Does John “Bradshaw” Layfield believe in Joe Hendry? What other reason could there be to explain him stopping Matt Cardona from stealing Hendry’s TNA World Championship in the main event of the first live episode of Impact in nearly a decade? While Layfield’s motivations weren’t fully explained, it did add some intrigue to a show that was otherwise full of good matches, strong promos, some returns, some debuts, and some NXTNA history.

The show started with Gia Miller interviewing Director of Authority Santino Marella in the parking lot earlier in the day. Marella teased some surprises tonight – the first live episode of Impact in eight years – but wouldn’t reveal anything.

 

Joe Hendry celebrates his World Championship win

The new champ came to the ring with his newly-won World Championship belt. He said that a big part of his win is because of the people who believed. He said he will be a fighting champion and defend the title against anyone from anywhere.

Santino then came out to the entrance ramp. He said that he had someone who will take up Hendry on his offer. He introduced Matt Cardona. Cardona came out on the entrance ramp and he and Hendry had what looked to be a respectful face-off.

 

They showed a clip after Genesis when Josh Alexander said he was quitting the company. Eric Young approached him backstage and questioned Josh’s decision. A sad Alexander simply walked away.

Cut to backstage and Steve Maclin asked Young why he was spending time worrying about Josh. Young said that he felt that Josh is worth saving. Maclin reminded Young of all the bad things that Alexander had done, including trying to end both of their careers. Young defended Josh, saying that Alexander is just in a dark place right now, but that he could be pulled out of it. They continued to debate the point.

Josh walked up to them, and said he respected them both. He humbly thanked them both for everything over the past few years. He extended his hand to both of them, but while Eric Young shook it, Maclin did not.

Gia Miller was standing outside of the locker room of Nic Nemeth, hoping to get an interview. She knocked on the door, but Ryan Nemeth came out, suggesting she talk to him instead. Nic came out and said that he had a lot on his mind, but he would make a statement on next week’s show. Ryan acted like a toady, and they both left.

Ash and Heather Elegance’s stooge, George Iceman, was in the ring. He insulted the crowd and destroyed a cowboy hat before introducing Ash and Heather. They wore matching cowgirl outfits and came out, each one riding a Pepe. This took us into:

 

Match 1: Ash By Elegance, Heather By Elegance, and Rosemary (w/ the stooge) vs. Spitfire (Dani Luna and Jody Threat) and Masha Slamovich

The powerhouse trio of Spitfire and Masha – all of whom are champions – were physically dominant over their opponents early on. It didn’t help that Rosemary went into berserker mode and even started to assault her partners at some point, until they talked her down.

A cheap shot with Pepe behind the referee’s back allowed the terrible trio to gain control and they put a beatdown on Threat for a while. She escaped and tagged in Masha who was on fire but then got cooled down after some dirty tactics by the Elegances. After a bit of chaotic action, things slowed down, with Luna throwing Ash around with a series of German Suplexes, and it looked like the end was nigh.

But then cue the music for NXT’s Cora Jade, who made her way into the Impact Zone. She walked to the ring and handed Masha an envelope. Masha opened it and inside was her photo marked with a Red X – the same way she used to inform one of her opponents that they were marked as her next victim.

The Elegances used this distraction as a way to smash Luna into Masha, sending Masha flying off the apron and hard to the floor. They then rolled up a dazed Luna for the sneaky pin.

As the Elegances celebrated, Cora cockily made her way back up the entrance ramp. Somewhere along the way, Rosemary seemed to have disappeared.

This was good while it lasted, and continues the build towards the Elegances eventually getting a Tag Team Title shot. Cora and Masha has some definite intrigue both as a match, but also as part of the broader story of TNA vs. NXT.

Winners: Ash By Elegance, Heather By Elegance, and Rosemary

 

Josh Alexander addresses the crowd

Josh Alexander made his way to the ring with his henchmen the Northern Armoury. The commentators noted that Santino Marella made him appear tonight to fulfill contractual obligations, despite Josh announcing at Genesis that he quit the company.

In the ring, he said that he thanked TNA for giving him the opportunity to talk to the fans. He said that he’s been a wrestler for 20 years, and that he prided himself on giving his all every time he got in the ring, and being unbreakable. But at Genesis, he wasn’t able to beat Mike Santana, and he broke. He called Santana the new standard in TNA.

Josh said that every time he’s looked in the mirror over the past few months, he hasn’t liked what he sees. He said that he doesn’t want to think about the bad times he’s experienced in the past two months. But rather he wants to think about the good times, of which he’s had many. He talked about how his son only knows him as a TNA wrestler, that’s how long he’s been doing it.

