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TNA Impact: Table set for Slammiversary, and Moose goes through it

Bob Kapur

TNA World Champion Moose will be defending his title against five challengers this Saturday at TNA’s Slammiversary pay-per-view event. While everyone in the match has a chance to walk away with the gold, based on the ending of Thursday night’s episode of Impact Wrestling, there’s plenty of reason to believe in Joe Hendry’s chances. Him putting Moose through a table was a strong ending to a show that was all about the final build for Saturday night.

 

Match 1: No Quarter Catch Crew vs. KUSHIDA & the Rascalz

NXT’s NQCC were the first team to be introduced, and the commentators remarked about the show being kicked off with competitors from a different company. Relative to the Rascalz, the NXT stars looked a lot larger here than they do on their own show. They used their size advantage to out-power the Impact regulars.

But the Rascalz were eventually able to rally and used their tag team expertise to shift the momentum into their favour, and at one point, they and KUSHIDA hit simultaneous flying attacks from the ring to the floor, wiping out all of the Crew.

Back in the ring, KUSHIDA and the Rascalz locked on submission holds on all of the Crew members, all of whom had to escape by picking up their opponents and Bombing them to the mat. KUSHIDA and the Rascalz recovered, and it looked like they were going to hit Charlie Dempsey with a triple-team move, but they got distracted by Jonathan Gresham who made his way down to the ring. KUSHIDA left the ring to chase after Gresham, leaving the Rascalz in a 3-on-2 disadvantage.

The numbers advantage let the Crew take over, and after a brief beatdown, they were able to hit a trio of finishers on Wentz and get the big pinfall victory.

This was a strong opener. The NXT crossover is working really well so far, and having some different faces really adds some freshness to Impact in every division.

Winners: No Quarter Catch Crew

The Rascalz – with NXT’s Wes Lee, who used to be Dez in the Rascalz during his Impact days – did one of their Treehouse videos. Dez suggested they reunite at Slammiversary to take on the No Quarter Catch Crew. They cut the video before presumably blazing up like back in the day.

 

Match 2: Alisha Edwards (w/ Masha Slamovich) vs. Xia Brookside

After a bit of a feeling-out process, Alisha hit the first big move with a Codebreaker, and then beat up Xia for a while, including with some basic ground-and-pound punches, and then driving Xia’s head into the mat with a Leg Scissors Head Smash.

Xia fired back with some Clotheslines and hit a High Cross Body for a two-count. But Alisha dodged a running attack and Xia hit the turnbuckles hard, sending her tumbling to the floor. Masha started to beat her up on the outside, but Spitfire – who challenge Alisha and Masha for the Knockouts Tag Team Championship at Slammiversary – ran down and neutralized Masha. Xia got back in the ring and stopped Alisha, who had climbed to the top turnbuckle with intention to drop down onto Spitfire. Xia grabbed her arms, and pulled her down into a Brooksy Bomb, and bridged on top of Alisha to keep her down for the 1-2-3.

This was fine, giving the babyface team a moral victory over the champs heading into their match on the weekend. Xia seems to have the crowd interested in her, so building momentum with a win here is a good way to keep her singles momentum up.

Winner: Xia Brookside

A video package for Mike Santana aired. He had choice words for JDC (formerly, Dirty Dango), his opponent later tonight. He threatened to eat JDC alive.

They showed footage from earlier tonight where Mustafa was in his limousine greeting fans. Someone went up to the window and tried to throttle him. That “fan” was “Speedball” Mike Bailey. Ali escaped his clutches and told the driver to speed away.

Cut to the arena and Bailey ran into the ring, unscheduled. He called out Ali, saying that he had to pay for taking out Bailey’s friend and partner Trent Seven. Ali appeared on the big screen, where he was surrounded by Campaign Singh and a new and improved Secret Service team. Ali said he would face Bailey tonight if Bayley survived the gauntlet of Secret Service guards.

 

Match 3: “Speedball” Mike Bailey  vs. Mustafa Ali’s Secret Service – Gauntlet match

Four suited Secret Service guards came to the ring. The first one entered the ring and ate a Boot to the Head and got pinned in seconds. The second one ate some feet as well and got pinned after a Standing Shooting Star Press. The third one tried to skedaddle but ate a Springboard Body Press to the floor before the show cut to commercial.

