Jeremy’s TNA Impact Review 5.2.24

Hello, everyone and welcome to our live TNA Impact coverage on 411! I’m Jeremy Thomas, and I apologize for the delay here. Himanshu is having some technical issues and thus you have me stepping in to cover the show. There’s a lot to cover and you all know what’s going on tonight, so let’s get to it.

As a reminder, the GoFundMe for Larry’s daughters is still active and if you can make a donation, that would be awesome. Thank you so much to everyone who’s done so thus far.

We kick off with a recap of Nic Nemeth’s promo and the Matt Hardy’s promo, which led to The System’s taking shots at Nemeth and their match. We also see a preview of Jordynne Grace vs. Miyu Yamashita

* AJ Francis is in the VIP booth with Bun B, and AJ says they wanted to take in Joe Hendry’s apology surrounded by beautiful women and a money-making entourage.

Mustafa Ali vs. Chris Bey

Bell rings and they circle, then lock up. A bit of counterwrestling as they reverse wristlocks, Ali up with a headlock on Bey. Shot into the ropes, Ali runs Bey over and hits him with a back elbow. Knife-edge chop in the corner, Bey ducks a second and hits two of his own, then a third and fourth in another corner. A nine-count of punches, Bey is shoved back but hits Ali with a clothesline. Into the ropes, Ali kicks Bey but is hit with a DDT for two.

Ali counters a front facelock by pulling Bey into the bottom rope and then stomps him down. Ali talks shit to Ace and then goes for a suplex, Bey floats over, buts Ali on the top and kicks him in the back for a Tree of Woe. Bey up across the ring, Coast to Coast elbowdrop! Cover gets two.

Bey up top but Ali trips him to the mat, then lays in shots to the back. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two and he locks in a rear chinlock. Bey put in the corner, he reverses an Irish whip hard into the corner and Ali is down. Bey takes over with strikes, into the ropes to run Ali over. He hits a splash in the corner and kick to the head, up top but Ali ducks. Bey hits a spinebuster for two.

Bey goes for the Art of Finesse but Ali up for a dropkick to the floor. ALi rolls Bey in, somersault neckbreaker but Bey counters with a superkick. Both men slow to get up, they make the count and trade strikes. Irish whip by Bey, Ali holds on, he goes for a pin with feet on the ropes but Ace knocks Ali off the ropes. Security confronts Ace and Ali DIVES onto him. Bey dives on Ali! Bey up top, high cross body gets two, Ali rolls into two. Bey with a powerbomb countered, Ali with a superkick, powerbomb counters into a high knee, inverted Gory driver, cover gets two.

Bey kicks Ali on the apron and goes up top, but Ali grabs him for a German onto the apron! Ali up top, 450 but Bey moves, Bey with a cutter! He goes up top, but security hits him with the flag behind the ref’s back. 450 finishes it.

Winner: Mustafa Ali
Rating: *** 1/4
Thoughts: Obviously this was great considering the two guys involved. Bey looked strong but Ali gets the heel interference and win; pretty basic but effective booking.

Dani Luna vs. Alisha Edwards

Alisha with a slap to start and gets shoved back. Dani decks Alisha, throws her into the corners and hits a half and half suplex for two. Alisha with a couple slaps but gets knocked down, she confers with Masha for advice and Dani moves in but gets yanked into the ropes. Alisha distracts the ref while Masha chokes Sani, and Alisha with a tilt-a-whirl DDT.

Alisha showboats and turns around to see Dani staring at her. Shot to the mouth and an attempted Irish whip but Dani slams her down and ruyns her over. Blue Thunder Bomb off the ropes gets two. She goes for the Luna Landing, Masha on the apron and Jodi pulls her down. Alisha dives into a dropkick on Jodi which distracts the ref, Masha in the ring to slam Luna down with the Snow Plow. Alisha gets the pin.

Winner: Alisha Edwards
Rating: ** 1/4
Thoughts: All about the angle here. What little match we got was…tolerable for the time it got.

* It’s time for DM TV. Sami welcomes us to the very firsat episode and says he can spit without getting fined and say what he wants. He is in TNA for one reason: right the wrongs of the past. All the idiots and false prophets in the back don’t have a clue. He doesn’t believe in reruns; thumbs up, thumbs down. Okay then.

Deaner cuts a promo before the match saying he has a battle ahead of him against Hammerstone and says he talked to Santino, and they can add a stipulation. Hammerstone says he’s only been in TNA a couple months but his pandering is the worst thing he sees. Hammerstone says if he wants a stipulation, it can be an arm wrestling match. Deaner would prefer something crazier: an Anything Goes, No DQ, Sin City Street Fight. Hammerstone doesn’t like it, but it’s not their choice; it’s the peoples’ choice. The people want the street fight.

