By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
TNA Thursday Night Impact (Episode 1,141)
Taped May 14-15 in Sacramento, California, at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
Simulcast May 28, 2026, on AMC, AMC+, and TNA+
After airing Frankie Kazarian’s entrance, the TNA intro theme aired…
Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt were on commentary. McKenzie Mitchell was the ring announcer. Gia Miller was the backstage interviewer…
More entrances from the “Champions Challenge” aired…
1. “The TNA Champions” Mike Santana, Mustafa Ali (w/Tasha Steelz), Cedric Alexander, Brian Myers, and Bear Bronson (w/Alisha Edwards) vs. “The TNA All Stars” Frankie Kazarian, Eric Young, Leon SLater, KC Navarro, and Elijah in a “Champions Challenge” tag team match. Elijah and Myers started the match. Hannifan noted that Elijah hasn’t won a championship in a major company in pro wrestling (Good on Hannifan for not counting the WWE 24/7 Championship, which doesn’t count!). Elijah hit Myers with an Old School for a two count.[c]
Santana and Elijah traded wristholds back from break. Both men traded rapid counters to lead to a stalemate. Young ended the stalemate by blindsiding Santana. Kazarian tagged himself in and ate a dropkick from Santana. Kazarian raked Santana’s eye and tagged in Elijah. Ali tagged in and hit Elijah with a dropkick. Elijah caught Ali with a pop-up power bomb. Ali kicked out at two.
All eight wrestlers entered the ring and traded hands. The brawl spilled to ringside. Slater hit the group of wrestlers with a Corkscrew Plancha over the ringpost. Back in the ring, Elijah hit Ali with a backdrop for a two count. The non-champions used quick tags to cut the ring in half on Ali. They ended up doing the same to Elijah.
Back form break, Elijah dumped Bear to ringside and hit Myers and Alexander with a double suplex. Myers reluctantly tagged in Mike Santana who cleaned house. Santana caught Young with a Rolling Buck 50. Santana caught EY with a Plancha. Kazarian reversed a Spin the Block. Ali tagged himself in. Ali and Santana hit Kazarian with Rolling Buck 50s to give Ali a two count.
KC tagged in and hit Ali with a draping Wrecking Ball kick. KC hit Ali with a Satelite DDT. Bear tagged in and slammed KC. Bear hit KC with a leg drop and mounted punches. Bear hit KC with a Press Slam for a two count. Ali tagged in. Slater tagged in. Slater hit Ali with a heel kick. Alexander broke up the pin. Kazarian hit Myers with One Final Beat. The wrestlers took turns hitting signature moves.
After most of the wrestlers dumped each other to ringside. Slater hit Ali with a Swanton 450. Alisha Edwards put Ali’s foot on the bottom rope. Steelz handed Ali the title belt. Slater ducked a belt shot and hit Ali with a Superkick. Slater tagged KC in, who hit Ali with a Blessing in Disguise (Modified Destino) for the win.
The TNA All-Stars (KC Navarro got the pin on Mustafa Ali) defeated The TNA Champions via pinfall in 16:10 of on-air time.
Hannifan noted that KC has earned himself a International Title shot by pinning Ali. Hannifan noted that it was a selfless act by Slater to allow KC Navarro to get a title shot by tagging himself out…
John’s Thoughts: A fun opening match with the wrestlers playing into the dynamic of trying to get the pinfall for themselves, which made Slater being selfless stand out as an interesting aspect. Why did they go with Slater giving up a potential shot at a title? Of course, there is the lingering idea of Slater bouncing to WWE at any moment? Or it could lead to a nuanced story in TNA? I hope he sticks in TNA as long as possible, but at the same time I know NXT would love to have him make the jump given how they suddenly need a star power boost.
Gia Miller interviewed Ariana Grace and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo about Stacks facing Santino. Grace said continued to complain about Santino screwing her out of the Championship. Stacks said Santino will have to live up to all his bad decisions. Stacks said he’ll send Santino and his sock puppet to the nursing home. Grace said she and Stacks won’t visit Santino in that Nursing home…
Hannifan hyped upcoming segments…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Small note, Stacks is a underrated in-ring talented. NXT seemed at least high on him at one point when they had Shinsuke Nakamura show up at one point and have to use two finishers to beat him. What’s really holding him back is his gimmick. I have no idea why he’s still sticking to his character when he was Tony D’Angelo’s goon? Tony D’Angelo even gave up the mafia gimmick! I really like the Stacks and Ariana Grace act, but can we just call the guy Channing Lorenzo and have him reinvent himself away from being a mafia lackey?
