By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
TNA Under Siege
Streamed live May 3, 2024 on TNA+ and TrillerTV.com
Albany, New York at Washington Avenue Armory
The ring was well lit and the crowd is maybe 500-700. Once again, the entrance is to the left of the ring; I strongly approve of this as I want to see fans across from the hard camera. Tom Hanifan and Matthew Rehwoldt provided commentary. Hammerstone is not medically cleared for tonight’s show, so Rich Swann is taking his spot.
TNA Under Siege Pre-Show
1. Rhino defeated VSK at 3:35. Rhino easily shoved him to the mat. They brawled on the mat as the commentators ran down some of the changes to tonight’s card. In the ring, Rhino hit a belly-to-belly suplex, then a Gore for the pin. Acceptable squash.
* Backstage, Gia Miller interviewed Ace Austin about his X Division title shot later tonight. Ace talked about how Chris Bey has been distracted lately. He said Bey isn’t here to watch his back tonight, but that’s okay. He said he’s the kind of guy who makes his own luck.
2. “FBI” Ray Jaz and Zack Clayton (w/Little Guido) defeated “The Batiri” Obariyan and Kodama at 4:14. The Batiri just competed on Wrestling Open last week; they are shorter and have yellow-and-black facepaint. Clayton easily tossed them around. The Batiri began working over Ray Jaz. Clayton was holding Guido back from jumping into the ring. Zack got a hot tag at 3:30 and hit a double clothesline, then a powerslam for a nearfall. He hit a pop-up neckbreaker. Jaz nailed a top-rope elbow drop; Clayton made the cover for the pin.
* Frankie Kazarian and Steve Maclin spoke backstage. It is questionable if they can get along…
3. Laredo Kid defeated KC Navarro to retain the Digital Media Title at 6:35. The pink-haired Navarro has been a regular in the U.S. for a few years; I think he is still the Warrior Wrestling champion. Hannifan explained that Rich Swann was supposed to be Laredo Kid’s opponent, but Swann was moved into the main show. Quick reversals at the bell and we got a “lucha!” chant. Laredo Kid hit an Asai Moonsault at 1:30. KC hit a pop-up dropkick. Laredo Kid hit a Michinoku Driver, then moonsaults from the corner for a nearfall at 5:00. KC nailed a Tornado DDT for a nearfall. Laredo hit a top-rope Spanish Fly, but it was really more of an overhead belly-to-belly, as Laredo landed on KC, to score the pin. Good action.
* A video package aired showing the Moose-Nic Nemeth feud with Nic getting injured and unable to compete tonight (Nemeth is wrestling in Japan tonight instead.) Matt Hardy is taking his slot.
TNA Under Siege Main Show
1. Eric Young and Josh Alexander defeated Steve Maclin and Frankie Kazarian at 12:27. Hannifan talked about Eric Young’s ear being severed and having to be re-attached just a couple weeks ago. (He should be wearing Josh Alexander-style amateur headgear tonight, right?) Sure enough, Eric put the headgear on! Young and Maclin opened, with Eric hitting a dropkick. Josh and Kazarian entered, and Josh hit his forward Finlay Roll for a nearfall at 2:00. Kazarian hit a guillotine legdrop to the back of the neck, and the heels began working over Alexander in their corner. Maclin hit a backbreaker over his knee. Kazarian hit a Lungblower to the back at 4:00, and they kept Josh grounded. The heels hit a team suplex for a nearfall at 6:00.
Josh finally hit a belly-to-belly suplex out of the ropes on Kazarian. Young got the hot tag and he hit a TKO stunner at 8:00. Josh hit his rolling German Suplexes on Maclin. Kazarian hit a slingshot DDT. Maclin tied Young in the Tree of Woe and hit the “Tag’m and Bag’m” spear for a believable nearfall at 9:30. Josh hit a backbreaker over his knee on Maclin for a nearfall. Maclin hit an Angle Slam for a nearfall. Young and Kazarian tagged in; Eric hit a Thesz Press and some punches. Alexander hit a punch on Kazarian that allowed Eric to hit a modified Canadian Destroyer for a nearfall. Maclin accidentally hit Kazarian with a running knee! Maclin was tossed to the floor, and Young immediately hit a piledriver on Kazarian for the pin. That was really good action.
2. Ash by Elegance defeated Jessicka Havok (w/Rosemary) at 5:20. Havok and Rosemary came out first. Ash’s hypeman came to the ring and he said Havok is “demonically possessed.” He pulled out a bottle of holy water to purify the ring! Ash came out and she has a necklace of garlic on! The crowd chanted “Havok is gonna kill you!” which irritated Ash, as she rolled to the floor to talk to her still-unnamed hypeman. In the ring, Ash hit some blows that Havok no-sold. Havok applied a Full Nelson and whipped her around like a rag doll; Ash again rolled to the floor at 2:30. Havok reached down, grabbed Ash’s hair, and dragged her back into the ring.
