By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
TNA Impact (Episode 1,087)
Taped May 2, 2025, in Irvine, California at the Bren Events Center
Simulcast May 22, 2025, on AXS TV and TNA+
Highlights from last week’s TNA Impact aired… Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt were on commentary. McKenzie Mitchell was the ring announcer. Gia Miller was the backstage interviewer… Entrances for the opening match took place…
1. Mustafa Ali (w/Tasha Steelz, John Skyler, Jason Hotch, “secret service”) vs. Ace Austin. Both men traded chain counters early on. Ace was the first to land a strike with a kick. Ace hit Ali with a inside-out slam for a nearfall. Ace hit Ali with a basement dropkick combo. Ace hit Ali with his signature PK from the apron off a handstand. Ace was selling an injured leg.
Ali slammed Ace’s injured knee to the mat and gave it a Chop Block. Ali slammed Ace’s injured knee into the ringpost. Ali dropkicked Ace into a Tree of Woe. Ali went for a baseball slide, but crotched himself on the ringpost when Ace did a sit-up. Ali was able to trip Ace off the top rope when Ace struggled due to favoring his knee. Ali put Ace in a Sharpshooter.
Ace grabbed the bottom rope for the break. Ace got a two count off a small package. Ali took down ace with a big clothesline for a nearfall. Ace avoided a 450 and tossed Ali into the corner. Ali yanked Tasha into the ring and used her as a human shield. Ali chop blocked Ace and gave him a reverse Indian Deathlock for the submission win.
Mustafa Ali defeated Ace Austin via submission in 6:59.
Ali walked around with a despondent blank stare after the match with the announcers wondering if he’s become a monster…[c]
John’s Thoughts: An awesome match in terms of character development for Ali. Ali took his character’s loss and turned it into a catalyst for evolution. I like that it’s not just through pre-tapes either as he’s completely changed up his in-ring style to be more like a heavyweight (Similar to AJ Styles back in TNA when he adopted his lone wolf persona). I like that he doesn’t have a person he’s really feuding with yet, as it’ll allow this character to cook up nicely. As for Ace, as reported by Scott D’Amore of all people, he’s wrapping up with TNA. That probably explains why TNA has been hesitant to push him, even within the context of Chris Bey tributes. Curious to see where he ends up because he’s a stellar talent and strong heel character.
The System members all cut a promo backstage where they stepped up to take down Joe Hendry and Elijah. Eddie hyped up potentially ending Cody Deaner’s career at Under Siege…
Tom Hannifan hyped upcoming segments…[c]
Rosemary cut a promo backstage about how she’s trying to figure out what will put Xia Brookside “over the edge”. Rosemary panned the camera down to show a knocked out Lei Ying Li on a dolly…
Entrances for the next match took place. The commentators pointed out how Icarus and Williams are wearing shirts stained in Steve Maclin’s and Eric Young’s blood from the dog collar match ..
2. “The Aztec Warriors” Laredo and Octagon Jr. vs. “The Northern Armory” Travis Williams and Judas Icarus (w/Eric Young). Williams and Laredo started the match with chain wrestling. Laredo took down Williams with a shoulder tackle and step up huracanrana. Octagon and Icarus tagged in. Octagon worked on Judas with hard chops and fast offense.
Laredo tagged in. The Warriors hit Icarus with stereo superkicks for a nearfall. Icarus bit Laredo in the face off the distraction from Williams. The Northern Armor cut the ring in half on Laredo. Young and Williams got distracted by the fans jawing with them. This allowed Laredo to catch Icarus off guard with strikes and tag in Octagon.
Octagon hit the Northern Armory at ringside with a corkscrew flip dive. Laredo hit Icarus and Williams with a tuck moonsault. Laredo hit Icarus with a Michinoku Driver. Octagon hit Icarus with a moonsault for the victory.
The Aztec Warriors defeated The Northern Armory via pinfall in 6:00.
Young continued to get into it with the fans while backtracking up the ramp. Hannifan hyped upcoming segments…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Laredo Kid might have one of the worst win-loss records in TNA over the past decade, but he might be undefeated ever since dropping the “kid” in favor of becoming what I assume is a Laredo Man (I’ve been fooled when they teased Laredo Kid pushes in the past, but I hope they let this push stick since he’s way to talented to be used as a enhancement guy for life. There’s a plethora of generic luchadors out there to fill that role).
