By John Moore, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@liljohnm)
TNA Impact (Episode 1,121)
Taped December 7, 2025, in El Paso, Texas, at El Paso County Coliseum
Simulcast on January 8, 2026, 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…
TNA Tag Team Champions Matt and Jeff Hardy made their entrance. Matt said even though they have a big match later in the night, Vincent and Dutch have crossed the line. Matt talked about being disgusted about their locker room being vandalized with threatening decorations, with pictures of the Hardy wives and children. Jeff reiterated Matt’s point and said that The Righteous need to face the Hardys like real men.
The Righteous, Vincent and Dutch, made their entrance. Vincent tried to talk, but Matt cut him off and said the Hardys just want to beat and delete The Righteous from TNA. Vincent said they agree to a fight and want to share the ring with the Hardys. Dutch said The Righteous aren’t threats, they are Die-Hardys. He said they seek truth, creation, and elevation. Vincent said if they are to have this match, he wants a friendly competition and peace. Matt said by intruding on his and Jeff’s lives Vincent will never have peace.
Vince said Matt is sounding understandably crazy and people are all in this industry because they are not all there. Matt asked for a match right here right now. Vincent said they can’t do that since it needs preparation to go against such a great tag team. Vincent said that Genesis would be the best place for the creation and rebirth of the Righteous. Jeff accepted the Genesis date for their tag team match…
John’s Thoughts: I really like the simple and effective pacing of this feud and TNA might have something there with Vincent and Dutch. The Righteous are doing basic mind games, but basic mind games work when you blind the victims with threatening their families. This actually has been pretty good to the point where I would have saved this feud until after the lame duck period (but maybe doing the introduction of The Righteous works here). Curious to see where they go with the tag match? My guess is that we’ll see more members join the group at Genesis to go into the “we are many” stuff that Dutch talks about. Will that put the Hardys in chase mode to kick off the AMC run? We’ll see.
Gia Miller interviewed Steve Maclin and asked him about his thoughts on his upcoming match against Stacks. Maclin said his goal is to get his title back. Maclin said ever since the steel cage match, locker room members said they are glad to have Maclin in TNA wrestling. Eric Young walked up and asked Maclin to hear him out. Eric Young reminded Maclin of how he tried to show Maclin the truth a few months ago by recruiting him to his team.
Young said Maclin knows what has to do tonight. He said if Maclin doesn’t do it, “we” will. Young said “the cleanse is coming” before walking away. Tom Hannifan plugged upcoming segments…[c]
John’s Thoughts: So is EY starting a housecleaning service or does he need some laxative for his colon cleanse? This “The Cleanse” thing has been so uninteresting that they need to move on from it. Again? Can we get “Showtime” Eric Young back? “World Class Maniac” Eric Young was past his expiration date two or three cult heel factions ago.
The TNA Thursday Night Impact on AMC ad aired…
Entrances for the next match took place…
1. Dani Luna vs. Harley Hudson (w/Myla Grace). Luna started the match with a Mafia Kick and body slams. Hudson got into a sleeper, but Luna escaped with a backbreaker. Luna clubbed Hudson in the head while trash talking Myla. Hudson rallied with right hands and a throat chop. Luna used her strength to block a few moves. Hudson got into a Bulldog for a one count. Luna hit Hudson with a palm strike and Luna Landing for the victory.
Dani Luna defeated Harley Hudson via pinfall in 3:04.
After the match, Dani picked up Myla Grace and hit her with the Luna Landing. Lei Ying Lee ran out to chase away Luna before Luna could get more damage on Grace and Hudson. Luna teased leaving, but they ran back and put Lee in a sleeper while Lee was checking on Grace and Hudson. Luna then put Lee in a Rear Naked Choke. Xia Brookside ran out and attacked Luna.
Luna no-sold Xia and then hit her with the Luna Landing. Hannifan called Luna “Doomsday Dani Luna”. Dani Luna posed with the Knockouts Title…
John’s Thoughts: Awesome stuff. Next to Leon Slater, Dani Luna might be their best homegrown character in a while (yes, Luna was in WWE Developmental for a few years, but she was that Spitfire/Subculture character that never really connected). It’s been fun seeing her develop into a monster heel, and good on TNA for protecting her and not feeding her to wrestlers like Indi Hartwell or Lei Ying Lee. The no-sell of Xia was a nice touch.
