TNA Impact 5/8/2025

TNA Impact 5/8/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/05/tna-impact-512025.html

Next week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/05/tna-impact-5152025.html

This was on against AEW Collision as AEW didn't want to compete with WWE's PPV on Saturday.

We are in Irvine, CA.

Trick Williams comes out with security to start. He brags about taking out Joe Hendry, who he calls the golden goose. He says he will take out Joe and then take out his fans and brand.

Joe Hendry comes out. Joe knocks security away and fights with Trick. Security beats up security more and hits his standing ovation on a guard. 

Victoria Crawford and Robert Stone talk about tonight's card and mock it. Stone rips up the match card and says to forget about it and tells Victoria to do her thing.

Rosemary vs Lei Ying Lee

Xia Brookside is on commentary. Lee ducks some shots and hits a bad crossbody. Rose side slams her for 2 then pounds on her. Lee's head is banged off the buckles. Rose hits an exploder for 2.

Rose chokes her in the corner. Lee hits chops and Rose bites the hand. Rose hanging headscissors her. Rose is up top and has her legs kicked out from under her. Rose headbutts her. Lee hits a jumping knee and a dropkick. Lee hits corner punches then does a northern lights suplex for 2. Rose hits a big spear.

Rose pulls out bras knucks. Xia grabs the knucks. Rose gets distracted then takes a spinning high kick. Lee pings her.

Thoughts: It wasn't that good as expected and the very first move they did here was botched. I thought Rose was a face at the PLE but she was all heel here.

Trick Williams and Mike Santana walk past each other in the back and stare down. Mike talks to Sami Callihan and someone in an alien costume. Mike puts over Sami's hardcore match with Mance. He says he wants to give him a shoutout. Sami says he usually doesn't care about things like that but appreciates it and shakes his hand.

First Class come in. KC is told to shut up. AJ says they weren't here to talk to Mike and says he wants to talk to Sami. They wonder what is up with the alien/ogre. AJ says Sami showed he's a real killer and the type they are looking for in First Class. He says isn't it time Sami flies First Class? Sami says he doesn't do cliques or caviar and talks the alien with him to get snacks. Mike asks if AJ has a problem. AJ says he doesn't have problems, he solves them. 

The Elegance Brand are in the back. They say it's makeover time for Maggie Lee and say her life is about to change. We see a montage them doing a makeover to Maggie.

The Great Hands come out. Skyler says they have an important matter to address. Skyler says Mustafa Ali has changed and is different now. Skyler says he wants to apologize. 

The Great Hands (John Skyler and Jason Hotch) vs The Aztec Warriors (Octagon Jr. and Laredo)

Laredo has dropped the "Kid" part of his name. Laredo and JH push each other. Laredo springboards into a headscissors on him. Oct walks up the roeps and tornillos JH. Oct then walks the ropes and corkscrews into an armdrag.

Oct spin kicks JH. John knee lifts Oct then JH rolls into a neckbreaker on Hotch. They double clothesline each other. Oct is rolled and makes a tag. Laredo drops The Great Hands with shots. Oct and Laredo do stereo headscissors. Oct holds the ropes open for a Laredo tope. Oct then asai moonsaults outside. Oct headstands and seated moonsaults onto John in the ring to win.

Thoughts: It was short and could have gone longer. We know what Laredo and Oct are all about and that's what they did here - lots of flying. It was fine though.

Mustafa Ali comes out and beats up Laredo and Oct. Ali chokes Oct with the ring skirt. The Rascalz come out and make the save.

Trey Miguel vs Mustafa Ali

Trey hits chops on Ali and is forearmed down twice. Trey does a hurricanrana but Ali rolls through it and powerbombs him. Ali hits mounted forearms. Ali goes for a backdrop and is headscissored. Trey handspring kicks him on the ropes. Ali then bridging ddt's him on the floor.

Ali rolls into a neckbreaker then hits a standing corkscrew moonsault for 2. Ali catches a crossbody then hits a tiger suplex for 2. Ali rolls in and is caught with a cutter.

Trey hits punches, dropkicks him and hits an asai moonsault. Trey topes him outside. Trey hits a top rope meteora for 2. They trade pin attempts. Trey does like a tiger feint and is dropkicked out. Zach Wentz then asai moonsaults The Great Hands outside before being sent into the post. Trey then does a tope into a tornado ddt on Ali on the floor.

Tasha Steelz distracts the ref and Trey is slammed on the apron edge. Ali holds Trey in the air and does a flatliner for the win.

Thoughts: They did too much here with ddt's on the floor essentially being meaningless. Ali was a bit more aggressive than usual here and did more stiff offense than usual.

They show us like 6 minutes worth of clips of Mustafa Ali vs Ace Austin Under Siege 2024 for some reason.

This week's Injury Report has Steve Maclin getting some help after a chain used on him last week. He's cleared to compete this week.

Steve Maclin does a promo. He said him and Eric have been doing this for 7 months. He said he did trust him at one point. He says they need to end this once and for all and do it in a dog collar match for the TNA International Title. He says it'll be mayhem for The Northern Armory.

