By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
TNA Against All Odds
Tempe, Arizona at Mullett Arena
Streamed live June 6, 2025, on TNA+
TNA Against All Odds Pre-Show
* The Personal Concierge was in the ring and introduced Ash, Heather, and M (Maggie Lee), who all wore red devil outfits and all carried pitchforks.
1. Harley Hudson, Myla Grace, and Xia Brookside vs. Ash, “M” Maggie Lee, and Heather by Elegance. (I am writing Maggie for proof-reading purposes.) Maggie and Myla opened. Hudson hit a guillotine leg drop. Heather hit a senton on Hudson’s back as she was being held off the ring apron. Maggie slammed Harley face-first to the mat and got a nearfall at 2:30. Harley hit a snap suplex on Heather. Xia got a hot tag and hit some clotheslines, and she was fired up. She hit a running Meteora on Maggie. Myla hit a back suplex. Harley hit a stunner. The Personal Concierge hit Myla with the pitchfork! Ash immediately hit a Swanton Bomb and pinned Myla!
Ash, “M” Maggie Lee, and Heather by Elegance defeated Harley Hudson, Myla Grace, and Xia Brookside at 5:16.
* Out of the back came the “IInspiration” Jessica McKay and Cassie Lee! They stood on the entrance stage, danced, and headed to the back. The bottom corner of the screen showed their T-shirt is already available in the TNA store… I dare say it is an Iconic look.
* Backstage, Tasha Steelz and Jason Hotch talked about his match later. Hotch asked her to promise she’ll be in his corner. Mustafa Ali and John Skyler came up to them. Ali ordered Skyler to be on commentary and for Tasha to be in Ali’s corner. The three guys walked away. Tasha placed a phone call and said, “Hey, it’s me. You’re the only one he’ll listen to. Can you help me out?” Intriguing…
* The commentary team was shown, with Hannifan wondering who Tasha called. They were interrupted by Steph De Lander, who grabbed the mic and said that Steve Maclin is going to lose tonight to Mance Warner.
* Santino Marella and Arianna Grace came to the ring. Santino said it might be his last night in TNA Wrestling. Robert Stone, Tessa Blanchard and Victoria Crawford all came out of the back and were loudly booed. Stone said that once he wins, he’ll make Arianna Grace “my personal maid.” We then heard the familiar “Always Ready!” tune and out came Matt Cardona. “It’s no secret I’m a free agent,” Cardona said. “I don’t owe anybody anything, so I’m the perfect guy to call this one right down the middle.” He’s our special ref later tonight! Marella announced that “tonight, the Cobra is legal!”
* Footage aired of Trick Williams beating Joe Hendry, and a video to build up Elijah as a contender. Hannifan then talked about how TNA as a company ‘beat the odds’ 23 years ago when they formed.
TNA Against All Odds Pay-Per-View
1. Steve Maclin vs. Mance Warner (w/Steph De Lander) for the TNA International Title. They immediately traded forearm strikes, and Maclin hit a running knee at 1:00, sending Mance to the floor, so Steve dove through the ropes onto him. Maclin hit some Cactus Flying Elbow Drops from the apron to the floor. SDL grabbed Steve’s boot as they got into the ring, allowing Mance to take control. Maclin hit a Thesz Press, then an Angle Slam at 4:30. Mance hit a baseball slide kick to the floor on Steve.
Mance hit a Snapmare Driver for a nearfall at 6:00. Maclin nailed a Death Valley Driver on the ring apron, and he pushed Mance into the ring. However, SDL distracted Maclin, and it allowed Mance to hit a top-rope superplex, then a running knee to the forehead for a nearfall at 7:30. Mance hit a tornado DDT for a nearfall. They got up and traded overhand chops. They traded kicks to the chest, then hit stereo clotheslines and they were both down at 9:00. Maclin tied him in the Tree of Woe and hit a spear. He then nailed the KIA (double-arm DDT) for the clean pin. That was a really good opener.
Steve Maclin defeated Mance Warner to retain the TNA International Title at 9:39.
* Gia Miller interviewed Elijah backstage about his title match later. “I’m feeling hot,” Elijah said. He vowed that he will bring the title back to TNA where it belongs.
2. “The System” Moose, Eddie Edwards, Brian Myers, and JDC (w/Alisha Edwards) vs. Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Leon Slater, and mystery partner. Matt got on the mic and introduced “the hometown man,” who is clearly Cody Deaner in a mask and wearing a Phoenix Suns jersey. Hannifan and Rehwoldt shockingly didn’t pretend to have no clue who this guy was — they recognized the tattoos. Slater and JDC opened. Matt Hardy got in and worked over JDC’s left arm, and Jeff did more of the same. Cody Deaner got in at 2:00, and we had a loud “Hometown Man!” chant, so the crowd was playing along.
