By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
TNA Impact taping
September 5, 2025
Minneapolis, Minnesota, at The Armory
This report is filled with SPOILERS! Stop reading now if you don’t want to know what will happen on TV episodes later this month. This venue was the home of the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1950s and 1960s before they moved to Los Angeles. For years, it was a parking garage before reopening on New Year’s Eve in 2017. NXT held the Deadline PLE here last December, but this is my first time seeing wrestling in this venue (I’ve only seen one concert here since this reopened). This looks great for wrestling, and the crowd was about 700. The reserved seats were sold out, and a lot of people were milling around near the bar in a standing room only area. I was three seats from the entrance stage, in row four, so all the wrestlers walked past me.
* I did NOT attend the live Impact on Thursday, September 4, but in talking to people before the show, they told me TNA taped the Sept. 11 episode that evening, including an AJ Francis vs. Moose match that was mentioned on the Sept. 4 show. SO, they taped action here for episodes that will air Sept. 18 and Sept. 25.
* We started right at 7:30 p.m., which I appreciated. Tom Hannifan and Gia Miller each got their own entrances for some Xplosion matches.
1. Ruthie Jay vs. Myla Grace. Ruthie is a Black woman from the Florida indy scene; she has white or silver streaks in her hair that make her look older than she is. They are roughly the same height. Myla hit a top-rope twisting press to the mat for the pin. Decent opener.
Myla Grace defeated Ruthie Jay at 5:23.
2. Lili Ruiz vs. Harley Hudson. Lili is from the Chicago scene; I just saw her wrestle Deonna Purrazzo on a Chicago Style Wrestling show, and she recently made her debut in Massachusetts for Wrestling Open. Both women appear to be about 5’2″. Lili showed some impressive strength on a delayed vertical suplex with the crowd counting to 17 before she dropped Harley. Harley hit a Nigel-style Tower of London stunner out of the corner for the pin.
Harley Hudson defeated Lili Ruiz at 6:13.
* Matthew Rehwoldt replaced Gia Miller on commentary. I’ll reiterate that the venue looks great. A table was brought to the ring, and Santino Marella came to the ring as we’re starting the taping. Team 3D came out, wearing black suits. (Bully Ray flew in from Philadelphia, where he competed Thursday night.) The Hardys then came to the ring and also weren’t dressed to wrestle. They stood across from each other. They each got on the mic and talked about how great the other team was. Matt Hardy said they need to beat Team 3D to prove they are the best tag team EVER. Again, they were very cordial. Bully Ray turned to Jeff Hardy and said, “Of all the crazy stuff we’ve done … how the hell are you still alive?” That got a lot of laughs! Jeff replied,” Only God knows why.” Bully Ray demanded this match be a tables match, saying that the Hardys beat them in a tables match back in 2000, and he’s still upset about that loss because it’s their match! They tore up the contract and shook hands to seal the deal. A fun, LONG opening segment.
3. Brian Myers (w/The System) vs. Mustafa Ali (w/Order Four). JDC (Johnny Curtis) is apparently injured; not sure if that’s legit. Anyhow, he’s not here with The System. Ali hit a dive to the floor that popped the crowd. In the ring, Ali either got a backslide or a sunset flip out of nowhere for the pin. It was so short, I didn’t expect the pin there. The System and Order Four kept brawling. “Agent Zero (Bill Collier) got in the ring and headbutted Moose; they are going to have to use some creative editing to make it look like he hit Moose. Santino Marella reappeared and said that there will be a “Hardcore War” between these two teams at Bound For Glory!
Mustafa Ali defeated Brian Myers at 2:34.
* Twin Cities resident ODB was introduced. Her food truck was outside before the show. This was probably just for the live crowd.
4. Judas Icarus (w/Travis Williams) vs. Eric Young. Eric hit a Doctor Bomb early on. Judas hit a frogsplash. Eric hit a top-rope elbow drop for a nearfall. He hit a low blow, but then Joe Hendry came out to provide a distraction. It allowed Judas to get a jackknife cover for the pin! Afterwards, Eric slugged the ref. Good action while it lasted.
Judas Icarus defeated Eric Young at 5:11.
