By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
TNA Against All Odds
Streamed live June 14, 2024 on TNA+
Chicago, Illinois, at Cicero Stadium
This show was sold out in advance; I’ve been here and it holds perhaps 600-700 fans. Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt provided commentary.
TNA Against All Odds Pre-Show
1. Sami Callihan defeated Jonathon Gresham at 8:19. The referee wore a mask, so he isn’t ‘infected’ by Gresham’s black goo. Sami attacked him on the floor; I started my stopwatch at first contact. Sami slammed him head-first into the ring post. They fought at ringside and Tom said several times the bell hasn’t rang to officially begin this match. Gresham pushed him shoulder-first into the post, and he worked the left arm. Sami hit a snap suplex at 4:30 and the crowd chanted “death machine!” at him. (Gresham rolled into the ring but out the other side, before Sami could also get in. They are determined to not officially have a match!)
Gresham hit an enzuigiri and the bell rang at about 6:00 sharp! (The crowd mockingly cheered that this match actually became official.) Gresham is still wearing a mask that reminds me of something Mexico’s Drago would wear. Sami hit a headbutt. Gresham pulled off the ref’s mask. Kushida (wearing a mask to protect himself) suddenly was on the ring apron, and he ‘swabbed’ some of the ink out of Gresham’s mouth! The distraction allowed Sami to hit a Cactus Driver/piledriver for the pin. Official time I believe is 2:22 and this match is EXACTLY why I start the clock at first contact or the bell, whichever is first.
* Footage aired of Jordynne Grace’s appearances in NXT, then footage of The System at the “Hardy Family Compound.”
* Gia Miller interviewed Moose, Eddie Edwards, Brian Myers and Alisha backstage. Very ominous music played during it.
2. Alisha Edwards and Masha Slamovich defeated “The Hex” Marti Belle and Allysin Kay to retain the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Titles at 7:58. The Hex wore fairly identical black with gold trim. Alisha and Marti opened. Hannifan pointed out that the Hex have been teaming for five years, as they worked over Masha. Allysin Kay hit some hard chops on Alisha at 3:30; Kay is much larger/thicker than Alisha. Masha entered and hit some hair-mares and a stiff kick to Kay’s spine for a nearfall. They hit simultaneous clotheslines and were both down.
Marti got the hot tag and she hit running double knees in the corner on Alisha for a nearfall at 5:30. Allysin hit a spinebuster on Masha. Marti hit a Jarrett-style Stroke on Alisha and suddenly everyone was down. Kay hit a Saito Suplex on Alisha for a nearfall. Marti rolled up Alisha for a believable nearfall. The Hex nailed the Hex Marks The Spot face plant for a believable nearfall, but Masha made the save as the fans LOUDLY chanted “That was three!!!” Alisha hit a top-rope bulldog on Marti for the pin. That was good; the crowd was really into this one.
* A video package aired of Mike Santana’s return, and Steve Maclin’s feud with the Rascalz.
TNA Against All Odds Main Show
1. Mike Santana and Steve Maclin defeated “The Rascalz” Zachary Wentz and Trey Miguel at 12:50. Santana opened; Trey immediately tagged in Wentz. Santana knocked Wentz down with a shoulder tackle and they traded quick reversals and had a standoff. Maclin entered at 1:30, so Trey tagged in, too. The Rascalz hit basement dropkicks on Santana, and Wentz tied him up on the mat. Santana hit a double clothesline, and Maclin tagged back in at 4:00. He hit a uranage backbreaker over his knee on Wentz. Maclin set up for a dive to the floor, but Trey caught his head and hit a stunner in the ropes. The Rascalz kept Maclin in their corner.
Santana finally got the hot tag at 8:00 and he traded offense with Wentz. He hit a faceplant on Zachary, then a DDT on Trey. Santana hit a stunner and Maclin hit a running knee for a nearfall. Wentz hit a jumping knee on Steve in the corner. Wentz hit a Swanton Bomb on Maclin for a nearfall at 10:00. Wentz hit a top-rope Meteora for a nearall, but Santana made the save, and this crowd loudly chanted “TNA!” The Rascalz hit superkicks on Maclin. Santana entered and hit an enzuigiri on Wentz. Trey got his spraypaint can, but Maclin blocked using it. Maclin hit his spear as Wentz was tied in the Tree of Woe. Santana immediately hit a discus clothesline to pin Wentz. This was REALLY good and this crowd was totally into it.
