By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
TNA Impact (Episode 1,089)
Taped May 24, 2025, in Brampton, Ontario at CAA Centre
Simulcast June 5, 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… Indi Hartwell made her entrance to her Downstait entrance theme. Tasha Steelz made her entrance with The Great Hands…
1. Indi Hartwell vs. Tasha Steelz (w/John Skyler, Jason Hotch). Steelz worked on Indi with right hands. Tasha dominated the early part of the match with aggressive strikes in the corners. Indi came back with right hands and a body slam. Indi hit Tasha with a draping knee. Tasha tripped up Indi on the apron. Tasha got a two count after a few elbow drops.
Tasha hit Indi with a basement boot for a nearfall. Tasha got a two count after a Sliced Bread. Hannifan reminded viewers that Tasha won the Knockouts Title in the past by beating Mickie James. Tasha hit Indi with a single leg codebreaker. Hartwell fought out of the corner with a Uranage. Indi hit Tasha with a Spinebuster for a nearfall.
Skyler tried to order Hotch to cheap-shot Hartwell while the referee was distracted, but Hotch and Steelz were not with it. This ended up being a distraction in favor of Hartwell, with her hitting a Yakuza Kick and Hurts Donut for the victory.
Indi Hartwell defeated Tasha Steelz via pinfall in 6:09.
Hannifan mentioned that Hartwell just beat a former Knockouts Champion. Skyler berated Hotch in the ring. As Hartwell headed to the back, Mustafa Ali marched to the ring looking locked in. Steelz begged and apologized to Ali for the loss. Ali shoved the referee to the mat and then shoved Steelz to the mat.
Hotch stood up for Steelz and got in Ali’s face. Ali backed down and walked to the back. Steelz and Skyler joined Ali’s side while Hotch was left alone in the ring…
John’s Thoughts: A good win for Hartwell as she starts her climb up the ladder to the Knockouts title, but this was also some progression in the trouble in the Order 4 paradise. The best part of this segment, is it seems like Jason Hotch is being primed for a singles babyface run, which is about damn time after all the time he put in simply being a “good hand” on the roster. Ali is doing a great job toning down the Cosplay politician gimmick and evolving to a demented individual. Steelz has been underutilized in her role as cosplay “Press secretary”, but at least that kept her away from losing week after week. I hope that she spins off to a strong babyface run, too. They will have to go out of their way to explain why she’s all about the rules all of a sudden when she’s been a dirty heel her entire time in TNA. What is intriguing is that they are giving her Stockholm Syndrome with Mustafa Ali.
Highlights from last week’s Steve Maclin vs. Matt Cardona International Title match were shown… Mance Warner and Steph De Lander were shown talking about how they are coming after the International Title. Mance will face Maclin at Against All Odds. As usual, they made out at the end of their promo…
Night vision CCTV feeds were shown of Xia Brookside and Rosemary in their sensory deprivation rooms in preparation for their upcoming Monster’s Ball match. Per the kayfabe stipulation, both Monster’s Ball wrestlers need to spend 24 hours before the match without food, water, or light. Rosemary looked like she was just taking a nap, while Brookside was whipping around a belt…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Hahahhaha. I thought this was a Scott D’Amore and Vince Russo staple, but it looks like Delirious, Tommy Dreamer, and crew seem to be into the whole “Sensory Deprivation” gimmick with Monster’s Ball. I personally get a kick out of it due to the stupidity of it all and how the wrestlers sell it afterwards.
John Skyler approached Tasha Steelz backstage and asked her if she was okay. She said she was, but was wondering why Ali is acting all crazy all of a sudden. Skyler said they just need to understand that he’s going through a lot. Somebody called Skyler’s phone (Hotch?). Tasha wanted that person to talk to Ali. Skyler snatched the phone and said he’ll deliver the message to Ali.