He talked about watching the first TNA show and that made him a fan of the company.  He said that his time in TNA has been a dream come true. But it’s time for him to step away.

Despite this being a very babyface promo, the crowd booed and catcalled him throughout, perhaps expecting some kind of swerve.

Josh then told the Northern Armoury that he always had their backs. And that he was the one who recommended them to TNA. He noted that the Motor City Machine Guns also vouched for them. He called them the best up-and-coming team in the world. And told them to go out and have success, but to be sure to do it the right way.

They tried to convince him not to quit, but he said that his decision was final. They then feigned sadness, but it was proven to be all a ruse when they attacked him and double-teamed him. They laid down a beating on him until Eric Young ran in and made the save.

Young grabbed a mic and challenged them to a match next week – the Northern Armoury against Young and Alexander. The commentators questioned what Steve Maclin would think about that development.

 

Match 2: Matt and Jeff Hardy vs. The System (Moose and JDC) (w/ Alisha Edwards)

The System attacked the Hardys before the bell, but the Hardys rebounded and hit an early Poetry in Motion on both of them. Matt went to end things early with a Twist of Fate on JDC, but interference from Alisha on the floor allowed Moose to clobber Matt from behind, and the System took over.

They double-teamed Matt for a while, until Matt avoided a Down and Dirty (Flying Legdrop) and Matt reached his corner to tag in a fresh Jeff. Jeff hit a Twist of Fate on Moose and was going for a Swanton, but Alisha once again distracted the ref. But the Hardys were able to thwart The System’s attempts to capitalize on this. They dispatched JDC and after a brief struggle on the turnbuckles, Jeff shoved Moose down and put him away with the Swanton for the pin.

This was a decent little match with the Hardys getting in all of their signature spots. Them winning is perhaps a bit surprising since the obvious storyline would be for The System to win in some controversial manner and then get a title shot against the Hardys. With the definitive decision here, maybe they have different challengers planned for the Hardys. Which, given the NXT deal, could lead to some interesting possibilities.

Winners: The Hardys

On the big screen, a video aired of the number 23 along with a voiceover saying “it’s just a number.” The commentators speculated that since the date of the show is January 23rd, that may be of significance. This brought out Sami Callihan who grabbed a mic and demanded that the person behind the 23 video reveal themselves.

This brought out Steph DeLander, who walked out with the Digital Media Championship. She said that she got the title “in the divorce” (she had previously married PCO in storyline) and that her ex-husband is no longer with the company (this past weekend, he bad-mouthed the company and trashed a version of the title on a GCW show).

She then announced that she had a new boyfriend. The lights went out, and when they came back on, Mance Warner (former GCW Champion and Steph’s real-life beau) was in the ring behind Sami’s back. Nobody in the building seemed to know who he was, and even when the commentators said it, it seemed underwhelming. Warner laid out Sami with a cheap shot and then decked him in the head with the title, and then he made out with Steph in the ring.

A video package aired hyping the company’s next PPV event, Rebellion, taking place on April 27th in Los Angeles.

NXT’s Arianna Grace (aka Santino’s daughter) joined the commentary desk for the next match. They noted that this was a historic moment, as the next match would mark the first time a WWE Championship would be defended in a TNA ring.

 

Match 3: Fraxiom (Axiom and Nathan Frazer) (c) vs. The Rascalz (Trey Miguel and Zach Wentz) – for the NXT Tag Team Championship

This one started at a mile-a-minute pace, with action too quick to describe. Lots of gymnasticals early on, and even when things slowed down, they were still pretty quick.

A double-team Superkick by Fraxiom nearly got the pin on Miguel, forcing Wentz to make a very last-second save. After a very high German Suplex by Miguel on Axiom, Miguel tagged in Wentz who nearly got a pin on Frazer after a Running Shooting Star Press.

More fast action ensued with everyone eating big moves, with a highlight being Wentz and Axiom exchanging Superkicks in a nifty sequence. Later, Frazer went for a Springboard Moonsault but ate Stereo Kicks to the Face on his way down. With him out, Axiom nearly got pinned after a Blockbuster Combo move, but kicked out at 2.9.

The Rascalz were looking to put things away, but were distracted by their former partner and now NXT star Wes Lee who jumped up on the apron. As the referee dealt with that, he missed seeing Lee’s posse Tyson Dupont and Tyriek Igwe hit the other side of the ring and attack Wentz. This left Miguel alone, and he fell victim to a Double-Fllippy-Doo Splash move by Fraxiom and that was all she wrote.

This was exciting and both teams really got to shine. It would have been a really neat moment to see the title change hands, just for the surprise factor and unpredictability of it happening. But maybe something like that will come down the road during this crossover deal.