* They ‘hugged it out’ and Maclin rolled to the floor, leaving Santana in the ring to soak up the cheers. This was clearly done to show they were indeed a “one-and-done” tag team.
2. PCO defeated Rich Swann (w/AJ Francis) at 5:48. Francis wore a Scottie Pippen jersey and he compared himself to Pippen, saying “Michael Jordan didn’t win anything until Scottie Pippen showed up.” PCO hit a Mafia Kick and a clothesline. PCO missed a dive and crashed onto the floor. Swann hit a 450 Splash from the apron onto PCO on the floor at 1:30. In the ring, Swann was in charge and grounded PCO; AJ hit a cheap shot with the ref distracted. PCO hit a DDT at 3:30. He hit a guillotine legdrop to the back of the neck for a nearfall.
Francis tripped PCO on the ring apron, beat him up on the floor, and tossed him back in. PCO hit a Lungblower. He hit a flip dive through the ropes on Francis at 5:30! He then hit a top-rope moonsault for the clean pin on Swann. Decent for the time given; I must reiterate how much this crowd is into this and helping this show.
* Steph De Lander walked to the ring! She showed off the ‘love letter’ PCO gave her a few weeks ago. Will she go on a date with him? She said yes! “You have your whole life ahead of you! Don’t throw it away on a corpse!” Rehwoldt said.
3. “The System” Eddie Edwards and Brian Myers (w/Alisha) defeated Nic Nemeth and Ryan Nemeth to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles at 12:34. Rehwoldt reiterated that the Nemeth brothers had their first-ever tag match ’24 hours ago’ on Impact. Myers and Ryan opened, and the Nemeths tied up Brian’s arm. Nic hit a dropkick on Eddie, then on Brian. Alisha grabbed Nic’s ankle; Dirty Dango showed up at ringside and ejected her! The commentators noted we haven’t seen Dango in months. The System kept Nic in their corner. Ryan Nmeth got a hot tag and he hit a Rude Awakening standing neckbreaker on Myers at 4:30. Myers hit a spear on Ryan, and Eddie made the cover for a nearfall, and the heels now began working over Ryan.
Moose walked to ringside at 9:00 to cheer on his teammates. Nic got the hot tag and hit a running neckbreaker, then a flying elbow drop for a nearfall. He hit a Fame-asser on Edwards for a nearfall at 10:30. Eddie hit a backpack stunner and Myers immediately hit a top-rope elbow drop on Nic for a nearfall. Nic hit the Danger Zone on Eddie for a visual pin, but the ref was pulled to the floor. The cameras purposely didn’t catch who did it. Was it Moose or Dango? Both feigned innocence. However, Dango then nailed Ryan! Eddie immediately hit a Boston Knee Party/running knee strike to pin Ryan. It appears Dirty Dango has joined The System, as he hugged them all in the ring.
* Gia Miller interviewed Chris Bey and Ace Austin backstage. Gia asked them if they are worried about their odds tonight. Ace said he makes his own luck, and they’ll swing them back in favor of the ABC tonight. We then flipped to see Jordynne Grace wrapping her wrists as a medic was checking on her damaged ear.
4. Frankie Kazarian defeated Joe Hendry at 7:32. Hannifan noted there is a billboard with Hendry’s face in Glasgow, Scotland. Joe got on the mic and said there was speculation on where he would be tonight, but he chose to be in Chicago and be in TNA. Hendry called Kazarian the “Antonio Banderas of professional wrestling” and he’s been hanging on a bit too long on the nostalgia of his great movies but now “he’s just the dad from Spy Kids.” Mat reversals to open as they worked each other’s left arms. Hendry avoided the Crossface Chickenwing, and he bodyslammed Kazarian at 1:30. Hendry hit a delayed vertical suplex, and Kazarian rolled to the ropes to stall.
Kazarian hit a guillotine leg drop in the ropes and took control of the offense, hitting a bodyslam and a springboard leg drop for a nearfall at 4:00, and the crowd sang “I believe in Joe Hendry.” Hendry hit a fallaway slam. Kazarian avoided the Standing Ovation modified chokeslam. He hit a short-arm clothesline at 6:00 and was booed. Kazarian hit a Lungblower to the back; Hendry hit a pop-up powerbomb for a nearfall, then a back suplex, but Kazarian struck Joe with a concealed weapon in his hands, and Kazarian rolled onto Hendry for the pin! That seemingly came out of nowhere.