A Righteous vignette aired where Vincent and Dutch hyped their upcoming “Wicked Garden” match against the Hardys…
Tom Hannifan asked “what the hell is a wicked garden?”. Entrances for the next match took place…
2. Tessa Blanchard vs. “The British Babe” Harley Hudson. Hudson hit Tessa with a shoulder tackle and pointed at her ass. Hudson hit Tessa with a leg drop on the apron. Tessa dropkicked Hudson off the apron. Tessa gave Hudson a Fisherman Suplex on Hudson’s knee. Tessa continued to focus on Hudson’s knee in the ring. Tessa dominated for a few minutes.
Hannifan noted that Tessa was supposed to be in the Champions Challenge match, but she refused, saying she’s confident she can get a title by herself. Hudson turned the tables with rapid hands and axe handles. Hudson hit Tessa with a Fallaway Slam. Hudosn hit Tessa with a running Knee for a two count. Hudson blocked a Sunset Flip, but got tripped.
Hudson escaped a Dragon Sleeper by slamming Tessa’s head into the buckle. Tessa hit Hudson with a draping Magnum for a nearfall. Hudson recovered and rolled up Tessa for the two count. Tessa tripped Hudson on her injured leg and hit Hudson with a Buzzsaw DDT for the victory.
Tessa Blanchard defeated Harley Hudson via pinfall in 8:12.
John’s Thoughts: A good match, but a bit of a “how the mighty have fallen” moment for Tessa. I’m totally fine with giving Harley Hudson credible losses here and there, and even having her rise up the tiers in the knockouts division; but what stood out here is Tessa, who’s arguably the best female wrestler in TNA, struggled to beat the enhancement wrestler of the division. I was in attendance for this match as it was taped on the 15th. While there were no racism chants for Tessa, the crowd was pretty quiet for this match in general (to be fair, it was at the end of the tapings). Should TNA just test out giving Tessa the big push her talent deserves? Or is all her past baggage too radioactive for them to even attempt it?
It was timed for the TNA Sponsored Injury Report, sponsored by that Keith Jardine movie they’ve been advertising all taping. Steve Maclin’s status is “Unknown” because he’s been avoiding TNA’s medical staff. Jada Stone is “out” after last week’s match against Xia Brookside. Moose is still “out” after getting attacked backstage. Stacks and Santino are cleared…
Separate shots of Stacks and Ariana Grace and Santino Marella walking backstage were shown…
The Personal Concierge approached Lei Ying Lee backstage and told her not to cost The Elegance Brand the Champions Challenge match. Lee barked at The Concierge to make him flinch. Lee went back to shadowboxing…
Stacks and Ariana Grace made their entrance to their Birth Right entrance theme. Santino Marella made his entrance…
3. Santino Marella vs. Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo (w/Ariana Grace). Santino got a single leg takedown, which led to Stacks ducking to ringside for a time out. Santino worked on Stacks with Judo moves and pin attempts. Stacks broke an armbar with a rope break. Santino hit Stacks with with armdrags. Stacks stalled at ringside to avoid Santino’s Judo.
Santino hit his signature Salute splash combination. Stacks tripped up Santino and hit him with strikes to the gut. Stacks worked on Santino with methodical offense. Santino gave Stacks a few knees. Santino went for The Cobra, but Grace pulled the sock off Santino’s hand. This allowed Stacks to roll up Santino for the win.
Channing Lorenzo defeated Santino Marella via pinfall in 5:40.
Grace got in Santino’s face and pie-faced him. Santino grabbed Grace’s hand, which led to Stacks attacking Santino. Indi Hartwell ran out to chase away the heels. Hartwell took the mic and asked for an impromptu match with her and Santino vs. Stacks and Grace. “The Suit” Daria Rae made her entrance and said that Hartwell won’t get her match tonight. She said she does want to Stacks beat up Santino again, so Hartwell can get her match next week…
Hannifan hyped upcoming segments…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Grace’s Knockouts Title run was a bit of a dud (I don’t blame her though as I’ve compared her to Maria Kanellis, and Maria managed to be a strong Knockouts Champion without wrestling much). With the title off her, she is better suited for this feud against her dad. I’m okay with it and the fans always seem invested in Santino’s fun work. Again, the weak link is Stacks needs a bit of reinvention.
An ad aired for TNA Slammiversary…
The TNA stalker camera caught AJ Francis harassing and manhandling some random guy backstage who was supposed to give him some “papers”. AJ told the guy that if he listens to AJ he’ll get his “money, money, money”…
4. Fabien Aichner vs. Eddie Edwards (w/Alisha Edwards). Aichner worked on Eddie early on with a side headlock. Aichner caught Eddie with a crossbody and dumped him to ringside with a clothesline. Eddie tripped Aichner off a slingshot. Eddie followed up with methodical offense. Aichner recovered and hit Eddie with a Backbreaker and Brainsbuster for a nearfall.
Eddie caught Aichner with a Gamengiri and Backpack Stunner for a nearfall. Alisha got a cheap shot in while the referee was distracted by Eddie. The referee caught Alisha with a Kendo Stick and then ejected her. Rehwoldt argued that she didn’t even swing it! Aichner hit Eddie with a Super Butterfly Suplex for a nearfall. Bear, Cedric, and Myers walked out to ringside.