Deaner hit some forearms and clotheslines on Eddie. The babyfaces all tossed the System members to the floor at 3:30, and we got another loud “Hometown Man!” chant. “I’m very curious how this plays out over time,” Hannifan said. Moose tossed Deaner into the heels’ corner and they worked him over. Jeff got a hot tag and hit a back elbow and leg drop on Eddie. The heels now began working over Jeff Hardy. Jeff finally hit a Whisper In The Wind top-rope corkscrew splash. Matt Hardy tagged in and traded punches with Moose. Jeff hit the Poetry In Motion; Matt hit a Side Effect, and Leon hit a frog splash on Moose for a nearfall at 9:30.
“Hometown Man!” Seriously, the crowd is into this silly gimmick, and a huge pop as Deaner broke up a pinfall attempt. Cody dove through the ropes onto Moose. In the ring, the Hardys and Slater each hit a Twist of Fate on a heel. On the floor, Moose powerbombed Deaner onto the ring apron at 11:00. Moose got in the ring, but realized he was the only heel in there. Matt hit a Twist of Fate, Jeff hit a Swanton Bomb. Slater hit a flip dive to the floor on the System. In the ring, Leon tried a springboard move, but Moose cut him in half with a spear. Leon got to his feet; Moose charged for a second spear, but Leon rolled up Moose and pinned him! TNA should be ecstatic with how the crowd got into this dumb new gimmick for Deaner.
Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Leon Slater, and “Hometown Man” Cody Deaner defeated Moose, Eddie Edwards, Brian Myers, and JDC at 12:35.
* An injury report says Tessa Blanchard is still out with a jaw injury, and Rosemary also is out from injuries sustained in the Monster’s Ball match.
3. Mustafa Ali (w/Tasha Steelz) vs. Jason Hotch. I have not liked this storyline for Ali at all. (Anyone who has looked at his Twitter page knows he’s a devoted family man, proud of his faith, and having him shove a woman to the floor several times has made me quite uncomfortable.) Skyler did join the commentary team. They immediately traded quick reversals on the mat and got some one-counts. Ali looked amused by Hotch’s fight, not worried. They traded armdrags and had a standoff at 2:30. Hannifan kept trying to ask John Skyler about what was happening between Ali and Steelz, but John wanted to avoid the topic.
They began trading loud chops. Ali hit a German Suplex on the ring apron! Tasha checked on Hotch, who was out on the floor. They fought on the ropes, and Hotch snapped Ali’s fingers at 7:00. Hotch hit a tornado DDT move from the corner to the floor, earning a “holy shit!” chant. In the ring, Hotch hit a frog splash for a nearfall, then a spin kick to the head, Ali nailed a mid-ring Spanish Fly for a nearfall at 8:30. Hotch hit a dive to the floor on Ali, then a frog splash in the ring. He put Ali on his shoulders and spun him into a powerbomb for a nearfall at 10:00, and we got a “that was three!” chant.
Hotch hit a Cave-In style leaping stomp to the chest for a nearfall. Ali hit a tornado DDT, then a top-rope 450 Splash, but he pulled up Hotch at the two-count! The crowd was aghast! Skylar got up from commentary and walked to ringside, and he jawed at Ali. Mustafa went for a second 450 Splash, but Hotch got his knees up to block it, and he rolled up Ali for a nearfall. Ali hit a release belly-to-belly suplex, tossing Hotch into the corner. Ali hit another 450 Splash for the pin. A very good student vs. teacher battle.
Mustafa Ali defeated Jason Hotch at 13:41.
* Skyler got in the ring and stood nose-to-nose with Ali, but then he backed down. It appeared Ali was going to shake Hotch’s hand, but then he walked past him.
* Footage aired of the pre-show match with a better view of the Personal Concierge cheating, and the return of the IInspiration. Backstage, Gia Miller interviewed Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay. They acknowledged that between them, they’ve had three children in recent years, but they are back now.
* AJ Francis and KC Navarro came out for the “First Class Penthouse.” They are not dressed to wrestle. KC was perplexed that people are upset that they helped Trick Williams retain the TNA title. The crowd chanted profanities at them. “There are children here!” Francis barked back at the fans. KC noted that the attack on Mike Santana has earned TNA a lot of publicity with all the views of online videos. On the video screen, we saw Santana arrive at the building. He came down the stairs and through the crowd on his way toward KC and AJ, and he beat up all of their personal security. Santana grabbed KC by the throat and powerbombed him through a table. Francis hit Santana from behind with a champagne bottle.