Back from the break, and Bailey was standing victorious in the ring, having dispatched of the two remaining guards during the break. He demanded Ali come out, but instead, Singh made his way into the arena. Singh said that the gauntlet wasn’t finished – and that he was Ali’s next opponent. As the crowd loudly jeered Singh, who trash-talked them back – one of the guards tried to sneak-attack Bailey, but Bailey saw him and took him out.

That distraction allowed Singh to slide into the ring and clobber Bailey from behind. He then proceeded to beat down Bailey, smacking and smashing him around. But Bailey fought back and hit a Liu Kang Spinning Wheel Kick that knocked Singh down, and followed that up with Ultima Weapon for the pin.

Instead of Ali, two more security guards arrived, these two wearing riot gear and brandishing billy clubs. One of them slipped into the ring behind Bailey and clubbed him. He unmasked and revealed himself to be Ali himself. He then bullied the referee and forced him to count the pin, as he covered a knocked out Bailey. Ali and Singh then posed and celebrated over Bailey’s fallen body.

 

This was a fun little angle. Bailey was crazy over with the crowd – and in front of the crowd in Montreal, he’s going to get a god-like reaction.

Winner: Mustafa Ali

In the back, Ali and his entourage cut a promo. Ali said that his title defense against Bailey at Slammiversary was cancelled because they just had a match and Ali had won. Director of Authority Santino Marella walked in and interrupted him. He told Ali that the match at Slammiversary is still on, and if Ali doesn’t show up, not only will he be stripped of the X-Division Championship, but he’ll also be fired. Ali said that Santino would be responsible for whatever happens to Bailey at Slammiversary and walked away.

 

Match 4: The System (Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers) (c) vs. Matt and Jeff Hardy – for the Tag Team Championship

This was the first time in seven years that the Hardys had teamed up in a TNA ring. The Hardys hit some double-team moves, including some of their favourite hits like Poetry in Motion, early on, looking to “delete” the championship reign of the System. But some dirty tactics let the Design take over, and they isolated Jeff Hardy in their corner for a bit, until he made the tag to Matt, who nearly won after a Tornado DDT on Edwards.

Some more sneakiness let the System run roughshod on Matt with some double-teaming, and they took turns beating him up. Matt thwarted a double-team move and made the desperate tag to Jeff, who came back and hit a double Whisper in the Wind on both opponents. Jeff hit a Whisper in the Wind on Myers and was going up for the Swanton, but JDC (formerly Dirty Dango) ran down to the ring and shoved Jeff off the top, sending him hard onto to the top rope and to the floor. As a result of the attack, the referee disqualified the System.

 

JDC and the System then attacked both Hardys, including wrapping a chair around Jeff’s head and driving him into the ring post and then the ringside barrier. Security and officials ran out and forced the System to the back, while medics assisted Jeff while Matt could only look on.

It was a good nostalgic moment to see the Hardys back in action again. They both have slowed down since their prime, but if Jeff can keep his personal demons down, this could be a good retirement tour for them – and with the crossovers happening between TNA and NXT/WWE, and new management in WWE since his last troublesome stint, who knows what might happen… Hardys in next year’s Hall of Fame class might not be too much of a stretch.

Winners, by disqualification: Matt and Jeff Hardy

Still Tag Team Champions: The System

Match 5: JDC vs. Mike Santana

As this match was going on, they showed a split-screen of the medical team taking Jeff Hardy to an ambulance. As they did, Tommy Dreamer ran to the scene to grab Matt Hardy, with the news that Reby needed help. Matt ran to her dressing room and found Reby sitting on the floor of her dressing room screaming in pain. She said that it was JDC who attacked her. As Matt tended to Reby, the ambulance took Jeff to the hospital.

Meanwhile, JDC was aggressively beating up Santana, pressing Santana’s head into the metal turnbuckle arm, and then driving him spine-first onto the metal ring steps. JDC then bit Santana’s forehead, looking to bust Santana open, vampire-style.

On the floor, JDC tried to smash Santana with a chair, but Santana ducked and JDC ended up smacking the ring post, sending shockwaves up his own arms. As he shook off the effects, Santana used the time to recover and they both got back into the ring, back at even strength.