Havok hit a headbutt and she tossed Ash across the ring. She put Ash on her shoulders. The hypeman tossed holy water on Havok. “She’s not melting!” Rehwoldt said in surprise. Ash got underneath Havok in the corner and hit a powerbomb. On the floor, Rosemary grabbed the holy water and drank it! She spit out red fluid, and she chased the hypeman to the back. Meanwhile, Ash got a rollup for the pin. Far more comedy than I expected. Ash grabbed the garlic necklace and choked Havok with it, then she hit some chairshots to the back. She then hit a DDT on the metal entrance ramp.
* Backstage, Gia Miller interviewed Matt Hardy, Mike Bailey and Trent Seven. Bailey said he feels “broken.”
3. Joe Hendry defeated Zachary Wentz at 5:06. No other Rascalz with Wentz as he walked solo to the ring, and that surprised our commentary team, who said they saw Trey Miguel earlier in the day. Hendry came out second and got on the mic and boasted about his download sales being better than Beyonce and Post Malone, among others. Wentz hit a dropkick at the bell, and he dove through the ropes onto Hendry. He tied up Hendry’s head in the ring, then he hit a series of kicks. He again dove through the ropes at 2:30, but Hendry caught him on his shoulders, walked up the stairs to the ring, and tossed Zack over the top rope and to the mat. In the ring, Hendry hit a fallaway slam and kipped up. Wentz hit more kicks, then a top-rope Swanton Bomb for a nearfall at 4:30. He hit some stiff kicks to the spine. Hendry hit the Standing Ovation (palm-to-sternum slam) for the pin. Surprised we never saw Trey Miguel.
4. Masha Slamovich and Alisha Edwards defeated “Spitfire” Jody Threat and Dani Luna (w/Lars Frederiksen) to win the TNA Women’s Tag Team Titles at 6:28. Lars joined commentary after walking his team to the ring. Dani and Alisha opened; Dani’s strength advantage was really noticeable, so Alisha tagged out before locking up. Jody entered and traded reversals with Masha. Dani and Jody hit a team delayed vertical suplex on Masha at 1:30. The heels began working over Dani, hitting a team flapjack. Jody got the hot tag at 4:30 and clotheslined Alisha, then hit a Michinoku Driver for a nearfall, but Masha made the save. Jody hit a German Suplex on Masha, then Dani hit one for a nearfall. Alisha grabbed a kendo stick and she hit Jody in the back with it! Masha nailed a Doctor Bomb/gut-wrench powerbomb! Alisha hit a Pedigree for the pin on Jody! New champions! I didn’t see that one coming.
* Backstage, AJ Francis and Rich Swann talked to the camera. Francis said he’s ready to move past (they didn’t want to say his name!) and instead are focused on getting Swann a win tonight. However, Swann was supposed to get a title tonight by defeating Laredo Kid, now he has to face the massive Jake Something.
5. Rich Swann (w/AJ Francis) defeated Jake Something at 11:30. This is a first-time-ever match, which is a bit surprising with their background in TNA and in other promotions they both appear, like Wrestling Revolver. Jake hit a running body block that flattened Swann. Francis distracted Jake, allowing Swann to hit a dropkick to the back. Francis hit a shoulder tackle on the floor. In the ring, Swann was now in charge and he kept Jake grounded, hitting some roundhouse kicks to the chest. It only fired up Jake, who got to his feet at 4:00, so Rich raked the eyes.
Francis leaned into the ring and punched Jake while the ref was distracted. Jake hit a clothesline that flipped Swann at 6:30, then he slammed Rich face-first to the mat. He put Swann on his back and dropped to the mat in a Torture Rack/backbreaker move for a believable nearfall. Swann hit a step-up mule kick for a nearfall. Swann came off the ropes, but Jake caught him with a forearm at 8:30. AJ low-bridged the top rope, and Jake fell to the floor. AJ beat up Jake on the floor, and finally the ref saw it and was about to eject Francis or DQ him.
However, Cody Deaner walked to the ring and said it’s the ‘people’s choice’ if this match should end right now, or if he should come to the ring “and chop down that dollar tree.” Cody ran down the ramp and attacked Francis, but AJ chokeslammed Cody onto the ring apron. Jake flew over the top rope onto AJ on the floor. Swann hit a flip dive to the floor on Jake. In the ring, Swann hit a Lethal Injection and a frogsplash for the pin! I again incorrectly predicted a winner tonight.