A plug aired for that “Border Brawl” show…
Xia Brookside helped up Lei Ying Li backstage. Xia then cut a promo about how she’s tired of Rosemary and is about to fight for all those who will not sell their souls…
Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt checked in on commentary. Cody Deaner joined the commentary team with Hannifan hyping up his career being on the line at Under Siege. Deaner said he’s going to pick up a win for his family and the people…
Eddie and Alisha Edwards made their entrance first. A highlight package aired of Eddie’s past TNA title wins. Eddie local competitor from Irvine was “already in the ring”….
3. Eddie Edwards (w/Alisha Edwards) vs. Jake Painter. Eddie immediately took down Jake to start the match. Eddie kept yelling over at Deaner while tossing around the enhancement guy. Jake tried to mount a rally, but Eddie quickly ended that with a Blue Thunder Bomb on the apron. Jake got a two count off a rollup. Eddie popped up and took down Jake with a clothesline.
Jake hit Eddie with a backstabber for a nearfall. Eddie kicked Jake to the mat. Jake staggered Eddie with a high kick. Eddie took out Jake with a knee to the ribs. Eddie hit Jake with the Boston Knee Party for the win.
Eddie Edwards defeated Jake Painter via pinfall in 3:39.
Deaner stood up and said he isn’t going to beat Eddie because he wants to, but because he needs to. Hannifan then hyped upcoming segments…[c]
John’s Thoughts: It is a bit abrupt to all of a sudden see Eddie Edwards at a world title level again, but I appreciate TNA for putting in the effort for using the ethos to put Cody Deaner in a dire situation. Given how well Deaner has come off the mic to sell this angle, I’m actually looking forward to this match, actually caring about the outcome.
A Steph De Lander and Mance Warner vignette aired where they talked about how in love they were and how much they like violence…
Entrances for the next match took place. Ice Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson Jr, joined the commentary team. O’Shea said he took exception to First Class trash talking So Cal…
3. “First Class” AJ Francis and KC Navarro vs. Sami Callihan and Mike Santana. Navarro tried to use his speed to his advantage, but was caught by Santana. Sami tagged in to work on KC with methodical offense. KC tried to do Sami’s Thumbs Up thing, but Sami responded with a Power Bomb. AJ tried to go for the distraction, but was knocked off the apron.
Sami tossed KC over the top rope, but KC was caught by AJ. KC got the advantage after a jawbreaker. AJ tagged in, tossed KC on Sami, and hit Sami with a Senton. Sami got a window of opportunity after dodging a Senton. Mike Santana caught the hot tag. Mike hit KC wiht a rolling cutter. Mike hit AJ with a Flip Dive. Mike caught KC with a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall.
Sami tagged in. AJ dragged Santana to ringside. KC caught a distracted Sami with a wrecking ball kick and modified Destino for the victory.
“First Class” AJ Francis and KC Navarro defeated Sami Callihan and Mike Santana via pinfall in 6:22.
AJ teased getting in the ring, but backtracked to taunt Santana. Tom Hannifan hyped upcoming segments as well as NXT Battleground…[c]
Clips aired of Joe Hendry and Trick Williams segments from this past week’s NXT. Hannifan then plugged NXT Battleground’s TNA Title match being the first time the TNA Championship is being defended on a WWE Premium Live Event….
Gia Miller was in the ring moderating a debate between Santino Marella and Robert Stone. Ariana Grace and Victoria Crawford were also at the debate. Santino told Gia “thank you your honor”. Gia said she’s not a judge. Santino talked about how he came to TNA four years ago and business wasn’t as robust as it is right now. He said this is a new thing for him because nobody in his family has had political power.
Santino talked about how if you have integrity, the love of competition, people that do the right thing, showmanship, you can have an impact and get a taste of the business. Santino said Stone is up to funky business and Santino will not be pushed around. Stone took the mic and said what Santino said was cute. Stone said he needs the crowd to listen to every word he has to say (Stone was showered in boos).
Stone said Santino Marella has done absolutely nothing to make TNA a better place. Stone then blew up, selling the crowd boos. Stone said Santio is and will always be a jerk. Stone said Santino doesn’t deserve to be in Power in TNA, let alone in the wrestling business in general. Stone kept the mic away from Gia and said he’ll make his final statement.
Stone said that this isn’t about Stone vs. Marella, it’s about making TNA a better place. Stone said when he’s in charge he’ll fire all the loser, create real “superstars”, and make everybody a lot of money. Stone said if Santino has control, he’ll run TNA to the ground. Gia told Stone that he used up all his time and Santino can make a rebuttal.