* Indi Hartwell came to ringside and joined Hannifan and Rehwoldt on commentary for the next match!
4. Masha Slamovich vs. Lei Ying Lee for the TNA Knockouts Title. They shook hands and tied up each other’s left arm. Lee hit an Exploder Suplex at 1:30. Masha hit a clothesline. She hit a second-rope somersault to the floor on Lee. Lee slammed Masha face-first from the apron onto the thin mat at ringside. In the ring, Lee was now in charge and she stomped on Masha in the corner. Masha hit a spin kick to the head and a piledriver (she didn’t get all of it) for a nearfall at 5:00.
Lee hit a DDT from the apron to the floor. They fought on the ropes in the corner, and Masha hit a Frankensteiner at 8:00. Masha nailed her rolling Koppo Kick for a nearfall. Lee hit a suplex and some kicks, then a running Penalty Kick for a nearfall at 10:00, and she got some rollups. Lee was having a very good showing here. Masha hit a second-rope rolling Death Valley Driver, then a running knee for a believable nearfall. Masha nailed the Requiem (package piledriver) for the pin. A very good match, even though the winner was never once in doubt.
Masha Slamovich defeated Lei Ying Lee to retain the TNA Knockouts Title at 12:47.
* The ring lights turned all red, and Killer Kelly returned! Another star back from maternity leave! She confronted Masha in the ring and left, with no words said, no punches thrown.
* A trainer checked on Mike Santana and wanted to put him through concussion protocol, but Santana barked that he was all good and stormed off.
5. Frankie Kazarian vs. Joe Hendry. Joe tackled Kazarian at the bell and punched him. He whipped Kazarian into a corner, and Frankie crashed to the floor, so they brawled at ringside. In the ring, Hendry hit a fallaway slam at 2:30 and turned to face the camera, and we got a “we believe!” chant. Kazarian smashed Hendry’s left leg into the ring steps. They got back into the ring, where Frankie hit a chop block, and he tied up Joe on the mat. Frankie applied a half-crab, but Hendry reached the ropes at 6:00. Kazarian grapevined the leg and kept Hendry on the mat. Frankie hit a Lungblower to the back for a nearfall.
Hendry got up and hit a clothesline and a fallaway slam, but was selling the pain in his knee. Frankie went for a Crossface Chickenwing, but Hendry blocked it, and Joe hit a vertical suplex for a nearfall at 9:00. Kazarian switched to an ankle lock, but Joe escaped. Hendry hit an Angle Slam for a nearfall at 10:30. Kazarian hit a twisting Flatliner for a nearfall. He got the Crossface Chickenwing locked in! Hendry nearly passed out, but his arm didn’t fall a third time. Kazarian got a rollup, put his feet on the ropes for added leverage, and scored the cheap pin! Hendry looked distraught after taking another loss.
Frankie Kazarian defeated Joe Hendry at 12:41.
* Robert Stone, Victoria Crawford, and Tessa Blanchard approached Matt Cardona backstage. They handed him an envelope filled with money. Stone wants Cardona to ‘turn a blind eye’ to any cheating by Tessa or Victoria.
6. Ryan Nemeth and Nic Nemeth vs. “The Rascalz” Trey Miguel and Zack Wentz for the TNA Tag Team Titles. Ryan and Wentz opened. Nic entered and traded reversals with Zack. The Rascalz worked over Ryan’s left arm. The Nemeths backed Wentz into their corner and worked him over. Nic hit an elbow drop and made a cocky cover at 4:30. Ryan yanked Trey off the corner so he wasn’t there for a hot tag, and the Nemeths continued to beat down Wentz. Wentz finally hit a handspring-back-flying knee, then he got the hot tag to Trey at 8:30.
Trey hit a huracanrana on Ryan. Zack hit a running Shooting Star Press on Ryan. The Rascalz hit stereo dives through the ropes. In the ring, Zack hit a Swanton Bomb, and Trey made the cover for a nearfall at 10:00. Trey hit a top-rope Blockbuster on Nic, and suddenly everyone was down. They all got up and brawled. Ryan hit a DDT. Trey hit a spinebuster. Nic hit the Danger Zone (zig zag). Ryan covered Trey for the pin. Solid match, but again, I never once thought the titles were changing hands.
Ryan Nemeth and Nic Nemeth defeated “The Rascalz” Trey Miguel and Zack Wentz to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles at 12:43.
* Jody Threat was backstage. Eric Young entered the building and he’s angry. Sami Callihan confronted him. Sami was livid that an NXT guy had the TNA title belt. Eric Young kept shouting, “You know I’m right!” and he stormed out. He is in trouble for attacking a fan a day ago.