When Ali walked in the room, Skyler claimed it was a wrong number that called him. Jason Hotch showed up and was about to say something to Ali, but Ali stopped him, assuming it was an apology. Ali said he gets that Hotch is a young man full of emotion, which happens to the best of us. He said he accepts Hotch’s apology. Ali said Order 4 live by a principle, actions have consequences. Ali said that Hotch’s actions led to him being booked in the biggest match of his career, against “me”. Ali walked off…
Eric Young and the Northern Armory made their entrance. A replay aired of Eric Young pinning Moose in a tag match at Under Siege. Moose and JDC made their entrance. Hannifan noted that Moose has been champion for 214 days and is going after the longest single reign record (Austin Aries holds the record at 298. This was the reign where Aries created “Option C”)..
2. Moose (w/Johnny Dango Curtis) vs. Eric Young (w/Travis Williams, Judas Icarus) for the TNA X Division Champion. Young rallied and went for Ten Punches in the corner. Moose escaped with an Atomic Drop. Young then put Moose in a Tree of Woe and then did a tribute to WWE Producer Petey Williams, by singing Oh Canada while Moose was tied up. Young kept Moose in place while conducting the crowd in singing the Canadian National Anthem.
Moose hit Young with the Go To Hell for a two count. Moose gave Young a right hand and Uranage on the apron. Moose tossed Young into the steel steps. Young beat the ten count and backdropped Moose to ringside. Young hit Moose with a Suicide Dive. Young punched Moose off the top rope and got a two count after a crossbody. Moose and EY traded chops.
Moose hit Young with an impressive Springboard Crossbody. Young came back with a DVD for a good nearfall. Young sidestepped Moose and hit him with a Crucifix Pin for a two count. Young turned Moose inside out with a lariat and hit Moose with a Pile Driver. JDC put Moose’s leg on the bottom rope for the break. Icarus and Williams dove on JDC. Moose gave Young a low blow and spear for the win.
Moose defeated Eric Young via pinfall in 7:36 to retain the TNA X Division Championship.
The camera was stuck on Eric Young and the Northern Armory at ringside. A fan wanted a high five from Young, but Young dragged the “fan” over the barricade and put the boots to him. Young, Williams, and Icarus then went on to mug this poor “fan”. Hannifan said that this was a lawsuit waiting to happen. Security sent Young and the Northern Armory to the back…
John’s Thoughts: A really well-worked match given my low expectations due to this feeling random and outta nowhere. Weird to see Young randomly become a babyface again in Canada for this match. I guess he gets his heat back by attacking the “fan”? What did seem to be a development is Hannifan mentioning Moose being on the verge of beating the Austin Aries single reign length record. Time flies, I guess, because I don’t feel like Moose had that belt for over 200 days.
Dani Luna cut a promo backstage about how strong of a bond she had with Jody Threat. Luna said Spitfire is done, but Dani Luna isn’t. She said she can’t wait to show the world what she can do…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Hey, I’m happy that Spitfire is done! Now we don’t have to get more of that endless feud they had with the Elegance Duo. Intrigued to see what Dani is going to do because she did show promise as the powerhouse of the group.
The show cut to Joe Hendry backstage doing some self-reflection. He said losing the title to Trick Williams was hard for him. He said he felt like the whirlwind of the world was behind him. He said he was taking risks and it was all going his way, but now the TNA title is in the hands of someone who doesn’t work here. He said he was supposed to be the team captain, but he let the fans and his peers down.
Hendry said the title is in the hands of someone who doesn’t appreciate the history of the title. He said he wants to take back what’s his, for TNA, but that isn’t Joe’s spot now, it’s Elijah’s. He said he supports Elijah and what he’s going to do at Against All Odds. Hendry said in High School in 2002 he would rush home to watch TNA Wrestling. Hendry said that led him to where he is today. He apologized for letting everyone down.
Frankie Kazarian showed up in the room with a sarcastic clap. Kazarian said that Joe looks like someone who was bullied in high school. Kaz got in Joe’s face and pointed out that back in the early 2000s, it was “The Future” Frankie Kazarian on TV.
Kazarian said he built this kingdom back then. Kazarian said that Joe should be embarrassed for losing the title to someone who doesn’t work for TNA. Kazarian said Joe is an embarrassment. Kazarian said he’s a better wrestler and man than Joe, and definitely a better champion than Joe. He said he’s going to embarrass Joe at Against All Odds…
John’s Thoughts: A simple and effective overall segment to give Joe a good bounce back after losing the title, while efficiently setting up Hendry vs. Frankie Kazarian for the TNA Plus show. Joe came off as humble and apologetic in a positive way. I can’t give Kazarian enough praise over the past year for how he has transformed from being the guy making snarky faces in the background while Christopher Daniels cut the promos, to becoming a strong heel mic worker on his own.