Santino thanked the crowd for their support. Santino called Stone “stupid”. Santio said he’s been proud of TNA the last few years going to the top. Santino said Stone might have a sense of style, business, and finance, but Santino gives the people what they want. Santino said the people are his extended family and someone like stone won’t take that away from him.
Santino said like family, they stick together and fight together. Tessa Blanchard came out from outta nowhere and tripped up Ariana Grace. Tessa also slammed Gia Miller to the mat. Masha Slamovich ran out to attack Victoria Crawford, but Tessa took her out with a right forearm. Tessa was about to put Masha through the table, but Grace attacked Tessa from behind.
Masha and Grace tried to Shield Bomb Tessa through the table, but it wouldn’t break (I AM THE TABLE!!! moment!). Masha dragged the table to the corner, and tried to Death Valley Driver Tessa through it, but “I AM THE TABLE” won. The table actually forced Tessa and Masha aback and remained unscathed. Masha and Ariana decided to take this as a W with Tessa selling the L…
Tom Hannifan hyped upcoming segments…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Damn, this table came to play! Two finisher level moves and the Table fought back! It happens, and credit to Table-kun for being sick and tired of being broken every night, at least for the night. Kidding aside, I thought the segment worked at some level. Nitpicks out the way being that Robert Stone randomly being a heel is a bit rushed and jarring (especially with him being a babyface on NXT and Evolve, where he was on air the last two days). Santino is also taking from Cody Deaner’s People’s Choice gimmick. Those two things aside, there was good mic work and it sets up for what should be a good series of matches. Looks like we’re going to get Tessa vs. Grace out of it, but it can also lead to a mixed tag between the Marellas vs. Stone and Blanchard (Can Tully still go? The dude is older so I would advise against it).
An ad aired for the Border Brawl event…
The show cut to Matt Cardona hyping up how Steve Maclin vs. Matt Cardona isn’t happening due to Steve Maclin being injured and not medically cleared. Cardona said he should be awarded the title by forfeit. Cardona was about to call Santino on his phone, but Santino showed up behind him.
Santino said while it’s unfortunate that Maclin will not be cleared for Under Siege, he will be cleared a few days later. Santino said that instead, Maclin will defend his title against Cardona on next week’s Impact. Cardona said he’s always ready and it’ll be on Santino if Maclin gets injured again…
Spitfire made their entrance. The show cut to Spitfire mulling backstage earlier in the week. Dani talked about how they need to put their tag team existence on the line again to get the titles. Jody didn’t like this but agreed to do-or-die. Spitfire’s local opponents Vipress and Mazzerati were “already in the ring”. Hannifan noted that Spitfire hold the record for being the longest reigning “female only” TNA Knockouts Tag Team Champions (my guess is Eric Young still holds the longest record for holding it with ODB?)…
John’s Thoughts: Local wrestler Vipress is actually really good. She has a great look (which she isn’t showing off here, because she decided to show up as Indiana Jones instead of her cool dominatrix look), and is TV ready in the ring. I only took a sec to point her out because there is actually a gif out there of my friend, just a regular guy at a wrestling event, eating a corkscrew Moonsault from Vipress. Hoodslam be extreme like that (I totally recommend Hoodslam shows as it’s truly a fun experience with strong workrate).
4. “Spitfire” Dani Luna and Jody Threat vs. Vipress and Mazzerati. Luna and Mazzerati started the match off with Luna dominating with her power. Spitfire cut the ring in half on Mazzerati. Vipress tagged in and took down Jody with a wheelbarrow sweep. Vipress tripped up Jody and hit her with PK for a few kickout pins. Mazzerati tagged in and got a one count on Jody.
Mazzerati hit Jody with a few sweep kicks for a nearfall. Jody fought out of a cravate and tagged in Dani. Dani rallied with axe handle strikes. Dani took down Mazzerati with a dropkick. Luna clubbed Vipress out of the air with a clubbing blow. Dani hit Vipress with an impressive deadlift German Suplex. Spitfire hit Vipress with the Pressure Drop to give Jody the win.
“Spitfire” Dani Luna and Jody Threat defeated Vipress and Mazzerati via pinfall in 5:14.
Ash and Heather tried to hit Spitfire in the back of the heads, but Spitfire saw it coming and slammed the Elegance duo to the mat. Spitfire picked up the belts and tapped them to end the segment…
John’s Thoughts: The match was fine, but I still “ugh” at what feels like the 1000th time Spitfire has faced the Elegance Duo. I kinda hope they go with the “die” part of “do or die” because Spitfire never really clicked despite all the TV time invested in them. I would just have them split and flourish as talented singles wrestlers. TNA doesn’t have to sacrifice some of their strong singles acts anymore if they can mix in new signings and Evolve talent to bolster their women’s tag scene.