They both upped the aggression and after slugging it out in the ring, they were both bloodied up. The fight spilled to the floor, where Santana couldn’t control himself, and he found the chair that JDC had tried to use on him, and smacked JDC with it. Of course, he was disqualified for the action, but Santana didn’t seem to care, instead looking to punish JDC some more with numerous more chair shots.

Some security guards tried to contain Santana, but he shoved them aside, and then flattened JDC with Spin the Block. As JDC lay on the floor knocked silly, Santana celebrated with the adulation of the crowd.

 

This was kind of lost in the shuffle because of the Hardy stuff, and became more of a fight and angle than a match. Who would have thought that in 2024 JDC would still be getting TV time?

Winner, by disqualification: JDC

 

Jordynne Grace Interview

Tom Hannifan sat down with Jordynne Grace in a pre-recorded interview. She defends the Knockouts Championship against Ash By Elegance at Slammiversary. Grace talked about this being a highlight year for her, competing in this year’s WWE Royal Rumble, winning and defending the Knockouts Championship, and then competing at NXT against Roxanne Perez. She said that she is looking to make Ash By Elegance pay for ruining Grace’s attempt to hold the Knockouts Title and the NXT Women’s Title simultaneously. Grace said that Ash is over-confident and she will prove that Ash isn’t invulnerable. Tom noted that Ash had injured Jessicka Havok, but Grace said that the same fate will not befall her. Lastly, she said that she’s not concerned about Ash’s stooge George Iceman (so look for him to somehow be a difference-maker in the match).

After the interview, cut to the stooge himself who was on the phone with Ash. As he was talking, he didn’t notice Rosemary come up behind him. Rosemary got dangerously close to the stooge, but refrained from making any physical contact, so he was oblivious to the dangerous position he was in. He finally felt something ominous and looked around, but Rosemary had mysteriously disappeared.

 

Slammiversary Main Event Contract Signing

Santino Marella was in the ring with a table and six chairs, and he introduced five of the competitors in the Six-Man Elimination match at Slammiversary: Josh Alexander, Steve Maclin, Frankie Kazarian, Joe Hendry, and the World Champion Moose.

Conspicuous by his absence was Nic Nemeth, the final challenger in the match. Santino said that there was news about Nemeth’s absence, and Nemeth appeared on the jumbotron. He said that he was injured… but would be medically-cleared in two days, and was definitely going to be competing in the match at Slammiversary, and said that he would win the match and the title. He ended by wishing all of the others good luck, and saying that they would need it.

Santino passed around the contract and asked each of them to sign it. Alexander, Maclin, and Kaz all did. Before Hendry could do so, Moose grabbed the contract away from him and signed it, and then put the contract in front of Hendry.

But before Hendry could sign it, AJ Francis and Rich Swann (collectively, First Class) interrupted things, coming down the entrance ramp. Francis said that he was the true main event of Slammiversary, as he will be facing the French-Canadian Frankenstein PCO in Montreal.

As First Class got into the ring, Francis said that he respected five of the men in the main event, but not Hendry. He said that the five others in the ring should acknowledge him as the true Slammiversary drawing card.

Santino scolded Francis for interrupting the ceremony and told him to get out of the ring. Francis told Santino to make him leave. Francis then turned his attention to the others, jawing them down. So he didn’t notice PCO crawl out from under the ring, climb in, and stalk Francis from behind. PCO then Clotheslined Francis out of the ring and then hit him with a Somersault Dive to the floor.

This led to a five-way brawl both in and out of the ring. Moose tried to Powerbomb Hendry through the table, but after a huge assist by Alexander, Hendry escaped it and put Moose through the table with a Standing Ovation. Hendry signed the contract and stood tall over Moose as the crowd chanted “We believe” to end the show.

 

TNA Impact - July 18th, 2024
3.5

2300 Arena - Philadelphia, PA

While the Hardy Boys return match and the resulting fallout would have been the story in any other week, it kind of got lost in the shuffle of the Slammiversary build. And double so for the JDC-Santana match, which got lost in the Hardy stuff. It all seemed a bit over-stuffed as a result.

That said, the build for the PPV was effective, particularly in the closing segment.

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