Ryan Nemeth walked up to Mara Sade backstage and asked her why she keeps superkicking him. Mara told him to go away. Mara asked him to slow down because he’s going too fast. Ryan asked her to “arrest me officer”. Mara ended up berating him and walking away. Ryan said “she likes me”. Mara then came back and kicked him in the head…
Tom Hannifan hyped upcoming segments…
Order 4 were heading to the ring for Ali’s “State of the Union”. The camera showed Elijah was not too far behind…[c]
Tom Hannifan plugged Impact’s upcoming tapings in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hannifan also noted that Albuquerque is the home of AMC’s Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul (also the home of Vince Gilligan’s current series, Pluribus, which isn’t on AMC)…
The Elegance Brand were backstage arguing over who “Mr. Elegance” should be. Ash looked over and said “Him”! Ash pointed at a random normal looking dude fixing the lights. The guy said they should all know who he is because he’s been shooting all their promo segments for 8 years. Ash, M, and Heather agreed this guy should be Mr. Elegance.
The guy said he’s not a wrestler. The Concierge said he’s trained the worst in the business and can make this guy a star. They asked the stagehand guy to show them the goods. The guy then took off his shirt. The Elegance Brand dragged the random guy away with Ash aggressively slapping this guy’s ass (uhm? HR violation? But seriously, Ash got more up in that guy’s butt crack than I expected!). After everyone left, a random Asian guy popped up from under a table and said “I must protect the elegance brand”…
Order 4 made their entrance, without Agent Zero, for the “State of the Union” address. Tasha Steelz took to the podium first and did a slow introduction to draw boos. John Skyler said they have mandated changes in TNA that not only benefit Order 4, but all of TNA. Jason Hotch said they are going to speak slowly so the idiots in El Paso can understand. This drew “culero” chants. Tasha yelled back to them in Spanish.
Tasha then introduced Mustafa Ali to the podium. Ali thanked the crowd for the respectful reception. Ali said he likes that they gave him the awesome title of “Mr. Culero” and he would like to say “Gracias Amigos (in a gringo accent)”. Ali then brought up how the actions of Elijah, if that’s his real name, will create consequences. Ali said that he sent his grievances to TNA but TNA said they need to do things democratically.
Ali proposed “no more concerts, guitars, and cowboy boots”. Ali asked for Yays and Nays, and the crowd booed. Ali said he understands there might be a language barrier. Ali then said if you agree with his proposal say “Si”. A majority of the crowd booed. Ali said the morons don’t know what’s good for them. Ali then ranted about them cheering for everything, like him getting dragged by a living horse.
Elija’s guitar strum happened. Elijah walked to ringside on a horse. Elijah chased Order 4 away on foot with the guitar. Elijah got back on the horse and then chased them away…
Tom Hannifan hyped upcoming segments…[c]
John’s Thoughts: Eh, it was fine for crowd heat. I still can’t help but feel that all this clown mess is beneath Order 4, especially with how complex and nuanced they were coming out of their Civil War storyline. Elijah is an extremely popular act and one of the best crowd pops in the biz, but I wouldn’t sacrifice Order 4 and turn them into bumbling goofs.
Elijah chased Order 4 around backstage in slow motion while some random music played for the cinematic…
Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt checked in on commentary. A tagline graphic aired for the Maclin vs. Stacks match…
Entrances for the next match…
2. Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo (w/Ariana Grace, Lexis King, Tyson Dupont, Tyriek Igwe, Brooks Jensen) vs. Steve Maclin for the TNA. Maclin dominated early on with mounted punches and a backbreaker for a two count. Maclin dumped Stacks to ringside heading into break.[c]
Stacks dominated with methodical offense, with “The NXT outlaws” getting in cheap shots. The referee caught Igwe getting a cheap shot in and ejected only Igwe. Maclin then attacked the rest of the NXT undercard guys. Maclin went for his signature Tree of Woe spear, but Ariana Grace got in between Stacks and Maclin. Grace gave Maclin an eye rake for the DQ.
Steve Maclin defeated Channing Lorenzo via DQ in 7:33.