* Kazarian hit Hendry after the match. That brought Ace Steel to the ring, dressed in a suit. Kazarian pushed Ace, so Ace punched Kazarian. Rehwoldt was irate, saying Steel isn’t signed as a competitor.
5. Mustafa Ali defeated Trent Seven to retain the TNA X Division Title at 15:35. Both Campaign Singh and Mike Bailey are “banned from the building” tonight. Four ‘Secret Service agents’ escorted Ali to ringside. He got a huge pop when introduced as being from Chicago. Trent grabbed the mic and said he has a secret recording of Ali. The footage played on the screen, where Ali muttered that he doesn’t “live in Chicago” and it’s a “crime-infested hell-hole.” It was very hard to hear and the crowd chanted “What did he say?” (Embarrassing.) Ali charged at Seven but crashed into the corner; Trent hit the Seven-Star Lariat for a nearfall just seconds into the ring. They brawled to the floor, where Seven hit some chops.
They got back in the ring and the fans chanted “We still love you!” at Mustafa. Ali hit a second-rope DDT, then a dive through the ropes at 2:30. Seven hit a Dragon Suplex onto the thin mat at ringside! In the ring, Ali hit a running kick in the corner. Ali hit his rolling neckbreaker for a nearfall at 5:00, and he grounded Seven with a chinlock. Seven hit a side slam. He hit the “Bop and Bang” punch at 7:30. Ali grabbed Trent’s leg and slammed the knee hard into the mat. Seven hit a Dragon Suplex and a sit-out powerbomb. He snapped Ali’s fingers. Ali hit a low blow uppercut and his own Seven-Star Lariat for a nearfall at 9:00. “The man is a cheater, Rehwoldt!” Hannifan shouted. “You play with the sandbox provided,” Matt responded.
Seven hit a scoop slam off the second rope for a nearfall, and we got “This is awesome!” then “TNA!” chants. Ali again grabbed Seven’s leg and slammed it on the ring apron. They both crashed from the apron to the floor and the crowd chanted “Holy shit!” Seven barely dove back into the ring before the 10-count; Ali immediately hit a 450 Splash for a nearfall and the crowd again chanted “That was three!” at 13:00. Ali grabbed his title belt but the ref confiscated it. Seven hit a low blow uppercut and a Burning Hammer for a believable nearfall. They fought on the ropes but Ali raked the eyes, then hit a 450 Splash onto the legs. Ali applied a Sharpshooter and Seven tapped out! Really good action.
* Backstage, Kazarian was angry about Ace Steel’s interference. He spoke to Santino Marella and said he didn’t want Ace to sneak a weapon and hit him. Santino agreed and said this week, he can fight Ace in a Chicago street fight!
6. “ABC” Ace Austin and Chris Bey defeated Eric Young and Josh Alexander at 18:13. Hannifan noted that ABC was formed two years ago today. Good to see Alexander back after a 1-2 month absence. Eric wore a Marvel’s Dr. Doom mask. Bey and Young opened; Eric is wearing a Canada-themed singlet. Basic standing switches early on. Ace and Josh then locked up at 2:00 and traded quicker offense. Alexander went for a German Suplex but Bey rotated and landed on his feet, and Chris hit a doublestomp on Josh’s back. Ace hit a dropkick on Eric’s knee at 4:30. ABC hit stereo basement dropkicks on Eric’s head. Ace applied a leglock around Eric’s throat and kept him grounded.
Bey entered and hit a flying clothesline for a nearfall at 7:00. Josh got the hot tag and battled Bey, hitting a release German Suplex on Chris, and the fans chanted “Walking Weapon!” They grabbed each other in the groin, then they traded forearms. That earned a “holy shit!” chant. Young re-entered and hit a Rude Awakening neckbreaker on Bey at 10:00. Josh and Ace now traded forearm strikes, and Ace hit a Russian Leg Sweep and a guillotine legdrop. Alexander applied an anklelock on the floor, so Bey hit a dive onto Josh to break it up. Eric then dove onto all three at 12:00 and we got another “TNA!” chant.