The Bioflex injury report aired, saying that Ace Austin is day-to-day with a leg injury…
Hannifan hyped up the main event…[c]
Matt Hardy was mentoring Leon Slater about their upcoming shot at the tag team titles. Leon said while the Nemeths have an advantage sharing blood, he and Leon have good complementing abilities due to their differences. Hardy warned Leon about how the Nemeths might attack him from behind. Matt talked about being tag team champions with non-brothers like Bray Wyatt and MVP, and now he wants to be tag team champions with Leon. Leon and Matt dapped it up to end the segment…[c]
Hannifan and Rehwoldt checked in on commentary. Hannifan announced Xia Brookside vs. Rosemary will be on the pre-show. Hannifan ran through the Under Siege card. Hannifan noted that The Rascalz and Indi Hartwell need to find a new tag partner to face Order 4 due to Ali injuring Ace Austin…
Trick Williams made his entrance. Matthew Rehwoldt tried to do Booker T’s whoop dat trick interjections, but he did it in the most unrhythm white dude way possible (that got a chuckle out of me). Rehwoldt apologized to Book and said he at least had to try. There was updated Hannfan commentary where he recapped Trick and Hendry on this week’s NXT.
Trick joined commentary. Trick said he’s going to embarrass Joe Hendry on Sunday. The System made their entrance. Their graphics now focus on those championship rings they wear. Out next separately were Elijah and Joe Hendry…[c]
5. Elijah and TNA World Champion Joe Hendry vs. “The System” Moose and Brian Myers (w/Johnny Dango Curtis). Elijah dominated Myers early on. Moose tagged in and asked for Joe. Joe tagged in. Moose dominated a Test of Strength. Moose kicked Joe when Joe was winning the Test of Strength. Trick and the commentators were focused on Joe’s Kinseio tape being a bullseye. Joe hit Moose with a delayed Vertical Suplex for a nearfall.
Elijah tagged in and hit Moose with the Undertaker’s Old School DDT. Dango got on the apron to prevent Elijah from hitting Myers with Old School. Myers tripped up Elijah heading into break.[c]
Moose accidentally chopped the ring post as he always does in every match (I’m legitimately wondering if his finger is always okay after doing that spot in every match). Myers pulled a Moose by also accidentally chopping the ring post. Elijah hit Moose with a jawbreaker and dumped Myers to ringside. Myers tripped up Joe to prevent the hot tag.
Dango gave Elijah cheap shots when the ref was distracted. The System cut the ring in half on Elijah for a few minutes. Elijah got a window of opportunity after hitting Myers with a knee. Joe and Moose tagged in. Hendry took down Moose with a clothesline and fallaway slam, in to his Zoolander turn. Joe sidestepped a crossbody.
Moose and Joe took each other out with clothesline. Joe hit Myers iwth a pop up power bomb. Elijah took down Moose with a crossbody. ELijah hit Myers with the Highwayman’s Farewell (Undertaker’s tombstone) for the victory.
Elijah and Joe Hendry defeated Moose and Brian Myers via pinfall in 11:50 of on-air time.
Kazarian showed up and attacked Joe and Elijah from behind. Elijah recovered and smashed his guitar over the head of Kazarian. Hannifan yelled “for the love of Jeff Jarrett!!!”. Elijah and Hendry celebrated to close the show while Trick glared at them from a distance…
John’s Thoughts: A good television main event to set up to the two big TNA centric events this weekend (no clue about the “Border Brawl” but I feel like even TNA doesn’t care much about that). Myers is always the safest person to eat a pin. Good tune up win for the face team. No signs of Elijah ever teasing an imminent heel turn, but even they know everyone is bracing for it (they have lampshaded it for months). We got two Jeff Jarrett esque guitar shots in this feud this week.
We can get one at Under Siege? The biggest guitar shot of all would be if Elijah smashes one over Joe to cost him the title at Battleground. Given that they didn’t put the belt on Frankie, and they did the HBK main event build of having future challengers pass each other in a hallway, I totally expect Trick to walk out on Sunday with the TNA Belt. Politics might keep the belt on Joe, but I hope that they put it on Trick to give Mike Santana a dragon to slay in New York at Slammiversary.
Be the first to comment