The rest of the NXT undercard wrestlers put the boots to Maclin. Stacks gave Maclin a leaping leg lariat to the back of the neck to end the segment…
John’s Thoughts: Ugh, this was the most “Only in TNA” or “UGH TNA” segment ever. Please, lets not go back to bad 2000s TNA booking? The stuff with the ref only ejecting one person was that dumb turn-your-brain-off stuff I didn’t want to go back to. On top of that, I can’t take these undercard NXT guys seriously (and I really think all of them are talented and I’ve been a fan of all of their work). I can’t call them “NXT outlaws” because that name feels above their power level.
Time for the TNA sponsored injury report. Harley Hudson, Myla Grace, Xia Brookside, and Lei Ying Lee were all in “unknown” status due to being “in evaluation” after getting attacked by Dani Luna (they aired a giant graphic for this). Hannifan said all the wrestlers in the tag team main event are cleared. Santino Marella is cleared physically, but may have emotional damage. Mike Santana is cleared with a lingering injury. Steve Maclin is “in evaluation”…
Rehwoldt hyped the 8 person tag for after the break…[c]
Highlights aired from the Oba Femi vs. Leon Slater match from the recent episode of NXT. Hannifan hyped Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo vs. Shiloh Hill for the TNA International Championship on next week’s NXT show…
The show then cut to highlights of a Digitial Exclusive edition of the First Class Penthouse, where AJ Francis was mocking Rich Swann for not drawing crowds while he was champion (due to COVID). While AJ was gloating, Rich Swann attacked AJ from behind and gave him a crossbody through a table…
An ad aired for TNA Genesis…
Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt ran through the advertised TNA Genesis card. Hannifan annoucned former TNA wrestler Joe Hendry will be appearing at Genesis…
The following segments were hyped for next week: Elijah and the Hardys vs. Mustafa Ali, Jason Hotch, and John Skyler, The IInspiration vs. The Elegance Brand, and Frankie Kazarian vs. Mike Santana for the TNA Championship…
Entrances for the next match took place…[c]
Hannifan gave one final thanks to AXSTV for being the home of TNA for 6 years and over 300 episodes…
3. “The System” Eddie Edwards, Brian Myers, Moose, and Johnny Dango Curtis vs. Leon Slater, Cedric Alexander, Matt Hardy, and Jeff Hardy. Cedric and Myers had a quick stalemate and tagged in Moose and Matt. Moose and Matt traded their signature arm poses before brawling. Moose hit Matt with a discus punch. Matt came back with his Delete face smashes into the buckles. Eddie tagged in and worked on Matt with CQC. Jeff tagged in and hit Eddie with an assisted leg drop for a two count.
Slater tagged in and hit Eddie with Poetry in Motion. Hannifan gave Slater credit for traveling back and forth every week to be on WWE and TNA shows (I like that they are trying to promote actual live shows, whilst claiming that Impact is live every week during taped shows). Eddie turned the tide and hit Slater with a Frankensteiner. Moose hit Slater with a Uranage and Senton. Slater dodged Moose with a dive. The rest of the wrestlers took turns, including Alisha, hitting dives at ringside.[c]
Back from break, Slater caught Myers with a flying uppercut. Jeff tagged in and hit Myers with his signature hot tag moves. Myers reversed a Twist of Fate into an Edgeucution. JDC tagged in and worked on Jeff with methodical offense. The System cut the ring in half on Jeff with quick tags. Jeff got a window of opportunity after a springboard dive on JDC and Eddie.
Cedric and Moose tagged in with Cedric taking down Moose and Myers. Cedric hit Moose with a Flatliner for a nearfall. Moose hit Cedric with the Go to Hell. The System cleared the ring. Myers, Eddie, and JDC hit Cedric with top rope dives. Moose got a two count on Cedric. Hardy tagged in and hit Moose Twist of Fate. The Hardys, Slater, and Cedric hit JDC and Eddie with stereo Plot Twists.
Slater took out JDC with a crossbody. Moose hit Slater with a Spear. He hit Cedric with a power bomb. Cedric reversed a spear into a rollup for the victory.
Cedric Alexander, Leon Slater, Matt Hardy, and Jeff Hardy defeated The System via pinfall in 15:40.
Cedric laughed that he got one over on Moose…
John’s Thoughts: A fun TV tag team match and I liked that the finish made this match more than just an exhibition to honor JDC leaving. Helps put some heat on Cedric heading into the X Division title match. Cedric beating Moose low key reminded me of the moment that put Moose and Cedric on the map for me, back when Cedric Alexander and Moose were a part of the same faction in Ring of Honor (which led to Cedric turning heel on Moose with Stokely Hathaway).
