By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
TNA Rebellion
Aired April 20, 2024 on pay-per-view and TrillerTV.com
Las Vegas, Nevada at Palms Resort Casino
TNA Rebellion Pre-Show
Tom Hannifan and Matt Rehwoldt were on commentary… Ring announcer Jade Chung delivered the introductions for the opening match…
1. “The Rascalz” Trey Miguel, Zachary Wentz, and Myron Reed vs. Ace Austin, Chris Bey, and Leon Slater. In the end, Slater performed a top rope 450 splash onto Miguel and then pinned him…
Ace Austin, Chris Bey, and Leon Slater defeated “The Rascalz” Trey Miguel, Zachary Wentz, and Myron Reed in 9:05.
Powell’s POV: The fast paced, athletic, spot-fest match that one would expect from these six wrestlers. It’s worth noting that every wrestler in this match is younger than every male wrestler on the main card. Given the company’s place in the industry, I’d really like to see TNA go with more youth and incorporate some of their young talent into more prominent positions.
Gia Miller interviewed Rich Swann and AJ Francis in the backstage area. Francis introduced the Manboy Mafia (gamers)…
2. Crazzy Steve vs. Laredo Kid for the TNA Digital Media Championship. Steve hit an early cannonball in the corner and then pointed at Kid before asking, “Where’s your hero now?” Kid eventually came back and hit a Spanish Fly from the top rope and scored the clean pin…
Laredo Kid defeated Crazzy Steve in 8:40 to win the TNA Digital Media Championship.
Powell’s POV: Good news and bad news with the title change. The good news is that I’ve hoped the company would do more with Kid once he signed with the company and they finally are. The bad news is that Steve’s awesome character shift led to a forgettable run with the lousy Digital Media Championship.
Gia Miller interviewed Steph De Lander, who acknowledged that the injured Matt Cardona won’t be in her corner. She said she would still beat Jordynn Grace. De Lander said she had help. “The Good Hands” Jason Hotch and John Skyler entered the picture. Skyler told De Lander that she was in good hands. Hotch said they are still pulling for Mustafa Ali…
3. “Spitfire” Dani Luna and Jody Threat (w/Lars Frederiksen) vs. “Decay” Rosemary and Havok for the Knockouts Tag Titles. Punk rock icon Frederiksen accompanied Luna and Threat to the ring and was in their corner for the match. Late in the match, Threat jumped from the top rope onto Rosemary and Havok on the floor. A short time later, Threat clotheslined Rosemary to the floor and went up top again, but Havok cut her off. Threat and Luna performed a double powerbomb on Havok, who rolled out of the ring. The Spitfire duo hit their finisher on Rosemary and got the three count.
“Spitfire” Dani Luna and Jody Threat beat “Decay” Rosemary and Havok in 10:30 to retain the Knockouts Tag Titles.
Frederiksen celebrated with the champions afterward. Masha Slamovich walked onto the stage with a chain in her hand. Alicia Edwards walked out with a kendo stick and stood next to Slamovich…
Powell’s POV: Why is Slamovich being wasted in the Knockouts tag team division when they need top singles wrestlers? Anyway, the match was fine and I guess we found out who the next challengers for Spitfire will be.
Two protesters came out with signs while three referees acted bothered. One of the protesters had a microphone. They staged a sit-in in the ring to protest Jake Something being allowed to work in the X Division. Deaner came out and confronted the protesters. Deaner told the protesters that it’s the choice of the people. Per Deaner’s new gimmick, he left things up to the fans and obliged when they indicated they wanted him to clear the protesters from the ring after DDT’ing one onto the balls of the other…
TNA Rebellion Pay-Per-View
Guitarist DJ Ashba was introduced by Jade Chung. Ashba stood on the stage and performed the national anthem on his guitar… A video package aired with The System following Nic Nemeth… The broadcast team remained Tom Hannifan and Matt Rewoldt, and Jade Chung was the ring announcer…
Jake Something made his entrance. A shot aired of an SUV arriving outside the building where men in suits and shades were waiting. Mustafa Ali exited the SUV dressed in his gear and made his entrance…
1. Mustafa Ali vs. Jake Something for the X Division Championship. Something turned Ali inside out with a clothesline for an early two count. Later, one of Ali’s bodyguards distracted the referee while two other bodyguards held Something down. Ali hit a 450 splash on Something and then got a near fall. Something rallied and had Ali pinned, but Ali draped his foot over the bottom rope. Ali sent Something into the post and then rolled him into a pin and held the bottom rope for leverage while the shielded referee made the three count…
Mustafa Ali defeated Jake Something in roughly 10:00 to retain the X Division Championship.