Anything Goes, No DQ, Sin City Street Fight
Hammerstone vs. Cody Deaner

Deaner hits Hammerstone with the mic at the bell and hits a basement dropkick to the knee. Out of the ring, he grabs a trash can lid and hits Hammerstone with it but Hammerstone no-sells it and hits a big boot. Hammerstone with stomps down to the mat in the corner, then an Irish whip into a back elbow.

Hammerstone throws Deaner to the floor and goes out to batter him. He pulls Deaner shoulder-first into the ringpost and goes to throw him into the post but Deaner slides down and shoves Hammerstone face-first into it. He grabs a chair and nails Hammerstone across the back with it. Hammerstone back in the ring, Deaner slides in but gets kicked in the gut.

Big backbreaker and Hammerstone has the chair, he nails Cody with it and then manhandles him in the corner before mounted punches and a fallaway slam. Boot choke against he middle ropes, Hammerstone grabs the chair and drives it into Deaner’s gut. He then chokes Deaner with the chair until Deaner fights back, bodyslam but Hammerstone blocks it with a kneelift.

Shot to the back by Hammerstone and then overhead forearms strikes, he picks Deaner up for a gorilla press drop ribs first into the set up chair. Hammerstone takes the chair and sets it on the mat, Deaner fights back with elbows and an uppercut. He goes for a bodyslam, gets Hammerstone up but falls back. Hammerstone with mounted punches on the mat and then grabs the chair, setting it in the middle of the ring. Nightmare Pendulum into the chair but Deaner escapes and hits the bodyslam onto the chair for two.

Deaner slides out for a table, he gets it in the ring and sets it up. He goes for a forearm but Hammerstone blocks it and hits a suplex. Goozle to Deaner, he shouts Deaner wanted it and chokeslams Deaner through the table. Hammerstone with the torture rack, Deaner taps.

Winner: Alexander Hammerstone
Rating: ***
Thoughts: Good little street fight here, Deaner’s a good underdog and they worked the stipulation pretty well. No complaints here.

Hammerstone keeps the hold applied post-match until Jake Something comes out to attack. Officials break it up.

* We see a video from last week in which officials say his neck is injured and he can’t compete at Under Siege. Matt Hardy shows up and says he can’t take Nic’s pain but he can take his place. Santino makes it official.

* Trent Seven tells Mike Bailey that The System need to be taken down. Bailey says Friday it’s time to delete The System. Matt says he’s making Mike and Trent honorary members of House Hardy as Trent the Seventh and The Ball of Speed, and they will render the System obsolete.

* Santino walks up to Jonathan Gresham and says last time they were here there were rocks in the road, but hopefully this time it’s smooth sailing. He’s excited for Gresham’s match with KUSHIDA and welcomes him back. Gresham stays seated in his chair, and the weird version of him appears in the other chair. Meanwhile, Santino washes black gunk off his hands.

* AJ says from the VIP section that this has been an excellent episode of Impact. He says unfortunately it’s the part of the show where they’re supposed to get their apology. He doesn’t believe it but he’s going to see if he’s a man of his word.

Hendry comes out to the ring with his guitar with a chair set up in the ring and mic. Hendry says it’s time for him to apologize to First Class, noting that his issues with them began in this building with a song, so it will end with a song. He reminds the crowd that the first song mocked them brutally, and he performs the song as a reminder, mocking AJ’s NFL career and saying he’ll never be World or X-Division champion.

He notes that he did a second song, and he performs than one too, talking about how AJ is banned from diving. AJ and Swann are not pleased, but Joe says it’s time for the apology song. Before he went low but he’s taking things higher. He spoof’s Creed’s “Higher” and says he’s sorry he makes fun of them but it’s too easy, and shows a photo of AJ and Swann where AJ’s hand is on Rich’s ass. The song is “Can you please get fired? Because it’s happened twice before.” Obviously, he gets the audience to join in on the chorus. He closes with “I’m sorry.”

* Gia Miller welcomes The System down to the ramp. She says Under Siege is tomorrow and asks the guys about their six-man tag match. Eddie says tomorrow night Alisha will bring gold to the system, and that when you see the poster for Under Siege has The System because TNA hates to admit it but they need them.

Myers asks how Speedball Mountain got in the match and that they’re riding Matt’s coattails. Moose says Under Siege is the return of a TNA legend but that Moose has become a TNA legend while he’s been gone. He says The System can’t be deleted and that Speedball Mountain and Hardy will be deleted. Alisha says you always trust The System.