Back in the ring, Josh and Austin traded forearm strikes. They fought on the ropes in the corner and we got a “Please be careful!” chant (well that’s new!). Josh applied an anklelock as they went to the center of the ring. Josh hit a German Suplez. Bey made a blind tag and hit a flying clothesline on Josh for a nearfall at 14:30. Josh hit an Air Raid Crash on Ace while simultaneously suplexing Bey! Eric tagged back in and hit a Death Valley Driver on Ace for a nearfall. Young got both guys on his shoulders but they got free and hit stereo kicks to the head for a nearfall.
Ace hit a springboard spin kick on Josh. Young hit a powerslam on Ace. Josh hit a backbreaker over his knee on Bey for a believable nearfall at 17:30! Josh hit a forward Finlay Roll on Bey, and Eric hit a top-rope elbow drop for a believable nearfall, but Ace made the save. Eric accidentally hit Josh! Ace hit The Fold overhead flipping neckbreaker, and Bey immediately made a jackknife cover for the pin! That was a blast. No post-match stuff between Alexander and Young so we’ll see if that leads to any future issues between them.
* It’s time for Jordynne Grace’s open challenge! She came out first in a white-silver outfit. As I predicted all week on Twitter/X, Tatum Paxley came to the ring. (A very subdued response; I think many fans were expecting or hoping for Natalya.) But wait! The Concierge walked onto the stage to talk about Ash By Elegance, and he introduced her. She sat in a chair at the top of the ramp, not at ringside.
7. Jordynne Grace defeated Tatum Paxley to retain the TNA Knockouts Title at 11:12. Jordynne immediately worked the left arm; Rehwoldt compared Tatum to “Scream Queen” Daffney. Jordynne hit some clotheslines, then mounted Tatum and hit blows to the back of her head at 2:30. She applied a Camel Clutch but Paxley bit her fingers. Tatum vanished under the ring. Tatum was able to pull Jordynne forward into the metal beams of the ring, and they brawled at ringside. In the ring, Grace blocked the Psycho Trap. Tatum applied a half-crab. Jordynne missed a Vader Bomb. However, she hit a Mark Henry Slam, then she hit the “Grace Under Pressure”/Vader Bomb for a nearfall at 5:30.
Grace hit a Muscle Buster for a believable nearfall (that should have been it.) They traded rollups. Jordynne slapped her in the face. They fought on the ropes in the corner, and Paxley hit a second-rope swinging neckbreaker for a nearfall at 8:30. Paxley grabbed Grace’s ears and Hannifan reminded us that Jordynne had an earring ripped out last week. Jordynne mounted her and hit a series of punches to the face. Jordynne hit a Jackhammer for a nearfall and the crowd was getting into this one after being quiet early on. Tatum hit an enzuigiri for a nearfall. Grace hit a spinning back fist and a rolling Death Valley Driver, then the Juggernaut Driver for the pin; she pointed at Ash as she got the three-count.
* Ash ran into the ring and attacked Jordynne from behind. However, Grace hit a spinebuster, and Ash rolled to the floor and screamed that she hurt her back. Jordynne grabbed the bottle of champagne and dumped it out on Ash. Ash screamed that it burned her eyes and she slipped on the puddle of champagne.
* A commercial aired for Slammiversary in Montreal, then a recap video of the Matt Hardy-Moose feud.
8. Moose defeated Matt Hardy in a Broken Rules Match to retain the TNA Title at 21:30. Moose wore a glittery gold jacket with red trim; Myers and the Edwardses joined him to ringside. No sign of Jeff Hardy. Rehwoldt said this is Matt’s first singles match in a year! The Nemeths attacked Myers and Edwards after the bell and those four brawled to the back. Matt hit a DDT at 1:00. He hit a side effect onto the ring apron! Matt then hit a Twist of Fate on the floor. Moose hit a bodyslam onto a garbage can on the floor at 3:00 and he took control. He slammed a chair repeatedly across Matt’s back.
In the ring, Matt hit Moose with some chairshots. They brawled to the floor and into the crowd; we got a “we can’t see!” chant as they fought out of camera view. They returned to ringside at 8:00, where Matt shoved Moose into the ring post. In the ring, Matt hit a suplex; he removed his shirt and hit a second-rope elbow drop for a nearfall. He made the “Delete!” motion, but Moose caught him and hit a uranage for a nearfall at 10:00. Moose threw a chair at Matt’s head. Alisha (who was still at ringside even though Eddie was gone) handed Moose some weapons. Moose nailed a top-rope superplex with them both landing on folded chairs, for a nearfall at 12:30.