Powell’s POV: A good match with too much nonsense. I still can’t believe that Ali got cut from WWE and brought this sports entertainment gimmick to TNA. I’d love to see him play something that feels authentic such as when he was producing those great video packages for himself in WWE.
The French broadcast team checked in briefly… Former NFL linebacker Shawne Merriman was shown in the crowd…
2. Rich Swann (w/AJ Francis) vs. Joe Hendry. Hendry did his mic work prior to the match. Swann aggressively gouged the eye of Swann in front of the referee to take offensive control. One of the Manboy Mafia gamers passed a gold chain to Francis. When Francis wound up to use it as a weapon, Shawne Merriman stopped him.
Merriman hopped the barricade and entered the ring. Francis joined him in the ring and they bickered until Francis went to the apron. With the referee distracted by Francis, Merriman clotheslined Hendry and then exited the ring. Swann hit a top rope frog splash on Hendry and then pinned him..
Rich Swann defeated Joe Hendry in 8:40.
Powell’s POV: Between Ali’s secret service agents and now the gamers, the extras outnumber the actual wrestlers we’ve seen on the main card so far. If Merriman’s name seems familiar and you’re not a football fan, it’s probably because he had a public spat with CM Punk several years ago.
3. Eric Young vs. Frankie Kazarian in a Full Metal Mayhem match. Kazarian risked bad luck by walking under a ladder during his entrance. Young did the same, so I guess they are both cursed if you believe in that sort of thing. Hannifan explained that all weapons were legal and the only way to win was via pin or submission inside the ring.
Kazarian threw a ladder at Young early on. Young swung the old Janice board with nails sticking out of it at Kazarian, who shockingly avoided it. Kazarian ended up with the weapon and then it was Young’s turn to avoid it. Kazarian speared Young off the apron and both men crashed through a table on the floor, which drew some TNA chants.
Both wrestlers took turns slamming cookie sheets over the head of their opponent. Young got the better of it and hit a Death Valley Driver for a two count. Kazarian avoided a charging Young in the corner and then used a chain to choke him and then put the chain in his mouth and wrenched on it. Young slipped out and then wrapped the chain around Kazarian’s neck and pulled him off the ropes.
Young placed a trashcan over Kazarian. Young wrapped the chain around his forehead and then stuck the trashcan a few times. Young performed a top rope elbow drop onto the trashcan, then pulled it off of Kazarian and covered him for a near fall.
A short time later, Kazarian set up a table inside the ring and the chain was underneath it. Kazarian went to the ropes with a trashcan, but Young crotched him on the top turnbuckle. Both men fought on the ropes and then Kazarian hit a Flux Capacitor from the top rope. Young’s head hit the table and he started to bleed instantly. Kazarian covered Young and scored the pin…
Frankie Kazarian defeated Eric Young in 15:20 in a Full Metal Mayhem match.
Powell’s POV: Hopefully Young is okay after taking that bump through the table. Both wrestlers worked hard and the crowd was into the gritty hardcore style match.
Nic Nemeth was interviewed by Gia Miller on the backstage interview set. Nemeth said it was a special night and he had his father in the crowd. Nemeth said he would win the TNA World Championship…
Steve Maclin made his entrance while Hannifan said this was not a scheduled part of the show. Maclin recalled saying he would make his presence felt on the show. He showed off a contract that he said he was offered by TNA executives. Maclin said they met every demand he had, but he had one more. Maclin said he wanted a match and he wouldn’t leave until that demand was met.
TNA Director of Authority Santino Marella walked onto the stage with a mic and said they could have talked about this in the back. Santino said Maclin was in luck because he just signed another superstar who can’t wait to get started. Santino said the match would take place right now.
Mike Santana made his entrance through the crowd. Tom Hannifan said Santana was home…
4. Mike Santana vs. Steve Maclin. A loud “welcome back” chant broke out. Maclin shoved Santana, who responded with a slap to the face. Both men traded punches. Santana clotheslined Maclin to ringside and then hit him with a flip dive.
Maclin came back by running Santana into the ring post. Maclin dumped Santana face first on the apron and then rolled him back inside the ring where the wrestlers traded chops. Maclin put Santana down with an elbow and covered him for a two count. Maclin performed a uranage backbreaker for a two count.
A short time later, Santana cut off Maclin’s run of offense with a cutter. Santana fired up the crowd and hit a jumping enzuigiri in the corner. Maclin hit Santana with a forearm, but Santana came right back with a Death Valley Driver for a near fall. Santana went for a discus clothesline, but Maclin cut him off with a knee strike. Maclin performed a top rope headbutt for a near fall.