The Personal Concierge was in the middle of the ring, calling Canada a hellhole and the Canadians degenerates (And that’s coming from the mouth of George Iceman, a wrestling promoter from Canada). The Concierge introduced Heather and M by Elegance. Myla Grace and Harley Hudson were their opponents. Hannifan said you can go to TNA Plus to see the matches they have had off-screen so far…
3. Heather By Elegance and M By Elegance vs. Myla Grace and Harley Hudson. Hudson got a few early takedowns and pin attempts on M. Grace tagged in and hit M with a CQC combo. Hudson tagged in. The face team gave M a double Lightning Spiral to give Hudson a one count. Heather held onto Hudson’s leg to give M the upper hand. M tagged in Heather, who gave Hudson a missile dropkick.
M and Heather used quick tags and methodical offense to cut the ring in half on Hudson. Hudson hit M with a Jawbreaker. Grace got the hot tag. Grace hit Heather with a paintbrush Dropkick in the corner. Grace hit Heather with a Final Cut into a Saito. M broke up Grace’s pin.
The Concierge distracted the referee, which allowed M to trip Grace on the top rope. Heather hit Grace with a Super Spanish Fly. M hit Grace with a Moonsault for the win. Hannifan said that moonsault looked “elegant”.
Heather by Elegance M By Elegance defeated Myla Grace and Harley Hudson via pinfall in 5:10.
John’s Thoughts: A great showcase for all four women involved. For starters, it was refreshing not to get yet another Elegance vs. Spitfire match. The two Seth Rollins elegance trainees had good chemistry, and I liked the way they plucked out a heel win. Grace and Hudson looked very impressive and were protected with the distraction finish. What really stands out to me is their overall different looks. Myla Grace has the look of a star, and her offense looked extremely good. Hudson has the unique look of a wrestler that reminds me of GLOW. Not GLOW in that she looks like a David McClane cartoon character, but GLOW in that she looks like a badass woman wrestler pulled straight out of the 1980s.
The sponsored TNA injury report aired. Tessa is still out with her TMJ jaw injury. Matt Cardona is cleared after bruises. Hannifan said that the medical sponsor was on-site to respond to any injuries that may come from the Monster’s Ball Match.
Night Vision shots were shown of Rosemary and Brookside still in their sense deprivation rooms. Xia was looking crazy. Rosemary woke up from her nap and walked out of the room…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Random kayfabe thought! If you’re supposed to be trapped in the sense deprivation rooms for 24 hours, what do you do if you have to use the restroom? I would assume you would just get rid of as much waste as possible. Is there like a litter box in the corner or something? If you’re a female, you can’t just Dwayne Johnson it into an empty Voss bottle. Yes, I put way too much thought into this stupid gimmick.
A hype package aired for the Rosemary vs. Xia Brookside Monster’s Ball match…
Rosemary made her entrance first. Hannifan noted that, like Rosemary’s friend Abyss, Rosemary has adapted to the sense deprivation before Monster’s Ball. Xia Brookside made her entrance, trying to act unhinged. Xia carried a belt to the ring…
4. Rosemary vs. Xia Brookside in a Monster’s Ball Match. Rosemary clapped cookie sheets together, which gave Xia some Pavlovian PTSD. Xia caught the cookie sheet and tossed it aside. Brookside rallied Rosemary to the corner and whipped her with her jacket. Xia took the belt. Rosemary grabbed the belt and gave Xia a thumb to the eye. Rosemary whipped Xia with the belt. Rosemary choked Xia with the belt.
Rosemary brought a trash can into the ring and set it up in the corner. Both women counter whip attempts. Rosemary whipped Xia into the trash can. Both women blocked suplexes into a door set up in the corner. Rosemary hit Xia with a belt, assisted Upside Down. Rosemary brought chairs into the ring. Xia punched Rosemary to avoid getting stapled by a stable gun.