A Lei Ying Lee vignette aired. It was subtitled both in English and Chinese Hanzi. She talked about being forged in fire and stuff. A replay aired of her winning the TNA Knockouts Championship…
Rehwoldt hyped the main event segment…[c]
They aired another plug for next week’s Impact, but also added “you won’t know who will show up” as they showed clips of NXT wrestlers that have shown up in the past…
Director of Authority Santino Marella was in the ring wearing a flannel shirt and looking depressed for the upcoming contract signing segment. Santino apologized for not being in his usual attire and thanked the fans for supporting him through the tough time. Santino kept a depressed voice while introducing Mike Santana and Frankie Kazarian. Santino said the match was originally scheduled for Genesis, but the AMC debut is the biggest night in the history of TNA.
Santino said if Kazarian retains, Santana goes to the back of the line, but if Mike wins, then Mike will defend the title at Genesis. Santino said if Kazarian wins he might have to call Ava and book Kazarian against someone like “Tricky William” at Genesis. Santino said that “Tricky William” is due a rematch via the rematch clause. Santino told Santino to call “Dwayne’s daughter” to send over j-brones to attempt to take his title.
Kazarian said to be honest, nobody wanted Mike in TNA more than Frankie Kazarian. He said he knows where Mike has been and what he’s been to. Kazarian said Mike has always been honest with him and the fans. Kazarian said he’ll be honest now. Kazarian whipped his face and said “I too am an addict”. Kazarian said he’s addicted to being TNA Champion, being King of TNA, and being a top guy.
He said he doesn’t battle his demons, but he wants to dance with them. He said he will walk out of the AMC premiere still as Champion. Mike took off his glasses. He said he and Kazarian were at the same place recently and were miserable to all hell (oof…AEW). He said that place tried to drain the passion out of what they both loved most. He said they held each other up, left that place, bet on themselves, and will stand against each other on the biggest show in TNA history.
Santana said that he’s heard everything Kazarian said before. He said he stepped into TNA two years ago and carried his family and company on his back. Santana said he’s going to next week’s show to do it for himself. He said he guarantees to Kazarian and the fans that he’ll walk out a two time TNA Champion. Mike said that maybe Kaz is right about Mike. Mike said he’s going to sign the contract and meet Kaz in Dallas.
Nic Nemeth made his entrance with the Call Your Shot trophy. Nic said everyone forgot about him. Nic said the reason everyone is talking about TNA and that’s Nic Nemeth. Nic said he doesn’t like Kaz. He said he also doesn’t like Santana for being a good guy who wears sunglasses indoors. Nemeth said Kazarian and Santana will beat each other down to a pulp because that’s what the TNA title is worth.
Nic said he’ll be waiting in the wings ready to call his shot. Nic claimed that no matter who wins, he’ll call his shot and end the AMC show with the title. Santana picked up the contract and milked the moment. Santana signed first. Kazarian picked up the contract and took his time reading the fine print before signing. Kazarian and Santana posed in front of each other while Nic Nemeth posed with his trophy. Hannifan did a final plug in AXS to close the show…
John’s Thoughts: A good contract signing heading into the AXS premiere. A good showcase of how much both men have proved that they can be top quality talkers if given the chance, and they both added the real-life situation of both being held back in All Elite Wrestling. In comes Nic Nemeth, doing what Dolph Ziggler does best and tease Money in the Bank cash-ins. That almost tells me that he won’t cash in successfully (I think they need to rebuild Nic at least a little bit before putting the belt back on him?).
They teased Trick Williams having a rematch clause in all of this, but I wonder if that will even come into play now that Trick is on the main roster. Overall, TNA’s shows have been pretty solid following that live show debacle where Santana lost the title. Yes, there’s a lame duck feel to the recent shows, but there have been some watchable bright spots in there like some good matches, like the Hardys-Righteous program, like Frankie Kazarian, like JDC’s harmless retirement run, and Dani Luna’s awesome heel transformation. The worst part in all this is that damn feud against the “[so called] NXT Outlaws”. I wished that was going to be a short thing too, but it looks like it might persist. Dang. Anyways looking forward to get out of this lame duck period!
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