Maclin remained on the offensive and then hung Santana in the tree of woe. Maclin hit Santana with a shoulder block and then covered him for another near fall. Santana rallied with a big kick and a discus clothesline and scored the pin…
Mike Santana defeated Steve Maclin in 8:10.
Powell’s POV: A solid match and a fun surprise. These are two good signings for TNA, assuming that both men really have put pen to paper. I thought Santana might be NXT bound and there was certainly suspicion that Maclin might follow his wife Deonna Purrazzo to AEW. Here’s hoping that Santana will get to show off his impressive and under utilized mic skills during this run in TNA.
Gia Miller interviewed “The System” Moose, Brian Myers, Eddie Edwards, and Alisha Edwards on the backstage interview set. Eddie said Masha Slamovich is not part of The System. Myers spoke brief and then headed out with the others while Moose stuck around to discuss his title defense. Moose said Nic Nemeth had his whole family in the crowd because they thought he could leave with the TNA Title. Moose declared a spoiler alert and said he would keep his title. Moose introduced former NFL player John Abraham, who joined him on the set briefly…
5. Brian Myers and Eddie Edwards (w/Alisha Edwards) vs. Mike Bailey and Trent Seven for the TNA Tag Team Titles. Edwards sent Seven knee first into the ring steps. Edwards followed up by picking up Seven and dropping the bad knee on top of the steps. Seven was isolated by the heels, who continued to target his bad knee.
Bailey tagged in and hit Myers with a standing shooting star press for a near fall. A short time later, Bailey hit the same move from the top rope on Myers for another near fall. Seven tagged in and held Myers. Bailey set up for a move, but Edwards pulled him to the floor. Seven sold his knee while Edwards tagged in and taunted him.
Edwards put Seven in a single crab while Myers caught Bailey in a crossface. Bailey broke free and then threw kicks at Edwards and eventually forced him to break it with rapid fire kicks. Bailey ran up the ropes and took out Myers with a dive to the floor. Bailey returned to the ring and kicked Edwards into a dragon suplex from Seven, who covered him for a near fall.
Bailey went up top. Edwards shoved Seven into Bailey to knocked Bailey down to the floor. Edwards performed a Backpack Stunner on Seven and then Myers performed a top rope elbow drop on Seven, which led to a good near fall. Seven hit the Burning Hammer on Edwards and then Bailey followed up with the Ultimate Weapon. Seven had the pin, but Myers shoved Bailey into the pin to break it up.
Bailey dove from the apron at Myers, who caught him with a spear. Myers hit Seven with a Roster Cut and then Edwards followed up with the Boston Knee Party and scored the pin…
Brian Myers and Eddie Edwards defeated Mike Bailey and Trent Seven in 12:50 to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles.
Powell’s POV: The best match of the night thus far. Everyone worked hard and there were some believable near falls from both teams. All of that said, they really need to get Bailey back into a meaningful position in the singles division.
6. Josh Alexander vs. Hammerstone in a Last Man Standing match. Alexander went right at Hammerstone to start the match. Alexander performed a wicked suplex on the apron several minutes into the match. Hammerstone tumbled to the floor and was able to beat the referee’s count at seven. Alexander wrapped Hammerstone’s left knee around the ring post three times and then applied a figure four briefly.
Hammerstone took offensive control. Alexander, who suffered a cut behind his ear, struggled to beat the referee’s count a couple of times. Hammerstone placed Alexander in a Torture Rack. Alexander struggled to get up at eight and was laughing while he did so. Hammerstone put him right down with a pump kick, but Alexander caught him in an ankle lock.
Alexander targeted the ankle by slamming it on the mat and stomping it. Alexander tied up Hammerstone in a tree of woe and then hit him with a crossbody block. Hammerstone got to his feet at five. Alexander set up for the C4 Spike, but Hammerstone blocked it. Alexander put the boots to Hammerstone.
Alexander dropped to the floor and pulled a bag out from underneath the ring. Alexander brought the bag inside the ring with him and poured thumbtacks on the mat in front of Hammerstone. Alexander placed Hammerstone in a seated position on the top rope and set up for a superplex, but Hammerstone fought back.
Hammerstone picked up Alexander while seated on the top turnbuckle, stood up, and then performed a Nightmare Pendulum onto the tacks, which drew a deserving holy shit chant. Hammerstone picked some tacks out of his thigh while the referee counted, but Alexander rolled to the floor and onto his feet to break the count.
Hammerstone got Alexander on the entrance ramp, which is level with the ring. Hammerstone put the headgear he stole from Alexander around his arm and set up for his finisher, but Alexander avoided it. Alexander performed a half and half suplex on the ramp and followed up with a C4 Spike on the stage. Hammerstone failed to stand up.