Because it was in Canada, instead of thumbtacks, Xia poured hockey pucks from the black bag. Rosemary stapled Xia in the gut. Xia countered Rosemary with a Samoan Drop on the pucks for a nearfall. Xia DDT’d Rosemary on a steel chair for a good nearfall. Xia opened up some chairs in the ring next to each other and laid Rosemary on top of them. Rosemary recovered and speared Xia through the door set up in the corner.
Rosemary got a two count. Rosemary hit Xia with protected trash can lid shots. Xia recovered and used the trash lid as a shield to block Rosemary’s green mist. Xia hit Rosemary with the Brookside Bomb through the chairs to pick up the win.
Xia Brookside defeated Rosemary via pinfall in 10:06 of on-air time to win the Monster’s Ball match.
Hannifan recapped the match…[c]
John’s Thoughts: A good hardcore match. TNA showed restraint this week by having it be blood-free, but I think the women worked hard enough to make the match work. Xia was a bit hammy with the selling in acting deranged. Where do they go from here as Xia has dominated Rosemary in this feud? I wouldn’t mind seeing Lei Ying Lee turn to the dark side from all this as not to waste the story they were trying to tell.
The show cut to The Rascalz at their Treehouse. Wentz said he was looking online to see if the Nemeths are really brothers. Wentz said one looks like Randall from Monsters Inc. Trey said one looks like Randal from Recess. Trey said the Rascalz are real brothers. They listed off brother tag teams like Brothers of Destruction, Headshrinkers, Steiners, Snitsky and the baby, Essa Rios and Lita, Pitbull 1 and 2, Jessie and Festus. Trey mentioned Shelton Benjamin and Mama Benjamin. Wentz said he wasn’t talking about mother-son tag teams.
Trey said The Hardy Boyz being brothers must be a work. Trey said Nic doesn’t work for TNA. Wentz said at Against All Odds, they will be Tag Team Champions. The show then cut to their weed smoking montage…[c]
Highlights from Trick Williams vs. Mike Santana from Tuesday, with AJ Francis costing Santana the match…
An Elijah music video aired where he sang a song and poem about Trick Williams. He also sang about how he was going to bring the title back to TNA…
A Lei Ying Lee vignette aired. She was speaking in Mandarin and given both English and Chinese subtitles. A montage was shown of her pumping iron and getting ripped in the gym. She was also doing MMA. Lei Ying talked about being the only wrestler from Chong-guo (China) to make it to this level of success. She said she did it through fire, thunder, and the dark. Xia said Masha better be ready for this. She said she didn’t come to just challenge Masha, but to end her reign…
John’s Thoughts: A well done video package. Smart to subtitle it in English and Chinese, as not all Chinese people speak Mandarin. That package was the best Lei Ying has looked in TNA. Unfortunately, I don’t expect her to take the title off Masha because she feels like the usual TNA Plus “challenger of the week”.
TNA Director of Authority Santino Marella made his entrance. Hannifan noted that Santino vs. Robert Stone was booked for Against All Odds with the winner of the match becoming the sole Director of Authority in TNA. Santino said he’s stepping down as Director of Authority at Against All Odds. He said he spoke to the TNA higher-ups and got Santino Marella vs. “Bobbert” Stone booked.
Santino said if Bobbert wins, he gets Santino’s job, but if Santino wins, Bobbert Stone is out of here. Santino then started to choke up and cry. He said he was happy at one point to get off the road as a career wrestler. He said he suffered as a pro wrestler, missing a lot of Arianna Grace’s formative years. He said he came to TNA two years ago and fell back in love with professional wrestling.
Santino said this is the industry that changed his life, family, and everything. He said he owes it to the locker room, fans, knockouts, X Division, and wrestlers to make it sure that everyone gets a fair opportunity. He said he took this seriously til this day. He said he’s the director of “our” authority because it’s about “us”. He said he’s only stepping down for one day because he’ll be back to the spot after destroying Robert Stone.
Robert Stone and Victoria Crawford made their entrance. Hannifan joked that Stone’s spray tan was runny. Stone mocked Santino and sarcastically called him a hero. Stone said the people may love Santino, but the reality is that Santino is not a leader, but a loser. Stone said that when he beats Santino at Against All Odds, he’s going to make sure that Santino isn’t allowed at TNA wrestling again. Stone said TNA will become the “Sheriff Stone Show”.