* Victoria Crawford (f/k/a Alicia Foxxxxxxx!) stood on the stage and she has a new podcast. She called out Gia Miller to interview her. Victoria said that Tessa Blanchard is sitting at home and suspended, and it’s all Gia’s fault. Crawford said that if Gia went to Santino and asked him to lift the suspension, he would. Jody Threat came out to break up this interview, and Crawford stormed off with no punches thrown.
5. Masha Slamovich and “The IInspiration” Cassie Lee and Jessie McKay vs. Ash by Elegance, M by Elegance, and Heather by Elegance (w/The Personal Concierge). Masha’s team took the advantage early on, so the Elegance Brand went to leave but were dragged back to ringside. “M” Maggie Lee hit a superkick that dropped Masha at ringside. The heels worked over Jessie in the ring. Eventually, Ash sprayed water in the eyes of either Lee or Jessie, and it allowed M to get a rollup with her feet on the ropes for the tainted pin.
Ash by Elegance, M by Elegance, and Heather by Elegance defeated Masha Slamovich, Cassie Lee, and Jessie McKay at 9:31.
* Frankie Kazarian came to the ring, and he’s not dressed to wrestle. He’s going to interview the sharpest-dressed man in TNA… himself! He noted he is facing Steve Maclin at Bound For Glory. He introduced… Ken Anderson (f/k/a Mr. Kennedy)! A nice pop for Ken. Kazarian tried to turn Ken heel by noting he’s from Green Bay, but Ken noted he’s lived in the Twin Cities for years, and his family and training school are here, saying this is “home” and that got a pop. Kazarian pointed out that Ken’s mom, his wife, and children were in the crowd (they were seated about four rows behind me!) Kazarian noted that Ken was in the Army National Guard, and he started to belittle Maclin’s military service. Ken was having none of it. So, Jake Something ran in and attacked Ken Anderson. Steve Maclin made the save.
6. Dani Luna vs. Indi Hartwell. Dani stormed to the ring, and she was heavily booed. She snapped Indi’s neck across the ropes early on and dominated the match with Indi selling the pain in her neck throughout. Indi hit a Spinebuster. Dani rolled to the floor, got a chair from under the ring, and struck Indi with it. The ref immediately called for the bell. They got back into the ring, and Dani hit more chairshots to the back.
Indi Hartwell defeated Dani Luna via DQ at 5:46.
* AJZ came to the ring. Again, he was one of Ali’s bodyguards. He has an incredible physique. With his long, blond hair, he looks a lot like NJPW’s Clark Connors. I’ve seen him wrestle a few times recently. AJZ got on the mic, and he called out Mike Santana!
7. AJZ vs. Mike Santana. Santana came through the crowd to a really nice pop. We had the bell, and Santana slammed him to the mat, then hit the Spin The Block clothesline for the pin!
Mike Santana defeated AJZ at 00:32.
* Santana got on the mic, and he called out Trick Williams. He was attacked from behind by Ridge Holland!
* Matt Cardona got an entrance and he joined commentary.
8. Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy vs. Nic Nemeth and Ryan Nemeth for the TNA Tag Team Titles. The Hardys both wore white gear. All four brawled at the bell. Good action throughout. Nic hit his repeated elbow drops on Jeff as the Nemeths kept Jeff on the mat. Matt hit a Side Effect on Nic at 9:00. Jeff tagged back in, peeled off his shirt — squeals from the crowd! — hit the Swanton Bomb, and pinned Ryan Nemeth.
Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy defeated Nic Nemeth and Ryan Nemeth to retain the TNA Tag Team Titles at 11:56.
9. Jody Threat vs. Victoria Crawford. Threat hit repeated clotheslines and a release German Suplex. Out of the back came Tessa Blanchard! She’s back! Her appearance distracted Jody, and it allowed Crawford to get a rollup for the pin. (We shouldn’t have the same finish twice on the same show.)
Victoria Crawford defeated Jody Threat at 4:08.
10. Leon Slater and Cedric Alexander vs. “The Rascalz” Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz (w/Myron Reed). Myron joined commentary. Cedric flew in from Philadelphia; he was on the HOG show Thursday with Bully Ray. He opened against Zachary. Cedric hit a German Suplex at 7:00. Good action throughout. Trey hit a nice Crucifix Driver. Slater hit a plancha to the floor. Cedric hit another German Suplex and a dive to the floor on Wentz. It allowed Slater to hit his impressive Swanton 450 Splash on Trey for the pin. Easily the best match of the night.