6. Jonathan Gresham defeated Kushida at 9:02. This appears to be a new octopus mask on Gresham, but he kept a smaller mask on at the bell; it is pretty scary and makes me think of late-in-career Great Muta, or Mexico’s Drago. An intense lockup at the bell. Gresham paused to loudly cough. “What the hell was that?” Hannifan asked. Intense mat reversals. Kushida hit some chops at 2:30. Gresham bit Kushida on the arm! He applied a Boston Crab. Kushida hit a handspring-back-elbow at 5:30 and a Shotei palm strike.
Kushida kicked out the left arm and went for a Hoverboard Lock, but Gresham blocked it. They traded quick reversals. Kushida hit his straight punch at 8:30. Gresham suddenly had black goo on his hands, and he wiped it all over Kushida’s face. Gresham was coughing up this dark goo. He put his hand over Kushida’s mouth, pushed him to the mat, and pinned him. Good action until the silly sports entertainment finish. Kushida was still coughing up black goo and the ref called for assistance.
7. PCO and Jordynne Grace defeated Kon and Steph De Lander at 10:57. We have quite the theatrical show of electrocuting and reviving PCO tonight, with Jordynne pushing the prongs onto his chest. “Well that was unexpected!” Rehwoldt said with a laugh. Kon and Grace opened; she hit a chop he no-sold, then a double chop he also no-sold. He tried to give her a Death Valley Driver, but she had a vice grip on his arms. SDL entered and hit some kicks and a suplex on Jordynne for a nearfall at 3:00. PCO finally got the hot tag; SDL screamed and lunged to her corner to tag out. The guys traded hard overhand chops. (Let’s be honest, PCO has brought out the best of Kon these last couple of months.)
PCO nailed a moonsault for a nearfall at 5:30, but Steph made the save. The guys brawled to the floor. In the ring, the heels worked over PCO in their corner. PCO and Kon hit simultaneous clotheslines and were both down at 8:00. Grace and SDL tagged back in, and Jordynne hit a DDT, then a Juggernaut Jackhammer for a nearfall. PCO grabbed Steph by her neck; she started to massage his arm and face; PCO went in for a kiss, but Kon attacked. Jordynne hit a low blow on Kon! She got him up on her shoulders and hit a Death Valley Driver, and that POPPED the crowd. PCO dove through the ropes onto Kon. In the ring, Grace hit a standing powerbomb, then the Juggernaut Driver for the pin. Entertaining.
* A video package aired showing how Trey Miguel won a ballot box vote campaign to be No. 1 contender, but Santino Marella ignored those results. Heavy use of Trey Miguel in that video package, and with the comments he was “seen in the building” earlier in the day, I have to believe he is about to become involved.
8. Mustafa Ali defeated Ace Austin to retain the X Division Title at 16:34. Hannifan reiterated that Chris Bey couldn’t be here today, and Ace understood that. Mustafa has four men-in-black Secret Service agents tonight. Another first-time-ever meeting. Ace hit a shoulder tackle that dropped Ali. They traded deep armdrags and had a standoff at 2:00. Ace hit a Fosbury Flop to the floor. Ali dove through the ropes and barreled onto Ace. They fought on the floor. Ali leapt off the corner and hit a tornado DDT at 4:30 onto the thin mat on the floor and we got a “this is awesome!” chant. Ali choked Ace with the ring apron. In the ring, Ali hit his rolling neckbreaker for a nearfall at 6:00.
Ace hit a clothesline and a springboard DDT for a nearfall, then a leg drop. Ali whipped Ace shoulder-first into the ring post at 8:00 and Austin screamed in pain as he clutched his shoulder. Ali applied a crossface move around the ring post! That’s new. In the ring, Ace bodyslammed Ali with one arm. He slammed Ali head-first into the middle turnbuckle. Ace hit a legdrop across Ali’s left arm. Ali dragged Ace out of the ring and hit a German Suplex on the thin floor mat, earning a “holy shit!” chant at 11:30. In the ring, Ace tossed Ali overhead into the turnbuckles. They traded chops and forearm strikes. Ali hit a spinning heel kick. Ace hit a spin kick to the head.
On the apron, Ace hit a penalty kick, but Ali tripped him, and Ace fell to the floor. In the ring, Ali applied a Sharpshooter at 14:00; Ace reached back and grabbed Ali’s hair to break free. Ace hit a standing powerbomb for a nearfall but he’s still selling the shoulder injury. The secret service agents hopped on the apron, but Ace knocked them off. Ace hit The Fold/flipping neckbreaker for a nearfall, but an agent pulled Ali to the ropes. Ace hit one of the agents. Ace went to the top rope, but Ali kicked his legs, and Ace fell onto the title belt below. Ali then immediately hit a top-rope 450 Splash for the pin. That was really, really good action. “We just witnessed something special,” Rehwoldt said.