Josh Alexander defeated Hammerstone in 19:50 in a Last Man Standing match.
After the match, Alexander took his headgear back and held it up inside the ring.
Powell’s POV: Good effort from both wrestlers. I hope they have a plan for Hammerstone to bounce back from losing this feud. He’s been a really nice addition to the TNA roster and they need to keep him in the upper mix. My guess is Alexander will soon challenge the winner of tonight’s TNA World Championship match.
A Jonathan Gresham video package aired. The person who heads up the group therapy session said that if you give Gresham a mask, he will become his true self. Gresham got sick and spit up a black substance. He came face to face with a masked version of himself…
Powell’s POV: I’m not really sure what’s happening with these Gresham videos, but they are well produced and intriguing.
Ash By Elegance’s concierge stood in the balcony and introduced Ash, who took a bow and blew a kiss to the crowd. Entrances for the Knockouts Title match took place. Steph De Lander was accompanied by Jason Hotch and John Skyler. The broadcast team explained that Hotch and Skyler were replacing the injured Matt Cardona. Jordynne Grace made her entrance…
7. Jordynne Grace vs. Steph De Lander (Jason Hotch, John Skyler) for the Knockouts Championship. Morlon Greenwood from the NFL Alumni Association was shown in the front row and introduced by Hannifan. Jade Chung delivered in-ring introductions for the title match.
Grace hit an early suicide dive. De Lander took control inside the ring and executed a suplex that led to a two count. Ash was shown drinking champagne in her “sky box.” Grace stood on the apron and caught De Lander with a knee strike. De Lander came back with a back body drop and a suplex. Grace popped right up and threw clotheslines that failed to put De Lander down. De Lander returned fire with one clothesline that put Grace down.
Grace caught De Lander in a sleeper and didn’t break the hold when De Lander fell back on top of her. Skyler distracted the referee from checking on De Lander. Grace released the hold. De Lander got the title belt and tried to hit Grace with it, but Grace moved and De Lander stopped short of hitting the referee. Grace accidentally took out the referee moments later. REF BUMP!!!
De Lander hit Grace with the Knockouts Title belt. Hotch put on the referee shirt and made a three count. The lights went out. When the lights turned on, PCO appeared in the ring and took out Hotch and Skyler. De Lander tried to flirt with PCO and removed his jacket. PCO grabbed De Lander for a chokeslam.
Big Kon came out and attacked PCO to save the heel damsel in distress. Kon cleared PCO from the ring. Grace got in the face of Kon, who shoved her to the mat. Grace hit Kon with a shot to the balls, causing him to drop to his knees. Grace stood him up and hoisted him up for her finisher, but Hotch and Skyler returned and stopped her. Kon set up to wrench Grace’s neck when the lights went out again.
Sami Callihan was in the ring with a baseball bat when the lights turned on. Callihan worked over Kon, Hotch, and Skyler with the bat. Callihan cleared Kon and Skyler from the ring and then hit the Cactus Driver on Hotch. Callihan went to ringside, grabbed De Lander, and threw her back inside the ring. Grace hit De Lander and then put her down with the Grace Driver. A second referee ran out and counted the pin…
Jordynne Grace defeated Steph De Lander in 12:15 to retain the Knockouts Championship.
Powell’s POV: So I guess the returning Sami Callihan was the lights out mystery person? There was way too much outside interference for my taste, but the live crowd ate it up. Grace needs strong challengers who can go in the ring. Again, why is Masha being wasted in the tag division?
An ad aired for the Slammiversary pay-per-view that will be held on Saturday, July 20 in Montreal, Quebec at Verdun Auditorium… Hannifan and Rehwoldt plugged upcoming TNA shows… A video package set up the main event…
Nic Nemeth’s father Don and his brother Ryan were shown seated in the crowd. Nic made his entrance. Moose’s entrance followed and he was joined by the other members of The System…
8. Moose (w/Brian Myers, Eddie Edwards, Alisha Edwards) vs. Nic Nemeth for the TNA World Championship. Jade Chung delivered in-ring introductions for the title match. Nic took Moose down to start. Once they were back on their feet, Moose went for a clothesline, but Nic held the top rope down and Moose tumbled over. Nic jumped toward Moose, who caught him on the floor and then dumped him on the apron. Moose taunted Nemeth’s family members.
Back inside the ring, Nemeth bounced back and tuned up the band for a superkick, but Alisha grabbed his foot. The referee saw her do it and ejected The System members from ringside, which led to the live crowd singing the goodbye song. Nemeth blasted a distracted Moose with a superkick and covered him for a near fall.