Winners, and still NXT Tag Team Champions: Axiom and Nathan Frazer

 

Mike Santana addresses the crowd / Mustafa Ali returns to TNA

Mike Santana came through the crowd and entered the ring. He said that his father taught him to be a man of his word. And since he returned to TNA, he’s done exactly that. He talked about beating Josh Alexander at Genesis, making Josh say “I quit”. And in doing so, Santana has proven himself to be the standard in TNA. And now he is going to fulfill his promise of becoming the next TNA World Champion.

As he was leaving the ring, music hit and Mustafa Ali made his return to the company. Ali grabbed a mic, and without even acknowledging Santana’s presence, entered the ring and said that he has signed with TNA. He said he is there to return to make TNA great again and will do that by becoming the TNA World Champion.

Santana didn’t look impressed by this and simply glared as Ali left and headed up the ramp with his Secret Service detail.

In the back, a security guard knocked on Tessa Blanchard’s dressing room door to let her know that she was scheduled to appear right after a commercial break.

Tessa Blanchard addresses the crowd

When the show returned, Tessa came out to the entrance ramp. She reminded everyone that Texas is Blanchard Country, and said that her family owned San Antonio with Southwest Championship Wrestling – the first company to be shown nationally on TV. She said that her father Tully – who was shown in the crowd as she was talking – and grandfather knew that she was destined for greatness.

She said that the fans can say what they want to about her, but one thing that they won’t hear is that Tessa is not great. She said she took out the garbage at Genesis (when she defeated Jordynne Grace) and now it was time to get to business. She ended by saying that she answers to no-one. This was intense and well-delivered, and the crowd really hated her. Strong stuff.

Before the participants for the main event were introduced, Frankie Kazarian made his way to ringside, holding his Call Your Shot Trophy, which gives him the right to a title match any time he chooses. He joined Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt at the commentary desk.

 

Match 4: Joe Hendry (c) vs. “The Complete” Matt Cardona – for the TNA World CHampionship

They started off exchanging some hard shots before things got a bit more technical, with Hendry impressing with his Delayed Vertical Suplex. But Cardona recovered and took the fight to the floor, using some dirty tactics by using his T-shirt to sneakily choke Hendry.

Hendry caught Cardona and dropped him hard with a Death Valley Driver on the apron, but when he tried to follow that up, Cardona used an eye rake to escape and then shoved a blinded Hendry face-first into the ring steps.

Back from the final commercial break, and Cardona was able to stymie a rally by Hendry and hit him with some big shots, including a series of Neckbreakers. Cardona then went after the damaged neck with a Head Crank, but Hendry powered out of it and dumped Cardona hard to the mat.

Hendry went for the Standing Ovation, but Cardona kicked him in the knee and dropped him with a Necktie Neckbreaker, but Hendry kicked out. Cardona then hit the Reboot and was going for another, but Hendry caught him.

After a bit of back-and-forth and some moves and counters, the referee found himself in the corner where he inadvertently ate an Avalanche Clothesline by Cardona. So he wasn’t conscious to count the fall when Hendry hit a Pop-Up Powerbomb.

He also missed seeing Cardona hit Hendry with a Low Blow when Hendry went for a Standing Ovation. Cardona tried to seize the moment by going to the timekeeper’s desk and grabbing the title belt with the intention of knocking Hendry into next week.

But after he grabbed the belt, Cardona was stopped by John “JBL” Layfield who emerged from the crowd. Layfield hit Cardona with a Clothesline From Hell on the floor and then stared at Hendry who was puzzled by Layfield’s presence and actions before Layfield simply turned around and headed back out through the crowd and to the exits.

 

Hendry watched him leave, and didn’t see Cardona recover the belt and when Hendry turned round, Cardona clobbered him in the head with it. The referee woke up and counted 1… 2… NO! Hendry kicked out!

Cardona went for another shot with the belt, but Hendry ducked it, and then hit Cardona with the Standing Ovation, and got the pin to score his first title defense.

This was a good main event. Layfield’s unstated motivations in his actions over the past several weeks is intriguing. But the story here was Hendry and how much the fans are behind the new champ.

Winner, and still World Champion: Joe Hendry

 

TNA Impact - January 23rd, 2025
4.5

Boeing Center at Tech Port– San Antonio, TX

Coming off of a good Genesis PPV, this show kept up the momentum. The fact that it was live added to the freshness of the show. Despite having more promos than usual, the strength of the matches helped make the show still feel balanced.

With some intriguing possibilities from the NXT crossover, there’s a lot to be optimistic about as it relates to TNA in 2025. This show was a good example of that.