* (No sign of Trey Miguel in that match; I don’t mind being wrong, as we didn’t need him involved.)
9. Moose, Brian Myers, and Eddie Edwards (w/Alisha Edwards) defeated “Broken” Matt Hardy, Mike Bailey, and Trent Seven at 23:47. The heels came out first. Hardy’s partners were dressed in similar coats as Matt. Hardy and Myers opened, but Matt wanted Moose! So, Moose entered, but tagged right back out. So, Matt finally locked up with Edwards, and he bit Eddie on the hand! He did a slingshot move, snapping Eddie’s throat across the throat. Trent entered and hit a senton for a nearfall at 2:00. Eddie jabbed Bailey in the throat, and The System began working Bailey over in their corner. Bailey repeatedly punched Myers in the forehead.
Moose hit a uranage on Bailey for a nearfall at 4:00 and Mike sold the pain in his lower back. The crowd chanted “Ball of Speed!” as Myers kept Bailey grounded. Alisha choked Bailey in the ropes. Bailey hit his speedball kicks on Moose, but Moose hit another uranage at 7:00. Bailey hit a snap suplex on Eddie but he couldn’t tag out. Seven finally got the hot tag at 9:00 and he hit a DDT on Moose for a nearfall. Eddie hit a Blue Thunder Bomb on Seven for a nearfall. Eddie missed a spear into the corner and he wound up crashing to the floor. Seven dove for the tag, but his teammates were yanked off the apron at 11:30, and the System continued to work over Trent.
Matt finally got the hot tag and hit some clotheslines on Eddie, then a double clothesline. He hit a Side Effect on Edwards for a nearfall at 13:30. Moose tagged in and stood across from Hardy, and they traded punches. Moose leapt off the top rope, but Hardy caught him with a stunner for a believable nearfall and we got a “holy shit!” chant. Matt hit a second-rope elbow drop for a nearfall. Bailey hit a missile dropkick on Myers at 16:30, then the Tornado Kick. He went for a move off the ropes, but Myers caught him with a spear for a nearfall. The babyfaces hit stereo Twist of Fate stunners! The heels got tossed to the floor and Bailey hit a springboard moonsault onto Myers.
Moose tossed Bailey onto the apron, then Seven onto the apron at 19:30. Moose moved a table in front of the entrance ramp and he set up for a move on Matt, but Hardy blocked it, and Matt hit a stunner onto the floor, and all six were down. Matt leapt off the top rope and hit a senton splash onto Moose, who was lying on the table at 21:30, rightfully earning a “holy shit!” chant. In the ring, Bailey hit a spin kick to Eddie’s jaw, and Seven hit a Dragon Suplex on Eddie. Bailey hit his moonsault kneedrop on Myers on the ring apron.
In the ring, Seven hit a Burning Hammer on Eddie for a nearfall, but Alisha pulled Trent off of him! Myers hit a Roster Cut clothesline on Bailey on the floor. In the ring, Edwards and Seven traded blows. Eddie hit a low blow mule kick. Eddie hit the Backpack Stunner on Seven as Myers was hitting a missile dropkick, and Eddie pinned Seven. The System posed with all four of their belts held high as the show went off the air.
Final Thoughts: Three really good matches here. Ali-Austin was some inspired action, and even though I never thought Ace was winning here, I give that best match. I’ll go with the show-opening tag just ahead of the main event. Both were quite good but I felt there were better stories in the opener and it was shorter and tighter. Nothing wrong with the main event at all, it was quite good, but we didn’t need two prolonged beatdowns built around getting to the hot tag. One of those in a match is fine.
How do you hold a show in New York and not have Mike Santana on the show? That is just short-sighted. This is easy booking 101 — you push the guy you just signed in his home state, where he’s certainly going to get a pop. Did they really not have any ideas for him? And I know he’s booked for a show in New York on Sunday so he has to be nearby. I sure hope he’s prominently used in Saturday’s taping.
A few negatives… Wentz-Hendry was just too short and Zachary is starting to borderline look like a jobber at this point. I don’t need that black goo finish to what had started as a really promising Gresham-Kushida match. The women’s tag titles have been such a hot potato that the belts are almost meaningless. And we all know how strong and athletic Ash by Elegance is, but she’s being booked like a coward. I’m starting to wonder if this is the right gimmick for her, because I think she’s got a lot of promise.
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