Santino said he has two little kids who will be watching his father stand up to a piece [self-censored] like Stone. Santino said he isn’t going to let Stone turn this place into a corporate and soulless company. Santino said that Stone better be ready to go through hell. Santino fired up and said that the only way Stone is going to win is through Santino’s dead body!…
Hannifan hyped the main event of this week’s show (which they haven’t done until now)…[c]
John’s Thoughts: That was a wonderful promo by Santino that really sold me on the TNA Plus match. You shouldn’t expect a feud between goofball authority figures to be epic, but it was nice to see Santino flip the switch and cut one of the most inspired promos of his entire wrestling career. A lot of Against All Odds feels like filler, but this segment sold me on something on that show having actual stakes. Even though is jarring seeing Stone be a babyface on Evolve and NXT while he’s in Robbie E mode on TNA, he’s doing a great job as a heel agitator to draw heat from the fans (He also hasn’t skipped the WWE PC gym either as he’s looking as good as when he was in his physical peak in TNA). Alicia Fox is doing a good job of being animated right next to Stone.
A Masha Slamovich response vignette aired where she hyped up how she’s going to conquer Lei Ying Lee…
Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt checked in on commentary and hyped up Against All Odds…
TNA Tag Team Champions, Ryan and Nic Nemeth, made their entrance…[c]
Mike Santana made his entrance. Hannifan said Santana is fresh off wrestling on NXT (this was taped before). Matt and Leon Slater were already in the ring…
5. Matt Hardy, Leon Slater, and Mike Santana vs. Nic Nemeth, Ryan Nemeth, and Fraankie Kazarian. All six men traded hands to start the match. Matt did his Delete face smashes on Kaz. Slater hit Kaz with a leg drop. Leon and Matt hit Ryan with Poetry in Motion. Nic tripped Matt, which allowed Kaz to hit Matt with a leg drop. The heels cut the ring in half on Matt.
Slater took the hot tag and cleaned house. Slater hit the Nemeths with double-handstand elbows. Slater hit the Nemeths with a dive. Leon hit Nic with a Release Blue Thunder Bomb. Kaz broke up the pin. Slater used a leg lariat to block Sweet Chin Music from Nic. Santana hit Ryan with a Buck 50 for a nearfall.
The wrestlers took turns hitting signature moves. Ryan crotched Slater on the top rope. Ryan rolled up Santana with a handful of tights for a nearfall. Ryan walked into Santana’s Spin the Block finisher for the win.
Mike Santana, Matt Hardy, and Leon Slater defeated Ryan Nemeth, Nic Nemeth, and Frankie Kazarian via pinfall in 7:12.
Hannifan hyped Against All Odds to close the show…
John’s Thoughts: A fun filler main event that keeps Mike Santana looking strong as the true “main character” of TNA these days. The TNA-NXT sync is a bit off, mostly because this was taped before NXT Battleground due to them not wanting to tip off any of NXT’s storylines. I assume the Sync will be better coming out of this upcoming set of TV Tapings (Still odd that while characters like Trick and Santana are the same on both shows, you also have people like Arianna Grace or Robert Stone playing different characters on both shows).
The next set of tapings being in Arizona also means the show gets a huge star power boost with Jeff Hardy being back on the show. Against All Odds feels like a forgone conclusion filler show, as most TNA Plus shows feel, but I was sold a bit on it after that Santino Marella and Robert Stone promo from earlier, making this a decent go-home show. I’m actually looking forward to a few matches in being more than Filler.
Hendry and Kazarian sold me on their match, and I do kinda hope Frankie wins to give Hendry some character development in the loss. Mustafa Ali vs. Jason Hotch should be a sleeper hit, as Ali is going to do his damndest to make Hotch look like a Million Bucks. Here’s hoping Hotch can step up to being a strong home-grown TNA talent. TNA needs projects like Santana, like Leon Slater, like Jason Hotch, to fill in that work rate void left when wrestlers like Jordynne Grace, Josh Alexander, and Mike Bailey left for greener pastures.
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