A short time later, the match spilled over to ringside. Moose had the ring steps turned on their side and set up for a powerbomb, but Nemeth slipped out. Nemeth hit a Fameasser off the ramp onto Moose on the floor. Back in the ring, Nemeth hit Moose with a corner splash and a neckbreaker. Nemeth dropped repeated elbows on Moose. Nemeth motioned for the belt and wound up for the grand finale elbow, but Moose rolled to ringside.
Nemeth went to the apron and performed an elbow drop onto Moose on the floor. Nemeth rolled Moose back inside the ring and then hit him with a top rope elbow for a near fall. Nemeth tried to follow up with a superkick, but Moose stuffed it and then headbutted him. Nemeth came back with a shot and went to the ropes, but Moose pulled him down with a Sky High for a near fall.
Both men avoided moves from the other and then Moose put Nemeth down with a big powerbomb for another near fall. Moose powerbombed Nemeth on the ramp. Nemeth’s leg knocked some lights off the stage and they appeared to hit a camera, as the screen went green and staticky for a moment.
Back in the ring, both men traded punches and forearms. Nemeth eventually hit a Fameasser for a near fall. Moose went for a spear, but Ziggler jumped and avoided it. Nemeth superkicked and speared Moose for another two count. Moose caught Nemeth with a spear and then pinned him.
Moose defeated Nic Nemeth in 17:10 to retain the TNA World Championship.
Brian Myers, Eddie Edwards, and Alisha Edwards walked onto the stage and applauded Moose. A “Lights Out” video played and then the lights did indeed go out. When the lights turned on, Matt Hardy was in the ring dressed in his Broken Matt garb. Hardy kicked Moose and then put him down with a Twist of Fate. Matt did the “Delete” bit while the fans chanted along. Hardy picked up the TNA Title belt and played to the crowd to end the show…
Powell’s POV: A good main event with a deflating finish. The live crowd was ready to see a title change and they didn’t get it. The good news is that Sami Callihan’s return was not the lights out surprise. The bad news is that it was Matt Hardy bringing back his Broken Matt gimmick. The crowd seemed pleased by the surprise. I genuinely like Matt and respect his accomplishments, but it’s hard to be excited about a guy who was defined down so badly in AEW showing up and immediately going after the TNA Title. Granted, no one was run into the ground more than Nemeth was during his long WWE run, but he freshened things up and felt like a new man in TNA, whereas Matt is busting out the tired Broken Matt persona. Even if you like the Broken Universe more than I do, this is yet another addition of an aging veteran to a roster that is in dire need of a youth movement.
Overall, this was a good show that felt a little lost in the shuffle this close to WrestleMania XL and with AEW Dynasty tomorrow night (not to mention the three-hour block of AEW television tonight). I will be back with my same night audio review of TNA Rebellion, which will be available to everyone as this week’s Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast. Let me know what you thought of Rebellion by voting for the best match and grading the overall show below.
Join me for my live review of AEW Dynasty on Sunday night.
It’s saying Nemeth actually won though which he should’ve actually..
“Overall, this was a good show that felt a little lost in the shuffle this close to WrestleMania XL and with AEW Dynasty tomorrow night (not to mention the three-hour block of AEW television tonight).”
Unless, of course, you’re just a fan of all pro wrestling and don’t think about what other companies were doing weeks before, or the next day or whatever. Maybe people could just sit down and enjoy 3 hours of quality pro wrestling and not care about the tribalism of what other promotions have done, or will be doing.
This
I do enjoy it all. And as someone who keeps up on so much of it, things do get lost in the shuffle at this time of the year. It’s not tribalism, it’s just a fact.
The first sentence in the final summary of the show tonight referenced two other companies that had nothing to do the PPV that aired tonight… just saying.
It’s not tribal to talk about other companies. Had I wrote something like WWE and AEW kick TNA’s ass, that would be tribal, but that’s not what I wrote. My point is that this show ran two weeks after pro wrestling’s biggest weekend of the year and directly against a three-hour block on cable that didn’t require a PPV payment. Plus, there’s another PPV tomorrow night. All of those events are produced by bigger and more visible companies than TNA is on AXS TV right now. Again, it’s not tribal, it’s not a shot against TNA, it’s the reality of the situation. If anything, playing the tribalism card over something that wasn’t an insult against any company comes off a little tribal to me. I’d like to see TNA put a little distance between Rebellion and WrestleMania/Dynasty in future years because I want to see them sell more pay-per-views. Does that seem tribal to you?
Exactly This is the negativity that brings all wrestling down. Not a perfect show , but Really good PPV. Unless you were expecting WWE/AEW show.