Aichner caught the three System extras at ringside with a Crossbody. Aichner caught Eddie with a Slingshot DDT. Aichner hit Eddie with a Backdrop into a Crossface. Hannifan noted that Aichner calls the move “La Fina”. Myers and Bear attacked Aichner for the DQ.
Fabien Aichner defeated Eddie Edwards via DQ in 7:35.
The four System members beat down Aichner after the match. Cedric laid Aichner out with a Lumbar Check. The System posed over the fallen Aichner…
Hannifan hyped upcoming segments…[c]
John’s Thoughts: A decent enough showcase for Aichner, but I would have given him a clean win in his first match out. TNA tends to go above and beyond to protect Eddie, and they did so here. Eddie’s been protected so much that I don’t think it would hurt him to put a new guy over (unless there’s sunk cost sticker shock over Aichner potentially bouncing back to WWE?). Aichner has never been the best on the mic, but as I noticed while at the tapings, the crowd really fires up for him when he’s a silent assassin doing cool cruiserweight moves. By contrast, the crowd was fairly silent for him when he talked on the mic last week’s show (which was taped after this match), so the best way to maximize Aichner is to have him do less talking, and more action…
Tom Hannifan hyped Slammiversary ticket sales…
The Women’s All Star team made their separate entrances. The Personal Concierge walked out and said when he saw a bunch of homeless drunks vomiting outside when he got to the building, but then noticed that TNA let the drunks attend the show. He then introduced M, Heather, and Mr. Elegance. Lei Ying Lee made her entrance…[c]
An ad aired for upcoming Impact TV tapings…
The following matches were advertised for next week: BDE vs. Eddie Edwards, Indi Hartwell and Santino Marella vs. Ariana Grace and Channing Lorenzo, and The Broken Hardys vs. The Righteous in a Wicked Garden match…
Hannifan noted that the building that the show was taped in was over 100 years old…
5. “The TNA Champions” Lei Ying Lee, M by Elegance, and Heather by Elegance (w/The Personal Concierge, Mr. Elegance) vs. Elayna Black, Xia Brookside, and Mara Sade (w/Keith Jardine) in a “Champions Challenge” tag team match. Black teased wrestling first, but then tagged Sade in. Sade and Lee shook hands to start the match. Sade went for some rapid pin attempts. M tagged herself in. Sade hit M with a Sling Blade for a nearfall.
Mara tagged in Black after Heather tagged herself in. Black hit Heather with a draping elbow strike. Xia tagged in and hit Heather with a Meteora to the back for a two count. Xia hit Heather with boots. Heather turned the tables and hit Xia with boots. M tagged in and hit Xia with an impressive looking Coast to Coast for a nearfall. Sade hit M and Heather with a Plancha. Lee hit Xia and Black with a crossbody heading into break.[c]
Back from break, the All Stars cut the ring in half on Heather. heather caught Mara with a Codebreaker for a nearfall. M tagged in and stretched up Mara. M and Heather cut the ring in half on Mara with quick tags. Xia and Lee tagged in with Lee cleaning house. Lee hit Xia with Ten Punches in the Corner. Lee hit Xia with an Exploder for a nearfall. Lee hit Xia with a Warrior’s Way.
Black broke up Lee’s pin. The wrestlers took turns hitting each other with signature moves. Mara and Lee took each other out with clotheslines to leave everyone lying. Mr. Elegance tried to enter the ring, but Keith Jardine put him in an Ankle Lock. The Concierge hit Jardine in the back. Jardine chased The Concierge to the back. Mr. Elegance tripped up Lei Ying Lee, which allowed Brookside to hit Lee with a DDT for the victory.
The TNA All-Stars (Xia Brookside picked up the pin on Lei Ying Lee) defeated the TNA Champions via pinfall in 15:58.
The executive producer credits aired to close the show…
John’s Thoughts: Another decent match to set the table to the expected Lei Ying Lee and Xia Brookside clash. Lee getting pinned made the most sense and she has the ongoing feud with Xia. If they were going to mix things up a little bit, I would have picked Mara Sade to win as she stood out in a good way in this match and throughout her TNA run thus far. This week’s episode was mostly the end of the tapings after the live show, so the crowd might have been a bit spent.
The All Star matches worked well for a lot of wrestlers who worked the live show as they didn’t have to be relied upon to wrestle a long singles match (Leon Slater, Cedric Alexander, and KC Navarro were wrestlers who worked long matches earlier this taping). That said, while this week’s show was harmless, there wasn’t much in terms of must-watch content. The thing I would tell most viewers to check out is Fabien Aichner’s in-ring debut. I felt like we probably could have punted the Santino match, and then put in more vignettes and pre-tapes. Jason Powell should be by later today with his audio review for the Dot Net Members and Patreon Patrons.
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