* We had a video package to set up the next match. Special ref Cardona came to the ring, and he’s in striped trunks, so he looks like he’s ready to wrestle. “The fix is in!” Hannifan said.
7. Robert Stone (w/Victoria Crawford, Tessa Blanchard) vs. Santino Marella (w/Arianna Grace), and the winner will be the TNA Director of Authority. Cardona checked Stone, and he confiscated brass knuckles! Santana turned over a weapon before being frisked, and the crowd laughed at his honesty. Stone rolled to the floor at the bell. (For a guy who is rarely in the ring, he looks great!) Hannifan said it’s his first singles match in eight years! In the ring, Santino tossed Stone around. They brawled to the floor and into the crowd, and I could see the fans for the first time.
They got back into the ring at 3:00, but Tessa and Victoria took some cheap shots on Santino, and it allowed Stone to take control. He hit a second-rope elbow drop for a nearfall at 4:30. “Shades of Bret Hart,” Rehwoldt said, and that got a chuckle from Hannifan. Santino hit a back suplex, then some snap suplexes. Santino pulled out the Cobra, but Tessa grabbed the puppet and ran to the back with it. Stone got a rollup and put his feet on the ropes, but Cardona refused to count, so they argued. Stone and Santino hit stereo clotheslines and were both down at 6:30.
Victoria snuck in and hit an axe kick to the back of the head, allowing Stone to get a nearfall. Stone hit some punches, but Santino fired up, and they traded blows. This crowd was totally into this one! Stone hit a low blow uppercut for a nearfall at 8:30, and Stone was livid about Cardona’s count. Grace tripped Stone (and nearly came out of her top in the process!) Grace had a second Cobra! Santino put it on his hand, struck Stone with it, and got the pin. Highly watchable and entertaining match; the storyline made this work.
Santino Marella defeated Robert Stone to retain the TNA Director of Authority position at 9:48.
* Gia Miller interviewed Santino at ringside. He dedicated the win to everyone there.
8. Trick Williams vs. Elijah for the TNA World Title. We had the tale of the tape; I thought Elijah was taller than 6’0″, while Trick listed at 6’4″ seems like a bit of a stretch. Standing switches to open as they twisted each other’s left arm. We saw footage of The System watching backstage. Trick hit a spinning kick to the chest or face at 4:00, and he mounted Elijah and punched him, then hit a flapjack for a nearfall. He hit a clothesline and kept Elijah grounded. The crowd chanted “TNA!” rather than “Elijah!”
Elijah hit a running kick at 8:00 and an Atomic Drop, then a twisting neckbreaker for a nearfall, and we got a “Oh, walk with Elijah!” chant now. Elijah hit a Cross Rhodes-style twisting neckbreaker for a nearfall at 9:30. Trick hit a Book End (uranage) for a nearfall. They traded chops. Elijah got him up, spun Trick, and slammed him face-first for a nearfall at 11:30. Trick hit a pop-up punch. Elijah hit a Tower of London-style twisting neckbreaker from the apron to the floor, and he shoved Trick back into the ring.
Elijah hit a top-rope flying elbow drop for a nearfall. They fought on the ropes in the corner. AJ Francis came to ringside. Trick came off the ropes, but Elijah hit a jumping knee. Francis tripped Elijah, allowing Trick to get a nearfall. Elijah hit a plancha to the floor on Francis, then he shoved Francis into the ring post. In the ring, Trick swung and missed with a guitar. Williams got his title belt and hit Elijah in the head with it for a believable nearfall. Trick shoved Elijah into an exposed turnbuckle, then he hit a jumping knee for the pin. The crowd warmed up at the end. They tried hard, but this one just didn’t click for me, and no one ever thought Elijah was winning.
Trick Williams defeated Elijah to retain the TNA World Title at 16:16.
Final Thoughts: The show was fun but nothing must-see. I certainly never thought any of the title belts were in danger of changing hands. Lei Ying Lee had a very good match, but just isn’t perceived anywhere on Masha’s level; when Indi came to the commentary table before the match, it really made clear that Indi is the real next challenger. Despite my misgivings about the storyline, I’ll go with Mustafa-Hotch for best match, with Masha-Lee second and a really good Maclin-Warner match third. It shows that Mance can wrestle when he’s not just clubbing people over their unprotected head with weapons. The Santino-Stone stuff worked and deserves honorable mention.
The tag title match and Kazarian-Hendry were merely fine; they both felt like any typical TV match. This crowd was HOT and into everything. The Cody Deaner stuff was ridiculously popular, and the crowd was all there and supporting Santino, making that match work, too. They warmed up to the end of the main event, but they just couldn’t get behind Elijah early on; his title match felt like an afterthought as this show began, and it played out that way, too.
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