Moose set up several open chairs in the center of the ring; however, Matt powerbombed Moose onto the open chairs for a nearfall at 14:00. Matt got a cardboard box from under the ring. He tossed it into the ring so it’s fairly light. Hannifan said literally anything could be in that box. Moose opened the box and pulled out an old-fashioned New England Patriots helmet, which he put on. However, Matt hit a back-body drop that flipped Moose over the top rope and crashed onto a ladder leaning against the ring apron at 16:30. Matt set up the ladder, and he pulled a table out from under the ring.
Matt showed off a shiny Chicago Bears helmet and that got a (cheap) pop, and he hit the helmet onto Moose’s helmet. He took off the NE helmet and put Moose on the table. Matt climbed the ladder and hit a flying legdrop onto Moose, lying on the table, at 19:00 and we got a “holy shit!” chant. They got into the ring; Matt has some cuts on his face. He put a chair around Moose’s neck and hit a Twist of Fate; he went for a pin but Alisha hit him with a kendo stick. Rebecca Hardy ran into the ring and hit a Thesz Press and punches on Alisha. She hit a Twist of Fate on Alisha! Matt set up for a spear, but Moose pulled Rebecca in front of him, and Matt speared Rebecca through a table in the corner! Moose immediately hit a spear to pin Matt. Satisfying TNA hardcore match; it didn’t get gross with blood-loss or sick weapons, but it also didn’t get spooky and bizarre.
* The System returned and they all beat down Matt Hardy. The Nemeths ran down and made the save. Joe Hendry then ran in and joined the babyfaces in fighting The System. Then we heard the telltale Jeff Hardy theme song and he emerged from the back, and he hit a Twist of Fate on Moose. Matt hit his own Twist of Fate on Moose. Jeff hit a Swanton Bomb on Moose, and he hugged his brother.
Final Thoughts: We had two big intriguing questions entering the show: Would Jeff Hardy return tonight? Yes, he did. The fans were expecting it, but yet they were still seemingly surprised by it. The other question was who would be Grace’s mystery opponent, and while it was open to women from nearly every promotion, it was widely assumed it would be someone from NXT. Last week as I watched the NXT ladder match, I just knew NXT wasn’t going to send Sol Ruca, Jaida Parker, Kelani Jordan, etc., to lose to Jordynne. Tatum just seemed like an obvious choice — someone who has been around a bit so has some name recognition and some wins (not, say, Carlee Bright or even Brinley Reece). The crowd was really subdued at first; like me, I think they wanted a quick squash and were a bit frustrated it didn’t happen. However, Grace and Tatum let it unfold and they wound up telling a nice little story there.
I liked Ali-Seven for best match, Santana/Maclin-Rascalz for second and ABC-Young/Alexander for third. The main event was a solid hardcore match, and as I noted, I’m pleased they didn’t turn it into eye-rolling supernatural stuff. Grace-Tatum was fine; again, I wouldn’t have minded a shorter squash, but Tatum looked decent in holding her own.
Probably the biggest gaffe of the night was the Mustafa Ali hidden footage. It had echoes upon echoes and was really hard to hear; that should have been checked before it aired. It also was pointless; there was absolutely no way the Chicago fans were turning on Ali even if they HAD heard that video clearly. I also am a bit surprised that Campaign Singh never played a role in that match.
Absolutely phenomenal match between Jordynne Grace and Tatum Paxley, and Pax has been cooking over the past year. She was one of the worse wrestlers in NXT at one point, but this heel gimmick has helped her improve her psychology in the ring so much. She did a lot of great things that would make Daffney and Rosemary proud. The Chicago crowd that’s not used to seeing Pax was likely impressed as they got into the match later when they saw that Pax was a real threat to pull off the upset victory.
I think HBK has to be really happy about what he saw from Pax and give her a shot at the new North American title or NXT Championship title in the future. They’ve been building this aura about her where she’s chasing after championships, so she may very well get it in the future.
I would’ve loved to had seen Pax get the Knockouts title, but they should run Pax back to TNA to get that Knockouts title in the future. I think they’re going to go with Ash vs. Grace first at Slammiversary then we’ll see what they want to do with these crossovers from there.