of war around the ring steps, ending with Elijah pulling Frankie into the ring post. WE WANT TABLES chants, as Frankie looks for the Chicken Wing on Elijah! But Elijah walks (with Frankie on his back!) ONE! TWO! THREE! No, as Frankie finally gets Elijah down on the mat in the Chicken Wing! Kazarian pulls in the slack from the rope, and he heads to the top rope. WALK WITH THE KING, but Frankie jumps right into a knee strike from Elijah!

Elijah fires up by whipping Frankie with the strap, but Frankie hits a Backstabber! Frankie hits ONE, TWO, THREE, no, as Kazarian gets the strap between the legs! The strap has broken, as Elijah chokes Kazarian with the strap! Hammer throw, Tombstone Piledriver from Elijah! ONE, TWO, THREE, Frankie is up! Elijah grabs the guitar and breaks it over the head of Frankie! FOUR CORNERS HAVE BEEN TOUCHED!
WINNER: Elijah
TIME: 16:30
THOUGHTS: Mindless fun, but sometimes, that is the best kind of fun. We all walked with Elijah tonight!
RATING: ***3/4

Elijah celebrates his victory post-match, and with that, we are done!

7.2

The final score: review Good

The 411

Not a bad episode of Impact, although I will say that the main event and the Knockouts six-woman tag team match helped to make this better in my opinion. Santino coming back will continue the oil and water authority figure angle, as the show hits the road for Sac-Town!