Indi Hartwell does a video talking about being a fan and watching TNA. She talks about her TNA merch collection with plastic belts. 

She says she has wrestled all over the world. She says she's ready to be in TNA but doesn't want to be a knockout, she wants to be "the" knockout.

The Hardy Boys come out to talk. Matt thanks the crowd. He says they lost the tag titles at Rebellion. He says they call their hands, "Diehardy's" and say their emotion and passion helps them through matches. Matt says they feel like they let them down at Rebellion.

Matt says The Nemeth's cheated at Rebellion but they should be able to beat then even if they do cheat. Matt says they will fight and grind their way back to the TNA Titles. Jeff says they will get back to the top and The Nemeth's title reign will fade away and be obsolete. Matt says their title reign will be deleted.

The Nemeth's come out. Ryan says they will take the tag division to new heights. Nic says The Hardy's are legends but sometimes legends get defeated, especially when they face the greatest brother tag team. Nic says they run TNA and Ryan says they are the greatest brother tag team of all time. Nic says they will get their rematch at Under Seige. Ryan says it should be a ladder match. Nic tells Ryan that Jeff can't cross the border into Canada. Ryan says he guesses the match is cancelled and Nic says good luck with everything.

Santino Marella comes out. He says it'll be Jeff Hardy vs Nic Nemeth 1v1. He says it'll be The Nemeth's vs Matt Hardy and a partner of his choice at Under Siege. 

Thoughts: It's hard to get excited about mystery partners. I'll be really surprised if it's not Leon Slater.

They show us clips of Jeff Hardy vs Nic Nemeth from WWE Raw 2009 where they fought in a hardcore match.

Victoria Crawford vs Brittnie Brooks

They shake hands and Vic forearms her down off of it. BB ducks a lariat and hits a thesz press with mounted shots. Vic hits her in the throat then northern lights suplexes her. BB hits corner spears. BB misses a corner charge. Vic reverse headscissors her and axe kicks her on the back to win.

Thoughts: Vic wasn't that great in her prime and didn't look that good here. It was a squash with Brooks not getting much in.

Vic gets on the mic after and Masha Slamovich comes out. Masha takes her down and hits mounted shots. Tessa Blanchard grabs Masha and ddt's her. Santino comes out. He says it'll be Tessa and Crawford vs Masha and a partner of her choosing.

Thoughts: I didn't really get this one. I'm not sure if we are supposed to boo or cheer Lyons being Masha's partner.

Robert Stone gets in the ring. He says he did this earlier and can't just let the inmates run the asylum. Stone says he will pick Masha's partner for next week and it'll be Nikita Lyons.

Robert Stone talks to Nikkita Lyons on the phone in the back and says she's all good. Arianna Grace comes in and says she's the liaison between NXT and TNA. She says he's ruining everything. Tessa Blanchard comes in. She asks where Grace's tiara is. She says Grace was given a participation ribbon and thought that she belonged. Tess says her being from a wrestling family got her in the door but her name built the foundation. She says she took her family's legacy and turned it to diamonds while Grace took hers and turned it to glitter. 

TNA International Title Dog Collar Match - Steve Maclin (c) vs. Eric Young

The Northern Armory is with EY. They tug over the chain and SM forearms him. SM hits punches. Matt Cardona is on commentary. SM has the chain wrapped around his neck and EY dragon sleepers him while sitting up on the top. EY wraps a chain around SM's eyes.

SM is busted open and EY rakes his face with the chain. They go out and EY punches him on the floor. We see Elijah watching in the back. EY whips SM with the chain. EY puts the chain around SM's mouth against the post. Travis Williams hits SM in the gut since there's no DQ's.

SM is thrown in and he topes all of The Northern Armory. They go back in. SM is pulled throat/head first into the top rope with the chain. We go to break and return. EY chokes SM with the chain. Mance Warner and Steph de Lander come out to watch.

SM jawbreakers him and boots him out of the corner. SM hits running lariats. SM hits a thesz press with headbutts. SM whips him with the chain. Judas and Travis come in both take moves from SM. SM olympic slams EY for 2. SM flying knees him. SM 2nd rope diving headbutts him for 2.

SM throws EY on the floor with the chain around his neck. SM is pulled off the apron by the chain. EY is crotched up top and put in tree of woe. SM powerbombs Travis Williams then buckle bombs Judas. SM does his crosshairs spear on Travis and Judas in the corner. 

EY piledrivers SM for 2. SM hits a double arm ddt and wins.

Thoughts: The blood really helped here and made it look 10x more lethal than it was. Steve REALLY bled here, painting himself, EY and the mat red. It was a good main here and I could see Steve's bladejob being something I remember down the line.

Overall thoughts: The opener wasn't that good as expected. I liked the short Aztec Warriors/Great Hands tag. Trey/Ali was the juniors match you would expect and Ali was a bit more aggressive than usual in it. Victoria Crawford's TNA debut was not very impressive. Maclin and Young had a very very bloody dog collar match where Maclin bled on everything and everyone. It was the usual 5 out of 10 TNA show. Lots of people were missing from this one. I'd recommend checking out Steve Maclin's bladejob but not much else.