Leon Slater and Cedric Alexander defeated “The Rascalz” Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz at 10:33.
11. A 10-person battle royal. I thought I heard 20, but it was 10. The participants were Ryan Nemeth, Xia Brookside, Lei Ying Lee, Rosemary, Mance Warner, Killer Kelly, Mara Sade, Matt Cardona, Home Town Man, and AJ Francis. SO, there were five men and five women. HTMan wore a Kirby Puckett jersey. AJ came out last, and he made fun of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He got in Rosemary’s face and threatened her; she sprayed green mist in his eyes, we had the bell, and all nine worked together to flip AJ out!
Mara and Kelly were tossed early. Mance tossed Rosemary. Cardona and Home Town Man fought on the ring apron; Ryan was standing on the floor and he yanked both guys off the apron to the floor to eliminate them both! Nemeth got in the ring, and he shoved Xia off the ropes to the floor. Lei beat up Nemeth, throwing a lot of punches. He charged at her, but she low-bridged the top rope, and he flew to the floor. So, that left just Lei vs. Mance, and Mance eventually kicked her off the apron to the floor to win. He earned some type of title shot with the win.
Mance Warner won a 10-person Battle Royal at 6:20.
* Ash by Elegance and the Personal Concierge came to the ring; she is now in her regular clothes. She noted that Victory Road is “tomorrow” (meaning Sept. 26). Masha Slamovich confronted her. “I thrive in the chaos,” Masha said. Indi Hartwell came out and informed them that she is the special guest referee for their match.
12. Jake Something and Frankie Kazarian vs. Ken Anderson and Steve Maclin. Ken put his hand up, waiting for a mic that never came down. Funny. So, Steve stood on a chair behind Ken and dropped a mic into his hands. Good humor. Jake and Maclin opened, allowing for Ken to get a big pop when he tagged in at 2:00. Basic tag action by both teams. The heels began working over Anderson and kept him grounded, with Jake taunting Maclin. Maclin finally got a hot tag at 9::30 and hit a series of clotheslines. Anderson hit a forward Finlay Roll that got a pop and a Flatliner on Kazarian for a nearfall. Kaz hit a Lungblower. Everyone hit clotheslines, and suddenly, everyone was down. Maclin hit an Angle Slam and a spear while an opponent was tied in the Tree of Woe. Anderson hit another Flatliner on Jake. Maclin hit a double-arm DDT to pin Kazarian. Solid big-man match.
Ken Anderson and Steve Maclin defeated Jake Something and Frankie Kazarian at 16:47.
* Anderson and Maclin got on the mic. Maclin expressed surprise, asking Ken if it was really nine years since he was in the ring; Ken had to clarify to him it had been nine years since he was in a TNA ring. (The last time I saw Ken wrestle live was against Marty Scurll at a pre-pandemic ROH show in Hopkins, a Twin Cities suburb.) Kazarian ran back in, allowing Anderson to hit his Flatliner finisher again. Maclin let Anderson get on the mic to close so he could do his Miiiisstterrrrr Anderrrrrsonnnnn!” lines. “…Anderson.”
Final Thoughts: It was really nice of TNA to throw a party for my 52nd birthday. Of all the wrestling shows I’ve attended, this was my first time attending a TNA TV taping, as this week was TNA’s Twin Cities debut. (I did attend Bound For Glory in Chicago a couple of years ago.) A good show, and the whole roster was there. If they didn’t wrestle (Moose, Eddie Edwards, Great Hands, etc.), they were certainly present at ringside. If I had a complaint, it’s that the talented Mustafa Ali was in a match that was too short.
They had to be happy with the crowd, and it looked like a big league production. It didn’t appear to be many more fans than the last ROH taping in Hopkins, but that was in a gym, and those shows looked ‘minor league,’ even though the action was always great. I am confident in saying that Matt Hardy is the first wrestler that I can say I’ve seen compete live in WWE, ROH, AEW, and TNA. I used to say I’ve probably seen more Chris Jericho matches live than any other wrestler (not including indy shows), but Matt Hardy may actually be the person I’ve seen wrestle the most.
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