Ace Austin vs. Trey Miguel

A bit of Trey showboating to start, then a lockup. Trey gets the break in the corner and they lock up again, going to the floor and break. They counter each other’s back elbows and then hit some strikes, Ace takes Trey down and hits mounted punches until Trey gets away. Ace takes over with strikes, into the ropes and Ace with a drop-toe hold and kick, La Magistral cradle for two.

Ace with a dropkick, Trey rolls out of the ring, Ace to the apron as Trey slips in the ring, Wentz trips Ace and Bey chases Wentz away. Trey with a stomp to the hand and a back rake, back in the ring for a knife-edge chop as we go to break.

Back from break and Austis is sent hard into the corner. Drop toe-hold into the corner by Trey, he knee chokes Ace in the corner for four, then goes in for another four. Snapmare into a front facelock on the mat to grind Ace down, Ace to his feet with Trey on his shoulders but Trey escapes and comes off the ropes for a bodyscissors takedown and punches, cover gets two.

Try with strikes to Ace, double stomp and moonsault but Ace gets the knees up. Ace takes over and hits Click Click Boom, he lays in lariats in the corner and hits a springboard spin kick for two. Ace lies in wait, Wentz with the distraction and Trey with the roll-up for two.

Trey with a backflip dropkick to the head for another two. Trey shouts at an audience member talks shit, he goes for the boot to the face but Ace blocks, enzuigiri. Trey rushes into the corner, Ace blocks it and goes up on the second rope. Trey with a kick to the head and goes up top, but Ace blocks him and goes up. Trey with a bell clap, gets up top, super sunset flip for a nearfall. Ace manages to get a face stomp to the mat and hits The Fold for three.

Winner: Ace Austin
Rating: ***
Thoughts: Very good match, albeit one that felt more like a fluke win than an even battle.

* Josh Alexander is with Eric Young and says sometimes it doesn’t have to be complicated. This is simple: he doesn’t like Kazarian or Steve Maclin. Young says he doesn’t like them either and this is real simple: two guys that wear their emotions on their sleeve and rep everything good in this business are coming at Frankie and Steve.

* Ash By Elegance is watching from the balcony for this.

TNA Knockouts Championship Match
Jordynne Grace vs. Miyu Yamashita

Handshake to start and a lockup, they go into some counterwrestling back and forth before breaking. Lock back up, Grace with a headlock, Miyu counters out but gets shoulderblocked down. She goes intot he ropes but gets kicked down, Miyu with another kick but Grace catches it and folds Yamashita up for a suplex for two as we go to PIP break.

Miyu with a kick to the head off the corner and a cover for two, she locks in a front chancery for knees to the head, a snapmare and kick to the spine. Cover gets one. Grace up with a kick to the chest, Miya kicks back to knock her down. My feed went wonky, when it comes back Grace trips Miyu on the apron and picks her up for a Juggernaut Jackhammer on the mats. Grace rolls Yamashita in but she rolls right back out.

Grace off the ropes for a dive but Yamashita nails her and hits a kick to the head. To the apron, Yamashita goes to get Grace on her shoulders, she blocks it but Yamashita with a kick to the head and a slam right onto the apron. Yamashita with a pin attempt for two.

Yamashita with a takeover into a submission, Grace counters with a headscissors and kicks her way free. Both up now and they strike against each other, Grace with a bodyslam and Miyu is right back up. More strikes, Miyu with a kick as Grace hits a backfist, they both go down.

Grace takes over with a back elbow in the corner. She goes for a Muscle Buster, Yamashita blocks it. They’re on the top, Grace with kneelifts but Yamashita responds with her own. Grace in the Tree of Woe but she gets up and hits a back bodydrop off the top for two.

Yamashita with a big kick to the head but Grace with a clothesline, Miyu with a knee to the back of the head for two. Yamashita goes for the Skull Kick, Grace blocks it, Juggernaut Driver gets the win.

Winner: Jordynne Grace
Rating: *** 1/4
Thoughts: Hard-hitting war between these two and they were well matched. It made for a very good battle.

Show of respect after the match, Grace poses with the title and Steph De Lander is here! She kicks Grace down and orders Kon to break her neck. Kon goes to snap the neck — AND PCO IS HERE! He chops Kon, Grace with a low blow. Kon sent to the outside, Steph clotheslines Grace but PCO backs her in the corner with a goozle. De Lander tries to seduce PCO, but Grace grabs her and tosses her to the outside.

And with that, we’re done for the night!

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

Very good episode of Impact this week as the company pushed to Under Siege. We had enough build to put the focus on Friday's TNA+ event with some very fine matches as well. This is the kind of show where TNA benefits from leaning into their strengths as opposed to trying to do some kind of show outside their comfort levels, and fortunately they did the former and not the latter.